Chapter 34
Hubbard was delighted.
Of course he knew that there was something wrong with the child, but he had no substantial evidence. Naz had been too far away when he took the photos before, and the child's cat ears and cat tail in the testimony were not even noticeable, not enough to be brought to the Elders Council to make irresponsible remarks.
He had made all the necessary preparations for Elder Joe's family dinner today. He first asked Naz to use the armored ape to lure the cub out, and he also brought video equipment with him to record the cub's true appearance without its parents around, and submit it as the final hard evidence.
Is the child going to reveal his true colors in front of him without any defense?
The rare and highly anticipated transformation of the golden dragon cub is truly worth looking forward to.
Hubbard's video recorder began to work diligently.
Li Jue raised his little hand and placed it on the adult's forehead, smiling: "Actually, it's a kitten!"
Hubbard's eyes blurred, and then the cub's dragon horns slowly faded away, replaced by a pair of fluffy, triangular, pointed ears.
Long, who had never heard of, let alone seen, the species "cat", was stunned.
A small furry animal.
This is very unfamiliar to a dragon that is made of scales and has crustaceans as pets.
The kitten's ears trembled, and fine hairs fell down, each strand sparkling with golden light.
Hubbard covered his pocket, suppressing his inner excitement and said, "Uncle, I didn't hear you clearly just now. What did you say you are?"
"Cat!"
The little cub repeated it obediently, and even turned around to show him its fluffy cat tail, wagging it happily.
Very good, Hubbard rejoiced, he had obtained the evidence so easily and successfully.
He paid no attention to the pink and white petals slowly drifting down in his field of vision. The tiny flowers swirled and fell, but vanished before they came into contact with any entity, leaving only a slight ripple of snow, like an illusion.
Hubbard smiled and said, "Thank you for your cooperation, little one. I'm sure your parents will be very happy."
He stood up to leave, but was stopped.
Li Jue hurriedly grabbed his fingers and said, "Uncle, don't go, don't go. There's more!"
besides?
what else?
Hubbard didn't react for a moment and just let the child pull him.
Li Jue touched his cat ears, and Hubbard was sure he didn't even blink, but when the child's hand moved away, the triangular, soft little ears turned into hard horns like scimitars.
It grew in the same place as the previous dragon horn, but its shape and texture were different.
The cub shook its head and narrowed its eyes happily: "Uncle, I'm still a calf!"
...What kind of creature is a cow?
No, that's not the point.
The point is, how could this kid go from a little dragon to that creature called a cat or fur, and now another?
Was it some kind of drag show, or some magic trick he didn't know about?
Can a child this young already perform magic tricks?
Who taught me that? Was it Finks?
Could it be that all this was planned by Finks long ago?
Countless questions filled Hubbard's mind.
There were more and more petals falling around him, like a heavy snow covering the sky.
Countless, illusory pear blossoms.
Amid the rich fragrance of flowers, the child held the armored ape and danced in circles, changing into various shapes.
Some have hard horns, some have soft ears, and some have tails of varying lengths and thicknesses.
Hubbard vaguely understood that the secret that Li Jue wanted to tell him was not that he was a dragon cub or a kitten, but that he could become any species he wanted and did not belong to any species.
The pocket video recorder used to record evidence failed to start from the beginning.
Even if he told others what he saw at this moment, no one would believe him, and he might even have to be taken to see a doctor for brain damage.
Hubbard looked at the child's innocent smile and felt shock and fear in his bones.
This is definitely not an ordinary child.
What on earth had that Finks kid picked up?—And did he even know what he was raising?
The falling pear blossoms gradually stopped.
Li Jue returned to his original disguise, freeing his hands to feel the pair of dragon horns to see if they were firmly attached. Then he looked at Hubbard and smiled, revealing his cute dimples: "Now, it's a little dragon~"
Little monster.
Hubbard's eyes widened and he took a step back.
