The Red Dragon Just Wants To Do As It Pleases

Even today, David still remembered how his silver dragon father had denounced the Anger Potion in the Alchemy Workshop. Most of the resentment stemmed from his grievances against the Crimson Calamity. So much so that he even abandoned the dazzling identity and reputation of being the original inventor of the Clarity Potion.

What now? Is this what they call... affection growing from long association between dragons?

Just as this somewhat blasphemous thought emerged in David's mind, he quickly dismissed it. After all, his father, Attilicia, is still a young Silver Dragon. And before meeting David, he hadn't even known that he, a young Silver Dragon, already had two pups.

Therefore, the reason Attilicia was willing to cross that line might be more for his original intention: to rescue his two children, David and Tania, from the 'cruel' claws of Dragon Mother?

Thinking of this, even David, now a Red Dragon, couldn't help but be touched. Because he had a silver dragon sister, Tania, whom he would protect unconditionally. So, to some extent, he could empathize with his silver dragon father's feelings for them.

He nonchalantly offered some advice, "Dad, you really don't need to push yourself so hard. Tania and I are actually doing just fine on the Old Continent."

If the other dragons at the campsite heard this, they would probably be envious enough to breathe fire. This is way beyond 'fine'! They were practically flaunting the banner of the Crimson Calamity, lording it over the natives on the Old Continent. They enjoyed privileged treatment, like second-generation heirs of the Calamity!

"I'm not blind," his silver dragon father's response nearly choked David on the spot.

But it was true. One dragon could tell if another was faring well just by looking at their size, the sheen of their scales, their muscle definition, and the look in their eyes.

For instance, when David first saw the young Red Dragon, Lizrite, he knew at a glance that the girl had been away from home too long and was severely underdeveloped. After being nurtured in the camp for nearly two years, her size quickly ballooned by more than double, gradually surpassing the average standard for a young Red Dragon.

In contrast, David and Tania had robust and powerful builds. In a few more years, when they entered their juvenile stage, they would probably catch up to Nifadora, a young dragon, and even their own father! Their scales shone with a healthy luster; one glance was enough to know they had never lacked food in their youth.

Damn it, even Attilicia himself probably hadn't eaten as well as these siblings did when he was young.

David immediately retorted with irritation, "Then what's the rush?"

My father is an Alchemy Grandmaster, David thought. He shouldn't be short of money if he just returned to the Duke of Silver's territory.

Attilicia, who knew his son as only a father could, immediately understood what David was thinking. He gave David a dejected look and said mournfully, "It's all because of poverty. You know I went bankrupt recently."

Hearing this, David, suddenly feeling somewhat guilty, closed his mouth. After all, strictly speaking, he had a hand in it.

Then he heard his silver dragon father lament as if his heart was dead within him:

"To be a Dragon, a Silver Dragon!

"Yet to not have a single Gold Coin to my name...

"I can't eat or sleep!

"I'm so anxious!!!"

David was speechless. What could he say to that? It was all too true! When he had first emerged from Dragon Mother's nest penniless, he'd felt the same. Without a second thought, he had taken a risk and gone to the New Continent to 'harvest leeks'—to reap some easy profits.

His father continued to pour out his woes, "More importantly, although I'm on good terms with Princess Mirillian, what I do is, after all, legitimate business.

"And legitimate business, especially in military supplies, means paying taxes.

"Heavy taxes!

"From material procurement and transportation to gate tolls and even final sales, those High Elves taxed every step of the process.

"Over the years, at least one-seventh of the taxes collected in Elf King Ailiando's treasury were thanks to me.

"I'm done with this kind of losing venture!

"I don't want to do it anymore.

"After all, I'm not some damn High Elf here to do charity for Dewensen; I'm Attilicia, the Silver Dragon from Dragon Island.

"Especially not when I'm in such urgent need of money."

Alright, David thought, I'm convinced!

He also finally understood why his father had previously harbored such deep resentment toward Elf King Ailiando. He had even seemed eager for a civil war to break out among the High Elves so he could immediately pick sides and go stir up trouble with the Duke of Silver.

So that was the root of it all, David realized. It was all about the damn money.

But David was also secretly astounded. The total tax revenue generated by his father's potion business was probably almost catching up to the tobacco industry on the neighboring Blue Star. After all, Attilicia, the Alchemy Grandmaster, knew how to make more than just the Clarity Potion.

A true Midas among dragons!

With Attilicia defecting, Duke Mirillian of Silver Wheel and Elf King Ailiando, having lost their dragon-shaped money-printing machine, could probably cry themselves to sleep with a sorrowful, yet melodious tune.

Even though they already possessed the formulas and wouldn't be significantly impacted in the short term, the long-term loss from the absence of a developer's continuous research, development, and updates was still a major blow and unavoidable.

"Okay, I think I understand some of it," David said. "After all, there's no shame in making money."

However, driven by curiosity, David asked slyly, "But are you... really in such a hurry to buy your freedom from Mother? That's an astronomical sum! And didn't you use to despise the Anger Potion? Why the change of heart..."

Most importantly, he's a debtor to the Crimson Calamity! In a way—no, in fact—that's like having a 'get-out-of-death-free' medallion hanging around your neck! After all, who the hell would dare 'clear the account' of the legendary Crimson Calamity's debtor? That's the kind of protection countless beings would beg for. Why can't Dad understand that!

What David didn't know was that this directly touched upon the matter of pride. Especially a father's pride in front of his son.

Attilicia immediately puffed himself up, tilting his head slightly as if to assert he was the head of the family, and said, "You young whelp, you know nothing! Before was before, now is now."

Back then, how could I have known I'd become a father at such a young age? Of course, he couldn't say that directly to his son. That would be too demeaning for a dragon, too humiliating.

David pressed, "And now?"

Attilicia tilted his head back so far David worried he might strain his neck. "Now? Now it's a matter of dignity!

"Hmph! Pafila probably thinks I can't pay off this debt within ten years.

"Well, I'm going to teach her a lesson!

"I'll show that arrogant, greedy, cruel, and unreasonable Red Dragon mother:

"What true earning power is!

"What a true dragon hoard is!

"What a true monetary shock feels like!

"Damn it! When the time comes, I'll bury that Evil Dragon in treasure equivalent to forty tons of Gold!

"And then I'll make her dance the 'Conquest Dance' for me on a carpet paved with that treasure!"

David was first stunned by the silver dragon's drastic change of heart regarding the same issue. Then, he couldn't help but inwardly applaud his silver dragon father's 'ambition' and 'guts'.

Dad, you're talking a big game now! David thought, amused. I hope you can still maintain this impressive swagger ten years from now.

He also finally sighed silently in his heart.

His silver dragon father, it seemed, had truly developed feelings for Dragon Mother over time.

Reality is truly... too damn melodramatic!