Chapter 10: Ancestral Bloodline Awakening, Increased Appetite

“Black dragons? How could such trash, which only corrupts water and spits acid, possibly cause such harm to you and your mother?” 

Hearing his offspring’s words, the battle-worn yet still dignified father dragon spoke with authority, showing no restraint in his disdain and contempt for the black dragons, even though both species dwelled in the waters.

“A black dragon, only slightly stronger than the disgrace of the dragon race, is not worthy to be our opponent.”

Even the usually gentle mother dragon now wore a stern expression as she corrected the young dragon. For them, comparing black dragons on an equal footing with themselves was an insult.

“Then what kind of dragon are you and mother fighting against?”

Empire Ryel had already guessed the answer. Although there were many enemies of the bronze dragons, only a few could be considered true opponents by them, especially when black dragons were held in such contempt.

“A group of blue dragons!”

The father’s voice carried a note of seriousness, and Ryel’s expression also became solemn.

In his eyes, among the chromatic dragon races, blue dragons posed a greater threat than red dragons, because red dragons tended to be solitary, while blue dragons often appeared in family groups. Encountering a blue dragon usually meant facing an entire clan.

Though his parents were closely united, if their small family of dragons were to clash with a blue dragon clan, the outcome was clear, and the future did not look promising.

“Father, how many of them are there?”

“Ryel, this is not something a hatchling like you needs to worry about. You just focus on eating and sleeping. The war is our responsibility as adult dragons. When you come of age, then you can participate,” the dragon mother said as she swiped the earnest hatchling aside with her tail. Then, she extended her claws and tore a piece of still-living flesh from a giant whale with dragon veins, tossing it in front of him.

“But if you lose and those blue dragons find their way here, they won’t care whether I’m just a hatchling,” Ryel said, biting into the meat that had been thrown at him, chewing thoughtfully as he muttered.

Hearing the hatchling’s words, the two adult dragons exchanged a glance. Then, the dragon mother looked at Ryel with a somewhat amused expression. 

“Do you have so little faith in your father and me?”

“It’s not that I don’t have faith in you, but that’s a whole family of blue dragons! A blue dragon family could have dozens of dragons of all sizes, not to mention adult dragons, elder dragons, and even ancient dragons. On top of that, they have numerous followers and monstrous servants.”

Ryel swallowed the fresh, still-living flesh, arguing with his parents using the knowledge he had inherited.

Given the organizational structure and strength of the blue dragons, he really couldn’t think of any way his father and mother could possibly defeat them in battle.

“Do you think your father and I are mindless dragons?” the dragon mother asked with a smile, once Ryel finished speaking. “Even knowing there’s no chance of victory, we would simply take you and your siblings and leave this sea, rather than foolishly facing them head-on.”

“For your mother and I, you are the most precious treasure. Your safety comes before everything else,” the dragon father added, his deep voice echoing in the vast cave.

Despite this, their sleeping siblings showed no signs of waking. In their draconic slumber, their awareness of the outside world was at its lowest, making them the most vulnerable.

“Rest assured, Empirel,” the dragon mother continued, her tone calming. “This war against the evil dragons is being led by Lord Adrian, the ancient golden dragon. Your mother and I are merely participants. We don’t have to bear the brunt of the pressure.”

“Ancient Golden Dragon.” When Empirel heard this, the tension in his heart, which had been rising at the thought of his parents clashing with the Blue Dragon family, immediately relaxed.

He began to understand why his parents were involved in this war—it was almost guaranteed to be a victorious one.

There was no special reason, except that the one leading the war was an Ancient Golden Dragon. As the strongest among the metallic dragon species, after surviving through millennia, an Ancient Golden Dragon possessed not only overwhelming strength but also an extensive network of powerful and benevolent beings. When necessary, they would invite these friends to come to their aid.

Any beings who have gained the recognition and established a bond with the Ancient Golden Dragon, when invited to fight against evil, would generally not decline, unless there was something of critical importance keeping them away.

Therefore, a war led by the Ancient Golden Dragon was not just the power of the strongest among the metallic dragon species. 

If necessary, the Ancient Golden Dragon could summon multiple Ancient Dragons to the battlefield and rally several legendary beings to join the fight. 

This formidable strength was something even a Blue Dragon family with its own Ancient Dragons could not withstand.

Of course, unless it was absolutely unavoidable, the Ancient Golden Dragon would not pay such a price. Doing so would deplete his centuries of accumulated resources and even plunge him into enormous debt.

“In an ideal situation, of course, the smallest price is paid to defeat evil—friends are still friends, but calling upon friends for help comes at a cost, especially when summoning allies from the dragon clan, which requires payment.”

“It seems our child can rest easy and focus on eating and sleeping.”

The adult dragons couldn’t help but smile at the sight of their young one, and Dragon Father teasingly added, “It looks like we can leave you to relax now.”

“How long will you be staying?” 

Diesel asked, looking up. While he didn’t mind being the one left behind to watch over the dragonlings, having adult dragons around to keep an eye on things made him feel much more at ease.

“Once you’re full, you can rest easily. We’ll be here when you wake up. Lord Adrian has granted us three years of rest.”

“…”

Upon hearing this, Diesel fell silent. The perception of time for dragons was completely different from that of humans. Conflicts between dragons, especially when involving ancient dragons, could last decades, even centuries.

As a young dragon, what he needed to do now was simply to eat, sleep, and grow.

However, as Diesel devoured the meat before him—meat larger than his own body—he still didn’t feel full.

The young dragon sensed something was wrong. It was as if his body, or perhaps his bloodline, was undergoing a subtle change.

“I’m still not full!”

After a brief moment of hesitation, Diesel asked his dragon parents for more food. The adult dragons were slightly surprised, but still tore off an even larger chunk of meat for him and tossed over a pile of refined metal ores.

After consuming twice the usual amount of food, Diesel finally felt the wave of sleepiness wash over him, and he drifted into a deep slumber.