Goddess Kaleidoscope

Regardless, Lude's surgery was a great success. The female dragon survived the most difficult period and now all she needs to do is rest and recuperate.

At this moment, right in front of Lud, the male dragon bit his own forearm and fed the female dragon his highly nutritious blood.

Lude then noticed that the male dragon had many similar bite marks on its two arms, which clearly showed that the female dragon's ability to survive until now was largely due to its simple and brutal blood transfusion.

"Are you really a dragon?"

Since it was already late, and the female dragon hadn't said she was fully recovered, and there was clearly a broken dragon egg that needed to be looked after, Lude didn't ask the male dragon when he would take him back, and simply stayed overnight without worry.

After a series of events during the day, the man and the dragon became friends through their conflict. The wife's safe return calmed the once enraged male dragon.

So Lud introduced himself formally and finally learned the name of the male dragon in front of him—"Nidhogg, son of the Storm Queen"!

End of this chapter

Inside the empty cave, Nidhogg used his dragon breath to ignite a huge lump of coal that had been dug up from who-knows-where, bringing warmth and light to the cave with the roaring flames.

Lud had successfully healed the injured female black dragon, but when he turned to look at the broken dragon egg, he was shocked to find that he could no longer use divine magic. This meant that Aina, his homeland, had been completely drained by him, and now she probably didn't have a single drop of divine power left.

Fortunately, Nidhogg had some understanding of human priests. He was already quite surprised by Rudd's continuous use of divine magic, and now that he could no longer use it, it was a normal phenomenon in his eyes.

Therefore, Nidhogg did not force Ludwig to continue treatment, but instead let him rest for the night. Dragons are very strong creatures, and he believed that his child would not easily perish because of a few cracks in the eggshell.

Sitting by the fire, Lude took out the dry rations he had brought, heated them up briefly, and then ate the meal with the cold water from his kettle.

Just then, Nidhogg returned from outside carrying a huge wild boar. He simply tore off a leg with brute force and handed it to Ludwig. Only then did Ludwig realize that Nidhogg had gone out without a word to hunt for food.

"If you want to eat it, bake it yourself. I can't do anything too delicate."

"Thank you."

Looking at the pig leg that was almost as tall as himself, Lu De thought to himself that this dragon was quite righteous. It was just a pity that he had just finished eating and did not have any knives or seasonings on hand, so he was afraid that it would be difficult to handle such a large piece of meat.

So Ludwig offered a brief explanation, and Nidhogg, without any pretense, put aside the pig leg that had been given to Ludwig and began to devour the raw pig in his hands, his eating manners being quite fierce.

A giant wild boar weighing at least seven or eight hundred pounds was barely enough for a fully grown male black dragon, who was nearly thirty meters long and weighed twenty tons, to eat up in no time. After finishing the meat, the black dragon pried two stones off the wall and began to crunch them in his mouth as if they were calcium tablets.

"I didn't realize you were so particular about a balanced diet, do you even supplement with micronutrients?"

"Human, I don't understand what you're saying."

After gnawing on four stones, Nidhogg went out for a walk. When he returned, the bloodstains and ash from eating meat and gnawing on his body were gone, and his scales were still dripping wet.

Having witnessed the other person's entire meal, Lud thought to himself that his hygiene habits were quite impressive; even many humans don't bother to wash their hands after meals!

After dinner, Nidhogg didn't rest. He quietly moved around the cave, busying himself with various tasks. First, he changed the haystacks for the female dragon who was recovering from her injuries. Then, he moved stones around to repair the uneven floor of the cave, looking every bit like a househusband doing chores.

Lud became increasingly puzzled. Although he didn't know much about dragons, he knew that dragons were a highly intelligent race with an intelligence level no lower than that of humans. But Nidhogg, whose name had a strange prefix, seemed to be an outlier among dragons.

With this question in mind, Lud watched silently from the side until the big guy finished his work and returned to the fire to rest. Only then did Lud ask cautiously.

"Who taught you all these habits?"

When Ludwig suddenly asked him, Nidhogg was silent for a moment, seemingly not liking the awkward silence either. He then lay down next to the sleeping female dragon, covered his partner with one wing, and spoke in a very soft voice.

"I...was raised by humans..."

Nidhogg dropped a bombshell as soon as he opened his mouth, and Ludwig looked extremely shocked. In an instant, the guy transformed from a cold and aloof dragon into a middle-aged married man who desperately needed to relieve stress through communication due to the heavy burden of his family.

That sentimental look reminded Lude of a colleague from his past life who had become like this ever since he had a son.

Nidhogg is nearly 500 years old this year, which is equivalent to about 35 years old in human years. He is in the prime of his life, while his mate is a female dragon who is just over 200 years old, which is equivalent to 16 or 17 years old in human years. She is not yet fully grown up.

Upon hearing this, Lude thought to himself, "Isn't that JK (high school girl)?"

