It had long since grown dark outside, but the dragon's lair was studded with luminous pearls, keeping it as bright as day. The giant dragon encircled the little princess with his wings, his scales spreading out as his tail slapped the ground in delight.
"Y-You're so awful… You made such a mess, and you even did it in that form! Turn back into a human…" Yu Deng's lower abdomen was no longer as flat as usual. He pushed against the black dragon looming over him. "You can't do that to me in this form."
Being handled like this by a dragon gave Yu Deng an indescribably strange sense of embarrassment.
"All right, I understand." Having already filled his beloved little princess, the dragon finally managed to regain some semblance of control after his earlier loss of reason and transformed back into human form.
Even though they had already finished once, the dragon was still imposing in size. The frost and snow that had fallen earlier remained firmly blocked.
Yu Deng pushed Oriel again before finally managing to create a tiny bit of space. The piled-up frost slid down slightly, relieving the cramped feeling.
Still feeling rather indignant, Yu Deng lowered his eyes and asked Oriel in a quiet voice, "Why did you have to do that…?"
"I'm sorry. It's a dragon's instinct. I lost control a little just now, so I couldn't help transforming back into my true form." Oriel held the little princess in his arms as he explained.
"Instinct?"
The dragon's voice wavered for a moment. "Well… the instinct to reproduce."
Reproduction was extremely difficult for dragons, and their partners could only conceive dragon hatchlings when the dragons mated in their true forms.
Yu Deng froze for two seconds. Once he realized what the dragon leader meant, his beautiful face turned even redder. "I'm a boy! How could I possibly… possibly lay an egg?!"
"Mm, I know. But I can't help it." The man gently patted Yu Deng's back, instinctively learning how to soothe and comfort him without anyone having taught him.
Yu Deng was far too exhausted after being put through so much. He remained annoyed for a while before eventually lying in the dragon's embrace, growing drowsy. Before long, he fell asleep, not even bothering to clean himself up or remembering that he had wanted the dragon to leave.
Yu Deng slept deeply, but after only a few hours, he was startled awake by Oriel's scorching body temperature. He struggled to open his eyes. "Oriel? Why are you so hot again…?"
"Because my mating season hasn't completely ended yet." The dragon's body was burning hot, and even his breath was scalding. He cupped the side of Yu Deng's face and kissed him earnestly.
The dragon's saliva passed that burning sensation between them, and Yu Deng's waist once again went weak.
Yu Deng stammered, "Y-You're not going to… do that to me again, are you…?"
The giant dragon, experiencing his first mating season, leaned over Yu Deng and pleaded, "Deng Deng, dragons need to do it several times during this period before it can completely end. I'm not being greedy. Just one more time, all right?"
The softhearted little princess eventually gave in after being coaxed into it again, but he soon regretted his decision. This time lasted just as long as the previous one… Yu Deng felt as though he was about to fall apart from the ordeal.
The giant dragon leaned over Yu Deng's back, selecting prettier gemstones to adorn him with. Tears trickled down Yu Deng's cheeks as he couldn't help trying to retreat a little.
The dragon's breathing immediately grew heavier. He caught Yu Deng by the ankle, reached forward with his arm, and gently yet firmly pulled him back into his embrace.
"Little princess, we're not finished yet."
The little princess, with his black hair and snow-white skin, was completely held in the arms of the tall dragon man. The contrast between his fair skin and the dragon's wheat-colored complexion was striking.
The dragon buried his face in the crook of Yu Deng's neck, gently biting him. Yu Deng was still completely overwhelmed, while the dragon's rough palm held him from the other side.
Receiving such intense sensations from so many places at once made Yu Deng tremble uncontrollably.
When the frost and snow fell once again, Oriel wrapped his arms around Yu Deng's slender waist and lowered his head to bite the little pink bud on his snow-white skin.
Yu Deng arched his slender neck and let out several short, breathy sounds. Unable to hold back any longer, he raised his hand and slapped the dragon across the face.
His soft palm landed on the side of the dragon's face with a crisp smack. The force didn't hurt the dragon at all. Instead, it gave him a strangely satisfying feeling.
The black dragon nuzzled Yu Deng, breathing in his sweet fragrance. "Would Your Highness like to slap me a few more times? It feels wonderful when you hit me."
Yu Deng: "?"
Why did this guy look as though he was enjoying himself?!
Yu Deng scolded him several times with a flushed face, only to have his lips caught in a kiss. He pushed the man away and, feeling dazed and exhausted, fell asleep again.
This time, the bastard of a giant dragon didn't disturb him again while he slept. However, when Yu Deng woke up, the dragon who had been patiently waiting for him was there to greet him.
