Even though it wasn't David's first time at Evil Scale Fortress, returning after thirty-two years, he was still mesmerized by the magnificence of the Dragon Queen's sprawling Palace of a Thousand Hues complex.
Compared to the Evil Scale Fortress, the shell of his Sky City—a place so wretched that not even departed souls could ascend to heaven from it—wasn't just a drop in the ocean; it was the ultimate beggar among beggars, wandering the vast sky.
So much so that an outrageous and rebellious idea couldn't help but pop into his mind:
How wonderful it would be to have such a 'territory' of my own one day, a Divine Realm completely under my will, where I hold the power of life and death, and can do as I please...
Greed.
And perhaps due to the effects of entering his heat, the envisioned 'Divine Realm' in his fantasy quickly took on a rather different flavor.
Inside, there were not only the coquettish Chromatic Dragons but also the dignified Metal Dragons, and the exotic Gem Dragons, Steel Dragons, Tungsten Iron Dragons, and so on. The two triumphal arches leading into the Divine Realm were embedded with dragon buttocks of every color, constantly writhing... It wasn't just dragons; the streets of the Divine Realm were thronged with beautiful females of all races, their alluring eyes shyly inviting his approach, as if to say, "Your Highness, please come inside..."
David shook his head vigorously. When he regained his senses, he saw a beautifully curved blue dragon's rear, seemingly within arm's reach. Its tail, adorned with a magical glass ring, swayed joyfully with its owner's mood. He involuntarily swallowed, instinctively wanting to lean in and catch its scent.
And apparently sensing David's presence, the Blue Dragon suddenly whipped its head around, clamped its tail shut in mortification and rage, and bellowed, "What are you staring at, Red Dragon whelp! Stay away from me! Want a taste of my thunderous Dragon Breath, huh?"
Shit! It was a male Blue Dragon!
David, startled and filled with Wrath, was about to speak when the cursing Blue Dragon suddenly realized something. Equally frightened and furious, it twisted its body, then abruptly accelerated, snatching up its nearby Blue Dragon mate in its jaws and hastily fleeing. Not only that, but it also barked a warning to the other Blue Dragons, "Stay away from him, that Red Dragon's in heat! What in the blazes are the Ashabi Magic Dragon guards of the Palace of a Thousand Hues doing? Fuck!!!"
With this low roar, reminiscent of muffled summer thunder, not only did that group of Blue Dragons vanish, but within minutes, not a single dragon could be seen within a two-mile radius of David. Even those further away watched him warily, as if constantly on guard against his approach.
David could only silently swallow back that surge of Wrath, and couldn't help but be astonished.
So, the intimidation of a Red Dragon in heat is really that powerful?
He had initially thought he might have to tangle with a family of Blue Dragon pilgrims to the Evil Scale Fortress because of his unintentional offense.
But instead, dragons fled at the mere sight of him, and even the Ashabi Magic Dragons didn't dare approach.
After all, unlike the Chromatic Dragons, whose sense of order was somewhat chaotic, these magic dragons, directly influenced by Tiamat, clearly knew he was Tiamat's favored Red Dragon.
This won't do. It'll cause trouble sooner or later. I need to find a place and deal with this quickly.
But the thought of doing *that* kind of thing within the Dragon Queen's Divine Realm seemed somewhat blasphemous. After all, nothing in the Evil Scale Fortress could be hidden from her; it would be no different from doing the deed right under an elder's watchful eyes.
After some thought, David temporarily suppressed the urge. He decided to first find the 'Barto Hell Youth Training Camp' run by Ephelomon, the Dragon Queen's Vassal, and meet up with his sister Tania and his group of followers.
But soon, David noticed something amiss. Compared to his last visit, most of the palace complexes in the Evil Scale Fortress seemed deserted; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that even the usually bustling Lane of a Thousand Dragons was all but empty. Surely they couldn't all have been sent to the battlefields of the Divine Realm?
Yet, as he continued his search, he eventually found where the congregation of dragon believers had gone—to the central area of the Palace of a Thousand Hues, which was also the direction that group of Blue Dragons had flown towards earlier. It now seemed excessively lively.
However, in his current state, he wouldn't be able to get through. With his vibrant, blood-red Dragon Scales, he stood out among the other dragons like a Taliban member strapped with explosives.
It was only after consulting the 'Legacy of Dragon' that David learned that Chromatic Dragons in heat usually had an extreme surplus of 'hormones.' This manifested not only in heightened desires but also in abnormally active energy levels. They would roam far outside their territories much more frequently than usual, searching for potential mates. They might also exhibit 'nest-theft paranoia,' attacking or even violating any creature nearing their territory, especially other male dragons.
And compared to males, female dragons could be even more aggressive. They would even actively pillage other dragons' nests to lay their eggs, often resulting in the unfortunate owners losing both their hoards and their homes.
Therefore, in the eyes of other dragons, a dragon in heat was almost synonymous with trouble, or even disaster.
This was especially true for Red Dragons. Since almost no other dragon of the same age could handle them, they were the very personification of violence and catastrophe.
To avoid causing greater disturbances, David had to use his Lust Authority to change his scales to a normal color, though this was only a superficial solution.
In reality, it wasn't that he couldn't normalize his hormone levels directly.
But being in heat was a 'puberty' phase that every dragon had to undergo. It was like humans on Blue Star needing to menstruate; you couldn't just refuse your period when it came knocking simply because it was a hassle and too troublesome, could you?