The Forgotten Bloodline

Chapter 3

The following day, the police came to take Eric’s statement about the attack.

They asked several questions, but most merely covered information that had already been circulating since the previous night. From the way they conducted the interview, Eric could tell their visit was little more than a formality.

Not long after the police left, the vice rector of Astraea Velora University arrived with several people.

He explained the findings of the university’s internal investigation. Any students proven to have been involved would face disciplinary action in accordance with university regulations.

The university also provided compensation to cover Eric’s treatment and recovery.

Before leaving, the vice rector asked Eric not to take the matter any further. In return, the university promised to give him special consideration and ensure that he could complete his studies without difficulty.

Eric understood what he meant.

Astraea Velora University was not an institution he could take on alone. Many influential people with power and connections stood behind it.

More importantly, the Rothwell family backed the university.

They might not have been the wealthiest family in Velora, but no one doubted their influence. Beyond their extensive business network, the Rothwells had connections reaching into politics and law enforcement.

In his current situation, accepting the offer was probably his best option.

After they left, the hospital room fell silent again.

Eric made sure no one was outside before silently calling for Legacy Intelligence.

The transparent screen immediately appeared before him.

Although he had seen it several times since the previous night, the existence of technology from two hundred and eighteen years in the future still seemed difficult to believe.

“Hello…” he murmured. “What exactly can you do? And can you speak?”

A few seconds later, lines of text began to appear.

[I can perform various functions at the user’s command.]

[However, most features remain locked.]

[Current version: Level 1.]

Eric frowned.

“Level?”

[The higher Legacy Intelligence’s level, the broader the range of information available to the user.]

“Then what can I access right now? Can you give me money or any kind of item?”

[No.]

Eric fell silent.

More text appeared.

[I cannot create money, gold, weapons, or any other physical objects.]

[I only provide information, analysis, simulations, and solutions based on available data.]

“Then how do I raise your level?”

[Legacy Intelligence’s level is not determined by the system. It advances alongside its owner’s development.]

“What does that mean?”

[If the owner stops growing, Legacy Intelligence will also stop growing.]

[If the owner loses their sense of purpose, Legacy Intelligence’s evolution will cease.]

[As the owner’s abilities, experience, influence, knowledge, and achievements grow, more of Legacy Intelligence’s data becomes accessible.]

Eric read the text several times.

“So I’m the one who determines how powerful you become?”

[Correct.]

[Legacy Intelligence does not create legends.]

[Legacy Intelligence only helps legends reach their potential.]

Eric remained silent for a few moments, his gaze fixed on the final line.

Knock! Knock!

Someone knocked on the door.

A moment later, Andreas entered with Xavia.

As soon as he saw Eric sitting up in bed, Andreas smiled.

“Good, you’re finally awake.” He glanced at Xavia beside him. “Look who came especially to see you.”

Xavia turned to him. “Don’t listen to him.”

Andreas chuckled.

“All right, I’ll go find Dominic.”

After Andreas left, Xavia approached the bed and pulled up a chair.

For a few moments, neither of them spoke.

Then Xavia looked at the cast around Eric’s right arm.

“I’m sorry.”

Eric turned to her. “What for?”

“I was too late.”

Eric slowly shook his head. “I should be the one apologizing. I’ve already caused you so much trouble.”

Xavia did not answer immediately. Her gaze dropped to his arm again.

“Does it still hurt?”

“A little.”

Xavia nodded.

She picked up the bag of fruit she had brought and placed it on the table.

“I brought you some fruit.”

Eric glanced at the bag.

“Thank you.”

Their conversation fell quiet again.

Xavia stayed seated beside him while Eric occasionally looked out the window.

Although they said little, the atmosphere between them gradually became less awkward.

Xavia kept him company a little longer before finally saying goodbye and leaving the room.

After the door closed, Eric glanced at the bag of fruit on the table before leaning back against the pillows.

Not long after Xavia left, the door opened again.

Four people entered together. Three middle-aged men and a woman, all wearing white coats and hospital ID badges.

Eric did not recognize any of them.

The man who appeared to be the oldest approached him.

“Good afternoon. How are you feeling?”

