Sure, here’s the translation into English with a comedic style:
—
Comments and Coupons Givers, Thank You All! Chapter 233
72. The Magical Beast and the Grace of the Second
Under the piercing gaze of Azidahaka, the wise Gryphon Minerva quickly changed the subject.
━ So, when would be a good time for a wedding… I mean, festival? I think the upcoming Sheep’s Day is suitable. By then, most of the construction work should be done, I reckon.
━ A festival? With all this chaos? Is that really a good idea?
━ Well, considering the turmoil, the citizens really need a festival to lift them out of despair. Just like healthy folks don’t need medicine, sad folks don’t need a party. If the cheerful don’t need a festival, it’s the downcast and weary citizens who need a spark of life…
━ Ah, I see. I don’t know when Sheep’s Day is, but let’s plan the festival for then. You’re in charge of the details, Minerva.
━ Understood! I have a lot to do, so I’ll be off now.
Flap!
Minerva flapped her wings and swooped down to the construction workers, transforming into a human and giving various instructions.
━ Cairo has deep undergrounds, so our priority is to restore the submerged areas there. All expenses and wages will be covered from Olympus, the White One’s warehouse, so all you need to do is put in the hard work.
━ Ha! They say a crisis is an opportunity. We’re about to make a fortune! That sturdy Olympus vault is really opening wide!
“I don’t know if it’s the White One or just a pup, but can he play politics? That vault of Olympus is private money!”
What worries the workers most is definitely the payment. Labor needs appropriate compensation to spark motivation, and once there’s motivation, progress will follow!
Azidahaka, overhearing the workers and Minerva’s conversation, clicked her tongue.
“Are they really going to splurge all that treasure from Olympus? Jupiter might have hoarded wealth, but if they blow through the budget like this, it won’t be long before the vault is empty.”
━ Right, uh… gems… They say Jupiter has gathered pretty gems for Juno atop Olympus Mountain…
Typically, Leaf and Azidahaka squabble over trivial matters, but when it comes to jewels, they seemed to have a unified front.
They didn’t really want the treasures they finally acquired to go to regular citizens.
“Gems can’t be eaten anyway.”
But to me, gems are just worthless pebbles and rocks. It’s silly to say, but isn’t it ideal for a leader to be unambitious regarding material wealth?
I looked down at the hardworking folks and shrugged nonchalantly.
━ It feels like populism is the only way to gain short-term popularity, doesn’t it? It’s good for flaunting and has a strong impact on hearts and impressions, too!
Of course, I blustered like that, but in truth, I know nothing about politics. Other matters are handled not by my own head but by the old Gryphon Neptune and the former Cairo council members.
“Leave it to those who know what they’re doing; better to let them be than stir things up and mess it up.”
A leader’s personal capacity is important, but it’s also essential to place talent in suitable roles and give them the chance to take charge.
So, I resolved to let the capable ones handle their tasks.
An iron-willed ruler with no greed for material wealth. When I exhibit my overwhelming prowess, law and order will stabilize, and with stability, foreign investments will flood in, leading to more jobs, increased production, and higher birth rates…
“Hehe, who knows? The Gryphons will sort it out!”
I turned my attention from the complex issues and watched the Gryphons flying diligently here and there, day and night.
Once Jupiter’s minions, they are now my loyal subordinates, thriving all over.
The sudden change in their attitudes over just a few days is quite astonishing.
“The Gryphons build their hierarchy vertically from strength. Their leader competitions consist of challenges from the young bl**d and responses from the older heads. To those Gryphons, perhaps you, who defeated Jupiter, feel like the new leader of a fresh pack.”
━ I just nod along to Azidahaka’s words. I mean, I have the upper body of a bird but the lower body of a lion. I must have inherited the traits of following a strong leader from lion packs.
━ Hmmm.
Leaf, listening to Azidahaka’s explanation, frowned in confusion, making her cute raccoon face scrunch up.
━ But I heard that the Gryphon pack only considers Gryphons their leaders. They look down on wingless beasts.
“Well, not flying beasts, to be precise. Their pride in dominating the skies is so immense that they can’t even conceive of sharing the skies with others like us dragons. But…”
━ Quiing.
Azidahaka glanced furtively at Yingyi, snug in Leaf’s arms.
“That day, it’s possible that the White One riding the small Cloudring Yingyi inadvertently treated it as a small Gryphon. In fact, among the young Gryphons, there are some who see the White One as a wingless Gryphon. Especially the males rave about its immense power until their beaks wear out.”
━ Oh ho!
I imagined the young Gryphons supporting and praising me.
A leader who is supported passionately by youths, especially young males, comes across as quite a favorable image.
━ Great! My dolls will sell like hotcakes! If you buy a doll now, you’ll get a Yingyi doll as a bonus! Tell the Dark Fairy village to ramp up production!
At my boastful declaration, Leaf hugged Yingyi more tightly.
━ Quiing.
━ U-uh, well… actually, the situation has flipped around. Now, if you buy a Yingyi doll, you get one of your dolls as a bonus.
━ Is that for real? What, excuse me? Is what I heard, real life!?
I’ve achieved something astounding and ended up with a buy one, get one free…
━ Yingyi?
━ Hehe, ticklish!
Yingyi squirmed proudly, while Raccoon Leaf chuckled at the ticklish squirming.
With a grin on his face, he opened his mouth again.
━ Looks like Yingyi is more popular than you. They say there’s going to be a play about Yingyi’s adventures somewhere in Cairo?
