"Sister Yan, why do you seem so absent-minded?" After leaving Hagen City, Dugu Yan had been in this strange state, which made Ning Rongrong quite curious.
"Rongrong, do you know about Ye Lingling's family?" Dugu Yan asked.
As another support-type Soul Master, and from the continent's number one support-type sect, Ning Rongrong should logically be more knowledgeable about such matters.
"Hmm... Isn't the Nine Heart Begonia restricted to a single lineage? Does it even have a family?" Ning Rongrong stopped walking, her face showing surprise.
"Theoretically, it's a single-lineage inheritance, but in reality, this only means that there can only be two Nine Heart Begonia possessors at the same time, usually direct relatives. However, they do have a family."
"But it's as if the Nine Heart Begonia is cursed. They don't receive their family's blessings and are even disliked. Because of this, they generally don't reveal their family background to outsiders."
"Lingling and I are close, and she once told me she comes from Hagen City, the capital of the Hagen-Das Kingdom."
"Oh, the Ye Family of Hagen City?" Ning Rongrong's voice carried a hint of astonishment.
"Most likely." Dugu Yan pondered for a moment before nodding. "She told me her family holds considerable influence in Hagen City."
"So that's it. The royal family, huh? I never would've guessed!" Ning Rongrong chuckled lightly. "It's not impossible. As the royal family of the Hagen-Das Kingdom, their desire to control the Nine Heart Begonia might have led them to make decisions that go against tradition, and then..."
"I see. The Nine Heart Begonia's 'lone star of misfortune' made the royal family fearful, so they pretended this bloodline didn't exist."
Still, when you think about it, those who attend the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy are either wealthy or noble.
For a support-type Soul Master like the Nine Heart Begonia to avoid being forcibly taken for breeding, there must be some backing behind them.
Disliked or not, it doesn't mean the Ye Family doesn't value Ye Renxin and Ye Lingling.
"The Heaven Dou Empire really has strong vassal states but a weak central court. No wonder governance is so ineffective." Ning Rongrong sighed. "I sensed the aura of a Soul Douluo in the royal palace earlier."
"Add in Ye Renxin and the Shui Family of Tianshui City, as well as the dean of Tianshui Academy..."
"Heh, a single kingdom actually has three Soul Douluos."
The Heaven Dou Empire is broadly divided into ten provinces. Five are directly administered by the Heaven Dou capital, such as the heavily militarized Farnos Province, stationed to pressure the Balak Kingdom and guard against the Star Luo Empire.
The remaining five provinces are divided among four kingdoms and one duchy.
Namely: the Balak Kingdom, the Hagen-Das Kingdom, the Silvers Kingdom, another kingdom whose name Ning Rongrong forgot, and a duchy occupying the smallest province.
Among the vassal states of the Heaven Dou Empire, the Balak Kingdom ranks first in both military and economic strength, while the Hagen-Das Kingdom ranks second, serving as the protective barrier for the Extreme North.
To be precise, it's Tianshui City in the Extreme North, guarded by the Shui Family.
It is the first fortress city preventing soul beasts from the Extreme North from advancing further.
"The dean of Tianshui Academy?" Ning Rongrong's murmuring made Dugu Yan, who was still walking toward Tianshui City, show a look of surprise.
"Isn't Tianshui Academy in the Four Elements City?"
"It's like this..." Ning Rongrong began explaining to Dugu Yan.
As they walked, Ning Rongrong explained the division of the empire and its vassal states to Dugu Yan.
"So that's how it is." Dugu Yan nodded thoughtfully. "Tianshui City is the fief granted to the Shui Family by the Hagen-Das Kingdom."
"And the Four Elements City is land the Four Elemental Academies obtained from the empire to avoid unrelated political entanglements, used purely for teaching purposes."
In simple terms, one is their ancestral land, where they return for important occasions, while the Four Elements City is where they work.
"Speaking of which, I've never quite understood."
"Why is it called Four Elements City and not Five Elements City?" Dugu Yan pressed.
With five academies present, it's called the Five Elemental Academies, yet the city is named Four Elements City.
What's the difference between this and the "Four Heavenly Kings, but actually five" trope?
"Thunder, Blazing Fire, Divine Wind, and Tianshui—these were the original four elemental academies when Four Elements City was first established."
"The Thunder Academy is affiliated with the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan. In reality, it was established there because the clan wanted to recruit students from the other three academies."
"However, the backgrounds of the three academies involve their respective kingdoms and families, so even the Thunder Academy didn't dare overstep, at most recruiting some graduates."
"When the Spirit Hall saw what the Thunder Academy was doing, they had the Elephant Armored Sect establish the Elephant Armored Academy, turning Four Elements City into the Five Elemental Academies."
"Uh... It's that complicated?" Dugu Yan was stunned.
Good grief, so there were so many hidden intricacies behind it.
"Rongrong, what do you know about the Shui Family?" Compared to these children of major families, Dugu Yan felt somewhat out of place and asked again.
"Not much." Ning Rongrong shook her head.
As the young lady of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan, why would she bother with such minor figures?
Rather than investigating these families, it'd be better to explore the Extreme North for natural treasures the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan could plunder.
It's just that the Extreme North's harsh environment makes long-term exploration impractical, so the idea was abandoned.
In truth, if not for Dugu Yan having a grandfather who guarded a medicine garden—a necessary part of Ning Rongrong's plans—she might not have even cared to learn about Dugu Bo, let alone Dugu Yan.
Ahem... She absolutely couldn't let Dugu Yan know these thoughts.
"Rongrong, are you thinking something bad?" Noticing Ning Rongrong's expression, Dugu Yan gave her a suspicious look.
"Huh? No way." Ning Rongrong laughed awkwardly. "I do know a little about Tianshui Academy and the Shui Family. Rumor has it..."
"Well, it's probably just a rumor, but the granddaughters of Tianshui Academy's dean, Shui Bing'er and Shui Yue'er, can use a Martial Soul Fusion Skill. That's quite interesting!"
"Eh?! A Martial Soul Fusion Skill?!" Dugu Yan's eyes widened.
Martial Soul Fusion Skills are incredibly rare! The lower the user's strength, the more terrifying the amplification from the fusion.
From what she read in the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan's library using Divided Mind Control, two Level 30 Soul Masters using a Martial Soul Fusion Skill could reach the power of a Soul King.
"Yeah, it's pretty fascinating." Ning Rongrong smiled. "That little kitten and that perverted tiger in Shrek Academy also have a Martial Soul Fusion Skill."
"The Star Luo Imperial Family... That makes sense." After her initial surprise, Dugu Yan calmed down. If there's one stable source of Martial Soul Fusion Skills on the Douluo Continent, it's the Star Luo Empire.
The Star Luo Imperial Family's Dai and Zhu Clans are the perennial possessors of Martial Soul Fusion Skills.
If an era lacked this fusion skill, that would be the real oddity.
"Rongrong... How's Uncle Ning's progress with their Martial Soul Fusion Skill training?"
"That? They've made some progress."
The three of them have good synergy, but whether they can pull it off in actual combat depends on their quick thinking.
In any case, the stronger the user, the harder it is to achieve Martial Soul Fusion, especially for the first time—the barriers become increasingly rigid.
"Ah, I see." Dugu Yan sighed, thinking about Ning Fengzhi and the others in the Heaven Dou Empire. Though they returned home safely, dangers still lurked everywhere.
As they spoke, the two arrived at the border city of the Extreme North—Tianshui City.