The Red Dragon Just Wants To Do As It Pleases

Late at night in Dewensen City, beneath the merchant residence at 186 Golden Oak Avenue, David and his father, Attilicia, finally had some leisure. They had properly handled the Silver Dragon victim, Shalaina, and accompanied Tania in completing the day's Mage apprentice trial notes for the academy. Taking advantage of the darkness and their sleeping neighbors, they hastily soundproofed the basement warehouse and eagerly began their alchemical creations.

After all, Attilicia had previously only managed to successfully concoct the Clarity Potion from a few Century Aroma seeds, proving the feasibility of this alternative method.

However, successfully creating it was one thing; finding the most cost-effective ratio for mass production was another entirely.

While his father needed to conduct some experimental verification on his formulas, David began processing the bulk materials under the personal guidance of Attilicia, a master alchemist.

After more than a year, David's skills were somewhat rusty. And with Attilicia, the potion-developing Dragon, present, the demands were naturally higher. In the early stages, even David, who could form the Divine Eyes of Power using his Authority, made mistakes more than once due to poor coordination between mind and body. Such waste would have enraged any normal alchemist and apprentice, yet this father and son pair did not dwell on these matters.

Anyway, they had purchased plenty of materials, so they could afford some waste.

More importantly, Attilicia felt somewhat embarrassed yet envious as he discovered that after each mistake David made was corrected, he would never repeat it.

Every process and detail was improving towards perfection at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Only Attilicia, who had once struggled through his own apprenticeship, knew just how terrifying the talent his son currently exhibited truly was.

If his former teachers from Dragon Island were to see David's performance, they would likely, in a fit of rage, expel him, their once 'distinguished disciple,' on the spot, spitting out:

"How can there be such a dull-witted creature in the world? Only my disciple David Uthos is worthy of a glance; the rest are all irredeemably foolish creatures."

A great Dragon's Pride was so genuine and amusing:

The moment they acquired something better, they instantly discarded the old as if it were a worn-out shoe—except, of course, for treasures and Silver Dragon mates.

As the darkness visible through the ventilation shaft deepened and midnight approached, Attilicia, who had experienced the most thrilling day of his Dragon life—spending hours calculating two sets of spatial rune coordinates and reorganizing alchemy formulas—finally felt exhausted. He put down the final procedure he was working on and said to David, "We've basically finished the procedural experiments and theoretical verifications. We just need to find a suitable opportunity for the final practical validation. Let's call it a day for now."

David, of course, understood his father's meaning perfectly. Neither the Clarity Potion nor the Anger Potion could be synthesized at home.

This was because, during the final coupling step, the Centennial Flower's magical reaction would produce a rich, even pungent floral fragrance. An excessive inhalation could easily send even a Dragon into a deep slumber and could also have unknown effects on the brain and nervous system.

Besides, it would also generate extremely noticeable Magic Power fluctuations, enough to draw the attention of some Magic Power-sensitive Spellcasters.

Moreover, if the byproduct waste liquid of the Anger Potion wasn't handled properly, it could even cause the centuries-old oak tree integral to this house to wither completely.

In the capital of the High Elves, such a bizarre incident would undoubtedly create a sensation and lead to investigations.

In a magical world, these two issues weren't typically problems; both the underground private Dragon laboratory in his old church and the Duke of Silver's Alchemy Workshop had the necessary safety procedures.

But their home basement lacked such facilities, so they had to find another location.

Thinking of this, David felt somewhat regretful. He looked at his father and remarked wistfully, "It would have been great if that female Silver Dragon could have stayed in Dewensen a bit longer."

Then, they wouldn't have to go through such a hassle—they could do whatever they wanted in the Mage Tower's underground laboratory without anyone discovering.

As long as his father used a little of his charm to convince her to stay in Dewensen for a date, it would be an easy task.

Hearing this, Attilicia couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt. He was fully aware of the cunning scheme his son had in mind and even felt inexplicably angry.

"I, your dad, am a dignified... Silver Dragon. How could I casually deceive someone's feelings like that?"

After experiencing so many messy affairs, especially after smashing Tyr's shrine, he could no longer utter those words about being just and kind, at least not in front of his son who knew him inside and out.

David, however, was surprised. "No way! You actually noticed?"

"Noticed what?" Attilicia still tried to play dumb.

David nearly rolled his eyes and stated bluntly, "That Miss Shalaina, the Silver Dragon, has taken a fancy to you, Dad! With just a charming waggle of your tail tip, perhaps in three years, Tania and I might have a few more little brothers and sisters."

"PAH! PAH! PAH! PAH! What on earth are you thinking about all day, you kid? Is your dad that kind of casual Dragon?"

The Silver Dragon father immediately flushed with anger and shame. He instinctively wanted to smack the dragon child who dared to taunt him, but then he remembered he might no longer be a match for David. Awkwardly, he released the broom his tail had coiled around.

Not to mention his complicated relationship with Pafila, which now involved two children.

Right now, all he wanted was to focus wholeheartedly on making money.

At least until he had repaid the debt his parents owed, and until he had sorted things out with Pafila, he had no interest in the opposite sex whatsoever.

"Suit yourself. Anyway, once I reach adolescence, I won't be as conflicted as you," David said, spreading his claws in a shrug.

What more could he say to his dad, who only knew how to evade problems?

He couldn't possibly impersonate his dad to woo someone for him, right?

HISS! Not that it's impossible!

But just the thought of it is way too damn twisted, not to mention it would be extremely easy to get caught, and Dad would likely fight me to the death over it.

Oh, Dad probably couldn't beat me anymore. But if I pinned him down, he'd likely pull that same 'I'm-dying' act again.

"Hey! At such a young age, you're already the spitting image of a Scum Dragon."

Thinking of how David, still a whelp, had already attracted several outstanding young females, Attilicia felt a mix of headache and disdain. "I'm warning you, don't bring any girls home when you reach adolescence. Don't forget, you have a sister. I don't expect you to set a good example, but don't lead Tania astray either."

Having grown up on Dragon Island, where monogamy was the norm, he strongly condemned David's dangerous and shameless thoughts.

Especially considering that the boy was, after all, a Red Dragon, he also found it hard to forcibly apply the moral standards of the Metal Dragons to his son.

David, meanwhile, was packing up his things and retorted disdainfully, "Pfft, forget adolescence. Once I hit my teens, I'll buy my own place and move out. Living with you, an old ascetic like you, I'm bound to end up a follower of the god of suffering."

"You!" Attilicia nearly choked on his own saliva at the biting remark.

Just as Attilicia was calming his tumultuous emotions and debating whether to seize this opportunity to instill the 'correct' values of love in his son...

KNOCK. KNOCK. KNOCK.

Someone was knocking on the front door on the first floor.