Re: Tales of the Rune-Tech Sage

Chapter 304: Imperial Selective Breeding Program

CH304 Imperial Selective Breeding Program

***

”An experiment?” Alex repeated, frowning in confusion.

”Hmm.” Zora nodded. ”Did you know that the Royal Gryphon Bloodline wasn’t always as powerful, overbearing, or xenophobic as it is today?”

”No, I didn’t.” Alex shook his head.

He realised just how little public information existed about the Imperial Clan. Even the few available records had been thoroughly filtered—clearly to keep certain Imperial secrets buried.

”I didn’t know either,” Zora admitted, smiling faintly. Her tone shifted, taking on a gossipy edge. ”Father told me the Ludevicus Clan once possessed a rare, though not especially powerful, Light–Fire hybrid natured bloodline. To strengthen it, they began experimenting with a theory that existed long before the Interplanar Era.

”According to that theory, selective breeding—through carefully arranged marriages—could yield offspring with stronger or weaker hybrid bloodlines.”

Alex’s brow arched slightly as Zora continued.

”So,” she went on, ”the Ludevicus Clan—and many others—began arranging unions with families whose bloodlines carried desirable traits. The Imperial Clan in particular sought partners with Fire or Light-aligned bloodlines.

”Over time, this led to the Imperial Bloodline reaching what Father called a saturation point—a threshold beyond which further fusion with ordinary elemental bloodlines became impossible. Their bloodline mutated from a simple Fire–Light hybrid into a true Sun-natured bloodline.”

Zora leaned forward slightly, eyes glinting. ”That’s also why the Imperial Bloodline is so overbearing and xenophobic. The Sun stands alone—untouchable, unapproachable by any lesser entity. Likewise, the Sun-natured Royal Gryphon Bloodline rejects all other bloodlines that try to merge with it.”

”I see...” Alex mused, his tone thoughtful. ”So the Imperial Bloodline either burns away the other parent’s bloodline and remains dominant, or both are destroyed in the clash—leaving the child with no bloodline at all. Which explains why so many Imperial offspring are born without bloodline traits today.”

”Exactly.” Zora smiled approvingly.

Then Alex’s eyes widened slightly as another thought struck him.

”The Imperial Clan tried to apply that same method of ’improvement’—but this time using the Fey Monarch Bloodline of the Elendar Clan,” he said slowly. ”It could have been a calculated move by the Imperial higher-ups, or perhaps a desperate gambit by Prince Maximus and his allies.

”If they succeeded in producing a stronger hybrid bloodline, it would have erased the Emperor’s disfavour and restored Maximus’s standing.”

He paused suddenly, his gaze unfocused as the pieces fell into place.

”Ah... I see.” His tone deepened, and a spark of revelation lit his eyes. ”That’s why the Emperor paid such an exorbitant price—the Class 6 Plane wasn’t compensation for the crime. It was the price of a child with a potentially superior Imperial Bloodline that both Imperial Clans could claim!”

”That’s right!” Zora clapped her hands, clearly impressed as Alex pieced everything together.

For a brief moment, she found his brilliance so alluring she had to forcibly restrain herself from showing it.

”Earl Drake suspected as much, and he even found fragments of evidence that hinted toward it,” she admitted.

Alex frowned. ”In that case, wouldn’t marrying Eleanor be no different from stepping into a powder keg?”

”Come on, don’t be so paranoid. Do you think Earl Drake wouldn’t have seen that coming?” Zora rolled her eyes.

Alex knew she was right, but he couldn’t help the instinctive wariness. His father was called the Mad Earl for a reason — there was no predicting what he would or wouldn’t do.

”Don’t worry,” Zora assured him, ”House Ludevicus’ gambit failed. The Fey Monarch Bloodline won over the Royal Gryphon Bloodline in the end, and Eleanor was born with only the Fey Monarch bloodline.”

”Does that mean the Fey Monarch Bloodline is stronger than the Royal Gryphon Bloodline?” Alex asked, visibly surprised.

