Chapter 22: System Prompt: You Are Pregnant
Livia hovered calmly above her own volcano, looking down and silently watching the epic, four-way dragon brawl unfolding in the distance.
In her view, the four dragons were fighting fiercely, the entire sky flickering under the light of their Dragon Breaths. The Bronze Dragon was the most hot-tempered, sending a thick bolt of lightning crashing down onto the Blue Dragon's back. With a 'boom,' sparks erupted everywhere, crackling loudly; the Blue Dragon could not tolerate such an insult, roared instantly, and retaliated with an even more concentrated stream of lightning Dragon Breath, accurately smearing it across the Green Dragon's face. The Green Dragon convulsed, its eyes rolled back, and its wings almost froze mid-air; enraged, the Green Dragon didn't care who attacked it and spat out a mouthful of potent acid, which unfortunately drenched the Water Dragon's face. The Water Dragon immediately let out a hideous howl, frantically lifting its claws to wash its face, spraying jets of water to rinse itself while cleaning. The Blue Dragon took advantage of the chaos to charge in, biting down hard on the Bronze Dragon's wing. The Bronze Dragon cried out in pain and clawed back at the Blue Dragon's face. The four dragons instantly became entangled, scales flying and roars shaking the heavens.
The scene was as chaotic as a pot of lava porridge boiling furiously, bubbling wildly—no one was yielding to anyone, and everyone felt the other was stealing 'their' dragon.
Livia hung quietly in the sky, like an unemotional bystander enjoying the drama, watching for a full quarter of an hour. Only when she confirmed that these few had completely lost themselves in the fight, that they wouldn't settle the score anytime soon without exhausting themselves, and certainly wouldn't think of bothering her, did she finally shake her wings with relief and turn toward her own volcanic lair.
Flying over the last rugged ridge, her all-too-familiar volcanic crater finally appeared completely in her view below. The circular opening was about three hundred meters in diameter, its edges piled high with thick, black volcanic ash that felt soft and dry underfoot; the inner walls were steep as if sliced, with layers of rock stacked unevenly, resembling giant natural steps polished smooth by time and Dragon Breath. Faint sulfurous smoke was still rising slowly from the center of the crater. The white mist was dyed a warm orange-red by the brilliant sunset in the distance, drifting straight upward, looking from afar like an incomparably huge pillar firmly supporting the sky and the earth.
Livia slowly swooped down along the steep inner wall of the volcano, partially retracting her wings, and landed precisely on the platform just before the entrance to her lair.
This was her exclusive spot for sunbathing, a wide rock jutting outward. After years of her lying and rubbing against it, the rock's surface had long been polished smooth and shiny, capable of vaguely reflecting her blurred dragon silhouette. A few pieces of debris she had casually tossed aside because they were in the way were piled near the edge of the platform. On the largest piece of rock, several deep and neat claw marks were clearly visible—the masterpiece she left behind when she was bored and sharpening her claws here last time.
She slowly crawled into the entrance and walked along the dim passageway toward the main hall. The passage was very dark, with only a few faint glimmers of daylight filtering through rock crevices. The air was filled with a faint smell of sulfur and lava, the scent that made her feel most secure and familiar. After walking forward about two hundred meters, the view suddenly opened up—she had reached her main hall.
This was a huge circular space about fifty meters in diameter and nearly twenty meters high. The cave walls had been repeatedly scorched and tempered by her Dragon Breath countless times, forming a layer of hard, smooth glass on the surface. Illuminated by the dark red light seeping from the Lava Lake deep inside, it emitted a low-key yet warm luster. In the exact center of the main hall was her usual resting spot, where she habitually slept. Her massive body had pressed a shallow, dragon-shaped depression into the hard rock floor, the bottom of which was neatly covered with various soft materials she had painstakingly collected—dry, fluffy animal hides, large amounts of light feathers, and a few thick woolen fabrics picked up from who knows where. They were all pressed flat by her, maximizing comfort for lying down.
To the left of the main hall was her Treasure Room, a small, naturally formed cave whose entrance she had deliberately widened with her claws for easier movement when transporting treasures. To the right was the fork in the road (branch path) leading to the Lava Lake. Deep inside, a low 'gurgle, gurgle' sound constantly emanated—this was the underground magma slowly rolling and bubbling, providing a continuous source of warmth to the entire lair.
Livia flicked her tail, turned, and walked into the Treasure Room.
This cave wasn't particularly large, only about ten meters in diameter, but it was packed full, giving her a strong sense of security. At the very back was all her family fortune, accumulated bit by bit since she was young: gold coins neatly stacked into a small mountain, numbering over three thousand. Among them were currencies circulating in human kingdoms, exquisite silver coins minted by elves, heavy gold coins forged by dwarves, and even a few ancient Dragon race gold coins, each one holding the memory of her efforts. Various gemstones were scattered among the gold coins—red, blue, green, yellow—varying in size, crystal clear. The largest ruby among them was as big as an egg; she had confiscated it from a team of unlucky adventurers years ago. In the corner stood a row of magic weapons—a long sword, a dagger, a spear, and a staff, seven items in total, each emanating magical fluctuations. They were all'souvenirs' left behind by those who foolishly dared to trespass into the Red Dragon's lair.
