A strange silence overtook the 'courtroom,' making those present not know how to continue.
After being served a large 'course' of imaginary realms, both Elders and the two beauties belonging to the Bright Moon sect were slightly rattled.
Elder 5 waved his hand, and the strange 'barrier' from before separated the interviewers and the interviewee.
If not for the fact that it only blocked senses such as sound and spirit sense, Elder 5 would've probably smacked his desk in frustration.
They were the Council! A team of the strongest and most competent cultivators found on Green Sanctuary.
Their purpose was to judge extreme cases, and they've done their job honorably and flawlessly up to this point.
However, the current situation was weird. The boy didn't seem guilty of colluding with outside forces, but his extensive knowledge of the forbidden was too much to chalk it up to pure imagination.
Trying to maintain a straight face, he 'calmly' inquired of the others.
[So? What the fuck are we supposed to do now?](Elder 5)
[Why are you getting pissed? It hasn't even been half an hour since the hearing started.](Elder 4)
[Because I don't know how to fucking handle this properly! The goddamn formation is active, and that boy hasn't lied even once. Furthermore, you have all seen it, right?](Elder 5)
[Leaving his guilt aside, those images in his imagination when speaking about his plans... *Sigh* I feel dirty saying this, but Elder 29, would you be able to replicate them?](Elder 2)
The 30 Elders turned their heads to look at the Second Elder with surprise, not expecting someone of moral integrity such as him to say that.
The other five main Elders didn't question his intentions either, making their stance obvious. They were also tempted!
[It's impossible.](Elder 29)
[Huh!? Hold up, Miss Natalie. You are a Tier 5 Programmer specializing in Secret Realms, aren't you? How come you are unable to replicate the idea of a newbie Tier 1 Secret Realm Crafter? It's illogical!](Elder 3)
[*Sigh* It's not that I cannot replicate it. I can. The problem is the end result. You've all witnessed his Concept but probably failed to notice the embryonic Intent attached to that Concept.
Even if I successfully replicate his ideas, they will only be failed products or inferior ones at best.
To begin with, even if you put two similarly skilled Programmers in a room and offer them the same idea and the same background story to establish the Concept, the final products would be different no matter what.
Therefore, even if I witnessed his Concept, I cannot replicate his Intent. And when I fail at that stage, I will be unable to set the needed Restrictions that bring the Secret Realm into existence.](Elder 29)
[*Sigh*](Elder 1)
Their conversation paused after seeing the First Elder opening his mouth for the first time since the beginning of the hearing.
Even if it was for a sigh, the First Elder held unspoken authority to a degree high enough to overturn the decisions made by the other 35 Elders.
That's why her input was incredibly important!
[Forgive us for our ignorance on the subject, Natalie.](Elder 1)
[There's no harm done, Miss Claire. I can't deny that I am likewise interested in his ideas. Unfortunately, unless one is able to recreate those worlds from scratch, even if they have a general idea of the Concept, it's almost impossible to do so.
I am saying this from the perspective of a Tier 5 Programmer. You can imagine how crazily tricky it is for a newbie who learned to code less than two years ago.](Elder 29)
[So, is it only the bluster of an ignorant child? *Sigh* Why doesn't it feel so?](Elder 1)
[That... I am not sure how to answer that...](Elder 29)
Everyone was a witness to it. The ideas were clear, and the youth could properly articulate them. Furthermore, there was an unshakable confidence when he explained everything as if it was impossible for him to fail.
Playing with a strange ring, the silent Sixth Elder waved his hand and activated one of the arrays inscribed into the room.
This strange act baffled the others, but no one said anything.
The markings on the walls, floor, and ceiling brightened considerably with a slight blueish glow. Then, flashing red for a fraction of a second—a timespan too short for an ordinary person to notice—they went back to slumber.
The barrier covering the trio awaiting judgment vanished, but instead, all three of them were pinned to the ground, forced to their hands and feet by the immense spiritual pressure emanating from the Elders.
