Garrison.
The incident at the secret realm had been brewing for an entire week. The academy’s investigation team came and went.
Upperclassmen were requisitioned for support, and even a few mentors from Class A were dispatched to the outskirts of the secret realm.
The academy suddenly became much quieter, the sound of footsteps in the hallways diminished. That evening, a notice was temporarily posted on the bulletin board—the entire academy would be on leave until further notice.
Xuanxi stood in front of the bulletin board, looking at the notice.
‘That’s it? Vacation? And we don’t even know when classes will resume. I’ve suddenly become free.’
She sent a detailed explanation of the situation to her adoptive father and waited for his reply. The communication stone vibrated. It was a message from her adoptive father.
“What? Vacation this early? I’m traveling with old friends and won’t be home for a while. Don’t bother coming back. Just rest well at the academy.”
Xuanxi stared at the message for a few seconds. She had originally planned to go home. She hadn’t been back to visit her adoptive father since arriving at the academy, and this vacation was the perfect opportunity. But there he was, traveling and having fun without her.
She leaned against the headboard of her dormitory bed, staring at the ceiling. The academy was on break, and her adoptive father wasn’t home. Where should she go during this vacation?
The communication stone vibrated again. This time it was a message from a friend. The sender’s avatar was an ice-blue snowflake.
“I heard the academy is on vacation. Do you have any plans for these few days?”
Xuanxi typed: “I wanted to go home, but my adoptive father isn’t there. I have no plans right now.”
The reply came almost immediately.
“Then come to my place. My mother is a descendant of the Eastern Dragon Clan. She has some books and records about the Eastern Dragons. Maybe we can find something related to your origins.”
Valeris’s mother. The woman who had married into the West from the Eastern Dragon Domain. She probably had more information than Xuanxi currently knew. Maybe Valeris’s mother could help her.
She was about to reply when a hand reached over her shoulder and took the communication stone.
Xuanxi turned around. Hildegrifa had somehow come out of the bathroom. She was looking down at the chat history on the communication stone screen, her eyes glistening under the light.
“When did you get here?” Xuanxi asked.
“While you were staring at the ceiling in a daze.” Hildegrifa’s gaze didn’t leave the screen. “So, Valeris invited you to her place?”
“Yeah.”
“Because her mother has Eastern Dragon bloodlines, and might find clues about your origins, right?”
“Yeah.”
Hildegrifa handed the communication stone back to her. “Are you going, then?”
“I want to go,” Xuanxi said.
Hildegrifa was silent for a moment. “Then I want to go with you.”
“Is that okay? Valeris only invited me—”
“It’s not safe for you to go alone.” Hildegrifa’s tone was flat. “Her home is in the Dragon Domain near the Central Continent. That area has been unstable recently, and you know that.”
She paused, her eyes wide as she looked at Xuanxi. “And last time you fainted during dragon transformation, we still haven’t found out why. If something happens again at her place, at least I can be by your side.”
Xuanxi looked at her. At the still-dripping silver-white hair. At Hilde’s lips pressed into a thin line.
‘No need. I can handle it myself.’
But the moment she saw Hildegrifa’s face, those words wouldn’t come out.
Xuanxi sighed. “Fine. Let’s go together.”
Hildegrifa picked up her own communication stone and sent a message to someone.
A few seconds later, Xuanxi’s communication stone vibrated. It was a reply from Valeris.
“Is your ‘other half’ coming too?”
Xuanxi stared at the words “your other half” for a few seconds. She typed a few words, then deleted them. Finally, she just sent: “Yeah.”
Valeris didn’t reply, but Xuanxi knew she had seen it. Xuanxi was about to start washing up when the communication stone vibrated again. It wasn’t Valeris. It was a message from Hildegrifa, sent from the balcony.
“After we finish at Valeris’s place, let’s go to my home too.”
Xuanxi was startled. She looked up toward the balcony. The silver-white figure was sitting on a lounge chair, holding the communication stone, looking back at her through the balcony door.
“Does your family know?”
“They know now.”
“…You just told them?”
“Yeah.”
“What did they say?”
“They said they welcome your arrival.”
Xuanxi stared at the reply for a long time. Hildegrifa’s family. The Edelstein Family, ranked among the top three in the Dragon Domain.
Would they say “welcome your arrival” to a “bloodline-less” dragon? Impossible. There must have been many conversations behind that sentence, things Hildegrifa had shielded her from.
“What did you tell them?”
“That you’re my friend, and that you want to come.” Hildegrifa paused. “I vouched for you. I said you’re worth meeting.”
Xuanxi typed a line: “Alright, then I’ll go.”
At two in the afternoon, Xuanxi and Hildegrifa stood at the academy gate waiting for Valeris. The sunlight shone directly overhead, shortening their shadows into dark dots.
Xuanxi wore a newly bought dark cyan robe—the one Hilde had bought her over the weekend. Silver cloud patterns glimmered faintly in the sun. She hadn’t wanted to wear it, thinking it was too formal, but Hilde said she wanted to see it.
Hildegrifa stood beside her, wearing a set of light gray casual clothes. Her silver-white hair was tied into a low ponytail, revealing a stretch of pale nape.
