Chapter 22: Parting Gift

"Shhh!"

Syrax growled in protest, her temperament fierce and irritable.

"Sorry." Aemon came to a sudden halt, his smile freezing in place.

Not all dragons were as cold and aloof as Dreamfire—some had notoriously bad tempers.

Rhaenyra's lips curled slightly as she gently stroked the thick neck of the giant beast beside her, issuing a command in High Valyrian: "Be quiet, Syrax."

Syrax blinked her vertical pupils and crouched down obediently, displaying her understanding of human intention.

"Wow~"

Aemon was nearly drooling with envy.

Commanding a dragon looked so cool.

"Syrax has a bad temper. You need to approach her gently."

Rhaenyra smiled slightly and waved her pale little hand.

Although she had failed to tame Dreamfire, she could still try unchaining it. Meanwhile, she might as well let the little guy indulge himself a bit.

Aemon's excitement flared instantly. "Okay, I'm coming!"

He cautiously approached the yellow dragon, eagerly reaching out with his small hands.

"Roar!"

Syrax glanced sideways at him and shifted her body slightly, causing her scales to shimmer.

"What should I do?"

Aemon's eyes were full of anticipation, his tiny hand hovering less than a palm's width from the topaz scales.

Seeing his uncertain expression, Rhaenyra reached out, took his little hand, and pressed it gently against the dragon's hide, chuckling, "Go ahead."

Aemon trembled with delight, the corners of his mouth nearly stretching to the back of his head.

He touched it.

This wasn't like hugging Dreamfire on a whim—this was the real deal.

At the same time, a prompt rang in his ears.

"You have discovered a powerful creature with special magic. A portion of hot fire magic has been acquired."

A light red halo invisible to others floated out, swaying gently before drilling into his small chest.

Suddenly, a familiar warmth surged through his body.

Aemon's eyebrows lifted as he checked the number next to the golden hourglass:

[Essence Count: 268]

Not only had he recovered the essence he'd spent on two cards, he'd earned nearly double.

"Awesome, I'm so rich."

A Rich Man. Aemon couldn't help grinning with joy.

And more importantly—this wasn't the end.

[Aemon Targaryen]

Talent: Dreamer (Gold)

Bloodline: Dragon King of Old Valyria (23%)

Skills: High Valyrian (Mastery), Arithmetic (Proficient)...

Magic Card: None

Pet: Golden-Nosed Rat (Blue)

Status: "Well-developed human cub, expected to become a powerful warrior."

The [Bloodline] section updated, showing an increase of 5% purity.

Aemon sensed the pattern and whispered inwardly: "Every time I touch a dragon, I gain 5% bloodline purity."

If I touch every dragon in the family, wouldn't my purity soar?

"Hiss!"

Syrax shook her head and tossed off the human cub clinging to her scales.

Aemon took a few steps back, smiling awkwardly.

He couldn't help it—Syrax's topaz scales were just too fascinating.

"Hiss!!"

The sky suddenly dimmed as a loud roar echoed across the heavens.

Aemon looked up to see a glowing light-blue chest blotting out the sun.

Boom!

Dreamfire flapped its wings and landed smoothly on the ground.

"You're back so soon?"

Aemon was a bit surprised and shuffled backward slightly.

Dreamfire's eyes were indifferent. Even as the boy approached, the dragon remained still and aloof.

Seeing that it didn't drive him away, Aemon squatted beside the dragon's head.

"Prince!"

The guards panicked, sweating nervously.

Aemon waved them off. "It's fine."

Ser Steve and Ser Ryan exchanged looks—it didn't look fine at all.

Only Gunthor, ever brave, chose to believe in the much-maligned prince and blocked the other three.

If the prince wasn't afraid, what were they so worried about?

And so, a strange scene played out at the entrance of the dragon cave.

A light-blue dragon stood before the bronze gate, and a short silver-haired boy squatted quietly at its side.

The boy and the dragon were unusually close—neither disturbing the other.

Rhaenyra and Syrax stood a bit away, remaining silent out of instinct.

