Chapter 87: The Youngster’s Taste
After days of observation, Noah had learned a bit about this little creature who shared the same name as him.
She was a diligent little kid, keeping her emotions tightly bottled up, never bragging or spitting out tall tales.
But every time her father, the man named Leon Casmod, was mentioned, she would beam with pride, convinced that her dad could do anything.
Noah was puzzled. Was this just a child’s admiration for her father, or was that man truly so impressive that everyone else just had to stand there and gawk?
He slowly bent down again, resting his dragon head on his front paws, curling up in a lazy dragon version of a human nap.
“Do you really believe in your father that much?”
“Of course!”
“But if I show you what ‘ultimate fear’ is, you might change your tune, you know?”
Noah frowned slightly. “I’ve already told you, no matter how strong your ‘ultimate fear’ is, my dad—”
“Alright, alright, let’s just go with what you say.”
The two of them locked eyes—one big, one little—calm on the surface but with chaotic thoughts brewing underneath.
Noah’s inner monologue: Kids have no concept of ‘ultimate fear.’ I shouldn’t lower myself to her level.
Noah’s inner monologue: This oldie doesn’t understand my dad Leon. No point in talking to her.
After a moment of mutual eye-gazing, the ancestor returned to the previous topic.
“Regardless, I need to use your body to harness the Primal Power, which will be good for you too.”
Noah raised an eyebrow. “What’s in it for me?”
“Based on my observations of you these days, you’re a very typical descendant of the Dragon Race—no, even more than typical! Your desire to become stronger surpasses that of most young dragons, even adult ones, right?”
Noah remained silent, tacitly agreeing.
“And harnessing the Primal Power wouldn’t just benefit me. You’d get to access another type of power—something stronger and more ancient. Why not, right?”
“The catch is that I’ll end up as your puppet, isn’t it?”
The ancestor shook his head. “If everything goes smoothly, I’d rather use you to solve the final crisis than do it myself.”
Noah blinked and asked, “Why? This is a great opportunity to restore your Primal Dragon King reputation! You could be hailed as a hero of the Dragon Race once again, not just living in myths and legends.”
“As you said, kid, it’s been ages since I was called a hero of the Dragon Race. This era belongs to you. You should enjoy its beauty, and solve its crises too. I’ll just assist here and there, like now…”
He chose his words carefully. “I’ll just help nudge things along.”
This time, Noah didn’t reply immediately.
She lowered her gaze, staring into the water below her.
Suddenly, the once calm surface began to ripple out of nowhere.
Waves quickly spread outward, creating little ripples.
The great white dragon also took notice.
“You’re wavering, kid. Think over what I said; we have plenty of time.”
Noah lifted her head and locked eyes with the giant dragon. After a moment, she stated, “I want to leave here.”
Having guessed her thoughts, Noah saw no need to continue the conversation.
She needed some time to digest and contemplate what Noah had said.
So, best to leave and find a quieter place for a mental brainstorm.
“No way.”
Just two simple words, but the ancestor delivered them with certainty and authority.
Noah was taken aback. “On what grounds?”
“Because I haven’t been out for air in days.”
“So?”
“So I want to borrow your body for a while, just to stretch my legs.”
“……”
“Don’t worry, I can only control you for two hours at most.”
Seeing Noah still hesitant, the ancestor pulled out his next card—
Moral coercion.
“The Silver Dragon’s eldest princess wouldn’t want to ignore the virtues of respecting one’s elders, would she? I’ve been sealed up for thousands of years! Is it really that hard for an old guy to take a stroll? Kids these days, honestly—”
Noah’s forehead popped with a big 💢.
She could hardly stand this old coot.
If she had known it would be like this, she should have let Constantine take him all away back in the ruins. Then, it’d be old Uncle Consty getting tortured now.
“Eldest~ Princess~ I’ve been cooped up so long I’m turning into a prune. Cough cough~”
“Fine, fine, just two hours. Not a minute more.”
“Great! I’m very punctual. Back in the day, I promised to end the civil war within three days and didn’t waste a second.”
“Don’t get too excited. If you want to use my body for a stroll, you must follow my rules. If not, I won’t lend it to you.”
“Okay, I’m listening.”
Noah raised a finger. “First, no harnessing the Primal Power. You’ve been secretly using my body at night to gather strength, and I wake up exhausted every morning.”
She raised another finger. “Second, you can’t leave the Silver Dragon Temple. There’s a barrier outside, and if you touch it, my parents will come rushing out to drag me back within thirty seconds, and you’ll be caught too.”
She raised a third finger. “Finally, when you get up later, be quiet. Don’t wake up Moon and Little Light.”
“Can you do all that?”
The ancestor puffed out his chest and thumped it with his dragon claw. “Such simple requests? Of course, I can do that!”
“Alright. Countdown to two hours, starting now.”
The moment Noah agreed to lend her body, the consciousness space shuddered violently.
Then, the surroundings changed as the dark golden walls gradually faded into darkness, and the water beneath them rapidly descended, as if flowing away from somewhere.
In its place appeared a magnificent white palace, luxurious and exuding a holy aura.
Looking ahead, there were high stairs.
At the top of the stairs sat a majestic throne.
“What’s this…?”
“Welcome to my consciousness space, kid. Surprised?”
Noah pulled her gaze away, scoffing, “Mediocre.”
“Mediocre? This grand and magnificent consciousness space is way better than your gloomy little sewer, don’t you think?”
“Who are you calling a sewer!”
“I’m talking about you! Kid!”
“I’m not lending you my body anymore!”
“It’s mine! Mine is just a sewer, Princess.”
“……”
Just as expected from choosing to reside in the body of Melkway’s little dragon, the speed of this face-changing was right up there with this family’s talent.
With the shift in control of the body, the consciousness space they occupied also transformed.
Noah could grasp that much.
“To keep you from being too bored in the next two hours, I’ll generously share some of my senses with you.”
“Oh, how thoughtful of you to graciously share my eyes, nose, and ears.”
As soon as she finished speaking, a magical projection appeared in front of Noah.
The projection showed a dim room, moonlight spilling in through a window, with her two little sisters sleeping beside her.
“Don’t forget what I said; don’t wake them up,” Noah reminded.
“Got it, got it.”
After many days, the ancestor felt the thrill of functioning limbs once more.
Bliss!
He gently pulled the covers back, carefully climbed out of bed, walked to the entrance, put on his shoes, opened the door, and stepped out quietly.
The hallway was empty enough for a grand stroll outside.
However, as he passed the neighboring room, he suddenly heard a familiar voice inside.
“Where’s the rope? Where did the rope go?”
“How would I know, Mother Dragon? Do you really need a rope?”
“Can you call it ‘captivity play’ if there’s no rope?”
“……Childish!”
The unexpected voices made Noah flinch and quickly shrink into a corner.
But after that, there were no further sounds.
Just a false alarm.
“What are your parents doing playing around with ‘captivity’ in the middle of the night…? What’s that even?”
Clearly, this ancient being had no clue about the young people’s interests in the modern age.
But her host was still just an innocent five-year-old girl, pure enough to have thought that kissing could lead to pregnancy.
“I don’t get it, but we have to leave here quickly before they find us,” Noah stated.
“Right.”
The little figure dashed through the hallway, running toward the fresh, open air outside.