Ding!
━ Wait, what? A play…? I’m the star of this event, and yet… you’re stealing all the spotlight!
Looks like I might have become an idol in this beast world.
━ Quiing!
Yingyi soared high in the sky, spinning around, and a smile spread across the faces of a few citizens gazing up from below.
━ Well, if it’s good, it’s good. At least Yingyi has made a little bit of an effort in the end.
━ Grrr…!
━ Yeah, you did it all, buddy. This guy has more ambition than meets the eye. Anyway, what about the dragons?
I glanced up at Azidahaka.
The dragons were also key players in the conflicts happening in this desert alongside the Gryphons. After the rain cleared, they all disappeared, flying off somewhere.
“Well, the dragons have such strong individual traits that perhaps they’ll settle down just as they have in their respective mountains, valleys, and underground ruins.”
━ That’s the case; I hope they don’t cause any more problems.
“While there are plenty of young dragons with a lot of energy, they’re not stupid. I highly doubt many would dare attack after seeing your prowess in defeating Jupiter. However, there might be a few who would challenge for the leadership position now and then.”
━ That sounds annoying…like a delivery service. That wouldn’t be too shabby.
I started to salivate at the thought of snacking on the dragons that challenge me.
ROOOAAAR!
At that moment, a grand roar echoed from the sky. As I looked up into the air, I saw the dragons, who had vanished after the rain, circling around the Cairo spire.
━ They say talk of the tiger brings it, but are they really here for a showdown?
In response to my question, Azidahaka shrugged her shoulders, arms folded.
“That doesn’t seem to be the case.”
Flap, flap.
Among the massive dragons, a slender one with black scales flapped towards the top of the spire where I stood.
Preparing my claws in case of an unexpected situation, I heard a slender voice come from its beak like that of a bird.
━ This city, under the new leader of the desert, the White Beast, I extend my greetings. I am the Wind Dragon, Seraug. Though I’m not as seasoned in the world as Azidahaka beside you, I am a dragon who has seen quite a bit.
“Pleasure to meet you, Sister Seraug.”
━ Likewise, it’s a pleasure, Sister Azidahaka. I witnessed your brave battle against Jupiter. You remain as strong as ever.
“Why did you, who rarely shows yourself from your underground nest, come all the way here?”
━ It’s nothing else. I received news from the young dragon, Rivino…
━ Young dragon? Ah, that…
In my mind appeared the black-horned crustacean dragon I met on Sinai Mountain. So, he ended up marrying that innocent boy, Isaac, huh?
━ What news did you hear from that young dragon?
At my question, Seraug’s blue eyes sparkled with excitement.
━ I heard that the White One will match up the suitable dragons for bonding.
━ Ah, I see.
Seeing the blackened scales of the dragons that had flown here, I started to understand.
When dragon scales turn black, it means it’s the breeding season—or their mating time.
━ Seems there’s a misunderstanding. I don’t have the skills to arrange matches. Right now, I’m kinda busy myself.
━ That’s not possible. Even though you are an ancient dragon sister who has missed her chance for a mate, just the fact that you are connected to Azidahaka brings great power. I earnestly hope you can pet that soft furry tail and let the effect flow to me too.
“M-Mating chance….”
Azidahaka’s lips twitched at Seraug’s words. After hearing such a funny explanation, I felt like I had become some sort of stone totem that blesses people with children.
━ Please, I hope you consider our earnest request. If it works and we all find solid partners, I might even consider settling down and living here in Cairo.
ROOOAAAR!
With Seraug’s heartfelt plea, the surrounding dragons, who had been circling around her, joined in with a brave yet somewhat pitiful roar.
“Right, earning money, eating, sleeping, enjoying life, getting married, and having kids. It’s an important matter. Discussing philosophy and politics can be fine, but satisfying the basic instincts of living beings is also crucial.”
I decided not to refuse the dragons’ request to pet my tail.
It wasn’t that hard, and if it helps ease their minds and ensures the peace in this desert, or the vast plateaus that would emerge in the future, then there’s nothing to lose.
━ Alright, fine, let’s pet it.
━ Thank you, new master of the Ancient Nest, symbol of fertility and vigor, the White One!
Though a strange title was attached, I just went with it. But how the heck was I supposed to allow these massive dragons to pet my tail?
━ Well, I’ll excuse myself then.
Flap.
Swoosh.
Wind Dragon Seraug wrapped her wings around the spire and perched on it like a perch, then enveloped herself in strange winds and lights, shrinking down in size.
Before long, what appeared before me was a slender female figure with small horns on her head. She bowed her head once to me and placed her hand on my tail.
━ So soft and fluffy. I can feel the strong and vibrant magic radiating from this tail. With this power, fortune will flow, and everything will go well in finding good matches…
“Sister, Seraug. Isn’t that enough petting?”
━ Oh! My apologies. I was so entranced by the softness of the fur.
Seraug leaped off the railing as if diving, and with that, her body once again enveloped in dazzling light and fierce winds, transformed back into a dragon.
━ Sisters, let’s take turns petting the tail! An opportunity to pet the tail of the great master of the Ancient Nest has never existed before and may never exist again!
—
[Author’s Note] If you enjoyed reading, please tap the recommendation button at the top of the mobile screen! With just a 2-second effort, you can give the writer a happy day! @[email protected]
—
And that’s the end of the translation! Hope you enjoyed it!
