Chapter 302
“Chirp chirp?”
Seeing the baby dragon smile at her, the little red bird tilted her head slightly and then, with a puff, sprayed fire at it again.
Despite being no larger than the size of a palm, the fire she sprayed was much bigger than her own body, completely enveloping the baby dragon’s head.
This scene also caught the attention of Tang Yu’an, who had come running to find her.
Behind Tang Yu’an and Zhou Qi, two giant dragons had followed, and they, too, witnessed the scene.
When they saw the little red bird attacking the baby dragon, Tang Yu’an was frightened.
“Ruby!” he called out to stop her.
The little red bird was startled, and the flame she was spewing immediately ceased.
Tang Yu’an quickly rushed over and held the little red bird in his hands to keep it from flying away. He then looked over at the baby dragon by the lava pool.
Fortunately, the baby dragon wasn’t angry. Instead, it squinted its eyes and showed a satisfied expression. After the fire stopped, it blinked, looking at Tang Yu’an in confusion.
Tang Yu’an sighed in relief.
Perhaps because they were both fire-type creatures, the baby dragon wasn’t harmed by Ruby’s flames.
He looked over at Chi Yan and Yan Lie, the two giant dragons, who remained calm. Even though the baby dragon had just narrowly escaped danger, they showed no signs of concern now that it had been sprayed with fire.
On the contrary, both dragons were focused on the little red bird in Tang Yu’an’s hands.
In their eyes, Tang Yu’an was already small enough, and Ruby, the palm-sized red gem, seemed even smaller. They had to get close and carefully squint to make out what it looked like.
“What kind of creature is this?” Chi Yan asked in surprise.
“The flames it just sprayed…” Yan Lie hesitated, looking uncertainly at his baby dragon. “Can it absorb them?”
As Chi Yan had mentioned earlier, dragons naturally mastered their own language.
The baby dragon understood his words, but didn’t know what “absorb” meant.
It tilted its head like the little red bird, then happily said, “Like… like…”
The baby dragon expressed joy in its tender voice while extending its claws toward Tang Yu’an, seemingly wanting to play with Ruby.
Hearing this, Chi Yan shifted his attention back to the baby dragon.
His spiritual energy scanned the baby dragon, and after a moment, he said, “This little one has definitely become stronger at absorbing fire energy. It doesn’t seem like a newborn anymore.”
“I can’t tell if it’s because of the healing potion or because of this little red dot.”
Indeed, to the dragons, Ruby was nothing more than a small red dot.
“Chirp chirp chirp!”
Ruby, who had been quietly sitting in Tang Yu’an’s hands, suddenly flapped her wings and flew up to assert her presence.
“Chirp chirp!” The baby dragon also mimicked the sound.
Yan Lie glanced at his baby dragon with a complicated expression but said nothing in the end.
At least, the baby dragon had regained some energy, which was an improvement from its earlier weak state.
After thinking for a moment, he said, “Maybe we can try an experiment?”
“How do you want to try?” Chi Yan asked.
Tang Yu’an grabbed Ruby back and looked at Yan Lie curiously, while Zhou Qi seemed to be pondering something.
Yan Lie looked at the baby dragon, then raised one of his front paws. A flame ignited from his palm.
He carefully manipulated the fire and moved it closer to the baby dragon.
Because the fire carried the scent of its father, the baby dragon didn’t reject it. It pounced toward the flames, and aside from its tail, its entire body was engulfed in fire.
The two giant dragons focused their mental energy, watching the baby dragon carefully.
Tang Yu’an and Zhou Qi were watching from the side. However, with the parents around, they didn’t dare use their divine sense, so they couldn’t perceive much. It was just…
The baby dragon, which had been in good condition earlier, gradually seemed to lose its energy.
It lay on the edge of the lava pool, looking a bit pitiful, with its mouth puckered.
Seeing this, Yan Lie quickly dispelled the fire.
“What’s going on?”
The baby dragon shook its head. “Don’t like…”
“Looks like the answer is clear.” Chi Yan glanced at the little red bird in Tang Yu’an’s hands. “The fire from this little thing is special.”
Yan Lie hurriedly said, “An An, can you let it spray fire again?”
He extended his claw and scratched out a piece of fire crystal from the edge of the platform. “This magic crystal as payment.”
Before Tang Yu’an could answer, Ruby flapped her wings and flew to the fire crystal.
She hopped around on the crystal, clearly enjoying herself.
Tang Yu’an also liked it.
He smiled and said, “Sure.”
He then instructed Ruby to spray fire at the baby dragon again.
Although he didn’t know exactly why, Ruby obediently flew up to the baby dragon and shot a large burst of flame at it.
The baby dragon, which had been lying on the edge of the lava pool, once again showed a contented expression.
In the spiritual sense of Chi Yan and Yan Lie, the baby dragon’s absorption of fire energy increased again, and the chaotic energy caused by Yan Lie’s fire was now smoothly settled.
The baby dragon couldn’t express its exact feelings but knew it was comfortable.
It smiled happily and, just as Ruby fell from exhaustion, it extended its claws and caught her.
“Chirp chirp—”
“Chirp chirp!”
The little red bird chirped, and the baby dragon followed suit, making bird-like sounds despite being a dragon.
