The dragons were naturally bewildered, clearly unable to comprehend this particular “merit”. However, when they were finally led by Shu Bao to see the soundly sleeping Jiao Jiao, they were convinced of his words.
There Jiao Jiao lay on a massive balcony, which was covered by a transparent dome equipped with every possible feature—shielding from wind and rain, soundproofing, and more. Not only was Jiao Jiao sleeping soundly, but he was also tucked under a soft blanket, radiating an air of being ready to slumber until sunrise.
Shu Bao helpfully explained from the side, “Jiao Jiao caught a bit of a cold after getting rained on a few days ago. That’s probably why he’s sleeping so deeply.”
The dragons, who had never witnessed such a sight: “…”
One dragon immediately protested, “What kind of dragon is this? Where is its caretaker?”
Shu Bao glanced at the neighboring room. “Uh… Jiao Jiao’s caretaker also has an excellent quality of sleep.”
The dragons: “…”
Jiao Jiao’s extreme delicacy had evidently pushed the limits of the dragons’ traditionally hardy bloodline. Being protective by nature, they quickly held a brief discussion and placed all the blame squarely on the caretaker.
Watching the mini-dragons, their fiery breaths sparking with indignation, Shu Bao hurriedly tried to defend his bait—I mean, his friend. “Actually, being strong and sleeping with a blanket aren’t mutually exclusive. Blankets are so cozy! And balconies are super comfy too—you can bask in the sun during the day and stargaze at night…”
While Shu Bao rambled on, the dragons flew over to the neighboring room. Without hesitation, a burst of dragon breath melted the door lock, and they barged in to confront the caretaker.
Yu Lingqi, who was sound asleep at home, never expected to find danger descending from the heavens. Feeling a sudden chill, he shivered and woke up with a start. Opening his eyes, he was greeted by the sight of something furry right next to his pillow. Reflexively, he rolled to the other side and muttered groggily, “What’s going on? It’s my day off, can’t I sleep?”
The miniature dragons perched all over the room only grew angrier, convinced more than ever that Jiao Jiao’s current state was undoubtedly related to this human.
Standing by the pillow, Shu Bao helplessly extended a paw to nudge Yu Lingqi’s head. “Wake up, stop sleeping! It’s raining, time to bring the dragon home!”
Yu Lingqi, who was being continuously pestered, finally had enough. He sat up with a start, his patience wearing thin. As a certified couch potato, he felt he had been working pretty hard lately. “What dragon? I’m not—”
His words caught in his throat as his gaze fell on the scene before him. He rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn’t hallucinating. For some reason, his bedroom was now filled with dragons. Although they were all small—some no larger than a fist—their expressions were menacing, and their sharp eyes glared at him with hostility.
“What kind of new magical beasts are these?” Yu Lingqi whispered to Shu Bao, now fully awake.
Shu Bao leaped down from the bedside. “Oh, they’re not magical beasts. These are Jiao Jiao’s family members. They’re moving houses and just stopped by to visit you on the way.”
If even one dragon in the room had a friendly face, Yu Lingqi might have been willing to believe Shu Bao’s nonsense. But with so many fierce, glaring dragons, he realized things were far from simple. Tugging his blanket higher to cover his upper body, he stammered, “Sorry, I, uh… sleep naked for better blood circulation.”
A dragon perched on the wall lamp remarked dryly, “Hmm, makes it easier to eat you without needing to skin you first.”
Yu Lingqi: “…”
Faced with such a timid human, the dragons—who had always revered strength—grew even angrier. The dragon clan leader unleashed his full royal aura, an overwhelming pressure that had previously subdued the entire Xia Wang City. This time, it was directed entirely at Yu Lingqi.
On the receiving end, Yu Lingqi immediately retreated into his blanket, curling up into a ball as he wrapped himself tightly.
