An Ordinary Day

After Dragonbirth Day, the weather gradually grew warmer.

The noon sun blazed brightly, bathing Ochre Valley in light. Birdsong chirped and twittered through the woods between the rolling hills, rising and falling in waves.

Even a Dragon Hatchling brimming with energy felt languid beneath such sun and bird chatter, too lazy to move.

Ferrum lay curled up and sprawled on the ground, letting out a yawn.

Chrome Dragons were originally a medium-sized dragon species, but Ferrum was exceptionally gifted and had grown quickly. He had recently become ever larger, long since surpassing two meters and already approaching the size of some Iron Dragons and Cobalt Dragons.

To accommodate his ever-growing body, Ferrum could only tear down and rebuild his original nest.

With the Nickel Dragons' help, his new nest was more spacious and bright. From the outside, it no longer looked like a crude stone hollow, but truly had something of the appearance of a dragon's nest.

The sunlight outside was fierce, while the nest lay shrouded in the shadow of the rock wall. Ferrum coiled within it, pressing against clean, soft fine sand as he gently swayed his long tail, radiating an indescribable leisure.

More than a dozen Little Stone Spirits clambered over him, hopping about like birds with creaks and squeaks as they rubbed themselves against the Dragon Hatchling's scales.

These little things were made of stone to begin with. Their friction just happened to finely wear away the burrs on his scales, polishing Ferrum without truly harming his body.

Ferrum shifted, opened his jaws, and added his fangs, horns, and clawed toes to the polishing lineup as well.

The incident of saving the Creation Rock Orb had left these Little Stone Spirits utterly worshipful of Ferrum. Without hesitation, they acknowledged him as their protector. They stuffed the Creation Rock Orb into the Chrome Dragon's claws, then rolled after him as they followed him out of the underground mineral vein.

They resettled among rocks and crevices. Normally, they were nowhere to be seen, only rustling out from all sorts of places whenever Ferrum summoned them.

As the Little Stone Spirits continued grinding away, the Chrome Dragon's somewhat dull steel-gray scales gradually revealed a brighter metallic sheen. His claws and fangs also became ever sharper after the polishing, like gleaming blades.

Occasionally, a Little Stone Spirit would use too much force, causing an almost imperceptible tremor in a scale. It would immediately freeze in alarm, staring with its obsidian-like little eyes as it nervously watched Ferrum's reaction.

Only when the Chrome Dragon remained motionless with his eyes closed would it settle down again. It would switch to another scale, start cautiously, gradually work harder, then lose itself in the task before once again rubbing about in excitement.

These little things seemed to greatly enjoy polishing Ferrum's scales. Whenever the grinding ended, their dusty bodies would have shrunk several sizes, yet after absorbing the fallen scale powder, every one of them was thoroughly satisfied, with several glimmers of bright light appearing in their eyes.

The nest was quiet, filled only with a fine, dense rustling, like spring silkworms nibbling mulberry leaves.

Ferrum changed position, and some Little Stone Spirits tumbled to the ground. After swaying their heads for a while, they quickly climbed back up.

Some time had passed since the mineral vein expedition. After returning, Ferrum once again used Consume Gold, Absorb Iron, swallowing the Iron Grease offered by the Mushroom People together with the gold coins given by the Nurturer.

At first, he had hesitated, because those coins had been gifts from Dragonbirth Day and could be regarded as keepsakes. But for the sake of increasing his potential, Ferrum ultimately made his choice and digested all the gold and Iron Grease.

Fortunately, every time he digested metal, the potential activation effect of Consume Gold, Absorb Iron lasted for quite a long while. Otherwise, he would probably have needed to keep running around for metal.

Though it seemed he was doing that anyway. As the ability took effect, Ferrum was already considering what he would eat half a year from now.

The mineral vein expedition had brought considerable gains: Iron Grease and the loyalty of the Little Stone Spirits. Naturally, he also had to fulfill what he had promised the Nurturer. So after using his ability, Ferrum made another trip to the Shattered Stone Grounds where the Nickel Dragons lived.

Back then, he had sliced off the Nickel Dragons' clawed toes and gouged out a piece of skull as a warning. But when Ferrum went to check on them now, he found that they had completely recovered. Each was lively and vigorous, discussing how to ambush a Tungsten Dragon they disliked on sight.

The Nickel Dragons had originally been in high spirits, only to run headlong into the demon Ferrum again. Naturally, they were thrown into a flurry of panic.

When Ferrum visited, his initial intention had been to carry out the Nurturer's task: move his nest to the Shattered Stone Grounds, live alongside the Nickel Dragons, and keep watch over them.

But after inspecting the place in person, he immediately dismissed the idea.

There was no special reason. It was simply filthy, chaotic, and foul-smelling.

Chrome Dragons considered themselves noble and had always cherished their scales, claws, and fangs. They could not tolerate grime very well, so Chrome Dragons could often be seen cleaning themselves in Bay Lake and the streams.

