Chapter 2: Chapter 2: Father of Titan, Mother of Golden Dragon
"Mureya Iapertos Eronsalas."
Unconsciously, Ye Tianrui's mouth opened, uttering an exceedingly difficult language.
Then, Ye Tianrui paused briefly, but without anyone explaining, he came to understand naturally what he had said: "This is my real name."
As Ye Tianrui spoke his real name, two waves of profound, massive knowledge poured into his mind, the inheritance of knowledge from the Dragon and Titan Races, two of the world's top species.
A vast amount of knowledge flooded into Ye Tianrui's mind, causing his head to throb in pain, his little face contorted with discomfort, but the pain only lasted for a short while before it disappeared.
"The preliminary legacy of the dragon and the titan has finally come to an end," Ye Tianrui exhaled, slightly shaken. Without a doubt, if he continued to accept the transmitted knowledge, his brain would explode. Even if it didn't kill him, it would reduce him to an idiot.
Fortunately, the inheritance of knowledge from both the Titan and the Dragon is imparted in stages, not all at once. As one grows older and stronger, the knowledge is gradually unlocked.
Otherwise, whether it's a baby Titan or a baby dragon, having to receive all the knowledge of their respective races at once right after birth would result in the single outcome of their brains exploding. Even the strongest creatures are vulnerable when they are first born.
Those mighty creatures who left behind knowledge for their descendants did so to make their offspring stronger and more capable of thriving, not to obliterate their minds with overwhelming amounts of information.
"This is Titan, my father," Ye Tianrui declared, looking at the black-haired, golden-eyed "man" standing in front of him and looking down. The recently imparted knowledge quickly revealed the identities of the golden colossal beast and the gigantic human figure looming before him.
"Golden Dragon, my mother," Ye Tianrui turned his gaze to the enthusiastic Golden Dragon that was watching him. The substantial Golden Dragon Prestige enveloped the splendid palace, radiating a terrifying aura of dominance. But this overwhelming power did not make Ye Tianrui feel even a bit oppressed. Instead, he felt a sense of warmth, as if it was linked to his very bloodline.
"My father is a Titan and my mother is a dragon, that's some cross-species forbidden love! And I am their love's embodiment. This situation is a bit complex."
With an understanding of his relation to the Titan and the Golden Dragon before him, Ye Tianrui's mind turned chaotic. He finally understood his identity: he was a super hybrid, a child of a Titan and a Dragon.
Although he had many thoughts, time in reality only passed by in a moment. Without giving Ye Tianrui time to ponder, his body, exhausted from breaking free from the eggshell, started signaling to his brain the need for energy replenishment.
The mentally taxed Ye Tianrui felt an intense wave of hunger. The sudden hunger nearly drove him mad.
Ye Tianrui's large eyes, golden and shining like they could emit green light, scanned the surroundings. He was in a large room, every part of which was shimmering. It seemed that the building he was in was made completely of multicolored crystals. He was in the center of a hollow spot on a purple-black crystal platform which was located in the middle of the room.
Looking around, all he saw was radiant crystals, exuding an extravagant air of opulence. If not for the madness-inducing hunger, Ye Tianrui would definitely have taken his time to admire the scene. Instead, all he had eyes for was food. Nothing else could fit into his view right now.
"Food, food, where's the food?" Ye Tianrui rambled in Dragon language that he somehow managed to pick up. Then he picked up an enticing aroma.
Sniffing the scent that made his stomach churn even more, Ye Tianrui's gaze eventually fell on the golden eggshell underneath him, speckled with transparent egg liquid.
The tantalizing aroma was emanating from there. It was the smell of food. Ye Tianrui hesitated for a moment, then reached out a chubby hand, picked up a piece of eggshell with the egg liquid, and shoved it into his mouth.
Never mind the eggshell; in extreme cases of hunger, humans could eat anything—grass roots, tree bark, even clay, and at the utmost extreme, resort to cannibalism. So, what was a mere eggshell in comparison? Although Ye Tianrui was no longer human, he was still humanoid.
"Click!" The eggshell crunched crisply. Ye Tianrui's eyes lit up. Instead of the expected hard texture, the metallic eggshell crumbled like a potato chip under Ye Tianrui's teeth, with a hint of perfect sweetness and not the slightest bit of fishiness.
Then, Ye Tianrui sat in the hollow spot of the purple-black crystal platform, using both hands to pick up pieces of eggshell and placed them in his mouth. "Click! Click! Click!" The crunching of the eggshell filled the spacious room.
The Golden Dragon Mother watched tenderly as her son began to eat for the first time since hatching. As Ye Tianrui ate, the spineless golden dragon wings on his back started to slowly stretch and unfold, and the previously soft, light golden, semi-transparent dragon scales hardened and darkened.
