Chapter 653: The Faerie Dragon God, the Olive Branch of the Joyous Court
Night slowly crept over the Verdant Homeland.
When the last rays of twilight faded from the treetops, the fey came alive once more.
The Red Emperor, whom they admired and loved the most, had already left the Verdant Homeland and returned to the Material Plane.
The fey felt a little reluctant to see him go.
But that didn’t stop them from continuing their joyful lives.
Vira yawned inside the hollow of the old oak tree, lazily stretching her wings before folding them back in.
Morning light filtered through the gaps in the leaves, casting mottled spots on her scales. It was warm and cozy, making her feel entirely sluggish.
Today was a good day.
The weather in the Serene Spirit Wilderness was always good, but today was especially so.
The wind carried the sweet fragrance of ripe berries, laughter from flower fairies playing in the distance echoed over, and even the clouds above had scattered completely, revealing a clear, blue sky.
“Lady Vira is full of energy today as well.”
The faerie dragon faced a small mirror hanging inside the tree hollow, turned her head left and right, and admired her delicate little horns with satisfaction.
She reached out a claw to wipe the dust off the left horn, then used the tip of her tail to adjust the mirror’s crooked angle.
After scrutinizing herself for a long moment, she finally nodded.
She was about to begin her day as a guardian.
As a guardian, Vira’s duties—or rather, the duties she had assigned to herself—were quite broad.
According to her own explanation, aside from the basic responsibility of ensuring safety, the more important part was to “make sure all interesting things happen normally.”
As for how to execute that, it all depended on Lady Vira’s mood that day.
Meanwhile.
Outside the tree hollow, several Pique spirits were dancing around a glowing mushroom.
When they saw her pop out, they waved their tiny hands in greeting.
“Wow, Lady Vira, you’re awake!”
“The wisteria bushes on the west side are blooming tonight. We’re planning to gather some nectar. Wanna join?”
Vira flicked her tail, crawled out of the tree hollow, and landed on a branch. Looking down at them from above, she said,
“Wisteria nectar.”
She tilted her head, speaking in a casual tone. “It’s way too sweet. Only you immature little runts would like it.”
Even as she said that, Vira didn’t just walk away.
She slid down the trunk, landing right in the middle of the Pique spirits. With a slight flutter of her wings, she shook off the wood chips stuck to her scales.
“But, since you’ve sincerely invited me... Lady Vira will reluctantly accompany you this once.”
The Pique spirits cheered and swarmed around her as they flew toward the west.
The wisteria bushes were indeed in bloom.
Pale purple flower clusters hung between the branches, draping from the highest vines all the way down to the ground.
The sweet fragrance from the blossoms was so thick it almost had weight, attracting swarms of fireflies and flower fairies.
A little while later, she began her other task.
Patrolling.
This was the serious duty of a guardian, and Vira had scheduled it very punctually.
The faerie dragon started from the mushroom ring on the east side of the Homeland, following the small paths carved out by the fey all the way to the Firefly Swamp on the west side.
These paths were winding and twisting. Some places were so narrow she could only squeeze through sideways.
But she had flown them so many times she knew every curve and fork even with her eyes closed.
Along the way, Vira would pause now and then.
She stopped in front of every newly bloomed flower, parting the petals to check if there were any pests hiding inside. She knocked twice on the trunk of every old tree to see if the tree spirit was still awake. She chased away a few hedgehog bugs trying to steal berries, driving them back into the bushes they belonged in.
After finishing all that, it was time for the real business.
For Vira.
There was always only one real business—telling stories.
Vira landed in the center of the largest mushroom ring. The moment she touched down, a circle of fey had already gathered around her.
These were her loyal audience. They always showed up on time whenever she began telling a story, never missing a single session.
“Last time, I talked about how the great Red Emperor made the Bronze Dragon King see the error of his ways...”
“That was already a month ago,” a Pique spirit raised its little hand in protest, its voice shrill.
“Fine, then I’ll start from the beginning again, so you don’t forget the important details.”
Vira didn’t even flinch. She cleared her throat, coiled her tail in front of her, and struck her storytelling pose.
The fey twittered with laughter.
