Muria gaped at the two red dragons bound tightly in the hall by golden chains flashing with intense magical fluctuations. It was a magnificent scene that most creatures would never experience in their lifetimes.
However, it is regrettable that these two pitiful red dragons only caught Muria's attention for a brief moment. Because in the hall, there was a presence even stronger than the red dragons.
Standing between the horns on the head of one of the red dragons, which was larger than the other, was a girl with blonde hair and golden eyes. She was breathtakingly beautiful and dressed in a golden, extravagant mage robe.
Her physique was indeed minuscule compared to the red dragon beneath her feet. But in Muria's perception, her existence was as brilliant and vast as the sun at noon, full of splendor and dazzling radiance—impossible to ignore.
Of course, most importantly, the familiar aura emanating from this blonde girl was what truly left Muria stunned.
His eyes, his body, his senses, all were telling Muria that the blonde girl standing between the horns of the red dragon was indeed his mother, the legendary Golden Dragon, Atreus Alonsus.
"Oh, Muria, you're awake now, that's a bit earlier than I expected." Seeing the giant baby-like Muria, the blonde girl's brows furrowed slightly, then she began to speak with a voice as warm and gentle as Muria remembered, like an elegant Noble Lady.
"Ah, Mother, I..." Muria was bewildered. It took him some time to grudgingly accept the fact that the breathtakingly beautiful golden-eyed girl in front of him was his mother. After all, in his memory, the Golden Dragon Mother had always been a giant creature.
"Hmm, Muria, are you so surprised to see my human form?" Atreus looked at the shocked expression remaining on Muria's face, then examined her appearance, which was soon followed by a dazzling golden light.
"Well, then, I'll go back to the form you're familiar with." The breathtakingly beautiful blonde girl disappeared, and standing in her place was a majestic-looking Golden Giant Dragon bathed in a golden glow, standing audaciously on top of the two red dragons.
"How about now?" The massive golden dragon, nearly a hundred meters long, bent its head downwards, bringing it close to Muria's presence.
"Uh!" The lovely smell blended with the scent of incense replaced the sulfuric odor around Muria, comforting him. The familiar aroma, which could be described as body fragrance, was something unique to Golden Dragons, and it had completely set his mind at ease.
Honestly, due to the influence of his past life, Muria preferred the human girl's form he had just seen to the large and majestic dragon form. But he couldn't necessarily say that now.
"You're too big." That was Muria's response.
"You're so demanding." Atreus grumbled, but she did reduce her size to become a "mini" Golden Dragon with a length of ten meters.
"Muria, how much do you sleep these days?"
"About sixteen hours."
"I see. You're still in the baby dragon phase then. But it should be over soon." Atreus frowned, even though she was in the dragon form, Muria could see the worry on Atreus's face.
"Is there a problem, mother?" Muria was puzzled.
"My baby dragon phase lasted for ten years."
"Ten years." Muria was flabbergasted, "Shouldn't the baby dragon phase of a Golden Dragon be five years? How can it be ten years?"
"That's for ordinary Golden Dragons! Do you think I'm an ordinary Golden Dragon?" Atreus asked him back.
At this question, Muria was silent for a moment. He had always been curious about the Golden Dragon Mother's size—it was so huge that even ancient golden dragons didn't get that big. After researching in the Golden Dragon Mother's library, he became even more convinced.
However, if Atreus was an Ancient Golden Dragon, he shouldn't exist. Normally, ancient dragons cannot reproduce. His existence could only indicate one thing; Atreus was not an Ancient Golden Dragon.
"No." After much contemplation, Muria gave his answer.
"Do you know what stage of growth I'm in now?"
"I don't know." Muria honestly shook his head.
"I entered adulthood twenty years ago."
"You're kidding, right?" Muria looked incredulous. Keep in mind that the Golden Dragon Mother was a legendary Golden Dragon, but she had just entered adulthood. (For dragons, twenty years are a very short span of time.)
"What's so strange about that? I'm an Ancestral Golden Dragon whose bloodline is infinitely close to the Dragon King, it's only normal to have this kind of strength." For some reason, Atreus really enjoyed the shocked expression on her son's face.
"Ancestral Golden Dragon?" Muria mumbled to himself with amazement. He didn't know what an ancestral dragon was, or what a Dragon King represented, but he knew from the names alone that they were very powerful, which was enough for him.
"Yes, but, looking at your current situation, you haven't fully inherited my ancestral True Dragon Bloodline." Atris frowned as she looked at Muria, "It took me eight years after birth to reach the stage you are at now where I could move a bit."
