Chapter 8 Today I Know the Family Tradition
After eating his fill, Vico gently stroked Abey's bulging belly and exclaimed, "What a magical creature!"
"Of course, you don't even need to look at who its owner is." Aaron said proudly, then took it back from Vico's hands.
During the process, Aaron's mouth twitched slightly when he saw his mother's longing gaze, but he ignored her; he couldn't even hold it himself!
That's right, just now Abey had perfectly captured Gaiusand his wife with its top-tier cuteness and adorable appearance.
"Son, you might not have understood my meaning. If you make its existence public, then as the one who discovered and tamed it, you will gain unimaginable fame.
In the Magical World, while magical creatures are precious, they are not rare. With enough luck, or high enough status, there's still a chance to encounter them.
But your pet is a unique species; its appearance will absolutely cause a sensation in the Magical World."
Aaron looked down at the pet in his arms, then calmly met Vico's eyes and said faintly, "I don't want to do that. I believe Father, you understand what I mean."
Vico shrugged, turned to Lisanna, and smiled, "I knew it would be like this."
"That's good," Lisanna smiled, "that's our son."
Then, she looked at Gines, "Give him the thing! This way, we won't have come for nothing."
"Yes." Gines took out a document from a briefcase and handed it to Aaron, "Young Master, this is an agreement that Master and Madam specifically sought out some retired seniors from the magic Council and some highly respected Archmages to sign on their way back.
It can prove that Abey hatched from a dragon egg passed down through the Gaius Family for thousands of years, and is your private property. As long as you can guarantee that this dragon will one hundred percent obey your commands and will not easily harm others, then you can openly keep it."
"Hiss!" Aaron gasped.
Is the efficiency that high? He hadn't even said anything yet, and his parents had already taken care of it.
"What about the Ministry of Magic?"
"Don't worry about that. Every name on this agreement is an existence that the Ministry of Magic must respect.
Their combined power means even the Ministry of Magicmust back down."
Hearing this, Aaron was a little moved. Although he didn't know how his parents managed to persuade these Archmages, he was certain they must have paid a considerable price.
Vico naturally saw his son's thoughts and couldn't help but feel a sense of relief.
Despite being only eleven years old, he was already starting to consider gains and losses, but in fact, it wasn't as serious as he thought.
The ancient Archmage families in the Magical World all help each other, and the Gaius Family, in particular, knows what it means to be kind to others, almost never making enemies with other families.
They understood how to be low-key yet had deep foundations and rich connections.
His wife and he just needed to visit them one by one, send some gifts, and have a cup of tea.
After all, it was just a harmless dragon; they only needed to make a statement, and there would be no loss.
On the contrary, by helping with this, the Gaius Familywould naturally remember their favor, and if they ever needed help in the future, they would naturally lend a hand. This was all unspoken.
"Cough cough! Don't think so much.
You are the heir to the Gaius Family. Before you grow up, your mother and my role is to shelter you from the wind and rain as much as possible. Abey's matter can be considered compensation for leaving you alone at home for a long time."
"Hmph!" Aaron pouted, "Then I'll forgive you."
Lisanna looked at Vico in surprise, and seeing him make an OK gesture under the table, she subconsciously rolled her eyes.
She came from the Ollivander Family and was also a Pure-blood Wizard. Seeing the state of this father and son, she could guess what they were thinking.
Her precious son was most likely tricked, and the kind who filled in the blanks himself.
Maturing too early wasn't always a good thing, as it could lead to incorrect judgments due to a lack of understanding of the situation.
However, she saw through it but didn't say anything, after all, she was also a beneficiary. The more guilty her son felt about this, the harder he would work in the future, and her husband and her lives would also be much easier, a complete win-win!
"Oh, right, Aaron..." Vico suddenly remembered something, and his expression gradually became serious, "You said you wanted to go to Hogwarts for school?
I think you should consider it carefully before making a decision."
"There's nothing to consider." Aaron said directly, "Life is precious, love is more valuable, but for freedom, both can be discarded.
You arranged Gines next to me, and I don't know who else there is besides him.
But what you see as protection is an invasion of my personal privacy. I've grown up feeling like someone is following me everywhere I go except at home, and it's particularly awkward.
