Chapter 165: Favoritism
For a brief moment, Alena felt a surge of anger.
She had a sense of dissatisfaction that her social circle was being controlled.
But soon this discontent faded, as if saying she had any choice...
And it was uncertain whether the people in the same dormitory would eventually become friends.
"So, you've known all along?" Alena asked.
"I have many people I pay attention to, and she is not the only one. In fact, I had high hopes for her potential initially, but then..." Sasha paused appropriately.
“Michelle's request to switch dormitories, you approved it as well?”
“Yes.” Sasha, being an honorary board member, had that authority.
“Why?”
“Because a little princess named Chao Lu found me and convinced me," Sasha said calmly. "But you didn't."
“I..." Alena opened her mouth.
“Your friendship is a bit excessive. Even if the intention is good, no matter how close two people are, they will never become one. You can't impose your demands on others."
Alena remained silent, only biting her lip.
Sasha put down the cup and said seriously, "Blooded beings are long-lived, with lifespans longer than ordinary people, so they tend to develop some degree of obsession."
“Obsession..." Alena muttered, "I don't have that."
"I believe you know that long-lived species have a probability of developing a condition known as 'Withering.' Living for too long, losing one's goals, friends, and past, after reaching their peak, their descendants scatter. The lonesome and solitary long-lived species are prone to this condition. Their bodies may be healthy, but their hearts die, eroded by loneliness and confusion. Soon, their souls will be lost in the vast ocean of the spiritual world, ultimately returning to void."
Sasha's fingers tapped on the table.
"And obsession is a protective mechanism for the long-lived species...even if it cannot reignite hope for life, it can keep one's inner peace, maintaining a relatively stable mental state. If we are as fickle as humans, it would easily deplete our spiritual threshold."
She looked at Alena again.
"And your obsession, you inherited from your mother."
Alena immediately denied, "How is that possible? I'm completely different from her."
She acted like a cat with its tail stepped on, hastily denying this fact.
She inherited her mother's appearance and bloodline but couldn't admit to inheriting her romantic mindset.
"It's just a tendency, and bloodline is undeniable." Sasha said calmly, "Your mother, my cousin, the things she encountered, I believe you remember, I don't need to remind you too many times."
After she finished roaring, she realized what she had done, like a golden retriever who accidentally bites a sofa and then turns around to see its owner with a kitchen knife.
Sasha responded teasingly with some surprise, "And then you scared away your friend."
Alena retorted, "I..."
The Blood Noble continued, "Oh, and you also got beaten up by your angry friend, and you thought about sneaking into my potions room to drink in secret."
Alena lowered her head, clenched her fists, and resisted the urge to cover her face and flee.
Sasha said, "Tell me more about what happened with Michelle."
Alena became cautious.
"Her sudden increase in strength is indeed beyond logical explanation," Sasha crossed her arms, "Every time such extraordinary changes occur, it often signifies something bad, like the 'evil god' or certain conspiring returnees."
The Blooded Regent found this matter quite troublesome. The Alliance Kingdom, with its current power, was capable of competing against and even catching up to the Sacred Religion and the distant Ming Country across the ocean. However, compared to the environment of the Ming Country, the location where the Alliance Kingdom stood was surrounded by packs of wolves.
Right next door was the Sacred Religion, a human supremist group, lurking with ill intentions. The sky was adorned with a bloody red moon, and the riots of the dark races were escalating. Underneath the ground resided demon populations from the depths of the abyss, having spent five centuries in cultivation and capable of resurfacing at any moment. Countless infiltrators roamed the land... followers of the evil god, the Cult of Necromancy, secret societies composed of various mages... there was no time to catch one's breath.
Furthermore, within the Alliance, where multiple races coexist, internal divisions still exist. It's difficult for the bipedal centaurs and quadrupedal centaurs not to discriminate against each other. The dream shop that incites desires once triggered social issues, causing a significant decline in birth rates and marriage rates. Now, one can only work in beauty salons.
As a Blooded Regent, she also had to consider the interests of her own race, she couldn't just give in. Her reputation and the prestige of being the founding figure no longer carried the same weight they once did.