“Much better,” Eric replied.

The man nodded. “Good. We’re going to give you a quick examination.”

With that, they began examining him.

They checked his blood pressure, heart rate, pupils, and several reflexes one by one.

The woman then replaced Eric’s IV bag with a new one.

“Vitamins to help speed up your recovery,” she explained briefly.

Eric simply nodded.

A moment later, one of the doctors approached with a small vial.

“We need to take a little blood for some additional tests.”

“Didn’t they already take my blood this morning?”

“It’s just an additional procedure. It won’t take long.”

“All right.” Eric nodded.

Once the blood sample had been collected, one of the men adjusted the pillow behind Eric’s back. At the same time, he picked a strand of hair from Eric’s shoulder and slipped it into a small plastic bag without anyone noticing.

The entire examination took no more than five minutes.

Before leaving, the oldest doctor looked at Eric.

“I hope you recover soon.”

“Thank you, doctor.”

The four of them then left the room.

The door closed once more.

—

Two days passed quickly.

During that time, Eric’s hospital room was rarely without visitors.

Students from his faculty came and went to check on him. But Eric knew that not all of them were truly concerned about his condition.

Although he understood the reasons behind most of their visits, Eric still greeted them with a smile and thanked them for coming.

Yet among all those visitors, a few people never appeared.

The five students who had beaten him. The student who had first spread the misleading video.

Issabel and Christine, too.

Not one of them came.

There were no apologies or explanations. None of them even believed they had done anything wrong.

Instead, they considered themselves the victims.

Issabel and Christine had even complained to their friends several times.

“If those idiots hadn’t edited the video, we wouldn’t be getting this much hate.”

Even after seeing Eric’s condition, the two remained more concerned about their tarnished reputations.

Late that afternoon, the hospital room door opened, and a man in a black suit calmly stepped inside.

Jason Smith.

He placed a basket of fruit on the table, then looked at Eric, who was resting against the pillows.

“I heard they still haven’t found whoever hurt you.” Jason slowly shook his head. “Some people really go too far.”

Eric watched him for a few moments before smiling faintly.

Jason pulled up a chair and sat down casually.

“What’s done is done. The world is too big to waste your life chasing someone you might never be able to touch.”

He paused, then looked Eric straight in the eye. “Especially when there’s only so much you can do. If I were you, I’d stop looking.”

Eric merely gave a small nod.

Jason smiled faintly. “Good. Then we agree.”

“I don’t think we do,” Eric said calmly.

Jason raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

“If they haven’t found him yet…” Eric gave a slight shrug. “Maybe it just isn’t time.”

Jason fell silent for a few seconds. “You’re still young. The world isn’t that simple.”

“That’s why I’m still learning.” Eric nodded slightly. “Sooner or later, everyone lets their guard down.”

“Is that so?” Jason tapped a finger lightly against the armrest before standing. “Take care of yourself. You have a long future ahead of you. Don’t do anything stupid.”

Eric did not answer.

The room fell silent again. Only the hum of the air conditioner filled the space between them.

“Did you hear me?”

“I did.” Eric met his gaze without looking away. “And I hope everyone gets the future they deserve.”

Jason’s smile slowly faded.

But only for a moment. He quickly regained his composure, then turned and left the room.

About thirty minutes after Jason left, the hospital room door opened again.

Six doctors entered together.

Once again, Eric did not recognize any of them. Still, their white coats and hospital ID badges gave him no reason to be suspicious.

One of the middle-aged doctors approached the bed.

“How are you feeling today?”

“Much better,” Eric replied politely.

The doctor gave him a friendly smile.

“Glad to hear it. We’re going to give you a quick examination.”

Without much further discussion, the six doctors began examining him thoroughly.

A little later, a female doctor injected some medication into his IV line.

“This will help speed up your recovery. You might feel a little sleepy.”

The medication slowly flowed through the IV tubing.

A few seconds later, the oldest doctor looked at Eric.

“Get some rest.”

In less than two minutes, Eric’s eyelids began to grow heavy.

The sounds around him slowly grew distant as his vision blurred.

A moment later, everything went dark.