Oriel's claim that he wasn't greedy had obviously been a lie. Greed was an unchangeable part of a dragon's nature, especially when it came to a delicious little princess. His greed became even harder to control, and simply doing it one more time was nowhere near enough to satisfy him.
Yu Deng and the dragon went at it several more times, on and off, until Yu Deng could barely distinguish one moment from another. Only then did Oriel's mating season finally end.
"Little princess, Deng Deng, baby." The dragon called to his beloved princess again and again, never growing tired of it. "I really, really like you."
Yu Deng was so annoyed that he refused to speak to the deceitful bad dragon anymore. He muttered curses under his breath. "Bastard… You're absolutely awful! I don't like you at all!"
Oriel knelt beside the little princess, looking utterly obedient and submissive.
The giant dragon now thought that he had been far too concerned with saving face over the past few days. After all, he could now openly—and even proudly—admit that the little princess had completely bewitched him.
He would even be willing to become the little princess's loyal dog… Who had ever said that a giant dragon couldn't be a dog?
"Your Highness is right to call me a bastard. That's exactly what I am," the giant dragon said. "I'm willing to do anything you ask."
Yu Deng glared at him for several seconds before remembering his special quest. "Then… what if I told you to submit to me completely and obey everything I say, even if I asked you to do something outrageous? Would you still be willing?"
Oriel answered without hesitation. "Of course."
As soon as the dragon's words fell, a pale golden line appeared between them, connecting the two of them together.
[Ding! Congratulations to player Yu Deng on completing the special quest. Quest target: Dragon Race Leader Oriel.]
Oriel could sense some kind of contractual connection forming between himself and the little princess. However, he didn't feel bound or restricted in the slightest. Instead, he was absolutely delighted.
Wasn't having a special bond with the little princess the most wonderful thing in the world?!
Yu Deng looked at the golden line symbolizing the successful contract and gave a small snort. At last, he found the giant dragon a tiny bit more agreeable.
Just then, the voice of the silver dragon came from outside the lair.
"Leader? Your Highness? You haven't come out for two days. Do you need any help?"
Hearing the silver dragon's voice, Yu Deng sleepily thought that two days had already passed…
Wait. How many days? Two days?!
Yu Deng turned around in disbelief and stared at the dragon leader. "Y-You actually… did that to me for two whole days…?"
"Ahem." Oriel's earlobes were slightly red, but his expression was full of satisfaction and triumph. "Yes, two days. Little princess, a dragon's mating season usually lasts a whole week. I've already finished rather quickly."
Yu Deng: "…"
He couldn't even begin to imagine what unfamiliar situation the instance would be in by the time it ended if he had spent an entire week doing those things with the dragon.
"Luckily, it was only two days." A faint blush colored Yu Deng's cheeks. "Otherwise… otherwise, I would never speak to you again."
The giant dragon gently coaxed the little princess with sweet words, but his eyes seemed to say that he would absolutely do it again next time.
Yu Deng was carried off for a refreshing bath and changed into a new dress. At last, Oriel moved the stone blocking the entrance to the lair, and the silver dragon brought in some fresh fruit.
The silver dragon looked at the scratch marks on his leader's neck, then glanced at the little princess, whose eyes were still slightly red at the corners. He immediately understood what had happened and felt deeply relieved that their leader was clearly capable of getting a partner after all.
"Hehe, Your Highness, is there anything else you'd like to eat?"
Hehehe! Their leader finally had a partner! And such a beautiful, adorable, and kind little princess, too! Their leader really was the winner of dragon life!
Yu Deng: "?"
Yu Deng looked at the silver dragon, who was grinning foolishly, with some concern. He suspected that this guy might need treatment, too.
...
After eating his fill, Yu Deng rested for a little while before finally leaving the dragon leader's lair. Only then did his livestream room resume broadcasting.
［Ahhhhhh, baby! Your livestream was black for TWO WHOLE DAYS! Two days!! Do you know how Mommy survived these past two days?!］
［I even contacted the Infinite World officials to ask about you. The system replied that everything was normal with my wife…］
［So that dragon really ate our baby for two whole days!!?］
［That dragon is so damn lucky! (gritting teeth) (jealousy).］
Yu Deng was led by the dragon leader to a grassy area. More than a dozen dragons were gathered there, all of them among the dragons who had been injured and gone berserk that day.
When these dragons saw the little princess, they all trembled, their eyes widening like saucers.
Ahem. The little princess seemed to be covered from head to toe in their leader's scent…
Yu Deng didn't possess the dragons' keen sense of smell, so he was completely unaware of this. Holding up his skirt, he walked among the dragons and carefully examined their condition.
After two days of recovery, the dragons, who had exceptionally strong constitutions, looked much better. Their lost scales had already begun growing back, although their surfaces were still covered in frightening-looking pits and bumps. Fortunately, the dragons had stopped exhibiting their previous violent and confused behavior, and their emotions seemed relatively stable.
