Chapter 8: Ch.8 — Mad Scholar's Shameful Advice (Updated)
3 days passed, during which the elders chosen for release had their temples repaired. Reina and the Ancestor had also settled on a remote grassland on another immortal island that they would terraform into their base of operations. Many of them lamented that the spirit of their temple was destroyed too. Each temple with 3 floors or more was an immortal artifact in its own right and thus could give birth to an artifact spirit with enough nurturing.
Some had spent hundreds if not thousands of years nurturing their immortal artifact spirits to the best of their abilities. Some even considered those spirits their own children. So as expected, they were saddened by their demise.
They then began putting all the temples and the storage vaults into 3 large Great Void Crystals, each about 5 centimeters in diameter. The damaged and empty ones weren't left behind either.
Today is the day they were supposed to be leaving. Everything is all packed up and on the ship ready to be moved. Zane had mostly been sleeping these past few days, enjoying the safety the presence of other dragons brought. Over these past 3 days, he had put on over 50 kilograms, considerably growing in size. Combined with his previous size, he was now easily bigger than a normal human adult. Thus it was quite the comical sight to see her carrying him around in human form effortlessly.
While the elders finished the final preparations before departure, Reina was looking at the ship. It was a 250-meter-long warship made out of profound Mythril decorated with orichalcum. It was coated from stem to stern with immortal formations and arrays of all kinds. The ship's cruising speed is about 25 kilometers a second, roughly the cruising speed of a 3rd tribulation immortal who has mastered the concept of wind, or the cruising speed of a 1st tribulation immortal who has mastered wind law. While its top speed is double that at 50 km/s.
The ship's defensive formations can resist attacks from 5th tribulation immortals, and its offensive formations are more than capable of killing 3rd tribulation immortals with a single blast at full power.
The ship itself is an immortal artifact, though it has yet to develop a spirit. The inside of the ship has spatial expansion arrays making the inside 4 times bigger than the outside, so it's about a kilometer long on the inside.
Reina was stroking Zane's scales delicately while being absentminded. She was in thought about how to raise Zane. There were many routes she could take in raising him. She could raise him as a proper clan heir, she could raise him as a free spirit, a political tool, a strong guardian, etc. There were many routes she could take… and she wasn't sure which one to take. One thing she knew, is she didn't want Zane to resent her in the future. She had already grown attached to him.
To her side, Adam Black, her most trusted and loyal follower was standing, awaiting any order she might have. It's hard to believe a dragon could be this subservient, but she had long ago gotten used to it.
"Adam, I need help." Reina suddenly spoke.
Adam immediately got on one knee. "How may I be of service, M'Lady."
"I don't know which path to take to raise Zane… I don't want to make the wrong choice only for him to come to resent me for it later. However, I don't want to raise a runt either…" She said, with a tone of helplessness.
Adam looked up for a moment in surprise. "Have you thought of maybe winging it? Making decisions as you go?" He asked before regretting it immediately. However she didn't berate him, she understood sometimes he let his thoughts slip.
"I have, however, that would be irresponsible." She replied softly.
"Perhaps, it would be best to merely give him a foundation to stand on top of and let him make his own choices then? Of course, an occasional push here or there would be needed to make sure he doesn't grow lazy or go onto the wrong path… But at least this way, he has freedom, and he doesn't have grounds to resent you." Adam said after a moment of thought.
Reina nodded, that did seem like a good option. She would carve a foundation and flatten several paths for him to take, it was up to him which path to follow…
"If I may though, M'Lady, I would recommend consulting elder Amelia or elder Alexis on this instead of me." Adam said.
Reina looked at him with a raised eyebrow "Why them?"
"Over the past few hundred years, while you were in seclusion I watched as young lady Amelia grew up into a fine dragoness. She has always been passionate about children and seems to have a knack for them. As for madam Alexis… she's called the mad scholar for a reason. She might be able to provide some insights into this as well." Adam explained causing Reina to nod realizing he was right.
Reina picked up Zane into her arms creating quite the comical sight and left, she was going to pay a visit to Alexis.
A few moments later, she was in a library where Alexis was researching. Her violet hair was a bit frizzy and disorganized, and she was heavily concentrated. Hearing the door creek open loudly, Alexis was about to punch someone but seeing it was Reina with Zane in tow she calmed down and smiled gently. Even if she was 100 times angrier, she wouldn't slight Reina or Zane.
"How may I help you matriarch?" Alexis asked politely with a smile.
"Sorry to bother you, should I come back later?" Reina asked seeing the disorderly appearance of Alexis.
Alexis wanted to scream yes but shook her head. "No, you are fine."
"I would like to consult you on raising Zane… I'm not sure which path to choose for him." Reina said after a moment.
Alexis was surprised before she smiled "Ah, the good old curse that comes with intelligence, overthinking. What do you want out of Zane when he matures?"
Reina took a moment to think about that before responding. "I want him to be happy and not come to resent me… However, I don't want him to become a waste either. I want him to become strong and independent."
Alexis thought for a moment. "The happiness part can be easily solved by getting him a few slutty drake maids. The latter 2 parts can be solved by giving him a foundation to stand on top of and make his own choices from there, with a little guidance of course."
Reina almost nodded before looking at her in shock. "You're telling me to give my child a few wh0res!? What the hell is wrong with you?"
Alexis cheekily smiled "I'm not wrong, am I? You don't have to arrange them early either. You can wait until he reaches adolescence or adulthood too if you are uncomfortable with the idea of a dragon child having S**." It was then her face turned a bit serious.
"Jokes aside, as one of the last survivors it is indeed a way to boost our numbers even if it means an overall weaker bloodline running through the clan… You should at least consider the option once he comes of age."
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