The Red Dragon Just Wants To Do As It Pleases

History is always so similar, and tragedy too often repeats itself.

David, in agonizing pain that nearly suffocated him, swore to the heavens: if he were living on a parallel plane of Blue Star and happened to have such an impetuous sister, one who didn't understand the meaning of braking or slowing down, he would either do everything in his power to stop her from getting a driver's license from some unscrupulous driving school, or he would break her legs before she even conceived the thought and send her off to German Orthopedics to recuperate.

In his previous life, he had heard that the pain of childbirth was equivalent to breaking twenty ribs simultaneously.

He had broken far more than twenty ribs just now!

Adding up both incidents, hadn't Tania effectively made him endure the pain of childbirth twice over!

David, full of pent-up frustration, took a shallow breath. He was about to assume his role as an older brother and properly criticize and educate his Silver Dragon sister—who had caused two consecutive accidents with him as the unfortunate victim—when he saw Tania. Her head was also somewhat swollen, and as she lifted her eyes, already brimming with icy tears, she spoke in a near-whimper,

"Why did you abandon me?! Without even saying a word! Do you know how much my heart hurt at that time!!!"

Hearing this soul-searing question, David was completely caught off guard. He was just about to explain when his sister's next words scared him so much his scales practically stood on end,

"If it weren't for Hiatt and the others returning by chance, I was already prepared to tell Mother about you running away and abandoning us mother and daughter."

"Don't!" He had no intention of absconding from his debts! On the contrary, this trip was a legitimate entrepreneurial venture, intended to pay off his mother's debts! He could already imagine how terrifying that scene would be. Saeolus City, which still bore his scent, and the remaining half of Spider Nest City, would likely be reduced to barren land by a single Dragon Breath from the enraged Crimson Calamity Pafila. As for the kind of fate devoid of dragon dignity he himself would suffer?

BEEP.

His brain seemed to shut down and reboot on its own. He dared not even imagine that horrific scenario.

His disappearing for a while was one thing. After all, for dragons, even a long slumber could last for several years. But if Dragon Mother was instigated by his sister Tania, egging her on to teach her rebellious son a lesson, that would be an entirely different matter. Especially since this Red Dragon mother had been thoroughly cultivated by her Silver Dragon daughter into a homebody, lazy Dragon, relying on Tania as her right-hand dragon and trusting her implicitly. An unjust family tragedy, a drama of false accusations, was very likely to unfold before the enraged Dragon Mother could calm down.

"But Hiatt already told me that you were studying alchemy in the Duke of Silver's territory on the New Continent, so I didn't tell Mother."

Hearing Tania's words, David finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"That's good... that's good..."

After all, you couldn't expect to reason with a Red Dragon mother who, for all he knew, might be suffering from postpartum depression. Especially when you were the little troublemaker who caused her to be pregnant for two years before laying an egg. Although he wasn't Attilicia, the culprit who left the seed, he was that vigorously growing seed of sin!

But his tail stiffened once again when he heard Tania's next sentence,

"However, Mother seems a bit too cheerful recently. She's hardly slept at all this past year. So, since you haven't shown your face for so long, she probably already knows; she just hasn't asked."

Saying this, Tania suddenly leaned close to David's ear and whispered,

"Don't even think about lying in front of Mother. Although she's a Red Dragon, she is far, far wiser than we imagine."

"Got it! Thanks for the tip, little intelligence officer."

David deeply agreed with this. Ever since he was young, he had felt that Dragon Mother possessed a kind of great wisdom hidden beneath a veneer of foolishness. It was as if no matter what little tricks he tried behind her back, she could see right through them—Well, it felt as if a camera was installed directly on top of his head.

"No need to worry about Mother; I have my ways of dealing with it."

Tania, however, was relentless, sniffing all over David.

"Then you better confess honestly, where exactly have you been? Don't tell me you've been diligently cooped up in the Alchemy Workshop studying alchemy all year. That strong scent of blood on you, yuck, and there's also a strange, repulsive smell. I can tell just by sniffing that you must have gotten into a fight with some dragon again!"

I can't possibly tell her I went to have a passionate brawl with our dad, can I? David thought. He quickly changed the subject, saying,

"Ah, that's perfectly normal! I took a trip to the Gloomy Region and made a huge fortune there. It's a long story, hard to explain in a short time. After the banquet, I can tell you all about it until dawn. Oh, right, I brought gifts for you and Mother too."

"Gifts!?"

Compared to the more mature David, Tania, of the same age, now seemed more befitting of a juvenile Silver Dragon's innocence and naivety. She bounded around David like a Labrador that heard mention of big pork ribs, nudging her brother with her forelimbs while clamoring,

"Give it to me! Quick, give it to me! Give me the gift! Tania is really looking forward to it! Heehee! Brother actually remembered to bring Tania a gift! So happy, so joyful!"

Seeing Tania acting like such a sweet and considerate little sister, David felt the pain in his chest lessen, and the fatigue from his journey between continents vanished completely. She was clearly his sister, yet at this moment, she gave him the misplaced happiness of having raised a lovely daughter.

The next moment, David, greatly pleased and in full view of all the onlookers, untied one of the scarf-like [Portable Cave] items from his neck.

Then, aiming at Tania, who looked up with the wide-eyed curiosity of a hatchling, he poured out a treasure pile. It was worth nearly a ton of Gold, but in reality, it consisted of many tens of tons of various items: weapons, equipment, artifacts, rare Magical Items, all kinds of gemstones, and even official gold and silver coins bearing the portraits of various Elf Kings.

The little Silver Dragon, her face full of anticipation, was instantly buried alive by this small mountain of treasure...

Along with her, the entire assembly—including the Green Dragon Nifadora, and all the followers, retainers, subordinates, pets, and even the three hundred or so High Elf captives who had been singing and dancing—fell deathly silent.

"Huh?" The unsophisticated Red Dragon Lizrite was the first to be dumbstruck. This hoard was comparable to her mother's entire wealth back in the day. Moreover, the weapons and Magical Items within it were so dazzlingly rare that they would make any dragon's eyes spin, surpassing anything she had seen.

"Huh?" Mofei, who was even less worldly, was instantly stupefied. Drool trickled down to the ground without him noticing, his expression identical to the Winter Wolf beside him. They stood there like a pair of comical, beastly twins. Mofei would swear to the heavens that even his great-great-great-grandmother, an ancient White Dragon, had never seen so much money.

"Huh?" Fulatimir, the Brass Dragon, who had some worldly experience but not a vast amount, also seemed to lose the will to struggle. Faced with such an overwhelming impact of treasure, still bound in a wooden cage by the Red Dragon at the edge of the Dragon Nest where he was being subjected to a kind of 'idle play,' his mind went blank for a moment. Then, with tearful thoughts, he furiously wrote in his draconic legacy:

[In the autumn of year 1764 of the Dragon King's calendar, I, Fulatimir, personally witnessed a mountain of gold and a sea of silver in treasures flow before my very eyes, yet this wealth does not belong to me!]

[The Flame Steel Dragon, David Uthos, truly lives up to the reputation of Red Dragons as the foremost among the five colors of Evil Dragons! Returning after only a year abroad, he has plundered such immense wealth from the populace of the New Continent—it's enough to astound any dragon!]

[Today, I record the location of the Red Dragon's hoard here. If, one day, I have the chance to escape this infernal place, I must publicize it to all and issue a call to arms against the Red Dragon.]

[At that time, may all kind and just Metal Dragons of the world join tails and strike him down together!]