Chapter 19: When It Comes to Flight (Escape) Speed, I’m Dead Serious!

Are you a child? So eager for praise.

Locking eyes with Victoria’s sparkling gaze, Lind couldn’t help but think this.

Though she was physically bigger, in terms of mental age, calling her a child might not be far off.

What she yearned for most was others’ approval, rather than any material possession.

Just like when he was young, his favorite was Ultraman Tiga, a child who believed in the light.

As long as other kids also believed in justice and loved the light, regardless of whether they had met before, they instantly became good buddies, sharing a pack of spicy sticks for fifty cents, chatting until dusk, reluctant to go home.

Once grown, one might nostalgically recall childhood but find it hard to empathize with those of that age.

After all, when seeing a child waving an Ultraman toy and shouting loudly, his first reaction was to find something to shut that brat up—the noise was unbearable.

Or to whisper devilish words into their ear: Ultraman doesn’t exist; the light is a lie. Then, seeing the child burst into tears, he would walk away with satisfaction.

Once realizing the world doesn’t revolve around oneself, and that one is just an ordinary person, he could no longer tolerate those brats who thought they were the greatest.

What’s there to be proud of? When you grow up, you’ll see these as embarrassing memories and mock the next little brat.

Similarly, the older generation disapproved of his young peers, seeing them as lacking spirit, always sulking as if someone owed them five million.

Yet with their grandchildren, they showed a different face—full of vitality and charm, their bright eyes lively and sparkling, completely unlike their own children.

This is perhaps the origin of the so-called generation gap affection.

Life is an irreversible journey.

Circling a mountain three times, each with a different experience, when the days end, the heart returns to the starting point, beginning anew as a newborn.

Lind was silent for a long while.

Then, he put away his initial impatience and indifference, and with Victoria’s expectant eyes upon him, he moved forward, placing his large hand on her forehead and said earnestly:

“You are the best young dragon.”

A simple compliment made Victoria’s lips curve into a smile, sweet as a bursting citrus.

“Hehe.”

“Lind, I feel like I have endless energy now!

Beep beep bop bop, activating the gem’s hidden backup power, watch me soar into the sky!!!”

“Wait, wait... I’m not even seated properly yet!”

A thunderous sonic boom exploded in the air.

Still standing in place, Shirona widened her eyes, staring in awe at the rainbow shooting straight toward the cave ceiling.

It turned out that when Victoria got serious, her silver-white scales transformed into a dazzling spectrum of colors.

No, that’s not the surprising part.

At that speed, can a third-stage dragon really do that?

Probably no slower than the red dragon patrolling its territory.

A gemstone young dragon—truly terrifying.

She slowly flapped her wings and chased after Victoria.

...

After much hardship escaping the underground cave, Lind’s first words upon breathing fresh air were:

“I wish I had wings.”

They searched through forty-one tunnels, all dead ends, only finding the exit at the forty-second.

During this, he felt like he was piloting a supersonic plane without any safety measures, wind rushing into his nostrils without needing to inhale.

But his body adapted remarkably; having experienced his first bout of dizziness with dragons before, this time he only felt slight discomfort in his head, with no urge to vomit.

Hearing his remark, Victoria shook her body energetically and replied:

“I wish I had two pairs of wings, then I could give you one.”

“Why not just give me one of yours now?”

Lind joked.

“No, no, if I gave you one, I wouldn’t be able to fly. Only extra wings can be shared.”

“You’re kidding. Are you really considering that?”

Lind smiled wryly.

When the other butterfly dragons regrouped, they set off to explore the new area outside.

Instead of towering trees, this new region was an endless vast plain.

Wild cattle and sheep grazed leisurely on the green grass.

Besides that, the abundant vegetation provided shelter for various small animals.

In the blink of an eye, Lind saw three plump white rabbits scurry past.

Rabbits are so adorable.

I want half a rabbit.

“Wow, the grass is so green, this place is so big, and there are so many animals!” Victoria exclaimed.

“Uh...” Compared to her, Lind thought he seemed more cultured.

Although asked to recite a poem to describe the scene, he probably couldn’t recall any at the moment.

“I wonder if the red salamanders are still blocking the entrance. To be safe, we should stay here for a while and return later.”

This vast plain would be perfect for farming.

If there were no urgent matters, he would want to settle here permanently.

“I agree. The grass doesn’t look stiff at all; lying down and staring at the sky must be so relaxing. Why not just stay here forever?”

Seeing Victoria and Lind so pleased with the place, Shirona spoke up:

“Chirp chirp chirp (What about the tribute if we don’t go back?)”

“That’s true,” Victoria nodded. “Since we brought you here, we’ll definitely bring you back. We’re sensible dragons, and besides...”

Besides, she and Lind planned to completely ransack the red dragon’s treasure trove.

They couldn’t just indulge in this peaceful grassland.

Victoria conveyed her thoughts in dragon speech to Lind and also shared Shirona’s concerns.

“You say that to her...”

“Oh, oh... I see... Mm-hmm, I got it.”

Watching these two whisper conspiratorially right in front of her, Shirona felt indignant.

Damn it, do they not take me seriously as a dragon?

Just because I don’t understand the proper dragon language, can’t I start learning from scratch now?

Always left out, unable to join the fun, excluded—I don’t want that to happen again!

Please, talk to me about interesting things too, laugh with me, okay?

I beg you... sob sob...

Inside, a butterfly dragon’s emotions raged, but to others, she only seemed to be jumping about anxiously.

“Victoria, do you think she’s gone mad? Go see what’s wrong.”

“You—why don’t you go?”

“I’m afraid she’ll bite me.”

“Well, I’m not afraid of what you said!”

“She only understands what you say. Come on, brave little dragon, charge forward!”

Pouting, Victoria nudged Lind with her hip, then obediently approached Shirona.