Hello, Arknights

Chapter 416 Untitled 4

"Wait a minute, all of you." Ling Dengxian saw that the people he had told her to go out were all on the first floor. He quickly scanned the area but didn't see Vidasia, and his heart skipped a beat. "Where's Vidasia?"

Provence immediately replied, "The little one is still sleeping. Miss Lappland said she would watch him for me for a while."

Texas.

“Go and take a look, I’ll handle things here.” Rupert nodded to the guest, indicating Ling Dengxian’s current situation. “I’m sorry, his situation is a bit…special right now.”

"When is he not in a special situation..."

The horn turned to look at his father, and Grant realized he had misspoke, so he could only give an awkward smile.

After all, he rarely experienced this kind of life, and when he met this viscount, he didn't have to consider political motives, so it was inevitable that he would lose his composure.

"Sorry." Horn was wearing a vest today, but took it off when she came indoors and found that the temperature was lower than expected, but she didn't plan to put it back on.

“Viscountess, is there something wrong with the fireplace?” Grant noticed this as well, glanced at Rita’s thin clothes, and asked.

"Pretty much. We tried to light the fireplace on the first day, but it wouldn't light." Texas turned around and rubbed her cheek. "Besides... I'm not quite there yet."

"What?" Grant understood what was going on as soon as he expressed his question, smoothly changing the subject, "Is there some dust that hasn't been cleaned?"

A dusty-looking walper quietly walked by and went upstairs to the bathroom.

"It seems the dust has been cleared away," the horn remarked, then glanced at his father beside him.

……

When Ling burst into the room, he saw Vidya sitting happily in the arms of a white wolf, while Lappland sat cross-legged on the bed. The two seemed to be getting along very well, and Vidya was amused by Lupo rubbing his chin against the top of his head.

There was a children's book in front of them, and Lappland seemed to be telling her a story while teaching Vidya to read.

This made Mou Ling, who had rushed up all the way, seem like an idiot.

"Yo, you're back. Good morning." Lappland was so easygoing that she didn't seem like the crazy guy Ling Dengxian knew.

"Who are you?" Ling asked casually, his suspicious expression causing Lappland's eyes to twitch slightly. Little Draco looked back and forth between the two of them, puzzled, not quite understanding what was troubling him.

Lappland covered Vidya's eyes with one hand, and with lightning speed, smacked him across the face with a pillow! Seeing the familiar expression, Ling breathed a sigh of relief. Lappland patted Vidya's head, his expression returning to its gentle state:

"Little one, read a book by yourself for a while. Your sister and this guy have a little 'whisper'."

"Wow, you're a sister?" Ling Dengxian exclaimed. "You and Talulah seem to be about the same age—"

While he was speaking, Lappland manually turned Vidya around so she couldn't see what was about to happen, and then with a quick knee strike, she and Ling Dengxian were forced out of the room together.

Hearing the strange noise, Vidya turned around and found that the two of them were nowhere to be seen—Ling had been pinned down in the corridor by Lappland—after thinking for a moment, she wagged her tail and continued to look down at the storybook.

A moment later, she felt uneasy and looked in the direction of the unease. On the edge of the bed in front of her, a purple flame figure sat quietly, looking at her with an intriguing gaze.

“Draco… little boy, did your mother tell you what your last name is? (Victoria’s words)” She wanted to confirm the information about another Draco.

Although she insisted on the special nature of the "mother and son" when she confronted Ling Dengxian before, the insights from the spell projection were not clear, and Ling Dengxian remained unmoved and did not respond directly. In case of any possible "what if", Abrahana still wanted to confirm and find out the truth.

"Auntie? (Yan Yu)"

"..." Abrahana was silent for a moment. If this little girl was of Drak blood from Ursus, why was her first language taught to her Flame Language?

Her knowledge of that Drak was limited to its business in Ursus; the only information she had about its origins came from her childhood in Ursus.

Could it be...? Abrahina glanced discreetly at the documents she had ordered someone to find yesterday, the only Drak recorded during that period... Edward Atrias, an exile with clear Victorian royal Drak blood, was killed by Lungmen Governor Wei Yanwu, leaving no blood relatives behind.

Even if there was a posthumous child, how did he end up in Ursus?

What was once a confusing situation suddenly became clear, but it seemed somewhat too terrifying:

"Does Wei Yanwu really dare to let this child be born?!"

She was actually somewhat skeptical of this rash conclusion.

"Little friend, what's your surname?" (Yan Yu) Fortunately, Yan Yu was also fluent in some languages, so she didn't stop there.

“My mother said that following Ling Dengxian… my surname is Ling.”

“…Good child, tell me,” Abrahana said patiently, “what is your mother’s last name?”

Ling Dengxian... His surname is Ling, and his mother's name is Talulah...

“My surname is Ta!” Vidya answered confidently, raising her head.

Abrahana: "..."

How did this child manage to answer such an absurd question using his nascent, logically-based Yan language?

Thinking this, the fighting outside gradually subsided. Presumably, that guy wouldn't leave the little one alone for too long. Abrahana had no choice but to stop. Before the spell ended, she and Vidya locked eyes, their gazes meeting innocently. Suddenly, she thought:

But if she is the child of Ling Dengxian and Talulah, and Ling Dengxian is a Yan citizen, then Talulah has another reason to let the child learn Yan language as her first language.