The Dragon Clan Leader had never encountered a dragon caretaker like this one before. There had been caretakers in the past who weren’t particularly strong, but they at least demonstrated a willingness to fight to the death and the potential for growth, which the leader could respect. However, this guy in front of him had no redeeming qualities whatsoever.
Even Shu Bao felt that Yu Lingqi’s behavior was a bit embarrassing, though he had to admit that the Dragon Clan’s pressure was terrifying. The fact that Yu Lingqi hadn’t fainted outright was already impressive.
Seeing Yu Lingqi lying there like a total deadweight, fully resigned to his fate, the Dragon Clan Leader withdrew the pressure. He realized that as long as the pressure remained, the human under the blanket was completely incapable of communication.
Once the oppressive force dissipated, Yu Lingqi nervously poked his head out from under the blanket—but only his head. He looked at the Dragon Clan Leader, utterly baffled.
The leader spoke with a dignified air, “You are unworthy of being a caretaker for a dragon. From now on, Jiao Jiao is no longer under your care!”
Unexpectedly, this announcement caused Yu Lingqi to perk up. His face lit up with joy as he asked, “Really? That’s amazing! Can Jiao Jiao return my favorite blanket too?”
The dragons: “…”
For a moment, the atmosphere became unbearably awkward. None of the dragons had anticipated such a reaction. Perhaps trying to ease the tension, Yu Lingqi scratched his head and explained, “Jiao Jiao and I were never really in a caretaker relationship. It doesn’t matter to me.”
Yu Lingqi’s so-called contract was an equal partnership, not a caretaking bond. As a beast tamer, his original dream had been to stand shoulder to shoulder with his contracted partner, facing challenges together, advancing side by side, and creating their own legend. When he first crash-landed and formed a direct contract with a dragon, Yu Lingqi’s enthusiasm had reached an all-time high.
Now, he and his contracted partner had perfected the art of idleness, jointly setting a new low for magical dragons everywhere.
The dragons didn’t know how to handle such a lazy, resigned human. In the end, they had no choice but to temporarily leave.
Yu Lingqi, who was still naked under his blanket, naturally didn’t come out to see them off. The next morning, he discovered his door had been violently destroyed and immediately started complaining about demanding compensation from the dragons. However, the moment he saw the dragons again, his bravado vanished instantly.
The dragons, meanwhile, were no longer paying any attention to him. They were too preoccupied with trying to correct Jiao Jiao’s worldview.
Jiao Jiao’s big, innocent eyes were filled with confusion. These dragons had barged into his lair last night, forcibly dragged him out, and had been lecturing him ever since. Even if they were family, disturbing a dragon’s sleep was downright unethical.
Half-asleep and drowsy, Jiao Jiao eventually nodded off while sitting upright. This time, he managed to sleep until sunrise. When he finally opened his eyes, the surrounding dragons were all fuming, their breath visibly sparking with embers. Smacking his lips, Jiao Jiao got up, intending to find Yu Lingqi to help him wash up.
The dragons were infuriated by Jiao Jiao’s complete indifference and followed him, continuing their lectures. What they hadn’t expected was to witness the meticulous routine of a particularly pampered dragon.
Yu Lingqi used a special herbal paste to brush both his and Jiao Jiao’s teeth, clean their faces, and apply skincare products. With Jiao Jiao’s large face requiring extra attention, Yu Lingqi spent quite some time tending to him. By the time their morning grooming was complete, most of the morning had already passed, leaving the surrounding dragons in a dazed stupor.
As they walked out, Yu Lingqi suddenly grabbed Jiao Jiao and stopped in his tracks. “Can you shrink down like them? If you could, our morning routine would go a lot faster, and we’d have more time for breakfast.”
Only then did Jiao Jiao belatedly realize something. Excited, he ran off to find the Dragon Clan Leader to ask about how to take on a smaller form. Heaven knows why he hadn’t learned it yet, while Yinzi had already started practicing mimetic transformation shortly after meeting the dragons yesterday! What on earth was wrong with this dragon?