They were already used to Vira’s way of telling stories.
Every time had new details. Every time, the Red Emperor’s exploits were a little more exaggerated than before. Sometimes even the chronological order would change.
But the fey never cared whether the stories were true or not.
They only cared if the stories were exciting, if they could make them scream in awe.
The entire morning passed like that inside the mushroom ring.
When Vira finally finished today’s session, the sun had risen to directly overhead.
She wrapped up the last story, brushed the dust off her paws, and looked with satisfaction at her audience’s lingering expressions of longing.
The afternoon belonged to pranks.
This was the part of the day the faerie dragon looked forward to the most.
Vira didn’t head back to her tree hollow after leaving the mushroom ring. Instead, she changed direction and silently flew to the fruit tree forest on the north side of the Homeland.
The trees in the fruit forest were very tall.
With thick leaves and dense branches, sunlight could only seep through the gaps, spilling patches of scattered gold onto the ground.
She hid in the shadows of the canopy, pressing her scales tight against the tree trunk, blending herself into the leaves, patiently waiting for her prey.
The first unlucky target appeared soon enough.
A beetle knight—a tiny fey riding atop a beetle—was marching along a branch with great pomp.
The large beetle’s six legs moved in perfect unison, each step carrying authority.
The knight wore a helmet woven from grass stalks, topped with a red feather that swayed gently in the breeze. It looked incredibly majestic.
Vira narrowed her eyes, locked onto the target.
Swoosh.
She flicked a drop of tree sap she had collected the night before. Her aim was perfect, landing it right in front of the beetle knight’s mount.
The beetle stepped onto it, and the sticky sap instantly wrapped around its leg. The whole insect struggled for a moment before getting completely stuck in place, unable to move. The little knight toppled off the beetle, even the feather on its helmet askew.
Vira hid behind the leaves, covering her mouth as she snickered.
The second unlucky target was two flower fairies who were busy flirting.
They sat side by side on the edge of a lily of the valley petal, their bodies leaning close together, their antennae gently touching each other. It was a picture of deep affection.
Vira crept closer.
Then, calculating the angle, she flapped her wings and blasted a gust of wind.
The air current struck precisely, hitting the petal the fairies were sitting on, making it bounce.
Caught off guard, both fairies screamed as they shot into the air, colliding with each other mid-flight. Together, they tumbled into the stamens deep inside the flower, getting completely covered in sticky pollen.
“Ah-ha! Prank success!”
The faerie dragon let out a strange cackle as she flew out from her hiding spot, hovering in midair to admire her handiwork.
By the time the fairies scrambled out of the stamens, covered in pollen, and tried to chase after her, she was already long gone, leaving behind only a trail of triumphant laughter echoing through the flowers.
And so.
By the time the faerie dragon had finally roamed every corner of the Verdant Homeland and stirred up trouble in every possible spot, night had fallen.
The darkness deepened. The specks of firefly light grew sparse.
The fey’s commotion gradually subsided into gentle murmurs.
Vira fluttered her wings and landed on a low tree at the edge of the Verdant Homeland.
This tree was a bit shorter than the one she usually rested in, but the view was excellent. Sitting against the trunk, she could take in the entire meadow at a glance.
She let her tail dangle between the branches, tucked her wings close to her sides, and looked up at the moon overhead.
From where she sat, the meadow of the Serene Spirit Wilderness gleamed with a silvery-white luster under the moonlight. Countless tiny specks of light drifted slowly in the night breeze, like scattered stardust, flickering on and off as if the earth itself was breathing.
She squinted for a moment, then twitched her nose.
The evening breeze blew in from the edge of the meadow, carrying a strange, unfamiliar scent.
“This smell... it doesn’t belong to any of the fey in the Verdant Homeland.”
Vira tilted her head. Her wings silently unfurled, and she slid down from the low tree, landing in the grass. Then she crawled carefully toward the meadow.
She parted a clump of wild grass that was as tall as her head, poked her head out to take a look, and froze for a moment.
In the middle of the meadow stood a faerie dragon.
It was slightly larger than her, maybe longer by about half a tail’s length. Its scales were a light gold.