The little red dragon who had been lying on the ground howling in pain that day secretly fluttered over to Yu Deng's side. It extended the tip of its wing and gently touched him.
"Your Highness, thank you."
The young dragon's voice sounded like that of a child around ten years old. Yu Deng turned around, rose onto his tiptoes, and patted the red dragon's head.
"You're welcome!"
The red dragon remained perfectly still, allowing Yu Deng to pat its head. Only after Yu Deng withdrew his hand did it back away a few steps, then roll around wildly on the ground in pure bliss. After rolling around, it got back up and hurried over to Yu Deng again, hoping he would pet it some more.
Oriel: "..."
The giant dragon leader darkened his expression, grabbed the little brat, and moved it farther away before wrapping an arm around the little princess's shoulders.
Yu Deng looked at the enormous creatures around him. "Everyone should be able to recover completely before long, right?"
"Well… it's hard to say. We might still experience those bouts of violent behavior from time to time." The white dragon responsible for their continued treatment shook his head.
Yu Deng furrowed his brows. "Then, how long have you been experiencing these symptoms?"
The dragons became serious and answered the princess's questions obediently.
"About a year or so. It wasn't very serious at first. After all, dragons are naturally irritable creatures, so we simply assumed our companions were in bad moods. But recently, it's been getting worse and worse. Many of our companions can no longer control themselves."
Yu Deng blinked.
If that was the case, why could his scepter suppress these symptoms? Was there some connection between the dragons' situation and the problems in the human kingdom?
Yu Deng tried hard to piece together the instance's circumstances, but he always felt that some crucial clues were missing. He couldn't quite connect the scattered pieces of the plot.
His spirits sank a little.
High-level instances were really difficult! They were nothing like the previous instances he had encountered, where the main quests had clear objectives, such as deducing the truth and finding the culprit, or placing in the top three of his grade.
But the background and quests of this instance were so abstract. The map was also enormous, with players scattered across different locations, while the various NPCs seemed to have no connection to one another.
Could an infinite-world instance really allow players to be scattered across different places, complete their quests independently, and never come into conflict with one another? Yu Deng wasn't sure, but his intuition told him that wasn't possible.
"Deng Deng." Oriel lowered his head, resting his fingertip against Yu Deng's forehead. "You don't seem very happy. Is there anything I can do for you?"
There was no way Yu Deng could tell an NPC about something like clearing an instance. He shook his head. "Oriel, just take me around wherever you like. I want to learn more about the dragon race."
To Oriel, those words sounded very much like the little princess expressing his affection for dragons. The dragon immediately perked up. He carried Yu Deng into the air and slowly circled the dragon territory.
Yu Deng sat atop the dragon's head, holding onto his horns. Looking down, he spotted a desolate area at the far end of his field of vision.
"Eh? What's that place?"
"That's the Dragon Mound."
The Dragon Mound? Wasn't that where dead dragons were buried?
Yu Deng thought about it and felt that there might be some clues there. "Can I go take a look?"
"Of course."
With that, the dragon carried Yu Deng toward the Dragon Mound.
As they approached, Yu Deng could make out the terrain more clearly. It was an enormous valley scattered irregularly with burial mounds, surrounded by numerous dark red trees. They soon arrived at the edge of the Dragon Mound.
Just then, a gust of wind suddenly swept through the normally tranquil Dragon Mound, spiraling upward into the sky. Yu Deng's vision blurred for a moment. When he opened his eyes again, he found himself standing in an unfamiliar place.
Yu Deng looked around in confusion.
Where was Oriel? Why had he ended up in this strange place all by himself?
[Ding. Player Yu Deng has triggered a special scene and entered the following location: Dragon Mound.]
So this was the Dragon Mound…
The temperature here was much lower than in the dragon territory, and a thin mist hung in the air, severely limiting visibility. Yu Deng wrapped his arms around himself, rubbed them for warmth, and cautiously took two steps forward.
Dead branches and fallen leaves were scattered across the ground, and the sandy soil was loose. Even though Yu Deng walked very carefully, he still stumbled several times.
Rustling sounds began to emerge from his surroundings. Gathering his courage, Yu Deng turned around and saw several enormous, blurry black shadows that had appeared behind him at some point. They had neither limbs nor facial features, yet they could still let out terrifying roars as they approached him.
The moment Yu Deng saw these shadows, he felt a chill seep into his body, and an irritable feeling welled up inside him.
A foul, fishy stench drifted over with the wind. Yu Deng's little face turned pale, and without paying attention to the strange emotions stirring within him, he took off running. He ran until he was panting heavily, but the black shadows were incredibly fast. Yu Deng had no choice but to use his skill.
