Chapter 518: Stubborn Little Charmander

This chapter is a bonus update for the 'Early Bird Gets No Book' reward.

"Whoo!"

"Whoo!"

"Whoo!"

The Fire Drake soared excitedly through the sky, while Liszt sat on the ground, tolerating the lingering scent of Smokegrass, and devoured monster meat ravenously to replenish his nutrition and build up some mana.

Crunch, crunch, a piece of monster meat with bones was chewed twice by him, and without even savoring the taste, it was directly swallowed into his stomach. His mind, however, was entirely focused on the Fire Drake: "This guy is so excited, I wonder if it'll unleash its bloodline's infectious magic power?"

He didn't dwell on it, and the thought quickly faded.

Then, he began to frown as a serious problem caught his attention: "Now that the Fire Drake has been reborn, it's now a fully-fledged creature of flesh and blood. Although its body is not very large, it is definitely not smaller than Loki, even only half the size of the invisible dragon. Concealing it is out of the question."

A Fire Dragon, its body the size of a bull, and even larger when its wings are spread.

Liszt didn't know how to hide it.

Exposure was definitely not an option. Once exposed, he believed that within three days, someone would come after the Fire Dragon. Then, the Sapphire Duchy himself would ride in on the Sapphire Dragon and descend on Black Horse Island. At that time, he would either ride the Fire Drake and abandon his family business, roaming the world.

Or he would have to obediently hand over the Fire Dragon.

Even Black Horse Island would have to be handed over, as it was the birthplace of the Fire Dragon.

"I won't choose either of these options... However, the more critical question is, what exactly is my relationship with the Fire Drake?" Liszt frowned deeply.

If it's about hiding, it's not impossible. He could cordon off a section of his territory as a restricted area, build walls, and block roads. Only he could enter, and the Fire Drake could live happily inside. But the problem is, what is his relationship with the Fire Drake, and how to make the Fire Drake obedient and not run around?

He'd already finished the monster meat, and mana was slowly starting to generate.

His worries didn't fade; if anything, they grew deeper. Watching the Fire Drake still rolling and roaring in the air, excited and all over the place, his face was a mix of emotions.

Once, being a Dragon Knight was his biggest dream. Now, he is not far from realizing that dream, but the biggest difficulty is also right in front of him. The Fire Drake has a hundred years of childhood. Even with its combat abilities, it certainly won't be too strong, certainly not enough for a proper Dragon Knight.

Moreover, he doubted whether the Fire Drake would let him ride, or if it would turn its back and fly away directly.

...

A quarter of an hour later.

The concern about it turning on him could wait. The tired Fire Drake finally landed from the sky and landed in front of Liszt. Its full form was now visible to Liszt. Compared to the slender invisible dragon, the Fire Dragon's body was stronger, its contours showcasing a rugged beauty.

Its muscles were well-defined yet perfectly proportioned.

It was always just right, and one could tell at a glance that it contained infinite power.

The scales were dense, with a color of black tinged with red. Some parts were more black, and some parts were more red. On the triangular head, there were five dragon horns, symmetrically distributed. The middle dragon horn was straight and long, while the horns on both sides were slightly curved. The eyes had blood-red pupils.

It seemed somewhat fearsome, but upon closer inspection, one could see the clarity and purity in its eyes.

"Whoo!"

The Fire Drake stood on the ground, its body much taller than Liszt. It opened its mouth and softly called, as if greeting Liszt. This action and this expression always made him feel that what was in front of him was not a dragon, but a child wearing dragon skin. The eyes, tone, and demeanor exuded a sense of wisdom.

Liszt rubbed his face to make himself look gentler, and met the Fire Drake's gaze.

Then he reached out his hand and boldly touched the Fire Drake's head as it leaned towards him. The texture was rough, and the Fire Drake's scales felt searing to the touch.

"Fire Drake."

"Grr!"

"I’m going to ride you," Liszt said matter-of-factly.

The Fire Drake instantly bared its teeth, putting on a fierce face, which, combined with its already menacing appearance, indeed looked very ferocious. But its eyes gave away that it was just putting on a show, especially when it saw Liszt starting to circle around it, examining how to mount it.

Its eyes showed a flicker of panic.

"Grr!"

"Let me ride you—stay still. You know who raised you with care, who fed you magic power bit by bit!"

The Fire Drake stiffened its neck, baring its teeth, and stayed put.