It was looking up at the sky, its tail curling and uncurling slowly behind it, occasionally loosening and then coiling back up. It seemed both relaxed and vigilant.
Since it wasn’t an evil creature, there was no need to be overly cautious.
Vira emerged from the grass, shook off the grass seeds and leaf fragments stuck to her scales, and landed gracefully on a flat rock.
The rock was half a body length higher than the meadow ground, allowing her to look down at the other dragon.
She crossed her front paws, raised her chin slightly, and looked down at the strange faerie dragon with an air of superiority.
“Hey, you.”
She lifted her chin. “This is the territory of the Verdant Homeland. Wandering faerie dragons aren’t common around here. Who are you?”
The light-gold faerie dragon turned around.
When it saw Vira, its eyes lit up, as if it had discovered something interesting. A flashy grin spread across its face.
It spread its wings and gave her a slight bow.
“Ah, so you must be Lady Vira!”
It said respectfully, “I’ve heard so much about you, so much about you.”
“I’ve heard of your exploits—the guardian of the Verdant Homeland, the most remarkable faerie dragon in the Serene Spirit Wilderness. Many fey, when they mention you, their eyes sparkle like stars.”
Vira’s ears twitched, and the tip of her tail perked up slightly.
She cleared her throat, trying to make her voice sound steady and dignified, more befitting a truly great figure. “That’s right, I am Lady Vira herself. You seem to have some knowledge after all.”
The light-gold faerie dragon bowed again.
“My name is Netal. Just a wandering faerie dragon. I travel around occasionally, listen to stories, see new things.”
Vira tilted her head.
Netal... that name did sound vaguely familiar, like she had heard it somewhere before, but she couldn’t quite place where at the moment.
She flicked her tail, brushing the thought aside, and hopped forward two steps, landing on a closer rock. She studied the other dragon’s scale color and demeanor with great interest.
“You’ve heard my stories?”
“Heard them? I’ve memorized them,” Netal spread his front paws dramatically, his wings half-opening. “I’m a super fan of the Red Emperor. Those legends about the Scarlet Emperor Cangxing, from his rise in the wilderness to the battle that swept the Dragon Kings—I can recite every single part by heart.”
Vira raised her chin, her tail wagging more vigorously behind her.
“Mm-hmm,” she cleared her throat. “Naturally. Vira’s stories are always the most exciting. Do you have anything else to say?”
“Lady Vira never tires of praise, does she?” Netal stepped closer, still wearing that smile.
“I do have a lot of praise to give. But...”
He paused, tilting his head. His tone suddenly became a bit hesitant. “I’m ashamed to say this. Even though I’ve heard so many stories about the Red Emperor, I’ve never actually seen His Majesty the Dragon Emperor in person.”
“Sometimes I can’t help but wonder...”
“Could the glory and majesty in those stories have been... just a little embellished?”
He said this while using both front claws to show a very small distance, his face wearing an innocent expression.
Vira’s wings snapped taut.
“Are you doubting the great Red Emperor?”
Her voice rose slightly.
“Not doubting.” Netal quickly waved his hands, his expression both aggrieved and sincere, his claws fluttering in front of his chest as he hastily explained. “I just, how should I put it... seeing is believing, you know?”
“For such a great story, if I could see the Red Emperor himself with my own eyes, even just from afar, I’d be completely satisfied.”
Vira took a deep breath. She filled her lungs so full that her pigeon-sized chest puffed out, round and plump.
Any fey that didn’t believe in the Red Emperor was a low-class fey.
She had finally found one who knew what was up, but he didn’t fully believe.
This doubt was utterly unbearable for her.
“Hmph. Since you don’t believe me, then Lady Vira will let you witness the majesty of the Red Emperor firsthand!”
Vira declared.
Netal blinked, stepping back half a pace, his face filled with curiosity and anticipation.
“Oh, really? Then I couldn’t ask for more.”
Vira flew up to the most open space above the meadow.
She closed her eyes, steadied her breath, and focused her mind.
Crimson red scales, wide wingspans, muscles as mighty as mountains, and an aura of overwhelming pressure... Vira had countless times lain on the bridge of his nose or perched between his horns. She remembered every detail clearly.
