VBNWDW - Chapter 98
Chapter 98
Beneath a clear sky, the calm, deep blue surface of the ocean stretched out in all directions, with no land in sight. At its center, a massive island stood upon the sea as if from nowhere.
No matter how the waves around the island churned, they could never strike its stone cliffs. Each time a wave was about to make contact, space would bizarrely distort for an instant, and the water would seem to pass right through, crashing back into the sea.
Looking up, the island was not only vast but also covered in high mountains and dense forests. As far as the eye could see, there was nothing but a deep, rich green. Only when a strong wind blew, rustling the leaves, could one glimpse the enormous caves hidden within.
The elemental energy here was unusually dense, as if it might condense into liquid at any moment. This affected the surrounding climate, creating different weather patterns every dozen meters or so. Some areas were bathed in bright sunlight, while others were shrouded in a gentle, continuous rain.
The dragons flying through had long grown accustomed to it. Instead, they pricked up their ears, listening to the commotion coming from the centermost cave.
"Then why are you suddenly asking about this! You've managed to stay celibate for tens of thousands of years, so why the curiosity now…"
The words were cut off, muffled, leaving only a vague, unwilling trailing sound.
The Golden Dragon roared in fury, "You little whelp, don't you spout such nonsense!"
"I just… I just…"
A hint of embarrassment flashed across the dragon's face. To prevent the Black Dragon from saying anything more outrageous, it could only grit its teeth and say, "I just want to know how you two had a cub so quickly."
Although this dragon egg was much smaller than previous ones, and even weaker than other dragon whelps of the same period, it had broken the long-standing shackles of the Dragon Clan's difficult reproduction, a problem they had desperately sought to solve.
It was common knowledge that dragon reproduction faced four major hurdles.
First, it was extremely difficult to find a partner. Despite the many single dragons on Dragon Island, the pride etched into their very bones made them look down on even their own kind. They were cheerful enough when they met, but if you tried to persuade them to become partners, they would turn away in disgust, fleeing faster than anyone.
Second, conception was exceedingly rare. This was one reason the Black Dragon hadn't been concerned before. Conception for dragons was so difficult that some might be with their partners for tens of thousands of years without any sign of pregnancy.
So when she discovered Metis was pregnant, the Black Dragon's first reaction was shock, unable to believe it had happened after a single drunken night.
Third was the difficulty of childbirth. In recent years, the accidental death rate among dragons was entirely attributed to pregnant females, followed by their partners who died out of grief. The Black Dragon's own parents had met such a fate.
Because of this, no matter how anxious the Dragon God was, he didn't dare rush any dragon into pregnancy unless they were truly willing.
The final hurdle, compared to the others, was a minor issue: the extremely long gestation and hatching periods. There had been a whelp on Dragon Island that took one hundred and fifty years to be born and decades more to hatch. During this time, the young dragon was fragile and prone to accidents.
However, since most dragons now resided on Dragon Island, under the watchful eyes of their kin, accidents were almost impossible. Thus, this hurdle was the least conspicuous.
But the first three hurdles alone had caused a gradual decline in the Dragon Clan's population over the years.
This had made the Dragon God so anxious he was beside himself, wishing he could kiss every dragon egg he saw.
And yet, just when the Dragon God was at his most desperate, the whelp he still saw as a newly-matured youth had a child with her partner—and a successfully laid egg at that.
The Dragon God was shocked. The Dragon God was ecstatic. The Dragon God held the black-and-white egg as if he were looking at the future of the Dragon Clan.
That was why he wanted to ask for the details of their union, only to be accused of being lonely.
He was the magnificent Dragon God! Setting aside everything else, his scales, which glittered like pure gold, were enough to draw the covetous gazes of countless dragons.
If he just let it be known that any scales he shed would be given to his partner, the line of suitors would stretch from his cave entrance to the very edge of Dragon Island.
To defend his honor, the Dragon God huffed indignantly, "How could I possibly be lacking for dragons!"
It was just that he looked down on all the others!
The Black Dragon's gaze shifted from the walls, which were covered in golden scales, and she silently nodded.
Who wouldn't love a dragon that could produce an endless supply of golden scales?
Even the whelps would deliberately feign affection for the Dragon God just to pluck a scale from him.
"Don't you dare say another word of nonsense!" the Dragon God warned sternly.
The Black Dragon blinked, indicating her agreement.
Only then did the Dragon God release his claw, saying with a weary heart, "Tell me, why?"