”Not exactly. It seems the Fey Monarch bloodline won out due to its nature,” Zora explained. ”The Fey Monarch bloodline is also a hybrid of Light and Fire — the Solar nature. And as you should already know, the Solar nature is less directly combative than the Sun bloodline. Instead, it’s inclined toward nurturing, healing, and resilience. Those with Solar affinity make natural healers and alchemists — you yourself included.”

Alex nodded.

Even without proper training as a healer, his Solar affinity — granted by the Auramir half of his bloodline — allowed him to cast healing spells with ease.

”The Solar nature likely simply withstood the storm,” Zora continued. ”The Sun nature of the Ludevicus bloodline burnt itself out, resulting in the same outcome that occurs whenever the Imperial bloodline clashes with another.

”The Imperial Clan’s gamble failed, and Prince Maximus fell completely out of favour, relegated to the lowest standing among the royals.”

Alex exhaled softly and shook his head. ”A true gambler indeed. An all-or-nothing play that ended badly. Too bad the victims of his ambition were the Elendar princess... and Eleanor.”

”By the way,” he asked, ”who is Eleanor’s mother? And what happened to her?”

”I don’t know,” Zora admitted. ”Earl Drake’s documents didn’t include that information, and Father refuses to speak of it. All I know is that whoever she was, she left the Virellian Empire after giving birth to Eleanor — likely with no intention of ever acknowledging her as her child.”

’I can’t exactly blame her,’ Alex sighed inwardly. ’She must have felt powerless from every side, and leaving the child behind was the only power move she had left — a way to reclaim a shred of control by walking away from everything... including the child.’

’Then again,’ he mused, ’the Ludevicus Clan had paid for the child. Even if she wanted to, taking Eleanor away wouldn’t have been possible.’

”So, it’s fair to say Eleanor has little love within the Ludevicus Clan — and even less in the Elendar Clan?” he asked.

”That’s the general belief, yes.” Zora nodded.

Alex tapped a finger on his armrest, silently retracing the chain of thought.

Eventually, he concluded, ”While there are risks, the benefits are far too tempting. The Fey Monarch bloodline is the best-known Healer and Alchemy bloodline. And if Eleanor is as diligent as you claim, I doubt I could find a better Alchemist or Healer of equal rank without paying an absurd price — they’re rare enough as it is.

”Besides,” he added with a knowing smirk, ”if all else fails, there’s an obvious method to keep her under control. Isn’t that so?”

”My thoughts exactly.” Zora nodded approvingly.

”Alright then, I’m sold. Can I schedule a private meeting with her?” he asked.

”Yes,” Zora replied, then raised a finger. ”But there are two things you should know about her first. The first— she’s very beautiful. So much so that she’s ranked on the Imperial Flower List.”

”Huh? What’s that?” Alex asked, confused.

”What? How can you not know what the Imperial Flower List is? Are you really a man?” Zora looked at him in mock disbelief.

”How about we step into the other room, and I show you whether I’m a man or not? You up for it?” Alex said, staring straight at her.

Zora burst into laughter, waving it off before explaining, ”The Imperial Flower List is supposedly a ranking of the most beautiful women in the Empire. Among the younger generation — those under thirty — Eleanor is ranked first. Hence the title ’Flower of the Empire’.”

”Are you on the list?” Alex asked, feigning innocence.

”No. Father made sure of that,” Zora answered.

”Ah, I see... So that’s why. I was beginning to think the judges of that list had eyes purely for decoration,” Alex teased without missing a beat.

Zora smiled like a blooming flower, trying and failing to hide her amusement.

”Anyway,” she said, regaining composure, ”whatever you do, don’t call Eleanor by that title, or even compare her beauty to a flower. She absolutely hates it — she might end the conversation before it even begins.”

”Hmm...” Alex rubbed his chin thoughtfully before nodding. ”Noted.”

”The second thing to note,” Zora continued, ”is that within the Enclave, she doesn’t go by Eleanor Ludevicus — for obvious reasons. So be careful not to call her that in public.”

”What name does she use?”

”Navia,” Zora answered. ”Navia Almion.”

***