"Gwaa!" (This is for me, Gwaa!)
The little Chameleos cried out in a panic, about to crawl out of the pile of scales to dig in—only to see the Chameleos savoring the taste, confirming it was top-quality goods, then sweeping it all up with its tongue and pulling it right in front of itself.
"Gwaa~ Gwaa~" (You're still small, you can't eat so much good stuff, Gwaa. See those bugs? That's what you should be eating, Gwaa~)
The Chameleos shifted its body to block off its child from the pile of "snacks," paying no mind to the little one's hunger. To it, the cage of bitterbugs was more than enough for the baby to fill its belly this meal.
"Gwaa, Gwaa!"
But the little Chameleos wasn't having it. The taste of the Max Potions and Mega Potions had already deeply hooked it.
If not for not knowing whether those things were harmful, it would have already started gobbling them down.
And now, its mother wanted to keep them all for herself—unbearable!
It didn't even glance at the bitterbugs in the cage; its scales shifted through colors in agitation.
This was the instinctive intimidation and hostility response of this Elder Dragon when facing its own kind.
Amidst its loud protests, the little Chameleos struck out at the Chameleos.
The little Chameleos used Pounce!
The Chameleos calmly extended a foreclaw and pressed the little one's head down. Under the little Chameleos's tear-filled gaze, it downed another bottle of Mega Potion.
It even let out a satisfied "Gwaa!"
Heart shattered!
The little Chameleos stretched out its claw, swiping feebly at the pile of food, only for it to fall weakly back down, a convulsive whimper escaping its snout.
"Gwaa?" (Crying, Gwaa?)
The Chameleos couldn't believe it—actually crying, just like that?
Were this batch of eggs really so fragile, with such poor tolerance?
It glanced at the little one with disdain, never once considering that maybe it had gone too far.
Fortunately, there was still a shred of motherly love.
After thinking it over, the Chameleos warily eyed the little one and loosened its grip.
The little Chameleos's eyes lit up, about to pounce, but once again it was pinned down.
"Gwaa!" (I'll do the sharing!)
The Chameleos's gaze sharpened.
"Gwaa!" (No! It's all mine, Gwaa!)
The little Chameleos refused outright. It had seen through its mother and was determined to protect what was its own.
"Gwaa!" (Keep this up, and I'll eat it all!!)
To this, the Chameleos showed no leniency, delivering a final ultimatum.
Helpless—the situation was stronger than the dragon. The little Chameleos could only compromise. Once it quieted down, it lay on the small platform, its round eyes fixed firmly on that pile of food.
Seeing this, the Chameleos finally shifted aside, extended a claw, and carefully scraped three of the remaining four Max Potions over to the little Chameleos.
"Gwaa? Gwaa!" (For me?)
The little Chameleos couldn't believe it. Just as it was about to pull the Max Potions closer, it was stopped again by the Chameleos.
The Chameleos, eyes full of reluctance, clawed one bottle back, then pushed four of the seven Mega Potions in front of it over to the little one. The Herbal Medicine it gave away entirely.
"Gwaa!" (These, along with those little bugs, are all yours.)
The little Chameleos blinked at the Chameleos, then at the large share of "food" in front of it. It had never expected its unreliable mother to actually give over more than half.
Could it be that it had underestimated her motherly love?
Was this Chameleos actually a mother with affection?
One had to admit, the little Chameleos was touched. Faced with the lure of food, it completely forgot that all of this was supposed to belong to it in the first place.
And even if the Chameleos had given it more than half, that was only after already eating two Max Potions and several Mega Potions.
What could you say—younglings were just that easily satisfied!
Unwittingly tricked, the little Chameleos sniffled and then began eating in big gulps.
"Delicious, delicious, Gwaa!"
The Chameleos seemed quite pleased with its child's look. After watching a while, it turned sideways and quietly slipped the two Max Potions into the scales on its chest.
Together with the small box of Max Potions it had picked up earlier in the warehouse, it wouldn't be lacking snacks for the next several days!
