And being able to mine a nearly inexhaustible rare Barto Red Copper mine... that approach was so audacious, it was simply unimaginable.

For a moment, Attilicia even felt an inexplicable pang of sorrow. Why was it that, when both were 'compelled,' other dragons like Christoph could thrive in Barto Hell? She, on the other hand, had suffered 'torture and abuse' for most of her life. Not only did she have to endure it, but she also had to shoulder a debt so astronomical that an ordinary dragon couldn't hope to repay it in a lifetime!

As for her dragon sister, Tania, her gaze towards the Dragonkin Succubus, Yolanda, was now no different from looking at a life-sized golden figurine. A 'genie-like' golden figurine, at that—one that could grant wishes at any moment! Tania's eyes sparkled, her mind filled with fantastical, impractical dreams.

"What are you all looking at me for?" David asked, a little uncertain and astonished.

"It's nothing." Attilicia and Tania guiltily averted their gazes, looking ashamed.

Only Yolanda, the Dragonkin Succubus behind him, chuckled at David's discomfort, her whip-like tail swaying joyfully.

A week later, after settling some minor affairs, the group of dragons finally returned to their Dragon Nest encampment on the Old Continent of Skanis.

The moment Nifadora, David's chief deputy dragon, saw the Dragonkin Succubus Yolanda standing gracefully by David's side, smiling so charmingly, she knew. She had met a rival.

So, when David produced a list to summon his kin, preparing to depart for Barto Hell to answer the war horn of their ancestor, Ephelomon, Nifadora, after careful consideration, tactfully declined.

"Your Highness," Nifadora began, "although following by your side has always been my fervent desire, your encampment and the territory your mother left behind need a dragon to stay and manage them. I must engrain in the heart of every Hatchling joining our territory the grace of and reverence for you, the Flame Steel Dragon. This is my inescapable mission."

As she spoke, she extended a claw and gently pushed her sister, Shadila, towards David. Shadila had changed since 'waking from the dream,' from a once haughty and aloof young girl into a quiet and withdrawn one. Nifadora smiled and said, "I know you're not very fond of her due to her once-rebellious nature, but Shadila has become very well-behaved after nearly a year under my guidance. Compared to me, with my limited talents, my sister Shadila has far more potential to benefit from advanced training at the camp in Barto Hell. Besides," she added, her voice softening, "having a young Green Dragon to attend to you on this journey would be more befitting your status as a scion of the Crimson Calamity, wouldn't it?"

Her tone, by the end, was almost pleading.

"Sister... but I don't want to leave you," Shadila whispered. Ever since waking from the dream, her reliance, once placed on their mother, had slowly and inevitably shifted to Nifadora. She sounded like a young maiden being reluctantly presented by her elder sister.

"Be good," Nifadora soothed. "Only when you become powerful, when you reach the pinnacle of the Sacred Realm, can you take me with you to the Athas plane. There, we can meet our ancestor, the Emerald Dragon Mother Aleshandra, and uncover a path better suited for our future. That is the best direction for us."

And only Nifadora knew that a dragon like her sister, who had barely ever left the nest, needed to experience true hardship to truly mature.

While gently stroking Shadila's tense back with her tail, Nifadora bowed deeply to David, saying, "Please grant me this small indulgence, Your Highness."

Even though Nifadora was candid about her personal motives, David found himself inexplicably moved.

His original plan had been to leave the Dragon Nest encampment in the temporary care of Kraidian, the Drow hatchling caretaker. After all, he intended to send the talented Hatchlings to the training camp in Barto Hell. With the smuggling trade with the Elven Kingdom forcibly halted, the encampment's immediate importance had diminished. But this was, ultimately, his foothold in Elariya. And with his mother having ascended to godhood, as the eldest son, he had a duty to protect this territory. Even if his mother hadn't considered this territory particularly important.

He immediately lifted his tail and, much like petting a cat, patted Nifadora's large head.

"Then I'll entrust it to your capable hands, Nifadora."

"No, this is what a follower should do. Besides, you won't be gone for too long, will you?"

Nifadora, much like a large, contented cat, comfortably squinted her eyes and rubbed her head against the tip of David's tail.

The unexpected sensation nearly made David's ear frills and scales stand on end.

Yolanda, witnessing this, gave the Green Dragon a long, searching look. As a female, and a Dragonkin Succubus from Barto Hell at that, she easily discerned the Green Dragon's subtle intentions. David was, after all, a pure Red Dragon. And dragons, no matter how far they roam, eventually return to their nests—unless another dragon seizes it.

This Green Dragon, Nifadora, was limited by her talent. Even if she accompanied David to Barto Hell, having already reached young adulthood, she likely wouldn't achieve the same heights as the other, younger dragons. In doing so, she would also forfeit her greatest current advantage.

Sending her sister to Barto Hell, however, was like placing bets on two fronts simultaneously—a way to secure her interests. Regardless of the future, she could 'maximize her benefits.'

Was this not typical of the Green Dragons, the most calculating among the Chromatic Dragons?

Still, if one didn't reach legendary status, there would inevitably come a time when youth and beauty faded. Even if she managed to break through to become an ancient dragon after reaching a great age, she would still be an old crone by then.