During Nidhogg's childhood, before the War of the Gods broke out, it was a glorious era, and mortal civilization was at its peak. The dragon race was far more numerous then than it is now, but they were not united, with their various branches hostile to one another.

Nidhogg didn't know who his father was, but his mother died in a battle with two green dragons before he hatched. Therefore, the first thing young Nidhogg saw in this world was his mother, who died tragically next to their nest while protecting him.

Fortunately, the newborn Nidhogg was quickly discovered by a group of human cavalry who came to investigate, and was then presented to the royal family as a rare and precious bird.

For the next two hundred years, Nidhogg lived among humans. Although the royal family of that country would occasionally extract blood and scales from him for experimental purposes, they generally treated him very well, intending to cultivate Nidhogg into a national guardian beast, a strategic biological weapon.

However, fate intervened, and the War of the Gods broke out! Nidhogg's kingdom was quickly drawn into this religious war, plunging into internal strife due to sectarian disputes. The Storm Queen, who ruled the country at the time, was assassinated for repeatedly using iron-fisted methods to align with different sects within the country; she was betrayed by her own nephew, whom she had been grooming as her heir.

Amidst the turmoil, Nidhogg, then two hundred years old and possessing considerable combat prowess, protected the critically wounded queen as she fled the capital. Before her death, the queen released the magical shackles that had bound Nidhogg, returning his freedom to her only true friend who had never betrayed her.

Over the next three hundred years, Nidhogg, now free, traveled to many places before finally settling in the Forest of the Unreal, where he met his current mate, a very lively and adorable female black dragon.

Because of his traumatic childhood, Nidhogg's character is completely different from his wild counterparts who can't control their lust. He is extremely loyal to his mate, especially after learning that the female dragon is pregnant. He even imitates the human fathers he saw in the past, taking great care of his mate.

If it weren't for the "egg theft incident," Nidhogg wouldn't have gone on a rampage attacking human villages. Instead, he would have been busy taking care of his wife and children, eagerly awaiting the day he would become a father.

End of this chapter

After spending the night in the dragon's nest, Lud got up early the next morning to stretch his limbs. He first checked on the female dragon; the repaired wounds were healing well, the previously thin skin had deepened in color, and some new dragon scales could be seen growing at the edges.

While Lud was checking Lud's injuries, Nidhogg, who was lying next to the female dragon, opened his eyes and looked at Lud, but did not get up. A preliminary trust relationship had been established between the two.

After examining the female dragon, Lude turned back to the dragon eggs. Both eggs were perfectly healthy and warm to the touch. Even without pressing his ear to the shell, he could hear a strong heartbeat inside. Lude even tapped the shells twice, and the baby dragons inside responded with very innocent cries, appearing quite energetic.

In contrast, the egg with a broken shell is in a less optimistic situation. The temperature is significantly lower than the other two, and you have to put your ear right up to the shell to hear a heartbeat. There is no response when you tap the shell, so the baby dragon inside is probably quite weak.

At that moment, Nidhogg walked over, looked down at the dragon egg, and asked in a tiny voice that was completely out of proportion to his enormous body.

How is the child?

"I'm a bit weak. Let me try to repair the eggshell with divine magic first."

As Lude spoke, he placed his hand on the crack in the eggshell. After a night of recovery, Aina had accumulated some more divine power. But after trying for a long time, Lude couldn't help but frown, because his divine magic had no effect on the eggshell.

What's going on? Does this mean the eggshell isn't considered a living thing?

Seeing that the eggshell couldn't be repaired, Lude used his probing technique. The golden divine tendrils couldn't penetrate the eggshell; they could only reach in through the cracks.

Upon inspection, Lud discovered that the situation inside the eggshell was more serious than he had imagined. A significant amount of the embryonic fluid had leaked out, the young dragon was not fully developed, and its curled-up appearance suggested it was somewhat cold.

Ludwig immediately relayed this information to Nidhogg, whose eyes clearly showed deep concern.

"Human, do you have any ideas?"

“We do have a solution. Yesterday we used the wild beeswax you found to seal all the gaps, but there’s nowhere to replenish the embryonic fluid that has leaked out, and the temperature inside the egg is also too low. How about this, we boil some water, not too hot, and then put the egg in to warm it up.”

"Isn't this... risky?"

"If you control the temperature, it won't happen. It's not like you're cooking them. Actually, it's best to incubate them with body heat, but your dragon race is covered in hard scales, so it's not really suitable for this. Have you ever seen a hen incubating eggs? The principle is the same."

"A hen? Wait a minute, I'll be right back."

Before Ludwig could speak, Nidhogg turned and went out the door, returning a short while later with a giant, bristling chicken.

Ludwig could tell from the creature's fur that it was a monster, a local tyrant, but unfortunately it had run into a dragon. Now, with Nidhogg holding its neck, it dared not move an inch.

