Before returning to the Dragon Nest to face his dangerous mother, David had envisioned countless escape scenarios and contingency plans. He had even rehearsed the possible words Dragon Mother might utter, such as:
"Hmph! So, you little rascal finally remembered to come back?"
Or, like most Red Dragon mothers reunited with their lost whelps, she might say with typical malice:
"Oh? And who might this be? I don't recall birthing a Red Dragon whelp like you. Surely, you're not an undercover agent sent by the Metal Dragons, are you?"
Yet, he had never, ever imagined she would say this:
"Did you bathe before you came?"
What in the blazes? 'Did I bathe before I came?' It's been five years, and she's still complaining I stink? If she hadn't been so terrifyingly aggressive back then, would I have even been in this mess?
At this moment, even David, slow on the uptake as he usually was, realized it: his desperate ploy five years ago—fleeing the fate of being eaten by Dragon Mother by hiding in her leftover embers—she had known about it all along! She simply hadn't been able to bring herself to take a bite due to her obsessive cleanliness!
However, faced with Dragon Mother's colossal, imposing figure and her overwhelming aura, the words caught in David's throat. He managed a polite and gentle reply:
"Of course. Before I came, I took several dips in the Arctic Ocean, scrubbing every crevice between my scales. There's even a refreshing hint of sea salt on me now. If you don't believe me, Mother, please, have a sniff."
As he spoke, he even lifted his tightly clenched tail, offering it towards Dragon Mother's face. This movement, however, inadvertently revealed his cloaca, which, mercifully for the reader, was pixelated.
The Red Dragon Pafila recoiled. How could she dare sniff this child, who had willingly dived into a cesspit? Her head snapped back as if dodging a leper. She raised a claw to halt David's advance, saying sharply, "Alright, alright! Don't come any closer. Just state the purpose of your visit."
David was momentarily stunned. He hadn't expected things to proceed so smoothly. He couldn't help but wonder: was this Dragon Mother of his and Tania's truly a 'good mother,' different from all the others? But how could that be possible?
Though instinct screamed disbelief, he immediately seized the rare opportunity. He rose to his feet, took a deep breath, glanced at Tania—who offered a small, encouraging nod—then fixed his gaze back on Dragon Mother and began, "I've provoked the High Elves. They are currently crossing the sea, heading this way."
"I, your eldest son, Saphistouin Karatrulka David Uthos Sed Ponga… hope to receive your protection, alongside my sister."
Saying this, David opened the sack he had prepared—filled with loot plundered from an Elven warship. He nudged it forward with his claws, licked his dry tongue, and continued, "Furthermore, these are some of the treasures I've managed to accumulate over the years. Please, Mother, accept them."
Pafila, coiled upon her mountain of gold, barely flicked her gaze over the pile of 'treasures' before looking away. Her attention fixed on David's words. With a hint of surprise, she asked, "Sister? Since when do you have a sister? How is it that I'm unaware?"
"Huh?" David stared, dumbfounded, at Tania, who was now trying to hide her head beneath her belly.
Realizing she'd been exposed, Tania mumbled defensively, "I even fed you, didn't I? Isn't that something an older sister is supposed to do? So what's wrong with you calling me 'sister'?"
David was even more bewildered. "When did you secretly come and feed me? How could I not know?"
What was even more preposterous was that he had been seventy kilometers away from the Dragon Nest. How on earth had she managed to feed him?
"…Ah… um… I didn't do anything!"
Tania, suddenly realizing David genuinely had no idea, knew she had just blurted out the truth. Mortified, she instantly curled into a tight dragon ball, playing dead from sheer embarrassment.
So, those delicious 'Snowfield Worms'… they were actually…
A few peculiar, long-forgotten memories instantly connected with things Tania had said in the past.
HOLY CRAP!
David, the realization dawning on him, turned a sickly green and couldn't stop himself from gagging.
Only Dragon Mother Pafila, observing this heartwarming yet comical scene, seemed to piece things together from their reactions. She immediately began to roll around on her treasure hoard, convulsed with laughter. The mountain of gold rippled, rivers of silver coins splashed, and jewels rained down like a storm.
Having whelps really is quite amusing!
These two dragon whelps are killing me!
Wait a moment… but why is David reacting like that?
She quickly recalled how, in recent years, her daughter Tania would always eat at home until her belly was bulging before venturing out.
Could it be…?
At that thought, Pafila's face also turned green. She nearly regurgitated all the Dragon Food she had consumed and almost fully digested over the past two weeks.
After a long moment, once the family of three had regained a semblance of outward calm, Pafila looked down at her eldest son before the nest, every inch the true Red Dragon, and declared solemnly, "I understand your purpose in coming, and I consent to your request for sanctuary."
Before David could even begin to feel overjoyed, he saw Dragon Mother's eyes narrow. Her gaze then flicked dismissively over the pile of scrap metal David had brought. "However, surely you don't believe your life is worth only *this* much? If that's truly what you think, then I must say, I'd be sorely disappointed in you."
Hearing this, David inwardly breathed a sigh of relief.
So, the deal is on.
For Chromatic Dragons, particularly Red Dragons, a bond forged by mutual interest is always far more dependable than the ephemeral ties of kinship.
He immediately stated, "Name your price! I will strive to clear the debt as soon as possible."
Pafila, however, seemed somewhat weary. She rose, flicked her tail dismissively, and said, "You can figure it out yourself. Just contribute a treasure hoard that you deem equivalent to the value of your life."
"As for the timeframe… there's no rush. Let's say, anytime before you reach adulthood."
Adulthood?
David's eyes widened in disbelief. For a moment, he even began to question the very nature of dragon existence. Even Tania, a Silver Dragon, was dumbfounded. Most Red Dragons, after all, only raise their offspring until they are juveniles, or perhaps even just young dragons, before impatiently kicking them out of the nest to fend for themselves. Even by Silver Dragon tradition, young are typically nurtured only until their adolescent or, at most, young adult stages, before being sent out to travel and learn to survive independently. Yet their mother had raised that standard all the way to adulthood!
I just knew Mother was a good mother! Tania was filled with emotion.
Even David, once his thoughts had settled, couldn't help but see this Dragon Mother in a new light. Of course, his interpretation was entirely different from the naive Tania's. An adult Red Dragon, after all, commanded a vastly different price than a juvenile, or even a young adult, Red Dragon. And his pride would never allow him to default on such a debt or devalue himself, especially now that the deal was struck.
To have a legendary Red Dragon as a backer meant the possibility of unlimited trial and error, even cheating death, for the next hundred years. This was likely an opportunity that rulers of entire nations would covet, one they might never obtain even if they emptied their treasuries and offered everything they possessed.
Consider it paying taxes.
At this thought, a relaxed and brilliant smile—the first genuine one of his life—spread across David's face. It was as if a sea breeze had swept away the mists of anxiety and fear that often plagued dragons. His mother's image, aside from her characteristic laziness and greed, suddenly seemed far less terrifying.
"Very well. Do you require me to swear an oath in the name of my Lord?"
He glanced at the mountain of treasure beneath Dragon Mother. Simultaneously, he inwardly vowed that a hundred years hence, he would definitely give his 'unsophisticated, rustic' mother a taste of true financial shock!
His thoughts were interrupted by Dragon Mother's sudden, irate roar, "You prodigal whelp! Do you think swearing oaths to those old crones is free? If you have that kind of money, you'd be better off spending it to honor me, your mother!"
David was speechless.