Yisen Gard wasn’t very familiar with Anfa and Sio, but he often communicated with Ian, so he knew the backgrounds of these two allies very well.
Sio’s background was simple. True Dragon. One word was enough to explain everything, including power, allegiance, background, potential, and personality—no need to say more, those who know, know.
Anfa’s case was more complicated.
She was the head of the Ashlight Family, the daughter of Xiyalaeta Ash Lamp. This flourishing female head chose not to dilute her power nor waste time, hence she neither married nor took in a partner—she used powerful biotechnology to create a child for herself, and the child’s father...
So the question arises—who on earth was this True Dragon?
There are actually quite a few True Dragons on the Terra Continent, four or five are permanent residents in Canaan Moore, while more dragons roam the world, some sleep beneath the sea, some drift along the mantle, some govern the New Continent, and some play power games with humans within major forces... But in any case, the number of True Dragons is limited, and for major forces, even information about a dragon like Sio, at the Third Energy Level, is crystal clear, let alone a powerful True Dragon valued by Xiyalaeta as the father of her child.
But unfortunately, to this day, no one knows who Anfa Rianide’s father truly is.
True Dragons are extremely caring about their offspring, and even if they sign a contract preventing recognition, those True Dragons will certainly come over, openly or covertly, to observe their children... But nearly twenty years have passed, without anyone ever discovering the trace of such a True Dragon.
With the degree of infiltration among the Blood of the Ten Kings, such a matter could be concealed for a few years, but not much longer.
Ideas reached a deadlock.
But now, a clue has appeared.
Yisen Gard thoughtfully glanced at Anfa, then at the massive dragon bone before him... Yes, ordinary people would never make the connection, but he had learned a ’reverse’ method of thinking from Ian.
—Think by reversing cause and effect.
Think carefully. Anfa is now at the Exotic Species Research Institute, from start to finish, her mother, Xiyalaeta Ash Lamp, has never appeared, always preparing for ’some big event’... This could be a great adventure that might involve casualties, yet the other side remained still.
Reverse. Reverse the thought. What if this action does not signify a lack of concern, and is even a form of ’trust’...
What if Xiyalaeta Ash Lamp believes her child needs no help and can achieve ample rewards within the ruins... she doesn’t need to fight, doesn’t need to compete, and will encounter no danger whatsoever.
As long as she arrives, she has already succeeded.
The green hair fluttered in the wind, and the elf girl with golden eyes stood on the Crystal Stone Plaza, gazing up at the massive dragon bone before her, a tremor appeared on the True Dragon and Elf child.
Not because of fear. Not because of excitement. Nor because of anger or emotion.
She trembled simply because she encountered the most intimate existence of her bloodline, her cells, her soul was rejoicing.
"Anfa’s dragon blood originates from this second-generation True Dragon!"
Yisen Gard had completely figured it out.
—The Ashlight Family and the Yinmen Household have been deeply allied for nearly a hundred years, and marriages have been constantly emerging in recent decades, certainly having more profound collaborations, but for now, the specifics of their cooperative projects remain unclear.
—Chairman Yafarda is the head of the exploration at the Exotic Species Research Institute, and Ian has mentioned more than once that Chairman Yafarda’s familiarity with the Research Institute is unusually deep, and the elves’ understanding of the Research Institute is not like it was discovered as a ’new ruin’ in recent years.
—Chairman Yafarda has already planted a hidden hand deep within the ruins and needs Ian and others to send a signal via transmitter to activate it... This suggests Chairman Yafarda’s understanding of the Exotic Species Research Institute is also profound, possibly even having ’assistants’.
—Chairman Yafarda’s spatial abilities allow him to penetrate areas inaccessible to ordinary people, knowing things most can’t.
"Was it really the Dragon Worship Cult of Canaan Moore that discovered the Exotic Species Research Institute and the inner ’Qing Steel Stone’, or was it truly their own discovery?"
A tempest surged in Yisen Gard’s heart as he felt he had gradually guessed the truth behind it all: "Also, clearly the Qing Steel Stone was the initial clue, but what about the rumored ’Little Qing Steel Dragon’?"
"Chairman Yafarda is evidently luring dragon blood holders from various nations into the ruins to explore and unlock certain area’s permission seals— but the real bait, isn’t it the Source of Dragon Blood before us?"
A possible truth emerged in the blonde youth’s mind.
—Two to three decades ago, Yafada Silvergate discovered the Exotic Species Research Institute, and it was then that he awakened a presence within it, forming an alliance with the so-called ’Master of the Labyrinth’.
He discovered the value of the Exotic Species Research Institute and the Source of Dragon Blood but suppressed his greed, deciding to use it as a trap... Yafada had no dragon blood, his access was limited, even if he used spatial capabilities to forcibly enter the depths of the ruins, the Subspace Labyrinth, he couldn’t act with full force, thus only retrieving a ’Storage Crystal Chip’.
Then, Yafada collaborated with the Master of the Labyrinth, with one side lifting the seal while the other assisted Yafada in executing his plan.