Chapter 37: Pots, Bowls, Ladles, and Basins
Unlike grilled meat that requires precise control of heat and timing, the round egg comes with a natural shell that gives it an inherent advantage in heating evenly.
At the same time, eggs can be peeled and eaten as is, tasting fresh and extraordinary without any seasoning.
The Sky Dog Beast tapped its nails on the scorching eggshell, still hard, but large enough to potentially serve as a pot after the dragon egg is consumed.
Since the heating seemed pretty uniform, this realization struck him only after placing the egg over the fire.
Thus, Jié Jié refrained from violently opening it. Instead, he carefully located the air pocket, cradling it to his face and gently chiseling with the parrot-like beak of the Sky Dog Beast.
Once the hollow air pocket was opened, the beak approached the fractured edge, nibbling off pieces of broken shell and spitting them out.
The tender white of the egg gradually exposed itself, steam rising and warming Jié Jié’s face in a cozy manner.
Stopping halfway through peeling, Jié Jié carried the egg to the lakeside, washing his hands meticulously.
The pristine whiteness of the albumen reignited Jié Jié’s old habits, now ritualistic.
His nails lightly prodded the flawless white albumen, smooth and delicate like a work of art.
Much like uncovering a perfectly intact walnut kernel, it felt sacrilegious to simply consume it without due admiration.
Jié Jié’s fingers poked around until he finally mustered the courage to scoop a piece of the albumen into his mouth.
Soft, tender, warm, and fragrant.
In no time, the upper portion of the albumen was entirely devoured, leaving the golden yolk centered amidst the clear.
Compared to the memory of chicken egg yolks, the dragon egg yolk had a distinct texture—moist rather than dry, with a hint of oily juice akin to a perfectly cooked soft-boiled egg, neither fishy nor lacking in flavor.
“Roar!”
The young dragon appeared much stronger than at birth, its cries resonant and forceful.
“Do you want some too?”
Jié Jié blinked, scooping up a bit of yolk, kneading it into a small ball and feeding it into the eager mouth of the baby fire dragon.
Fire dragons eating fire dragon meat, fire dragons eating fire dragon eggs—it made perfect sense, just like dogs eating dog food!
After devouring half the yolk, Jié Jié decided to stop eating, setting the cooked egg aside for tomorrow’s breakfast.
There were still more dragon eggs.
Jié Jié glanced at the remaining dragon eggs, then at the firm little fire dragon nestled in his arms, hesitating before deciding to try nurturing them.
He was already at the apex of the forest ecosystem; keeping pets wouldn’t pose much of a problem.
“You shall be called ‘Little Pot.’”
Jié Jié struggled to curl the tongue of the Sky Dog Beast, originally intending to name it “Iron Pot,” but only managed to utter the syllables “Shao Gua.”
Subsequent hatchlings would henceforth be named “Bowl,” “Scoop,” and “Basin.”
Night had fallen, regardless of whether the little fire dragon slept or not, Jié Jié was ready to rest.
At high altitudes, nights were colder than days. Jié Jié pulled the egg nest closer, pressing it beneath him.
Dragon eggs were sturdy enough not to worry about being crushed.
One arm pinned down the restless little fire dragon whose seemingly boundless energy led it to bite him, though its teeth weren’t sharp enough to pierce even his fur.
Being a fire dragon, after all!
With the sun having clocked out and turned off the lights, it was bedtime!
…
When Jié Jié woke up, the sky was still dark, yet the roars of fire dragons had already pierced through the clouds, reaching his ears.
No need to guess—the male fire dragons were fighting again.
Within the Ancient Tree and the surrounding forests lay the concentrated living areas of the fire dragons.
They also ventured to coastal plains and distant prairies for living or hunting, but the massive central Ancient Tree remained unforgettable to them upon sight.
That seasoned male fire dragon patrolling his territory daily engaged in battles with other fire dragons. When female fire dragons entered their reproductive cycle, these conflicts escalated.
Without the seasoned male fire dragon around, the others naturally sought to ascend to the tree’s summit, inevitably resulting in clashes when they met.
“So noisy.”
If this continued indefinitely, Jié Jié feared he’d never find peace.
“Roar!”
Another male fire dragon challenged him…
A robust male fire dragon with a tremendous wingspan stretched its wings, driving challengers away from the treetop heights during successive aerial combats.
But once the fight began, chaos ensued, satiated fire dragons flying about, engaging in another brawl.
Jié Jié spotted the figures of Contestants No.1 and No.2 amidst the fray, but chose to ignore them.
Skipping what should’ve been breakfast, the battle raged on until noon when all other male fire dragons were expelled from this height.
Calm restored, Jié Jié increasingly felt this wasn’t sustainable.
This scenic platform was great, but he didn’t want to constantly engage in battles just to enjoy the cold breeze.
At least, he wanted the option to avoid fights when he wished so.
He was a male fire dragon, brimming with energy, but not solely one.
The Sky Dog Beast noticed a crack in one of the eggshells in the nest, uncertain if it was caused by his getting up or if a new life was hatching.
Approaching closely, another male baby fire dragon was struggling to crawl out of its egg.
“Ci~wa, Shao wa.”
The new name was “Porcelain Bowl,” but his inability to articulate the desired syllables left him somewhat regretful.
After stuffing some meat from its uncle and brother into Porcelain Bowl’s mouth, Jié Jié decided to relocate back to the lake on land.
Arriving alone, he now had to bring along these eggs and the two baby fire dragons.
Even if not for pets, it was worth it for ingredients.
The newborn dragon hadn’t adapted to the light yet, unable to see its nurturer transform from a Sky Dog Beast into a spider roughly its size.
Long time no see, himself in the form of a Hairy Spider.
The Hairy Spider form had grown significantly too; previously merely human-head-sized, it was now as big as a dragon egg.
Lowering his chest and raising his head, Jié Jié examined the silk he had spun, noticing it had thickened, though he wasn’t accustomed to spinning it after such a long hiatus.
The upper eyes of the Hairy Spider caught sight of Iron Pot approaching, sniffing around his body curiously, seemingly perplexed about something.
Smell carries complex information but serves as the primary means for monsters to differentiate.
When Jié Jié transformed into different forms, his scent altered greatly. He himself was unsure if there existed a consistent thread across different forms.
Let it come close if it wishes. Extending spider legs, he attempted to pat Iron Pot’s head to convey understanding, but the creature opened its mouth to bite.
Dodging the immature bite with the spider leg, he promptly knocked the young dragon’s head, sending it staggering away with a loud squawk.
Only then did Jié Jié relax, producing copious amounts of spider silk, planning afterward to search for some vines to use in conjunction.
Iron Pot joined its younger brother Porcelain Bowl, both sniffing each other’s scents, bumping bodies, and starting playful antics between young dragons.
While Iron Pot, with the advantage of a day older and fully hardened shell, bullied his younger sibling, the Hairy Spider completed its silk-spinning, transforming back into the Sky Dog Beast. He dragged Iron Pot off Porcelain Bowl’s back, growling lowly at it.
These fire dragon pups were full of energy, not resembling reptiles at all!
