Translator: AnubisTL
Snow fell heavily across the Fertile Plains, burying the abyss's filth beneath the wind and snow.
After explaining her theory, White Dragon Treacy suddenly changed the subject. "Garos, Dragon Valley has treated me well. Simply guarding the abyssal rift isn't enough to repay your kindness and generosity."
Under Garos's gaze, she continued with a serious expression, "I know Dragon Valley plans to take in more dragonkind. But the dragons they'll likely accept will be mostly young evil dragons—temperamental and difficult to manage."
"The little dragons will undoubtedly look down on non-dragon creatures, and the other dragons won't want to associate with such foolish young dragons."
At this point, the white dragon raised her head, her tail stiffening. In a tone of unwavering resolve, she declared, "When that time comes, I will gladly take on the responsibility of nurturing and caring for them!"
Garos remained silent for a few seconds before murmuring, "You want to blend in with the young and juvenile dragons, promote your ecological niche theory, and indulge in humiliating them for your own amusement, don't you?"
She had been seen through!
The white dragon was startled at first, but quickly regained her composure and frankly admitted, "That is indeed the case."
She said, "We all grew up from the young dragon stage. We know just how unruly those little dragons are. They're as weak as ants and insects, yet their ambitions soar to the heavens. Their survival depends entirely on luck."
She declared righteously, "Only through brutal humiliation and harsh discipline can they face the cruel reality of their situation, understand their true circumstances, and grow properly!"
Her words held a certain logic.
Garos studied the white dragon carefully and asked, "Aren't you afraid they'll seek revenge once they grow up?"
The white dragon shook her head casually. "With a nearly two-hundred-year age gap, the weaker dragonkind will never surpass me. As for the stronger ones, they'll eventually grow to surpass me anyway. Then, like Samantha, they'll repeatedly humiliate me. Heh, since humiliation is inevitable, I might as well humiliate them thoroughly while they're still weak."
"As for their retaliation, it will merely be the usual top-down abuse. I'm already accustomed to it and can completely disregard it."
Treacy, you're invincible.
After hearing her reasoning, Garos was momentarily speechless, unable to find a single word to counter her.
This creature had already constructed a self-consistent logic, living entirely in its own world.
If that was the case, so be it.
The task of training the little dragons would then fall to her. Aside from White Dragon Treacy, few other dragons would care so deeply. Of course, he couldn't let her take full responsibility; rules would need to be set to prevent her from acting recklessly.
With that, Garos returned to Dragon Valley.
Snowflakes swirled through the air, transforming the valley into a pristine white landscape. The lake's surface had frozen into thick, crystalline ice, and frost hung like delicate ornaments on the branches.
Red-Silver Dragon Deborah was perched at the center of the ice lake.
She had drilled a hole in the ice and was patiently waiting with her tail submerged.
Soon, Deborah's eyes lit up. She swiftly pulled out her tail, revealing a large fish clamped tightly to its tip. Before the fish could release its grip, it was yanked into the air and tossed toward her. Deborah stretched her neck and swallowed it with a satisfying gulp.
"Delicious!"
A blissful expression spread across her face as she resumed her fishing with her tail.
"Deborah, you could easily catch hundreds or thousands of fish using magic," Garos said. "Why waste your time like this?"
Garos walked leisurely across the surface of the lake, his massive, powerful body showing no sign of breaking through the ice. As a martial dragon, he had exceptional control over his physical form, making such a feat effortless.
"Boring evil dragon," the red-silver dragon remarked.
"Catching fish with your own tail feels different from catching them with magic."
She continued, "When I was a young dragon in the Boiling Sea Dragon Domain, the metallic young dragons held a tail-fishing competition. Out of hundreds of participants, I ranked in the top ten!"
Hearing this, Garos could only marvel at the vast differences between dragons.
While he spent his days and nights training relentlessly, pushing himself to the brink of exhaustion and enduring constant injuries, these metallic young dragons had the leisure to hold tail-fishing contests.
Yet his training had been worth it.
At least, any metallic dragon of his age who dared to provoke him would inevitably end up beaten to a pulp, crying their way home to complain to their parents.
"Come fish with me," the red-silver dragon invited Garos.
A childish game! the red-iron dragon scoffed, turning toward the area where the super-heavy equipment was stored, ready to temper his physique.
"I'll give you a Fierce Dragon Potion if you play with me."
Having spent enough time with the evil dragon, the red-silver dragon knew his nature well and cast her bait.
The red-iron dragon's steps faltered.
After all, playing games occasionally, balancing work and leisure, is beneficial for both mental and physical relaxation.
"Deal!"
Garos strode toward the center of the ice lake.
As for the Fierce Dragon Potion the red-silver dragon mentioned, it was made by Edri, the silver dragon's father. He ground his shed scales into powder and used a secret method to create the potion, which could temporarily boost a dragon's strength attributes.
Through Garos's inquiries, he also learned about the silver dragon's class path from Deborah.
ice mage dragon, alchemist, potion sorcerer.
The term "Ice Mage" refers to an ice element mage, one who specializes in controlling and manipulating ice energy. Dragons who primarily follow this path are called ice mage dragon, genuine spellcasters who build spells through knowledge and wisdom rather than bloodline.
Edri primarily followed the Ice Mage path, while also cultivating alchemy and potion sorcery.
His exact class level was unknown, but given his age and the silver dragon's innate talent for magic, it was certainly not low.
"Let's have a tail-fishing contest. If you win, I'll give you another Fierce Dragon Potion. If you lose, you give me a gem."