The two little creatures were getting along well, and Tang Yu’an was also very happy because…
[You completed a profitable transaction with a new customer. Experience points +3, Points +1,380,500]
Just like that, over one million points earned!
“An An, can you tell me what kind of creature this little red dot is?” Chi Yan asked, unable to contain his excitement.
He felt that the lingering shadow over the fire dragon clan—the early survival struggle of newborns—might have found a solution.
And that solution was this little red bird.
Tang Yu’an hesitated for a moment, then shook his head. “Sorry, I can’t tell you that.”
On the message board in front of him, Zhou Qi’s private message window was still open, and Zhou Qi had been discussing with him.
[Handsome Porridge: Ruby is a Phoenix. In legends, Phoenixes have the ability to be reborn from the ashes. Maybe the fire from Ruby is special and related to this ability.]
Ruby’s feathers were rare materials, and her entire body could be considered precious.
Although he wasn’t sure if the two giant dragons knew about Phoenixes, for safety’s sake, Tang Yu’an and Zhou Qi both agreed that they should keep it a secret.
Chi Yan appeared a little regretful.
“We don’t mean any harm. We just want to find its kin and seek their help.”
He explained, “This little one’s growth probably requires abundant fire energy. Otherwise, with its displayed potential, it couldn’t have such a small body.”
“And in this world, there’s no place with more abundant fire energy than our fire dragon clan!”
“Its kin can move here, and as long as they’re willing to help us rescue the baby dragons, the fire dragon clan will agree to share the living space with them.”
It sounded really good, but the problem was that Ruby’s kin weren’t from this dimension.
However, Ruby’s growth did indeed seem to require fire energy.
Hearing Chi Yan’s words, Tang Yu’an realized that Ruby’s growth seemed to be a bit slow—though it could also be because Phoenixes had a long childhood phase?
He nodded. “I know you mean no harm, but I also don’t know where Ruby’s kin are. I happened to obtain its egg by chance and spent a lot of effort hatching it.”
Hearing this, Chi Yan could only say, “I see, then…”
“If the fire dragon babies need help, I’m willing to assist, but it also depends on Ruby’s willingness and condition,” Tang Yu’an said.
“Chirp chirp chirp—”
The little red bird flapped its wings and flew to Tang Yu’an’s shoulder, affectionately rubbing its beak against his cheek.
The baby dragon curiously watched, and to everyone’s surprise, it flew out of the lava pool and gently nuzzled Tang Yu’an’s cheek with its face.
Its body was over three meters long, but its head was small—only around forty to fifty centimeters. It was also weak and was whining and trying to cuddle with Tang Yu’an.
Tang Yu’an couldn’t help but reach out and gently touch its dragon horn.
Zhou Qi watched nervously from the side and then couldn’t help but glance at the two giant dragons. Was it really okay for the baby dragon to fly out of the lava pool like this?
Then he saw—
Both giant dragons were looking at them with expressions just like the mountain wind from earlier—completely smitten.
Zhou Qi: “…”
He looked at Tang Yu’an and slowly relaxed.
His An An was indeed very cute.
After a while, Yan Lie came to his senses and hurriedly pushed the baby dragon back into the lava pool.
“You’ve just hatched, so you need to stay in the pool for now. You can only leave once your body has grown stronger, understand?”
After his repeated instructions, the baby dragon obediently stayed in the lava pool, gazing at Tang Yu’an longingly.
Tang Yu’an reached out and gently stroked its head.
The newly hatched baby dragon’s scales were soft and fine, shimmering with a faint glow.
The fire dragon’s scales weren’t pure red, but more of a bluish-purple, resembling the color of flame when lighting gas—it was particularly beautiful.
The baby dragon also liked Tang Yu’an and rubbed its head against his palm.
Tang Yu’an played with it for a while until it unknowingly closed its eyes and fell asleep. Only then did he carefully stand up.
The little red bird had curled up in the baby dragon’s fur, forming a little ball, and also fell asleep.
They flew a little further away with the two giant dragons before speaking in low voices: “For now, let Ruby stay with the baby dragon. It seems like it really likes it here.”
“Okay, okay.”
Both Chi Yan and Yan Lie were very happy, and they immediately gave Tang Yu’an another crystal stone.
Tang Yu’an couldn’t stop smiling.
Afterward, Yan Lie went back to continue watching over the baby dragon, and Chi Yan returned to look after his dragon egg.
Tang Yu’an and Zhou Qi continued building their house, and that night, the Peace Grocery Store No. 22 was officially completed!
After setting up the teleportation array, they could finally leave the underground world.
They agreed on a time to return with Chi Yan, and after discussing with Ruby for a while, they managed to convince Ruby to stay. The little red bird reluctantly agreed after Green Gem split and a new sprout was left behind to accompany her.
Tang Yu’an hadn’t expected Green Gem to suddenly split, nor that it would want to stay in such a hot environment. However, there were plants that grew in the lava, so perhaps Green Gem could adapt?
Of course, he still planted it in the soil for now and had the robot water it daily before feeling reassured enough to leave.
Back in their home dimension, only a day had passed.
Just as Tang Yu’an and Zhou Qi were about to return to their RV, they received a message from Grandpa Li.
[Message Board (Private Chat with Friends)]
[Changqing: The Lanhu Town sent someone over, and they’ve arrived at the home. Do you want to meet them?]
