"Shameless Blue Dragon, hmph."
Red-Silver Dragon Deborah watched the direction Zolaya disappeared, flicking her tail unpleasantly and muttering in a low voice, her tone clearly tinged with sourness.
Immediately, she turned her head and looked at the Red-Iron Dragon beside her.
"Garros, you must never be bewitched by that Blue Dragon's flowery words."
The Red-Silver Dragon said, "She has Green Dragon blood in her; she's bound to be an insidious and cunning bad egg to her core. Who knows what malicious thoughts she's actually plotting in her heart."
As she spoke, her slender tail swayed back and forth unconsciously; her heart was not at peace.
Opposite her, hearing her words, the Red-Iron Dragon nodded slightly.
"I know what I'm doing."
He responded briefly.
However, just as he finished, he suddenly changed the subject, speaking as if in serious thought, "But, judging solely from appearance, frankly speaking, Zolaya's sky-blue scales are indeed quite beautiful, with a bright luster."
"Those unique bifurcated dragon horns of hers also truly caught my eye; they are quite distinctive."
He paused and continued in a steady voice, "So, the suggestion she made earlier is, from a certain perspective, not entirely out of the question."
Red-Silver Dragon's eyes widened instantly, as if she had heard something unbelievable.
She immediately raised her voice, countering with a hint of urgency, "No! Absolutely not! She must be deceiving you, weaving a sweet trap! If you believe her, your end will definitely be miserable!"
"Besides... besides, you're still just a Young Adult Dragon. How can you mess around with a Mature Adult Dragon?"
She said flusteredly.
Garros looked up slightly, his dragon eyes tinged with fine bloodshot veins, observing the somewhat agitated Red-Silver Dragon.
"Age has never actually been an issue for me."
His voice was deep as he said, "Any dragon, just looking at my physique, my power, and my majesty, would never associate me with an ordinary Young Adult Dragon."
"My body has long since developed and grown to a level that can rival, or even surpass, many Mature Adult Dragons."
His gaze gradually became extremely aggressive, as if carrying a physical heat.
Wherever it passed, it even made the Red-Silver Dragon feel as if her dragon scales were slightly heating up.
She subconsciously shrunk her neck, her voice dropping a few notches as she asked, "You... what do you want to say?"
The Red-Iron Dragon grinned, revealing a wild smile, and his massive body took a step forward.
His powerful frame instantly closed in, almost completely enveloping the Red-Silver Dragon's relatively slender and graceful figure in his shadow.
He lowered his head, staring with burning eyes at the exquisitely shaped Red-Silver Dragon, and spoke bluntly.
"It's simple. I want to produce a few descendants to see if they inherit some interesting traits—for example, whether they too will one day harbor the idea of patricide."
He paused, staring at the Red-Silver Dragon, and continued, "Deborah, what do you think of this idea?"
"We could even guess then, if we were to produce little dragons, whether they would inherit your beautiful Silver Dragon Bloodline, or my power, or perhaps give birth to some unexpected, brand-new hybrid form."
After hearing the Red-Iron Dragon's words, which were so direct and full of aggression.
The Red-Silver Dragon felt her mind go blank, with nothing left in her ears but the sound of the Red-Iron Dragon's increasingly close, heavy, and oppressive breathing.
When that scorching breath blew onto her face like a hot wind.
The Red-Silver Dragon felt a strange weakness in her limbs, and her heartbeat accelerated uncontrollably.
But then, she jerked back to her senses and said in shame and annoyance, "Naturally evil and lewd Red-Iron Dragon! You... you aren't even officially an adult yet! What kind of nonsense are you thinking about all day?!"
As she spoke, she stumbled backward.
As if fleeing for her life, she suddenly flapped her wings, creating a frantic current of air.
Garros raised his sharp claws but paused slightly in mid-air, eventually lowering them slowly, not actually forcefully pulling down the Red-Silver Dragon who was trying to escape.
Whoosh—!
He took a deep breath of air.
