"We can talk about the duel later. Hunting is more important right now. I'll go ask Lady Barbara for permission first."
Xiluo changed the subject, then went over to the giant tree and began climbing.
The wyrmling who had been throwing his weight around moments earlier now looked rather comical and awkward, his wings not yet fully developed.
He slowly climbed to the top of the giant tree.
The young adult female green dragon watched him with a faint, ambiguous smile.
"What happened just now? You looked like you were about to fight Alicia."
"I just shattered Alicia's unrealistic fantasies."
"Hehehe... That little one does have some clever tricks. She gets along swimmingly with the green dragons. Even Martha, that black dragon, supports her.
"Perhaps that's precisely what gave her the illusion that she could compare to you and Gordon.
"Unfortunately... she still falls quite a bit short of you two."
The young adult female green dragon sighed faintly.
Clearly, she knew everything that had just happened below.
"Lady Barbara, I imagine you already know why I've come to see you?" Xiluo asked with a broad smile.
"What a pity. They saw through those little tricks of yours in the end."
"It was only a matter of time. I was prepared for it."
"Xiluo, do you regret helping me deal with Carter? With him retaliating like this, almost all five of those gold coins you worked so hard to get have gone toward food."
Barbara sighed faintly, her enormous draconic eyes fixed on the little dragon beside her.
"Of course I don't regret it. I've always been grateful to you, Lady Barbara.
"This is all Mr. Carter's fault. I never expected Mr. Carter to be such a petty dragon. That was a miscalculation on my part.
"But even so, I can still get by perfectly well.
"I believe that with the combined strength of Gordon, Allen, and me, hunting outside won't be a problem."
Xiluo spoke with great confidence.
"That's true enough. After all, you and Gordon are no weaker than ordinary juvenile dragons." Barbara nodded lightly, then glanced at the red dragon hatchling not far from the foot of the tree.
"You may go out hunting, but remember! Don't go more than five kilometers beyond the Green Forest. Ideally, stay inside the Green Forest. Only then will you be safe enough. You're still young, with a long road ahead of you. There's no need to take risks. Even geniuses need time to grow! Do you understand?"
"Of course, no problem. Thank you for your advice, Lady Barbara!" Xiluo nodded.
He knew that those five kilometers were probably the extent of the Green Forest's territory as recognized by the outside world. Other powers generally wouldn't venture within that range.
After chatting a little more with Barbara, Xiluo took his leave, bringing the two hatchlings, Gordon and Allen, along.
Xiluo didn't notice.
Just as his retreating figure was about to disappear from sight.
The young adult green dragon's enormous Dragon Body transformed into a small bird, which flapped its wings and quietly followed.
Rustle, rustle.
The three wyrmlings walked slowly through the Green Forest, their claws making faint sounds as they brushed against the grass on the ground.
Their three pairs of draconic eyes surveyed the increasingly open woodland with excitement, exhilaration, curiosity, or nervousness. By now, they could even see the broad grassy plain beyond the forest.
"Are we really leaving the Green Forest to hunt outside? We could easily run into some troublesome enemies that way." Now that the moment had come, the little white dragon couldn't help worrying.
"What? Instead of going to the grasslands outside, you want to hunt in this Green Forest?" Xiluo glanced at the little white dragon.
"Yes... Everyone's in the Green Forest. It should be much safer."
"Safe? Hah! With my strength and Xiluo's, do we need to worry about that? We can catch prey wherever we go! You useless weakling! If you're scared, get lost!"
Gordon glanced disdainfully at the little white dragon and cursed, his face full of contempt.
He couldn't quite understand why Xiluo wanted to bring the useless white dragon along.
Wasn't it shameful to associate with someone so weak?
Gordon walked on Xiluo's right, keeping as far away from the little white dragon as possible.
"You two... Can't you think things through a little more?
"The Green Forest may be safe, but the Dragon Mother has over a thousand servants and troops stationed here. Although an army that size doesn't occupy the entire Green Forest and leave other creatures with absolutely no room to survive,
"it has still scared away the vast majority of the prey.
"Large prey is almost impossible to find in the Green Forest, and how much time and effort would we have to spend on small prey?
"It simply isn't worth it!
"The grasslands outside are different. They're vast and rich in resources. Even if they're a little more dangerous than the Green Forest, they're still a better place for us to hunt."
Xiluo patiently explained to the two wyrmlings.
By then, the three dragons had passed all the way through the Green Forest and reached the grasslands.
With no dense leaves blocking it, the sunlight fell fully upon the three dragons, giving them a peculiar feeling.
The sky was a clear blue, with a few birds flying through it.
"So this is what lies beyond the Green Forest! The sky is so vast and blue! What a pity... We're still too young. Our wings haven't fully developed, so we can't fly."
Gordon gazed up at the sky, his face filled with regret.
The little white dragon Allen looked at the sky too, unable to keep a longing expression from his face.
Xiluo simply wrapped himself around a nearby tree and began climbing.
Nearly five meters long, with a body the size of a full-grown pony, he was exceptionally nimble.
"What are you doing?"
Noticing what he was doing, Gordon asked in puzzlement.
"Looking for prey, of course!"
Xiluo quickly climbed to the treetop.
It had to be said that every tree in the Green Forest was remarkably tall, averaging at least sixty or seventy meters in height.
Standing at the top, Xiluo stretched out his slender neck and peered into the distance.
Almost everything within several kilometers lay in plain sight.
The grassland wasn't actually as flat as he had imagined. Farther away stood a continuous stretch of mountain peaks, making for quite a beautiful view.
Yet he hadn't spotted even a single prey animal!
He couldn't help furrowing his brow.
The sharp-eyed Gordon couldn't resist asking:
"What did you find? Why do you look so unhappy?"
"It's not quite what I imagined. I thought I could easily find prey by getting somewhere high up. I didn't expect to find nothing at all. This is going to be troublesome."
"What do we do, then?" Gordon also furrowed his brow, feeling that things weren't looking good.
"Maybe we can't find any nearby because we're too close to the Green Forest. This place is too dangerous for those prey animals. The smarter ones wouldn't come anywhere near it.
"But that's all right.
"Finding prey is easy, isn't it? Water is the source of life! As long as we find a water source, we're bound to find prey!"
As Xiluo spoke, he slowly climbed down the tree.
Using all four limbs, he soon reached the ground.
"But the problem is, finding a water source won't be easy either, will it? After all, we can't even fly yet."
Gordon felt a headache coming on, his face full of frustration.
Thanks to [Salt Marsh Cherry Blossoms] for the 500-coin tip, [Star God Dream Bond] for 100 coins, [bdongbird] for 100 coins, and [Never Forget Your Original Aspiration zyhy] for 100 coins. Thank you all for your tips, and Happy New Year!
(o^^o)
(End of chapter)
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