Thurlius, her older cousin, followed the crowd and took human form, but he kept his dragon horns, tail, vertical pupils, and other Dragon Clan features.
"Dragonborn?"
His appearance reminded Annan of the humans rumored to have Dragon Blood in their veins.
"Don't compare the great Dragon Clan to those mongrels!"
Thud!
Dragon Father landed another discreet but forceful elbow strike, leaving Thurlius unable to speak.
Annan looked worriedly at her older cousin, who was clutching his chest and wheezing in pain. He was afraid Thurlius might die right there.
"Ahem. I've prepared a lavish dinner for our elders. Please follow me."
Annan walked beside Illymoyas, leading the Blue Dragon family toward the city and introducing its facilities along the way.
"This is the church district. Four churches have moved in so far, including the Wealth Church and the Order Church... Over there is the Young Dragon hatchery. The Young Dragons I bought from the Broken Mountains—I mean, adopted—are raised there... That's the commercial district..."
Grandfather stayed out of the younger generation's romance. Dragon Father and Dragon Mother grew more pleased the longer they looked, while their relatives and friends were green with envy.
Looks, species, strength—those were all secondary. Only wealth, and wealth alone, endured forever...
The dinner guests were all Blue Dragons. With their tastes in mind, Cook had prepared spiced roast sandworm skewers, camel loin roasted on stone, honey mille-feuille, and Illymoyas's favorite, roast lamb.
They had enjoyed plenty of food delivered by humans in the Broken Mountains, but it could hardly compare with Free City's spread in variety, flavor, or refinement.
A Blue Dragon who seemed to be Dragon Father's friend sighed. "This is wonderful. It reminds me of catching camels with my friends when I was young... If I could eat this all the time, I