At this moment, Zolaya's sky-blue, sky-like beautiful scales and her gorgeous, unique horns; Deborah's elegant and slender figure with exquisite curves; Phoenix Angia's magnificent and perfect radiant plumage... these images flashed uncontrollably through his mind one by one.
Finally, even the figure of White Dragon Tereshi flashed by.
Slap!
Garros raised his claw somewhat irritably and slapped his own cheek, shattering the ill-timed image of the White Dragon from his mind.
"Is it the influence of the Frenzied Flame that has made certain desires of mine particularly high?"
He wondered inwardly, attempting to sense and suppress the flickering Frenzied Flame deep within his consciousness.
However, he found that the intensity of the Frenzied Flame's burning had no significant difference compared to before; after all, he had just recently had an effective release by slaughtering demons.
After a slight daze, Garros looked at the Red-Silver Dragon's retreating figure, filled with panic and shame, and laughed in spite of himself, shaking his head.
"It seems my body has fully matured, and just now it was merely the instincts of a male dragon at work."
"The Frenzied Flame didn't create desires out of thin air; it just made me more direct and less concealed when facing these instinctive impulses."
He thought to himself.
In fact, for all Dragonkin, the young adult stage is a period when both body and mind reach a vigorous stage; both power and certain primal desires are in a state of flourishing development.
Many Evil Dragons begin looking for mates during this age.
Those who are even more precocious might even start indulging themselves during the adolescent stage.
Whether in terms of physical development, power level, or mental maturity, Garros far surpassed other dragons of the same age.
Even if he usually had strong self-control, it was only natural for some strong thoughts consistent with instinct to occasionally sprout.
What's more, there was now the Frenzied Flame subtly weakening his inhibition of certain impulses.
On the other side.
Deborah spread her wings with all her might and had already charged into the sky shrouded in wind and snow. Looking at the hurried direction of her flight, it was as if she wanted to flee Dragon Valley in one go, away from the Red-Iron Dragon who had suddenly become wild.
But when she couldn't help but look back and noticed that Garros hadn't chased after her like he used to when forcing her to train.
While the Red-Silver Dragon secretly breathed a sigh of relief, for some reason, a faint sense of disappointment emerged again, and her mood became quite contradictory.
After circling aimlessly in the high sky for several rounds, letting the cold snowflakes pelt her scales.
She ultimately chose not to truly stay away.
The Red-Silver Dragon turned around and returned to the Burning Steel Fortress, plunging into her spacious and comfortable bedroom like a startled ostrich.
This entire process was witnessed by Garros.
"Once Deborah becomes an adult, she won't reject me anymore. As for someone like Zolaya, as long as I show even a slight intention, they would probably only be more than happy to actively cater to me."
Garros withdrew his gaze from the direction of the Burning Steel Fortress, thinking to himself.
Regarding the matter of mating and reproduction, deep down, he actually tended to agree with the Metallic Dragons' views.
He believed that a certain level of restraint should be maintained, and one should not let pure desire completely dominate their behavior; at least one should wait until they are fully adult and their state in all aspects is more stable before considering it.
More importantly, his current size was far too massive and powerful compared to someone like Deborah, and his mastery of Polymorph was not yet sufficient to support refined morphological control.
Moreover, to deal with potential crises, he had specifically trained his 'little dragon' before.
If he really wanted to do something, the objective conditions were not very easy to carry out.
"In the future, it will be necessary to take some time to study and practice Polymorph."
Garros kept this thought in mind.
"Solrog."
He reined in his somewhat cluttered thoughts, settled his mind, and called out to his Iron Dragon brother in the Serel Wilderness through the Bloodline Connection.
Garros said, "The negotiations with the Dominic Dragon Flight have completely broken down. Send word to gather the dragons and the several lords, and make full preparations for a possible war with the other side at any time. I am heading to the wilderness now."
Iron Dragon Sorog responded immediately, "Understood!"
