Sinkhole Territory, Iron Dragon Lair.
At the top of the steps forged from sabers, spears, swords, and halberds, the Iron Dragon Mother remained as usual, perched upon her throne. Her massive dragon wings drooped lazily, covering many of the steps.
And with the arrival of the three dragon Hatchlings...
The Iron Dragon Mother lifted her eyelids. Her pair of dragon wings unfurled, casting a thick shadow as she straightened her posture.
"Mother, the radiance upon your scales surpasses a thousand morning stars."
Garros was the first to speak in greeting, leading with flattery right away.
The Iron Dragon Mother was slightly taken aback before showing a look of appreciation, a touch of pleasure appearing on her draconic face.
Although Iron Dragon scales were pitch black—and the faint silver glints on the surface could hardly be called radiance—it was difficult not to feel a sense of comfort upon hearing such beautiful praise.
As for the Red Dragon Sister and the Iron Dragon Brother...
These two dragons lacked culture and simply called out 'Mother' in a dry tone.
"Garros."
The Iron Dragon Mother's gaze focused on Garros, barely sparing a glance for the other two Hatchlings.
"You are now seven years old, and your growth rate has exceeded my expectations."
After a brief pause, the Iron Dragon Mother spoke bluntly and frankly, "Allowing you to live in this territory was already an exception. Now that a year has passed, it is time for you to face the dust and storms alone."
Her voice was sonorous, like the clashing of metal.
It was decisive, leaving no room for negotiation.
"Mother, I can offer up even more precious metal Ores," Garros said.
The Iron Dragon Mother did not respond verbally, only shaking her head calmly.
Seeing her reaction, Garros understood that the Iron Dragon Mother's determination to expel him was already firm; the previous deal would no longer work.
In reality...
Because the Sinkhole Territory belonged to the Iron Dragon Mother, the precious metal Ores Garros had ordered the two small dragons to dig were, by the territorial habits of Dragonkin, already considered her wealth in her eyes.
Garros was using her offspring to dig up her wealth, then offering it back to her in exchange for protection and food.
It was somewhat like trying to catch a white wolf with empty hands.
The Iron Dragon Mother was cold and old-fashioned, but she wasn't as easy to fool as the two Hatchlings. Her willingness to let Garros stay was mainly because she appreciated this offspring and felt a bit of sentiment.
However, during this past year...
Garros's rapid growth had gradually made the Iron Dragon Mother feel a slight threat, thus she resolved to expel him.
Given the nature of Evil Dragons, they often did not care for familial bonds.
There were plenty of examples where offspring, upon growing up, coveted the dragon mother's territory and attempted to seize it, leading to fierce battles.
Unless it was a Dragonkin bound by a Servant Contract...
Otherwise, the Iron Dragon Mother was unwilling to let any Dragonkin who was growing stronger—including her own offspring—remain in her territory.
By formally expelling Garros, she could also drive away the other two Hatchlings at the same time. Out of sight, out of mind, and she would no longer have to look after them.
The Iron Dragon Mother felt a wave of relief.
"I understand."
Garros felt the Iron Dragon Mother's resoluteness this time.
His own training and growth over the past year, as well as his explorations of the wilderness, had given Garros some confidence in surviving on his own.
The Hatchling lowered his head and said to the massive Iron Dragon above, "Mother, thank you for your protection during this time. I will remember this carefree time spent living beneath your wings."
Regardless of his true feelings...
The Iron Dragon Mother had, after all, protected him for seven years and had adequately provided Blood-food and guidance.
Though he was being expelled, Garros felt no resentment.
Meanwhile, hearing the Hatchling's sincere words, the Iron Dragon Mother was slightly stunned.
Should she let Garros stay for one more year? The moment this thought surfaced, she immediately snuffed it out when she noticed Garros's absurdly robust physique.
"Hehe, bastard Garros, you can't bully us anymore."
The Red Dragon Sister and Iron Dragon Brother were jubilant.
Heh, don't celebrate too early, Garros thought.
Sure enough, noticing the two Hatchlings jumping for joy, the Iron Dragon Mother's expression turned stern. She said coldly, "Samantha, Gordon, six cycles of the Lunar Phases have been enough for you to shed your soft scales."
Eh?
These words sounded a bit familiar, as if they had heard them somewhere before.
The two Hatchlings blinked, not yet reacting, looking somewhat dazed.
The Iron Dragon Mother didn't even bother to change her script, directly copying her previous words as she coldly recited the lines of expulsion.
However...
The two were not like Garros.
They felt no worry about the Iron Dragon Mother's expulsion; instead, ambition ignited in their eyes, and they appeared exceptionally excited.
The two dragons knew nothing of the dangers and hardships of surviving alone. With the typical arrogance and conceit of Dragonkin, they naively thought that once they left the dragon mother's territory, the future would be a wide-open sea for the fish to leap and a high sky for the birds to fly. Vast lands awaited their arrival, and countless lesser creatures were waiting to submit.
Seeing the looks in the two Hatchlings' eyes, Garros could roughly guess their thoughts.
They were too young after all, lacking the heavy blows of real life.
"I will leave your territory before dawn rises."
Garros turned, preparing to depart.
"Wait."
The Iron Dragon Mother suddenly called out to him.
"Is there something else?"
Garros asked, somewhat surprised.
Had the Iron Dragon Mother changed her mind? If possible, Garros was willing to stay under her protection until the end of time—or at least until he evolved to be stronger than her.
"My dear Garros."
The Iron Dragon Mother made up her mind and said, "In you, I see extraordinary potential and an unyielding spirit. I have never appreciated a Hatchling so much."
She waved a claw.
Buzz!
A dark gold iron ring, its surface inscribed with tiny, complex runes, slowly flew over and landed in front of Garros.
"This Tail Ring once followed me. Now, I give it to you as a parting gift. The runes inscribed upon it are not mere decoration; you may explore and study them yourself. I believe they will give you a little surprise."
The Iron Dragon Mother spoke slowly.
Garros was even more surprised.
A parting gift? Given how stingy and miserly Evil Dragons were with their treasures, it was already good enough that she didn't snatch away the Hatchling's own meager collection instead.
The Iron Dragon Mother's gaze was calm and profound, as always. Her heavy, steel-like facial armor also hid her expressions, showing no visible emotion.
But since she was willing to offer a gift, she certainly had her own reasons.
"Thank you."
Garros extended his tail and put on the dark gold Tail Ring.
In the aesthetic culture of Dragonkin, decorations did exist, and Tail Rings were one of them.
Besides common items like necklaces and bracelets, there were also silk drapes, Horn Rings, or plating dragon horns and scales with preferred patterns, embedding gemstones, and so on.
The dark gold Tail Ring had quite a texture, but it wasn't flashy, appearing low-key and steady.
Garros wagged his tail, feeling it looked quite good.
"Mother, what about us?"
The Red Dragon Sister and Iron Dragon Brother looked expectantly at the Iron Dragon Mother.
Garros speaks well and has infinite potential worthy of this old lady's special regard; you two morons can forget about it.
The Iron Dragon Mother didn't bother to respond to the two Hatchlings. With a sweep of her dragon wings, she created a great wind that blew them toward the exit of the lair.