When the warehouse doors opened again, the Research Commission members all turned anxious eyes toward the inside.
After the Field Master's explanation, they understood the reason she had sent them out. Now was the moment to see if it had worked.
When they saw the little Chameleos had eaten every scrap of food around it, and, full and satisfied, was lying flat atop the Chameleos's pile of scales, they all let out a collective sigh of relief.
"This method really worked. But how do we get it to adapt to our presence next?"
"Food, living quarters, caretakers—all of it must be handled perfectly. After all, that one is very likely staying in the back mountain right now," the Field Master reminded.
Everyone knew exactly who "that one" referred to, and all their gazes settled in unison on the Provisions Manager.
"Huh? Me?"
The Provisions Manager pointed at himself. He was, after all, in charge of all the Research Commission's logistics supplies—and very busy!
"It'll be you. Given your relationship with that one, and the fact that it left its own young in the warehouse, we can infer that it wants you to care for this hatchling," Commander Carlos said with a nod, formally issuing the order.
"This…"
The Provisions Manager looked at the little Chameleos, fast asleep in a swirl of bright colors across its body. In the end, he nodded firmly.
"Please don't worry. I'll take good care of this little one!"
At that, the others finally smiled in satisfaction.
"Rest assured, I'll make some adjustments and increase the medicinal trade with the Fire Wyvern Grimalkynes to ease your burden," Carlos promised solemnly.
It could be said that caring for this little Chameleos was now the single most important task for the Research Commission—even more pressing than observing Logan's ecological habits.
And off to the side, the Chameleos, listening to their discussion, was very pleased.
Its plan had finally settled without any further surprises!
Truly worth celebrating!
And now it had realized another benefit.
With the Commission treating the little Chameleos with such importance, there was no way resources would be lacking. As its mother, it was only natural and reasonable to skim off a bit of her hatchling's share, right?
The Chameleos's thoughts even began to branch further.
In its nest deep in the Ancient Forest, there were still three eggs yet to hatch. It wasn't certain whether they would succeed in the remaining two years, but as long as there was a chance, it would need to check in from time to time.
If luck held and another hatched, wouldn't that mean double the joy?
Thinking of this, the Chameleos spread its wings happily and flew back to its nest in the back mountain, intending to enjoy a good long sleep.
With the task settled, the members of the Commission dispersed.
Only the Director and Deputy Director of the Ecological Research Division kept their discussion going.
"The Guild and the Hunter's Academy won't misunderstand this, will they?"
"But the Chameleos entrusted its hatchling to be raised by humans. That's a fact. With the facts right here, if anyone dares oppose it, let them come and see for themselves."
"Mm, you're right. Let's record it that way!"
...
The arrival of the little Chameleos was, without doubt, like a powerful stimulant for the entire New World Research Commission's Elder Dragon Investigation Team.
The members of the Commission had left their homes behind for more than ten years. They had never regretted it, but the lack of progress had cast a shadow over everyone, forcing them to drown themselves in endless work, numbing their own hearts.
When Logan was confirmed to be an Elder Dragon, that was the first time the Commission began to feel a true sense of expectation—for both their work and their future.
And now, a baby Chameleos had appeared openly here in Astera. What's more, it had already been decided that they would truly begin raising this Chameleos hatchling.
Humans raising an Elder Dragon!
Not even the history books had ever recorded such a thing!
They had made history!
If they succeeded, then in all the future chronicles of this world, their names would be remembered.
And if a Chameleos, as an Elder Dragon, could really achieve Symbiosis with humans, perhaps mankind could find from it a way of surviving more effectively in this brutal world.
Thus, for the entire Commission, this baby Chameleos was nothing less than an irreplaceable treasure.
And when the news spread back to the Old World, this little Chameleos could very well become humanity's treasure as a whole!
Anyone who dared lay a hand on it—would die for it!
So it was easy to imagine the crushing pressure the Provisions Manager was under at this moment.
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