With the farce over, the Black Dragon grimaced and thought back for a long time. Omitting the overly private details, she racked her brain but couldn't pinpoint anything different. The Dragon God frowned, and in the end, could only identify two key points.
A human and alcohol.
Alcohol had been banned among the dragons for a long time, mainly because they caused all sorts of trouble whenever they drank. A dragon like the Black Dragon, who just slept quietly, was fine. The worst were those who would stagger about, flying erratically, knocking over several mountains without even knowing to stop.
However…
For the sake of dragon eggs, the patriarch decided to take the risk.
After the two dragons had talked for a while, Yueqing changed the subject. "When can we go back?"
"Back where?" the Dragon God frowned.
"To the Roy Kingdom, of course," the Black Dragon said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
"You still want to go there?" the Dragon God thundered. He hadn't even settled the score with her for what happened before, and now she dared to bring it up?
"As the Queen of Roy, Metis must return to her country," the Black Dragon said, having already anticipated his reaction. She wasn't angry.
Although Metis hadn't mentioned it and had willingly followed the dragons back to Dragon Island, she had surely resolved to sacrifice all her previous efforts. That was why she hadn't brought it up when the dragon left the cave.
But the dragon knew in her heart how much it all meant to her. An ambitious queen, stripped of her ambition and her throne, forced to stay on Dragon Island and be a virtuous wife and good mother?
Would that still be Metis?
Before she had even arrived, the Black Dragon had decided that she would take Metis away, no matter what.
"Impossible!" the Dragon God immediately snapped.
An accident had already happened once. How could he dare let the dragon egg out of his sight again? And letting Metis and Yueqing leave alone was also out of the question. The whelp inside the egg already had its own consciousness. If both its mothers left…
It was well known that dragon eggs with parents by their side hatched faster and more easily. This cub was already weak. What if it grew even weaker after its mothers left?
The Dragon God shook his head frantically, his attitude resolute.
The two dragons argued back and forth for a long time before parting on bad terms. The Black Dragon returned to her cave in a huff and began a daily routine of pestering the Dragon God. In the blink of an eye, a month passed.
Time on Dragon Island always moved slowly, like a green rice cake inching along. You could open your eyes, close them, and wake up to find the same verdant scenery outside the cave.
Inside the spacious cave, the Black Dragon lay sprawled on a pile of gold coins, her four claws spread wide. Her face was etched with unhappiness, and her swishing tail banged against the stone wall, expressing her discontent.
Metis, on the other hand, was serene. She was half-reclined on a bed of gold coins the dragon had specially piled up for her, her body sinking into the soft furs. She held a book in her hands, flipping through it casually.
The wind stirred the loose strands of her hair. Her pale, grayish-blue eyes were lowered, and the corner of her white dress fluttered in the breeze.
The Black Dragon, resting her head on the gold coins, looked at her and grumbled, "You certainly aren't in a hurry."
Ever since they had sent Mo Wen and the Purple Cloud Eagle away, Metis had not mentioned the Roy Kingdom again, as if she had truly let it go. It was the Black Dragon who was so angry she was tempted to strike the Dragon God, only to be thrown out by a flick of his tail.
Hearing the voice, Metis lazily lifted her eyelids, glanced at her, and said, "Be careful. Don't crush it."
Although her struggle with the Dragon God had reached a stalemate, the Black Dragon hadn't given up. Hearing that she could use incubation methods to make the whelp hatch earlier, she had started tucking the egg under her belly.
Whether it was effective or not was unknown, but it often made Metis's heart pound with anxiety, forcing her to offer a reminder.
The Black Dragon snorted in dissatisfaction and muttered, "Why don't you care about me?"
Metis knew the creature was just in a bad mood and throwing a tantrum. She caught its swaying tail and comforted it, "Don't be anxious."
The Black Dragon glared at her, poking the queen's palm with the tip of her tail. "If I just crush the Poached Egg, then we won't have to be in a hurry."
The dragon egg under her belly, whether it heard or not, was probably grumbling about the Black Dragon in its own way.
Metis patted her tail. "Focus on healing your injuries first, then we can think about all that."
The Black Dragon had sustained a fundamental injury. Even with the Dragon God's help, the meridians eroded by the poison could not be fully healed. She could only rely on herself to recover slowly, and the dense elemental energy on Dragon Island was the perfect place for recuperation.
Metis had taken this into account, which was why she wasn't anxious at all, only to have the dragon turn the tables on her.
