The Shepherds Are Dense – Chapter 680

Chapter 679
Adaptive Power

Fafnir nodded at her and repeated, “That’s right, being beaten—or rather, any action close to death.

“If one eats poisonous grass and survives, they will gain resistance to that poisonous grass. If bitten by a snake and survives, they will gain resistance to snake venom. If one doesn’t eat or drink for a long time, the body will adjust to a form suitable for this lifestyle. This is why dragons can live in deserts, deep seas, glaciers, swamps, and volcanoes.

“That’s why I say this is how we dragons educate our children. As long as they are injured and then healed, their bodies will become a little stronger than before. Both humans and elves need arduous ‘training’ to achieve this.

“The reason I am so powerful is that I fell into a near-death state several times when I was young. My bones have been broken more than ten times, my eyes have been blinded, my liver has been cut out three times, and my scales have been replaced more than once. The most serious time was when I fought a sea beast with a hundred heads to cover Helchin’s retreat. My heart and liver were eaten alive by it, and my wings were torn off. When I miraculously survived, I became more than twice as strong as before.

“Compared to back then, this World is too peaceful. The current generation of dragons has almost no experience fighting monsters. Once they encounter danger, it’s almost fatal. To the point where dragons have been hunted by humans to near extinction with ease—Oh, sorry. My apologies, Eivass. I didn’t mean to disparage humans, I just meant… this situation was almost impossible in the past.”

Fafnir realized her words seemed unfriendly to humans, so she politely apologized to Eivass.

Eivass repeatedly shook his head, “No, no, no, it’s okay…”

Since Fafnir was being so polite, how could he complain? It wasn’t humans who were hunted to near extinction…

Honestly, he had never heard of “dragons being hunted to extinction by humans” before. He was shocked and even found it somewhat unbelievable when he first heard it.

But after thinking about it, it did make sense.

The main reason was the precedent set by the Silver Crown Dragon—although they might not be able to obtain the power of the Ring Heavenly Envoy and thus gain the power of dragons in the transcendent act of “dragon slaying.” However, even so, materials like dragon blood and dragon hearts were still sky-high in price, and slaying dragons could turn one into a “dragon-slaying hero,” earning immense prestige.

A hundred years ago, there were still many dragons in Avalon. Even Lixia’s former husband died from dragon slaying.

And now, in Avalon, one could hardly hear any rumors of dragons existing. If there were rumors of a dragon somewhere—even a lesser dragon—there could be twenty to thirty mercenary groups heading there.

It was even more so in Star Antinomy. As a nation of Ritualists and Alchemists, they had an extreme craving for dragon materials. They would dismantle humans, let alone dragons.

From this perspective, Fafnir’s concern for Rhine seemed reasonable…

A weak and young dragon.

Even if it wasn’t killed, it could be tamed or captured.

Especially with his timid, obedient, and affectionate personality… Honestly, if young Rhine weren’t the child of an acquaintance, Eivass might have been tempted if he saw him in the wild.

If dragons were wolves, then Rhine wasn’t even a husky—he seemed almost domesticated.

“…However, Cardinal Fafnir, I have a question.”

Eivass asked with some doubt.

“Hmm? Please go ahead.”

“Cases like these dragons being hunted… don’t you powerful dragons do anything about it?”

Eivass was sure that if elves were captured and forcibly auctioned, the Church would definitely intervene.

“Ah, that’s right. We don’t interfere.”

Fafnir nodded, her tone very calm. “Because this is the Path of Devotion—if one cannot adapt to the environment, it means they are an individual that is being eliminated. It is better to be destroyed.

“In fact, now that the dragon population has significantly decreased and is close to the danger line, the reproductive capacity of the entire dragon species has immediately increased tenfold. At the same time, the intelligence of dragons has also greatly improved compared to the past… Now, young dragons like Rhine, and even smaller young dragons, can transform into humans, elves, or other races for extended periods.

“The irritable, easily angered, and warlike nature of dragons has also cooled down considerably. The new generation of dragons is very close to all civilized races and their learning ability has further improved. At the same time, their appetite has also decreased, and their size in dragon form has also shrunk considerably.

“You people of Avalon must think there are no more dragons in Avalon, right? But as far as I know, there are at least over a hundred pure-blooded dragons active in Avalon. It’s just that they’ve all hidden themselves… Compared to the dragons of the old era who were good at plundering, the dragons of the new era are better at hiding.