And now, next to this old pile of treasure, there was a brand-new, dazzling, and substantial new small mountain of treasure.
It was the four-tenths of Talos's wealth, worth a full eight thousand gold coins, which she had 'acquired' from him according to their 'agreement.'
Livia slowly lay down and carefully took out the treasures hidden between her scales one by one, arranging them neatly on the ground. Five rubies and three sapphires, each one plump, richly colored, and flawless, refracting deep, captivating light under the dim illumination. Four enchanted weapons: the hilt of one long sword was inlaid with glittering diamonds, and the blade flowed with a faint blue cold light, clearly indicating formidable power; one dagger had its blade covered in intricate magic runes, feeling bone-chillingly cold to the touch, carrying a biting chill; the top of one staff was set with a fist-sized sapphire, and the shaft was made of some hard, dark wood, emitting a soft yet powerful magic fluctuation; and there was a small round shield whose surface was as smooth as a mirror, clearly showing her dragon silhouette, promising absolutely superb defense.
In addition, there was a small, heavy bag of Orichalcum, about twenty jin (approx. 10 kg), every piece the size of a knuckle, radiating a low-key dark silver sheen—the Dragon race's favorite hard currency. Plus a fist-sized luminous pearl, which was a perfect match for the one in Talos's lair. Its faint green light was soft yet bright, illuminating the entire Treasure Room clearly the moment it was brought out.
Livia placed the new treasure next to her old treasure, stepped back two paces, and raised her head to admire them with satisfaction.
Two mountains of gold, one large and one small, complementing each other, shimmering with gold light and the brilliance of jewels. She roughly calculated in her mind; the total value was easily over eleven thousand gold coins. With such wealth, she was already considered a top-tier tycoon among the young dragons in this region.
She nodded her massive head in satisfaction, then lowered her body and gently pushed with her two foreclaws, drawing the two piles of treasure together toward the middle. The gold coins clinked against each other, making a crisp, pleasing 'ding-dang' sound, while various gems rolled around in the gold pile, dazzlingly bright. A few small gems accidentally rolled into the rock crevices, but she wasn't worried, patiently using her claw tips to pry open the gaps and pick up the lost treasures one by one, placing them back on the very top of the treasure pile.
In the Dragon race's understanding, only when the new treasure and the old treasure were completely mixed together, fully integrated into one, could it truly be considered their own possession, something no one could snatch or take back.
After organizing the treasure to her satisfaction, Livia finally lay down contentedly, ready for a good long sleep. She had been exhausted lately from acting, negotiating, and secretly fleeing. Now, back in her safest and most comfortable lair, drowsiness instantly swept over her.
But the moment she closed her eyes, a glaring system prompt panel'swished' open directly in front of her, making it impossible to ignore.
[Conception Successful!]
[Estimated Incubation Period: 5 Years]
[First Mating Reward: Bloodline Evolution Points + 10000]
[Current Cumulative Evolution Points: 17260]
[Selectable Redemption Options:]
[1. Bloodline Purification Once (10000 Points): Enhance bloodline purity, unlock hidden talents]
[2. Embryo Strengthening Once (8000 Points): Improve the offspring's basic quality, randomly obtain one paternal talent]
[3. Accelerate Incubation (5000 Points/Year): Shorten incubation time, can be used multiple times]
[Please Select]
Livia stared at the suddenly appearing panel and remained silent for a full three seconds.
She didn't rush to make any redemption but made a very calm and steady decision—retain everything.
A five-year incubation period was neither too long nor too short. This continent was fraught with danger, and outside, four dragons were fighting fiercely over her. No one knew what accidents might happen in the future. Evolution Points were something that, held in her own grasp, would always be more reassuring than carelessly squandering them. At a critical moment, they might save her life.
She casually closed the system panel and closed her eyes again, relaxing her entire body.
As she quieted down, scenes from Talos's lair not long ago involuntarily replayed in her mind: Talos, suffering from his mysophobia, holding his own tail and licking his scales with a look of piety and focus; twisting his body into strange positions to clean his back, looking as if he were practicing yoga; finally finishing the cleaning, discovering his treasure was stolen, and having his worldview collapse on the spot in fury; and later, flying into the sky, anxiously sniffing for her scent but finding nothing, looking bewildered...
Thinking of that arrogant, mysophobic Blue Dragon who was ultimately tricked into a mess, Livia, lying beside the warm pile of treasure, truly couldn't help but let out a low, suppressed chuckle.
The laugh was faint and quickly dissipated into the warm air of the lair.
She rolled over comfortably, resting her head on her foreclaws piled with gold coins and gems. Beside her was her own enormous treasure hoard, and outside the lair was the temporarily safe sky. All troubles were cast behind her.
The next second, Livia closed her eyes and fell into a deep sleep, carrying a belly full of satisfaction and a belly full of secrets.