Qiyana's Aunt

Chapter 54 Qiyana's Aunt

Sensing Inessa's gaze, Tarin scrutinized her for a moment before asking directly, "Then may I ask, what brings the First Princess to me?"

"I can't bear to see someone as talented as you go to waste." Inessa glanced at Qiyana beside Tarin, then turned her gaze back to Tarin and said, "I've heard that you possess unparalleled talent and ability. Now that you've come to Ixokeng, you must have your own ideals."

I don't want this ability to go to waste. Compared to staying by my little sister Qiyana's side, I can give you more opportunities, and those opportunities are more valuable.

"Inessa!" Upon hearing her elder sister's words, Qiyana narrowed her eyes, a flash of disgust crossing them. She then stood up and said, "I never expected that someone as useless as you, aside from your age, would have the nerve to appear before me?"

Upon hearing Qiyana's words, a hint of annoyance flashed in Nesa's eyes. He then looked at Qiyana with a cold smile and said, "Qiana, you are the tenth princess, the lowest in rank. I think you should learn how to respect your older sister, and even more so, how to respect the future King Yuen, lest you be sent to some remote county to die in despair after I ascend the throne!"

"Ha, give up! My incompetent sister, what else can you say besides this?"

Qiyana showed no sign of backing down, staring unwaveringly at her sister, and said with a cold laugh, "You're twelve years older than me! But you're inferior to me in every way! You were exposed to the Primordial Axioms more than a decade earlier than me, but what was the result?"

You're nothing but a half-baked amateur! What you struggled to master for years, I grasped in just three months! Incompetent and mediocre, how dare you speak so loudly in front of me? A sister with no talent other than youth?

Hearing Qiyana's series of attacks, a look of anger appeared on Nessa's face.

Tarlin remained remarkably calm as he watched the two arguing, seemingly uninterested. However, the others nearby buzzed with discussion upon witnessing the scene – the discord between the First Princess and the Tenth Princess was common knowledge throughout Ixuokon.

Of course, in order to maintain a semblance of peace, no one ever actually witnessed a conflict between Inessa and Qiyana.

Similarly, people don't see any need for conflict.

The Ixtal succession system has continued for thousands of years. Under these circumstances, the second and third princesses, joining forces, might still be qualified to compete with Inessa, the first princess. But what about Qiyana, the tenth princess—

To put it another way, every princess has her own supporters, namely the Yuntars.

They would choose their favorite princess based on their expertise in the primordial axiomatic system and their respective governing philosophies.

In this scenario, the ten princesses, each according to their line of succession, would begin to build their own faction after developing their own governing philosophy.

When it came to Qiyana, not only was she ranked lower, but the governing philosophies of the nine leaders ahead of her were also more in line with the traditional atmosphere of Ixtal, resulting in most of the Yuntars already having someone to support them.

With no one available and Qiyana being so extreme, she was hardly considered mainstream within the conservative Ixtal faction.

While they may have potential supporters, the reason they are considered potential is precisely because they lack real influence.

Thinking this through, Tarlin nodded thoughtfully, realizing a blind spot in the matter.

While Tarin was still pondering, Qiyana sneered and then bluntly said, "Since you're so confident, let's be straightforward and decide who truly deserves the throne through battle!"

Upon hearing Qiyana's words, a look of seriousness flashed in Nessa's eyes.

Although due to circumstances, Inessa never actually fought Qiyana, but he had heard of the Yuntars' recognition of her powerful combat abilities.

But feeling the gazes of everyone around her, Inessa nodded without hesitation and said, "Alright! My foolish sister, I promise you! You decide the time, and just have someone notify me when it's time."

After saying that, Inessa turned his gaze back to Tarin and said, "Lord Tarin, although I don't know why you value Qiyana, this arrogant child, there are some things you should prepare for."

At the very least, whatever your reasons for coming to Ixtal, Qiyana has no power to help you achieve them.

After saying this, Inessa also turned and left.

Watching her leave, Tarin shook his head and said with a sigh, "I was originally thinking of finding a reason to have her fight you, but I didn't expect you to provoke her with just a few words."

He deliberately controlled his voice, so Tallinn didn't have to worry about being overheard by others.

Upon hearing Tarin's words, Qiyana was slightly taken aback, then exclaimed in surprise, "Is that what you're planning? Didn't you say that in the future you saw, my defeating her was a mistake?"

"A mistake is like breaking a leg without mercy."

Tallinn shook his head and said, "Ishtar's conservatism has always been the mainstream, but if handled properly, it can also be a good opportunity to showcase your personal abilities and governing policies."

Hearing Tarin's words, Qiyana nodded thoughtfully, then smiled confidently and said, "Just you wait and see—defeating her will be a piece of cake for me!"

"We still need to be careful."

Tallinn offered a reminder, but wasn't overly concerned.

After spending this time together, Tarin has come to understand some of Qiyana's personality traits and habits.

Although she seems arrogant now, giving the impression that she might be at risk of making a mistake, Qiyana is actually very serious about anything involving the struggle for the throne or gaining recognition from others.

That was back when I was leading a herd of animals to hunt in the village.

When Qiyana went hunting for the first time, she was just having fun and treating it as a way to relax after learning.

However, after Qiyana hunted a nearly adult dragon lizard and earned the respect and admiration of the herd, especially after the herd's leader, the cat mother, brought her kittens to approach her and become familiar with her scent.

Although Qiyana didn't say it, she actually set aside time every day after that to plan her hunting strategy.

The main goal is to not disappoint those who believe in them.

