Chapter 80: Accusation

This King of the Phoenixes had actually pulled a grand, magical transformation on the black dragon! That noble, awe-inspiring, and majestically intimidating bird’s head suddenly turned into a round, pudgy shape, instantly changing from a handsome phoenix into a silly-looking snowy owl!

Hmm...

The black dragon’s eyes widened in astonishment. This seemed to be a thought that had just flashed through its mind moments before, and to its complete surprise, it had become reality.

As for why the black dragon would harbor such a thought, it was, of course, because it felt the phoenix’s appearance was somewhat flawed, not entirely to its taste. Beautiful as they were, there was always a sense of excessive pride about them, too lofty and unapproachable—creatures to be admired from afar, not to be played with. Furthermore, their eyes were set on the sides of their heads, so when they looked at someone, they had to tilt their heads. Not only did this seem inelegant, but even rather rude.

So inevitably, the black dragon’s mind wandered to snowy owls.

Despite being birds of prey, snowy owls had round, adorable heads and big, innocent-looking eyes, perfectly in line with human aesthetics. In the black dragon’s opinion, they were the cutest and most beautiful of all birds.

The black dragon had even considered, once the phoenix outside submitted to it, earnestly persuading it to change its appearance… into that of a snowy owl!

Yet to its utter amazement, this mischievous thought had become reality here—the King of the Phoenixes had directly taken on the appearance of a snowy owl.

“So that means… this temple, and this King of the Phoenixes, are merely projections within my consciousness—able to be distorted by my subjective will?”

The black dragon mused. After all, whether it was the divine realm of the Dragon God Hibernion or the abyss where the King of the Phoenixes dwelled, they were surely far removed from the black dragon itself. How could it be dragged to them simply by dreaming?

If such feats were truly possible, Hibernion would’ve long ago used this method to haul his wayward offspring over for a stern lecture or a shakedown, instead of letting things remain as ‘harmonious’ and scattered as they presently were.

“No wonder, when Hibernion spoke to me earlier, he used the Summer tongue instead of the draconic language. In this kind of mental communication, the ‘input method’ would naturally be drawn from my own subjective mind…”

“In that case…”

The black dragon suddenly paused, glancing at its own claws and flapping its wings.

“Why, in my own mind, do I still appear in dragon form rather than human form?”

Could it be...

Have I, have I, already become someone—or something—else?

The black dragon was seized with terror.

Just then, the King of the Phoenixes, now sporting a snowy owl’s head, finally spoke—

Aba aba...

Hmm... This ancient being not only had blinded eyes, but its vocal cords and even its chest cavity were ruined. All it could manage was a hoarse, broken cry.

Who could have done this!

This was just too tragic—such a precious, first-class protected creature, reduced to such a wretched state!

The black dragon was filled with righteous indignation and couldn’t help but move closer.

This proved, once again, the importance of appearances. Had the King of the Phoenixes still looked as before, the black dragon’s sympathy would never have emboldened it to approach.

Aba aba aba!

Seeing the black dragon draw near, the King of the Phoenixes became more agitated, its eyes brimming with hope and longing.

Is it… asking something of me?

The black dragon breathed an inexplicable sigh of relief. It had feared this King might be like Hibernion, calling it over to demand gold.

What a terrifying aura of curses…

Only now, up close, did the black dragon feel the thick deathly aura and cursed power radiating from the phoenix’s body, and it instinctively retreated a few steps.

It caught a fleeting vision—

This King of the Phoenixes, too, had once possessed a dazzling, golden divine form, reigning over a beautiful celestial realm. But for reasons unknown, that heavenly kingdom had fallen into the abyss, and the King itself was gradually corrupted and cursed into its present state.

“So... you want to be struck by lightning too?”

The black dragon seemed to understand and sighed, “But this is only a dream. Even if I electrocute you here, it won’t do any good, will it?”

“……”

“What? You want me to go into the abyss and save you? Lady… we’re not even remotely related, and you dare make such a request?”

The black dragon shook its head. “You know we dragons are utterly lacking in morals. Don’t try to guilt-trip me!”

“……”

“What? You can make the phoenix outside swear allegiance to me—to serve me like a beast of burden?”

The black dragon’s eyes widened in shock. “No, absolutely not! What age do you think this is? That’s feudal rubbish! I detest feudalism and slavery the most!”

“……”

The King of the Phoenixes gazed at the black dragon’s rambling with a blank expression, then struggled up from the ground, its snowy owl head shifting back to its original form.

It stretched out its ragged, battered wings, raised its head and uttered a mournful, piercing cry, squeezed its rear, and with great difficulty laid a single black egg…

The black dragon: “……”

I must have interrupted something. So you called me over just to watch you lay an egg!

The black dragon was dumbfounded. What on earth did this mean? How had their conversation led to egg-laying?

Was it because I looked too frail… so you laid an egg to nourish me?

Yet the King of the Phoenixes offered no explanation, only gave the black dragon a deep, meaningful look before vanishing.

Only the black egg remained, substantial and tangible, lingering long in the black dragon’s mind.

…………

Hmmmm...

The black dragon stared at the egg with a constipated expression, an ominous feeling rising in its heart. This thing—might prove troublesome!

If it happened to hatch inside its own skull, what then?

Its heart, newly awakened, began to bombard it with complaints, blaming the brain for its lack of sense—how could it dare to banter with the King of the Phoenixes?

Now look what you’ve done: you made her happy, and she promptly laid you an egg. And you, you stupid brain, didn’t even try to stop it—just stood there gaping!

“…Could I have stopped it?”

The black dragon also felt things were getting out of hand and sulkily asked.

Of course! This dream is your domain. Not only could you have stopped it, you could have stuffed the egg right back in if you wanted!

But you, you idiot brain, did nothing at all!

“Stuff it back in… isn’t that a bit too cruel…”

The black dragon shook its head. “It’s just an egg, what’s the worst that could happen? I’ll just find a way to get rid of it.”

“……”

The heart fell silent, refusing to engage further. The King of the Phoenixes had held that egg in for tens of thousands of years—how could it be so easily discarded?

“Say something, you mongrel!”

The black dragon raged helplessly, shifting the blame. “This is your fault too!”

“My mind’s firewall is top-notch. How could some deity’s will just waltz in here? If it were that easy, Goddess Freya would’ve come looking for me in my dreams a dozen times already. So what happened tonight is definitely connected to you!”

“In fact, it’s probably you who played matchmaker! Judging by the King’s feeble state, invading my dream couldn’t have been easy. The only explanation is—you acted as the go-between to bring her here!”