Even though Moqi often played until he was covered in dust and dirt, he washed himself clean every time before returning to his nest.

But the Nickel Dragons were an entirely different matter. They had a habit of eating carrion and loved collecting all kinds of rubbish, dragging it back and piling it carelessly around their habitat.

Thus, the places they lived were always permeated by a rancid, sour stench, along with the smell produced by the Nickel Dragons themselves...

Tsk, tsk.

Ferrum had looked cold and brutal when he disciplined the Nickel Dragons, but if any Chrome Dragon had waited in the Shattered Stone Grounds for so long, enduring all manner of filth and stench, their temper probably would not have been much better either.

Having abandoned the thought of living with the Nickel Dragons, Ferrum put on the airs of a Higher Species and ordered the five Nickel Dragons to build him a nest. Then, during breaks in their work, he explained in full the causes and consequences behind his earlier punishment of them, giving an account of what had happened last time.

And then there was no then. The Nurturer had told Ferrum to watch over several Nickel Dragons, but as for exactly how to do it and to what extent, Ferrum had no detailed plan. He could only take things one step at a time, using his status and strength to keep them in check for now.

Ferrum's life afterward remained as it had always been. Every morning and late morning were fixed training hours. In the afternoons, he exchanged Wedge Form techniques with Leijieduolei and taught the Iron Dragons and Thunderclap Dragons the technique of Finger-Bone Rebound.

Near dusk, he would run off with Moqi to catch fish and eat crabs, peeking at the female dragons frolicking in Bay Lake.

The days passed swiftly.

Because of the dragon pack rankings, many Dragon Hatchlings came to challenge him. The more capable ones were the two Iron Dragons surnamed Karajiege, along with several other Chrome Dragons living on the cliffs.

Ferrum was delighted to have sparring partners. He treated every match seriously and cut them open to let them bleed.

The Little Stone Spirits finished their polishing, and noon had already passed. The sunlight was no longer so fierce. Ferrum crawled out of his nest, shook himself, and headed toward an open space below Eaglebeak Cliff.

That was the place he and his companions had agreed upon. They usually exchanged techniques, chatted, and idled away their time there.

By the time Ferrum arrived, In Tas and Moqi were already there. Across from them stood Leijieduolei, methodically practicing Finger-Bone Rebound.

More precisely, he had been practicing just moments ago.

At that moment, Leijieduolei and In Tas were already locked in a standoff, their draconic auras crushing against each other as their fangs bared.

Moqi was long used to it. Gloating over their misfortune, he squatted nearby to watch the show.

"Can't you be a little more careful?"

In Tas's expression darkened. "You deliberately sent gravel flying onto me, didn't you?"

"Hm?"

Leijieduolei looked left and right. "Who's talking? I can't see them. Could it be some inferior breed without True Dragon blood?"

In Tas stared at him coldly. He did not want to waste words on Leijieduolei. Little by little, he tensed his body and assumed a fighting stance. The instant the Iron Dragon contemptuously beckoned to him, he pounced.

"Want to hear something fresh?"

Noticing Ferrum approach, Moqi ignored their fight and hurried over. "Something fun's been happening in the valley lately."

"How so?" Ferrum asked.

"Those Cobalt Dragons used to lie in the Sunken Hollow every day without making a sound. But for some reason, they suddenly became active recently, appearing all over the valley and challenging other Dragon Hatchlings everywhere."

Moqi waggled his brows. "That Cobalt-Blue Overlord supposedly even beat Hidorivi yesterday."

"Hidorivi, the Cobalt-Blue Overlord..."

Ferrum recalled the enormous body he had seen on Dragonbirth Day, a faintly thoughtful look appearing on his face.

With a series of sharp cracks, the Thunderclap Dragon was flung out. His four claws scraped and clawed at the ground as he rolled twice before steadying himself again, breathing heavily.

In Tas was a Lesser Dragon, his bloodline far inferior to that of a powerful Iron Dragon. After fighting for only a short while, Leijieduolei had seized the upper hand.

"I told you."

Leijieduolei held his head high and chest out, sneering loudly. He glanced at Moqi, then at In Tas. "You two, one idiot and one inferior breed—even if you came at me together, you still wouldn't be enough."

Moqi ground his teeth. He had not expected to be dragged into the mess, and fury immediately rose within him.

Hearing that, Ferrum withdrew his gaze, looked twice at Leijieduolei, then cast a glance at Moqi. "If it were me, I really couldn't stand that."

"Roar!"

Urged on by his brother, Moqi immediately let out a great roar and charged straight into the battle. The three dragons became a tangled mass, each biting, roaring, rolling, and slamming into the ground, until all of them ended up battered and bruised.

Ferrum grabbed several snakeberries and tossed them into his mouth one by one, watching the commotion at ease.

Only when a considerable disturbance arose from behind and to one side did he turn his head to look.

A large number of Cobalt Dragons had appeared.