She was in great need of capable manpower, reliable manpower. It was time to start cultivating successors and the establishment of scholarships was based on this need.
Unfortunately, Sasha was a Regent, not an educator. She understood very well that she couldn't possibly teach and guide students in the same way teachers do, even if she were ten times stronger.
She caught a glimpse of Alena's silent and guarded demeanor. She was well aware that her niece had become wary of her, but she didn't know how to eliminate it.
What a troublesome situation, indeed.
Look, how enlightened I am in my thinking.
Why are kids so sensitive these days? I just asked you to talk about her, not harm her. Can't believe you're there giving me attitude.
And this is the result of my own training... sigh...
“It would be best to dispel her suspicions. Even if you don't say anything, I can retrieve today's combat footage."
Sasha chose her usual tough approach, she was used to it.
But she added, "It's still better to speak up. This is a good opportunity to salvage your friendship, isn't it? It can ease her concerns and clear her suspicions. Otherwise, it won't be long before the teachers in Tulip Academy automatically initiate an investigation."
Alena's expression instantly became conflicted, and she sighed softly, "Can I go ask her?"
Of course, she had her doubts too. Michelle suddenly changed her behavior, which was very abnormal.
Sasha nodded. It was the most convenient way. She just needed to listen to the report periodically. If Michelle was indeed being influenced by something, she only needed to observe carefully until the harm became evident, and there was no need to act hastily.
It could be either a good or bad thing. Some legendary mages also like to cultivate newcomers in this way, and in the end, it's hard to tell if they took on apprentices or developed spouses. It cannot be pursued legally, but it should be morally condemned. To prevent such things from spreading widely, those who spend all day in the mage tower know that if they can't find a suitable partner, they might start selecting suitable candidates from a young age, and that would be a mess.
Alena breathed a sigh of relief. The conversation was somewhat conflicting, but fortunately, the outcome was good, probably because Blood Noble didn't value Michelle too much. She suddenly thought of something. "By the way, during the battle, Michelle seemed to rely more on Dragonborn's brute force..."
"That's normal. Physical strength is one of the Dragonborn warriors' strong points."
"But what's strange is that her physique isn't quite...'' Alena thought about the adjective and looked at Sasha's flat figure before saying after a while, "Angular."
Sasha didn't notice Alena's gaze, otherwise, she would have had the stone puppet throw her out by now.
"Dragonborn warriors, regardless of gender, are indeed mostly muscle-bound. Once they start training, it's hard not to grow muscles, even their brains are stuffed with muscles and protein powder." Sasha said, "I've only seen one Dragonborn warrior with a slim figure."
"Who?"
"Liliana... Her brute strength surpasses that of a dragon, but her arms are slim and soft. She often complains about muscle soreness and asks the mentor to give her massages. After a battle, she definitely goes to take a bath and deceives people into giving her a body scrub. It's quite shameless." Sasha frowned. "She has a unique way to exert force, but it's only suitable for Dragonborn."
Dragon Blood Qi requires considerable talent to learn. It is difficult to master quickly, but Liliana's techniques are even more unique... The majority of Dragonborn cannot learn all of her techniques, and the circulated Dragon Blood Qi is suspected to be incomplete, I think.
Alena thought about Michelle's appearance and felt that her eyes emitted a golden-red glow, which indeed had a sense of oppression. However, she also didn't seem like the same person as before, as if she had completely changed, and Alena should ask her clearly.
Sasha glanced at the time and immediately waved her hand, saying, "It's late, you're still injured, go back to your room and rest."
Just before Alena was about to leave the study, she suddenly turned back and said, "I have something else to say."
The girl gathered her courage and said, "If I am connected to my mother through bloodline, aren't you the same? We both have Capesh blood flowing in our veins."
Sasha asked, "So what?"
Alena stared earnestly into Sasha's crimson pupils and said, "If I inherited my mother's obsession, aren't you obsessed as well?"
Sasha's pupils slightly contracted, and she remained silent for a while.
Alena bowed and walked out of the study with her head held high, like a constantly defeated general who finally won a battle.
Sasha turned around, walked to the balcony, and gazed at the distant golden tree, sighing inwardly with a sense of melancholy.
“Of course, I am obsessed."