Natsu, who was not far away, was watching the interaction between his father and the cub, completely confused, and couldn't understand what his father's expression meant, as if he had seen a ghost.
He was outside the scope of Li Jue's "magic costume show" and could not see the cub transform into a cat and a cow like Hubbard did.
In his eyes, Li Jue was always wearing a disguised dragon horn and dancing happily with the armored ape.
He didn't even see the pear blossoms that filled the sky in Hubbard's field of vision.
For Hubbard, Li Jue is a real child, and what is happening here is all part of reality.
But to the small system, Hubbard was just like any other basic NPC, a minor figure in the sub-world who stood on his own, yet could be replaced at any moment.
In the fake dragon cave at the bottom of the lake, erase the player's memory and create a unique illusion for Hubbard...
These are the unique abilities that Li Jue possesses.
And young children don't even realize that this is a "ability."
According to the central regulations of Infinite Space, the boss communication post's system actually does not have the authority to modify NPC instructions.
But Xiao Lijue is not bound by any rules.
He is the system.
But it's not just the system.
His consciousness, thoughts, and needs can affect the character creation of NPCs, rewrite the operating rules of the sub-world, and even affect the entire infinite space.
——Just because he is the biological blood of "that person".
Seeing that his father, who always had a strategic vision, was now possessed and in an extreme trance, Natsu really couldn't understand what was going on.
He looked at Li Jue, who also looked puzzled.
I just performed a trick for my uncle by turning into different animals, why did he seem so scared?
The only happy one was the armored ape. From the moment it saw the fear in Hubbard's eyes, it was filled with joy at the change of fortune.
Seeing that the man who had abused him also had something to fear, Jiayuan excitedly ran around Li Jue, and later jumped onto Hubbard's head.
Natsu quickly grabbed him off.
Kabuto turned over and tried to stop singing, but was forced to stop. He was very unhappy and bit Natsu's arm hard. When the latter screamed and subconsciously let go of his hand, he slipped away and hid behind Li Jue, staring at him with a fierce look.
As expected, Natsu started bleeding from the bite, but thankfully, the wound wasn't a big deal to the dragon. He pointed and muttered, "Ungrateful!"
The armored ape pressed its eyelids with its claws and made a disdainful face at him.
As a barrier between the man and the monkey, the little cub was a little distressed.
Why do all these adults (and the monkeys) always quarrel? It would be so much better if everyone could just get along peacefully!
Li Jue patted Jia Yuan's head (because it was a hard skull, it made a thumping sound when he patted it): "Little monkey, be good."
The armored ape wrapped its tail around his little arm and rubbed it against him, indicating that it would be obedient.
The baby is very satisfied.
Natsu couldn't understand why Kabuto was so dependent on Li Jue, whom he met for the first time, while his father was afraid of him - he was there throughout the whole process, so why did he always feel like he missed something very important?
He also took a half step back and looked down at the tiny cub, who didn't seem to pose any threat at all: "You..."
Li Jue's creamy light golden eyes looked at him.
Softer than clouds, purer than crystal.
Not harming the cubs is an instinct engraved in the genes passed down from generation to generation in the dragon clan.
There was something stuck in the throat, preventing the adults from uttering a word of questioning.
Zizi first waited for him to speak, and then his eyes lit up.
"I didn't know the prestigious Black Dragon family had a habit of kidnapping children."
A teasing tone, tinged with both nonchalant playfulness and genuine murderous intent, came from behind.
Natsu turned stiffly, his brain almost knotted when he saw Finks and others: "Old, old... old..."
He thought he would never see them again after returning to Lincheng, but he didn't expect to meet them again.
Natsu's mind was full of how the tyrant had dealt with his enemies and betrayers in the past. He was so nervous that his tongue and heart didn't know what to do.
Seeing that he couldn't utter a complete word for a long time, Will waved his hand and said, "Forget it. At this time, you're still calling me boss against your will. Look, you can't even say it."
