Parting Gift

"Shriek!"

Syrax let out a threatening low growl, her temperament exceptionally fierce.

"Sorry." Aemon slammed on the brakes, his smile freezing.

Not every dragon was as aloof and proud as Dreamfyre. Some had terrible tempers.

The corners of Rhaenyra's lips curled up slightly as she stroked the massive beast's thick neck beside her and commanded in High Valyrian, "Be quiet, Syrax!"

Syrax blinked her slit pupils and obediently lowered herself, seeming remarkably human-like.

"Whoa~"

Aemon was practically drooling with envy.

Giving orders to a dragon was just too cool.

"Syrax has a bad temper, so you need to be gentler."

Rhaenyra smiled faintly and beckoned with her slender white hand.

Since he had failed to tame Dreamfyre but had still helped fight for her chains to be removed, she would let Little One satisfy his craving.

Aemon instantly lit up. "Okay, here I come!"

He cautiously approached the yellow dragon, eagerly stretching out his little claws.

"Roar!"

Syrax glanced at him and gently shifted her body, scratching an itch.

"What should I do?"

Aemon's eyes were full of anticipation, his small hand less than a palm's width from the amber scales.

Seeing how helpless he looked, Rhaenyra took his little hand and pressed it against the scales, chuckling. "Like this."

Aemon shuddered, his grin stretching nearly to his ears.

He touched her. He really touched her.

This was not a spur-of-the-moment hug of Dreamfyre. This was a real, tangible touch.

At the same time, a notification sounded by his ear.

"Powerful creature containing special magic discovered. Obtained one portion of Burning Fire Magic."

A faint reddish glow, invisible to everyone else, drifted out and swayed into his little chest.

At once, a familiar warmth surged through his body.

Aemon beamed and checked the number beside the golden hourglass: Essence: 268.

Not only had he earned back the essence spent on exchanging for two cards, he had nearly doubled it.

"Great! I'm so rich."

Aemon the tycoon was overjoyed.

More importantly, there was something else.

Aemon Targaryen

Talent: Dreamer (Gold)

Bloodline: Ancient Valyrian Dragonlord (23%)

Skills: High Valyrian (Mastery), Arithmetic (Proficient)...

Magic Cards: None

Pet: Gold-Nosed Rat (Blue)

Status: "A well-developed human hatchling with the potential to become a powerful warrior."

The Bloodline Tab had changed, and his bloodline purity had risen another 5%.

Aemon discovered the pattern and muttered to himself, Every dragon I touch provides 5% bloodline purity.

Then if he touched every dragon in the family, wouldn't his bloodline purity soar through the roof?

"Shriek!"

Syrax shook her head, flinging away the human hatchling clutching the scales on her neck.

Aemon staggered back several steps and smiled awkwardly.

Syrax's amber scales were simply too flashy.

"Shriek!!"

A shadow blanketed the sky, and a resounding roar nearly deafened him.

Aemon looked up to see a pale blue, muscular chest blocking his view.

Boom!

Just before landing, Dreamfyre beat her wings once, her huge body touching down steadily.

"You're back so soon?"

Aemon was a little surprised, inching closer.

Dreamfyre's slit pupils remained indifferent. Even when she noticed the human hatchling drawing near, she continued to act as though he did not exist.

Seeing that she did not drive him away, Aemon simply squatted beside her head.

"Prince!"

The guards were extremely tense, drenched in sweat.

Aemon waved a hand. "It's fine."

Ser Steve and Ser Lyon exchanged glances. No matter how they looked at it, this did not seem fine.

Gonsal was braver. Choosing to trust the prince everyone hated, he blocked the other three.

If the prince was not afraid, why the hell should they be?

And so, a strange sight appeared before the Dragonpit's entrance.

A pale blue dragon stood before the bronze gates, while a short silver-haired boy squatted in front of her.

The boy and dragon were extremely close, squatting there without disturbing one another.

Rhaenyra and Syrax stood off to the side, wisely keeping quiet.

Compared to Dreamfyre, whose length from head to tail exceeded fifty meters, Syrax was only fourteen or fifteen meters long.

She was a third smaller in size.

Aemon hugged his knees and tilted his head. "Still no good."

Dreamfyre held her head high and her chest proud. Though her chest rose faintly with her breathing, she still rejected the idea of a rider.

"This dragon doesn't want to be tamed."

Aemon pouted. Though disappointed, he could accept it.

