Dragon Raja 4; Chapter 77: Dragon Song in Ultramarine Hall (2)

Dragon Raja 4

He downed his whiskey in one gulp. “Head to the Pantheon. I need to have a talk with the elders.”

The Pantheon, also known as the Cobalt Hall, was bathed in bright sunlight streaming from above, like the first light of creation. There were no windows along the walls; the light came from the reflection off the marble floor, which was polished to a mirror-like shine.

Frost stood respectfully at the base of the steps, while the elders of the Gattuso family sat around the round table above. Dressed in white robes, they looked as if they had walked straight out of Roman history, their bearing as solemn as emperors.

The Pantheon that the Gattuso family referred to was not the famous one in Paris but a mansion on the outskirts of Rome. For the entire Italian branch of the Execution Bureau, it was akin to a sacred temple. During the time of ancient Rome, there had indeed been a temple on this site, but it had collapsed long ago. The Gattuso family purchased the ruins and surrounding land, rebuilding it into an elegant estate. The central building retained the original temple’s columns and part of its walls. While the exterior was made of simple limestone, the interior was painted a deep, pure blue, hence the name “Cobalt Hall.”

The elders of the Gattuso family resided in the Pantheon. It was said that the oldest among them had lived for over 300 years, far surpassing the natural human lifespan. They played the roles of seers and sages in the family. Although they typically stayed removed from daily affairs, whenever a major event occurred, the decision-makers of the family would drive to the Pantheon to receive counsel from these ancestors.

Forty-eight hours ago, these elders did not look as they did now. They had been lying in low-temperature aluminum chambers. From the observation windows, their bodies looked like fossilized ancient trees, pale and scarred, with severely atrophied muscles and skin so dry it clung to their bones. The doctors of the Gattuso family, combining modern medicine with witchcraft, had developed this life-extension technique, which was akin to a state of long-term hibernation.

When news of Anjou’s assassination reached Rome, Frost immediately convened a family meeting and decided to wake the elders. The entire reawakening process took 48 hours. The doctors gradually raised their body temperatures, injected blood and tissue fluids into them, and their muscles and skin inflated as if air were being pumped into them. Then, in a high-oxygen environment, they were taken out of the chambers, where medical staff helped them sit up, patting their backs to expel the phlegm trapped in their throats. Once their hormone levels stabilized, they ate small amounts of food, bathed, changed clothes, and entered the Cobalt Hall to sit around the round table and listen to Frost’s report.

Frost succinctly outlined the current crisis: Anjou had been attacked, the dragon skeleton stolen, and a young agent who held high hopes within the Execution Bureau was the prime suspect—possibly an unawakened Dragon King.

“I heard that Chen Motong has left the Golden Iris Monastery?” asked the elder at the head of the group.

These elders had once had their own names, but after moving into the Pantheon, they abandoned them and were only referred to by code names. The leader’s code name was Alpha.

Frost had visited the Cobalt Hall several times, but each time, only Alpha spoke. The other elders remained silent, their expressions as blank as if they were made of clay.

“Yes, that happened last night. We’ve already sent people to the island to verify, and I was planning to report it later,” Frost said.

“For the family, the continuity of our bloodline is the top priority,” Alpha explained, as though he had sensed Frost’s confusion. “That’s why we’re addressing this matter first.”

“Understood,” Frost replied, still puzzled. How had the elders been informed of Nono’s disappearance so soon after waking, even before he had the chance to report it?

“Anjou introduced representatives of the old families, no doubt to counter us,” Alpha said calmly. “People as tough as Beowulf, once they sit at the college’s table, will part ways with us. With Anjou down, the Gattuso family becomes the strongest power in the college. We will be a target, but that’s nothing new. A king must always face arrows from all directions because he possesses a kingdom—and many others wish to have it.”

“Yes, many misunderstand Anjou. He has always been skilled at political maneuvering,” Frost added.

“Humans cannot fully utilize Constantine’s dragon skeleton. Only the Dragon Kings understand its value, and the one who most desires it is a Dragon King. Whoever stole the dragon skeleton is either a Dragon King themselves or has one behind them,” Alpha analyzed, his tone as casual as if a rare plant had been stolen from his garden. It was precious, but ultimately, just a plant.

“Understood!” Frost tried to hide his unease.

