MTLNOVEL Chapter 159: Returning to the Nest
After nearly a week of exhausting travel, David, physically and mentally spent and nearing slumber, finally arrived at Skanis on the Old Continent.
His albatross-like flying style, so wild and erratic it seemed to disown all kinship, had just neared the continent's harbor when it quickly caught the attention of the pack of Jackalope People under the Green Dragon Nifadora. Two of the more diligent Jackalope People had been fishing at the harbor with homemade fishing rods. After all, unless a ship's crew was blind, it was impossible not to notice their arrival. But suddenly, a fish that had taken the bait was so spooked by the abrupt wave of Dragon Might that it thrashed its tail violently, nearly yanking one of the Jackalope Scouts into the sea. The other Scout, spotting the approaching Red Dragon, forgot about pulling his companion's tail and immediately started howling.
The Jackalope Scout in the harbor watchtower, whose fur had become half bald from two months of being sun-scorched, initially thought those Drow were sneaking over by boat to steal Crimson Ash again. With a swift movement like a carp leaping from water, he quickly lit the beacon fire. But upon looking up and seeing it was a Red Dragon, the well-instructed Jackalope Scout knew at once that their Dragon Lord, David, had returned. He hastily extinguished the freshly lit flames with a splash of urine and then promptly used a costly Telepathy scroll to send a succinct sixteen-character message to Nifadora, far away in the Dragon Nest encampment.
Ever since deciding to throw her full support behind David, the Son of the Crimson Calamity, the young adult female Green Dragon no longer concealed her ambitions. After David had all the High Elf prisoners packaged and sent off, Nifadora had eagerly volunteered her own followers—a well-equipped and long-serving band of Jackalope People, numbering no more than a hundred—presenting them to her Dragon Lord. After David departed for the New Continent, they took on the role of patrolling Scouts for the Dragon Nest encampment. She had even generously offered half of her dragon hoard to line David's briefly occupied Dragon Nest with cushioning treasure, ready for his return and subsequent slumber.
Counting the days, it was nearly time for their Dragon Lord to enter his slumber. There was no helping it; ever since David had taken the treasure to the New Continent for potion development, they had been strapped for both money and manpower. Last month, in a bid to fund the final verification stages of Attilicia's new potion formula and to procure various rare materials, David had become so financially drained that he had even resorted to wheedling back the bag of treasure he had gifted Tania, calling it a 'temporary' loan.
Luckily, the Anger Potion business was now on track. However, with only a few subordinates to shuttle between the Old and New Continents, and several dragons busy maintaining the camp's basic supplies and carrying out David's orders to capture and raise Hatchlings, no one could afford to rest.
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Just on this day, the Barbarian Rosinde and his party, after toiling busily but fruitlessly for over two months, finally had a stroke of luck. Under the 'wise' leadership of the Drow Mage, they managed to snatch four White Hatchling Dragons from a Dragon Nest, seizing an opportunity when an adult female White Dragon left her territory with King Gillar and his retinue.
After much consideration, they still hadn't dared to touch the White Dragon's treasure. Not to mention that the White Dragon's entire hoard was frozen beneath a layer of permafrost. Even if Lizrite and Mofei cooperated, one breathing fire and the other clawing at the ice, who knew how long it would take? Moreover, they were dealing with an adult Dragon. If they accidentally triggered any Dragon Nest defenses, their fragile team—a single Barbarian, one Drow, and two young dragons—couldn't possibly handle the catastrophic consequences. Even Nifadora, a young adult dragon herself, might not be able to manage such a disaster. After much thought, they decided it was best not to invite extra trouble. They took the four White Hatchlings, who, compared to Mofei, didn't seem particularly intelligent, and returned directly to the Dragon Nest encampment, thereby exceeding their quarterly dragon-capturing KPI.
Upon returning to the camp, when one of the True Dragons was asked to reveal its true name, the White Dragon Mofei was utterly dumbfounded to hear the surname 'Zulgifili.'
The Red Dragon Lizrite, a bit slower on the uptake, swished her tail and asked, "Does this mean... we've stolen Mofei's younger siblings?"
"That female dragon... is my mother?" Mofei asked, equally bewildered.
