In a faraway location situated well beyond the reach of ordinary men.
Boom!
"Young Lord, please calm down!"
An old and aged voice came spreading from a large cave.
Boom!
"Damn! Why won't you…! This is for your own good, damn it!"
In the dragon's domain, there came into being an existence that many races referred to as a living calamity.
When it was born, it was ensconced in a sphere of draconic divine flame. It was the son of the dragon king, and the purity of its blood surpassed even that of its father.
Its birth caused a stir within the dragon race, which in turn caused a stir across the entire Heavenly Martial Continent.
The dragons were a proud and arrogant race that didn't concern themselves with the mundane world. However, their strength was so terrible that everyone else paid attention to their movements and was made aware of the conception of something terrible.
Fwhap!
One of these majestic beasts could be seen flying towards the very same cave that the earlier commotion came from. Every flap of its colossal wings banished the clouds ever farther away.
It moved fast, for it finally garnered news that should placate their young Lord.
Inside the cave…
'I've been in this cultivation world for over ten years, and all I do is train, train, train! And where are Long Di and that 1-star customer service goddess!?'
If you're wondering who this is and the chapter's title didn't give it away, this is Pebbles, Pebbles The Wondercat to you, by the way.
Right now, I'm in an isolated cave, looking at this old lizard. I believe they call themselves Dragons and apparently, I'm one of them!
My father (I have one of those now) sent me here since I've been causing… trouble within the Dragon's Domain.
"Young Lord!"
This old lizard is going to harp on and on about the same thing again.
"I understand that you're excited to roam free outside, but you're much too young, and your blood is the purest in the royal lineage. You're the only one with the chance to achieve atavism and become a true dragon. You carry the responsibility of our entire race on your shoulders."
"Meow."
"At least talk like a dragon, damn it! All these years and you've never roared, but you've come in with that infernal meowing, driving both myself and your father mad! Do you know the cursed creature that does that!?"
He always hated it when I meowed, well, him and my father. Going on and on about some accursed creature.
But how could they expect me to forget my true lineage? Plus, they want me to roar like some beast and forsake the eloquent vernacular of feline dialect? Never!
Still, he meant well. He was my father's right-hand dragon and the second most powerful active existence within the dragon race, so I didn't drive him too mad. In addition, there was one good thing that came out of my coming into this cultivation world.
"Fine."
I could actually speak.
"Sighs…"
I could see him breathe out in relief.
"Have you found the human that I referred to all this time? No, you haven't, so how can you expect me to calm down?"
The minute I was born and was conscious of my true self, I called Long Di's name, nearly breaking my mother's heart while I was at it. How was I to know!? I thought I was supposed to take over someone's body or something! You can't leave anything to gods or goddesses!
However, he was nowhere within the Dragon's Domain, probably on account of not being a dragon.
"Young Lord, the Heavenly Martial Continent is boundless, and it takes several decades to explore a small part of it alone!"
Bam!
A young dragon landed on the outside of the cave and quickly came inside. When it saw me, it executed a bow, in deference I guess.
"Greetings, Sir Long Zhe. Young Lord, Long Tian Yan, I-"
"My name is Pebbles the Wondercat," I said.
"His name is Long Tian Yan! On this matter, you may repeatedly disobey the young Lord!"
Every time I try to get these noisy lizards to get my name right, it always causes a commotion.
"Y-young Lord, I found news that could very well relate to this Long Di you've been referring to."
"Meow?"
"I'm sorry?"
"Use words!" The old geezer stared daggers in my direction.
"I-I meant… really?" I asked the new arrival, using actual words since I didn't want to be interrupted. Goodness, is this how people communicated all this time? I feel so sorry for Long Di.
"That's right. And per your instructions, they have been taken and are now under our protection," he replied.
"They? What do you mean? How many Long Di's did you find?" I asked him.
"Allow me to explain. They were in a small Thunder Cloud City located in the Eastern Wastelands. A small Bastion of ours located there is what took the family of this Long Di in following their investigation of the phenomenon that shook the continent a few days ago, but this Long Di, whom they seem to know, apparently met with disaster."
I listened to him as he relayed the story he got from the report and entered deep thought.
"To think the humans could produce someone so extraordinary. As expected of the person the young Lord favours. A shame he's dead though," Long Zhe shook his head as he spoke.
"No," I told him. "He's not dead."
The old geezer looked in my direction when I said this. "Young Lord, though we don't know the grade of the lightning punishment. If it called down a Heavenly Execution simply for the reveal of his destiny, it's an omen that the hateful Heavens do not want him alive. I can't see how he would survive this."
He said the word Heavens with great disdain. There must be a story there, but I can't say I care for it right now.
"I know, I know, but… he's alive, I know it. I need to find him."
"Absolutely not! At least not right now."
"Then when I can go and find him, you old lizard!?"
"Who are you calling an old lizard, you fake cat dragon thing!?" He shot back.
"Oh yeah, well, you can take that larger-than-life tail of yours, and stick it in y…"
The young dragon's eyes kept darting between me and the old geezer as we fired our verbal barbs at each other.
"Fine! Fine! Fine! How about this?" He said, finally giving up. "If you can increase by 5 ranks AND master 7 techniques from the royal dragon family's divine tablet, then I'll talk to your father."
"Hmm, about 1 rank, and 1 technique." I made a counteroffer.
"5 ranks, 6 techniques." He was so stingy with his conditions.
"1 rank, and 2 techniques." I was trying to haggle, but I could see he was nearing his limit.
"You little! 3 ranks, and 3 techniques, no less!" He roared.
I agreed immediately, at least now I had a goal in mind and wouldn't be training mindlessly!
"Long Xin," I called the young dragon who was just standing there.
"Yes, young Lord."
It was clever how he just answered 'young Lord,' and didn't bother to refer to me by name, lest he be stuck between me and the old lizard.
"Send a message to that bastion. Have them find and keep tabs on Long Di. This way, once I finish up here, I'll know just where to find him."
"As you wish, young Lord."
He bowed as he left. The excessive servitude here can really make a cat feel comfortable.
"Are you now ready to start your training, young Lord?"
"Meow."
"Words!"
"Fine, yes! Holy Catnip, let's get started already!"
I dread how long I will be forced to survive my time here.