Destroyer of Ice and Fire
Chapter 4: Fusion! The power of bloodlines!
"Where did that little shorty go?"
The red-haired Moss peeked left and glanced right at the bustling entrance of Holy Dawn Academy, looking very astonished.
There were quite a lot of senior students under the Holy Dawn Academy’s great arched stone gates. These senior students had volunteered to come help, offering new students a little introduction, then guiding them to their dormitories.
As one of the academies with the longest traditions in Holy Lauren, Holy Dawn Academy’s architecture was ancient, and its campus was very vast. It took at least forty minutes on foot from the main entrance to the "Ivy" residences and the "Redbud" residences where the new students lived. For new students unfamiliar with the area, it was very easy to get lost inside.
The way Moss saw it, a guy like Ayrin who came from a small-time place would certainly stir a fuss about nothing and make a fool of himself after seeing what Holy Dawn Academy really looked like.
That was why Moss intentionally kept some distance away from Ayrin, ready to make fun of him. But he didn’t expect Ayrin to disappear in the blink of an eye.
"School sister, what’s your name? I’ll help you carry your things ok?"
"School sister, I’ll take you to the dorm ok?"
At the same time, a Rinloran who looked even prettier than the vast majority of girls found himself in the middle of a siege from several older schoolmates whose eyes shone bright. His face was already full of black lines, once again reaching the edge of an explosion.
"This is the Thinker’s Forest!"
"Sleeping Mermaid Stone Statues!"
"I’ve reached the Beast Training Field!"
Ayrin was holding a thick booklet at this moment, shouting out a name or two from time to time as he walked on the roads inside Holy Dawn Academy, attracting sidelong glances from one passerby after another.
Old Ginns was the one who gave him the small booklet he held. Its name was "Guidebook to Holy Dawn Academy." Not only was there a map of Holy Dawn Academy inside, it also contained introductions about many edifices and many academy teachers.
"Cattail Library, so called because the growth of cattails filling the shores of the lakes beside it. The floors, stairs, and windows all groan since it comes from too ancient an era, so it is also customarily called the ‘Groaning Library.’ Finally here!"
Half an hour later, with the guidance of the map, Ayrin finally came in front of the library old Ginns said he needed to visit first thing.
This was an ancient wooden building set over a protruding mound, surrounded on three sides by lakes. Green vines climbed all over the surface of the wooden building. There was only an unremarkable name board standing in the vicinity of the entrance.
The instant Ayrin crossed inside this ancient library entirely made from wood, an expressionless old man with a short stature blocked his way, wearing a black robe and thick long-sighted glasses .
"You’re a freshman who’s just been admitted in the academy?"
Shooting a glance to the freshman card hanging on Ayrin’s chest, the black-robed old man said in a severe tone, "This is the library, you’re not allowed to enter as you wish."
Ayrin nodded, "I want to get a reading card and go read inside."
The black-robed old man cast a glance at Ayrin, "New students only have the right to read the books inside, you can’t borrow them out."
"Got it."
"You’re not allowed to take inside any sharp device that could possibly scratch the books. You have to trim your nails first before going in."
"Got it."
"Any book-damaging behavior is forbidden, otherwise there will be severe punishments. In serious cases, you can even be directly dismissed from the academy."
"Got it."
"It’s forbidden to read in a loud voice and make a fuss inside the library, otherwise you’ll be expelled. If you violate the rules too many times, you’ll permanently lose the right to enter the library."
"Got it."
"…"
After more than a full hour, after a full three repetitions of the library’s rules and regulations, the old black-robed man who’d already talked about many information that had nothing to do with books finally let go of Ayrin. He seemed satisfied; Aryin looked blank from listening. After that he handled a reading card and let Ayrin come inside his ancient library.
"That was indeed the super chatty librarian, professor Plum."
Ayrin rubbed his face when he reached the groaning stairs leading to the second floor of the library, rubbing away his blank and dumbfounded expression.
"Hateful old Ginns, acting so mysterious. It’s one thing if you don’t tell me what bloodline power it actually is, why did you also have to put it inside an obsolete library with some nagging librarian."
Ayrin muttered to himself, but immediately sucked in a mouthful of cold air as soon as he climbed up the creaky wooden stairs to the second floor, thoroughly astounded.
"Really awesome!"
