After the old ancestor left, the entire family gathered around Sly's parents to offer their congratulations.
"Congratulations, my liege. The prince has been blessed by the ancestors!" one elder declared, bowing deeply.
The rest followed suit, expressing their joy before excusing themselves one by one. Soon, only Sly's parents and his elder sister remained.
His mother, Daenarys, cradled him lovingly while his sister, Kayla, sat beside her with eyes sparkling with delight. Arman, the child's father, lingered a moment longer, gazing at his newborn son with pride and relief. "You are truly a gift," he murmured, before excusing himself. As king of the imperial dragons, he had urgent matters to attend to, especially after the news of his son's extraordinary talent.
With Arman gone, Daenarys and Kayla turned their full attention to Sly, cooing and making playful faces.
Sly, meanwhile, was trying to make sense of his situation. Although he appeared as a baby, his mind was still that of a youth. Watching his mother and sister attempt to coax him like a helpless infant left him flustered. Embarrassed, he decided to ignore them and focus on the strange system that had been thrust upon him.
Looking at the glowing status screen before him, he sighed inwardly. This clearly isn't Earth, and my family isn't remotely normal.
He let out a small breath—more of a gurgle, given his current form. Since life has given me another chance, I won't waste it.
Taking a moment, Sly observed his surroundings more closely. His mother and sister, still engrossed in entertaining him, were breathtakingly beautiful. In fact, they looked more like sisters than mother and daughter. Just as he was pondering their unearthly appearances, a status panel popped up before his eyes.
Name: Daenarys
Race: Imperial Dragon
Age: 12,000,000 years
Skills: ???
Strength: ???
Health: ???
Stamina: ???
Name: Kayla
Race: Imperial Dragon
Age: 1,000,000 years
Skills: ???
Strength: ???
Stamina: ???
What the—?! Sly's mind reeled.
His gaze darted back and forth between the two, struggling to process what he was seeing. These people are monsters! Their stats are unreadable, and their ages… 12 million and 1 million years? What even is their lifespan? They look so young!
Kayla noticed his stunned expression and giggled, leaning closer. "Mother, look at him! He's shocked. Are you stunned by your big sister's beauty?"
Sly's inner monologue burst forth. Beauty my ass! But all that came out was an incoherent stream of baby sounds: "Buh da da guh."
Kayla clasped her hands to her cheeks, squealing. "Awww! So cute!" She immediately swooped him up into a tight hug.
Meanwhile, in a grand palace of jade and gold, an important gathering was taking place.
At the center of the chamber sat Arman, resplendent on a massive golden throne adorned with intricate carvings of dragons. He dwarfed the others in the room, his ten-meter form a symbol of his unmatched might. Surrounding him were his court officials—each an imperial dragon of significant stature, all over four meters tall.
The atmosphere was festive and jubilant.
"Congratulations to Your Majesty," one official said, bowing deeply. "The youngest prince has been born, and his talent is beyond measure."
A rare smile graced Arman's face, and a ripple of joy spread through the room. The birth of this child had been long-awaited. Even for imperial dragons, a thousand years of incubation was significant.
The imperial dragons were an extraordinary species, renowned for their natural talent. In ancient times, their incubation period often stretched for millions of years. That changed with the discovery of a miraculous treasure that sped up the process, reducing it to mere decades. This treasure allowed their population to recover after the calamity that nearly wiped them out. Yet even with the treasure, this particular child had taken a thousand years to hatch—an anomaly that had filled Arman with both dread and hope.
Now that the child had finally been born, all doubts were swept away.
"Now that the youngest prince is here," Arman began, his voice steady, "we can set aside our worries. Let us discuss the kingdom's progress over the past millennium."
The court nodded in unison.
One of the officials, a dragon with a dignified air, stepped forward. "Your Majesty, the kingdom's population has grown from ten million to eleven million in the past thousand years. The mortality rate has decreased significantly since the formation of the Luminous Underwater Fog, and the birthrate remains steady."
Arman nodded approvingly. "This is excellent. The safety of our people is paramount. And what of the military?"
Another official, a burly dragon clad in gleaming armor, rose. "The military has expanded considerably thanks to the population increase. At our current pace, it won't be long before we can begin exploring the ruins of the ancient Divine Roc Clan."
"Good," Arman said, his deep voice resonating through the hall. "It seems we are on the right track. Excellent work, everyone."
Just as the discussions seemed to be winding down, a scholarly-looking official stood up, his excitement barely contained.
"Your Majesty, I have a miraculous report!"
Arman gestured for him to continue.
"Something extraordinary has happened. All of our injured and crippled citizens have healed without warning. The cultivation levels of our people have surged by two major realms overnight. Additionally, the magical crops in our farms have matured instantly and are ready for harvest!"
The hall erupted in gasps of astonishment, and even Arman's usually calm demeanor showed a flicker of surprise.