Compared to Dreamfire, who was over fifty meters long from head to tail, Syrax's fourteen or fifteen meters seemed small—a third of its size at best.

Aemon hugged his knees and tilted his head. "It still didn't work."

Dreamfire beside him kept her head high. Though her chest rose and fell slightly, she resisted taking a rider.

"This dragon doesn't want to be tamed."

Aemon pouted. Though disappointed, he could accept it.

He had chosen Dreamfire more out of curiosity and a desire to seize the opportunity.

There were other dragons on Dragonstone. He still had options.

"Roar!"

Dreamfire suddenly lowered her head and nudged the boy, sniffing forcefully.

She seemed to recognize a familiar scent.

Aemon staggered, confused. "Ouch~"

Dreamfire quickly lifted her head again, turned, and headed back toward the dragon cave, her silvery tail swinging gently.

The old dragonkeepers, who had been standing by, quickly moved to guide the dragon back to her den.

"So stingy."

Aemon made a face and began drawing imaginary circles in the dirt.

Still, it wasn't a total loss.

Just now, his bloodline purity had clearly risen, and he could vaguely sense the dragon's emotions.

Dreamfire wasn't interested in him—but she didn't reject him either.

Aemon felt that if he hugged the dragon's leg again, he wouldn't be thrown off.

Rhaenyra walked over, her expression serious. "Dreamfire flying out of the pit will cause a panic. I'll send Syrax back. Let's return to the Red Keep first."

"Then I'll walk Dreamfire back."

Aemon patted the dust from his clothes and followed along casually.

He was going to be scolded when he got back anyway—might as well have fun now.

Rhaenyra rolled her eyes flirtatiously and "looked at her brother with new eyes."

He really was Daemon's son—so bold!

Aemon followed the dragonkeepers and trailed behind Dreamfire through the dim, winding tunnel.

Eventually, they reached the cavernous underground lair where Dreamfire lived.

"Prince, don't run around," the old dragonkeeper warned. He called the others to form a semicircle as they worked to slowly and carefully fasten the shackles onto the dragon.

Aemon, now idle, wandered around the cave.

It was massive—an artificial chamber carved into Rhaenys's Hill. Wind blew in through rock fissures.

Thanks to those cracks, the air circulated well and the lighting was brighter than the tunnels.

Aemon frowned as he looked around.

The ground was uneven, covered in sticky dragon dung, scorched black skeletons, and reeking sewage.

"Roar!"

Dreamfire growled lightly, her vertical pupils flicking toward Aemon, then toward a dark pile of dragon dung.

Aemon noticed and blinked.

Squeak.

His backpack rustled as a furry golden-nosed rat emerged, placing its claws on the saddlebag and sniffing at the black pile.

Seeing this, even Aemon couldn't miss the hint.

Snap!

He "accidentally" stepped on the dragon dung—and with a hiss of steam, three dragon eggs of different colors (blue, green, and purple) appeared.

Aemon's eyes widened, his breath caught in his throat.

This wasn't dragon dung. These were dragon eggs, still incubating.

The tough, smooth shell of dung helped conceal them, while the black mucus maintained their temperature.

"If no one sees them... they're mine."

Aemon's chubby face turned red. He quickly opened his flashy system panel and tapped an icon.

[Empty Hands] Redemption successful!

As the dragonkeepers focused on Dreamfire, Aemon casually moved to block the pile of "dragon dung," then yanked his cute rat out of his backpack.

Squeak!

The golden-nosed rat panicked.

Without missing a beat, Aemon waved a dragon egg, pried open the rat's little mouth, and muttered: "Come on, eat up!"

A magical scene unfolded. The dragon egg vanished into thin air—and somehow ended up in the golden-nosed rat's mouth.

All three dragon eggs, each the size of a leather ball, disappeared in a flash.

Squeak~

The golden-nosed rat whimpered pitifully and shrank back into the backpack.

Perfect timing. The dragonkeepers had just secured the chains and were now leaving.

Aemon whistled, hands behind his back, following along with a guilty conscience.

These weren't stolen dragon eggs—

They were a parting gift from Dreamfire.

After all, all the reserve eggs in the pit were properly accounted for.

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