Dragon Clan: They're all insane, and you still want me to slay dragons?

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"It's exaggerated...it's unbelievable, as if pathology doesn't exist. I'm finding it hard to find the right words to describe the physical condition of the Uesugi family head..."

"If you can't think of the right words right away, just think of them slowly." This wasn't said by Genjiro.

Genji turned around and saw Tachibana Masamune, who had been diagnosed with internal bleeding and severe concussion just yesterday, push open the door and walk in, his gait powerful and his eyes bright.

"Dad, you've fully recovered?"

"of course."

Tachibana Masamune patted his chest, indicating that he was in excellent health, and exclaimed from the bottom of his heart, "It's incredible that an alchemical weapon with such powerful healing abilities exists in the world. It's practically the Time Zero of alchemical weapons."

I really don't know what Kassel was thinking. Allowing the Northern Qi prince to possess this knife for so long is a waste. This knife can only reach its full value when placed in a medical center of a powerful faction.

“Father, for Kassel, letting this knife leave the Northern Qi prince would be a waste…”

Genjiro, who had studied in Kassel and understood the Kassel philosophy, subtly corrected Tachibana Masamune's misunderstanding of Kassel.

Everything is for slaying dragons, and everything is for slaying dragons. If there is any higher pursuit, it is to slay more and more powerful dragons.

This is the basic philosophy of Kassel under Angers' leadership.

When facing high-level true dragons, ordinary hybrids are completely useless. Even if multiple hybrids attack together, they will be easy prey. Only super hybrids have a chance to defeat dragons of that level.

For Kassel, the number of casualties was irrelevant, because missing a golden opportunity to slay the dragon without weapons was absolutely unacceptable. Besides, so what if Longinus wasn't around? Kassel had plenty of doctors; at most, the treatment would just be a little slower.

"Perhaps." Tachibana Masamune paused slightly, then fell silent.

"I've figured out how to describe the current physical condition of the Uesugi family head."

After pondering for a long time, the head of the medical department suddenly had a flash of inspiration. He picked up a laptop from his desk and explained, "Excluding cases where internal quality checks fail, every laptop is in its best performance and condition when it first leaves the factory. In short, it's brand new, just like how everyone is theoretically in their healthiest state."

After saying that, the head of the medical department looked at Genjiro and Tachibana Masamune, asking them with his eyes if they could understand.

The two bigwigs nodded, signaling him to continue.

"However, as laptops are used, they inevitably become old, such as the casing aging, or dust entering through the vents and accumulating on the internal electronic components and motherboard."

This stage can be called the dust balance stage. There may be some hidden dangers, but from a hardware perspective, the computer is still in good condition. At most, the performance release is slightly affected by dust accumulation and dried thermal paste.

Then comes the third stage: electronic components, motherboards, memory modules, CPUs, graphics cards, and screens suffer from severe aging and damage due to long-term use. The computer can still be turned on and the system can still run, but due to the age and damage of the hardware, it is almost unusable and close to being scrapped.

Previously, the Uesugi family head's physical condition was very close to the third stage of computer failure. Each treatment was only to maintain the Uesugi family head's body and could only delay the time limit for decommissioning, but could not fundamentally solve the problem.

Now, the Uesugi family head's body has returned to a state of gray-electrical balance; the physiological state of his blood, organs, and cells is better than ever before, even better than when he first underwent his examination.

Yuan Zhisheng frowned slightly.

Good news, Erii is in good health. Bad news, not good enough.

"Gray balance, then what is the gray in Erii's body?"

"It is an unstable bloodline and a bloodline disease."

The medical staff explained: "For more than ten years, the unstable bloodline has been eroding the body and organs of the Uesugi family head. Our treatment can only slow down the erosion and damage caused by the bloodline to the Uesugi family head, but cannot eliminate it."

Now, the injuries and illnesses in the Uesugi family head's body and organs caused by the long-term erosion of his bloodline have almost completely healed, but the most fundamental bloodline disease still remains.

"How could it not be completely curable? That knife has such a strong healing effect; it can instantly heal a smashed head or a body burned to ashes. How could it not cure a mere bloodline disease..."

Genjiro frowned and grumbled in dissatisfaction. This was not the situation he wanted. Longinus should have completely healed Erii.

"Was it the sword of the Northern Qi prince that healed the head of the Uesugi family and the patriarch?"

"Yes, I borrowed that knife."

