Tale of the Red Dragon Without Dragon’s Might
Chapter 275 - 271: The Dog-Daughter Without a Tiger-Mother

Chapter 275: Chapter 271: The Dog-Daughter Without a Tiger-Mother

"Who—who are you?" Anglistra was truly stunned.

It wasn’t her fault for not recognizing Leon. The ferocious Three Heads and Six Arms Red Dragon inexplicably carried a sacred aura, a disposition that only gods or the Great Demon could exude.

"Where’s my son?" she continued asking.

"Right in front of you." Leon’s appearance wasn’t the only thing that had utterly transformed; even his voice had changed—from a young man’s gentle tone to the rumbling thunder of a horrifying monster.

"You—you... how could it be just a few decades?" Anglistra stammered. "Why do you have three heads and six arms?"

"Take a guess why." Leon chuckled faintly. He didn’t want anyone assuming he had anything to do with Tiamat or the Marilith. Last time, it was the Ancient Jade Dragon that mistook him for the Ruby Dragon—who knows what might happen next? "Just a simple Transformation Magic, really."

"I’ve never seen a spell that could turn a Red Dragon into something with three heads and six arms," Anglistra added. "Never even heard of one."

"And what about those swords?!" Anglistra pursued further. "I’ve never seen a Red Dragon wield swords... Are you actually skilled with them and not just putting up a show? Who taught you to use swords—that’s downright ridiculous!"

"Well, now you’ve seen it." Leon replied nonchalantly. "Anything is possible."

"Go on, don’t mind me; I won’t interfere." Leon urged.

"How could I not mind..." Anglistra muttered.

She wasn’t like one of those "watered-down" White Dragons, whose intelligence as adults might still be inferior to that of ordinary humans. As a Red Dragon—a species whose intelligence, even in baby dragon form, surpassed humans by far—Anglistra had lived over a century, experiencing all manner of things.

"You just said you’d give me a million gold coins, and that once I took them, you wouldn’t acknowledge me anymore, right?" Anglistra licked her lips. "So what you mean is, if I accept this money, you’ll treat me as just a regular Red Dragon?"

"All I said was, if you take the million gold coins, don’t expect me to acknowledge you anymore," Leon stated. Of his three heads, only the middle one was his true head; the other two were just Dharma Bodies.

"You don’t think you can beat me just because you’ve learned some bizarre spells, do you?" Anglistra, quite hot-tempered, retorted as she reverted into Dragon Form, mimicking Leon by rising to her feet. However, to her shock, she found that as a mighty Adult Dragon, she couldn’t use her size to intimidate Leon, who was merely a teenage dragon.

"Who knows?" Leon urged again, "I’ve already given you a million gold coins. Hurry up and take them."

"I don’t want the million right now. What I want is to teach you a lesson," Anglistra emphasized. "Remember, this is a mother teaching her son."

"A biological mother teaching her biological son," Anglistra repeated, opening her mouth to bare her sharp teeth before closing it again, and briefly brandishing her claws before pulling them back. After some deliberation, she instead forcefully pushed Leon.

Leon didn’t even bother activating his Vajra Body.

His mother was really a bit weak. She had a nickname, "Lady Scorched Throat," but she couldn’t even conquer Grey Mountain Town. At best, she was slightly stronger than an average Adult Red Dragon, far inferior to Angmog, a mature Red Dragon that had mastered Blood Scale Frenzy. That brute wouldn’t stand a chance against him either.

"Is that all you’ve got?" Leon mocked. "I used to think you were formidable, but it turns out you’re nothing special."

"Say one more word and I’ll get angry," Anglistra warned.

Leon wrinkled his nose.

"Not an ounce of strength."

"Are you aging prematurely?"

"Where are your sharp teeth and claws? Have your teeth fallen out, or have your claws dulled?"

Anglistra stared at Leon. Though her temper was explosive, her survival till this day owed much to her sixth sense. She could sense the terrifying power coursing through this Red Dragon before her and, refusing to betray her bravado, replied, "You’re my son; I won’t stoop to your level."

"Alright, you’ve talked enough." Leon said impatiently. "The million gold coins are already yours; take them and leave."

"Is that your way of rushing me?" Anglistra snapped viciously. "I hate being rushed—if you rush me, I absolutely won’t take them. If you have the guts, hit me. Hit your own mother."

Her repeated mentions of "mother" and "son" were starting to give Leon a headache.

"Either way, the million gold coins are already yours—but if you don’t want them, I’ll take them back myself," Leon threatened. "If you don’t hurry, you’ll lose your chance."

"Wait, I need to think this through." Anglistra glanced first at the gold coins—one million gold coins, a sight beyond anything she had ever experienced in her life—and then at Leon. She thought to herself, "My son looks pretty remarkable; maybe those rumors aren’t just baseless talk. No ordinary dragon could pull out a million gold coins..." She wasn’t foolish.

She wasn’t foolish, but she was greedy. She was searching for even the slimmest chance of either defeating her son or escaping.

Leon waited for a few minutes, growing increasingly impatient as he lowered the swords he had been holding upright, letting them rest against the sand. "Have you made up your mind yet? I’m about to start counting down—ten, nine, eight..."

Leon finished the countdown, slowing his pace at times, yet Anglistra still couldn’t bring herself to decide. She waved her hand and stashed the ten gaping chests into the small dimension of the Sleeve of the Universe, muttering, "Given the opportunity, it turns out she’s useless."

Anglistra remained silent.

Leon suddenly recalled a saying: "You ignored me when I was weak; now you can’t reach me." He then announced, "Two choices."

"What two choices?" Anglistra asked.

"I’m giving you two options," Leon replied. "One choice: Be like Salovis and work for me. Considering you’re my mother—even though you’ve offered me little care—I won’t mistreat you. She currently has savings of over a hundred thousand gold coins, all because I gave her the opportunity."

"And the other," Leon paused briefly. Red Dragons aren’t known for restraint, but he had to show some humanity. "A million gold coins is out of the question; fifty thousand gold coins will be plenty. Many Adult Red Dragons don’t even have that much... Take the fifty thousand and leave. If you come back later, you’ll still be my guest."

Anglistra fell into deep contemplation.

"Well? Which do you choose?" Leon pressed her.

"What did you just say?" Anglistra countered with an unrelated question, "Did you say Salovis has over a hundred thousand gold coins?"

"Yes, I personally handed them to her," Leon confirmed.

"She almost fooled me," Anglistra hissed, flicking her tongue as she turned toward Salovis. However, the spot where the young woman stood earlier was now empty.

"She wasn’t standing right there just a moment ago?" Anglistra asked.

"She left," Leon replied. "She bolted the moment she heard me mention her savings of over a hundred thousand gold coins."

"That brat!" Anglistra cursed. "Fine, I admit I’ve neglected you, but I’ve cared for her for decades... Where’s she running to now?"

"Lost Plateau," Leon gestured toward the sky, suggesting Anglistra take a look. Up in the distance, the retreating figure of the Red Dragon had shrunk to no larger than a seagull.

"That brat!" Anglistra flapped her wings and took off, chasing after Salovis.

"I might not be able to beat Leon, but I can definitely handle you."

Leon watched Anglistra’s retreating figure, thinking, "How come your reflexes are so sharp, yet you don’t ask me about Salovis’s lair? You can escape a monk, but not the temple."