Three Days Later, Silvermoon Forest, Morning.
Wotru carried a bunch of herbs into the cave, gripping them in his dragon maw. Initially, he had intended to delegate this task to the kobolds, but unfortunately, they were completely clueless about identifying herbs.
Their minds were far too simple; even when given a herb to compare, they would often pick the wrong one. Left with no choice, Wotru had to handle it personally.
Nowadays, Wotru's lair had been rebuilt by the kobolds. It was not only spacious and dry but also featured several cleverly designed hidden ventilation shafts, ensuring a constant flow of fresh air throughout the cave.
Fresh air was beneficial for Anna's health, so Wotru had strictly ordered all the kobolds to dig their own pits outside the cave for their... personal needs.
In the past, the kobolds would never have dared to venture out like this. But now, they could freely relieve themselves in the surrounding forest without worrying about a gnoll suddenly appearing to kill and drag them away.
"Anna, it's time for your medicine~"
Wotru approached Anna with a mouthful of herbs, chewing them noisily. The mix was the same as before, except for an additional herb meant to treat ulcers.
"Brother... Anna can take her medicine on her own now..." Anna murmured shyly, sitting in a duck-like posture on a large, soft beast hide mat. Her delicate hands fidgeted nervously, her face flushed, and her fluffy fox tail swayed uneasily behind her. She kept her head lowered, not daring to meet the black dragon's gaze.
The beast hide mat was previously the seat cushion of the gnoll leader, Grey Wolf. Finding it soft and comfortable, Wotru had "persuaded" him to part with it.
Ignoring the elf girl's feeble protest, Wotru grabbed the mat with his dragon claw and yanked it toward him, pulling her along with it.
"Taking medicine by yourself and having me feed you are two entirely different things. Don't you know that everything about dragons is precious? Herbs processed by us have entirely different effects~" Wotru said shamelessly, his dragon face incapable of displaying anything but a menacing expression, so he didn't mind.
Hearing this, Anna said no more. She glanced at the black dragon, then obediently lay back on the beast hide mat.
Her delicate face tilted slightly upward, her eyes tightly shut, and her long lashes quivered. Her pale little mouth opened just a tiny bit. However, her slightly clenched hands betrayed her inner turmoil.
It was clear she was extremely embarrassed.
[Could it really be as Brother says? But he seems so serious... Maybe Anna is overthinking... Oh no, this feels like a kiss... so embarrassing...]
[But... Anna doesn't seem to dislike it... Ah, so embarrassing... Even though Brother is a dragon... But he might turn into a dragon-man in the future... I'm looking forward to that...]
The Occasionally-Functional Mind-Reading Feature activated at just the right moment, allowing Wotru to hear the most awkward thoughts possible.
But it didn't matter.
Anna was an adult now, even though she looked like a delicate porcelain doll.
He, Wotru, a proud pureblood dragon, a legendary creature, saw no issue with getting a bit closer to his little treasure under the pretense of feeding her medicine.
What did that have to do with starting a three-year sentence?
Wotru was a proper dragon. However, when his gaze fell on his claw, he couldn't help but feel amused:
[A claw belonging to a perverted variant black dragon.]
This Basic Insight skill was unreliable and inaccurate.
Shaking his head, Wotru retracted his dragon claw and gently lifted Anna's delicate chin.
Although he had shrunk his body size somewhat, his mouth had transitioned from being pointed to broader, which made feeding Anna medicine a bit inconvenient. But it wasn't a big problem—mouth-to-mouth feeding still worked, as long as not too much of the medicine spilled.
Anna kept her eyes tightly shut, her petite body trembling slightly, clearly very nervous. She opened her mouth slightly, and before she could react, bitter herbal juice and fragments were unceremoniously pushed into her mouth.
"Mmph... smack... Hahh..."
"Brother, there's... too much medicine... It's so bitter..." Anna complained, her brows furrowed in discomfort.
Wotru froze for a moment, suddenly remembering that the new herb he had added to the mix was indeed quite bitter.
Seeing Anna's pained expression, Wotru quickly exchanged some sugar through the system and fed it to her.
"Does it still taste bitter?"
"No... not anymore..."
After feeding her the medicine, Anna lay back on the beast hide mat, her face flushed. She clutched the small blanket Wotru had given her, covering herself, feeling like something was amiss.
...
Feeling utterly satisfied, Wotru strutted out of the dragon's lair.
Taking a deep breath, he could still taste the sweetness of Anna's little mouth lingering in his.
He was energized.
Over the past three days, he had subdued another Blackwater Python colony, naming their leader "Slithery Snake."
Additionally, he had eliminated three groups of adventurers who had strayed into his territory, as well as a mercenary group on a mission to find Bloodgrass Mushrooms.
Currently, he had over a thousand system points, but he hadn't decided what modifications to exchange for. Most options didn't interest him, and the advanced upgrades for his existing modifications were too costly. For now, he decided to save the points.
From his vantage point on a high ground, Wotru could see the entire kobold village. Under his rule, the various magical beasts coexisted harmoniously, breaking their natural food chain and refraining from mutual predation.
Carnivorous beasts like gnolls and Blackwater Pythons now hunted ordinary animals for food, showing remarkable restraint toward weaker magical beasts like Fireflame Rabbits and Spearboars.
Through partial datafication, all magical beasts could improve their abilities through fixed amounts of training.
In less than three days, the previously docile Fireflame Rabbits had learned to stand upright, growing taller in the process. They were now learning boxing techniques from Grey Wolf.
Meanwhile, the kobolds were panting as they did push-ups, and Bolikri's belly showed faint signs of abdominal muscles.
A group of Cockatrices hung upside down, doing pull-ups so vigorously they seemed ready to snap the trees.
The gnolls were either squatting with Spearboars on their shoulders or using Blackwater Pythons as jump ropes. Some even swung the pythons like lassos to catch Spearboars practicing headbutts against trees.
Everything was thriving, brimming with hope.
Clearing his throat, Wotru let out a thunderous roar, "AWWWWWRRR!" Instantly, all the magical beasts stopped and turned their attention to him.
"I've noticed your progress, but physical training alone is not enough. To be a competent magical beast, we must also learn some cultural knowledge. Only then can we understand why we fight!"
Pausing for effect, Wotru bared his menacing dragon teeth in a wicked grin, shamelessly continuing:
"In our dragon clan, there was a mighty ancient dragon named Vanma Tsirang. To strengthen the cohesion of our race, this great pioneer created a profound discipline called Draconic Rhetoric. Now that you are under my command, I am willing to share this draconic secret with you."
"But before we begin, we must first understand what 'benevolence and righteousness' mean. Being a benevolent magical beast is the ultimate goal and central philosophy of learning Draconic Rhetoric!"
"Remember this well! Benevolence is the art of splitting a person in two! Righteousness is the art of hammering someone's skull into their chest!"
"ROAR—!"
The magical beasts roared in unison, their eyes flashing with a murderous red gleam as understanding dawned upon them.
"Promising students indeed," Wotru thought, nodding in satisfaction at their response. He then continued:
"Today's first mantra is: 'Confucius said, if one hears the Way in the morning, they may die content by evening.'"
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