He had chosen Dreamfyre only because she was close at hand and he wanted to give it a try.

There were still several dragons on Dragonstone. He had better options.

"Roar!"

Dreamfyre suddenly lowered her head and, without any warning, nudged the human hatchling with her snout, her nostrils flaring hard.

She seemed to have caught a familiar scent.

Aemon was baffled and nearly fell over. "Oof~"

Dreamfyre quickly raised her head again, turned, and walked into the Dragonpit on her own, her tail covered in pale silver dorsal scales swaying lightly.

The elderly Dragonkeeper had long been waiting and hurried over with the others to watch over the dragon's return.

"So heartless."

Aemon wore a mournful expression as he drew circles on the ground.

Fortunately, he had not come away empty-handed.

Especially just now—after his bloodline purity had seemingly increased, he could vaguely sense a dragon's emotions.

Dreamfyre was not interested in him, but neither did she reject his presence.

Aemon felt that even if he went over and hugged her leg again, he would not be attacked.

Rhaenyra walked over, remembering the consequences. "Dreamfyre flying out of the Dragonpit will definitely cause panic. I'll send Syrax back, and then we'll return to the Red Keep."

"Then I'll see Dreamfyre off."

Aemon dusted off his clothes and swaggered after her.

Since he would get scolded when he returned anyway, he might as well play a little longer.

Rhaenyra rolled her eyes prettily, looking at her younger brother in a new light.

As expected of Daemon's son. He really had guts!

Aemon followed the Dragonkeepers, trailing Dreamfyre back into the Dragonpit and through the dimly lit tunnels.

Afterward, they entered the underground cavern where Dreamfyre nested.

"Prince, please don't run around."

The elderly Dragonkeeper looked deeply worried. He called the others over to form a semicircle as they slowly and laboriously put shackles on the dragon.

With nothing else to do, Aemon looked around.

The cavern was enormous, an artificially excavated cave within Rhaenys' Hill, where the Dragonpit stood. Wind howled in through cracks in the rock.

Thanks to those cracks, the air circulated smoothly, and the light was brighter than in the tunnels.

After making a round, Aemon furrowed his little brows.

The ground was uneven, covered everywhere in sticky dragon dung, blackened skeletons scorched by dragonfire, and foul-smelling wastewater.

"Roar!"

Dreamfyre seemed somewhat resistant. Her slit pupils glanced at the human hatchling standing nearby before settling on a heap of black dragon dung.

Aemon noticed and blinked.

"Squeak, squeak."

His backpack wriggled, and the furry Gold-Nosed Rat crawled out. It planted its claws on the bag and sniffed fiercely at the black dragon dung.

Even Aemon understood now.

Crack!

He "accidentally" stepped on the pile of dragon dung, revealing three dragon eggs—blue, green, and purple—amid a burst of steaming white mist.

Aemon stared wide-eyed, even his breathing stopping.

This was not dragon dung at all. It was clearly an incubation bed left behind after a dragon laid eggs.

The hard, smooth shell of dragon dung concealed its presence, while the black mucus maintained a constant temperature to ensure the dragon eggs remained safely preserved.

"No one saw that, so it's mine now."

Aemon's chubby face reddened as he swiftly brought up the dazzling panel and tapped it.

Empty Handed exchange successful!

While the Dragonkeepers' attention remained fixed on Dreamfyre, he turned sideways to block the "dragon dung" and pulled the adorable little rat from his backpack.

"Squeak!"

The Gold-Nosed Rat panicked.

Aemon moved quickly. With a wave of his hand, he took one dragon egg at a time, pried open its mouth, and said, "Mouse, open up. This is urgent!"

Something miraculous happened. The dragon eggs dropped into his hand from thin air, then were bizarrely stuffed into the Gold-Nosed Rat's mouth.

The three dragon eggs, each as large as a ball, vanished in an instant.

"Squeak~"

The Gold-Nosed Rat looked pitiful as it curled into a ball and retreated into the backpack.

The timing was perfect. The Dragonkeepers had finished shackling the dragon and promptly withdrew.

Aemon guiltily clasped his hands behind his back and followed them while whistling.

These were not dragon eggs he had stolen. They were dragon eggs Dreamfyre had given him.

The Dragonpit's reserve dragon eggs were all still safely stored away.

Haha, Zhou Zhou had spent a fortune on a cover.

Finding a good-looking background with dragons and natural elements was really hard. It killed so many brain cells.