Lin Wang smiled faintly: "Look, I originally thought that you and I were both traitors to the family, but it turns out that I'm the only one. It's a bit of a pity when you think about it."
The rage in the silent stone's eyes was almost tangible. He was the most loyal believer of Phinks and certainly could not tolerate the existence of betrayers.
Natsu's Adam's apple slid open with difficulty. He didn't need to see it himself to imagine the consequences of Rock's fists hitting him.
Finks, who was surrounded in the center, said nothing. His eyes slid over him with contempt, and he didn't even bother to deal with it personally.
The tyrant's gaze was as cold as ice, but when it passed over the trembling black dragon and fell on the little cub behind him, the howling blizzard instantly turned into a warm spring breeze.
Instead of going forward himself, he patted the shoulder of another child next to him and said, "Go and take a look."
Ling Xi couldn't wait any longer, and immediately ran over shouting "Jue Jue" after receiving the order.
The calm child rarely showed such a panicked look. He looked Li Jue up and down and asked anxiously, "Are you okay? Are you hurt?"
Li Jue's eyes curved, and with a "Hey Yo" he picked up the armored monkey, which was not light to him, and said as if he was presenting a treasure: "Xixi, look, a little monkey!"
Ling Xi had some understanding of this species. Although it looked small, it was also an irritable beast. His eyes moved back and forth between the armored monkey and Li Jue. The monkey and the cub showed the same well-behaved behavior.
Ling Xi asked hesitantly, "You...are you friends?"
He didn't dare ask directly if Li Jue was injured, for fear of angering the moody beast.
Li Jue nodded: "Yes, its name is Zhizhizhi!"
"Squeak, squeak, squeak!" The armored ape shouted.
It actually wanted to declare that its name was not such a stupid one, but to the cub it sounded almost like an agreement.
Li Jue stroked the monkey's head to soothe the squeaking armored monkey, and looked at Ling Xi with sparkling cat eyes: "Xi Xi, you should stroke it too, it's so cute when it squeaks!"
The older boy looked at the armored ape's mouth full of sharp teeth and found it hard to associate such a ferocious animal with "cute"; but the kitten that was looking at him with anticipation was really cute.
He hesitated for a moment, not wanting to disappoint his son, and reached out his hand.
But before he touched the armored ape, the latter bared its teeth, looked fierce, and used its breath to warn the two-legged beast not to touch it.
Ling Xi quickly withdrew her hand.
Li Jue looked down at Jia Yuan, frowned, and said in a serious voice: "No!"
This was the first time the cub criticized it. The armored ape shrank its head a little aggrievedly: "Squeak..."
"Xixi is a good person." Li Jue emphasized, "Very good, very good. He won't treat you badly."
"squeak?"
"Xixi is my good friend~"
"Squeak, squeak?"
"You will become good friends too."
"Squeak, squeak, squeak!"
Ling Xi watched them go back and forth with questions and answers, and asked curiously: "Juejue, can you understand what it says?"
The little cub hugged the armored ape and smiled: "I don't understand~"
Ayaki: "?"
Ling Xi: "Then you guys..."
The cub pinched the armored ape's paw and whispered, "Dad said that small animals are a little timid, so we have to treat them gently. If they feel that I want to be friends, they won't be so scared."
The little sparrow on the windowsill, the stray cat downstairs, and the puppy in the park.
Dad said so, and Zizi always did so, interacting with every little animal in a friendly and patient manner.
No one doesn’t like cute and gentle children, and the same goes for animals.
Li Jue may be born with the buff of being loved. Those timid birds, ferocious cats, and fierce dogs will become obedient and clingy after meeting the baby.
If Li Jue hadn't been too young, he would have been almost invited home by the owners of vicious dogs to be a dog trainer several times.
Jiayuan was no longer so wary of Lingxi, and Li Jue said, "Xixi, try shaking hands with it again."
