482 Two Possibilities
"Bloodline of the golden dragon race…"
The present dragon lords all jumped to the same conclusion the moment they witnessed the golden dragon aura outburst.
But even though they all arrived at the same answer, they were plagued with even more questions.
"Lady Astoria possesses a golden dragon bloodline… But how is that possible?" Kemun uttered with a startled, confused look.
Nevertheless, the increasingly distinct golden dragon aura undeniably belonged to the golden dragons.
Narvim and Astarot had a lot of thoughts but not an immediate answer to Kemun's question.
"It's almost impossible for the golden dragon bloodline to form from a mutation in the red dragon bloodline, let alone a nobler bloodline of golden dragons," Narvim stated with a puzzled frown.
"Right," Astarot nodded.
"Even if a cat could turn into a tiger god, it would require an unimaginable amount of precious resources and opportunities to pave the way for its evolution. Lady Astoria's recovery involved no such thing."
"In other words, Lady Astoria possessed the golden dragon bloodline from the beginning. It had nothing to our Red Dragon Clan. Supreme Leader's blood essence and our efforts only accidentally stimulated her hidden dragon bloodline," Astarot concluded.
"Lady Astoria sure is fortunate. She had profited from a disaster this time," Narvim commented with a sigh before continuing, "However, it's starting to make some sense."
"Unlike us, red dragons, which have an advantage in our fiery destructive capabilities, the golden dragons' strength lies in their incomparably sturdy bodies. Although their physical might are also nothing to scoff at, it still pales in comparison to their defense and tenacity."
"Given there is also a hint of nobility in Lady Astoria's golden dragon aura, her golden dragon bloodline must also be superior to ordinary golden dragon bloodline."
"If Lady Astoria didn't have this hidden golden dragon bloodline all along, she wouldn't have survived the Demigod-level attack for as long as she did. It wouldn't be farfetched to say that any other human in her shoe should have died on the spot."
"No matter how great the regenerative properties of the Supreme Leader's blood essence, it wouldn't have been possible to bring back a dead person," Narvim believed.
While listening to the dragon lords converse, Henrietta grasped a small part of the situation and couldn't help but clench her fist.
She understood that in the war between the Black Rose Kingdom and the Holy Knight Empire, Astoria had suffered the attack of someone with Demigod-level strength and nearly lost her life.
Considering Astoria's history with the Holy Knight Empire, she didn't think Astoria would participate in the war.
Such an assumption had almost cost her to lose a dear friend.
Shortly after Henrietta finished self-reflecting, she shifted her attention to another matter worth mentioning.
"I thought the Red Dragon Clan was the only group of true dragons in this world, but apparently, that was not the case?" Henrietta directed a questioning look at the three dragon lords.
"Hmm…" Astarot hummed in thought before he replied, "That only shows how little we know about this world's history."
"Lady Astoria's golden dragon bloodline was so diluted that no one knew she possessed such a noble bloodline until it awakened and surprised everyone. This tells us that Lady Astoria's golden dragon ancestor must be very ancient."
"Us, red dragons, might be the only true dragons in this world now, but we can say for sure that a golden dragon, one with a nobler bloodline than our own Fire Dragon God, had once walked this earth and ruled its skies," Astarot stated.
'That can't be right,' Henrietta's master suddenly sounded within Henrietta's mind, prompting her to ask, 'Why not, Master?'
'You should understand well what the world was like before Gehenna's appearance introduced mana to the world. It's a barren world that doesn't accommodate higher lifeforms or grant such evolutionary possibility.'
'It's impossible for such a world to have nurtured or accommodated a golden dragon more powerful than the Red Dragon Clan's Fire Dragon God. Unless…'
Henrietta's master's sudden silence fueled Henrietta with growing curiosity as she waited for her master to continue.
It seemed like her master had realized something important.
'Henrietta, do you remember the structure of the starry sky I explained to you?'
'Of course, Master. I remember everything you told me clearly.'
According to Henrietta's master, Pangea was just one of many celestial bodies in the infinitely vast sea of stars, which generally revolved in large spirals, forming unimaginably large groups of stars called galaxies.
Each galaxy was divided into four regions of core, inner, outer, and desolate, based on the level of a natural energy source called spirit energy found everywhere in the cosmos, where there were stars and life.
Desolate regions possessed such a scarce amount of spirit energy that it was almost impossible for life to prosper beyond the mortal rank.
In comparison, the core region of a galaxy contained the highest concentration and densest amount of spirit energy that the spirit energy itself had transformed into higher-level energy called divine energy.
Thus, the core region was also referred to as the divine realm.
'Previously, I had taken this world to be one situated somewhere within the desolate region. However, I've realized that this might not be the case,' Henrietta's master stated.
'If the planet of Pangea isn't located in the desolate region of stars, then where else would it be? And how can we explain the lack of this so-called spirit energy, Master?' Henrietta inquired, clearly baffled.
She had assumed her master to be the wisest person in the world, given her master's profound background. But even such a person could be wrong at times.
'Pangea could be anywhere within the four regions of stars. The possibility now exists. The key point lies in its lack of spirit energy,' Henrietta's master declared.
'Any celestial body in the desolate region with life should have some spirit energy, no matter how scarce it is. And yet Pangea has none. This shouldn't be possible normally, at least according to my knowledge.'
'Thus, I can only think of two possibilities for the lack of spirit energy in Pangea. Which do you want to hear first?' Henrietta's master asked.
'Does it matter, Master? I'll end up hearing them both anyway unless you decide to change your mind and not tell me,' Henrietta replied.
'I suppose you have a point,' Henrietta's master acknowledged before continuing, 'The first possibility is that somewhere on this planet exists a priceless treasure capable of absorbing all the spirit energy on a planetary scale.'
'Given the countless years of absorption, if we can find it, the accumulated spirit energy within the treasure should be enough for you to cultivate to the divine rank and beyond.'
'What about the other possibility?' Henrietta asked, noticing a change in her master's tone.
'The second possibility is more fearsome,' Henrietta's master stated.
'The second possibility is Pangea being a prison world locked down by some high-level divine being. In that case, we can forget about acquiring any spirit energy or dream of ever leaving this world for a higher-level one.'
'Of course, that was before Gehenna's appearance. Now, we have another choice; to enter Chaos and make full use of mana, which is even more miraculous than spirit energy and divine energy.'
'Chaos has its own dangers. But as an ant in pursuit of power, we can only pick which fire to dive into.'