"I thought not many Dragons survived the Great Reset," Layland remarked.
"It wasn't originally this big," Aurelia commented. "It used to be just big enough to host the Dragons who survived the Great Reset. It got to this big because the Dragons kept breeding. It should be hard for us to reproduce but they somehow managed it. Although we are still nowhere near as many as we used to be right now, our population is no longer in danger."
"You are quite knowledgeable even though you haven't been here for a millennium."
"Well, Dragons are not very fond of reproducing in the very first place. The Dragons living here only did that because their species is on the brink of extinction. We passed that stage long ago, so the Dragons no longer feel the urgency to reproduce. Though, I believe they still fornicate as they love amusement."
"That was the state when you left, I presume."
"Most Dragons are conservative. Their lifestyle won't change much."
Although it was quite narrow-minded to generalize every Dragon, Aurelia's assumption was correct. The state of Ne Okozmo remained almost the same as it was a millennium ago when she left it. It had stopped having newborn Dragons for two decades already. As Aurelia said, the Dragons no longer felt the need to reproduce.
When they landed, they were greeted by four Dragons in their human form. Layland immediately concluded they were Quetzalcoatl's trusted subordinates to whom he entrusted Ne Okozmo when he left.
True to his conclusion, the four people immediately went to Quetzalcoatl and reported the situation of Ne Okozmo while he was gone. Everything was under control. 'What can go wrong in this place?' Layland mused. He believed no Dragon was stupid enough to anger Quetzalcoatl and risk getting kicked out of the paradise-like world.
As Quetzalcoatl was busy listening to his subordinates' boring report, Layland looked around the place. He ignored Aurelia who was suddenly hugging his arm and took note of the presence he could feel without scanning the area with his Mana. There was around twenty presence nearby. With the size of the place, it was extremely sparse.
Then again, some of the Dragons might be hiding their presence, so he couldn't sense them. Even if it wasn't the case, it was also not something that he would think strange. Dragons were territorial. It was highly likely that each Dragon living in Ne Okozmo possessed a large territory. Of course, that didn't mean Quetzalcoatl no longer had the right to rule the territory. After all, he was the owner of the world.
When Layland finished looking around, Quetzalcoatl's subordinates had also finished their report. They were looking at Layland, so their gaze met when Layland turned his head their way. A light frown could be seen forming on their face but they didn't seem displeased by his presence. Though, they didn't look welcoming either.
"I can barely sense the Dragon in him."
"He is still fully a Demon, isn't he?"
They murmured amongst themselves, fully aware that Layland heard them. Since they were not harassing him, Layland paid no attention to them. However, Aurelia was not very pleased by the chattering quartet. She would have lounged at them and beat them to a pulp if Layland hadn't rubbed her arm, saying it was nothing to worry about.
Dragons were not inconsiderate. They knew compassion better than most humans but were extremely blunt. They didn't mind speaking their mind, no matter how it might affect the other person, as they believed it would be presumptuous of them to hide their honest thoughts. They meant good, but their attitude made a lot of people think they were arrogant.
"Kuhum! Ah, where are my manners? It's nice to meet you, Sir Demon. My name is Ptolemios, the First General Ne Okozmo's Disaster Army," one of the four Dragons introduced himself after finishing his chat with his colleagues.
Layland took a good look at the said Dragon. Ptolemios had dark, short hair; grey eyes and a youthful face. He was dressed in a tunic shirt and an expensive-looking robe over it. He looked both extravagant and humble at the same time. It wasn't what made him interesting, though. The way he smiled at Layland reminded him so much of Ilschevar. He was a shrewd Demon.
Putting an end to his observation, Layland nodded his head. "I am Layland Kleinhaus. I will be in your care for the next couple of months."
"Ah, let's get along well, then!"
Ptolemios turned to his colleagues and made an encouraging gesture at them. The three colleagues merely scoffed, prompting him to smile wryly.
"He has to show his worthiness to know our name," they said in unison.
"Well, it's not very nice to our guest, isn't it?" Ptolemios placated. "Also, don't you think Layland is worthy enough? He is our Young Lady's soulmate, after all."
"Someone's worth shouldn't be measured by whom he is standing next to. You should know it—it's our way of life," the most stubborn of the three stated sternly.