Watching this unfold, the Golden Dragon Mother's expression was increasingly gentle, her joy undisguised. On the other hand, the black-haired Titan with golden pupils had a different face. His brows were furrowed, revealing an unsightly grimace.
Newborn Titans didn't have a precedence of nibbling on eggshells after birth. Titans were mammalian, unlike the dragons that were oviparous. Instead of eating eggshells, they were supposed to consume meat.
If it weren't for the fact that his own son evidently had half of the Dragon bloodline, and that after consuming the eggshells, beneficial changes indeed occurred in his body, he could hardly endure the sight before him.
Unaware of the differing expressions on his parents' faces, Ye Tianrui's attention was entirely focused on the eggshell.
Whether Titan or Giant Dragon, as the top of the food chain, both had an awe-inspiring, terrifying digestive ability. Naturally, Ye Tianrui, who held the bloodlines of both races, had an even more terrifying digestive prowess.
Ye Tianrui could clearly feel that as soon as he chewed up and swallowed the eggshells, they were immediately digested, breaking down into the nutrients his body needed. Almost no waste was produced, and the effects were immediate.
His strength was rapidly recovering. After the feeling of weakness faded, Ye Tianrui could sense, with increasing clarity, that his body was growing slowly yet steadily stronger as he continued to eat.
There seemed to be something protruding from the sides of his forehead, his wings gradually stretching, his tail swinging with increased power. The forceful movement produced a faint "whoosh" in the air, and a dull "thud" upon hitting the Purple-Black Crystal Platform.
…After shoving the last piece of eggshell into his mouth, Ye Tianrui was astonished to discover that his hunger had not subsided, although it had lessened significantly. Considering the quantity of eggshells he swallowed, which was enough to envelop his entire body, this was strange.
Leaning on the crystal platform with both hands, Ye Tianrui then began to exert force with his legs. His bones, which had been fortified by his first meal, were now strong enough to support his weight. Hence, under the gaze of the Titan and the Golden Dragon, the small creature with wings trembled as he stood, felt his flat belly with his hands, and for the second time, made his voice heard in this world.
"Dad, I'm hungry!"
Ye Tianrui, quivering on his feet, shouted at his father in a childish Titan language.
The Titan, who had been frowning deeply, broke into a grin upon hearing the shout. With a stretch of his right hand, a piece of roast meat the size of his palm appeared, which he gently placed beside his son.
To Ye Tianrui, it seemed as if a meaty mountain had materialized in his father's hand, and then cast aside by his Titan father. The massive meat mountain fell, creating an overwhelming impact and vibrations. It tossed him over, landing him on his bottom.
Ye Tianrui sat blankly on the dark-purple stone platform, mindlessly gazing up at the steaming meat mountain before him. He glanced at his Titan father whose face was full of anticipation. His tiny face twitched, and then setting his teeth, he pulled himself up and walked towards the meat mountain.
Regardless of the tears in his eyes, he was determined to finish the meat mountain, which he earned by acting cute. He was trying to cheer up his Titan father, when he purposefully uttered a few words in Titan language, which he had just learned from the Titan's ancestral knowledge. But he never expected this outcome.
"My dear father, shouldn't you have a grasp of how much I can eat? Do you want me to choke to death on this mountain of meat?" Ye Tianrui muttered under his breath while feasting on the meat mountain.
"Well, this meat is truly fragrant and delicious," Ye Tianrui couldn't help but praise after having a few mouthfuls.
A few hours later, "Burp!" Ye Tianrui let out a loud belch, lying in the dent, which he had eaten into the meat mountain. His belly protruded with a very conspicuous curve.
Ignoring the two parental figures who had been watching him eat for hours, he closed his eyes, and started to drift into a deep sleep. He was on the verge of bursting and really couldn't eat anymore. Besides, his body was demanding the much-needed rest after birth.
In the following days, Ye Tianrui lived the life he had always dreamed of in his previous life, a routine of eat, sleep, and eat...
Such a lavish lifestyle satisfied him. The only thing that surprised him was his somewhat astonishing appetite. With every meal, he was devouring an amount five to seven times his own size.
His horrifying appetite initially made Ye Tianrui feel uneasy. However, under the calm gaze of the Golden Dragon Mother, who frequently enjoyed watching him eat, he speculated that such a terrifying appetite was probably normal for the Giant Dragons or the Titans.
Maintaining such a terrifying food intake three times a day, Ye Tianrui's body grew at an astonishing speed. His size changing every day, growing non-stop as if there were no end.