Chapter 5: The Dragon’s Reckoning

The gust of wind that assailed Theodore felt like an onslaught of blades, spears, swords, and staves striking his entire body.

Under the terrifying pressure, Theodore unhesitatingly channeled all his internal energy into his right fist, slamming it with full force against one of the dragon’s talons.

The colossal shockwave generated by their collision pulverized the surrounding island flora, instantly clearing a vast expanse of land centered around the man and the dragon.

Theodore felt as though his full-power strike had merely impacted a colossal mountain. The dragon’s utter immobility made him question whether he had even thrown a punch at all.

Accompanied by an intense golden glow, the dragon’s claw before him gradually diminished in size, transforming into a powerfully muscled arm.

The Patriarch withdrew his fist, gazing with satisfaction at the cleared space. It was more than ample for arranging a matchmaking event.

Theodore’s internal energy from the earlier impact had been entirely redirected by the Patriarch to the surroundings, effectively clearing the area.

Judging by the size of the cleared space, Theodore’s raw physical strength was already comparable to that of a newly matured young dragon.

‘What a promising and level-headed young man,’ the Patriarch mused. ‘Unlike those ‘exceptionally brilliant’ and ‘fearless’ young dragons in the clan.’

‘Why isn’t he a dragon?’

Lost in thought, the Patriarch sighed and said, “Boy, remember to reincarnate as a dragon in your next life.”

Theodore: “???”

‘Was he about to be silenced?’

‘No, he hadn’t even heard anything yet!’

Fortunately, the Patriarch seemed to have merely entered an elderly state of ‘melancholy’ rather than truly intending to dispose of Theodore without cause.

He spoke up, “You have proven your capabilities. I will now tell you the truth, but to avoid upsetting Theresia, I will seal this memory after you’ve heard it, only unsealing it when you are about to undertake the trial.”

“No problem.” Theodore nodded. He merely wanted to be mentally prepared, to ensure everything didn’t come too abruptly.

The Patriarch, while surveying the terrain and pondering how to arrange the decorations to best ignite the young dragons’ hormones, inquired, “Let me ask first, how did she explain this to you? There must have been a general idea.”

Theodore’s expression was peculiar as he replied, “She only told me that after the trial begins, if she fails the challenge, I would need to help her endure the consequences of failure.”

“She said I wouldn’t be in mortal danger, but I would suffer immense physical torment, an extreme test of my endurance and stamina, accompanied by a certain degree of mental harm.”

“However, she also said that once I help her through the trial, she would assist in sealing that memory for me, so the pain would only be temporary.”

The Patriarch nodded. “Oh, aside from the specific details, everything else she said was quite accurate. Then allow me to reveal the answer.”

A gulp.

Theodore swallowed hard, his fists unconsciously clenching. Beads of sweat streamed down his cheeks, his eyes reflecting both a curiosity for the unknown and a resolute courage to face the abyss, as if the Patriarch was about to reveal an unspeakable entity.

“Mhm, mhm.”

The Patriarch cleared his throat, then stated with an utterly serious expression, “Theresia’s trial, three days from now, is…”

The Patriarch completely disregarded Theodore’s heart, which was operating near its limit. He paused suddenly, then accelerated, “The Dragon Race’s (づ￣3￣)づ╭❤～ breeding season!”

Theodore blinked. The Patriarch blinked back.

Then Theodore poked his ears, tentatively inquiring, “My ears might have had a slight problem just now. Could you repeat that?”

“Please wait a moment.”

The Patriarch snapped his fingers, and a barrier instantly enveloped the ten-meter space around them, sealing it tightly.

Then he took a deep breath and exhaled sharply: “I! Said! That! The! Trial! Is! The! Dragon! Race’s! (づ￣3￣)づ╭❤～! Breeding! Season!”

The Patriarch finished shouting and immediately exited the barrier, his voice, laden with forbidden words, reverberating wildly within the enclosed space.

After his hearing had been repeatedly and brutally assaulted, Theodore’s brain finally comprehended that the information he had just received was not a hallucination.

Yet, he felt as though something inside him had shattered.

He slowly spoke, “I don’t quite understand.”

“It’s fine, I’ll help you understand.” The Patriarch pulled an armchair from a spatial rift, comfortably settled into it, and leisurely explained:

“Due to certain special reasons, on the day a dragon matures, they enter an intense (づ￣3￣)づ╭❤～ breeding season. It’s the kind where they absolutely must mate. Currently, there have been no cases of dragons resisting it through sheer willpower or other external means.”

“During this time, normal dragons find a compatible opposite-s*x dragon, or even a non-dragon creature, to have a joyful coming-of-age ceremony. However, some stubborn, unyielding dragons believe their destiny is their own, not heaven’s, and will try all sorts of folk remedies to suppress it.”

