161. The Princess's Delusion
"The Dragonfall Weapon developed by the [Doctor] is a weapon specifically designed to counter Aether Blood. The word 'fall' implies death... could this weapon also have implications of dragon slaying?"
The specifics were unclear because most of the terminology was beyond her comprehension.
However, the [Doctor] made it clear in the manuscript: the Dragonfall Weapon could absorb Aether Blood and potentially revert [Secret Society] citizens back to ordinary people.
Although the success rate was low, this gave Yavanna great hope and motivation.
"As long as the Aether Blood inside me can be extracted... at the very least, I might be able to preserve my personality, right?"
That alone was enough.
Since infiltrating high society, Yavanna had been leveraging her connections to gather information about the Dragonfall Weapon, "Diaran."
First, she was certain that Diaran was on this planet, currently living on White Candle Star.
According to the [Doctor's] records, he passed away four years ago. At that time, Diaran's file listed her as only 13 years old. Without a guardian or identification, a 13-year-old child could not legally leave the planet to venture into space.
Next, narrowing the search scope and gathering intelligence required subtractive analysis rather than additive. Yavanna applied her past experience from Law IV, focusing on Diaran's background and social contacts.
Soon, she identified her target group—students.
At 17 years old, Diaran had limited options.
Considering her background, Diaran carried the bloodlines of both a true dragon and a titan—a top-tier existence. As an underdeveloped juvenile, she would easily attract the attention of magical aristocratic families eager to enhance their bloodlines, whether for research or breeding.
Thus, if Diaran lived independently, her only viable path on White Candle Star would be to enroll in a university for protection.
A defining feature of magical civilizations was the dominance of academic cliques, whose influence often surpassed that of the military. They directly controlled the lifelines and upward mobility of the civilization. Magicians epitomized the concept of changing one's destiny through knowledge. Leveraging their expertise and vast networks, academics could bypass capital entirely, independently developing new magical weapons or civilian technology.
For this reason, universities were among the few places where politics, military forces, and aristocratic families dared not interfere. Or rather, in the context of magical civilizations, educational and research institutions were the most powerful political entities.
Given Diaran's limited options, Yavanna began investigating this angle.
She was fortunate. Although White Candle Star was a magical civilization, its network infrastructure shared similarities with technological civilizations. In the interconnected era, many protocols and rules were alike.
This meant that some government websites allowed access to detailed enrollment lists.
Yavanna started by reviewing the names of annual exam candidates. The data was extensive, and she visited several nearby cities but found no mention of Diaran.
Later, during a tea gathering with wealthy ladies, one mentioned using a magical app to check her husband's hotel records, sparking an idea in Yavanna.
After all, candidates needed accommodation near their test centers to maintain mental clarity during the marathon-like magical qualification exams.
Seizing this opportunity, she quickly found relevant records. This year, 17-year-old Diaran had stayed at a budget hotel in Elato City. Yavanna traced this lead to Diaran's test center. With some persuasion and minor gifts, she bribed the staff to provide Diaran's candidate and exam numbers.
The next steps were straightforward.
Using the exam number, Yavanna backtracked Diaran's identity. With her custom-made decryption tool, she accessed her academic portal and easily obtained Diaran's enrollment details.
"Trivira City... White Candle Interstellar University, Magic Application Department, First Year, Student ID 57571189, ID number..."
It seemed Diaran performed exceptionally well; White Candle Interstellar University was a prestigious institution.
Looking at the website's information, Yavanna fell into thought.
Trivira City... wasn't Mr. Li Aozi also studying there?
Although he hadn't mentioned it, her skills allowed her to locate Li Aozi's university at any time.
"This is a good opportunity to apologize to Mr. Li Aozi..."
Reflecting on her past emotional struggles and petty spats that led her to avoid Li Aozi's concern, Yavanna felt a deep sense of guilt.
No matter what... Mr. Li Aozi had always cared about her. For someone like him, showing such attention to others was rare, especially considering his words back then:
..........
"What I want to say is—rest assured, I will always believe in you."
"If something happens to Yavanna Huskisin, I, Li Aozi, will take responsibility for cleaning up the mess. No one but me has the right to end you."
"It's not about whether I should or shouldn't. I can do it, so I will—as long as you trust me, I will continue to trust you."
"No matter what, remember this: Yavanna Huskisin, you are extraordinarily meaningful to me."
..........
Snap.
Yavanna covered her face, her ears burning as she recalled those words.
No matter what... those words were far too lethal for her!
"This time, I must apologize sincerely and seize the opportunity to leave a good impression on Mr. Li Aozi."
Once she found Diaran and asked her to extract the Aether Blood from her body, she could freely be with Mr. Li Aozi... maybe even develop a romantic relationship.
Then, marriage? Children?
She quickly opened her makeup mirror to check her reflection.
"I'm fairly attractive, with a good figure, a full chest, and long legs. I should be worthy of Mr. Li Aozi's handsome appearance. I just hope the children don't inherit my spiderweb-like eyes... Ah, no, relying solely on appearance would make me seem shallow."
But then again, hadn't Mr. Li Aozi praised her as 'extraordinarily meaningful'?
"I should have more confidence in myself! Yes, that's it."
Composing herself, Yavanna patted her cheeks and called the nanny at the villa:
"Sister Annie, I'm planning to visit Trivira tomorrow. Please prepare dishes that men like."
Hearing this, the nanny clearly misunderstood and confidently replied:
"Don't worry, Miss Yavanna. I've been cooking for thirty years; I guarantee your husband will be delighted."
"No, no, we're not at that stage yet," Yavanna denied verbally, but her smile was uncontrollable. "—Sister Annie, you've been working hard lately. I'll increase your salary by 30% this month."
"Oh dear, that's too generous."
"You deserve it."
Yavanna chuckled, leaning back in the luxury car seat. Gazing out the window, even ordinary passersby seemed beautiful.
Everything she had worked for so far didn't feel in vain.
Hope was within reach.
If she could escape the Secret Society and exist as a human, Mr. Li Aozi would surely come to accept her—after all, who would dislike a moderately attractive, wealthy, caring, and loving woman?
"It's a pity my family background is lacking. If my father weren't imprisoned, I'd be the daughter of a president. In ancient times, I'd have been a princess! Hehe, a princess..."
Mr. Li Aozi is Azure Star's great hero, a legend.
In fairy tales, the hero and the princess... how fitting.
Yavanna raised her hand. The sunlight was too bright, making her feel her smile was a bit silly.
Silly or not, it didn't matter.
Sijia, can you see this? I haven't let you down. I'm still striving to live, and the hope of escaping the darkness is within reach.
A life that truly belongs to Yavanna Huskisin is finally coming.