She tensed her body, concentrated her will, and activated her special transformation spell.
“Appear, great Scarlet Emperor Cangxing!”
She shouted with full force, spreading her wings and striking the most majestic pose she remembered from the Red Emperor.
Then she cast the spell.
A flash of light.
In the reflection on the meadow, a giant dragon did indeed appear.
Red scales, thick limbs, broad wings...
The shape vaguely matched some parts, but the overall form was completely distorted.
It was round and chubby, its belly bulging high, like it had swallowed an entire beehive. Its short, stubby limbs could barely touch the ground, each one comically short. Its tail was as short as a carrot, pitifully tucked behind.
The whole dragon looked like a red-skinned fruit with wings.
Vira froze, staring at her own reflection. She blinked twice, her brain still not processing what had happened.
At the same time, an exaggerated laugh burst from across the way.
Netal had already collapsed to the ground. His front paws were clutching his belly, his wings shaking with laughter. The whole dragon curled up, rolling around in the grass.
“Hahaha! Is this, is this the Red Emperor’s demeanor?”
“Round and plump, hahahaha! Too, too hilarious!”
Strange. Why did my spell fail?
Vira gritted her tiny teeth, dispelled the transformation, and shook her head.
She had been very serious about that one. She shouldn’t have messed up like that.
“That was just a small slip-up. Watch closely this time.”
This time, she was more serious. She closed her eyes and took several deep breaths, meticulously reviewing every detail of the red iron dragon: the texture of each scale, the curve of each claw, the angle of his wings when spread.
Light flashed again, brighter than before.
Then, she turned into a dragon with two heads.
The left head was absurdly large—bigger than a normal giant dragon’s head by a full circle. Its mouth was half-open, revealing a row of uneven teeth. The right head, however, was only the size of a fist, tucked pitifully beside its shoulder.
One wing was long, the other short. The whole dragon looked crooked and twisted.
Its four legs were all different lengths. Standing on the ground was difficult; it wobbled left and right twice before barely stabilizing.
“Is this the Red Emperor’s new look? Hahahahaha!”
Netal was doubled over with laughter.
He forgot to flap his wings entirely, and his whole body went *plop* as he fell into the grass, rolling around while clutching his stomach. His tail thrashed wildly behind him, sending grass clippings flying everywhere. Tears of laughter welled up in his eyes.
Vira let out an enraged low growl and tried a third time.
A flash of light, and she turned into a dragon covered in mushrooms. Between her scales, colorful fungi of all sorts grew densely, making her look like a mobile garden.
Netal couldn’t even speak anymore. He just lay there, twitching in the grass.
At that moment, Vira finally figured it out.
She glared at the light-gold faerie dragon across from her, reverting from her mushroom-dragon form back to her usual shape. She lunged fiercely, landing in front of him. Her wings spread angrily, and her vertical pupils narrowed into slits.
“You! You did something!”
“You were interfering with me!”
Netal finally managed to stop laughing. Using one claw to wipe the tears from the corner of his eye, he waved the other claw at her, still catching his breath. “Sorry, sorry. I’m really sorry.”
“It was just a little prank. I couldn’t help it.”
“You’re a faerie dragon too. You understand, right?”
He blinked, his face piling on an innocent expression.
Vira stopped in front of him, staring at him for a long while.
Of course she understood pranks. She pulled them several times a day herself.
It was just that usually she was the one pranking others, but today, she had been the victim.
She also had to admit, this guy was skilled.
He could interfere with her spells without making a sound, and she hadn’t even known when she got caught. He was definitely not an ordinary faerie dragon.
In the end, Vira snorted.
“Lady Vira has a generous heart. I’ll forgive you this time. Since you’re of the same kind, don’t let it happen again.”
She said.
Netal immediately scrambled to his feet, sidling up to her ingratiatingly. “I knew Lady Vira wouldn’t hold a grudge over such a small matter. Your magnanimity is as vast as the night sky of the Serene Spirit Wilderness.”
“Save it.”
Vira flicked her tail, but couldn’t help the corners of her mouth turning up. She quickly suppressed it, putting on a serious expression.
