In a spacious secret room, several people stood before an experiment table, their expressions varied as they intently watched a trembling red egg adorned with scale-like patterns on the table.
Leading them was Duke Bronn Stan, one of the largest families in the Lorisque Empire. With the relationships among the great empires on the continent currently stable, the internal strife among the empire's major families was in full swing. The main focus, naturally, was the strength of the families themselves; weakness would inevitably lead to being gradually encroached upon by others. Therefore, every family was trying their best to enhance their own strength within the limits acceptable to the royal family.
Dragons, being the most powerful individual race of sentient beings, were also the rarest. For various reasons, most dragons lived on the distant Dragon Island, though a small number also dwelled on the continent, even within human society.
Now, before Duke Bronn, lay an egg about to hatch.
This egg was bought back from an auction at a price unimaginable to ordinary people, its purpose needless to say.
The others in the room included a butler, an old mage, and two personal guards. Not a word was spoken as they all watched the egg's trembling intensity increase.
"Crack..." Just as the first crack appeared on the egg, the door to the secret room suddenly opened, and a guard hurried in, paused, then bowed and said: "My lord Duke! The lady has successfully given birth to a boy!"
His words had barely faded when the egg cracked open a large hole, and a wet young dragon poked its head out, looking at the people around it with watery eyes.
But at this moment, what could the Duke care about the young dragon? His face lit up with joy as he almost ran out of the secret room with the guard.
The left-behind butler and old mage smiled as they observed the struggling young dragon, their thoughts divergent. As the shell gradually broke apart, the full appearance of the young dragon was revealed, causing their smiles to freeze and their eyes to widen.
What are the characteristics of a dragon? Greedy nature, immense strength, hard scales... and a sky-covering pair of wings.
No matter how wide their eyes were, they couldn't deny the incredible truth before them: this newly born red dragonling had no wings!
This young dragon's appearance matched the descriptions of dragons in historical records in every aspect, except for the conspicuous absence of the characteristic flesh wings on its back.
The butler felt a mix of emotions; buying this dragon egg was mostly his idea. Although the Duke made the decision, without his encouragement, the Duke might not have spent such a large sum on this egg.
The butler's mind raced, pondering how to face the Duke's wrath.
After a moment of shock, the old mage pursed his lips and then reached out to stroke the young dragon. Feeling the affection, the young dragon opened its mouth to emit a joyful cry, rubbed against the mage's hand, then turned to nibble on its own eggshell.
The eggshell, being the first meal for all young dragons upon entering this world, holds great significance for their future growth. The dragonling, having grown small teeth during hatching, was able to gnaw on the shell, which was not as hard as its own nails.
At this time, the Duke was gleefully watching his son sleep in swaddling clothes. It's known that the Duke was nearly forty years old and had been busy with state affairs for a long time, marrying only one wife. Due to various factors, he had only now become a father.
After comforting his wife to rest, the Duke's thoughts turned to the young dragon, which was born almost simultaneously with his son. He felt it must be a fateful connection, and at this moment, he saw a bright future for his family.
The Duke, in high spirits, walked towards the secret room, halfway there he saw his somewhat portly butler coming towards him, deep in thought.
Hearing footsteps, the butler looked up to see the Duke approaching, a flash of panic crossed his face, then he respectfully said: "My lord..."
The Duke patiently listened to the butler's nervous, somewhat incoherent words, his brow gradually furrowing, the joy of fatherhood seeming to dissipate upon hearing this bad news.
Soon, the Duke stood again inside the secret room, where the young dragon had now nibbled its eggshell into pieces, curling up on a large remaining piece and snoring evenly.
"My lord, if I'm not mistaken, the only reason this young dragon has no wings must be a congenital defect, as there has never been such a precedent before," said old Mage Mork, pushing up his glasses.
"Is it just our bad luck then?" the Duke said in a deep voice.
Mage Mork sighed, "Aside from lacking wings, this young dragon is no different from other dragons. If possible, may I take care of this young dragon?"
The Duke remained silent, the butler spoke up, "Can a dragon that cannot fly still be considered a dragon? At most, it will only be of the value of a ground dragon when it grows up?"
Hearing this, Mage Mork shook his head, looking towards the Duke with a complex expression.
"Mork, I trust you; you've never disappointed me before, and I don't expect any accidents this time either. This young dragon is yours to care for, ask for anything you need," the Duke said after a pause.
The Duke had almost unconditional trust in Mork; the old mage had served the Stan family since his own father's time, with a significant part of the family's growth attributable to him. The Duke had always regarded Mork as an elder, his status within the family indeed ranking among the highest.
"I won't disappoint you," the old mage said with a smile.
"Good, then I'll take my leave first," the Duke said, then left with the butler and guards.
Walking away from the secret room, Duke Bronn suddenly stopped, the butler and guards behind him quickly knelt down, daring not to breathe.
The Duke turned around, hands clasped behind his back, looked down at the butler, and said, "You have three days to investigate the entire history of this dragon egg, and it would be best if you could even find the dragon mother that laid this egg, otherwise..."
The butler was sweating profusely; after serving in the household for over a decade, why would the Duke give him only three days?
"...Not three days, make it three weeks. Make sure you investigate thoroughly," the Duke corrected himself, then with a stern look, he said to the men, "Keep today's matters to yourselves. Rise."
Relieved, the men stood up, each thinking about their years of service to the Duke, keeping secrets was not a challenge.
The Duke turned, rubbing his temples. The young dragon's condition was unexpected, but it had little effect on the vast family; after all, having a son was a great joy. In ten or more years, his son's achievements would surely surpass his own.
Gazing at the distant, splendid sunset, he couldn't help thinking, what a long day it had been.