Rows upon rows of bookshelves filled the entirety of the second floor, all the way to a roof you simply couldn’t reach without wooden ladders. Books with covers in every color were neatly and tidily laid out on the thick bookshelves of a deep brown color. It was simply a sea of books.
All the bookshelves and most of the books were obviously very ancient. The cover on some books were even entirely worn out, but they were all very clean, not even a speck of dust on them.
The atmosphere was inexplicably a little graver.
Ayrin went back and forth between the rows of shelves. The entire library had four floors. He didn’t continue upward but slowly searched his way through, reaching a corner of the library, close to the stairs leading to the third floor.
A book with a purple leather cover titled "Views on architectural styles during the War of the Dragons era" quietly reclined on the second layer of the bookshelf in this corner, counting from the bottom.
The moment Ayrin pulled it out, shiny silver stars, incomparably tiny, curiously emerged one after another without any warning from the double layered board under the book. They converged at top speed on the five fingertips on Ayrin’s right hand.
Those bright, dust-like silver stars quickly shaped into five tiny diamond-like crystals on Ayrin’s fingertips
Five tiny marks also emerged separately on Ayrin’s five fingertips at the same time.
With a flash, the five tiny crystals pierced inside Ayrin’s fingertips. The five tiny marks of light vanished at the same time.
Not even one second had gone by from beginning to end.
"Bang!"
Before he could react, it seemed like a giant invisible hammer was fiercely striking Ayrin’s heart, to the point of making his body jump up involuntarily.
"So this is the fusion of bloodline powers?"
Ayrin came to his senses the moment his two hands unconsciously pressed on his own heart. His heart thumped once again at the same time.
"Boom! Boom! …"
He saw his skin shake in waves along with the violent beats of his heart. The blood inside his body seemed to become suddenly much heavier, pressing down on him until his body almost started to bend down.
His heart was going to jump out and crack at this rate… He was going to die right?
Ayrin felt unspeakable discomfort.
The next second, his face once again brimmed with a confident expression that never admitted defeat. His hands left his chest and clenched into tight fists.
"Come then! No matter what bloodline power, you’re just going to fuse obediently!"
Ayrin’s body kept shaking, but he began to straighten up bit by bit.
There was no telling how much time went by. The violent heartbeats stopped. It was only that the blood inside him still seemed extremely heavy. An inexplicable intuition started to grip him, that he could make the blood flow a little faster and his body a little more relaxed if he moved a bit.
"What, you’re still not done fusing obediently!"
Ayrin put the book back, his face filled with warlike determination. He tried walking a few steps and found out it indeed made him feel a little better, so he simply walked in quick steps without ever stopping, walking straight out of the library, with its creaking floors and stairs. Then he started running along the avenue.
"So you’re fusing obediently now? There’s no fight in you."
After running continuously for several minutes, big drops of sweat fell from Ayrin, but all the feelings of discomfort had thoroughly disappeared. His heartbeat was also back to normal.
He slowly walked on for a while and recovered his breath. He waved his fists a few times. He couldn’t feel any obvious difference in his body compared to before.
"Is the bloodline really too bad, or is it that it can only display its effects after I become an arcane master?"
Ayrin mumbled a few words to himself. He then saw shops standing everywhere in front of him. There were many clerks wearing bright-colored clothes doing their best to attract business.
Behind a full hundred stores arranged in charming disorder, there also lay a quiet park. One couldn’t see its end of with a quick glimpse.
"It’s the commercial street!"
Ayrin immediately realized he’d run all the way to the only commercial street inside Holy Dawn Academy.
The entire city of St. Lauren was built on a mountain. Holy Dawn Academy was built on a mild slope mid-mountain, on the northern side of St. Lauren. The commercial street was located in Holy Dawn Academy’s central area, adjacent to the biggest park inside the academy: the "Goddess Park."
The "Goddess Park" had gained its name from a white tulip named "Goddess" growing in great numbers inside the park.
"Why are there so many people?"
As he subconsciously surveyed the academy’s commercial street, a street that seemed almost bigger than Cororin’s entire surface area. Ayrin saw on it a shop with a big crowd in front of its door, encircling it so tightly not even water would leak through. His curiosity was immediately piqued. He couldn’t resist finding his way there.
He squeezed through the great turbulent crowd of people with great difficulty. And then he almost fell face down on the ground at the first sight of the scene in front of him.
