Chapter Fifty-Nine: Approaching the Dragon 1

"And besides... Mr. Huang, we still have you, don't we?" Ding Xuewen smiled as he spoke. "Now you can, by sheer will, reshape and strengthen your body at will. This is undoubtedly a tremendously powerful and extraordinary ability. Combined with your innate talent to rapidly recharge yourself with electricity... Your potential for growth is limitless!"

"It’s foreseeable that, in the future, you’ll become ever more powerful. Perhaps one day, when your body can absorb a trillion volts, you’ll soar into the heavens and devour those so-called gods one by one!"

"A trillion volts..." The Black Dragon was not swept away by enthusiasm; instead, he couldn't help but retort, "Isn't that a bit too outrageous?"

A trillion volts... If converted to TNT, that's about 1.2 billion tons! He could hardly imagine what kind of power a lifeform of that magnitude would possess.

"Mr. Huang, you must have faith in yourself—and in science!" Ding Xuewen encouraged him with a smile. "Even gods were not born mighty. With your talent and the support of our entire nation, there’s no reason you cannot surpass them!"

"These old gods have ruled this world for far too long. It’s time for us, people of Xia, to establish order and become masters of our own destiny!"

...

At 8:30 in the evening, on the central television channel.

"Good evening, viewers. Welcome to 'Approaching the Dragon,' I am your host, Yao Jia."

"Today marks the eighth day since the Black Dragon entered our borders. I know many viewers are deeply concerned about the dragon’s current situation; as a host, I am equally intrigued by its condition and the mysteries it carries."

"So tonight, we’ve specially invited Dr. Ma Guanglin from the North Longhe Military District Research Institute. He is an expert in dragon studies and will use his extensive knowledge and experience to answer questions about the Black Dragon and address concerns raised by our viewers."

"Hello, Dr. Ma."

"Good evening, host."

"Dr. Ma, during yesterday’s live broadcast, many viewers noticed that the Black Dragon’s physical and mental state seemed to be improving steadily. It has even started accepting food from our staff, which is a stark contrast to its initial rage and violence. Is there an explanation for this?"

Ma Guanglin replied, "Yes, to answer that, we must look at the origins of this Black Dragon."

---

"From what we know, this Black Dragon originally flew from the northern snowy mountains. It was likely afflicted by a curse from an evil god, leaving its mind unclear."

"Why do I say this? Because a normal dragon is extremely perceptive. It would certainly sense the dangers within our territory and steer clear."

"Yet this Black Dragon disregarded everything, barging straight into our airspace, ignoring warnings and pleas, showing no intention to turn back... This suggests its mental state at the time was already very poor."

Host: "An evil god’s curse! Wouldn’t that make the Black Dragon extremely dangerous for us?"

Ma Guanglin: "Not necessarily. The laws within our borders suppress the power of evil gods very strongly. That’s why, over the past few days, the Black Dragon has gradually calmed down and regained its rationality—the curse is fading."

Host: "Dr. Ma, many viewers are puzzled. When the Black Dragon first awakened, it went wild, rampaging and causing significant destruction."

"Why didn’t we restrain it with chains before it fully woke up, locking it away like a mad beast? Wouldn’t that have prevented the damage?"

Ma Guanglin: "That’s something I should clarify."

"Dragons are extremely proud and suspicious creatures. If it woke to find itself imprisoned by humans, it would become even more frenzied and hostile toward us, making it impossible to build trust or friendship, or to carry out further work."

"So it’s better to grant it freedom, let it vent its anger and madness, and once it’s exhausted, it’ll calm down and be open to communication."

Host: "But wouldn’t that put our staff in danger?"

Ma Guanglin laughed, "Not at all. With so many armed helicopters and missiles aimed at it, any sign of danger and it would be subdued again immediately."

The host smiled, "Fortunately, our Black Dragon gentleman didn’t act impulsively, or it would have suffered again."

"Dr. Ma, aren’t dragons supposed to be capable of language? Why has this Black Dragon never communicated verbally with us? Is it because it hasn’t learned our language yet?"

Ma Guanglin: "That’s not the case... Let me explain."

"Not all dragons possess language ability."

"Dragons are highly complex creatures. It appears their bloodline carries a genetic flaw—about one-third of hatchlings fail to receive the blessing of the Dragon God or their ancestors, cannot call out their true name, and never awaken inherited memories or wisdom."

"Such hatchlings are often called pseudo-dragons or dragon beasts. Their intelligence is low, and they cannot master language. They are always bullied and excluded by the wise dragons."

"We don’t yet know if this Black Dragon is a pseudo-dragon... There’s another possibility: it was once a true dragon, but due to prolonged oppression and enslavement by an evil god, it may have gradually lost the ability to speak."

---

Host: "Dr. Ma, do you think the Black Dragon still has a chance to regain its ability to communicate?"

Ma Guanglin: "Of course it has a chance."

"In a mid-to-high magic world, language ability is far from rare—it’s no longer a talent exclusive to humanity. Many intelligent creatures, even semi-intelligent ones, have their own languages and scripts."

"...Even parrots and mynas can mimic speech, so magical creatures like dragons should be able to develop language skills easily."

"So if we teach it earnestly, and the Black Dragon is willing to learn, there’s a good chance it will master our language."

Host: "Do we have plans for that?"

Ma Guanglin: "Certainly. Didn’t you see we set up a large screen yesterday? We intend to show the Black Dragon some films, introduce it to our civilization, and see if it’s interested in learning our language."

Host: "Dr. Ma, many viewers are discussing whether there’s a way for the Black Dragon to naturalize and join our nation, given its apparently good temperament. What’s your view?"

Ma Guanglin pretended to ponder, "To be honest, I’m not optimistic."

"As I mentioned before, dragons are extremely proud creatures, rarely willing to attach themselves to other races."

"So even though its temperament seems good now, no longer showing hostility towards our staff, let’s not forget that cunning is a defining trait of dragons. It’s very possible that these behaviors are just a façade."

"I’ve also noticed another opinion circulating online—‘Those who are not of our kind must have different hearts.’"

"This view is somewhat extreme, but when applied to dragons, I think it makes sense."

"After all, for this world, we people of Xia are undoubtedly outsiders—some might even say invaders."

"Many human nations already view us with hostility, let alone dragons, whose distrust would be even greater!"

"So, without shared interests or ideals, allowing a dragon with a problematic reputation to naturalize and join our country would not be wise, in my opinion."

"This view doesn’t just apply to dragons, but to other supernatural beings as well."