Super Righteous Player
Chapter 659 - 200: The Omen of Dragon Transformation_1

Chapter 659: Chapter 200: The Omen of Dragon Transformation_1

She was essentially the only normal person in that squad.

When she took action, Annan felt very reassured.

Dmitry was still busy with work and didn’t come back for dinner; Maria hadn’t come down from the Tower of the Storm yet. In the vast Duchy Mansion, the home of the ruler of the Winter Duchy, at last only two people sat down together for dinner.

The food at Duchy Mansion was indeed delicious but was by no means luxurious—a platter of fragrant pan-fried lamb chops, a plate of sliced sausage, a small dish of pickled cucumber, followed by a bowl of salad, a bowl of stewed pear, and a serving of dumpling-like food filled with fish and egg.

Most of it was meant for Annan.

After all, Annan was growing. He had a silver-tier battle profession and, although he seldom exercised or fought, his daily training combined with the frigid Wintry weather allowed Annan to consume nearly twice as much food as a normal adult.

Given Ivan’s current health, the doctors had warned him that he could only eat steamed or stewed tender meat—fried, grilled, raw foods were not permitted, nor was overeating or consuming cold food.

This dumpling-like food was originally a special provision for Ivan. It later became popular amongst the people of Winter.

Because it was leavened, which means it was made from fermented dough, it was less straining on Ivan’s body. Additionally, Ivan himself detested waste—even if his health wasn’t good, he would make an effort to finish any leftovers.

Therefore, the Hands of Winter, responsible for taking care of his body, would generally control his portion sizes precisely. They’d rather prepare less than too much.

And these meat and egg-filled "dumplings" could provide nourishment without making too much for Ivan. A serving of dumplings and a few slices of pickled cucumber was his meal, ensuring as little oil and salt as possible.

—Not to mention a Duke.

In Noah, even an ordinary merchant without a manor, not even a noble, would not have such a simple diet.

Yet Ivan felt no disdain for such simple food.

He ate not only with great care and seriousness... but his pace of eating was even slow.

Mainly because he would spend quite a while chewing before he could swallow.

It wasn’t that he was like an old person, missing teeth.

Rather, Ivan’s body was extremely weak, and his muscles terribly feeble.

He needed a cane not just for walking... but even the length of time spent eating would make Ivan feel tired.

He may have been middle-aged, but his eating habits, movements, and sleep patterns were like an elderly person’s. It was only his neat and white teeth that proved he was not yet an old man.

Annan heard Aunt Zoya, the "Ring Finger," mention that Duke Ivan would usually eat only a dumpling the size of a fist and drink a bowl of stewed pear without a bit of sugar. Today Ivan eating two dumplings was already considered a time when his appetite was relatively strong.

And this was probably because Annan was rarely home.

Although Ivan’s face showed no expression and his heart felt no joy, his appetite had clearly increased.

—Despite being of the Winter lineage, unable to eat cold food.

This was almost a disgrace.

But Ivan still followed the doctor’s advice, just so he could live a little longer.

Because the Winter Duchy couldn’t do without him for the time being.

Duke Ivan’s body was already overwhelmed.

Over the past two weeks, he had repeatedly found himself in that state between dreaming and waking, dreaming that he had become a dragon, soaring through the skies with his kin... But each time, he would regain consciousness at the final moment, choosing to return to his own body.

Ivan knew that it was his grandmother calling him.

The Blood of the Frigid Winter flowed through his veins.

It was genuine Dragon Blood.

The heart and muscles of a mere mortal could never withstand the tremendous power of Dragon Blood. That was the true nature of Ivan’s incurable disease.

If he were to die, his Spiritual Body should turn into a dragon. Returning to his grandmother’s realm, he would become Her messenger.

Once Ivan became a messenger of a True God, he would surely regain a healthy and mighty body... He wouldn’t have to live so strugglingly, in such agony anymore.

Just like his father and grandfather had.

The ways different deities chose their messengers also differed. But generally speaking, messengers of the gods were those they cherished the most.

For instance, messengers of the Red Knight were chosen from those who had performed meritoriously and died in battle, without the slightest fear or regret about their deaths – "heroic knights." Even if they were mere mortals in life, becoming a messenger would transform them into undying, silver-rank spirit knights.

The Silver Baron, on the other hand, chose those extremely intelligent big bankers or legendary merchants - typically His Popes and Cardinals, or great merchants from other countries.

They had either made some significant discovery in life or had experience in "trades" that became legendary. Without a doubt, they were among the smartest and sharpest people in this world.

If they had not offended the Silver Baron, after their deaths, they would be promoted to "administrators," gaining another form of eternal life. Their job would then be to help the church of the Silver Baron continue to expand its territory or manage various local enterprises.

They had another name, "Silver Guides." In fact, there was a summoning ritual called "Call: Silver Guide."

But when Ritualists summoned the Silver Guides, it definitely wasn’t to have them help in battle, but to assist them in starting businesses...

Similarly, there were the "Classical Scholars" of the Mysterious Lady and the "Bringers of Desire" of the Goddess of Cup. When Ritualists summoned them, clearly it wasn’t for them to act as enforcers either.

In theory, any deity could have their own messengers. The creation of messengers was, in itself, part of the power of a deity. They could substitute the deity in responding to rituals associated with their domain, their primary duty was actually customer service...

Of course, some deities were more reclusive and didn’t like to always be surrounded by messengers.

For instance, the Bell Ringer had no messengers, and the Paper Princess liked to travel alone and didn’t fancy creating messengers.

If a deity didn’t intercept a soul to make a messenger, then that soul would be "buried" by the powers of the Bone Mother. Gradually settling over twelve years, returning to the essence of the world. This could loosely be considered a form of "reincarnation," although there was no direct connection between the past and the future lives.

If the soul of the deceased did not return, then the world’s foundational power could be considered diminished by that much – after all, what has left has never returned. From this perspective, the existence of "undead" itself was a form of stowaway.

Messengers were in essence a kind of undead, only that their gods had supplemented that power for them, making them legitimized.

"Annan."

Hesitating for a long time, Ivan looked at Annan, who was eating, and finally made up his mind, "I have felt Grandmother’s call. It’s about time you took over the tri-colored scepter.

"Because I... might already be on the brink of ’Dragonization.’"

At these words, Annan paused in his eating.

He gave Ivan a deep look.