Under the black dragon's coercion, the seemingly intelligent rooster was forced to sit on the dragon's egg to help incubate it. Both the dragon and the human stared intently at it, making it tremble with fear.

At this moment, Ludwig frowned, stepped forward and touched the chicken's belly, then turned his head and touched the other two intact dragon eggs, shaking his head as he spoke to Nidhogg.

"No, this guy's body temperature isn't high enough to incubate the eggs. Let's switch to hot water."

"Oh."

Upon hearing Ludwig say that the rooster was no good, Nidhogg used his thick dragon arm to lift the strange chicken up, then snapped its neck with a "crack" and started gnawing on it for breakfast. The poor strange chicken was completely innocent, first humiliated and then killed, its unseeing eyes filled with silent accusation.

I might not be human, but you two are definitely dogs!

Carrying the damaged dragon egg, Nidhogg led Lud to the deepest part of the cave. Lud was surprised to find a hot spring there. Nidhogg proudly stated that he chose this location to build his nest precisely because of this hot spring; soaking in it from time to time was very nourishing for his scales.

Lude tested the temperature of the hot spring water with his hand, estimating it to be around fifty degrees Celsius. It would feel slightly hot to a person, but it would be just right for the dragon egg. So Lude first scooped some water and poured it on the dragon egg before slowly placing it into the water and securing it to the edge of the pool with a rope.

Thanks to the heat from the hot spring, the dragon egg quickly returned to normal temperature. Lude used divine magic to check the condition inside the eggshell. The young dragon, which had been curled up, had stretched out and its vital signs had clearly improved.

"It's working. Let it soak for a while."

Having confirmed that the warming was effective, Rud then used his tentacles to cast several restorative healing spells on the baby dragon inside the eggshell, using his powerful divine energy to nourish the baby dragon's life force, which had become weak due to the loss of embryonic fluid.

Seeing that his wife and children were out of danger, Nidhogg visibly breathed a sigh of relief. Ludwig, on the other hand, stretched his aching arms and legs, gazing enviously at the exquisite hot spring before him.

Back in Pine Village, although Lude took frequent showers to maintain personal hygiene, he never had the chance to properly soak in a hot spring, let alone go to one.

So Ludwig rubbed his hands together and asked Nidhogg somewhat subtly.

"Hey... Nidhogg, can I ask you something, considering I've come all this way for a house call?"

"what's up?"

"Excuse me, could I use your hot spring?"

Ludwig pointed to the steaming spring water, his eyes filled with hope, while Nidhogg asked in return with some doubt.

"If you want to wash it, just wash it. Why are you asking me?"

Nidhogg gave Lud a strange look, waved its paw to indicate that he should do as he pleased, and then squatted down next to the dragon egg, watching it carefully.

So Lud happily scurried around and finally found a small pool with just the right temperature, then stripped naked and soaked in. The moment his body was completely submerged in the hot spring, Lud felt so good that tears welled up in his eyes.

"I'm alive! I'm finally alive!"

After a relaxing soak in the hot springs, Lu De felt completely relieved, both physically and mentally, all his worries forgotten. But unbeknownst to him, hundreds of kilometers away in Pine Village, some unexpected changes were quietly taking place…

End of this chapter

Later that day, the female dragon finally regained consciousness, and it was only then that Lud finally learned her name.

Unlike Nidhogg, which is raised by humans, wild dragons generally have "rustic" names. The female dragon is called "Shuoguo," which can also be transliterated directly from the dragon language as "Tawawa"!

After waking up, Tawawa did not show strong hostility towards Rudd because of the previous human attack. In fact, after learning from Nidhogg that Rudd had saved her and their child, she expressed her gratitude to Rudd, showing a clear distinction between gratitude and resentment.

Seeing that the female dragon was mostly unharmed, Lude's next task was to protect the damaged dragon eggs until they hatched.

Therefore, Ludwig specifically asked Nidhogg if he knew how long it would take for the dragon eggs to hatch. If it was only ten days or half a month away, then it wouldn't matter if he stayed here to keep an eye on them. But he was afraid that it would take three to five years, which would be fatal!

Fortunately, Nidhogg had previously inquired with a dragon "neighbor" less than a thousand kilometers away from his home. He learned that dragon eggs normally only take nine hundred and ninety-nine days to hatch. Therefore, Nidhogg had been keeping track of the time ever since his wife laid the egg. Nine hundred and ninety-four days have passed so far, which should be within this week.

The two intact dragon eggs were fine, and the baby dragons inside were developing normally and were very strong. The only thing that worried the Nidhogg couple was the dragon egg with a damaged shell.

Normally, dragons lay only 1 to 2 eggs at a time, but Tawawa's first litter was a rare three. Moreover, as a JK dragon that was not yet fully grown, the third egg had obvious congenital deficiencies. Not only was it smaller than the other two, but it was also particularly fragile, and thus it was accidentally damaged during Nidhogg's pursuit of the Silver Wing Knight.