“Spill it. What are you really doing in the Verdant Homeland? A wandering faerie dragon like you doesn’t travel this far just to hear a story, right?”
“And don’t tell me you were just passing by.”
Vira wasn’t stupid.
She had already keenly sensed that this faerie dragon had come with some purpose.
Netal tilted his head.
The goofy grin on his face faded a little. His tail slowly curled around half a circle before resting on his front paws.
“You saw right through me.”
“I didn’t just wander here randomly. I wanted to see for myself how the fey in the Verdant Homeland are doing.”
He lifted his head and blinked. “After all, this place is famous.”
“The Red Emperor shows up occasionally. All kinds of fey are ten times more active here than in other settlements. Even the most stuffy tree spirits are discussing the Dragon Empire.”
“I thought it was interesting. That’s all.”
Vira scrutinized him for a moment. Then she turned around, flicking her tail. “Fine. Lady Vira is in a good mood today, so I’ll give you a tour of the Verdant Homeland.”
“Keep up. Don’t get lost.”
Netal happily followed, his wings gently fluttering as he landed beside her.
Vira led him through the berry grove, around the small pond, and along the full circuit of the fey paths.
Along the way, she pointed at all the places she knew by heart, giving offhand introductions.
This was the lily-of-the-valley thicket where the flower fairies often gathered. Over there was the tree hollow where the Pique spirits hid their toys. Beneath the tallest oak in the distance lived a tree spirit who didn’t talk much but was great at making honey...
Some fey curiously approached to take a look at the new visitor.
After a quick glance, they quickly dispersed and went back to their own business.
Netal followed quietly. Occasionally he nodded, occasionally he let out a few sounds of admiration. He seemed well-behaved enough.
A few times, his gaze swept over the positions of the Aola guards, but he only looked once before looking away, not showing excessive interest.
But Vira hadn’t forgotten about the prank earlier.
After basically finishing one full round, she was flying ahead when her eyes flickered, and an idea suddenly came to her.
As they passed a patch of low shrubs, she slowed down. Pointing her tail at a plant ahead with small purple flowers and thick, glossy leaves, she spoke with a serious tone.
“See that Fragrant Flower?”
“It’s one of the rarest flowers in the Verdant Homeland. One sniff will keep you smelling nice for three full days.”
“Want to go take a closer sniff? Ordinary fey never get this chance.”
Netal looked in the direction she pointed, his eyes curious. “Really? I’ll have to give it a good sniff then.”
Vira barely suppressed her smile, stepping aside to make room for Netal.
Netal landed beside the plant, leaned down, and brought his head close to the little purple flower.
From the center of the stamen, a thick cloud of yellow-green gas suddenly burst forth.
At the same time, a strong gust of wind came out of nowhere from downwind, sweeping all the gas directly toward the faerie dragon Vira.
Vira was caught off guard.
Before she could dodge, the intense stench came crashing into her nasal passages. It was like a hundred skunks all stuffed in the same hole and left to ferment for three months, mixed with mud and rotten berries. The smell hit her so hard she reeled backward.
Vira flapped her wings to retreat, tears streaming from her eyes.
And Netal, standing right next to the stinky flower, was already laughing so hard he couldn’t straighten up.
“Lady Vira, your prank skills still need some practice! Compared to me, it seems you’re still a bit too green.”
The faerie dragon’s face flushed red.
She fanned the air with her tail a couple of times, then lunged at Netal with claws bared. “Stop right there! I’m going to stuff dust up your nose!”
The light-gold faerie dragon jumped back, his wings snapping open with a whoosh.
He spun agilely midair, waved a claw at her, a flamboyant grin plastered on his face. But his form was already starting to blur.
“That’s it for today!”
“The Verdant Homeland is a really nice place. I’ll come back to play. Next time we meet, Lady Vira will have to think of a better prank, alright?”
His form grew fainter and fainter.
In the blink of an eye, he had completely vanished into the night deep within the meadow, not even the tip of his tail remaining.
Vira stood on the grass, baring her teeth at the empty meadow. Her wings were puffed out in anger.
“Damn it...!”