Generally speaking, it seems a bit absurd, but considering someone's previous declarations, the credibility of the two conjectures seems not far apart.

...Two possibilities, so it's not a complete loss.

As for whether the presence of new members of the same race meant a possible revival of Victoria's rare Drach bloodline, she didn't care.

In the face of the tides of time, the past glory of a race is of no help to its present decline. The past glory may move historians who are interested in it, but it has no influence on future generations. In the current situation, whether or not her race, which is withering like a candle in the wind, will revive is meaningless.

If she fails, even if her clan has many members, they will be easy prey controlled by others.

In other words, they are not objects worth the effort to exploit.

Abrahana's primary concern right now is Tara's future. Victoria will not allow Tara to become independent, and she looks down on the dukes' ambitions. In her eyes, their struggle is nothing more than infighting. Victoria's balance is extremely fragile, merely existing under the guise of a "core circle power" supported by the dukes' numerous high-speed warships.

If she were to unify the country, she would surely make the world know the name of Tara again, and make this powerful nation, which rose to prominence, truly live up to its name once more.

...But if it is truly war for the sake of war, I'm afraid someone will come knocking on our door again with a sword, just like that day, with the shadow of fate looming over our heads, and the fury of questioning unleashing a boiling sword light.

"If that day ever comes..."

"Let's see who drowns whom in the end."

……

Ling Dengxian suffered a crushing defeat in his battle with Lappland—once again, he was straddled and locked on the floor by Lappland. After a struggle, the last nightingale to get up was finally awakened. The pale blonde Sarkaz girl went out in a daze and was slightly surprised when she saw the scene outside the door and the two people passing by. After a moment, she was relieved and leaned against the wall to go downstairs to find food.

"Liz, I've hidden your breakfast in the cupboard. Ask Mostima or Provence to heat it up for you," Ling Dengxian reminded her.

"What is it?"

"Tongxin Sweet, this is my first time making it, so it might not taste quite the same as Brother Horn Peak's. I'll try my best to replicate it next time—Lappland, don't pull my fingers!" Ling Dengxian, who had been pressed down to the floor, yelled, then bent over and raised his head slightly to indicate that it was almost done. Nightingale didn't respond. After thinking for a moment, she silently leaned against the wall and sat down, watching the two of them.

The white-haired Luper leaned forward, and Ling Dengxian looked up to meet the gaze of a mocking, upside-down face. Lappland wanted to say something, but inexplicably stopped.

At Longmen, she could easily suppress him with a clear advantage. Now she has to rely on her skills and go all out to lock him down when he is in the wrong. Will she be completely unable to keep up with his pace in the future?

"Are you thinking about random things again?" Ling Dengxian said helplessly. Now he could understand this scoundrel's thoughts a little better.

“I just didn’t expect you to be so good at teaching children, no other meaning.” He said, avoiding the main point, but it was the truth. In the past, he would have thought that Lappland had nothing to do with words like “gentle and patient”.

"Ha, do you need me to teach you a 'little Lappland'?" Rupert laughed heartily, feeling a sense of relief as he released the person beneath him.

“Talulah will kill me.” Ling glared at her, then smiled easily.

Lappland shook her head. Thinking about such things was not her style at all. Her original intention was to be interested in this guy, and now... she looked at Ling, who was complaining and moving his limbs because his blood circulation was restricted due to being locked up, and the corners of her mouth unconsciously turned up.

What? This guy hasn't changed much. He's still just as strong and just as weak. Why should I hold a grudge?

"Liz, why haven't you gone down yet?" Ling asked, glancing at Mou Ying.

"I don't want to walk, carry me." The nightingale stretched out her hands.

"Stop fooling around, we have guests." Ling ruthlessly slapped her hand away.

“I see. Well… even if you don’t do well, I’ll still praise you in front of the guests.” Nightingale nodded and reached out again. “So, carry me down.”

"Hmph, I'm going down to clean out the chimney ash this time. If you don't go by yourself, you'll have to come down with me in the chimney as payment!" Ling Dengxian threatened. This Nightingale was actually negotiating with him, even though he hadn't done anything wrong.

"As long as you're not afraid of Shining coming back to beat you up." Nightingale blinked.

"..."

"Alright, I'll go back and watch the little guy. Remember to bring us breakfast up later too, thanks." Lappland patted him on the shoulder and went back to his room.

Ling Dengxian looked at Nightingale again, who had an innocent look on her face: "The wheelchair is on the first floor, and my legs are indeed a little uncomfortable."

"Sigh, come on up." Ling Dengxian sighed, turned around and squatted down.

“…Hoo.” Nightingale climbed up and seemed to mutter something.

"What?" Ling asked casually.

"Thank you, Ling Dengxian." Nightingale's slender arms tightened around him, her voice low. "I miss Shining and the others."

“…You brought it up yourself…” Ling Dengxian stood up, also helpless, her voice softening slightly again, “If you don’t have enough later, just tell me, and I’ll make you some more sweet treats. It won’t make a difference.”

"Okay, I'll wait for you and stay with you."

Ling felt that Liz seemed to be implying something, but before he could figure it out, he returned to the living room and saw Grant just crawling out from under the fireplace. The two looked at each other, and their slightly disheveled appearance left them both at a loss for words.

If he wasn't mistaken, this guest, the Earl of Caraton, had just gone to check his fireplace...

The mysterious woman, whose origins had been moved and hung on the living room cabinet, swayed her tail.