The head of the medical department looked at her with enthusiasm: "Could you let me examine that knife? It would be best if you could find a few more volunteers. I have long admired the knife that the prince of Northern Qi possessed."

“I’m afraid that won’t work. We’re returning Longinus today. Also, Mr. Sugisaki, please don’t interrupt. Tell me your thoughts on Longinus and Erii’s physical condition.”

"Emmm, I have a few guesses about the Uesugi family head's physical condition and the Northern Qi prince's sword."

The head of medical staff still kept bringing up Longinus: "The first guess is that the Northern Qi prince's knife cannot treat injuries in the gray-electric balance stage."

For example, in the case of a broken leg or foot, if someone has just broken their leg and is bleeding profusely, Longinus would assess the wound, conclude that it must be healed, and then heal the injured person himself.

However, if the injured person's wound has fully healed after amputation and there are no other injuries besides the loss of an arm or leg and difficulty in movement, Longinus may consider the user to be uninjured and thus not take effect.

The Uesugi family head's bloodline disease has a long history, and it's possible that the Northern Qi prince's sword was misdiagnosed as the second possibility.

After a pause, the head of medical staff added, "Another possibility is that Longinus was unable to heal the genetic injuries and defects."

To give a simple example, is it a defect for someone to be ugly, have a weaker heart than others, or be naturally thin? Compared to more handsome and stronger people, of course it is.

The same applies to the Uesugi family head's bloodline disease, which is a defect at the genetic level.

If even the Northern Qi prince's sword could cure such a defect, then another problem arises: if being ugly, physically weak, and of unstable bloodline is considered "bad," then what is considered "good"? What is the absolute standard for good?

To what extent should the bloodline defects of the Uesugi family head be repaired to be considered completely cured? Is it to stabilize the bloodline, or to completely remove the human or dragon bloodline?

This is unlike ordinary injuries or illnesses; there's no fixed standard, so Longinus couldn't be effective.

Yuan Zhisheng grabbed his hair in distress.

Both of the head nurse's speculations are possible and quite reasonable, but regardless of the situation, the fact is that Erii's physical condition has not been completely cured.

"Tell me more about Erii's situation."

"Aside from the incurable bloodline disease, the head of the Uesugi family is in unbelievably healthy. His chronic illnesses have been completely cured. If the previous head of the Uesugi family did not live to the age of 25, then the current head of the Uesugi family will probably live to around the age of 30."

"Bagaya road!"

Genjiro flew into a rage, grabbed the head of the medical department by the collar, and demanded fiercely, "Didn't you say that Erii's chronic illness had been cured? How come she can only live to be thirty?"

"The chronic and intractable diseases I'm referring to are the accompanying illnesses caused by the bloodline disease. They have indeed been cured, but the bloodline disease will still gradually erode the body of the Uesugi family head."

"Is there any way to make my sister live to be a hundred years old?!" Yuan Zhisheng asked coldly.

"Theoretically, yes."

The head of the medical department said cautiously, "If the knife is used to treat the head of the Uesugi family regularly, about once every six months or once a year, so that the failing organs and physiological functions can be restored to their original state, then the head of the Uesugi family will have a very high probability of achieving a normal lifespan."

"How long is the lifespan of a normal person? Is it a hundred years?"

"Does it mean living to be a hundred years old in the literal sense? Then you would need to undergo treatment every three months or even every month, and the shorter the interval between each treatment, the better."

The total number of cell divisions in the human body is limited. As cells continue to divide, telomeres wear down and eventually cannot continue to divide, which manifests as aging in the human body on a macroscopic level.

When the body fights disease, it inevitably accelerates cell division, thereby reducing total lifespan.

If the head of the Uesugi family could receive treatment every short period of time, nipping the accompanying disease in the bud before it caused serious harm, the rate of telomere wear would be slowed down, thus extending lifespan.

Genji released the head nurse, his expression softening. The possibility of Erii living to a ripe old age did indeed exist, which was good news.

"But... the Uesugi family head's bloodline disease is still a hidden danger... If the Uesugi family head can receive regular treatment and the bloodline disease does not suddenly worsen, then she will be no different from a healthy person."

However, no one can guarantee that the Uesugi family head's bloodline disease won't suddenly worsen at some point, just as no one can guarantee whether an accident or tomorrow will come first.

Chapter 183 The Art of Dealing

Bagaya Road!

Yuan Zhisheng angrily punched the wall next to him.

