Bai Chen had never imagined that the so-called "Wyverian giant" of the ancient tribe would turn out to be… a woman.
"Wait, could it be a man with a feminine voice…?"
He caught himself thinking the inappropriate thought before quickly brushing it aside.
"Sir Bai Chen, there's no need for such courtesy," came the warm voice beyond the silk screen.
"The honor is entirely ours for having you here."
Even from her tone, Bai Chen could sense it — gentle, composed, almost motherly.
Yoomlana — the Grand Elder — paused for a moment, then turned slightly to the attendants beside her.
"Remove the screen," she said.
The servants moved to the side and activated a concealed mechanism. The enormous curtain of woven silk folded back with a rustling sigh, and for the first time, Bai Chen saw the Grand Elder in full.
She was… enormous.
Even seated, she was over nine meters tall — nearly five of him stacked together.
Purple hair cascaded in soft waves, her eyes a deep emerald green.
Her ears tapered elegantly, reminiscent of an elf's.
Her hair was tied in a side braid — simple, mature, graceful — and the serene smile she wore could have calmed a storm.
Then Bai Chen's gaze slipped lower.
"…Good god."
A deep-green ceremonial gown traced the curves of her body — curves that could only be described as monumental.
"So big… in every sense of the word."
He tore his gaze away instantly, forcing himself to focus.
Yoomlana, however, seemed not to notice his awkwardness. Her attention had shifted entirely to the tiny Nergigante perched on his shoulder.
She had heard the reports from her elders — but seeing the creature with her own eyes was another matter entirely.
Someone had truly tamed the Extinction Dragon.
Yoomlana's expression softened, though curiosity lingered in her gaze.
"Sir Bai Chen," she said gently, "forgive me if this is a forward question — but how did you come to tame such a being?"
Bai Chen glanced at the little dragon on his shoulder before answering plainly.
"She wasn't tamed," he said. "I hatched her myself. She's my first partner."
That answer gave Yoomlana a pause. Everything about this man defied her understanding.
A human possessing the life-force of an Elder Dragon… strength and power that could rival the great beasts themselves… a man who commanded creatures like the Zinogre and the Basarios — and even wielded the force of nature itself.
His use of vines and living earth during battle had already been reported to her by the other elders.
Bai Chen, however, wasn't here for small talk.
Even if the Grand Elder was breathtaking — in several ways — he wasn't the type to waste time.
"Grand Elder Yoomlana," he said calmly, "I'm someone who values time.
Would you mind if we skipped the pleasantries and got straight to the point?"
Yoomlana blinked once, then nodded with a faint smile.
"Of course."
"Zanza told me your people have information about an Elder Dragon egg.
Which Elder Dragon are we talking about?"
"The Red Comet," Yoomlana replied without hesitation.
Bai Chen frowned.
"The… Red Comet?"
He mentally searched through the list of known Elder Dragons in the New World.
No such name existed.
Even Teostra — the Flame Emperor Dragon — was never called that.
Yoomlana elaborated in her calm, melodic tone.
"I'm not sure how your order names him, but this Elder Dragon commands Dragon Energy.
He can propel himself through the sky at extraordinary speed — so fast that his crimson aura streaks across the heavens like a comet."
"Dragon Energy… high-speed flight… crimson light streaking across the sky…"
Bai Chen's eyes widened slightly.
"That sounds like—"
He muttered the name under his breath.
"Velkhana's rival… the silver 'aerial fighter' — Valstrax."
The Heavenly Comet Dragon — Valstrax.
"So the New World actually has traces of him…?
He was supposed to roam only the Old World skies.
Don't tell me he's migrated here to die of old age?"
Bai Chen exhaled slowly, his thoughts racing.
This New World clearly wasn't quite the same as the one he'd known before.
Still, the chance to find Valstrax's egg was far too valuable to ignore.
"We call him Valstrax," Bai Chen said aloud.
"Do you know where his nest is, Grand Elder?"
If that rumor proved true, there was no question — he had to claim it.
A dragon that could fly at supersonic speeds, a living warplane of the heavens —
Such a creature's offspring was worth any risk.
But Velkhana's rival… the silver 'aerial fighter' — Valstrax."'The answer came with a condition.
"I can tell you where the Heavenly Comet nests," she said.
"I can even send my kin to aid you… But in return, we require your help."
Bai Chen's eyes narrowed.
"You want me to teach your people how to tame monsters, don't you?"
The Grand Elder's smile returned, gentle but certain.
"Precisely."
Bai Chen had suspected as much.
He had already noticed the subtle signs —
How the wyverians here coexisted with Grimalkynes, the elder kin of Palicoes,
creatures with the rare ability to communicate with monsters.
The people here had clearly begun experimenting with taming smaller creatures —
He'd seen Jagras, Kelbi, and other docile species while walking through the village.
And during their ascent up the great tree, he'd quietly extended his Super Sense,
catching glimpses of a chamber below the council hall —
a nursery filled with monster eggs, all belonging to gentle species like Bullfango.
Everything pointed to one truth:
The dragonfolk were trying to build bonds with monsters to fight alongside them.
But judging from what he'd seen, their progress was… limited.
They've only managed to bond with small species, Bai Chen thought.
Not a single large monster among them.
Yoomlana seemed to sense his silent assessment.
"To be truthful," she said with a sigh, "it was my idea — to tame the large beasts and make them our companions.
We've tried… but the results have been disappointing."
Bai Chen rubbed his temples.
"Well, of course," he muttered. "You can't just tame a monster by brute will."
Large monsters weren't like the smaller ones.
They possessed intelligence, instinct, and will honed by countless generations in the wild.
They wouldn't bow simply because someone wanted them to.
Still, Yoomlana wasn't entirely wrong.
Raising one from an egg… that could work.
"Your biggest problem," Bai Chen said, "is communication.
Without a way to speak to them — to share intent or emotion —
You'll never form a true bond."
On the Old Continent, the Knights had long since solved that.
Their ability came from the mysterious stones they wore —
The Bond Stones that connected human and monster,
linking heartbeats across any distance.
If you want to read more, join my Patreon/kazama677
60+ advanced chapters available.
I will drop 1 bonus chapter for every 30 Power Stones.
Bonus chapter for every 20 reviews/comments