Seraphina, seeing Ed's thoughtful expression, continued:
"A common trait among dragons is their fondness for 'high-value' items, but the definition of 'high-value' varies among different types of dragons. For example, I and many other types of dragons like precious metals, but some prefer crystals, jewelry, or have a penchant for collecting other creatures, such as humans."
"Wait, what does 'collecting humans' mean? Could you elaborate?"
Ed suddenly interrupted Seraphina's narration, keenly realizing that such a dragon might voluntarily protect some humans from the erosion of the Demonic Tide.
For Ed, who wants to survive and make the world less abstract, such a dragon might be a potential ally.
Seraphina dug into her memories and said:
"This is something I heard other dragons say when I was little. They said that the [ Amber Dragon ] has a habit of collecting intelligent beings, especially humans. For example, 'knights' and 'mages' who existed before the Demonic Tide, as well as some princes and princesses."
"How do they like to collect them? Do they keep them in their own territory like lords do?"
Ed subconsciously thought of the playhouse sets he'd seen children play with in his past life. Could the scenario in comics where dragons treat humans as pets really happen?
Seraphina looked at Ed with a puzzled expression:
Why keep a pet?
"What?"
"What I mean is, why keep it? That's an [ Amber Dragon ], and most of its powers belong to the 'time' domain. They can use secret arts on humans they like, using their powers to stop the flow of time, just like real amber."
Ed swallowed hard, momentarily at a loss for words.
In just a few seconds, [ Amber Dragon ]'s image in his mind had changed from a cat lover to a figure collector.
He could almost guess why the two [ Amber Dragon ] had fought.
"No wonder I could never complete this princess set, turns out you stole one of them!"
Or perhaps:
"My knight is the grandfather of your knight, so I won."
After a few breaths to accept the truth, Ed finally asked, with a feeling that was hard to define—whether it was curiosity or morbid curiosity:
"Then... can a human who has entered an amber-like state return to their original form after the secret technique is dispelled?"
Seraphina's eyes darted around, and only after realizing that Ed seemed genuinely unaware of this did she ask in return:
Have you ever seen amber? No matter how lifelike the insects inside are, the inside is already rotten.
Well, Ed knew his question was really unnecessary.
It wasn't because he was looking for trouble; it was simply because he had just thought of a problem—
Would he be considered a rare chess piece or a collectible figure?
If that's the case, then we really need to be careful about the Amber Dragon species in the future...
However, Seraphina is unlikely to allow herself to be used as a pawn by other dragons; it's just unknown how much it would cost her to protect herself.
He looked at Seraphina and asked:
"A century after the Demonic Tide erupted, how many dragons do you think still exist in the world?"
Seraphina thought for a moment and said:
"Not all dragons can adapt to the environment after the Demonic Tide, so a number of them will definitely die... But dragons are a race known for their individual strength, so there must be quite a few that survived, at least a few dozen."
"If they were all as detached from worldly desires as I am, maintaining only a domain the size of a cave, most dragons could probably barely survive the Demonic Tide. Unfortunately..."
Are you? Pure and abstinent?
Ed glanced at Seraphina and noticed that she showed no awareness of her misuse of words, thinking that perhaps she truly was a person of few desires among the dragons.
Wanting only money and caring about nothing else—how can that not be considered low-desire?
Seraphina, oblivious to the doubt in Ed's eyes, continued:
"Unfortunately, for us, the instinct in our blood trumps everything. Those with vast territories, countless collections, or those without the power of 'space' will certainly do everything in their power to maintain the expansion of their domains and prevent their precious items from being defiled."
"If that's the case, many of them are probably already dead."
Ed frowned slightly upon hearing this:
"Even if it means death, you'd protect your collection from contamination? Haji Dragon, you bastard..."
Seraphina didn't understand what Haji Dragon meant, but she didn't find Ed's words offensive either. She explained it this way:
"Because of our long lifespan, indulging in the desires of our blood is the best way for us to pass the time and the best choice for maintaining our mental well-being."
"It is precisely because we have things we cannot give up even in death that we are able to maintain our individuality throughout our long lives."
Ed nodded in agreement. Cultivating a hobby is indeed beneficial to physical and mental health, and he hadn't expected that this would be especially true for dragons.
Fortunately, Seraphina didn't have any particular interest in humans, otherwise there wouldn't be Dragonborn Village, and she might not have been able to get that low-interest loan.
Seraphina concluded by saying:
"You seem a little surprised, but that's roughly how dragons are in this world. Is there anything else you'd like to know?"
Seraphina showed no signs of impatience, so Ed thought for a moment and said:
"One last question, what are the relationships like among the dragons themselves?"
Upon hearing this, Ed saw a hint of contempt in Seraphina's almost flawless face:
"Normally, a second dragon won't appear within a huge area surrounding a first dragon. Want to guess why?"
"I see... "Ed suddenly realized.
For a race whose genes are so aggressive, it would be strange if they didn't fight upon meeting; in most cases, they would immediately engage in a massive, earth-shattering battle.
Thinking of this, a glint flashed in Ed's single eye. Seraphina felt that the human in front of her must be thinking something very bad, but she was unexpectedly a little expectant.
"Can't you dragons call in outside help for your internal strife?"
Seraphina nodded:
"I don't know who gave you that impression, but dragons aren't exactly noble creatures."
Ed looked at the dragon girl with a determined gaze:
"As a steadfast ally, if any other dragons ever wage war against you in the future, I will certainly provide you with the greatest assistance within my capabilities."
Looking at that malicious face, Seraphina knew what she should ask:
"What price do I need to pay?"
Ed smiled broadly:
"Increase my credit limit."
What does this mean?
"Lend me some more money."