Chapter 143: The Queen’s Punching Bag
The next day, the couple headed to Sky City.
Leon sat cross-legged on Roswiser’s dragon back, clutching the pregnancy shopping list that Roswiser had prepared last night.
These two had a habit of making a clear plan or a detailed list before starting any task. Whether it was helping Noia pass the entrance exam at Saint His Academy or preparing for their Sky City date in “The Love of Parents,” they made sure to be well-prepared first.
This habit significantly improved their efficiency and margin for error, which is why Leon and Roswiser never had any disagreements outside of their “family status.”
Leon glanced at the items on the shopping list, most of which were nutritious foods. Some he recognized from the Empire, specifically for pregnant women.
It’s no wonder Roswiser hadn’t asked Anna and the others to buy these. After all, anyone could tell these supplements were for pregnant women, and Anna would guess in a heartbeat that Her Majesty was expecting another little princess.
As mentioned earlier, during the early stages of pregnancy, Roswiser wanted to keep it a secret from her subordinates to avoid affecting daily work progress.
The empire’s top workaholic, of course, built her reputation for a reason!
But really, did Roswiser need this many supplements just two months into her pregnancy?
“Buying so many, what if we can’t eat them all and they spoil?” Leon asked.
“Too much? I think it’s fine! I ate way more than this when I was pregnant with Noia and the others.”
Roswiser paused for a moment and added, “Maybe human pregnancies are different from dragon pregnancies? Dragons require more nutrition.”
Well, that made sense.
Human cubs of the same age couldn’t match dragon cubs in terms of intelligence or physical development. Just look at Noia and Moon, not even two years old yet, but the eldest daughter could win essay contests and could take on three with some self-defense moves!
The youngest daughter, even more impressive, was all about dual-element awakening, claiming, “I want it all!”
Meanwhile, human toddlers just over a year old were still debating whether to call Dad or Mom first.
So, it was quite normal for dragons to require more nutrition during pregnancy, given the developmental speed of their young.
But on the flip side, differences in individual capabilities didn’t mean humans were weaker than dragons on the battlefield.
Sure, dragons were individually formidable, but their reproductive methods and traditional views meant their population was relatively small. Situations like Leon and Roswiser having twins or quickly following up with another pregnancy were pretty rare.
Moreover, the dragon race was split into many tribes with weak cohesion.
In contrast, humans could easily employ a strategy of sheer numbers to overwhelm dragons, even seizing more land from them.
Additionally, with humans being prolific, they possessed a skill dragons lacked:
“Card Drawing.”
Ordinary civilians were like your basic B-grade cards, kind of slow for grinding;
Normal dragon slayers were A-grade cards, still usable after some training;
Outstanding dragon slayers who held some sort of post within the dragon-slaying army? Those were the S-grade cards.
And then there was Leon, the born dragon-slaying genius; a rare SSR, capable of tanking boulders before he hit ten!
If only more lucky human families could produce a few more SSRs like Leon, perhaps this legendary war between humans and dragons would wrap up a few centuries earlier.
Well, when it comes to interspecies conflicts, it’s all about leveraging strengths and attacking weaknesses.
After all, no race is perfect.
“What’s this jade dew dragon fruit?” Leon asked, eyeing an unfamiliar item on the list.
“It’s a rare supplement that helps with calming the fetus and nourishing the spirit.”
“I get the calming part, but… nourishing the spirit?”
“Yeah, it’s for soothing emotions and relieving anxiety.”
Roswiser explained, “I was worried for a bit that I wouldn’t be able to control my emotions and temper, so… Leon, you’d better pray we can find it in Sky City, or you’ll just have to be my jade dew dragon fruit.”
Leon pouted, stuffing the shopping list into his pocket, “So I’ve gone from your captive to your punching bag?”
“Isn’t that just part of a captive’s duties?”
“Wait until this punching bag overheats and takes us both out, Mother Dragon!”
Boom!—
With a sonic explosion, Roswiser accelerated toward Sky City.
…
A few hours later, the couple arrived at Sky City.
They started by buying some common prenatal supplements and some loose-fitting clothes suitable for pregnant women.
Before they knew it, the morning flew by, and only one final item remained on the list: the jade dew dragon fruit.
Indeed a rare supplement, Leon and Roswiser scoured multiple nutrient stores but still came up empty-handed.
Standing on the street, Roswiser scratched her temple, “Looks like we can’t get it.”
Feigning disappointment, she sighed dramatically and then patted Leon’s shoulder with a cheeky grin, “Well then, my Mr. Jade Dew Dragon Fruit, I hope you’ll be more understanding in the days to come.”
Leon rolled his eyes and shrugged off her hand, “Now I’m just your punching bag?”
“Isn’t that what being a captive is all about?”
While the couple was hashing it out, Leon suddenly caught a voice in the distance.
“New store promotion! Super rare jade dew dragon fruit! Win our competition, and you can get it! Sign up now!”
Leon’s eyes lit up and followed the sound.
At the other end of the street, he spotted the opening event for a newly opened store.
By the sounds of it, they were giving away jade dew dragon fruit as a prize!
Roswiser noticed too, “Hey, guess you’re lucky today.”
Leon huffed and grabbed Roswiser’s wrist, striding toward the new store.
“Hey, what’s with the excitement? It’s not free; you still have to compete and come in first!” Roswiser chimed in.
“Pfft, how hard can that be? Watch me snag that jade dew dragon fruit!”
Roswiser didn’t resist, letting him lead her on.
Once he got a whiff of competition, he got all hyped up, and it was clear he was pretty obsessed with the titles of “Champion” and “First Place.”
Well, since they went out for a rare outing today, she might as well indulge him.
The couple made their way over, unaware that behind them, around the street corner, a tall, red figure was watching them intently.
