The Rich Cultivator
Chapter 188. The Forgotten Dragon

Chapter 188: 188. The Forgotten Dragon

Little Mathilda was struggling with her new body. She had been checking herself out against the mirror when the ship shook, and in a rare moment of clumsiness, knocked her head on the mirror’s frame, causing a bump to appear on her forehead. Rubbing her injury, she saw stars in her eyes, but quickly steadied herself, her curiosity piqued.

"Why did the ship shake?" Little Mathilda asked a nearby servant.

"A dragon..." the servant replied, his voice filled with admiration.

Mathilda’s eyes lit up. A dragon? Could this be the pet that Tyler always mentioned? She recalled how he always bragged about having a little, cute dragon sealed in his right arm, saying it was in a deep slumber. But if it was waking up now, this could be her chance to finally meet it.

With excitement bubbling inside her, Mathilda hurried outside. As she stepped onto the deck, her breath caught in her throat.

There, towering before her, was a massive dragon.

"How is that a little cute dragon?" She was baffled, staring at the enormous creature.

The dragon had an impressive, fearsome appearance. Its sleek black scales gleamed like polished obsidian, catching the light as they reflected back the ship’s surroundings, giving it an almost ethereal quality. But underneath its powerful exterior, faint red lines pulsed beneath the surface, glowing like veins filled with molten lava. Its massive body radiated strength, yet the way it carried itself had a peculiar playfulness, as though it didn’t quite realize the extent of its own power.

The dragon sat on the deck like an enormous cat, tilting its head with curiosity as it lifted a claw to scratch behind one of its long, curved horns. The sight, adorable and out of place for such a fearsome beast, made Mathilda blink in disbelief. Its glowing red eyes softened when it turned toward Tyler, lowering its head to nuzzle him affectionately with its snout.

Tyler, trying to keep his balance as the enormous creature leaned into him, muttered, "You’re too big..." He stepped back, gently pushing the dragon’s massive head away.

The dragon blinked in confusion, tilting its head at Tyler as though trying to understand. Then its eyes lit up, as if an idea had suddenly clicked. A swirl of crimson light enveloped its form, and in a matter of seconds, the enormous dragon shrank.

When the light cleared, standing in front of Tyler was not the fearsome creature from moments ago, but a small girl. She had long black hair, emerald green eyes that sparkled with mischief, and a pair of delicate black horns on her head. Tiny, bat-like wings fluttered at her back. She stood there, a grin on her face, looking up at Tyler with innocent curiosity.

"Huh..." Tyler stared at the girl, stunned. She was now about the same height as him. Quickly realizing she wasn’t dressed, he grabbed a cloak from nearby and wrapped it around her. "Zuzia?" he asked, his voice filled with surprise.

"Huh... Your dragon can transform?" Mathilda was wide-eyed as she approached the scene, her curiosity overtaking her astonishment.

Tyler nodded, though he was just as surprised. "Isn’t that normal?" he asked, playing it cool, though this was the first time he had seen Zuzia transform. He recalled the Fallen Immortal Dragon who gave Zuzia to him as an egg. That dragon can take human form so Tyler thought it was normal.

Lily, who had just walked onto the deck, froze when she saw Zuzia. "Tyler, is she under Mysterious Mask effect ?" she asked, her voice laced with suspicion.

"Nope."

Lily’s eyes narrowed as she tried to sense Zuzia’s power, but came up with nothing. "Why can’t I feel her Level? I’m a 5-star Master Level, and yet... she’s probably Grandmaster level."

Tyler’s jaw dropped. "What the heck... All she did was sleep for months."

"She’s a newly hatched dragon," Lily explained. "She’s likely inheriting her powers. That’s why she was in such a deep slumber. But now it seems like she’s absorbed them. I doubt she’ll go back into a deep sleep for at least another hundred years."

Tyler nodded, absorbing the information. "You sure know a lot about dragons," he said, impressed.

"Mana taught me," Lily replied, nonchalant. "Her father was obsessed with finding the Ancient Dragon Nest, so their adventure group did a lot of research."

The focus shifted back to Zuzia, who was now fluttering her wings and looking around the deck like a curious child.