With a single confused look, it was obvious to both Michael and the two ladies: the previously laid-back Elders had turned weirdly serious for some reason and were now showing hostility.
'What's gotten into them all of a sudden?'
[What's gotten into them all of a sudden?]
With his inner thoughts exposed again, Michael showed an embarrassed expression. Were these people making things difficult for them on purpose?
The good cop, bad cop routine?
[Boy, why are there foreign traces in your bloodline!?](Elder 4)
Even the bantering Fourth Elder was now uncharacteristically serious, carefully scrutinizing Michael.
When the word 'bloodline' appeared, Michael immediately knew what was going on. It was undoubtedly his Innate Skill, Wyrm's Wrath.
Curiously opening his stats page without worrying too much about the Elders, he checked if anything had changed.
[ Innate Skills: Wyrm's Wrath (1st Level) - Body Calibration 20% ]
Unfortunately, he was only one-fifth of the way through the skill's calibration, making it impossible for him to know what the retarded system was up to.
'Could it be because of the dragon blood? I remember the game's initial description of the skill having to do with Davion drinking, bathing in dragon blood, or something similar.'
Unbeknownst to Michael, his 'dumb' system had already interfered with the mind-reading formation, blocking knowledge of Earth from being spied on.
Therefore, the only two words echoing through the Elders' minds were 'dragon blood.'
And the impact of these words wasn't small.
[Eh?](Livia)
[...](Helena)
"Huh!?"
As if it was a lie, the spiritual pressure nailing them to the floor disappeared, leaving the three people at a loss.
Furthermore, a very disturbed aura was leaking out of the 36 people. For them who reached realms above the Nascent Soul, it was almost impossible to lose control of their emotions in such a manner, but it nevertheless happened.
Seeing Michael's expression, the 1st Elder waved her left hand, and the mind-reading formation stopped.
The door behind the trio similarly opened.
[I will have to ask the three of you to remain in our custody for a while. Monty, take the three guests to their lodgings. Since it's past noon, they might be hungry, so do your best to accommodate them.](Elder 1)
[Understood!](Monty)
One of the 'guards' waiting behind the doors entered, bowed to the Elders, and gestured for the trio to follow.
They did but with incredibly perplexed faces.
Once the four people were out of sight, the Second Elder shut the doors and activated the highest defense mechanisms of the 'courtroom.'
Formation after formation lit into existence, with multiple barriers preventing any information from leaking into the outside world.
The Fourth Elder removed his mask and smashed it onto the ground at his feet, cursing violently for a couple of minutes. However, nobody interrupted him.
Most of the remaining Elders also removed theirs, revealing pale faces as if the blood had been fully drained from inside their bodies.
Once he had calmed down enough to form coherent sentences again, the Fourth Elder turned to his colleagues.
[Oi! Did I fucking mishear that!? Did that boy actually think the words 'dragon blood'!?](Elder 4)
[*Sigh* He did.](Elder 1)
[This... what a blunder...](Elder 2)
[Did you notice how the formation couldn't read his mind when it came to his bloodline?](Elder 6)
[Yeah... what an unlucky day.](Elder 5)
[Fuck! Does that mean it's true!? A fucking bloodline inheritance? From a fucking dragon nonetheless!?](Elder 4)
Everyone else remained quiet, but they were incredibly shocked. While knowledge of foreign races is taboo, these 36 people were aware of them.
Throughout the many millennia during which Green Sanctuary fought off many invading races, they learned similarly many things about their enemies, whether through the torture of captured prisoners or equivalent exchanges of information.
Information confirmed through a single source doesn't hold much credibility, but once multiple 'witnesses' come forward in agreement, things change.
While information about their Universe was scarce, and they weren't aware of every civilization out there, there was one race equally feared by everyone.
The Dragons!