She muttered under her breath, then turned to look at her scales that reeked. She couldn’t help but wrinkle her nose again. Rubbing her chest with her front claws, she gave herself a good sniff, then turned her head away in disgust.
Afterward, Vira went to wash off the stench.
She soaked in the pond for a long time and scrubbed herself with flower petals multiple times, not stopping until the smell was completely gone.
Back in her tree hollow, the faerie dragon curled up glumly, wrapping herself in her tail. She tucked herself into the nest made of soft moss, closed her eyes, and tried to put this night behind her.
But Vira tossed and turned, unable to sleep. The more she replayed the events, the angrier she got.
“Got... completely played from start to finish.”
She opened her eyes, staring at the roots hanging from the ceiling of the hollow. She muttered to herself, then clenched her claws. “Next time we meet, Lady Vira will make sure he rolls right into that stinky flower bush too.”
Vira gradually calmed down, her breathing slowly steadying.
But at the same time, a thought silently surfaced.
Netal. Netal. Netal...
That name was definitely not the first time she had heard it.
Vira sat up, coiling her tail in front of her. She tilted her head, thinking for a long while, then flew up to the branches of the old oak. Wrapping her tail around a branch, she hung upside down to think.
She always liked thinking like this. It felt like it let blood rush to her brain and make her smarter.
A few minutes later, Vira’s breath caught.
She finally remembered.
The god of pseudodragons and faerie dragons. The god of mischief and play, the Trickster God.
He never cared about the serious affairs of dragons. Instead, he mingled among the chaotic forest gods and the boisterous fey races, getting along famously with the fey.
He liked being in lively places. He loved pranks and games.
He enjoyed tricking others, loved seeing them fuming while having no way to deal with him.
He had more than one name, and different names were spread across different fey settlements.
Netal Skeyasak.
That was one of his many old names.
Thinking of this, Vira nearly fell off the branch. Her tail managed to wrap tightly around the branch, saving her body from crashing into the bushes below.
“That light-gold faerie dragon... is...”
She opened her mouth and stared blankly for a long time. Then she slowly closed it.
Meanwhile.
The Joyous Court. The realm of the miniature folk deities.
Woodlands and palaces, streams and corridors, flower seas and domes...
All of them existed in the same space simultaneously, overlapping and intertwining, like someone had layered countless paintings on top of each other, yet none obscured the other.
Every step taken here would land on a different surface.
One moment it was bluestone, the next it turned into soft moss, and another step would plunge into shallow stream water.
Yet all these transitions were smooth, never making one trip.
Inside a small pavilion built from wisteria and moonstone, a fairy sat in the main seat.
She was slightly larger than an adult human’s palm. Four wings, as thin as cicada wings, hummed faintly behind her.
In her pale purple eyes, the paths of stars and the cycles of the seasons interwove and flowed.
It was as if she held the entire sky within those eyes.
Suddenly, a figure burst out from among the flowers, landing across from her.
“Titania! Titania!”
Netal leaned forward eagerly. “I found a really fun place! It’s in the Serene Spirit Wilderness, called the Verdant Homeland.”
“Do you want to go see it too?”
The faerie dragon said enthusiastically, his front paws resting on the edge of the stone table, his body leaning forward.
Titania.
The guardian of all fey. The master of the Joyous Court. The most exalted being among the deities of the miniature folk.
This immensely powerful figure, standing at the very top among the gods, spent most of her time simply sitting quietly in this garden, watching over the tiny lives she protected.
“Netal, I have long been watching that place.”
“Ever since the Dragon Emperor from the Material Plane set foot in the Serene Spirit Wilderness, I have been watching it.”
“I have watched the red dragon banner flutter in the wind of the Serene Spirit Wilderness. I have watched the lives of the Material Plane and the fey go from mutual curiosity to gradual familiarity, and now to sitting side by side on the same grass, sharing honey and stories.”
She spoke softly, her voice like a stream flowing over stones.
The faerie dragon let out an annoyed puff. “Ah! So you already knew about such a fun place! Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”
Titania finally raised her eyes to look at him.
“Because I didn’t want you to disturb the Verdant Homeland.”
Netal blinked, immediately ready to argue. He opened his mouth to say something, but found his body starting to become ethereal, about to be banished from this flower pavilion.