Liszt quickly shifted tactics, his voice turning enthusiastic: "Fire Drake, we’re partners, battle buddies. Fighting together, we’d be unstoppable Dragon Riders. You know what Dragon Riders are? They’re the top dogs in this world—no one can beat them!"

"Grr!"

"Got it? Good, let me hop on." He turned to mount it.

The Fire Drake instantly recoiled, backing up three steps, eyeing Liszt warily, still baring its teeth: "Grr!" Then it spun around and shot into the sky.

"Where do you think you’re going!"

"Grr!"

The Fire Drake flew up high, then tucked its wings and dove like a missile, crashing down onto the cluttered dining table, and started digging through the invisible dragon’s leftovers. The cows tied to the stakes were still out cold. The Fire Drake sniffed around and began chomping on a calf.

When Liszt caught up, he saw the Fire Drake munching on beef while flapping its wings to clear the smoke, clearly hating the stench of Smokegrass.

An idea struck him, and he approached the Fire Drake, saying, "Fire Drake, these cows are mine. You’re not allowed to eat them."

The Fire Drake kept its head down, blood splattering as it ate: "Grr!"

"If you’re gonna eat my cows, you gotta let me ride you!"

"Grr!"

"If you don’t let me ride, no more beef for you."

"Grr!"

"Let me ride you, and I’ll give you a cow every day!"

"Grr!"

No matter what Liszt said, the Fire Drake just wouldn’t let him ride, leaving Liszt fuming with frustration. He had used all the accumulated Fire Dragon magic power to nurture this Fire Drake, and yet it wouldn’t even let him ride it once.

He could only stand by and watch it eat the beef with a crude manner.

He also observed the Fire Drake’s back, where there was a relatively flat area between the neck and shoulder blades, with what seemed like a solid bone beneath the scales.

This made him think: "This spot should be the Dragon Rider’s seat. It’s flat enough to sit on, and the narrow grooves on either side could fix the feet... Why does it feel like this part of the dragon’s neck was specifically shaped for someone to ride?"

Without any information on dragons, he had to rely on guesses.

Soon.

The Fire Drake gobbled up a whole cow, then let out a contented burp, lazily lapping at the wine-filled water tank beside it. However, after just one lick, it quickly shook its head and flicked its tongue, clearly uninterested in the wine.

"Fire Drake, are you going to let me ride you or not?"

The Fire Drake was adamant: "Oh roar!"

Liszt's face darkened as he thought about teaching the Fire Drake a lesson, but he doubted he could take it on. Although the Fire Drake was small, the dragon's aura it exuded was intense, nearly as oppressive as that of the invisible dragon. Moreover, it always seemed like flames were flickering beneath its body.

Like a volcano on the brink of eruption.

Perhaps this was the manifestation of the elemental dragon's power, demonstrating the pinnacle of magic power, granting formidable combat prowess.

"Fine, you're stubborn. We'll talk about riding you later." Liszt struggled to rein in his anger, patting its head, feeling the searing heat.

A sudden thought crossed his mind: "Would it scorch my backside?"

The thought vanished as quickly as it came, not derailing his train of thought. "Your presence isn't just about flames—it's a danger. We're in the Sapphire Duchy, home to an adult sapphire dragon. It will not allow your existence. So, you need to follow my instructions and hide."

The dragon tilted its head.

It seemed not to understand, or perhaps it did.

Next, Liszt detailed his plan, intending to place the Fire Drake on the seagull island north of Black Horse Island, so no one would know of its existence. He also planned to introduce Acheronides to the Fire Drake, to help take care of it in daily life, provide food, and restrain the Fire Drake from wandering around.

Among all people, Liszt trusted the mermaid Acheronides the most.

However, before he could finish his long speech.

The Fire Drake suddenly roared "Oh roar," then its body quickly transformed into a ball of fire, crashing into the unprepared Liszt. Liszt had no reaction, and it seemed as if a loud rumble echoed in his ears. The fire transformed from the Fire Drake rushed into his body and disappeared.

No.

Not disappeared.

But transformed into a ball of magic power, gathering at his chest.

In great shock, he quickly took off his coat and leather armor, unbuttoning the inner shirt. Looking down at his chest, which had no chest hair and was originally fair and clean skin, there now appeared a flame pattern forming a vivid flying Fire Dragon.

Even more wondrous, this Fire Dragon pattern could move.

The Fire Dragon in the pattern opened its mouth, silently, but in his mind, a familiar "Oh roar!" resounded.