A light golden figure approached from a distance. Today, Valeris wore an ice-blue long dress, her light golden braid hanging over her left shoulder. She stopped in front of the two, her ice-blue eyes first looking at Xuanxi, then at Hildegrifa.
“Let’s go,” Valeris said.
The three walked side by side on the path. Xuanxi was in the middle, Hildegrifa on the left, Valeris on the right.
As they neared the teleportation array, Hildegrifa slowed her pace. She moved to Xuanxi’s right, opposite Valeris.
Xuanxi saw Valeris’s eyebrow twitch, but she said nothing.
The light of the teleportation array faded. Xuanxi opened her eyes.
The scene before her was not what she had imagined. She had thought Valeris’s home would be like those ancient families: with towering castles, old city walls, and boundless territories.
But what appeared before her was just a quiet manor, situated on a hill, surrounded by vast fields of blue flowers.
“This is the territory of the House of Frostmark.” Valeris’s voice came from beside her. “Of course, it’s not as big as those ancient families, but it’s enough to live in.”
The three walked along a gravel path toward the manor. Xuanxi walked in the middle, Hildegrifa on the left, Valeris on the right. No one spoke. There was only the sound of wind through the flower fields and the calls of birds in the distance.
Standing under the manor’s porch was a middle-aged female dragon in human form. Her black hair was streaked with a few strands of silver.
Her eyes were deep blue—not Valeris’s ice blue, but a deeper lake blue. She wore an elegant long dress with a light gray shawl draped over her shoulders, standing in the shadow of the porch.
“Mother.” Valeris stepped forward and slightly turned to reveal Xuanxi and Hildegrifa behind her. “These are my classmates: Xuanxi Herras and Hildegrifa von Edelstein.”
Lady Frostmark’s gaze fell on Xuanxi. Her deep blue eyes paused on her face—to be precise, on the dark gold heavenly fate mark beneath her right eye.
Xuanxi had seen that look before. The bookshop owner had it. The boss lady at the Eastern snack stall had it. Valeris had it too. But Lady Frostmark’s gaze was different. She seemed to truly recognize the origin of that mark.
“Come in, both of you.” Lady Frostmark’s voice was soft, carrying a gentleness that seemed out of place on this continent. “The tea is already brewed.”
The living room was not large, but it was warm. The fire in the fireplace burned brightly, with logs crackling.
On the walls hung several paintings—some landscapes, some portraits, and one depicting a dragon coiled in layers of clouds. A long, slender body, no wings, five claws. Xuanxi’s gaze lingered on that painting for a moment.
“That’s a painting of an Eastern Dragon.” Lady Frostmark’s voice came from behind. “My mother painted it. She came from the Eastern Dragon Domain, married my father, and never returned.”
Xuanxi turned around. Lady Frostmark stood behind her holding a tea tray, her deep blue eyes reflecting the firelight.
“That heavenly fate mark on your face. My mother had one too, because she was a descendant of the Azure Dragon branch.”
The living room was silent for a moment. The fire crackled again.
“You know about the Azure Dragon?” Xuanxi asked.
“A little.” Lady Frostmark placed the tea tray on the coffee table and sat down in an armchair. “When my mother was still alive, she told me many things about the Eastern Dragon Domain. She said the Eastern Dragon Domain is not on this continent.”
Lady Frostmark picked up her teacup. The light golden tea liquid gently swayed in the white porcelain cup.
“It lies at the other end of the Storm Sea, facing the Human Kingdoms across the sea. From the easternmost port of the Western Dragon Domain, with a favorable wind, it would take nearly two months to sail there.”
“If you encounter a storm—and the Storm Sea has storms year-round—it could take half a year, or you might never arrive.”
The fire in the fireplace burned brightly, logs crackling. Lady Frostmark’s voice was exceptionally gentle in the firelight.
“Moreover, the proud Eastern Dragon Clan disdains to share territory with any other race. The entire Eastern Dragon Domain is home only to dragons. Oh, that’s not right. There are other races: humans, beast tribes, elves.”
“But they aren’t sharing territory—they are… subordinates. They have only residence rights in the cities of the Eastern Dragon Domain, and every year they must pay tribute to the dragons, obey their commands, and follow the laws set by the dragons.”
“Under the vast heavens, every inch of land is the king’s domain,” Xuanxi softly recited the phrase that Teacher Cecilia had once quoted in class.
Lady Frostmark glanced at her and nodded. “Yes, that’s exactly it.”
She set down her teacup and gently rubbed the rim with her finger.
“The dynasty of the Eastern Dragon Clan is called the ‘Canglong Dynasty,’ with the Azure Dragon Clan as its sovereign, passed down for untold generations.”
“The Azure Dragon Clan is the foremost of the five main bloodlines. The other four are divided by geographic direction into the Four Direction Dragon Kings. Each of the four directions has its own territory and responsibilities.”
“The heads of the four dragon clans form the Council of Elders, and above the council is the Dragon Emperor of the Azure Dragon lineage.”
