"What? Dragon Island?! At this ti?"
Almost as David had anticipated, when they abruptly arrived at Tokamak Fortress in the Kutaro Desert through the ’Teleportation Gate’ inside the freight car and David announced his plan to visit Dragon Island, Attilicia—who had barely managed to maintain composure even when his son inadvertently abducted an Elf Chosen of God—exploded with fury on the spot.
"Yes. Not only that, but I also plan to take my sister Tania and Satilaesa’s three children with to Dragon Island. I intend to entrust them to... the Swietlanden family for their care and tutelage for a while," David stated calmly, laying out the plan he had already decided upon during the journey.
"...Have you lost your mind?!" Attilicia demanded, his face a mask of incomprehension.
He could understand taking Tania. After all, they were purebred Silver Dragons; Dragon Island wouldn’t object, given their shared bloodline. But Satilaesa’s three children were David’s offspring—David, the Second Red Disaster! Wouldn’t sending them there be tantamount to making them hostages? Although Dragon Island’s historical conduct suggested they wouldn’t go so far as to eliminate several underage dragonlings, getting them out of Dragon Island later would likely be as difficult as storming the Heaven of Seven Hills. That place was a veritable hornet’s nest, teeming with legendary figures—not so backwater bandit lair that could dominate a corner of Kutaro just because a single legendary Blue Dragon resided there.
But Attilicia was no fool. In fact, he was far smarter than most adult Dragons and, with only the scant information at his clawtips, imdiately guessed the source of David’s apprehension:
"Are you worried that those High Elves might target Satilaesa and her children to exchange them for Aria, the Moon Goddess Godchosen?"
The mont this thought occurred to him, it took root and refused to be dismissed. David, known throughout Elariya as the Second Red Disaster—his origins and thods were no longer secret. Especially concerning family, he had already shown traits characteristic of tal Dragons. If there was any chance to break the stalemate, those High Elves, who always favored extres, would undoubtedly seize it. Considering the current situation and the importance of the Moon Goddess Godchosen, it was almost a certainty, not just a possibility. If the High Elves’ rescue plan failed—no, it was an inevitable option they might even pursue simultaneously.
Yet, even realizing all this, Attilicia felt a strange reluctance. He imdiately looked up at David.
"Isn’t there anywhere else we can..."
David’s only response was the sa calm, almost indifferent expression.
Attilicia imdiately fell silent.
He suddenly realized that when matters escalated to a conflict between deities, the seemingly countless options available on a normal day dwindled to almost none. For instance, the two refuges they had initially discussed for the approaching war: Drocklyn Harbor in the Astral Plane, ho to the Red Dragon clan of Sed Ponga, and Evil Scale Fortress in Barto Hell, the stronghold of the Chromatic Dragons. But who could tell if David had been struck by terrible misfortune or incredible luck? He had drawn the ’grand prize’—a Moon Goddess Godchosen. This was tantamount to gripping the High Elves by the throat. Once The Slaying King Star approached and descended upon the Pri Material Plane, the Dragon Madhouse upon it—losing the divine avatar guarding it—would beco unprecedentedly vulnerable due to the unique rules of the Pri Material Plane. This was a critical vulnerability, a point they absolutely had to defend, where the slightest pressure could have cascading consequences. And David had stumbled upon it by sheer luck. If Tiamat were still in power, she would most likely have thrown her head back and laughed before dispatching her own Vassals to take personal charge. After all, if the Moon Goddess couldn’t directly intervene, the probability of successfully destroying The Slaying King Star would increase by at least thirty percent. The problem was, at this critical juncture, Tiamat, that unreliable Dragon God, was absent! Their sole pillar of support, Pafila, was still trapped in Warrior’s Rest from a previous, unfinished divine war. Thus, these two potential refuges had suddenly beco illusory. Whether in the Astral Plane or the Outer Planes, deities could intervene directly; those realms were their ho turf, far more suited to their existence. In effect, they were temporarily trapped in Elariya. Until they dealt decisively with Aria, this crucial chess piece, it seed they had nowhere else to go. The problem remained: the Pri Material Plane wasn’t safe either, especially for David’s three young children.
Having grasped the intricate connections, Attilicia took a deep breath and said, "Alright, I understand. I’ll go with you to Dragon Island."
Although Bahamut’s disappearance ant Dragon Island had undoubtedly beco a hotbed of intrigue, for now, at least, it seed far safer than staying near him and David.
Even though he had made his decision, he glanced back at the Spirit Sucker main brain behind him. It had beco docile and cooperative under their relentless ’carrot and stick’ approach, day and night, and had even begun ’computational training.’ He also noted the electromagnetic turbulence, which grew more regular, stable, and sustained with each iteration. With a mix of regret and unwillingness, he muttered to himself, "If I just had three more years—no, even two and a half—I might have succeeded! He didn’t know if he could fully ignite this Mana Energy sun, but he was almost certain he could have taken that final step onto the path of Legendary Destiny."
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