Kingdom Bloodline

Chapter 20 Anomalies and New Life

Wu Qiren sat in the classroom, his hands flying across the keyboard, quickly recording the discussion of the other two students.

"Enlightenment is the process of overcoming one's own immaturity, such as laziness and cowardice. When Kant expounded on enlightenment, he emphasized that everyone has reason, that is, universal reason."

Another student answered in a pleasant voice:

"The universal reason born of the Enlightenment has been explored and utilized to the fullest extent, thus creating our era—reason is supreme, infinite, and eternal; it can bring us unprecedented power—"

Upon hearing this, Wu Qiren lowered his hands, frowned, and, usually gentle and polite, interrupted the other person, raising his head to say, "Young man, I think you may not have read Foucault's discussion of the relationship between power and truth, or Heidegger's theory of technology—"

But he didn't say anything more, because when he saw the person sitting in front of him, he was too shocked to speak.

All I could see was Wu Qiren standing opposite me.

Seated was Ashida Sakorn, a handsome, gentle, and refined air mage with long brown hair and dressed in blue.

The other person was looking at him gently and said in a pleasant voice:
"If unrestricted power and omnipotent, omniscient reason truly exist in this world, Thales, you really—"

"—Don't you want it?"

Thales was jolted awake in bed!

In the darkness, he gripped the JC dagger tightly under his pillow, panting heavily and drenched in cold sweat.

Thales rolled over and jumped out of bed, his bare feet touching the expensive insulated floor tiles. His nostrils were filled with the pleasant, calming perfume, and he finally realized where he was.

The itching and pain under the bandages and tape wrapped around his chest and other wounds made him more alert, which calmed his breathing. He then tucked JC back under the pillow.

Still shaken, he fell backward and lay back on the large bed that could fit twenty Thales.

The silk pajamas rubbed against his body, making Thales uncomfortable, while the multi-spring-core mattress was soft and smooth, obediently sinking into his contours. The silk-covered Northland down comforter wrapped him tightly, and the smooth silk pillows imported from the southern coast pressed against his head and shoulders from below.

At that moment, Thales felt as if he were being squeezed from head to toe by something.

It was as if the air mage had enveloped him in air and slowly compressed him.

Thinking of this, Thales felt a surge of frustration. He threw off the light, smooth, and comfortable blanket, landed back on the floor, groped his way to a corner, curled up, and lay down. The hard floor and thick walls gave him a familiar sense of security.

Thales then slowly exhaled and laughed helplessly.

"I never thought I'd end up like this," he said, tapping the solid floor tiles and laughing self-deprecatingly.

I really miss the little ones in House Six—I hope Yara can take good care of them.

I need to talk to Gilbert about this tomorrow. Even if we can't contact them directly, I can still keep an eye on them secretly.

But the fragment of memory he had just found in his dream suddenly made him tense up again.

Dreams are a reflection of the subconscious. Memories of past lives are probably the deepest fragments hidden in his subconscious, but this time, even Ashida Saxon appeared in his dream.

"So, I still care about what that madman said?" Thales murmured in the darkness.

A few hours ago, his brief encounter with the magic master flashed through his mind. The magic master's actions, sometimes rational and sometimes capricious, his mysterious and unpredictable power, and his almost inhuman immortal body, all made him feel cold.

And his words.

"It seems you don't know your own true nature, child."

The words resurfaced in his aching brain.

Thales forced himself to banish the unnecessary emotions of frustration and fear, and calmly analyzed the magician's words.

According to Ashida, he was just like him, a demon—no, merely someone with the potential to become a mage.

Judging from Ashida's performance, people with this kind of potential are quite rare, which is a good thing for me.

However, it seems that magic users are not a popular class in this world at present.

Ashida's words are too subjective, but if part of what Ashida said is true, namely the so-called war between magic users and humans, then magic users are almost universally hated and would die if exposed to light.

Moreover, Thales worriedly thought, with the blue light projected from the wound where Ashida's heart was pierced, was he indeed no longer human?
And then there's Yodel Gato. According to him, he should have arrived at the abandoned house much earlier, so he must have heard what Ashida said—Tails clenched his fist—and he must also know about my "loss of control" in front of the mage, right?

If the Yordle finds out, will Gilbert and King Kessel also find out? How will they view themselves?