"Even so, my true Dragon Bloodline is stronger than a regular Golden Dragon's, right?" Despite Atris's comments about not fully inheriting the bloodline, Muria wasn't too bothered. He was quite content with his current bloodline.
"It's stronger than a typical Golden Dragon, yes, but that's meaningless." Atris irritably paced back and forth, then stopped in front of Muria, "Don't worry, I will find a way to fill in the flaw in your bloodline."
"I'm not worried at all!" Muria thought to himself, wisely choosing not to voice it out loud.
"Ah, right, you've been born for a while now and I haven't given you any present yet. Let me give you a gift now!" Atris swiftly changed the topic, giving Muria no time to react.
"This is the gift you're giving me?" Muria once again gaped at the six huge, human-height red eggs surrounded by intense Fire Elements. A multitude of emotions rushed through his mind.
"Yes, little Muria. Are you happy?" Atris asked cheerfully.
"…" Muria couldn't understand why Atris would think he'd be happy. These weren't hen or duck eggs but Dragon Eggs. The situation was akin to a human mother giving a few snake eggs to an infant child who hadn't even been weaned yet.
At this moment, Muria was fully convinced that his Dragon Mother had only recently come of age. Her unpredictable and unreliable behavior did not match the scholarly Ancient Golden Dragon that had weathered the passage of time.
In fact, Muria began doubting his mother's race. A Lawful Good Alignment golden dragon wouldn't behave like this. Only a whimsical and unpredictable Bronze Dragon would do something like this.
"Hmm, I see you're very pleased." Dragon Mother Atris noticed her son's expressionless face, yet she nodded to herself and finalized her decision, "So, these Red Dragon Eggs are now yours to raise."
Muria remained silent, protesting her decision silently. Nonetheless, Atris completely ignored him.
"Hah!" The Golden Dragon Mother opened her mouth to let out a large sigh. An intense mixed fragrance wafted into Muria's nostrils, "If there's nothing else, I'll go to sleep now."
"Wait a moment." Suddenly, Muria remembered something, "Mother, do you know an Ancient Golden Dragon named Dimos?"
"Dimos!" Atris, who had already turned her back and was about to leave, turned to look at Muria again, making his skin crawl, "That's my father, your grandfather on my side."
"Grandfather!" Muria was slightly stunned. His face flushed red, as if an invisible hand was gently slapping his chubby little cheeks.
"Why do you ask?"
"No, nothing." Muria somewhat embarrassedly lowered his head, "It's just that a few days ago, I was reading a book and I saw this name that is the same as my surname, so I got a bit curious."
Dimos Elonsas, his grandfather, whom he had openly ridiculed not long ago. But it never crossed his mind that this dragon would be his direct relative, and even a senior at that.
Speaking of his grandfather, despite having a Golden Dragon daughter who had reached the legendary strength at maturity, it was evident that at the same age, the father could not be weaker than his daughter.
Thus, Muria's grandfather wasn't boasting. He truly did fight a Legendary Balro Flame Demon during his youth, effectively sending it back to the abyss. It was Muria's judgement that was wrong, and he was slapped in the face by reality.
"You're starting to read books already? Hmm, that's a good habit. Keep it up." Dragon Mother Atris's focus shifted to Muria's reading habits, showing no interest in anything else. It was clear that she was delighted with Muria's early reading habits, but that didn't change her mind about sleeping.
"Also, I brought these Dragon Eggs specifically for you to raise. Don't you dare eat them." Leaving behind advice that rubbed Muria the wrong way, Dragon Mother disappeared into thin air in the grand hall.
"Teleportation Spell, or Door of Choices?" Muria ignored Dragon Mother's nagging. He wondered how she had disappeared, but didn't ponder over it for long. His attention was drawn to the six Red Dragon Eggs at his feet.
"A hot potato!" Muria sighed and then turned to look at Sophia, the head maid, and the other four Dragonborn maids who had just hurried into the castle hall.
"You're quite late." Seeing the shocked faces of the five maids who had arrived later, Muria perked up a bit. After all, this was his mother's glorious war trophy, and as a son, he felt pride.
"It's no surprise that Archmage Atris, known as 'Golden Blazing Sun', is incredibly strong." Head Maid Sophia was the first to recover, and with an awe-inspired face, she sighed, "To capture two Red Dragons in one go, what an incredible might!"
"Golden Blazing Sun," Muria snapped his fingers, "That's my mother's title? It sounds grand."