So, don't even think about me going to Durmstrang. At least at Hogwarts, I can experience long-lost freedom.
You haven't experienced it, so you won't understand this feeling."
Hearing his son's words, Vico fell silent. After a long while, he laughed self-deprecatingly, "Who said I haven't experienced it?"
"Huh?" Aaron's mouth slightly opened, and a particularly strange guess suddenly formed in his mind, "No way! Could it be that Dad, you too?"
"That's right." Vico shrugged, saying helplessly, "Your grandfather also arranged it for me.
Not just me, your grandfather was also arranged by your great-grandfather, and your great-grandfather was also arranged by your great-great-grandfather.
In short, this is a tradition of our Gaius Family, and it has lasted for over a thousand years.
So, don't tell me you don't understand me; no one understands it more than I do.
Actually, Dad should thank you. If you weren't mature and steady enough, your mother and I wouldn't have decided to travel the world.
Originally, this plan was to start after you came of age, and even further, after you got married and had children, but your performance moved it forward many years."
Aaron's mouth twitched violently, and he suddenly thought of something, "Wait, so my grandfather didn't disappear when I was five, but rather..."
"You guessed right, because your father, I, am rather incompetent, and he was always worried.
Plus, you were born, and out of the joy of having a grandson, his time to free himself was a bit later. He should be feeding penguins in Antarctica now!
You certainly won't see him for a short time, but he will definitely come back when you take over the family or get married."
"Heh heh!" Ling Ge sneered, suppressing the urge to bang the table, "What kind of damn tradition is this? I protest."
Vico glanced at his wife and said with a wry smile, "Protest denied.
I protested before, but your grandfather sternly rejected it.
After having you, I also realized the importance of this family rule. Necessary protection certainly cannot be lacking before one grows up."
Aaron now understood why his parents traveled the world when he was eight; they simply couldn't hold back anymore.
But that's right, after finally getting rid of the guardianship arranged by the previous generation, and then having to raise a child, it was quite difficult for them to persist for eight years.
At this moment, Aaron suddenly thought that he would probably have to go through this process himself in the future, and his heart became overcast, with lightning and thunder, and then blood rain fell, and both his arms unconsciously tightened their grip.
It wasn't until Abey was squeezed so hard he could barely hold on, and hammered his arm with his small paws, that Aaron finally came back to his senses.
"Then, according to our family's tradition, when does one truly become free?"
Vico smiled, and his gaze towards his son held more indulgence, "This is relatively simple; there are several methods. The simplest is to defeat those who protect you, proving with your strength that you don't need their protection.
Your talent is stronger than mine; you can definitely accomplish it before graduation."
Aaron was about to ask about the second method when he heard the last sentence, and a hint of sympathy entered his gaze towards Vico, "Dad, you're so pitiful! You didn't even win against them before graduation?"
Vico froze for a moment, a little embarrassed, and Lisannacouldn't help but laugh.
"What about the second method?"
"The second method is to have children. As long as you can raise an offspring who is even more outstanding than yourself, then congratulations, you are free.
Although it's a bit of a tall order, it's for the continuation of the bloodline and cannot be taken lightly."
Aaron suddenly shivered, I'm only eleven! Is it really appropriate to say this?
"And what else?"
"The third, and last, method." Vico's expression became serious, "Reach the rank of Archmage before graduating from school, which is before turning eighteen."
Aaron:...Is there a difference between saying this and not saying it?
"Isn't this rule a bit redundant? If I had that ability, I would have gained freedom through the first method already."
"That's not necessarily true." Vico said meaningfully, shifting his gaze to Gines, "Your Uncle Gines is a Archmage.
If you go by the first rule, you'd at least have to defeat a Archmage!"
"Holy crap!"
Lisanna glared at her son angrily, "No swearing."
Vico stepped forward and gently patted his son's shoulder, saying earnestly, "Actually, thanks to this excellent tradition of our family, almost every generation has been at or above the Archmage level, making us a strong family in the Magical World.
However, the downside is that after completing the family's trials, everyone becomes particularly carefree, even active, which leads to family members being together less often.
If your grandfather didn't lie to me, your great-grandfather and even your great-great-grandfather should still be alive, just wandering around somewhere!"