There are still so many questions.

For example, that neurotic, cold, and highly suspicious king father.

For example, even though he was seven years old, the bloodline lamp blessed by divine magic was actually twelve years old.

For example, their origins, surname, and significance to the kingdom.

For example, why was the news of his return kept so secret—Yordal and Gilbert practically stole him back like thieves.

For example, what exactly is this world like? Is it a medieval ecosystem? A high-magic world? Steampunk?
Thales patted his head.

No, I can't understand anything—my basic understanding of this world is still too limited.

We need comprehensive early childhood education that starts with the basics!
Thales let out a helpless sigh.

But his gaze immediately turned serious.

Enlightenment and learning can be done gradually.

but.

There is one thing that must be resolved.

It concerns one's own life and health.

He began to recall the mage's words again:

"It seems you don't know your own true nature, child."

"But it's okay. Everyone loses control for the first time. We all start from a state of confusion."

Thales clasped his hands together in the darkness, reflecting on what he called "losing control."

Ashida used her magic to compress herself into the air, preparing to shape her into a ball.

My whole body felt like it was boiling on fire.

I saw the energy ball in his hand, which must be the so-called "air wall".

The energy ball turned red and suddenly appeared in front of me.

Then--

and many more!

Thales seems to have grasped a key point.

Blood, and a burning sensation!
Thales slowly sat up.

Quaid.

The name flashed into his mind.

He had also experienced the feeling of his blood boiling, right at the point when Quaid beat and abused him twice. The common point of those two times, and even his encounter with Ashida, was that he bled!

Thales had previously thought that the burning sensation in his body was caused by the "divine magic" Gilbert had mentioned, which was triggered by his blood falling to the ground.

In retrospect, Ashida's so-called "loss of control" was precisely the moment when that burning sensation appeared.

Thales suddenly realized that this wasn't the first time he had "lost control" in front of Ashida.

His first real loss of control was with Quaid.

When Quaid tried to kill Coria, that bastard should have been holding his JC dagger!

How did that dagger suddenly appear in my hand?
Just as bizarre as that energy ball that suddenly appeared in front of me!
奎德
bleed.

A burning sensation. A dagger.

Aishida.

Energy ball.

Yodl and Gilbert
Bloodline Lamp.

Thales closed his eyes, finding himself unable to unravel the jumbled elements.

Too mixed.

too messy.

But he was not discouraged; instead, a long-lost sense of excitement welled up from the bottom of his heart.

The process involves categorizing complex phenomena, establishing hypotheses and theoretical frameworks, eliminating irrelevant variables, summarizing causal logic, and finally verifying the completeness of the theory.

And then there's the ever-unprovable "uncertainty," the ever-inescapable "endogeneity," and the ever-unable-to-approach "quasi-experimental method" and "counterfactual analysis."

Isn't this the alluring puzzle that social sciences can never perfectly solve, and also the game I used to love playing the most?
Moreover, this time, what I'm facing is not a multi-causal social phenomenon that is impossible to investigate or verify, but a single problem within myself that can be verified repeatedly!
When Thales opened his eyes again, his pupils, though dark, were filled with a strong desire for challenge.

He tried to calm down and clarify the phenomenon he was facing.

Qualitative comparison analysis (QCA) is not advisable if the sample size is small, the number of variables is too large, the mechanism is simple, or it is too complex.

Using the most basic Mill's induction method is sufficient.

First, select cases and events using bleeding and loss of control as keywords.

He slowly closed his eyes, and familiar feelings flooded back into Thales's brain, with various complex elements and factors rapidly arranging themselves in his consciousness.

Based on the research objectives and chronological order, for each sample, we determine whether different "conditions" (rather than "causes") and "results" occur or not.

Events flashed by rapidly before his eyes. He removed event samples with too many missing values, combined the conditions and results of each event, and then distinguished them in terms of hierarchy and type.

A clear and organized table emerged in his mind, with four observable and comparable sample events arranged within it:
Sample 1:

Condition 1.1: Quaid beats himself for the first time. Condition 1.2: Bleeding. Result 1: No unusual phenomena.

Sample 2:
Condition 2.1: Quaid beats himself a second time and prepares to kill Coria. Condition 2.2: Bleeding. Result 2: Loss of control; the dagger appears in his hand out of thin air.