After a whole morning, the Dragon Clan finally realized that this dragon could not be “reformed”. As for that human, he didn’t seem completely useless. Perhaps it was fine to leave things as they were. After all, they didn’t even have a stable home at the moment, so they couldn’t ask for too much.
Although Jiao Jiao’s personality made the dragons increasingly irritated, there were still some benefits. After the night ended, Xia Wang City returned to the real world, and the environment of the real world was quite pleasing to the dragons. They circled the area for a long while, feeling that this world was a suitable place for dragons to live.
Shu Bao took the opportunity to propose that they stay, while also warning the dragons of possible external threats that Xia Wang City might face in the future.
After hearing this, the dragons seriously considered Shu Bao’s suggestion. After much discussion, they decided to temporarily reside in Xia Wang City and, if they really liked it, settle down later.
Thus, the news of the Dragon Clan settling in Xia Wang City caused a huge uproar. Coincidentally, the Magic Martial Arts Tournament was still ongoing, and the entire city became even more lively.
Thanks to their ability to maintain their mimetic forms, the dragons moved about the city with ease. Sometimes, they would go out exploring the real world, sometimes they would be interested in watching human competitions, and of course, there were still plenty of dragons following Jiao Jiao around, trying to teach him what it truly meant to be a magical giant dragon!
In just three days, these dragons had all snuck into the soft blankets provided by Jiao Jiao and Yu Lingqi, and now there were even more dragons in the clan using blankets to sleep.
Besides their accommodations, Xia Wang City also offered many delicious foods. It was the center of the real world and also a well-known area in the Chaotic World. With the supply from Lan Qing, there was an endless variety of food and treasures in abundance.
The dragons’ eyes were filled either with glittering jewels or delicious food. In just a few short days, the mimetic dragons had all gained a bit of weight.
The Dragon Clan Leader realized that this was getting dangerous, as the dragons were starting to resemble Jiao Jiao more and more! To prevent the entire clan from becoming idle, after a few days, the dragons informed Shu Bao that they planned to leave. They were going to find the last dragon cub and test its caretaker.
They also planned to further explore the world and look for a suitable place to settle.
Although Shu Bao felt regretful about the dragons not staying, he gave them a final reminder before they left: “If you’re not used to the outside world, you can always come back. The food out there will never be as good as it is here. Be sure to bring some tasty things with you…”
After this round of parting words, the dragons’ heads drooped as they clearly didn’t want to leave Xia Wang City. Seeing this, the Dragon Clan Leader sighed. It seemed that the dragons’ final resting place would still be Xia Wang City.
However, exploring the entire world was something they had to do. They would travel first, then settle down later.
As the people of Xia Wang City shouted their reluctant farewells, the dragons once again turned into massive beasts and flew into the endless sky. Their enormous bodies gradually shrank into a small black dot on the horizon, and only then did the people of Xia Wang City reluctantly turn away.
On the city wall, the high priest looked down at the spot where the deity had just been, but it was now empty. The high priest glanced around. “Where is the Lord Deity?!”
Ru Su responded calmly, “The Lord Deity said he also wanted to see the world. He left with the dragons. It’s fine, it’s safer that way.”
The high priest: “…” The Lord Deity was as carefree as always.
It wasn’t just the high priest who was speechless; the dragons hadn’t expected that when they turned around, another dragon had snuck into their group. Yinzi, however, was quite happy. It hadn’t really gotten a good look at the whole world yet, and now it could spend a few months traveling outside. It was so excited it could practically glow!
“You don’t need to guard that city?” the Dragon Clan Leader asked curiously.
“I have to guard this planet, so naturally, I must first see it,” Shu Bao replied. Xia Wang City was already developing steadily without much interference from him. Soon, it would be expanding outward, so he figured it was a good opportunity to get a better understanding of the planet’s situation. Besides, he still hadn’t visited the beautiful teammate’s base.
