Slacker Second Gen C48

Chapter 48: Dragon Dad 18

Lacia had not returned to Dragon Island for a long time. Ever since he became the last dragon, his homeland had felt especially lonely to him.

He once thought that only when he reached the end of his life would he return here.

But the presence of the young and innocent dragon reignited his passion for life. With her around, this silent island of dragons no longer felt so sorrowful.

The wings of the adult dragon vibrated in the wind, and the gaps in the island of bones let out a low, whistling sound, like the playing of a wind flute.

“Qian, my child, listen to this sound. It is the voices of our kin who rest here, welcoming you.”

Lacia affectionately nudged the child’s soft belly with his head.

After circling the island a few times, he landed on a relatively large island of dragon bones, bringing the wide-eyed, curious young dragon with him.

The soft, tender green grass cushioned their steps, plush and comforting, with many small white flowers blooming on it, fragrant and pure.

The air here reassured the dragon. Having lived in the human world for so long, it was only now that Lacia realized how much he had missed this place.

A wave of drowsiness washed over him. Unable to resist, he lay down on the grass, folded his wings, and lazily patted the ground with his tail.

The little blue dragon, treading on mist, tentatively stepped onto the grass with her claws.

She placed all four paws on the ground and lowered her head to sniff at the tiny flowers.

Seeing that her old father had stopped moving, she tapped her paws on the ground and trotted back to his side.

The great dragon lifted his head and pressed the long, slender child beneath it.

“These are the bones of my parents. They have been gone for a long time.”

They were resting on the skulls of dragons—two overlapping heads connected to coiled bodies.

Lacia fell asleep on this grassland, which held no glittering gold or jewels.

The little blue dragon tried to wriggle out from under her father’s heavy head but failed and soon dozed off as well.

In her sleep, she twisted around, tangling herself like a rope around her father’s snout, making it hard for him to breathe. Only then did he shift his head slightly.

A gentle breeze brushed through Lacia’s silver mane and caressed the little dragon’s gleaming scales.

As the warmth of the sun lingered, the little dragon stirred in her sleep. She burrowed under her father’s wing, using it as shade from the bright sunlight.

When she woke from her nap, the little dragon wriggled out from under his wing, poking out her calf-like head to take a look around.

The sky was still just as bright, for this place had no night.

Her father was still asleep, seemingly in a deep and peaceful rest.

She lay down for a while, then nudged his belly with her head, but he showed no sign of waking.

With her guardian still asleep and the world outside so enticing, of course, the child went off exploring on her own.

The little blue dragon disappeared, and in her place, a little girl emerged.

Crawling out from under her father’s wing, she walked to the edge of the island and lay down, peering into the sea below.

The clear water rippled gently, occasionally crashing against the white bones and sending up sprays of foam. There seemed to be fish beneath the surface.

Qian got up and wandered across the smooth grassland, passing by a row of trees that had grown from the vertebrae of a dragon’s spine.

She tilted her head to look up at the lush green leaves and, not watching her step, stumbled over a smooth, round stone, falling flat on the ground.

But dragon bodies were strong, their skin thick—falling didn’t hurt at all. Since no adults were around to scold her, Qian simply patted the grass off her knees, got up, and turned to look at the stone that had tripped her.

The “stone” required both hands to hold. Its surface was smooth, cool, and slick to the touch.

Like many other children, Qian had a habit of collecting random things, and this “stone” seemed nice to her. She decided to claim it as part of her collection.

She placed the “stone” in the grassy nest she had made with her footprints, determined to find a few more like it.

Lacia slept for a long time. Such a deep and restful sleep had become rare for him in his old age.

Stretching lazily on the grass, he suddenly realized that his young dragon was gone.

However, he was not worried. For a young dragon, Dragon Island was the safest place, guarded by the countless spirits of fallen dragons.

Following her scent, he walked to a sheltered area where one island connected to another.

Looking down, he found his young dragon sitting in a shadowed patch of grass, surrounded by scattered flower petals.

Lacia leaned in, glancing past her head to see the collection of “stones” she had gathered.

Those “stones” were nearly buried under the flowers, but Lacia recognized them at once—they were dragon eggs.

There were still some dragon eggs on Dragon Island, but they had long since lost their vitality, becoming lifeless, dead eggs.

Their parents had placed them upon their own or their kin’s remains, letting them slumber alongside them. These eggs lay scattered among the green grass, resembling ordinary stones.

Back then, more and more dragon eggs failed to hatch, leaving many dragons heartbroken. Some left Dragon Island in sorrow.

In the end, no new young dragons emerged, and their race faced extinction.

That was why, after so many years, when Lacia sensed a dragon egg still carrying life, he lost his composure.

Dragons were, after all, one of the most devoted species when it came to protecting their young.

A pair of long, elegant hands lifted the child from behind. She was still holding a handful of flowers. When she turned and saw her father, she giggled and tossed the flowers all over his head.

Lacia shook his head, letting the petals slide down his long hair, and lifted his delighted child into the air.

“Do you like it here, Qian?”

“I do!”

Qian pointed at the stones she had carefully collected.

“My stones!”

“These are not stones.”

Holding his child in one arm, Lacia bent down to pick up one of the jade-like eggs, presenting it before Qian.

“Look, this is a clansman who never had the chance to be born.”

