Moreover, the power displayed by the opponent earlier was enough for them to respect.
At that moment, Myrgtabrakke, somewhat helpless, gently moved her head and neck away from the chattering Borch.
She turned and confidently walked into the cave, and deep within, everyone watched her disappearing back with some doubts.
Soon, heavy footsteps were heard again, and Myrgtabrakke appeared in the cave's light.
And this time, in her strong front claws, she held, with extreme caution... a dragon's egg.
The dragon's egg was several times larger than a child, the shell a warm, marbled turquoise, faintly radiating the fluctuations of life.
Under everyone's astonished gazes, Myrgtabrakke walked straight up to Karl.
She lowered her slender, elegant neck and slightly extended her claws, holding the dragon's egg forward.
At the same time, a series of low, soft, and completely different roars came from her throat, utterly unlike the time when she was full of hostility before.
These jade-green dragon eyes were full of gratitude and something else... a sense of trust.
Borch acted as a translator on the side, listening to the green dragon's words, his expression becoming a bit complex, mixed with understanding, an imperceptible loss, and solemnity.
He turned to Karl and said quietly: "Arn Vati, Myrgtabrakke expresses her deepest gratitude to you."
"Thank you for healing her, and thank you... for the kindness shown in battle, and for everything you have done for us afterward."
"It is said that you defeated me, a golden dragon, and proved your strength and reliability through your power."
"She believes that such a powerful man as you deserves an equally powerful partner."
"Therefore, she is willing to entrust one of her children to you to raise, to become your loyal assistant and partner in the future."
As soon as these words were spoken, the two sisters—Geralt, Yennefer, Dorregaray, and Tia—all instinctively turned their heads, their eyes simultaneously focusing on Karl.
A dragon! Even if it was just a young dragon, its growth potential was immeasurable.
Upon reaching adulthood, it would be enough to rival an entire army—a strength and symbol that any power could dream of.
They were almost certain that Karl would be overjoyed to accept such a gift.
Dorregaray's eyes almost popped out as he looked at the dragon's egg, radiating the breath of life, screaming madly in his heart.
As a sorcerer dedicated to protecting rare magical creatures, he dreamed of raising and caring for a dragon and watching it grow.
He couldn't wait to immediately agree for Karl, even volunteering to take care of it himself.
However, Karl's reaction was completely unexpected for everyone.
He slightly raised his brows, and a clear look of surprise appeared in his eyes.
"Wait? Why is there still a dragon's egg?" A doubt flickered in his heart.
According to his memory, beside this green dragon, there should only be a young dragon named "Saqqiya."
What happened to this extra dragon's egg? Was this a change in this timeline, or was he mistaken?
Despite his doubts, Karl's answer did not waver.
He met Myrgtabrakke's expectant gaze and calmly and firmly shook his head.
"Myrgtabrakke, I appreciate your recognition and gratitude, and this trust is invaluable."
He affirmed the other party's intentions, then changed the subject: "However, I'm afraid I may have to decline this dragon's egg."
He raised a finger and pointed to his nose, then spread his hands with an expression of helplessness and sincerity.
"Firstly, I don't know how to take care of a child, especially a dragon child, whose habits are completely different from humans."
"This would require a lot of patience, knowledge, and time, and I don't have that kind of energy right now."
He paused, shifted his gaze to Borch, who was a bit stunned by his refusal, and continued: "Secondly, I think Villentretenmerth,"
"who is of your kind, shares the same blood, habits, and long lifespan."
"He is more suitable to play the role of 'father' to this child than I am, and can provide the most appropriate guidance and protection."
To prevent the green dragon from misunderstanding that Borch was playing with the translation, Karl also deliberately pointed a finger at Borch.
Hearing Karl's firm refusal, the surprise on Geralt's and the others' faces grew even stronger; they couldn't believe their ears.
Faced with such a huge temptation as a promising dragon partner, he even refused without a second thought?
This sober thinking and strong willpower far exceeded that of ordinary people.
Geralt's cat-like pupils flickered with deep thought, and his evaluation of Karl couldn't help but increase by several points.
Borch was also stunned, a look of unexpectedness clearly appearing on his dragon face—he thought no one could refuse such a generous gift.
But then a flicker of sudden understanding passed through his eyes, followed by a strong sense of gratitude and approval.
He quickly nodded towards Karl, his massive head bobbing up and down, and even gave him a grateful wink.
Obviously, Karl's practice of "pushing" the dragon's egg towards him won his heart.
It simply created an excellent opportunity to get close to Myrgtabrakke.
Then he immediately turned to the puzzled Myrgtabrakke and roared in a softer dragon language, paraphrasing Karl's meaning.
He seems to be joining her, largely based on his own "persuasion."
Myrgtabrakke first listened to Borch's relay, her emerald vertical pupils full of confusion, as if digesting this completely unexpected result.
Soon, a clear suspicion appeared in her eyes.
Her gaze darted between the golden dragon with a "sincere" face and Karl, who looked calm and showed not a trace of greed.
She could not understand human language and communicate with others, so she could only rely on Villentretenmerth's paraphrasing.
But she had just seen Karl point at Villentretenmerth... Was this truly the man's own decision?
Villentretenmerth should not lie to her about such a thing...
She observed Karl's expression, and in those eyes, there was not the slightest desire, greed, or possessiveness for the dragon's egg, only calm composure and a little helpless apology.
In the end, Myrgtabrakke seemed convinced, or rather, she respected her savior.
This made her understand the unique way of thinking and sense of responsibility belonging to this man.
She roared again, with a note of regret in her voice, but more relief and greater respect.