“The Magic Great Tree must have been completely drained by it.” Sheffield looked at the Fat Turtle Crocodile and analyzed.
“Alright then.” Xiadam didn’t care much.
She squatted down in front of the Fat Turtle Crocodile, feeling a bit at a loss, not sure how to deal with it.
This isn’t a cat or a dog—this is an Ancient Dragon Hatchling.
How was she supposed to interact with it? Would it bite if she reached out?
“Gaa gaa?” The Fat Turtle Crocodile got up, waddling over, and proactively raised its two claws in front of Xiadam.
“You…”
Xiadam felt the goodwill and affection coming from it.
This feeling was just like the tacit understanding she once had with the White Dragon King, as if their hearts were linked.
Back then, once she gained the recognition of an Ancient Dragon, they didn’t need to speak, communicating directly through their minds.
Now, she felt the same kind of connection with this little thing.
Even though it could only quack like a duck, she still understood what it wanted.
It wanted her to hug it.
“Alright then.” Xiadam reached out and hugged the Fat Turtle Crocodile, first using a bit of strength, then all her might.
“……”
Sheffield was silent.
“……”
The Fat Turtle Crocodile said nothing.
“Yaa yaa yaa!” Xiadam’s face turned red from holding her breath and using all her strength, but the Fat Turtle Crocodile didn’t budge an inch.
In the end, she gave up, sat down on a wooden bench nearby, gasping for breath, sweat pouring down like rain, starting to doubt her life choices.
“Take a good rest.” Sheffield comforted her.
But after saying that, she squatted down in front of the Fat Turtle Crocodile, staring into its small eyes with her big ones.
“Pa!” Suddenly, Sheffield gave the Fat Turtle Crocodile a heavy chop with her hand.
The Fat Turtle Crocodile was struck dizzy, wobbled a few times, then toppled over, rolling on the ground like a ball.
“Why did you hit it?” Xiadam was shocked.
“That’s how we Ancient Dragons raise our young. We have to let it know who’s the boss.” Sheffield replied.
“Are you raising a puppy or something? There’s no need to hit it—it understands us.” Xiadam said.
“Naive.” Sheffield snorted coldly and pushed the door open, leaving the little wooden house.
Xiadam went over and laid out a Bearskin Small Bed for the Fat Turtle Crocodile, struggling to push it onto the bed.
She really didn’t know why Sheffield had to be so rough.
The Fat Turtle Crocodile immediately fell asleep, its big belly rising and falling steadily—it didn’t seem to have any major problems.
After settling the Ancient Dragon Hatchling, Xiadam also went outside.
She saw Sheffield climbing up the Magic Great Tree, now devoid of Mana, as if searching for something.
“What kind of Ancient Dragon is it, anyway? This is the first time I’ve seen an Ancient Dragon without wings. It looks more like an earth dragon.” Xiadam asked.
“It’s a genuine Ancient Dragon.” Sheffield jumped down from the tree, holding a long, broken branch.
Even though the Magic Great Tree’s Mana had been drained, the branch in her hand was still pure white.
However, this White Tree Branch contained no Mana and did not emit any faint glow.
“Here, you can use this branch as a Magic Amplifier—in other words, what you humans often call a [Magic Wand].” Sheffield explained.
Xiadam casually took the White Tree Branch Magic Wand, not paying it much mind, and continued asking, “So what kind of dragon is the turtle, really?”
“I am the Sky Overlord, the Magician among Ancient Dragons. It’s my complete opposite. Do you understand now?” Sheffield explained.
“Nope.” Xiadam shook her head.
“There should be plenty of legends among the Human Race about the [Moving Calamity]. The Black Dragon that destroys kingdoms, the blood-soaked evil dragon.” Sheffield snorted.
“Moving Calamity? That’s a pretty famous and terrifying legend, but I remember it being a four-winged black dragon. It looks nothing like this one.” Xiadam retorted.
“That’s because its predecessors weren’t pure enough. The Black Dragon is the Ancient Dragon that dies the most, and also the one that reincarnates the most. Every time we Ancient Dragons die, we undergo a brand new evolution. That’s why I, the White Dragon King, am stronger than any previous White Dragon, and why I bear the title of [King]. As for the little thing inside our house, it’s a Disaster Black Dragon that has undergone multiple evolutions.” Sheffield introduced.
“So the previous Four-winged Black Dragons weren’t pure enough? Evolution? Don’t tell me it’s because of that turtle shell?” Xiadam was getting confused.
“The more drastic the appearance change after reincarnation, the higher the degree of evolution. I don’t even know what ability its shell has. That’s why I suggest we take care of it while it’s still small, to prevent future trouble.” Sheffield said.
“But it’s your child. Isn’t that a bit extreme?” Xiadam was even more confused.
“You’re overthinking it. We Ancient Dragons have no children; our number is fixed. When our bodies perish, our Souls remain undying, and we are constantly reincarnated.”
“If you want to eradicate the Ancient Dragons, there’s only one way: destroy every single Ancient Dragon at the exact same moment. Otherwise, even if our bodies are destroyed, we will reincarnate inside another Ancient Dragon’s belly and become even stronger.”
“This Black Dragon is a real handful. It’s a battle maniac, a lunatic, and will even attack other Ancient Dragons.”
“The Black Dragon isn’t good at controlling Dragon Breath, so it converts all its Mana into Physical Regeneration. It has the toughest Dragon Scales, the thickest, most resilient flesh, and the strongest power—specializing in close combat.”
“Because of its unique abilities, it’s especially resistant to Dragon Breath and loves fighting its own kind. That’s why, in our tribe, it’s called the [Ancient Dragon Slayer]—a freak that nobody likes.”
Sheffield sat down, patiently explaining, her tone serious, with not a hint of jest.
“……”
Xiadam stood beside her, holding the White Tree Branch Magic Wand, quietly listening for a long time without replying.
“I am the Master of Magic among the White Dragons, and it’s the muscle-bound Black Dragon. I am the king of the sky; it is the Land Overlord. I am the Magician among Ancient Dragons; it is the Berserker among Ancient Dragons. Now do you see why I hate it?” Sheffield continued in a low voice.
“Even if you kill it now, it will just reincarnate somewhere else. There’s no point. Instead, we should teach it well. If it really loses control, we can subdue it immediately and minimize the damage.” Xiadam’s expression grew serious.
“I knew you’d say that.” Sheffield wasn’t surprised by her answer.
“I can’t ignore a crisis that threatens the continent. And I don’t agree with desecrating life so lightly.” Xiadam said.
“Then you take care of the kid—I’m not getting involved.” With that, Sheffield got up, ready to go hunting.
So it turned out she said all that just to avoid taking care of the child, trying to shirk responsibility.
Xiadam really did go back and take care of the kid as told.
But no matter how she looked at the Fat Turtle Crocodile, it didn’t seem nearly as terrifying as Sheffield made it out to be. It was curled up in its nest, snoring away.
Not long after…
Sheffield returned to the little wooden house.
“Someone’s coming.”