His little vampire wings unfurled, carrying him swiftly through the air.
Waaah, what exactly are these things…?
Yu Deng was so anxious that his mind went completely blank. He tried attacking the shadows, but his attacks passed straight through them.
The Dragon Mound was simply too vast. Even after Yu Deng's flight skill expired, he still hadn't completely shaken off the eerie black shadows behind him.
Crack, crack.
A teeth-grating sound came from ahead of Yu Deng, as though bones that hadn't moved in ages were beginning to loosen.
Yu Deng: "!"
There are wolves in front and tigers behind! My poor little life is about to end!
Yu Deng's flight skill had completely expired, and his little wings folded away. He scrambled to his feet and had only taken two steps when something cold grabbed him.
Yu Deng looked up and finally saw what had been making the cracking sounds.
I-It really was a dragon's skeleton…
Yu Deng didn't notice that after the skeletal dragon appeared, the black shadows temporarily stopped chasing him.
"Wuu…" Suspended in midair by the skeletal claws, Yu Deng fearfully squeezed his eyes shut. "Who are you? Could you please not eat me…?"
"Me? I'm the ancestor of those fellows outside." The skeleton could actually speak, its voice sounding somewhat elderly. "Don't worry. I've lived for more than three thousand years. I'm not going to eat a little one like you."
Yu Deng hesitated.
The main problem was that he had never studied archaeology. He couldn't determine the skeleton's age or historical period just by looking at it, so he had no idea whether this skeletal dragon was telling the truth.
"Let me have a look at you. You're certainly not a dragon, child."
Yu Deng nervously opened his eyes and explained, "Um… I'm the princess of the human kingdom. Oriel brought me to the dragon race's territory."
"Oriel? Oh, that boy from the Smelid family. He has royal dragon blood."
The skeletal dragon stared in Yu Deng's direction with its two enormous, hollow eye sockets. After looking at him for several seconds, it seemed to like him more and more, until it finally let out a heavy sigh.
"You're so adorable. How come you're not one of our dragon race's little treasures?"
The skeletal dragon found the situation rather fascinating. The relationship between dragons and other races wasn't exactly friendly, let alone affectionate.
Yet, as the skeletal dragon looked at this beautiful little princess whom it had just met, it inexplicably felt a surge of affection and tenderness.
The skeletal dragon sighed. "If only you were one of our dragon hatchlings."
Hearing this question, Yu Deng pondered for a moment. He felt that this skeletal dragon really was the ancestor of the dragons. After all, the dragons in their territory were always asking him why he wasn't a princess of the dragon race.
How should he put it? Even their thought processes seemed to have been passed down through the generations.
The skeletal dragon held the little human princess and examined him for quite some time. Gradually, a greedy, possessive gleam appeared in its hollow eyes. This was simply a dragon's nature, and even a dragon that had already died was no exception.
Stealing someone else's child was, after all, another form of taking possession.
The skeletal dragon spoke. "Inside the Dragon Mound, you are a dragon."
Yu Deng was very confused. "But I really am not a dragon…"
The skeletal dragon put on an air of profound wisdom, trying to frighten Yu Deng. "But this is a place that only dragons can enter. No matter how you managed to get in, if you aren't a member of the dragon race, you'll encounter danger unless you have a dragon's protection."
The dragon ancestor felt increasingly regretful as he looked at Yu Deng. Why hadn't he met this little princess while he was still alive? If he had, he could have brought him back and raised him as one of their own dragon hatchlings.
Dragons had tough hides and thick flesh. Even newly hatched dragonlings possessed tremendous destructive power, and once they grew up, they became hot-tempered creatures. There wasn't a single dragon in the entire race who was easy to deal with.
The skeletal dragon had once served as the leader of the dragon race for several hundred years. During that time, it had felt as though its lifespan had been cut in half.
After laying the groundwork, the skeletal dragon finally revealed its true intentions.
"As long as you pretend to be a dragon, I'll protect you just as I would protect the descendants of the dragon race. How about it?"
Yu Deng stared blankly at the skeletal dragon, unable to understand why it wanted to do this. Could something like that really be faked?!
Another icy wind swept through the Dragon Mound, sending Yu Deng's long hair and skirt fluttering wildly. Visibility grew even worse. Yu Deng didn't know whether the black shadows from earlier would return, nor did he know what other ghosts and monsters might be lurking in the blurry surroundings.
Yu Deng shivered, his eyes growing slightly moist.
Wuwu… Maybe he should just pretend to be a dragon and let this skeletal dragon grandpa protect him.
But he was only a human. How was he supposed to imitate a dragon?
Yu Deng struggled to think it through for a long time before finally speaking hesitantly. His soft voice trembled slightly as he tried his best to imitate a little dragon.
"Raoo?"