Chapter 59 Ivory
When the outer layer of Gemstones scattered to the ground, revealing the inner layer, Brian was initially stunned. After coming to his senses, he finally understood the truth behind the White Dragon Mother's accumulation of so many Gemstones at such a young age.
This truth left Brian speechless. He cursed the White Dragon Mother for being a vain Evil Dragon who even deceived herself.
Only the outermost Gemstone was real, while the inside mostly contained the tusks of large beasts, smooth and reflective, long and sharp, looking quite beautiful.
But the problem was that no matter how good they looked, they were still just tusks, real tusks, made of ivory and not gold.
Brian sighed, looking at the tusks for a few moments, recognizing them as belonging to a large beast in the ice field.
The Limen mammoth.
In the ice field, Limen mammoths were among the higher-tier creatures. There was a herd of several hundred Limen mammoths within the White Dragon Mother's territory. When fully grown, they stood between nine and twelve feet tall and weighed at least twenty tons, serving as the White Dragon Mother's main food source.
She had warned the young dragons not to provoke Limen mammoths, as newly-hatched dragons were no match for such large beasts.
Other than dragons, Frost wolves, Extreme Northern bears, and savage beasts, Limen mammoths had few predators in the extreme north ice field.
But Brian never expected that the White Dragon Mother would secretly collect Limen mammoth tusks to pose as Gemstones, making her little treasure hoard look more abundant.
All these tusks combined were worth less than a single genuine magical Gemstone to Brian.
Besides the Limen mammoth tusks, there were also some magical Ice Crystals made by the White Dragon Mother, irregular in shape, emitting waves of cold, pretending to be rare magical Gemstones.
"So dragons can be deceptive too."
Brian felt deceived, angrily glancing at the unconscious White Dragon Mother.
On second thought, if he had taken a few more Gemstones when he first stole one, he might have discovered this truth earlier. But back then, he was too young to sense elemental energy as well as he could now. He hadn't noticed anything unusual and naively thought that the White Dragon Mother had the power to amass such wealth.
Now, looking at her real stash, Brian really wanted to ask her how she ever slept soundly!
"Forget it, I can't expect too much from the White Dragon Mother. After all, she's not fully grown yet."
Brian reluctantly accepted this reality and began to seriously count his magical Gemstones one by one.
Soon, the unconscious White Dragon Mother trembled slightly, letting out a low, unconscious dragon moan as she slowly woke up.
Her head still ached and her vision was somewhat blurry. She had not fully recovered, but she could move. True Dragons had immense vitality and strong bodies, and were able to quickly heal unless killed outright.
As soon as she opened her eyes, the White Dragon Mother saw Brian counting her Gemstones with disdain and delight.
She yelled, "My Gemstones! Brian, what are you doing? Don't touch my Gemstones!"
The White Dragon Mother widened eyes. She stood up, spreading her wings. She roared fiercely at Brian, trying to rush over and drive him away.
However, she hadn't fully recovered yet and her movements were wobbly, posing no threat to Brian.
With a flick of his dragon tail, Brian sent the White Dragon Mother crashing into the Ice Crystal wall, where she whimpered in frustration.
Her voice was too low for Brian to hear clearly, but he guessed she was cursing.
Gathering all the real magical Gemstones in his arms, Brian buried his head in them, taking a deep breath before turning to the White Dragon Mother with a refreshed look, calmly saying, "Salia, you seem to have forgotten the reality of the situation.
"You are no longer my match. In the far north ice field, everything worships the mighty. From the moment I defeated you, this nest and these treasures became mine."
Brian's tone turned dangerous. With serious and stern expression, he continued, "They are now my treasures, and you'd better not have any ideas."
Salia, the White Dragon Mother, looked at the wealth she had painstakingly accumulated over fifty years—kidnapping princesses, robbing human caravans... only to have it all taken by her own son. Tears welled up in her eyes again.
But a dragon's pride and arrogance wouldn't allow her to show such vulnerability.
Salia struggled with her emotions, feeling deeply humiliated.
On the other side, Brian swept the Limen mammoth tusks and magical Ice Crystals he had no interest in toward the White Dragon Mother with his tail.
"I'm curious why you mixed tusks and magical Ice Crystals with the Gemstones. Was it to make the Gemstones look more abundant?"
Brian's eyes glinted with sarcasm as he exposed the White Dragon Mother's ruse.
Seeing the tusks and magical Ice Crystals, Salia's face turned red with embarrassment, momentarily forgetting her anger over the stolen treasures.
She explained hesitantly, "I... I just like tusks as much as Gemstones... it wasn't to make my hoard look fuller... don't slander me."
Brian nodded, not wanting to further embarrass the White Dragon Mother's fragile vanity.
"I see. Since you like them, these tusks and magical Ice Crystals are yours as my repayment for your protection over the past year."
Brian pushed the items toward the White Dragon Mother, looking magnanimous.
Salia grunted, "You... I... I..."
Salia felt miserable and frustrated, wanting Brian to leave her some Gemstones, but her pride made it hard to ask.
She had already accepted her fate of being defeated and robbed by Brian.
Such incidents were common among Evil Dragons. The strong taking the weak's wealth was normal, and they usually didn't kill each other.
Salia had also robbed other weaker young White Dragons before.
Still, being robbed by a two-year-old Newborn Dragon was a first.
Salia looked at Brian's thirty-foot-long large dragon body, feeling dazed.
"Are you really two years old?"
She couldn't understand why Brian had grown so quickly.
She sighed at the heavens for favoring this Newborn Dragon so much.
Brian looked at the conflicted White Dragon Mother and issued an eviction order. "Alright, take your things and leave with Hill and the others. The Ice Cliff Dragon's Lair and this territory are mine now.
"But I won't be as heartless as you.
"I'll allow you to enter my new territory and hunt here, but you need pay the appropriate tribute."
Salia remained silent.