Just as Lizrite was thinking this White Dragon might plan a 'family reunion' trip home, she heard Mofei glance at his newfound 'siblings'—who were shoving their faces into the Dragon Food trough and gobbling it down like spinning tops, as if starved—and sigh with profound relief, "Oh, Aima, thank goodness Sister Hiatt stole me away back then! Who knows if I'd have even survived this long otherwise. Kraidian 'Mom' treated me so well! I love 'Mom'!"
"..." Faced with Mofei's blunt honesty, Lizrite was momentarily speechless.
What could one say? White Dragons will be White Dragons, after all.
Of the four new White Dragons, only one had awakened its draconic heritage. However, it didn't seem much smarter than the other three, who were little more than dragon beasts. Though not exactly emaciated, they were clearly underdeveloped, not quite up to par even with how Lizrite herself had been at that age.
"'White Dragons are still Chromatic Dragons, so this is a pretty good start. Well done. The Dragon Lord won't be displeased when he sees them,' Nifadora praised. She considered the mission a successful completion, exceeding the quota David had set before he left.
The Drow Mage had been somewhat anxious about bringing back a clutch of White Hatchling Dragons merely to fill the numbers. But upon hearing Nifadora, the camp's second-in-command and 'acting Dragon Lord', say this, he finally let out a deep sigh of relief. Since Nifadora had no objections, their own Dragon Lord probably wouldn't have any issues either. Even if problems arose, Nifadora could likely soothe their Dragon Lord's infamous temper.
However, the Drow Mage then mused, The big boss lady stole a clutch a few years ago, and here's another. If this continues, in a few more years... HISS... He seemed to have suddenly discovered some sort of 'KPI perpetual motion machine' and felt a thrill of excitement.
Nifadora was just about to organize a feast to reward them and bolster draconic morale when she received a message: their Dragon Lord, David Uthos, was returning to camp. Instantly excited, she didn't even wait for the Jackalope People, whose mouths were watering at the sight of the herring pickle barrel, to open it. She shot into the sky, flying towards the coast. She intended to welcome David's return personally. After all, with all the High Elf prisoners of war shipped back to the New Continent, leaving only those Jackalope People whose fur had gone bald from nearly two months of port guard duty, she felt they weren't a very presentable welcoming party. It would be utterly embarrassing for her Dragon Lord!
"Ah! It must be David Uthos returning!"
Lizrite had known Nifadora for many years. Although she usually couldn't tell what the Green Dragon was up to, the moment David returned, Nifadora would get as excited as a guard dog, tail wiggling furiously! Lizrite then glanced at her own comparatively lean physique and felt a pang of discouragement. But thankfully, David was finally back. This time, she was determined to make him take her out to see the world.
Following that Drow around, searching high and low for Hatchlings, was just too boring. She possessed great strength, dominant in her Hatchling stage, but as long as Dragon Might was present, those young dragons would flee at the mere scent of her. Directly confronting mother dragons in their nests to forcibly steal Hatchlings was futile; their entire group wasn't even a mouthful for such opponents. In short, they could neither catch nor defeat them. To make matters worse, word of the dragon traps seemed to have spread among the local dragon communities; unless absolutely starving, none would take the bait. This crappy mission was definitely not something a dragon should be doing! For her, a Red Hatchling brimming with energy, it was pure torture. Unlike before, when all her energy was spent foraging and evading predators and other dragons, now her abundant energy had nowhere to be released.
Just as she was tagging along behind Nifadora, preparing to personally greet David's return and to argue for a change in her 'career path,' she heard that familiar, yet impatient voice explode over the Dragon Nest encampment:
"Everyone clear out! One kilometer away from the Nest!"
Then, those on the ground saw the familiar crimson silhouette of their Dragon Lord streak past the astonished Nifadora and Lizrite in mid-air, before plunging headfirst into the Dragon Nest with a muffled THUD. After that, silence.
Could he be injured?
Just as this unsettling thought crossed Lizrite's mind, and she was about to rush into the Dragon Nest to check on David, she heard the Drow Mage's terrified scream:
"Quick! Run for it! The Dragon Lord is going into slumber!"
The Drow Mage immediately leaped onto the shoulders of the still-confused Barbarian, whipping Rosinde's backside to make him run faster.
"Huh?" Although the Barbarian Rosinde didn't understand, his experiences over the past two months—surviving several deadly encounters with mother dragons thanks to the Drow Mage's uncanny intuition and luck—made him instinctively trust the inexplicable warning. He chose to believe and bolted.