Keigo Higashino once said in "Journey Under the Midnight Sun": "Having something taken away from you does not mean you will return to the state you never had."

That kind of psychological impact is permanent.

For Genjiro, what was given and then taken away was hope.

Erii's health was very poor; she suffered from a severe genetic disease, a fact that Genji knew from the beginning. After trying various treatments to no avail, Genji gradually despaired, only wishing to let Erii live as much as possible like a normal girl while she was still alive.

Longinus gave Genji hope, leading him to believe that Longinus was the only good in the world who could completely heal Erii, but reality dealt Erii a harsh blow.

Longinus was not an omnipotent god; he was merely a creation of the gods.

The resentment that had been dormant for many years was brought up again after a thorough search of his belongings. Genji's thoughts returned to that afternoon when he learned that Erii was seriously ill and would not live much longer. He lamented the injustice of fate inflicting such torment and illness on an innocent girl.

Tachibana Masamune patted Genjiro on the shoulder: "It's already great that you were able to completely control the comorbid disease of Erii's bloodline disease. This is neither your responsibility nor Erii's responsibility. You can only blame God for being unfair."

Genji nodded, staring silently at Erii. The girl with crimson hair was earnestly licking her lollipop, completely oblivious to the head nurse's words that she could be taken away at any moment by a sudden worsening of her bloodline disease.

Is it that they have no understanding of death at all, or like Gao Kui in the past, they have developed a misanthropic attitude and no attachment to the world because they have suffered too much pain from illness?

Yuan Zhisheng had no idea; all he knew was that if God stood before him, he would definitely punch Him hard.

Another person walked into the examination room. Sakura Yabuki raised the Longinus in her hand and asked, "All the wounded in the medical center have been treated. Shall we send the knife back to the Prince of Northern Qi now?"

Why should we send it back?

Genjiro took a deep breath and asked, "If Longinus stays by Erii's side the whole time, can her bloodline disease be contained if it suddenly worsens?"

"We haven't tested this knife, so we don't know if it's safe to use..."

The head of the medical department shrugged, thought for a moment, and then said, "I think it should be possible."

It should be possible.

Pandora's box has been opened, and Genji's possessiveness toward Longinus has begun to grow wildly. So what if it's only a temporary fix and not a permanent solution? As long as it can keep providing temporary relief, it doesn't matter.

Furthermore, the Northern Qi prince no longer needed this sword. He had acquired a stronger second incantation, which was applicable in roughly the same areas as Longinus's, both focusing on survivability.

His golden eyes, a deep crimson color, flickered uncertainly. Finally, Genji took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and made a decision: "Send the sword to the Prince of Northern Qi. You deliver it yourself. Just say that I was a little dazed after the battle and forgot to return the sword to the Prince of Northern Qi before he left."

"Yes."

Sakura Yabuki glanced at Erii thoughtfully, then turned and left the examination room.

"You made the right decision."

Tachibana Masamune nodded slightly, quite pleased, and exclaimed, "Whether the Northern Qi prince still needs this knife or not, it does not affect its preciousness and uniqueness. Kassel will not allow us to possess this knife without reason."

It's no exaggeration to say that the ownership of this knife could theoretically trigger a war on par with World War II.

“Hmm.” Genjiro nodded with a somber expression. This was his reason for giving up on detaining Longinus.

If he dares to deduct the sword, Kassel will fight the Snake Clan to the death. Kassel didn't make a move when Gao Kui was holding the sword because Angers was powerful and authoritative enough, and besides, the sword originally belonged to Gao Kui.

But if Longinus is held by other people or forces in the Kassel faction for a long time, then Kassel will have to speak up: If Gao Kui doesn't need it, it should be given to us Kassel to use. Why should you Sheqi Bajia take it?

Tachibana Masamune comforted Genji again: "Eri's bloodline suddenly deteriorated, which is ultimately a low-probability event. This has not happened in the past few years, and it will probably be the same in the next few years."

Barring unforeseen circumstances, we don't need to risk offending Cassel by holding onto Longinus indefinitely. As long as we find a way to borrow Longinus regularly to treat Erii, we can greatly extend Erii's lifespan.

Furthermore, we have ample time to discuss and devise a suitable plan to sign a lease agreement with the prince of Northern Qi regarding the use of Longinus.

If we ignore the possibility that Erii's bloodline might suddenly deteriorate, the difficulties will be easily resolved and will no longer be imminent.