"Can you speak?" Tyler asked, kneeling in front of her. Zuzia tilted her head at him but didn’t respond. Instead, she leapt at Tyler, wrapping her arms around his neck and licking his face affectionately, much like she had done in her dragon form.

Tyler laughed as he patted her head. "She’s still just a kid..." he said, smiling warmly.

After a moment, Tyler brought Zuzia into his cabin, gesturing for Mathilda to follow. "Mathilda, can you dress her up properly?"

Mathilda, always up for a challenge, eagerly took on the task. However, it turned out to be more difficult than expected. Zuzia kept pulling off whatever clothes Mathilda dressed her in, giggling as if it were a game. After a good amount of chasing and a few stern words from Mathilda, the dragon girl was finally dressed and ready.

Tyler, waiting patiently, smiled as the two finally emerged. He produced a small glowing orb from his pocket. Zuzia’s eyes lit up, and without hesitation, she grabbed the orb and swallowed it whole.

Mathilda, watching the exchange, raised an eyebrow. "What was that for?"

"Nothing special," Tyler replied with a shrug. "It was a Life Orb. Dragons have long lifespans, but it doesn’t hurt to give her a little boost."

Mathilda’s eyes gleamed with excitement. "Can I get one of those to experiment with? Maybe I can extract the energy and make pills or something unique." She was already thinking of how she could use it for alchemy.

Tyler chuckled and handed her another orb. "Sure, try it out. If you can come up with something unique, we could sell it exclusively in the Northern Seas."

Mathilda was ecstatic. She quickly took the orb and dashed off toward her lab, leaving Tyler and Zuzia behind.

Tyler turned to Lily, who had been quietly observing the scene. "Did Silvia take the Life Orb I gave her?" he asked.

Lily shook her head. "Nope. She doesn’t want to take it because she thinks it’ll make her small again."

Tyler nearly stumbled. "What?" He couldn’t help but laugh. Silvia, now fifteen, was taller than Tyler, who had reverted to a twelve-year-old form. He realized Silvia probably liked the idea of being the "big sister" and didn’t want to give that up. He remembered how Mathilda always teased Silvia, calling her "Elder Sister," which made Silvia blush and puff out her chest with pride.

As Tyler’s laughter echoed on the deck, Zuzia tugged at his sleeve, her bright emerald eyes filled with a sense of playful innocence. Tyler glanced at her, grinning.

"You’re going to be a handful, aren’t you?"

Zuzia only responded by jumping onto his back, her wings fluttering as she clung to him like a mischievous little dragon-child.

Tyler sighed but couldn’t help smiling.

"I am curious what are Dragon and sea Beast power level are called?" Tyler asked Lily.

An Immortal Practitioner is divided into two. Warrior and Mage. And their power levels are described as Novice, Elite, Master, Grandmaster and so on.

"Beasts and other are not classified as Mage or Warrior. Because they have strong body can also use magic. We just call them Novice level Beast or Grandmaster level Beast or something like that. But their power levels are more than that." Lily explained.

"What does that mean?" Tyler asked.

"Hmmm... It’s like this a novice level Monster is powerful than a Novice Level Warrior or Novice Level Mage. So even though Zuzia is Grandmaster Level Dragon, she is definitely powerful than a Grandmaster Level Warrior or Mage," Lily said.

It’s very simple. If a mortal man fights a mortal bull, he won’t be able to win. And even though they are both mortal, the bull is definitely stronger than a man. The same logic applies with monsters and beasts.

Tyler learned something new.

"Boss, there is an island... " Mana suddenly popped out and said.

Mana looked at Zuzia.

Zuzia looked back at Mana.

Mana had devil-like wings on her waist with a devil’s tail. She also had cat ears on her head, and her height matched Zuzia’s.

Zuzia had black wings with a red, lava-like pattern on her back. She also had horns on her head.

Both looked at each other and blinked.

"Who is this little cutie?" Mana asked.

Zuzia simply jumped on her and began to lick her. Mana couldn’t recognize Zuzia, but Zuzia remembered Mana.

"Boss help.... She is trying to Lick Mana to death." Mana who was pushed down asked.

"Aww... If only they are Older, this scene would be incredibly Hot." Lily said.

Tyler who was watching them with amusement, turned around to Lily and seriously said, "You should stop get influenced by Mathilda."