“When we reached our agreement with the college, we decided that Constantine’s dragon skeleton would be split between the college and the Gattuso family. The portion that belongs to us is stored in the bronze tomb behind the Pantheon. If someone can overpower Anjou, then we cannot stop them either. The dragon skeleton should be moved to a safer location as soon as possible,” Alpha instructed. “The contingency plan has been in place for a long time. Follow it accordingly.”

“Yes, we will initiate it immediately!” Frost responded, feeling completely convinced.

The elders had only just awakened, yet they were already displaying vast knowledge and sharp reasoning. What had taken Frost days to analyze, Alpha summarized in just a few sentences.

Frost was already an old man, but in front of these true elders, he felt like an inexperienced child, only able to respond with a string of affirmations.

The door to the Cobalt Hall suddenly burst open, and Caesar strode in, still dressed in the mourning attire from his mother’s memorial. He stopped at a distance, glaring coldly at the elders.

“Caesar, you shouldn’t barge in like this! We’re discussing something important!” Frost hurried forward to stop him.

Alpha glanced at Caesar. “Go ahead, Frost. Take care of your duties. Let us speak with Caesar alone.”

Instinctively, Frost obeyed Alpha’s command, retreating respectfully. Although everyone present bore the Gattuso name, and Frost was considered the second-in-command after Pompeii, he understood the natural divide between himself and these elders, as well as Caesar. Frost handled the family’s affairs, but these people were the family’s leaders—or rather, together, they formed the family’s brain. Frost was merely a finger.

Alpha rose from his seat, slowly descending the steps to stand before Caesar, smiling kindly. Caesar was taken aback; Alpha’s response was nothing like what he had expected.

On the way here, Caesar had asked Parsi to pull up family records to see if there had been similar situations in the past and how the family had dealt with them.

To the elders, the Gattuso family was considered a relatively new family in the Hybrid world, having risen to prominence just over a century ago. But the family’s history could be traced back over a thousand years, with more than forty heads of the family during that time. Given the sheer number of brides throughout the centuries, Caesar had expected there to be at least a few “unfaithful” wives. But to his surprise, such a thing had never happened. Of the forty-some family heads, none of their brides had ever strayed. They all happily married into the Gattuso family and worked hard to produce high-quality offspring.

Caesar was initially confused, then terrified. Just because something wasn’t recorded didn’t mean it hadn’t happened. It could mean that the names of those brides had been erased—both their names and their very existence—completely obliterated! After all, for a prestigious Hybrid family, both reputation and bloodline purity were paramount, and the elders likely had zero tolerance in these matters.

That was why Caesar had tensed his muscles and stormed into the hall, fully prepared to challenge these high-and-mighty elders.

“Are you troubled by emotions?” Alpha asked nonchalantly. “Emotions are the most mysterious and difficult concept in this world. When you are fixated on someone, it often means you don’t truly understand them yet. That’s the allure of emotions. To use a sailing analogy, emotions are not the ballast stone that stabilizes the ship; emotions are the wind that carries you forward.”

“Sailors trust the wind. The wind is their friend,” Caesar replied coldly.

“The wind is also what breaks the mast,” Alpha sighed. “You’ve come here to tell me that if we force you to choose between the family and Chen Motong, you’ll choose her, haven’t you?”

“When I proposed to her, I didn’t seek the family’s approval! So, that’s my marriage, and it has nothing to do with the family!”

“Then the family will yield. Your marriage stands,” Alpha patted Caesar’s shoulder. “As long as we can be sure her purity remains intact, your wedding will go ahead as planned.”

Alpha handed Caesar a white envelope. “I expected you to come, so we’ve prepared a little gift for you. We hope you use it wisely.”

Caesar squeezed the envelope, already guessing what was inside, and his expression shifted slightly.

This was no “little gift.” While it might not be the key to the world, it was certainly something coveted by everyone in the Hybrid world.

“You’ve grown up. It’s time for you to shoulder the family’s responsibilities,” Alpha said gently. “Go now.”

Alpha watched through the window as Caesar and Parsi left, their figures slowly disappearing from view. Only after they were gone did he turn back around. The other elders had also turned in unison to stare at Alpha.

In Alpha’s mind, he could hear their heated discussions. Each elder’s voice was sharp and intense, like a chorus of roaring dragons.

“That child is challenging our limits! Even now, he hasn’t learned the virtue of obedience!”

“The family has been too lenient with him! If we continue, he’ll think we’re weak!”