This was a store with a "Super Mega Giant Fried Pork Chops" signboard hanging on it. Inside the doorway, there were several fatties who’d eaten until they were clearly about to puke, but they were all still grabbing the golden fried pork chops and gobbling them ferociously.
Ayrin couldn’t understand no matter how he tried, so he couldn’t resist shouting out, "Are the pork chops that good? They still want to eat them even when they already look like this?"
Some students beside him started to speak all at once when they heard him, explaining, "It’s this store’s opening day. The boss said you can eat for free as long as you eat ten chops in one go."
"I see." Suddenly enlightened, Ayrin was immediately eager to give it a try. "Can anyone participate?"
"Do you actually also want to participate?"
"Stop dreaming, even a single chop is bigger than your face, it’s simply impossible to eat ten in one go. Until now, the most they’ve eaten is seven. If you can’t manage it you still have to pay the money for the pork chops you eat."
"That’s right, don’t be fooled, it’s simply impossible to succeed. The boss is clearly scamming ignorant youngsters."
Among such voices, Ayrin stretched his hand out and tried to measure the chops. He thought these pork chops were indeed really big.
At this time, someone carried out several pork chops.
"Tasty super mega giant pork chops! Whether you stroll by or shop by, don’t pass it by!"
"Ultra quantity, genuine super mega giant golden fried pork chops! As long as someone can eat ten, everything’s free!"
The fat boss immediately shouted vigorously, his face flushed red, a white chef uniform worn on his body. He attracted even more Holy Dawn students over.
"Uh…"
Choked by the heavy smell of grease, those challengers who were already about to puke blanched immediately. They retreated in defeat one by one. There were two of them who even immediately shoved their way out of the crowd and ran to the side of the street, retching loudly.
Ayrin was somewhat making fun of someone else’s misfortune, but the instant the thick aroma surged into his nose, a burst of completely spontaneous shudders spread out from the depths of his body. He even felt that every muscle inside his body seemed to have transformed into extremely tiny particles, all of them vibrating, rubbing against each other.
A feeling occupied his entire consciousness, as if he’d been hungry for several days and several nights, so hungry his heart beat in extreme flurry.
His body started to ache from head to toe the next moment, his pair of feet shaking nonstop.
"Gulp." The clear and loud sound of swallowed saliva rang.
"Can I try?"
Ayrin’s eyes stared fixedly at the pieces of golden fried pork chops, unable to to shift away.
"No problem." The thoroughly red-faced boss immediately beamed like a blossoming flower when he saw a challenger come up, still not not resigned. Moreover, it was even a thin and small young man. "Anyone can try, you only need to eat ten and everything will be free. But you have to eat ten chops in one go ok? My super mega giant fried pork chops are really tasty and crispy and juicy…"
The boss was in the middle of his excited speech, but then he heard a collective intake of breath.
"Nine chops… already nine…"
"Really amazing, does this guy have pure giant blood to be so good at eating?"
The boss turned his head to have a look and also became a little crazy. Ayrin had already swept clean these pork chops around him in the mere blink of an eye. Moreover, his belly bulged high, but his face still didn’t seem satisfied.
"This comrade has a truly great appetite." The store’s boss came back to his senses and gave Ayrin’s shoulder a deeply meaningful pat, saying laughingly, "Really promising, you ate nine pieces in one go. In that case, then just eat the tenth chop. When you’re done you can have it all free!"
Then he bent down and took the tenth pork chop from behind.
"This…?"
"That’s a pork chop! That’s also a pork chop?!"
"You’re shameless!"
"Dishonest business!"
The surroundings stayed quiet for a mere second, then burst in curses overflowing the sky.
What the boss had taken out was an ultra giant pork chop several times bigger than even all the other nine chops added together. It was simply one half of a pig.
"Haha, it’s not like I ever said the ten pork chops were all the same size, how’s that shameless." The boss was exceptionally proud of himself. "Plus I run a small business, it’s really not easy, everyone needs to be indulgent."
"What, he can even eat that?!"
However, his incredulous voice rang inside the commercial street not even one minute later.
Under the stare of countless disbelieving eyes, Ayrin finished eating that super giant fried pork chop, then rubbed his swollen belly. He said thanks to the dumbfounded boss, then he said another sentence that made everyone around almost faint to the ground, "Eh, where are my feet, why can’t I see my feet."