Scratching the back of his neck helplessly, Ptolemios turned to Quetzalcoatl, hoping to get a solution from the said Dragon. Quetzalcoatl merely shrugged, indicating that he should let the three do whatever they deemed fit. In the end, he could only turn to Layland with an embarrassed look.
"We are very welcoming folks. These idiots are just different kinds of breeds," he said with a chuckle.
"Are you the youngest amongst them?" Layland asked, baffling Ptolemios.
"Ah, yes."
"It must be hard working with those stubborn walking fossils."
"What did you say, you presumptuous brat!?"
Ignoring the angered trio, Ptolemios smirked. "Heh…we will get along very well. You know me well. Too bad, you won't get to know these three well since you don't look the type to bow your head to your elder."
"I don't need to know every background character this world has."
Layland's remark made Ptolemios burst into laughter. The trio of senior Dragons fumed but didn't do anything. They looked at Layland with irritation plain to see in their eyes but showed no hostility. Layland could even sense a slight satisfaction in their eyes, which made him wonder if they were 'that' kind of different breed.
"I won't welcome you the way Lysimork does every time you visit but I will still host a banquet for you," Quetzalcoatl remarked as he looked at Layland, ceasing all chattering in the surrounding. "We will go to my house, the home that Aurelia hasn't visited for a while."
Taking that as their cue to leave, the Dragons teleported elsewhere. They said their farewell to Aurelia before teleporting and ignored Layland. Ptolemios was the only Dragon who said his farewell to Layland. The treatment he got made it apparent that he was not that welcomed yet Layland didn't care. He didn't need others' validation to appreciate himself.
Seeing that everyone was ready, Quetzalcoatl took the lead. Layland, Aurelia and Millonia immediately followed him. While Aurelia was busy enjoying Layland's warmth by hugging his arm as they walked, Layland and Millonia keenly observed their surroundings. They weren't sure back then but now could tell the mountain they were in had a Mana Vein.
It was located at the peak of the mountain which was where Quetzalcoatl's house was located. Its existence and location were not unordinary, but they still managed to pique the duo's interest. Mana Vein was a natural phenomenon. It was incredible to think that someone could make it. They got to understand why the Ancient Gods were wary of Dragons.
"Here we are. Welcome to our humble abode!"
As soon as they reached the peak, they were greeted by a one-storey house that Layland noted as extremely similar to a traditional Japanese house. It was quite surprising, but he was more surprised that Dragons didn't use caves as their house.
"It has changed," Aurelia remarked. "I thought you would never admit anything other than caves as your house."
'Oh, so I wasn't being stereotypical,' Layland mused.
"Well, a weird fellow said that I was being uncivilized by living in a cave while assuming my human form all the time. We built this house together."
"This weird fellow is a Hero, correct?" Layland chimed in.
ραпdα Й?νê|(сòm) "Yes. This architecture is unique to his world."
Layland hummed as he took note that this world seemed to favour the Japanese. 'I guess there is a reason why they are very fond of the Isekai trope,' he mused in amusement. He felt slightly bad for them, though. This world would only look easy if one had a strong mentality. Given how the humans used Heroes, it wasn't surprising to see a lot of them suffering.
By the time Layland finished his musing, they were already seated in the living room. Except for Aurelia who was wondering where the chairs were, Layland and Millonia assumed seiza without a fuss. Millonia was originally Japanese and Layland was a Japanese culture enjoyer, so they didn't see anything wrong.
When Aurelia accepted the situation, Quetzalcoatl entered the living room, bringing a tray filled with a tea set. He put it down on the table and joined the others to sit. Putting matcha powder into a bowl, he poured hot water into it. He whisked the water until it mixed with the powder, producing beautiful foam on top of it in the process.
When he deemed the tea was ready, he poured it equally into three glasses and then served them to his granddaughter and guests. The three immediately took a sip, allowing him to see one confused look and two appreciative looks.
"This tea tastes different from every tea that I have had. Not that I have drank a lot of kinds of tea."
"You brewed it well."
"You have a good teacher."
Given the praise, Quetzalcoatl smirked. He could finally get back at his tea-brewing master who had incessantly insulted him for his brewing technique.
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