Chapter 342: Chapter 224: Tania Has Grown Up (2)
Behind her, Lizrite, Mofei, Alfonse, and Shadila—four Chromatic Dragons standing like mighty ’Vajra’ guardians—further amplified her mysterious and alluring aura to an explosive degree.
This sight triggered David’s obsessive-compulsive tendencies, giving him the sudden urge to fly back to the Skanis region of the Old Continent, specifically the Kutaro Desert, and kidnap a Blue Dragon to complete his sister’s bodyguard retinue of five Chromatic Dragons.
But, it had to be said, if not for the fact that he, as her brother, knew Tania’s temperament like the back of his hand, and that the Book of the Dragon clearly revealed her ’Lawful Neutral’ alignment, one might actually believe her act just from her current demeanor.
For the people of Luwalden, who had suffered almost half a century of continuous warfare, Tania’s presence was like that of an angel descended from the Heaven of Seven Hills, injecting a powerful stimulant called ’Hope’ into their numb and desolate lives.
And how could it not be so?
Seven days ago, when they saw a host of Dragons arriving, the majority of Luwalden’s people had imagined all sorts of dreadful scenarios and were even prepared to be stripped of their last possessions and become two-legged sheep bred by Chromatic Dragons.
To their surprise, the group of Chromatic Dragons, seemingly subdued by Princess Tania, did them no harm.
Moreover, the young and strong who had been conscripted braced themselves for the possibility of dying from exhaustion, thirst, or even being killed in the process of constructing the Dragon Nest, as ’it had always been that way.’
And what happened? Princess Tania had actually brought them 20,000 pounds of grain from the Governor’s Mansion, piled high before their eyes, proclaiming that every conscripted nest builder would be provided with three full meals a day—yes, truly a full belly!
Surely an angel had arrived!
In less than two hours, the 5,000 conscription spots for Port of Wallens, a place with a population under 40,000, were completely overwhelmed by applicants as word spread like wildfire. The demand was so high that latecomers even started fighting to get a place in line.
In the end, it was Princess Tania’s ’kind heart’ that led her to expand the quota by an additional 1,000 people and declare that there would be another 5,000 positions available the following week for a municipal sewage project, which quelled the disturbance.
Because of Tania’s ’compassionate’ heart, many Wallens natives, who for the first time in their lives experienced the feeling of eating until they wanted to vomit, were willing to commit to this type of work for a lifetime. But then Princess Tania, fearing ’sudden death’ among them, only allowed each to work ten hours and solemnly stated:
"Each of you is a precious asset to us, and I am responsible for the safety of my assets."
If these words were spoken on the neighboring Blue Star, they probably would have provoked outrage from various human rights organizations the very next day.
Instead, the Stockholm Syndrome-afflicted people of Wallens were moved to tears, and there were even young men, mesmerized by her Succubus-like charm, who blurted out startlingly progressive yet bewildering statements like, "I am Princess Tania’s dog!" on the spot.
Watching Tania receive the gleaming pickaxe from Rune Lord Bergin and then forcefully swing it to create a human-sized pit on the street that was preparing for construction, the entire block fell silent before erupting into even more fervent cheers.
In the eyes of the citizens of Wallens, this was the symbol of true power, and power was the necessary means to shelter one’s subjects.
They might not have witnessed the resurrection of the former Luwalden kings, but they had seen the arrival of a beautiful noble ruler who commanded Dragons!
Heaven had finally turned its gaze upon the Wallens people, who had endured much suffering.
Watching each person at the construction site entrance sign a ’labor contract’ and joyfully accept their pickaxe from the Dwarves, as if they had won the jackpot, David couldn’t help but marvel at the view from above in the sky.
Indeed, when it came to captivating hearts, no one did it more potently than a Silver Dragon, those so-called ’white lotuses.’
It’s just a shame Dad isn’t here, David thought to himself.
Tania, who was purely relying on her appearance and charm, had thoroughly bewitched these humans.
David could hardly imagine what it would be like if his own father were to take charge.
He might simply stand and read a manifesto titled ’My Struggle,’ committing himself to overthrow the magical goods monopoly of the High Elves, then brandish a flag, and thereby prompt these humans to join a genocidal holy war expedition in an instant.