Sample 3:
Condition 3.1: Ashida is preparing to kill himself. Condition 3.2: Bleeding. Result 3: Out of control, his energy ball appears in front of me.

Sample 4:
Condition 4.1: Verify your bloodline before Yodl, Gilbert, and the lamp. Condition 4.2: Bleeding. Result 4: No unusual phenomena.

Now that the list is complete, let's begin the comparison.

Seek common ground while acknowledging differences, and draw conclusions.

The tables were gradually simplified, standardized, and merged into a paragraph of text.

Thales gently opened his eyes.

Conclusion: When encountering a murder while there is bloodshed, there is a chance that it will be accompanied by a so-called "loss of control"—the surrounding objects or energy will shift to varying degrees.

No, this conclusion is still too preliminary.

First, the sample size is still too small; second, some confounding variables cannot be eliminated.

Then, the "murder incident" seems too distant, and may be a false mechanism. Could it be that the murder incident triggered something else, and that thing is the real reason for the loss of control?

In addition, we need to find a way to take that lamp into consideration as well.

Ultimately, it can only prove the correlation between a few things, and is still insufficient for causal inference.

In any case—Thales rolled over and lay down—at least a preliminary conclusion has been reached regarding the "out of control" situation.

So, what are the next research directions?

Thales exhaled and suddenly felt a wave of fatigue in his brain.

Sure enough, he rubbed his temples hard, wondering if thinking about these things was too much of a burden for a seven-year-old's brain.
But he was surprised to realize that something was wrong.

These logical summaries and deductions should at least be written down on a piece of paper with a pen.

But its actual execution process within its own brain is almost instantaneous?

half an hour.

Thales slammed his hand on the floor, feeling the pain in his head.

Sure enough, from magical energy and loss of control, to the so-called bloodline, and then to this monstrous efficiency of thought—this body, this brain...
There is an exception.

With these thoughts in mind, Thales slowly drifted off to sleep.

------------------

When Thales was politely woken up by Gilbert, he found himself back in bed, neatly covered with the blankets.

"Tales, my esteemed young sir, good day."

Gilbert respectfully drew back the floor-to-ceiling curtains, and the afternoon sunlight streamed in through the huge windows, illuminating the luxurious and comfortable room.

The magnificent insulated floor tiles with star patterns, the sofa made of monitor lizard leather, the spacious four-poster bed made of copper, the crystal chandelier on the ceiling, and the covered fireplace all came into view before Thales' eyes.

All of this constantly reminded him that his life was no longer the same.

It's unbelievable that just a few hours ago, he was a lowly gangster beggar whose life hung by a thread.

And now, he turns out to be a descendant of the highest ruler of the entire Star Kingdom.

"It's exactly two o'clock in the afternoon. I sincerely suggest that you get up and have a meal at this time, which will effectively promote your recovery and health." The middle-aged nobleman said in a calm tone, but Thales could sense his urging.

“Furthermore,” Gilbert winked amicably and smiled, “at His Majesty’s request, our first lesson will begin in the afternoon.”

“I’m sure you have a lot of questions too, and I’d be happy to answer them for you.”

Thales rubbed his eyes, yawned, and took off his uncomfortable silk pajamas. He fumbled around and haphazardly put on the aristocratic dress that Gilbert had prepared for him.

“Very good,” he said lazily, squinting his eyes. “I love going to class.”

Also, Thales closed his eyes and thought silently: I was sleeping so well, who put me back on the bed from the floor?
“Mr. Thales, you must really like these trousers.”

"what?"

"Because you're putting it on your head."

"What? It looks like this, and it's actually pants?"

“Mr. Thales, you seem to have a particular fondness for that button-down jacket as well.”

"Oh, it's an outer coat."

“Mr. Thales, I think you’ll need the belt on your left.”

"Hmm, thank you. That explains why I kept falling down."

half an hour.

“Mr. Gilbert”.

"Yes?"

"Please help me put on this damned outfit."

"I would be delighted, esteemed young sir."

Some readers have told me that some of the specialized social science terminology in this chapter is too "pretentious," making it confusing and causing them to frown. So I came back and revised it into a simplified version; I wonder if that will be better.

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(End of this chapter)