Chapter 956 — The Unseen Dragon Society
Blade of Dawn · Page 2 of 4
"Most are," Metzen said. "We have a 'dragon lair' large enough to hold our true bodies, and then we build a fine 'little house' inside or beside it. The lair is where we sleep for long stretches in dragon form, or adjust and recuperate our bodies; the small dwelling is the best choice for enjoying life in human form. Of course... not all dragons are like this."
"Oh?" Gaoyang raised an eyebrow. "There are exceptions?"
"Some less particular dragons prepare only a 'dragon lair' for themselves and do everything inside it. Our human forms are tiny compared to our true bodies, after all, and need very little space, so a casual arrangement within the lair is enough to meet their needs," Metzen explained with some seriousness. "Noretta is one—she has no 'human-form living room.' She just dug a super hu~~ge cavern in the mountain, much bigger than mine."
As they talked they passed through the parlor and corridors of the interior dwelling; the lights within, governed by Omega, adjusted constantly as the visitors moved, keeping everything in sight at the most comfortable brightness.
At Metzen's words Gaoyang's eyes went wide—every detail of Tarrande's ways was so new and fascinating to him that even how these dragons slept seemed to him a subject worthy of study, and he could not help asking: "So does Noretta not rest in human form, then?"
Metzen shrugged. "She built a bed of over a thousand square meters at the center of her lair—it takes ages to run from the middle of the bed to its edge, but the advantage is that it's comfortable to sleep in both dragon and human form."
Gaoyang: "..."
Metzen looked at him curiously. "Why so quiet?"
Gaoyang spread his hands with a helpless laugh. "...I just suddenly feel... you dragons really do live your habits 'freely.'"
Yet another remark went unspoken in his heart: why did a thousand-square-meter bed set at the center of a bedroom sound so familiar...
Metzen had no idea what Gao Yang was thinking; the topic had merely set her own thoughts in motion, and after a brief silence she went on: "Of course, there is also a third case."
Gaoyang started, and for a moment could not react: "A third case?"
They had passed through the interior dwelling and come out onto the balcony facing the mountain's exterior; the broad floor-to-ceiling viewing windows had been shifted to transparent mode, and from this height and angle the sprawling city buildings below were clearly visible, along with the bright lights of the vast factory complexes in the distance.
Metzen stood at the balcony's edge, gazing toward the city. "Some dragons possess only a dwelling where they may rest in human form, and they live in it in human form most of the time."
Gaoyang's brow furrowed at once, but before he could voice his question, Virodai—who had at some point come to stand nearby—spoke for him: "Then what of their 'true bodies'? As far as I know, though you can live in human form, you must eventually release your true bodies to feed or to make adjustments..."
"For feeding there are dedicated 'restaurants,' and if an implant in the body malfunctions one can go to a maintenance center or a privately run repair shop. Beyond that, dragons need not hold dragon form for any great length of time; retracting the true body saves space and saves one's own strength."
The more Gaoyang heard, the stranger it seemed, and at last he could not hold back: "What sort of dragons choose that way of life?"
"Poor dragons," Metzen said, "or ordinary citizens whom Omega has judged lacking sufficient ability to be of value in upper Tarrande, and who therefore can only live in the plains districts and the lower city."
Gaoyang was dumbstruck at last: "Tarrande has poor people too... poor dragons?"