"Brother David! I played the part of the Governor of Wallens quite well, didn’t I!" Tania, on the ground, had noticed David’s arrival early on. She waited until the municipal work ceremony was over, then, without even bothering with the Dance of the Air, simply hopped on the head of the White Dragon Mofei, who then swooped into the sky with her.
Although she had at least dozens of ways to fly on her own, she still followed David’s suggestion and strictly adhered to the persona of a "dragon mage."
David immediately curled the tip of his tail into a ’6’ shape, a gesture of praise, and offered his insincere flattery generously:
"Not even Dad could do it as beautifully as you, if he were here."
"Hehehehe." Even though Tania was well aware of the gap between her own charm and that of her formidable dragon father Attilicia, she was so overjoyed by David’s compliment that her character facade ’collapsed’ on the spot, her mouth grinning from ear to ear.
Girls are like that, always like little children who love to hear such little compliments, and dragons are no exception.
But Tania had always been perceptive. Her older brother rarely sought her out for no reason, especially with Nifadora, the ’flirtatious Green Dragon,’ in tow. Her smile immediately faded, and she asked with full suspicion:
"You’re not going to tell me you’re heading out again and leaving me to handle things in Wallens, are you?"
David’s expression froze.
"...It’s not far this time, just going to ’visit’ the Royal Capital of Luwalden."
However, upon hearing this, Tania wouldn’t have it. She stomped on Mofei’s crown and, in a fit, flung herself onto David’s nose, swinging from his dragon horns, almost throwing a tantrum on the spot as she declared:
"I don’t care, I don’t care! I’m going too this time, and don’t give me any of that ’worrying about my safety’ crap! Just for that statement alone, I’ve struggled for forty years! Now I’m an Element Master who can skillfully use the Body of Elements. I’ve even signed a contract with Lady Akadi of the Wind, one of the four Elemental Lords! In case of an emergency, I can transform into a breeze and drift off to the Plane of Air, into the ’Grand Vent Duct’!"
What she didn’t say was that she could also use this power to transform into a vast, boundless tornado, reaching from the earth to the clouds—far more awe-inspiring than her father’s Control Celestials ability.
She was the storm itself.
She had never shown this to David, saving it to surprise her older brother and to completely change her stereotyped image in his mind from a burden to someone capable and independent.
Even if her brother’s intention was only to protect her.
But she was now a young Silver Dragon who could protect herself and even help her brother.
"Well..." David found himself in a difficult position. He cast a worried glance at the Wallens citizens below, who were staring intently at their rears, seemingly hoping for a dragon-sized deposit right there on the street, and came up with a somewhat plausible excuse:
"But if you run off with me, what about your ’followers’ here?"
David thought the term ’fanatic followers’ was not an exaggeration for this level of fervor.
But Tania seemed to have anticipated even this. She immediately turned to Nifadora, the ’Venomous Emerald’ Green Dragon, with a mischievous look.
"We still have Sister Nifadora here, don’t we? And besides, I’ve learned the 8th-level True Form Spell, so I don’t need you! I can do it myself and turn Sister Nifadora into me! A human likeness is completely sufficient!"
With that, she turned and pleaded almost coquettishly, "Please, please, Sis Nifadora! Besides, it’s really tiring to maintain this form every day! Just give little Tania a break and let me go out with Brother David to see the world! Otherwise, I’ll turn into a ’country bumpkin’ staying in the nest all the time!"
Nifadora, ever sly, was all too eager to win Tania’s affection and was accustomed to managing the internal affairs of the Dragon Nest. She swayed her snake-like tail and said with a sly smile and narrowed eyes:
"I have no objections, as long as you convince your brother."
Tania immediately ’focused’ her gaze on David.
David let out a sigh. So that’s why Tania went to such lengths to adopt the persona of a ’noble lady’ in advance, he thought. She was setting Nifadora up for the role!
But the two dragons couldn’t be more different in temperament!
He wondered whether the people of Wallens would accept the sudden change if their pure, lotus-like ruler transformed overnight into someone ’flirtatious and beguiling.’