Ling Xi held her breath and cautiously extended her hand again.
The armored ape had no intention of extending its claws, but after looking up at Li Jue, it tilted its head to look at the boy in front of it, and finally stretched out its tail to shake hands with him.
Even the crustacean's seemingly flexible and soft tail is made up of many tiny scales connected together, like a weapon like a nine-whip.
Although Ling Xi always behaves with a maturity and steadiness that is not in line with his age, he is only a five or six-year-old child after all, and he still gets excited when he comes into contact with animals.
He carefully and friendly squeezed the armored ape's tail and whispered, "Your name is Zhizhizhi, right? My name is Lingxi, and I'm Juejue's good friend."
That’s not the name!
Armored Ape was not very happy: "Squeak, squeak, squeak--!!"
Li Jue suddenly realized: "It also wants to be friends with you!"
Ling Xi laughed: "Really? That's great, squeak."
Armored ape despaired of this world where they couldn't speak the same language.
…
The children and animals over there are living in harmony and happiness, but the talks among the adults here are not so easy.
After Li Jue left, Hubbard finally woke up from his hallucination.
When I opened my eyes, I saw Elder Qiao’s angry face.
The old man was smaller than any of the adult dragons present, but he held an imposing presence. Pale's eyes looked at him with an emotion no one could fathom: "Hubbard, how could you do such a despicable thing?"
Hubbard hadn't fully recovered from Lihua's illusion and was a little confused for a moment: "What... happened to me...?"
Lin Wang glared at him. "You openly stole our child at a family dinner with all the elders present. After committing such a serious crime, isn't it too late to play dumb now?"
The dragon clan's desire for marriage and childbirth is declining year by year. More and more dragons refuse to reproduce. In addition, it is difficult for the cubs to survive, which forms a vicious cycle for the continuation of the race.
On average, only one dragon egg is born every few years, and successfully hatching a baby dragon from it is a low-probability event that may only occur once every ten years or even decades.
Because of this, many families that have not had offspring for a long time have developed the evil idea of stealing eggs and chicks from other families.
Every cub born is an extremely valuable treasure of the tribe, and trafficking in dragon mouths is an absolute prohibition written into the laws of Lincheng.
It is a huge scandal that the next chief speaker and leader of the Black Dragon Family actually took the lead in violating the law and luring the dragon cubs.
Not only was Elder Qiao present, but other elders from the Presbyterian Church and some family leaders were also present.
They were whispering to each other behind Elder Joe, and all of them cast looks of disbelief and disgust at Hubbard, who was still in a daze.
In almost the time it takes to eat a meal, the most promising heir to the clan suddenly became a quasi-prisoner who could be stepped on by anyone.
Natsu panicked as he saw his father who remained silent despite being criticized by thousands of people.
Dragons place great value on loyalty and are particularly harsh in dealing with traitors.
If he hadn't relied on the fact that his father was the head of a family, he would never have dared to lurk around the Golden Tyrant.
If he can't save his father now, his own fate will be even worse.
Natsu plopped down on his knees before Elder Joe, "Elder, please listen to me. It wasn't my father who wanted to kidnap that child. It was me... I wanted to show him my pet!"
Someone asked, "Pet? What pet?"
Natsu pointed at the armored macaque that was happily playing with two children in the distance: "That's it! I, I just brought it to look at..."
Lida interrupted his argument sharply, "Everyone knows how aggressive untamed animals can be. The cub is so tiny. You're not trying to make friends, you're trying to control your animal—what are your intentions?"
The Armored Ape is secretly raised by the Black Dragon Family, but that doesn't mean other families don't have their own companion beasts and weapons. They know exactly what they are used for.
Although he is getting along well with the two little ones now, anyone with a discerning eye can tell that the armored ape is not someone to be trifled with.
Even more unforgivable than stealing cubs is the attempt to intentionally harm precious cubs.