"Whoever catches the most fish within ten minutes wins. No magic or spell-like abilities allowed—only your tail."
The red-silver dragon proposed.
"Agreed."
With a forceful strike of his tail, Garos shattered the ice and plunged his tail into the water.
"I'm joining in! I bet a small colored stone!"
Fairy Dragon Vera swooped down, breaking through the frozen surface and nearly submerging half her body.
Meanwhile, Deborah noticed the red-iron dragon hadn't used his tail to impale the bait. She didn't warn him. Seeing the fairy dragon, who was barely larger than a fish, she felt certain of her victory.
Soon, the increased oxygen concentration at the ice hole attracted a school of lake fish.
Garos's eyes flashed as he sensed the subtle ripples in the water, but he remained still, closing his eyes and waiting. The red-silver dragon, with her expert fishing skills, frequently snagged a fish with her tail, while Garos remained empty-handed.
Time slowly passed until nine minutes had elapsed.
"Ah!"
Fairy Dragon Vera shrieked as a leaping fish swallowed her whole. Covered in fishy stench, she flew out of the hallucination-spell-addled fish's mouth.
The fairy dragon had failed and was nearly eaten.
By this time, Garos still hadn't caught a single fish. The red-silver dragon flapped her wings, her expression growing smug, triumph sparkling in her eyes.
"Slow-witted evil dragon, admit defeat."
Just then, Garos sensed the number of ripples around him had reached a certain threshold. He suddenly opened his eyes.
tail strike mastery! dragon tail pierce!
Dragon scales gathered at the tip of his tail, forming a spear-like point that tore through the lake water, piercing the bodies of nearby large fish.
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
His tail spikes moved with lightning speed. The fish gathered around him hadn't even reacted before they were impaled one after another and flung out of the water.
That Garos fellow is even using combat techniques to fish!
This unsportsmanlike method made the red-silver dragon's eyes widen. She retorted angrily, "Cheating, Garos! You're cheating!"
The red-iron dragon blinked. "A bet is a bet. I followed the rules exactly—no tricks, just my tail."
The red-silver dragon snorted a few times before reluctantly producing the potion.
"You cunning evil dragon," she muttered.
"Let's continue, but with a new rule: no combat techniques allowed!" she declared, still defiant.
Garos nodded in agreement.
Back in the Heavenly Pit Territory, the food provided by the iron dragon maiden had kept the hatchlings from starving, but it hadn't been enough to fill them up. That's why Garos often used his tail to fish—not for sport, but for survival. His skills in this area were far from weak.
Meanwhile, as Garos and the red-silver dragon continued their tail-fishing competition, west of the Sierre Wilderness, in the Boiling Sea and Steep Cliff Strait, dark clouds churned and waves crashed. Countless lightning bolts and storms clashed in the sky, roaring and raging. Amidst the torrential downpour and swirling clouds, the faint silhouettes of dragons and giants locked in fierce combat could be seen.
The palpable sense of danger made the scales of the little dragons prickle, filling them with tension and unease. Surrounded by a field of monster corpses, the juvenile blue dragon Heliam panted heavily, gently licking the blood from his claws.
"The war between our clan and the storm giants has reached its peak. Juvenile dragons are being wiped out almost to a man. Even we younglings and juveniles are sent to the front lines to battle the giants' familiars, living on the edge of survival."
He spoke calmly, without a hint of resentment, as if merely stating a fact.
Within the blue dragon community, young dragons held a status only slightly above that of familiars. Only adult dragons wielded any real authority. Dragons under the age of adulthood, whether born of the clan bloodline or acquired through theft and adoption, were forced to serve the clan without reward. They were exploited until adulthood, then became oppressors themselves, continuing the cycle by exploiting the next generation of younglings.
However, this approach had its drawbacks.
If the situation became too dangerous and the pressure too great, the little dragons might develop the idea of fleeing the family.
As was the case now.
The adult dragons were vying for power on the cloud peaks, while they were nothing more than expendable pawns in their battles.
"If we stay in the family, continue to be exploited and driven by the adult dragons, we'll only end up dead."
After a pause, a determined glint flashed in the young blue dragon's eyes.
He declared resolutely, "Now that the adult dragons are locked in a war with the storm giants, this is our perfect opportunity to escape the family's control."
Red, blue, green, black, white. The five young dragons of different colors around him exchanged glances.
After a few seconds, they all spread their wings in agreement.
No evil dragon wanted to be endlessly exploited, especially when their lives were now at risk. Fleeing the family was the best option.
"Cahill? What about you?"
The young blue dragon turned to his right.
There was a female red dragon, roughly his size, covered in scales and blood. She was also a juvenile, the second most powerful among the group of young dragons, and had remained silent earlier.
"Heh, I've loathed the family's rules for ages," Cahill, the red dragon, said after a few seconds of silence, effectively confirming her decision to flee the clan.
"Heliam, where should we go?" asked the black young dragon, his bony frame and dark scales giving him a fearsome appearance. His voice was hoarse.
"I've heard the adult dragons say that civil war is imminent in the federation. Our chance to rise as dragonkind is near," Heliam replied. "The Sierre Wilderness to the north is vast and rich with mineral and biological resources."
The juvenile blue dragon gazed toward the Sierre Wilderness. "This will be our new homeland!"
Seven dragon shadows rose into the torrential rain, swiftly leaving the Steep Cliff Strait behind as they soared toward the Sierre Wilderness.
(End of the Chapter)
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