19 Dust of Gaea

It was quite late in the night by the time Hokuto had already stirred up this huge incident. Astraea was busy trying to explain to the child her new situation as she had awakened some newfound abilities. "Do you understand? This is a really big deal," Astraea tried to be as simple and succinct as possible. "Your body's strength has already increased by a huge amount, which means it's much easier for you to draw from nature. You can easily practice internal martial arts now." she sighed, somewhat envious.

Astraea had to spend so many years to perfect her <Divine God's Ascension Force>, yet Hokuto could easily adapt it herself due to her unique Nature physique. Truthfully speaking, Astraea was not aware if there were historical records of people having a special constitution that was similar to Hokuto's. She knew that it was possible for other humans to possess constitutions or physiques that had special powers or properties.

For example, there were people who could breathe underwater because their skin had similar properties to gills, and to adapt to land-life, they could seal themselves up and behave like regular people's skins. Not all of them were beneficial nor were all of them without cost. Astraea had once battled against someone who had a physique which gave them intense power during the night, but were greatly weakened under the sun and thus could never travel during the day.

Astraea was summarizing these points about physiques and constitutions to Hokuto, which really pumped her up. She was beginning to neglect the possibility of having to walk the way of the sword. However, Astraea stopped her. "Hey! We are still not done with the <Primordial Orchid Body Art>. The remainder of the year will be much tougher. We will talk about your case after you attain great completion!"

Hokuto gave Astraea a pout but otherwise nodded.

Meanwhile, back in the castle, Queen Tyris and King Ren were in a slight panic after one of the Dark Moon Guild operatives reported what he saw Hokuto experience.

"Nobody ever told us about this. You would think that the court vizier would have known something like this! Call her in!" King Ren bellowed out. As if the summons had been heard immediately, a woman taller than Queen Tyris had emerged from a tear in the space. This woman had short, well-kept purple hair and curly bangs. She was lithe, somewhat busty, the very definition of a 'stereotypical buxom femme fatale.' This court vizier easily closed the tear she entered through.

"I am at your service, my King and Queen," she politely said, giving the both of them a reverent bow. She was dressed in a black backless gown and didn't look like a magician. However, her magical prowess was amazing. "What has happened?"

King Ren calmed himself down. "We've just received word that Hokuto had unlocked her body's physique which allowed her to naturally suppress the evil nature of her Infernal Wyvern bloodline. Vizier Seraphina, please advise."

"That shouldn't be possible, could you please tell me the whole story?" the sorceress named Seraphina looked doubtful. However, as the Dark Moon Guild operative explained what he saw, Seraphina's expression started changing and she was experiencing a multitude of emotions.

"The reason why I didn't detect anything abnormal aside from her bloodline was because it was indeed dormant," Seraphina sighed, looking a bit disappointed. "What the [Rose Sword Saint] said shouldn't have been wrong, little Hokuto was indeed born with a strange physique that allows her to be greatly in tune with Nature. I am not totally confident as to how this came to be, but it might be related to the Infernal Wyvern's bloodline causing a positive reaction with something within Hokuto's body."

Seraphina said a lot of things but King Ren didn't understand all of it. "I understand that she inherited the Infernal Wyvern's bloodline, but I don't think... Come to think of it, Queen Tyris, didn't you ask to be moved to a bed of flowers when you hit labor?"

Yes, this was a very eccentric request. Queen Tyris had demanded for Hokuto to be born on a bed of flowers. Unlike the matter of the Infernal Wyvern's bloodline, this was an innocent thing to hide from Hokuto, but now Seraphina was convinced that the exposure to nature during Hokuto's birth was what triggered Mother Nature to bless the child.

"It must be the case, Mother Nature took pity on the child for inheriting your Infernal Wyvern bloodline and blessed her with a countermeasure - the Dust of Gaea. It was an empowering blessing that would activate when exposed to Heralldia's worldly energies! Hokuto had most likely absorbed some from the Leyline Geysers, triggering the Dust of Gaea to work its magic. Nature's embrace empowered the savagery of the Infernal Wyvern, subduing its bloodline and empowering Hokuto simultaneously."

Staring at Seraphina in amazement, King Ren and Queen Tyris felt their worries disappear. Though they would still keep Hokuto under heavy protection, Hokuto would be able to defend more easily against the dark suggestion in the worst case scenario. Seraphina was dismissed after King Ren and Queen Tyris thanked her for her expertise.

While the king and queen were consulting with the court vizier, Hokuto and Astraea were making their eventual return to the castle. Astraea was not as knowledgeable on these topics as Seraphina was, but she still knew that Hokuto must have been blessed by Nature itself to be able to have such a heaven-defying ability. Something that could subdue the savage nature of the Infernal Wyvern's bloodline was definitely a treasure.

"You can use the abilities granted by your physique in order to make achieving the great completion in the <Primordial Orchid Body Art> much more painless." Astraea emphasized. Hokuto's diligence was beginning to grow on her.

"Yes, teacher. I will work hard to practice it to full completion! If I can really channel the worldly energy... Then I will be able to become strong like you!"

"Haha... Yes. You will be able to do that."

The two of them laughed the whole way back...