['With power ridiculous enough to lay waste to multiple galaxies in a single day,' was it? What lousy luck...](Elder 3)
[Shit! Don't fucking say it aloud!](Elder 4)
[As if not saying it makes it untrue... First Elder, any suggestions to get us out of this mess? I would very much prefer if our small galaxy wouldn't be 'laid waste' to.](Elder 5)
[It's not like we have any other options. The warning we got from the Elves was clear.](Elder 6)
['Don't touch the dragons,' huh?](Elder 1)
The Elves were much more advanced in terms of cultivation than the people of Green Sanctuary, with their worlds - yes, plural - having powerhouses at four realms above the known Nihility ceiling of their planet.
Unlike the invading Demons, the Elves were a moderately peaceful race, not interested in waging war against their backwater home, as humanity's pitiful technology and resources weren't even a tiny drop in the bucket for them.
Instead, they offered a helping hand, teaching humans how to nurture their world through better caring for their environment.
It happened less than 500 years ago; however, the change could be said to be incredible.
From the polluting industries previously poisoning the planet, a sudden worldwide green technology spread to every country.
Furthermore, the World Cultivators Alliance enforced this policy through blood and steel if they found any parties unwilling to listen to reason.
Ever since, the Green Sanctuary has become true to its name—a proper greenhouse! Through careful monitoring of the forests, jungles, and literally every wild biome, they have ensured that the advice of the Elves is followed to the letter.
As a result, the strongest powerhouses of humanity confirmed it: the ceiling blocking their advancement to a higher realm was slowly collapsing!
Their arduous work in ensuring their planet's health bore fruit, and they would be able to see it ripe very soon.
From then on, every political exchange of information between the Elves and humans was treated with the utmost importance.
So, when they confirmed and expressed similar dread upon hearing the mention of the Dragon race, humanity's leaders put out a gag order on the information.
However, those in positions of power were to remain ever-vigilant. According to their allies, if in the presence of a Dragon, bow your head and accept anything it throws at you.
Then, if you are somehow lucky enough to survive, it will eventually grow bored and leave on its own.
But now, they possibly confirmed that the young man brought here for questioning could be a descendant of that fearsome race.
[Bloodline inheritance, huh? That would explain his sudden knowledge.](Elder 2)
[The reaction was weak, so it's probably in the early stages of awakening.](Elder 6)
[Didn't our sources confirm his mediocrity before he entered Bright Moon sect's training course?](Elder 3)
[You mean that he recently awakened the memories sealed within his bloodline, and that's where he knows of the other races?](Elder 5)
[Natalie, what do you think?](Elder 1)
[This... from a Programmer's perspective, it would make sense. If they do possess memories in their bloodlines, awakening them would allow that kid to showcase such a clear Concept.](Elder 29)
[Meaning those weren't ideas drawn from his imagination, but rather, worlds that other dragons traveled to!? And he's simply 'remembering' them?](Elder 3)
A strange silence enveloped the room again, only to be interrupted by the First Elder's sigh.
[*Sigh* That answers our questions regarding why we called this young man over for investigation, but it doesn't solve our predicament. We can't exactly allow him to return without taking any measures, right?](Elder 1)
[Harming him is out of the question, and leaving him to his own devices is also impossible since neither we nor those old fogies could sleep anymore at night, knowing we have a fucking dragon running loose in our world.](Elder 4)
Speechless, these 36 geniuses of humanity felt powerless for the first time in a very long while.
[Since we can't decide, let's call those geezers and explain the situation. Let them make the decision. Worst comes to worst, it's just death.](Elder 6)
Enduring the weird gazes thrown at him, the Sixth Elder calmly shrugged, tossing the hot potato into the hands of their unofficial leader.
[*Sigh* Then, I'll contact them now and give them a full account. The hearing will disband after we hear their verdict.](Elder 1)
----------Scene Break----------
As for the 'dragon descendant' brought in for questioning, he was currently happily eating with Helena and Livia, utterly unbothered by today's events.
In his mind, either way, he had no power to change the outcome.
Therefore, while stuffing his face with good food and even better drinks, he adopted a 'carpe diem' resolution.