“Dragon Emperor…” Xuanxi repeated the two words, feeling an unfamiliar weight on her tongue.
“The Dragon Emperor is the supreme ruler of the Canglong Dynasty. Each generation is inherited by the main bloodline of the Azure Dragon Clan. Below the Dragon Emperor, there are layers of feudal lords, a strict hierarchy.”
Lady Frostmark’s gaze fell on the heavenly fate mark under Xuanxi’s right eye.
“And the main bloodline of the Azure Dragon has a trait: the heavenly fate mark. Every generation of the main bloodline is born with a natural pattern beneath the right eye. The number of marks increases with the degree of bloodline awakening, up to nine marks for an emperor.”
Xuanxi unconsciously touched the pattern beneath her right eye. Two marks. Nine marks for an emperor. She was still seven layers away from “emperor.” That wasn’t a path that could be finished anytime soon. Maybe she would never reach it.
“But why does it prevent Xuanxi’s dragon transformation?” Hildegrifa’s voice came from the side, her eyes on Lady Frostmark. “When Xuanxi transforms, the heavenly fate mark glows and suppresses her transformation. Do you know why?”
Lady Frostmark was silent for a moment. “I know a little, but not much. There are some records in the notes my mother left behind. I can show you. Valeris, go get them from the study.”
Valeris brought out a thick stack of notes from the study and placed them on the coffee table. The covers were yellowed, the corners worn.
Some pages had even come loose and had been carefully stitched back together with thread. Valeris opened the top notebook, flipped to a page, and pushed it in front of Xuanxi.
“Here.” Her finger pointed at a line of text.
The handwriting was in Eastern ancient script. Xuanxi stared at the line for a few seconds, her lips moving slightly.
“Azure Dragon bloodline, born with heavenly fate mark. The mark is the proof of bloodline and the lock that protects the body. Not passed to outsiders, not opened before the time.”
“What does that mean?” Hildegrifa asked.
Xuanxi translated for her: “The Azure Dragon bloodline is born with the heavenly fate mark. The mark is the proof of the bloodline and also a shackle that protects the body.”
“Those who are not of the Azure Dragon bloodline will not have the heavenly fate mark, and it will not open until the right time.”
Lady Frostmark nodded. “My mother wrote in her notes that the Azure Dragon bloodline is too powerful to be borne at a young age.”
“So the heavenly fate mark seals most of the power during childhood, gradually unlocking as age and strength grow. Forcibly breaking the seal may result in fainting at best, or damage to one’s core at worst.”
“So when will it unlock?” Xuanxi asked.
“I don’t know,” said Lady Frostmark. “The timing is different for everyone. Maybe when you are strong enough, maybe when your bloodline senses some kind of call.”
Xuanxi gently rubbed her finger across the page.
“Can I borrow these notes to read?”
Lady Frostmark smiled gently. “Of course. These notes only gather dust here. It’s better to give them to someone who needs them.”
Xuanxi hugged the stack of notes to her chest. The edges of the pages pressed against her arm. Lady Frostmark watched her movements, a certain indescribable expression in her deep blue eyes—like relief.
“Just like her,” she said softly.
Xuanxi looked up. “Like whom?”
“Nothing.” Lady Frostmark shook her head. “I heard my mother mention something. The last main bloodline descendant of the Azure Dragon was named Ao Lan.
During the internal conflict in the Canglong Dynasty three hundred years ago, she fled west with her young daughter, and there was never any word of her again.”
She looked at Xuanxi’s face, her gaze wandering over her brows and eyes. “My mother said that people of the Azure Dragon main bloodline all carry something indescribable in their brows and eyes. A sense of responsibility. The burden of an entire dynasty.”
Xuanxi lowered her head and looked at the notes in her arms.
“Do you know… what happened to her later?”
Lady Frostmark was silent for a long time. “I don’t know. But my mother once said, ‘The bloodline of the Azure Dragon will not be severed. One day, it will return.'”
She looked at Xuanxi, her deep blue eyes like two warm stars in the firelight. “Maybe it has already returned.”
Xuanxi’s finger paused on the rim of her teacup. “Then your mother… why did she leave the Eastern Dragon Domain?”
Lady Frostmark smiled. “For love. My mother fell in love with my father, a Western dragon. Such a marriage was absolutely forbidden in the Eastern Dragon Domain.”
“Branch bloodlines of the Canglong Dynasty could not marry out, let alone to the distant West. So she eloped with my father and never went back.”
“Did she regret it?”
Lady Frostmark looked into the fire for a while. “She regretted not bringing out more things—books and notes from the East, memories of the Eastern Dragon Domain. But she never regretted marrying my father.”
The fire burned brightly, logs crackling.
“And you?” Xuanxi asked. “Do you want to go see the Eastern Dragon Domain?”
Lady Frostmark picked up her teacup and took a sip. “I used to think about it. Every day when I was young. Later, I stopped thinking. Even if I went, what then? The people my mother knew are already gone.”
“I don’t know a single person there. That place is just a name to me now, not a home.” She set down her teacup and looked at Xuanxi, her deep blue eyes very calm. “But you’re different. Your home is there.”