As his hand glowed with golden light, the egg turned semi-transparent. Within it, a small curled figure became faintly visible—its head, spine, wings, and claws forming the silhouette of a dragon, with a coiled tail tucked close to its body.

Placing the dead eggs back into the grass nest full of fresh flowers, Lacia carried Qian and walked toward the other side of the island.

That was the tail end of a dragon’s remains. Segments of tailbones formed a staircase, curving into an arc that led down to the sea below.

Stepping over these white bone steps, which were also covered in grass, the two of them left this island and moved onto another.

Qian occasionally turned her head, looking at each island they passed by.

“I’m taking you to the remains of an ancient dragon. That was one of the ancestors of our dragon race.”

“There, Qian, you will receive another inheritance, and in the future, you will become even stronger and healthier,” Lacia explained to her.

The child could not fully grasp the deeper meaning behind these words. Her attention was unfocused at the moment, captivated by the new scenery before her.

A massive white skull appeared in front of them. Inside its hollow eye sockets, two towering trees had taken root, twisting around each other as they grew skyward. Their countless roots passed through the crevices of the skull, entwining around the great dragon’s teeth before finally burrowing into the water below.

This was the largest set of remains, with even more grass and trees growing on it. The vegetation was so abundant that a forest had almost formed along its spine.

Lacia carried Qian through the neatly arranged ribs of the skeleton.

The ribs that supported the forest above stood like pillars in a grand palace. Light streamed through the gaps between them, filling the interior with a bright glow.

As they walked deeper into the moss-covered and grassy pathway within the remains, Qian noticed countless intricate carvings on the bones. Some fractured bones even revealed crystalline gemstones within.

Set down upon these ancient bones, Qian immediately became curious and began trying to pry at the shiny gems embedded in them.

Lacia stepped back a few paces, brushing his hand over the carvings on the nearby bones. He recited an incantation in the dragon language, awakening the lingering soul within this place.

A purple glow activated a long-dormant magical array. Countless specks of light spilled from the remains, surrounding the young dragon who was gradually returning to her original form.

Qian only felt a comforting warmth seep into her body, making her feel exceptionally at ease.

A deep, resonant voice echoed through the space.

“This is a unique young dragon. Her soul comes from a distant time and space…”

“Yes, I have long known of her uniqueness. I see her as a gift from the Dragon God.”

“I acknowledge her as my child, and therefore, I ask you to grant her the blessing of the dragons.”

In the radiant glow, Lacia slightly lowered his head. His silver hair shimmered, and his violet eyes gleamed like gemstones.

A gentle and profound voice responded, “As you wish, my child.”

“This is the rebirth of our dragon race. Our youngest descendant shall receive the blessings of all our souls.”

The rising specks of light suddenly multiplied. Colorful lights from all directions surged toward the small dragon, merging into her body.

Qian felt as though her once-clouded mind was being washed clean.

Her hazy memories gradually became clear—her past, her present, and countless strange sensations that stirred within her soul.

She instinctively hugged herself and heard a soft voice speak to her:

“Child, I see the entangled fate that binds you—in the future, in countless futures.”

“I shall grant you a gift. May you have a resilient soul and walk to the end of your destiny.”

“Bless you, my special descendant.”

Lacia did not hear these words. He quietly waited until the specks of light slowly disappeared and the blessing ended. Only then did he step forward, extending his arms to catch the descending child, cradling her in his embrace.

Lifting the soundly sleeping child, he felt she had suddenly become much heavier. Lacia smiled and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

“Now, Father can be at ease.”

At the very least, if he were to fall in the future, his child would still have enough strength to protect herself.

After Lacia left with Qian, the silent dragon’s remains lost the last of their glow. The once-lustrous crystals dulled, and the intricate carvings on the bones became weathered once more.

Just as Lacia stepped out of the ribcage corridor, Qian, now bathed in sunlight, suddenly opened her eyes.

She looked at Lacia and, out of nowhere, uttered a word in the dragon language—

“Father.”

Lacia’s eyes lit up.

“Hahaha! Finally!”

“Good girl! My child!”

“What else can you say? Say a few more words!”

Seeing how happy he was, Qian grinned, showing her bright white teeth.

She was lifted high into the air, then raised her small arms, babbling a string of dragon language.

With a “puff,” a hole was suddenly burned into Lacia’s white robe.

The child had cast a fire magic spell.

Without even thinking, the old father proudly praised, “Qian is so smart! She can already use magic—”

He abruptly realized something.

Qian was not a fire dragon, so how did she manage to use fire magic?

Dragons were different from humans. The element they were born with determined the type of magic they naturally excelled at.

For example, as an ice dragon, Lacia’s strongest magic was naturally ice-related. While he could use other elemental magic, its power would be weak, and his body’s magic would repel incompatible elements.

Qian, however, was unaware of what her father was thinking. She waved her little hands, grasping at the air, and a sudden gust of wind blew through, sending Lacia’s hair flying in all directions.

“Wind magic?!” He stared at his little dragon in shock.

Qian still wasn’t done. She waved her hands again, and a small cloud appeared above her head, pouring a localized downpour that drenched them both.

Lacia: “…”

Then, Qian sneezed forcefully, and a burst of cold air escaped her mouth, instantly freezing both father and daughter in place.

Lacia, frozen solid by his own daughter, was utterly bewildered.

Just what kind of dragon was his young one supposed to be?