AI Model: gemini-3.1-flash-lite
His voice came through the link, and he said in a deep voice: "If war between the two Dragon Flights is inevitable, then the final victory will surely belong to our Ignas Dragon Flight."
After a brief communication, Garros ended the call.
"Vera, come here."
He turned to the right and spoke calmly.
A small head cautiously poked out from the crevice of a giant rock nearby.
The Faerie Dragon Vera flapped her wings and approached the Red-Iron Dragon timidly, looking as if she were terrified that the Red-Iron Dragon might swallow her as a snack if he got unhappy.
"Ga-, Garros..."
Vera said timidly: "Deborah is inside the fortress; she hasn't run far. How about I lead the way and you go find her?"
She tried to shift the focus, her voice growing quieter as she spoke.
Garros ignored her clumsy proposal and said directly: "Go notify Deborah and the other dragons in Dragon Valley. I am returning to the wilderness for a while. The daily guard and order of Dragon Valley will remain your joint responsibility."
The Faerie Dragon seemed relieved, nodding vigorously with her small wings flapping rapidly.
"Okay, okay!"
The Faerie Dragon hurriedly flew toward the fortress, shouting aloud: "Mission will be accomplished! Vera is the most reliable! You can rest assured and go, Garros!"
Garros said no more.
He suddenly spread his wings, pushed off the ground heavily with his thick, powerful hind limbs, and flapped his dragon wings.
He shot straight into the sky at great speed, a long trail of flames swaying behind him like a meteor streaking across the wind, snow, and the night sky, quickly disappearing from sight.
Meanwhile.
In a chamber within the Burning Steel Fortress, the Red-Silver Dragon was swaying the tip of her tail, sensing the Red-Iron Dragon's aura rapidly moving away.
She lay on the soft blanket spread on the floor but felt restless and tossed and turned, her mind filled with chaotic thoughts like tangled threads.
What if Garros really loses control next time and gives in to his bestial nature?
Should I just let nature take its course, or should I... helplessly give in?
Deborah felt her dragon scales heating up as she couldn't help but think this.
Just as she was letting her imagination run wild.
Bang!
A distinct tremor suddenly came from the ground.
The Red-Silver Dragon subconsciously turned her head and was shocked to see the Red-Iron Dragon's strong and imposing body pushing open the heavy metal door of her chamber, walking in slowly, step by step.
Huh? Didn't he just leave? Why is he back so soon?
Her heart was instantly filled with confusion.
But this confusion only lasted for a second before being swallowed by the intense shyness, a hint of annoyance, and a certain sense of anticipation welling up in her heart.
"Garros, what... what are you doing back here?"
The Red-Silver Dragon stood up from the blanket in a panic, blinked, and said, trying to appear calm: "I'm warning you, don't mess around."
Opposite her, the Red-Iron Dragon took heavy and firm steps across the metal floor, step by step.
He kept approaching the Red-Silver Dragon Deborah.
"What I want to do, Deborah, don't you know in your heart?"
He grinned, revealing a smile that was completely different from his usual one, filled with exaggeration and frivolity.
He chuckled, then continued: "Ah, my dear Deborah, my heart and treasure, hee hee, my silver-scaled gem~ Just give in to me!"
"Anyway, this is bound to happen sooner or later."
"Why don't you just join me now and have a litter of cute and strong little dragons? How wonderful!"
Under the Red-Iron Dragon's burning gaze, Deborah felt all her dragon scales heating up, as if they were about to burn.
She retreated step by step, struggling internally.
Soon, she was against the metal wall, with nowhere left to retreat, and was forced to stop.
"You... don't come any closer! Otherwise... otherwise I..."
Her eyes were panicked.
"Hehe, otherwise what would you do?"
The Red-Iron Dragon before her became even more excited, his tone frivolous: "Come on, resist! Struggle to your heart's content! That will only make me feel more excited!"
"You..."
At this tense moment, Deborah noticed the mischievous smile on the Red-Iron Dragon's face.
Her voice paused, and her intelligence regained the upper hand in that instant.