Although Qiyana seems completely unconcerned now, she is actually plotting how to cleanly and decisively defeat her sister and then vent her anger.

"You've only just arrived and you've already caused such a big problem."

Just as Tarin was chatting idly with Qiyana and reading, a voice came from the side.

Looking up, I saw a woman with long hair as well.

Wearing gold-rimmed glasses and gold earrings, her hair was a silver-gray similar to Qiyana's, but compared to Qiyana, this woman's hair was noticeably shinier, almost snow-white.

She was tall and slender with a healthy, vibrant wheat-colored complexion. Her limbs were long and slender, and she wore sheer stockings and Ishtar-style sandals that revealed her delicate toes.

Although it wasn't intentionally activated, there were obvious elemental fluctuations flowing around him.

Upon seeing the woman, Qiyana's eyes lit up, and unusually, she didn't show any disgust. Instead, she introduced her to Tarin, saying, "Fallin, my mentor of the Axioms of Water. Of course, that was in the past; I've now graduated."

As she said this, Qiyana turned her gaze to Farin, pointed to Tarin, and said, "Tarin, I am still learning from my current mentor, the one who teaches me the principles of life."

"Nice to meet you."

Tallinn extended her hand in a friendly gesture, and Farin shook it back nimbly and gracefully. After glancing around, she clapped her hands and said, "Disputes and noise are prohibited in the library. Please focus on your own tasks."

Upon hearing Farin's words, the idlers who had been peeking and eyeing Tallinn all turned their gazes away.

Upon seeing this, Tallinn raised an eyebrow. Tallinn didn't particularly like being the center of attention, especially when he was focused on gathering intelligence.

But what concerned Tarlin more was why Farin was able to issue orders so naturally.

Seemingly sensing Tarin's confusion, Farin calmly replied, "I also work part-time as the librarian of the Grand Library, so maintaining order here is one of my duties. Besides, Qiyana, I'm not only your teacher, but also your aunt~"

As she said this, Farin paused, then looked at Tarin with some emotion and said, "It was because Qiyana kept coming here that I discovered her talent."

I just didn't expect Qiyana's talent to be even greater than I imagined; she mastered all the transformations of the Water Axiom in no time.

Upon hearing this, Qiyana smiled proudly, but said nothing. Instead, she quietly raised her head, revealing her beautiful neck.

Noticing Farin's words and Qiyana's reaction, Tarin raised an eyebrow, then exchanged a glance with Farin. Under her smiling gaze, he coughed lightly and said, "Yes, thanks to Qiyana, I was able to grasp some of the basic theories of the Primordial Axioms so quickly."

Furthermore, while living in the border village, Qiyana earned the approval of the Kashdazar beast pack, demonstrating remarkable leadership qualities.

Upon hearing this, Qiyana raised her head even higher.

When she saw Qiyana look up, Farin's face revealed a subtle smile, as if she had seen something amusing.

Tallinn couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at this.

I initially thought Qiyana's mentor and aunt would be a conservative Yontar, but it seems she has some unique hobbies.

After glancing at Qiyana twice, Farin turned her gaze to Tarin beside her and said with a smile, "Your Excellency doesn't need to be confused. In fact, I really hope that Qiyana can realize her dream."

"Oh? Why?" Tallinn asked curiously.

In response, Farin calmly replied, "Because I, like Qiyana, am the last princess in line to the throne."

However, compared to Qiyana, my relationship with my elder brother, the current King Yuen, is quite good. Moreover, I don't have much desire for power, so I didn't participate in the competition and simply managed the royal library as a Yuentar.

After hearing Farin's explanation, Tarin nodded thoughtfully, and also understood why Farin looked to be about the same age as Qiyana.

Qiyana is 12 years younger than her older sister, while Farin looks—about the same age as Qiyana's older sister?

Judging from her appearance, perhaps due to the nourishment of the Water Axiom, Farin's physical condition is like that of a twenty-seven or twenty-eight-year-old, and her clothing and personal temperament also tend to be more intellectual and mature.

However, while possessing this intellectual air, one can also sense a playful quality in Tallinn.

Farin clearly made no attempt to hide her thoughts, continuing to smile at Tarin and Qiyana as she calmly said, "I'm not interested in the throne—and even if I were, it wouldn't matter. By the time I'm old enough to understand, King Yuen will already be my elder brother."

"Originally, I didn't have any opinion about any of this. Until later, I accepted the Vidarian's trial and saw what the outside world was really like—"

As she said this, a hint of reminiscence appeared in Farin's eyes. Then she became a little more serious and said calmly, "Although I was only the Yuen Alai for a few years, I lost my right of succession and the Alai identity because my brother succeeded to the throne."

But I am, after all, a member of the royal family, and I have known since childhood that the outside world is not a wasteland, but rather that other civilizations have developed there.

"Even so, when I actually saw the outside world, my heart was still not at peace—or rather, for the first time I clearly realized the difference of the outside world and had a strong desire to see it."

As she spoke, Farin leaned back in her chair, a hint of reminiscence flickering in her eyes.

Then, looking towards Tallinn, Farin asked softly, "Do you know what I saw in the Vidarian's vision?"

"What did you see?"

Tallinn inquired.

"I saw Ionia." Farin gazed quietly at Tallinn: "I saw ancient dragons blotting out the sky, I saw countless scholars studying and meditating in the flourishing, untamed magical gardens, I saw ancient wisdom casting its gaze upon me through the power of Vidarian, blessing me—"

"I believe that no one, not even Yuntar, could turn a blind eye to such a thing—so."

Farin's eyes held a hint of joy.

"I am so happy to have you here."