"Lord Dragon Hatchling, I do not currently possess any more treasures."
Ardarian said to Max, "But I am willing to give you my sword as a gift."
Ardarian had dealt with dragons many times, and thus, he had some understanding of the temper of dragons, especially the temper of Red Dragons.
Slaughtering humans brought no pleasure to Red Dragons, and thus, they would not kill without reason.
Even if they were to kill, they would most likely not obtain a satisfactory amount of treasure.
Therefore, Ardarian was certain that the Dragon Hatchling had not been satisfied by the death of his soldiers.
However, as he had already handed his treasures to Agatha moments ago, he had nothing left to offer the Dragon Hatchling.
All he could think of was the longsword hanging on his waist.
Upon this thought, he took out the longsword at his waist and handed it over with both hands.
Max glanced at it.
In truth, Max felt that he had already done enough. There was no need to further aggravate the situation.
Max had already massacred more than five hundred humans and gained his mother's approval.
His destructive and powerful spell had already served as a demonstration of his power to the humans.
In the future, even if Agatha were to leave them, no one would dare to disturb him or Mia.
Moreover, in the ethics of dragons, it was inappropriate to collect wealth before their parents.
Even if he were to accept the longsword, he would still need to hand it over to his mother in the end.
Therefore, Max shook his head. "I have no need of treasures. I'm merely giving you a lesson. As long as you remember this day forever, it will be enough."
"Never forget what you have experienced today."
Ardarian heaved a sigh of relief.
The sword was the sword of the commander of Longsong Alley.
Had it not been for the fact that he had run out of treasures, Ardarian would never have offered it as a tribute to the dragons.
After all, if he were to do so, it would deal a devastating blow to his reputation once outsiders learned of it.
Handing over the sword of the commander was equivalent to giving up the authority of Longsong Alley.
It was an extremely desperate move.
Fortunately, the Dragon Hatchling had declined his offer.
Roar —
Agatha let out another roar as if she was very satisfied with the situation.
"Remember! This is the consequence of slandering a dragon!"
After giving her last warning, she spread her wings and left with her children.
While he was in the air, Max turned back to take a look at the city.
Although they were already high up in the air, the crater that he had created with his magic could still be seen clearly.
The power of dragons had far surpassed his expectations.
Aside from that, Max also realized something important while he was slaughtering the soldiers.
He did not seem to have any guilt.
Logically speaking, although he had become a Red Dragon, his heart had used and soul was still meant to be that of a human's.
However, even after killing so many humans in one go, Max did not feel uncomfortable at all.
'Perhaps I've finally become a dragon, both physically and mentally.'
In truth, much of a human's emotions were affected by the physiology of their bodies.
The secretion of hormones would directly affect the mood and even the thoughts of a person.
Females would feel inexplicable anxiety during their menstrual period, pregnant women would become more prone to hunger, and those who regularly stayed up late would be more prone to depression. These were all examples of the effects of hormones on the human body.
Max suspected that if were to continue living as a dragon, it would not be long before he would become like Mia, unsympathetic towards humans. He might even be in the mood to play around while humans were dying all around him.
Max heaved a mental sigh.
...
Back in the desert, in Agatha's underground lair.
"Explain yourself, Max. Why do you know that spell?"
The first thing Agatha did upon returning to the lair was to ask Max about the "Lightning Arrow Rain" spell that he had cast.
Max had already thought of a plan along the way home.
He would take advantage of the pride of the dragons by praising Agatha, and once he had lowered her guard, she would accept his excuses more easily.
"That's because as your child, I inherited a small part of your strength. One morning some time ago, I felt as if my body was connected to the memories of our predecessors, and I suddenly learned of this spell."
There was no loophole in Max's explanation. A pure dragon was born with the memories of their ancestors, after all.
During the growth of a Dragon Hatchling, these memories would slowly become clearer, and their magical abilities would gradually awaken.
"Haha, well done, Max. I have to admit that your performance today has amazed me."
Agatha praised him, her tone more gentle than ever.
"Thank you for the compliment, mother. I will work harder in the future."
Max nodded and thanked her.
Naturally, Max knew how hard it was to get praise from a dragon, especially when that dragon was his mother.
Through his mother's gentle tone, Max knew that his mother had well and truly acknowledged his magical aptitude this time.
"Of course you need to work harder. You need to grow up, learn more spells..." Agatha started off slowly, but halfway through her speech, she suddenly changed topics.
"After all, both of you have to leave my side now!"
"What!?"
Although Max had expected his mother to abandon him and Mia one day, he did not expect that day to come so soon.
Generally speaking, mother dragons would raise their Dragon Hatchlings until they had become Teen Dragons before leaving them.
Max and Mia were only Dragon Hatchlings at this moment!
"Because both of you are now qualified to live independently." Agatha explained with a wry smile.
"You killed those three 'heroes', didn't you, Max?"
Max replied, "It wasn't me."
He would not admit it even if he was beaten to death.
Although he did not know how his mother had guessed it, he refused to admit it.
Otherwise, should his mother learn of Tahir's strength in the future, she would definitely suspect how a Dragon Hatchling such as himself had managed to beat such a powerful foe.
If Agatha were to learn of Max's Battle of Existence, the consequences might be disastrous.
Perhaps, she would even kill him on the spot.
Never doubt the kinship between dragons, and never doubt the Red Dragon's rejection of aliens.
Those who were capable of using the Battle of Existence were considered aliens as well.
Agatha suddenly stretched her entire head over and pressed it against the tip of Max's nose.
Although he was Agatha's child, it was the first time Max had such close contact with his mother.