“Wait, wait!” He panicked, flapping his wings a couple of times. “I was just...”
Titania raised a hand, her fingertip giving a slight flick.
Netal’s form disappeared layer by layer, from the tip of his tail to the tip of his nose, vanishing into the air, leaving only his fading voice. “...wanted to have some fun.”
The pavilion fell silent.
Titania lowered her gaze. A thread of her sight crossed the borders of the Joyous Court, landing on the Verdant Homeland, which she had been watching for so long.
As a powerful deity, she watched over all fey settlements simultaneously. Her consciousness spread like an unfurled web, covering countless dwelling places at once, sensing every movement and whisper in every corner.
And among all the fey settlements, the Verdant Homeland ranked high on her list of priorities.
The reason was simple.
This settlement had a close relationship with dragons.
That red iron dragon was no simple being either.
Besides his immense innate talent, he also had a foreign soul within him. This was what drew Titania’s first gaze toward him.
A foreign soul was not rare in the eyes of a god.
Every deity with eternal life had seen more than one foreign soul. They were long used to it by now.
Where did they come from?
Even the gods themselves couldn’t be entirely sure. They could only speculate that they came from some mysterious place beyond the known world.
But what was certain was that these foreign souls were most fond of humans.
Next were dragons.
Beyond humans and dragons, there were even goblins, slimes, mushrooms, skeletons, spiders, and the like, but their numbers were extremely scarce.
Beings with foreign souls were always different, possessing superior talent and intelligence compared to their kin.
Most crucially, they were skilled at cracking cracks in the predetermined path of fate. If they didn’t die young, they were sure to grow into a dominant force.
Titania had witnessed the red iron dragon’s constant growth firsthand.
She was certain in her heart that this dragon’s future achievements would be extraordinary.
This certainty became especially strong after she saw that the red iron dragon could ascend to godhood but refused to do so.
Most importantly, the red iron dragon got along very well with the fey.
He didn’t treat the fey as insignificant little things like other dragons did, nor did he see them as dispensable decorations like some gods did.
The fey also loved him and respected him.
To Titania, the fey were the most important thing.
She cared about everything about them, from their joys to their sorrows, from their playfulness to their quiet moments. Everything was under her care.
And then, the love of her fey subjects had infected her.
She, too, had grown to love this dragon.
“Tiamat, Bahamut.”
“You don’t cherish your own subjects. You ignore their lives. But fey never skimp on giving love, and they are never ashamed to express acceptance.”
Titania thought to herself.
Since the red iron dragon could thrive in the Serene Spirit Wilderness, and the fey genuinely supported him, then if the Joyous Court extended an olive branch to him, he might not refuse.
Besides, there was already a precedent.
Netal, the god of pseudodragons and faerie dragons, was once a member of the dragon pantheon.
He had originally belonged to the dragon faction. But the other dragon deities only showed dissatisfaction and disgust toward his pranks and playfulness. Every time, they harshly reprimanded him.
Then, the fey opened their arms and accepted him.
Now he was a member of the fey races, belonging to the Joyous Court.
Among the fey, he lived much happier than he ever did among the dragons.
But that guy was utterly obsessed with pranks. He never did any real work. He spent his days running between fey settlements looking for fun. Expecting him to help with anything serious was basically impossible.
The red iron dragon was different.
He had goals. He had plans. He had the drive to act. He had a complete worldview and code of conduct. If he could join the Joyous Court, he would undoubtedly become a blade that understood both strength and gentleness.
However, now was not the time to extend the olive branch.
There was no favor owed, nor any deep friendship established.
What right did she have to demand his trust and recognition?
Titania understood very well that even she could not simply demand that he belong to the Joyous Court just because “the fey like him.”
The one she was dealing with was a dragon who had built an empire. He had strong subjectivity.
She needed an opportunity. An opportunity to build trust and friendship between both sides.
“Tiamat... That evil god loves to play games. But what fun is there in games where the strong bully the weak?”
Titania smiled faintly. A glimmer flashed through her pale purple eyes.
No opportunity now. But that was fine.
The evil dragon god would personally create one for her.