The Dragon’s Embrace and Elemental Awakening

Ai Ou’s eyes glinted as he turned from the newly appeared attribute panel, his gaze falling upon the cave Erza had meticulously dug.

“System,” he commanded, “convert all these magic stones before me into points!”

Magic stones, containing trace amounts of mana, were traditionally absorbed by the body to enhance one’s magical reserves. It was for this very reason that the magical world had long recognized them as a currency superior to mere gold coins. Now, however, with the system capable of absorbing them and converting them into free attribute points for self-enhancement, their continued existence as physical objects became entirely superfluous. After all, if their purpose was to empower him, converting them into free attribute points served that function just as well.

No sooner had Ai Ou spoken than a golden flash erupted within the pit. In an instant, only a few unknown magical artifacts remained; the system had reclaimed all the magic stones.

“Yai-yai!”

Erza cried out in surprise upon seeing her treasures vanish from the pit. She swiveled her head, looking left and right, as if guarding against an unseen threat, searching for whoever dared to touch her belongings.

“There, there, no need to be surprised,” Ai Ou soothed Erza. “It’s nothing. I offered these items to Dragon Island, so don’t be alarmed.”

After calming Erza, Ai Ou checked his free attribute points. They had now reached eight hundred: one hundred from the system, and the remaining seven hundred converted from the magic stones. All the magic stones Ai Ou had collected this time were low-grade, yet even among them, there were varying qualities. The conversion yielded between ten and twenty free attribute points per stone, ultimately accumulating to seven hundred.

“Yai-yai!”

Just as Ai Ou was about to allocate the free attribute points, Elaine, who was on the ground, chirped. Having finished her eggshell, she called out a few times before crawling to Ai Ou’s side, rubbing against his leg, and looking up at him with affectionate chirps.

Ai Ou noticed that after consuming her eggshell, Elaine had grown noticeably larger, no longer as delicate and petite as before. She now resembled a growing puppy. Elaine’s attribute panel had also evolved from Tier 0 to Tier 1.

This was the nature of dragons. Humans toiled for months, painstakingly cultivating, to advance from a magic apprentice to a first-level mage. Dragons, however, merely needed to consume their own eggshells to ascend to a Tier 1 dragon. What’s more, they didn’t even need to cultivate; simply sleeping allowed them to grow ever stronger. It was truly infuriating.

After a few chirps, Elaine seemed to have eaten her fill. She let out a few adorable burps, her eyelids growing heavy, struggling to stay open. Then, with a cute yawn, Elaine succumbed to sleep, resting beside Ai Ou.

Ai Ou bent down and gently picked up Elaine. Seeing Erza’s persistent interest in Elaine, he placed the sleeping dragon on Erza’s body and instructed her, “Erza, your little sister is asleep. Remember to look after her.”

Erza nodded. After Ai Ou placed Elaine on her, she turned her head, her curious gaze fixed on Elaine.

Ai Ou decided it was time to construct a dragon’s nest for Elaine. He opened the building list, noting that as Erza had grown stronger over the past few days, and with the continuous enrichment of Dragon Island’s buildings and flora, the output of Dragon Stones had steadily increased. Coupled with the hidden reward the system had given him when Elaine was born, Ai Ou now possessed over a thousand Dragon Stones. A small water-element dragon’s nest only required five hundred Dragon Stones. It seemed he would soon be able to construct a medium-sized dragon’s nest for both of them.

“Build a water-element dragon’s nest!”

“Confirm target area.”

Ai Ou observed that Dragon Island expanded outwards from the Life Tree at its center. Erza’s fire-element dragon’s nest was situated in one corner. Ai Ou pointed beside it and declared, “Build it there!”

“Small water-element dragon’s nest under construction… Construction complete.”

In the area Ai Ou designated, the grassy ground suddenly cracked open, and the earth collapsed. Clear springs surged from the fissures, and soon, a small lake spanning several thousand square meters appeared before him. With over five hundred Dragon Stones remaining, upgrading to a medium-tier dragon’s nest would require two thousand, indicating a period of accumulation was still needed. Fortunately, with two dragons and two nests now, the daily production rate of Dragon Stones was several times faster than before.

Once Erza and Elaine’s strength increased, the daily output of Dragon Stones would further multiply. Ai Ou estimated it wouldn’t be long before he gathered the necessary funds to upgrade to a medium-tier dragon’s nest.

Ai Ou reviewed the other building options, noticing that previously grayed-out sections had now become colorful. The seeds for Imperial Dragon Fruit were now available for purchase. In addition to Imperial Dragon Fruit, there was also a new high-grade food beneficial for dragon growth: True Dragon Fruit and Dragon’s Whisker Vine.

An Imperial Dragon Fruit seed cost around fifty Dragon Stones, while True Dragon Fruit and Dragon’s Whisker Vine seeds were two hundred Dragon Stones each. After some thought, Ai Ou exchanged for two Imperial Dragon Fruit seeds, one True Dragon Fruit seed, and one Dragon’s Whisker Vine seed.

Erza was already at the third tier, so her diet could be upgraded to these new foods. However, Elaine had just been born, and the True Dragon Fruit and Dragon’s Whisker Vine might be too potent for her. Fearing malnourishment, difficulty in absorption, and an unstable foundation, Ai Ou decided it was best to plant Imperial Dragon Fruit for her healthy growth. As the master of Dragon Island and a dragon dad, Ai Ou felt he was truly worrying himself sick over these dragons.

“Erza!”

Hearing Ai Ou’s call, Erza turned her head, her adorable large eyes gazing at him with an endearing charm.

“Listen, take Elaine to her nest. When she wakes up, remember to feed her Imperial Dragon Fruit. Don’t make that face; I’m not being partial. You deserve better food! See that new tree? That’s your new food; it will help you and tastes even better. Be good, this is your sister, and you must take good care of her!”

Erza swayed her head, indicating her understanding.

With everything settled, Ai Ou focused his attention on himself. Ever since Elaine’s birth, he had sensed new changes occurring within his body. He raised his hands, his gaze calmly fixed upon them.

Suddenly, a cluster of flames erupted from Ai Ou’s left hand. This was Ai Ou’s control over the fire element; he no longer needed incantations. A mere thought was enough to summon flames and freely shape them.

Then Ai Ou looked at his right hand. Previously, his affinity was solely high for the fire element in the air, allowing him to manipulate flames and control fire at will. But now, things were different!

The palm of his right hand began to moisten. A single droplet of water appeared, then a second… Soon, a sphere of water formed in Ai Ou’s right hand.