Hearing her words of concern, the Black Dragon grumbled a bit more but stopped her tantrum. Her Majesty the Queen put down her book and began to massage her tail.
Sometimes, this dragon was like a cat or a dog. Cats and dogs liked their heads stroked; giant dragons liked their tails kneaded.
And just like that, the Black Dragon narrowed her eyes, instantly placated.
Metis smiled helplessly. Her well-proportioned, fair fingers moved up along the scales, a stark contrast to their inky blackness. The cool pads of her fingers slid over every inch.
Outside the cave, the daylight was bright and dazzling. It was a quiet afternoon with no dragons about, leaving only the sound of leaves rustling against each other—peaceful and leisurely.
Inside the cave, breathing lengthened, growing strangely heavy.
The black dragon remained sprawled on her mountain of gold, her gilded eyes narrowed as she watched the stone bed covered in white fur, watching her little snack diligently serving her.
Sometimes the dragon would deliberately misbehave, flicking her tail away so Metis couldn't touch it, only to whip it back before the other could reach for it, pinning it under Metis's palm. Who knew what she was fussing about.
The surrounding stone walls were smooth and inlaid with all kinds of gems, a decor that perfectly matched the Dragon Clan's aesthetic. Everything glittered, including her little snack, whose golden hair now reached her waist, shining like silk.
I want to eat her.
Those two words suddenly popped into the dragon's mind. She had been mindful of her injuries these past few days and hadn't returned to her human form, which naturally made certain activities inconvenient.
But a sudden craving surged up like a rising tide, making the dragon's heart itch with discomfort.
It's been a while…
She opened her mouth and suddenly asked, "Metis, I'm a little thirsty."
Metis, still kneading her tail, looked up in confusion. "For a drink?"
She didn't understand why the dragon was suddenly bringing this up. If she was thirsty, she could just wave a claw and conjure fresh water from the elements.
"I don't want that. I want something with flavor," the dragon said, shaking her large head. Her gaze drifted downward, and she suddenly swallowed. "Have you still been feeling uncomfortably full lately? Do you need my help?"
The words were so direct that the hand kneading the dragon's tail tightened.
Her Majesty the Queen's tone was sharp. "No, I don't need your help."
If she controlled it well, she could stop lactating completely in a month or two. The whelp didn't need it, and it was only a nuisance to the queen, so she had started trying to stop it early on.
Hearing this, the Black Dragon showed a hint of regret. "Oh," she said, then asked again, "Are you sure there's none left?"
Metis didn't want to answer her, but the dragon had always been wicked. When had she ever been denied something she wanted? The swaying tail deliberately drew closer, pressing against the soft rise and fall of her chest.
The skin there was delicate. Even the lightest touch of silk would send a tingling numbness through her, let alone the fine texture of scales. The dragon even intentionally flared her scales, sliding them against the grain.
Metis let out a low humph, her grip on the tail tightening. But the difference in strength between a human and a dragon was immense; there was no way she could stop it.
From an observer's perspective, it almost looked as if the queen were pulling the dragon's tail toward herself.
"Don't…" Metis couldn't help but protest, but her voice was drawn out, the final syllable rising with a trace of allure.
It wasn't that she had given in so quickly, but her body had changed significantly after pregnancy, especially in these matters. Sometimes, she would do nothing at all, only to wake up needing to bathe and change her clothes.
If just sleeping could have that effect, what more could the dragon's deliberate teasing do?
While Metis was flustered, the great dragon lay back down, her eyes narrowed to a slit, feigning sleep while secretly peeking at her.
Dragons were just that wicked, their minds full of mischievous ideas.
The rough scales slid over her waist and abdomen, their cool temperature utterly captivating.
The hem of her dress was pulled upward, and her long, porcelain-white legs suddenly pressed together.
Her cascading golden hair half-veiled her face, obscuring her expression, but one could hear disjointed syllables, intermittent and tinged with restraint.
The dragon offered a helpful reminder, "Metis, we're the only ones here. The nearest neighbor is on another mountain peak."
The implication was that there was no need to hold back.
Metis naturally understood, but she turned her head away, unwilling to acknowledge it, still worried about her injuries and the whelp being incubated.
Once the wicked dragon set its mind on this, it wouldn't stop so easily. Besides, Her Majesty the Queen still owed her several rewards…
However, she privately decided that this time wouldn't count, because she was only satisfying a small craving and wasn't being too excessive.
But Metis clearly didn't see it that way. When the dragon's tail moved lower, she grasped its tip, hiding the most crucial part in her palm.