“While I admire their courage to challenge the gods, courage clearly isn’t sustenance. So far, none have succeeded.”

“Instead, the prior suppression only leads to a more violent outburst, and at that point, a brave member of the opposite s*x is needed to bear the brunt of it all.”

The Patriarch looked at the disillusioned Theodore, patting his shoulder. “Theresia, whether male or female, is quite formidable. Eat well, drink well, and sleep well these two days. Don’t worry, you’ll be amply rewarded afterward. You will then witness the Dragon Race’s world-leading medical technology, both physiological and psychological.”

“By the way, don’t even think about backing out now; that’s impossible. I’m telling you this merely to prepare you mentally, not to give you a choice.”

Though the Patriarch’s voice remained gentle, his golden dragon eyes stared directly at Theodore. It was as if any hint of refusal from Theodore would lead to a colossal golden dragon, obscuring the sky, tearing him to shreds.

Theodore’s face paled slightly. ‘Was this the power of a peak-level expert?’

Just a slight leakage of their aura made his soul tremble.

“I… I hadn’t considered refusing. Rather, I was already prepared to go through hell and high water; it’s just the nature of this…”

Theodore was at a loss for words to describe his complex emotions. After a moment’s thought, he asked, “Why me?”

“Why you? Don’t ask me.” The Patriarch chuckled, leaning back in his armchair. “Aside from certain races, to ensure the physical and mental well-being of every mature dragon, we allow them to choose their mating partner for the breeding season before the deadline. So, you were chosen by Theresia; you must ask her.”

The tangled knot in Theodore’s mind instantly straightened, and a wave of happiness surged through him. He couldn’t help but grin foolishly.

So, he had been chosen by Theresia. Chosen for *this*.

Hehe, hehehe.

In Theodore’s mind, he had already transformed into a dragon rider, soaring through the sky with Theresia, forming a dragon-human couple.

Speaking of which, after they combined, would their future babies be born from eggs or live birth?

****

‘Alright, another one has turned foolish. Why are young people so obsessed with romance nowadays?’

The Patriarch sighed, watching the dazed Theodore. He had already guessed Theresia’s future plans.

‘Was sealing the memories afterward truly just to prevent Theodore from having psychological trauma?’

‘What a scummy dragon.’

From a material perspective, Theodore was indeed making a huge profit, but judging by the boy’s current state, that was probably not what he wanted.

Perhaps…

The Patriarch pondered. The Dragon Race’s fertility had always been low, and Theresia was the last remaining black dragon.

As for where the other black dragons had gone?

They all died by their own recklessness!

Since 5,000 years ago, not a single black dragon had died of old age! Their self-destructive nature seemed to be etched into their genes; they started being reckless from childhood and only got worse as adults.

Black dragons accounted for ninety percent of the ‘evil dragons’ rumored among humans! The remaining ten percent were the Dragon Race’s mental patients!

When Theresia was born, he had taken this little black dragon away from her reckless parents, fearing she would be infected by their habits.

And Theresia had surprised him. This black dragon did not advocate violence, nor did she ever engage in idiotic, self-destructive behavior. She was creative and intelligent from a young age, as if all the virtues of black dragons over the past five millennia had been absorbed by Theresia.

Originally, the Patriarch thought the black dragons would finally rise again. He had believed he could nurture Theresia into the pillar that would support the Dragon Race’s future!

But he was wrong. He shouldn’t have held onto hope; black dragons definitely had a screw loose in their genes.

He had offered money, houses, and vacations, yet he couldn’t sway Theresia’s determination to let the black dragon lineage die out.

If this sole black dragon descendant vanished, the Dragon Race would lose an entire dragon lineage!

He recalled how the previous Dragon Patriarch, on his deathbed, had tearfully held his hand and lamented that the dragon population had dwindled under his rule, making him a sinner of the Dragon Race.

As Patriarch, he asked for nothing else but to achieve positive population growth for the Dragon Race from its current baseline. An increase of 2,000 dragons over ten thousand years would be enough to earn him a dedicated page in the Dragon Race’s historical records.

Before Theresia’s birth, he felt confident, but now he worried about being nailed to the Dragon Race’s pillar of shame.

Even during the Dragon Race’s darkest eras, no lineage had ever faced extinction.

This was a major reason why the Patriarch was so worried about Theresia.

Ever since he became Patriarch, he had practically worked 007 shifts, only to experience such dramatic ups and downs in his old age.

Was it easy for him?!

Why was laying a dragon egg so difficult?!!

Thinking this, the Patriarch glared fiercely at Theodore. ‘No, the black dragons cannot go extinct!!!’