The Red-Silver Dragon keenly sensed that the tone and expression of this Garros in front of her were quite different from his usual self.
She immediately focused her mind and observed the other party carefully.
Sure enough! She found the flaw.
Although the other party simulated him very similarly, there were many small details that were not exactly the same as the real Garros.
"Ve—ra—?!"
The shyness and panic on the Red-Silver Dragon's face vanished instantly, replaced by exasperation after being teased.
She let out a low roar, then bared her fangs and pounced furiously at the fake Red-Iron Dragon in front of her.
"Ah! Seen through! Run, run!"
The voice of the Faerie Dragon Vera immediately came from within the massive Red-Iron Dragon body.
The next instant, the realistic illusion dissipated on the spot with a pop, like a bubble being pricked.
The real Faerie Dragon Vera was flapping her small wings with all her might, flying rapidly like a streak of light toward the half-open window, attempting to escape.
But just as she was about to rush out of the window.
Crack!
A layer of crystal-clear, cold-emitting ice instantly condensed at the window, forming a solid barrier.
Bang!
The caught-off-guard Faerie Dragon slammed headfirst into the ice, making a dull thud.
She was dizzy and seeing stars, spinning crookedly in the air for several turns before being steadily caught by a dragon claw that reached out just in time.
"Tha-, thanks..."
The dizzy Faerie Dragon thanked her instinctively.
However, as soon as she finished speaking, she suddenly came to her senses and looked up.
The beautiful face of the Red-Silver Dragon Deborah was already right before her eyes.
"Beautiful and gentle Deborah."
The Faerie Dragon immediately put on a fawning smile, trying to get away with it: "Garros asked me to tell you! He is going to the wilderness for a while!"
She hurriedly added, continuing: "Also, do you remember our previous agreement?"
"It was agreed that the one who gets pranked isn't allowed to get angry, oh! Getting angry will make a dragon ugly!"
Hearing this, Deborah twitched the corner of her mouth, revealing a smile without any mirth.
"Angry? How could I be angry?"
"Where did you see that I was angry? We Metallic Dragons have always been very magnanimous."
She tilted her head slightly, her smile becoming even brighter: "Little Vera, don't be nervous. I just suddenly thought of an interesting game and want to play it with you."
The Faerie Dragon Vera looked at Deborah's smile, and her heart skipped a beat.
She asked cautiously: "What game?"
"Of course, it's—the 'in-mouth' game!"
The moment the Red-Silver Dragon finished speaking, she suddenly opened her mouth.
She gulped down the caught-off-guard Faerie Dragon, swallowing her whole.
Immediately after, she shook her head rapidly and vigorously.
After a full half-minute, the Red-Silver Dragon spat out the soaked Faerie Dragon with a 'ptui'.
The Faerie Dragon was now covered in glistening saliva, her scales drooping, and she lay on the ground motionless.
"Hmph, is it still fun now?"
The Red-Silver Dragon asked, her anger not yet fully subsided, while poking the Faerie Dragon with her tail.
The Faerie Dragon weakly lifted her eyelids, but wisely chose not to make any response, simply closing her eyes and spreading her limbs.
—Feign Death!
The Red-Silver Dragon couldn't be bothered to argue with her further, shook off the saliva stuck to the tip of her tail, and composed her face, dropping the feigned fierce expression.
She walked to the window, waved her dragon claw gently, and melted the layer of ice that was blocking it.
The Red-Silver Dragon looked at the wind and snow still howling outside the fortress, her thoughts involuntarily drifting back to what had happened earlier, and her heart uncontrollably began to race again.
However, after the Faerie Dragon's audacious provocation and coercion earlier.
The Red-Silver Dragon's mindset had also quietly undergone some changes, in addition to her shyness and annoyance.
"Damn Garros, who's afraid of whom? If you do this again next time, I won't even retreat a single step. I'll let you know how formidable a Metallic Dragon is and see just how much courage you really have!"
The Red-Silver Dragon gnashed her teeth and thought viciously to herself.