The dragon didn't try to force it away. Instead, she brought her enormous head closer, nuzzling the other's calf like a spoiled child.
It was a strange scene. Even the most talented artist would pause their brush in disbelief, feeling that such a moment belonged in a dream, not on a canvas.
The hundred-meter-long dragon was like a large dog, fawning over its little snack, even though Metis's calf wasn't even as thick as one of its horns.
The wicked dragon was just that shameless, a creature that would stop at nothing to achieve its goals.
Her Majesty the Queen couldn't help but kick at it, but this was exactly what the Black Dragon wanted. She had fallen right into its trap.
The dragon's head pushed up against her bare foot, and a slight tilt forced Metis to raise her leg.
Her hand, which had been gripping the tail, loosened, and it slipped downward.
The gems embedded in the surrounding walls reflected the scene within the cave.
The dragon grew bolder, raising its head higher. The captured prey had no autonomy and could only lift her leg in response. The hem of her dress slid down her delicate skin, and Metis could only lean back, propping herself up with her hands on the stone bed.
Metis was not frail, especially after becoming a mother. Every part of her exuded the voluptuous ripeness of a peach in June. Combined with the dignified air she had cultivated as a long-time ruler, the two auras merged, making it impossible for the Black Dragon to ever again use her old, teasing nickname.
Metis had grown up, even if she still needed the Black Dragon's protection. The starting points for the human and the dragon were worlds apart. One was a little queen, rendered powerless by the noble families of the Council, while the other was a genius dragon, dazzling even among her own kind.
Even though Metis chased after her desperately, gaining a level of control in just one year that made neighboring kingdoms feel an unprecedented threat, it was not enough to overcome the Creator's favoritism.
But the great dragon was willing to slow her own steps for her. It was just as the Dragon God had once asked in astonishment, why would it fall in love with such a weak human?
The Black Dragon's answer had been nonchalant, yet more serious than any she had given before.
She had said: It's like a game. You control the weakest, most helpless character inside, and you watch her slowly grow, from being completely dominated to gradually becoming her true self.
The process wasn't long, but it was difficult enough to endure, especially with an omnipotent dragon by your side at all times, a constant reminder of your weakness, of how your efforts were for naught.
But Metis had never once complained or grown resentful. It was as if she always knew what she had to do, moving steadfastly toward her goal.
She could resolutely push the dragon away during childbirth, and she could leave the country she had worked so hard to build when the dragon was gravely injured.
The queen was not as dazzling as the dragon. She was more like an ordinary person, always having to weigh the pros and cons to gain anything.
Yet the Black Dragon was willing to be tamed by her, to lower her head for her.
More than any gem it owned, Metis was a treasure it had dusted off and polished with its own hands.
The sound of water echoed in the spacious cave. The tail was held tightly between two legs, the overly fair skin chafed to a faint red.
The dragon looked up at her with expectant eyes.
Hoping that its efforts would earn a different kind of reward.
Her Majesty the Queen would naturally not disappoint. As broken sounds escaped her lips—short, forbidden, and suppressed, yet unable to be contained—her restrained, husky voice echoed in the empty space.
The tip of the dragon's tail couldn't help but curl upward, like a child showing off triumphantly.
The soft fur was soaked through, and the tail was also stained with a glistening sheen of water.
Metis suddenly lost her strength, her hand went limp, and she fell backward.
But this belated spring passion would not end with a momentary show of weakness.
The python-like tail coiled upward, continuing its relentless pursuit.
Her rising and falling abdomen flushed with patches of red. Metis gripped the fur beneath her, trying to sink into it.
But it was a futile struggle.
The red sun gradually set, a cool breeze brushed through the treetops, and the surroundings grew even quieter.
A voice filled with laughter suddenly sounded in the cave.
The dragon said, "See? There's still some left. Why did you say you didn't need my help?"
After all, not too much time had passed. If the dragon was a bit more insistent, she could still taste a little. Though not as much as before, it was enough to make the dragon ecstatic.
It was just a pity for Her Majesty the Queen. Once that creature got a taste of sweetness, it was destined not to end easily. It would have to go on for a long time, until there was absolutely nothing left, before it would be willing to stop.
But thankfully, they were on Dragon Island now. There were no political affairs to worry about, and time was always abundant. There was no need to worry about whether she could get up the next day.
And so, even as night fell, the sound of water did not cease. The fur spread upon the stone bed was, in the end, a complete and utter mess.
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