Instead of saving the situation, Natsu's words added fuel to the fire.
Hubbard closed his eyes in despair.
Elder Qiao sighed and shook his head: "How disappointing."
After saying that, he turned away.
Without the elder saying anything, several guards stepped forward and restrained the father and son.
They will be taken to prison to await trial by the Council of Elders.
Lida chuckled: "It can be said that I got what I asked for."
Hubbard went to great lengths to obtain Li Jue's secret, but it was only to suppress Finks and eliminate the threat posed by the Golden Dragon Family to his rise to power.
Now, not only will he go to jail, but the reputation of the Black Dragon family will be humiliated because of his actions.
Lin Wang shook his head: "How come you only grow older but not smarter?"
Finks didn't care what happened to Hubbard; in fact, he never took the man seriously.
Although they are called old rivals, the only nemesis that the Golden Tyrant truly acknowledges and cares about is the Siren King.
He walked around the crowd who were still talking and walked towards the two children.
Li Jue and Ling Xi each pulled the armored ape's claws and spun around in circles. The cub showed an amazing talent for balance. While the other two were almost dizzy, he could still continue to giggle and play.
Finks frowned when he saw the armored ape.
It was Natsu's pet. Now that Natsu was taken away, what would happen to it? Should it be returned to the Black Dragon Family?
Li Jue threw himself into his parents' arms: "Brother!"
Finks picked him up and placed him on his arm, looking him up and down. "Are you okay?"
Li Jue didn’t understand why Xixi and his brother Mi both asked him this question. He came here to play with the little monkey, so how could he get hurt?
He looked down at Ling Xi and Jia Yuan, who were unwilling to hold each other's hands immediately without him, and then looked up and asked Finks: "Brother, can we keep it?"
Ayaka has already raised it, so this sentence can only refer to the armored monkey.
Finks raised an eyebrow: "You want a pet?"
They are different from other families. They float on the starship all year round and take shifts to carry out missions in infinite space. Their lives are as regular as going to and from get off work and need to punch in. No dragon on the entire starship has ever tried to raise anything, from pets to cubs.
Li Jue nodded, counting on his little fingers and reciting the details one by one to his parents: "Zhizhizhi is very well behaved. I will feed him, take him for a walk, and never let him go to the toilet without permission..."
Armored Ape couldn't believe his ears - who on earth does this little guy think he is?
It's very independent and capable, okay? Why do you make it sound like you're raising a dog that can't take care of itself?
Finks listened and said, "Well, that's all?"
Li Jue was a little confused and couldn't think of anything he had overlooked.
Finks tapped his nose. "Have you ever asked its wishes?"
Li Jue blinked.
Finks put him down, and the little cub took the armored ape's paw and asked solemnly, "Excuse me, are you willing to be raised by me?"
The armored ape scratched its head with its free paw.
It's not that I'm completely unwilling, but I just don't think this little guy, who's not much taller than me, is reliable...
"Boss!"
Lin Wang's slightly tense voice interrupted the feeding agreement here.
The little cub had never seen his smiling brother look so serious, and subconsciously hooked Finks' fingers.
Finks patted his little hands to signal him not to be nervous, and looked at his men: "What's the matter?"
"Elder Qiao asked you to take the cub over there right now." Lin Wang looked at the nervous little cub and took a deep breath. "Hubbard claims to have evidence that proves the cub is not a dragon—and he accuses you of deceiving the Elders Council."
Finks frowned.
He knew Hubbard would come prepared. Before they summoned the elders, had something happened?
You won’t get any answers from asking a kid, you must be fully prepared.
He picked up Li Jue again and whispered to Lin Wang, "Go tell Qian Xing that if 'that' situation arises, act according to the plan."
Lin Wang's eyes moved: "...Yes."
The young tyrant kissed the hair of the child in his arms, his red-gold dragon eyes blazing as he walked towards the place of judgment that belonged to him and them.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
