Chapter Twenty-Five: The Script

“Find a girlfriend for Mr. Huang Ze?”

Ding Xuewen was momentarily taken aback, then couldn’t help but laugh and nod. “That’s actually a good idea… Speaking of which, dragons really are a bizarre species. A powerful race with an average lifespan of over five hundred years, and yet the total number of dragons has never exceeded ten thousand. Just how low must their birth rate be? Especially considering that dragons are oviparous, and a single clutch can contain several eggs!”

“What’s even stranger is that not only is their fertility low among themselves, but dragons and many other intelligent races aren’t even reproductively isolated. In fact, their cross-species fertility seems quite impressive—at least, it’s better than between dragons themselves.”

“Exactly, that trait of dragons is certainly puzzling,” Academician Zheng said with a wry smile, shaking his head. “A birthrate that low… If dragons were naturally ascetic or somehow underdeveloped, that would be one thing. But the truth is, they’re notorious for being the most wanton and shameless of all creatures—when in heat, they’ll even go after wild boars…”

He paused abruptly, then added thoughtfully, “Fortunately, Mr. Huang Ze… seems not to have inherited that particular trait.”

“Indeed,” Ding Xuewen replied after a brief start, nodding in agreement.

The dragons’ infamous licentiousness was well known. It was said that many intelligent and unintelligent species abroad carried traces of draconic blood—almost all of it the legacy of ancient dragons’ indiscretions, a testament to their boundless “affection” and absurdity.

Yet as for Huang Ze, the black dragon, he seemed every bit the paragon of virtue. Both the service team previously assigned to the dragon by the military district and the research team at the Summer Institute included many young, beautiful women, yet the dragon paid them no mind, as if completely devoid of worldly desires…

Could it be, Ding Xuewen mused uneasily, that after becoming a dragon, Mr. Huang Ze’s sense of aesthetics had changed, and only a young, beautiful she-dragon could stir his interest? If so, and if one day some wild-natured black dragon was lured away by a female, wouldn’t that be a tremendous loss?

No, he thought, he must instill in him a proper sense of beauty, love, and mate selection—get him a girlfriend!

…

The black dragon Huang Ze—no, he should be called Deius now—was sprawled on the ground, barely clinging to life. His majestic body was covered in wounds, and jet-black dragon blood pooled around him.

Not long ago, this mighty black dragon had fought a fierce battle against an evil demon lord, suffering grievous injuries!

Yet his bearing remained proud, his eyes cold and unyielding. He was still the mighty king of the skies.

Suddenly, a pack of filthy gnoll scavengers discovered him.

These lowly reptiles, who had only ever dared to grovel at a dragon’s feet, now revealed unprecedented desire and ambition—they wanted to slay the dragon!

They craved his flesh and blood, to inherit the dragon’s great power—a feat granted them by their ancestors.

The black dragon growled, issuing a warning; the gnolls quaked and shrank before his terrifying presence, but did not disperse, for they knew the black dragon was too gravely wounded, too weakened, to last much longer.

The dragon too sensed the peril. His fury and resentment knew no bounds—after a lifetime of dominating all, how could he accept dying at the hands of such lowly gnolls?

If only someone would save him, he swore…

Just then, a gunshot rang out.

…

A Summerian exploration team had discovered the black dragon and successfully driven off all the gnolls. The brave and beautiful team leader gazed at the dragon with admiration and pity, saying solemnly to her teammates:

“This is a great dragon. We can’t just stand by and let him die unnoticed—or in such an ignoble way. We must find a way to save him!”

…

“Wait! Why is the team leader a woman?” Huang Ze, upon hearing this, couldn’t help but raise a claw in confusion. “And why is it necessary to emphasize that she’s beautiful and brave?”

“Well,” Ding Xuewen explained, “Mr. Huang Ze, for a dragon as powerful as you, it would seem suspicious—both in motive and authenticity—if you suddenly joined our nation without any background…”

“But I am originally from the Summer Kingdom,” the black dragon protested. “The ‘naturalized dragon’ story is just a cover…”

“Exactly, Mr. Huang Ze. Since it’s a cover, we have to make it more rigorous and believable,” Ding Xuewen replied with a smile. “Otherwise, if it’s too unreasonable or full of holes, what’s the point of creating such a story in the first place, wouldn’t you agree?”

…

“Alright…” Huang Ze reluctantly acquiesced, though he couldn’t help but mutter, “But your script isn’t all that logical either… Since when do beautiful women become team leaders on foreign expeditions, and what are the odds she just happens to encounter a dying dragon and is so overwhelmed with compassion that she saves him…”

“If the plot keeps developing like this, are you going to add a romance too? The dragon falls madly in love with the kind and beautiful team leader, and to win her heart and stay by her side, he resolutely chooses to naturalize as a citizen of the Summer Kingdom?”

“Exactly! That’s the general idea!” Ding Xuewen nodded vigorously, clearly pleased with the protagonist’s understanding of the plot, and grinned broadly.

“Mr. Huang Ze, this script may be a bit clichéd, but it’s logical and has plenty of appeal. The common folk will love it—they’ll want to hear it, and they’ll believe it… As long as we add in the angle of the dragon becoming a son-in-law to the Summer Kingdom, I’m sure people’s affection and recognition for you will soar, and it’ll make it easier for you to work under this identity in the future.”

“Fine… since you’ve thought it through for the long term, let’s go with your script,” the dragon agreed. “But I’m no great actor—if I mess up, you can’t blame me.”

After all, since he had already decided to devote himself to scientific research, what harm was there in sacrificing himself for the sake of art as well? So he readily accepted.

“Wonderful… Thank you so much for your understanding and cooperation, Mr. Huang!” Ding Xuewen sincerely clasped the dragon’s claw in gratitude. He had expected it would take a great deal of persuasion to convince the dragon—he never imagined the creature would be so easygoing.

Such remarkable awareness… Truly, he’s one of our own.

“Don’t worry, Mr. Huang… In the early stages you’ll mostly appear in your dragon form, so you won’t need much acting skill—just be cold and domineering, and leave the rest to us.”

“Oh, and about the choice of the female lead, Mr. Huang, I’m afraid we’ll need your input on that…”