“Therefore, no matter what kind of environment they face, dragons do not intervene. Once they intervene excessively, the evolutionary ability of the dragon species might be skewed, making them unable to adapt to the environment correctly.”

“…This is the Child of Adaptation.”

Eivass murmured.

It was his first time learning about this kind of “hidden function” of dragons.

Adjusting and adapting on a species level…

If giants were the embodiment of “power,” undead were the condensation of “twilight,” and monsters were the manifestation of “beasts,” then dragons were undoubtedly the Spokesperson for the word “adaptation.”

“…So, Rhine’s timidity is also due to this reason?”

Eivass looked at Rhine thoughtfully. “Is it possible… that he’s simply not suited to be a warrior?”

Rhine’s eyes lit up at these words.

But Fafnir said firmly, “Impossible, because he is Rhine. Rhine Dragonflame—the son of a hero who inherited Helchin’s legacy. I used my liver as his foundation, my spine to forge his weapons, and my scales to craft his armor.

“Helchin once said that he would make Rhine the strongest warrior in the World. The name Rhine was given by Helchin before he departed.

“I once thought this oath could never be fulfilled… but thankfully, there is you. Thank you, Eivass. If the ‘warrior’ cannot return, then Rhine can never become the ‘strongest warrior.’

“Now, I am a Fifth Tier warrior, the strongest warrior in this World. There should be no one in this World more suited than me to teach another warrior—and similarly, if one surpasses me, then they are the strongest.”

Saying that, Fafnir reached out and pulled Rhine back to her side.

She was about to walk to the left when she suddenly thought of something.

“Oh, Eivass…”

Fafnir was about to say something, but after looking at them, she gave up. “Never mind, it has nothing to do with you.”

So she shook her head and looked at Siegfried beside her, instructing, “Remember not to drink alcohol, Siegfried. All three of you.”

“Why?”

Siegfried instinctively asked, then realized the difference between their group of three and Eivass’s group of three—they were all elves.

He was intelligent and immediately guessed what Fafnir wanted to say, “Tears of Time?”

He was somewhat incredulous. “The portion of Tears of Time stolen by Loki hasn’t been found yet?”

“Even the Controlled Fire are devout believers of the Candlemaster, and practitioners of the Path of Devotion. For their goals, they can even offer their own lives… With such purity, it is impossible to lock onto them through divine art.”

Fafnir shook her head helplessly. “The good news is, we probably know… the other party will use [Tears of Time] to assassinate Grey. After all, with so many of us here, no matter how bold an assassin is, they absolutely cannot assassinate in person. So, just in case… it’s best not to touch anything that can be consumed. I’ll go remind Grey later as well.”

“…Will there really be such chaos during the Pope’s succession ceremony?”

Eivass frowned deeply.

Siegfried shook his head. “Probably only the Silver Crown Dragon and the Hourglass wouldn’t want to see any trouble. Whether it’s the Lord of Scales and Feathers, Twin, or Father Serpent, they all like unexpected surprises.

“As for the Great Philosopher, Amber, Hengwo, and Candlemaster, they probably won’t care.”

“…Candlemaster won’t care either?”

Isabel beside him was somewhat surprised.

As a person from Avalon, she was accustomed to the saying that Candlemaster and the Silver Crown Dragon were the most just gods.

Fafnir nodded. “Candlemaster’s nickname is ‘Father of Light.’ He gently affirms and encourages all ‘altruistic’ actions…

“In conclusion, be careful.”

She complained. “The Magic Mirror cannot be used now, and we have no control over the situation at all. If only Loki were here…”

“Controlled Fire is led by Loki.”

Siegfried reminded her.

The two Cardinals sighed, shook their heads with some worry, and then walked back to their respective positions.

Eivass looked at the wine in his cup, shook his head, and raised it to drink it all.

Little Rhine’s problem still needed to be resolved. The child looked like he was about to break…

Eivass thought.

But Fafnir was too stubborn… Eivass knew he absolutely couldn’t persuade her. The weight of “the hero’s dying wish” was too heavy. Except for the person themselves, it was almost impossible to deny.

—He would have to wait until he “captured” Helchin, who was now the King of the Wild Hunt, into a “spirit ball,” and then have him tell his wife himself.

(End of this chapter)