The Princess was stunned into silence. She let old prejudices surface and became angry at how stubborn these Wu Di people were. The Clan Chief, on the other hand, looked up at the boy and felt his pride return. That's right, they wanted to help the Beast Forest but if they did, it would mean death to their Clan.
The princess calmed down and looked at the little Dragon baby. "You are wise Xiong, I hadn't thought of that. You were right to rebuke me," the Princess said sincerely.
"You seem to have a good heart; we all suffer from our own prejudices. It's hard to guard against prejudice against others. What's most important is to put aside your prejudice to consider the current situation. If the Wu Di Clan had completely listened to its prejudices I never would have been born!" Lorne said with a wink to the princess.
The Princess was surprised by Lorne's action. This baby Dragon seemed more like an Elder than a baby.
"You seem much older than you are,” the Princess said." Right after she said it, one of her men, Major Foxx, whispered something in her ear. Her eyes opened wide.
"Did you say something about your last world?" the Princess asked.
"Yes, I mentioned in passing the last life I remember leading. I've reincarnated into this world from another place. In my old world, I was an adult, I even had a wife and children. It makes being a baby tough," Lorne admitted.
Not everyone present knew Lorne had reincarnated. Only his parents and his grandfather knew this family secret. The Clan Chief quickly recovered from the surprising revelation.
"It's not unusual for members of our tribe to remember their past lives," the Clan Chief said.
"Xiong'er, you had children in your old world? You never told me!" his mother said.
"I would have, but when I mentioned I was an adult of 32 years of age, you laughed and made infantile jokes. Who would be in the mood to share anything after that?" Lorne said.
Lorne's mother was embarrassed and felt bad. It was just they were so happy at the time they thought everything he did and said was cute. He was trying to have an adult conversation with them and they just made fun of him. They were acting more like children than he was. Suddenly, she felt really bad and started tearing up.
"I'm sorry Xiong'er, I was wrong to make fun of you. It's just we were so excited, you were in that egg for ten thousand years..." his mother began.
"Ten Thousand years!!!" The Princess yelled. What did a ten-thousand-year incubation process mean for a dragon? It meant it was powerful. The longer it incubated, the stronger it was. A ten-thousand-year-old Dragon baby that was only a Silver Horn Dragon. Impossible!
"Are you sure you're just a Four-Clawed Silver Horn Dragon, Xiong?" the Princess asked.
Lorne's mother realized she had accidentally spilled the beans. Now, she was in a panic. Lorne looked at his mother and smiled. He patted her hand.
"I can be a ten-thousand-year-old dragon hatchling and still be a Silver Horn Dragon," Lorne said.
"There's no way," the Princess refused to believe Lorne.
"Sure, you're thinking of me as a full-blooded Dragon, but don't forget that I'm half Wu Di. Don't you think that would drag out my birth? I mean, I'm as powerful a member of the Wu Di clan as I am the Dragon Clan. You might say I'm overpowered, right? Doesn't this explain things?" Lorne asked.
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What Lorne said made sense. When had there ever been a half-Dragon-half-Wu Di baby? Never that she could remember. This baby was unique!
"Can you prove it?" the Princess asked.
"Can you provide a cultivation method?" Lorne asked.
"Make it something for a Silver Horn Dragon, something my father and I can use," Lorne said with a smile.
The Princess fished out a cultivation method from her storage ring and handed it to Lorne. The Princess carried around cultivation methods for all sorts of cultivators, especially Dragons, as rewards. When a warrior did outstandingly well she liked to reward them with cultivation methods.
Lorne examined the cultivation crystal the size of his thumbnail and plugged it into a crystal reader he had. Using his Wu Di energy sensing ability, Lorne started making changes to the cultivation. After he finished making the changes he grabbed two blank crystals the size of a thumbnail. He made copies of the cultivation method and handed one to his father, kept one for himself, and returned the original cultivation crystal to the Princess.
The Princess examined the crystal with shock! This method increased the power output by at least seventy-three percent, increased Qi efficiency by eighty-two percent, and increased the flow of Qi by forty-nine percent! This previously mid-tier cultivation technique could just barely qualify as a heavenly technique!
"Xiong, would you like to come to the Dragon Clan capital and learn in the Imperial Academy?" the Princess asked excitedly.
Lorne looked at his parents. This is what they feared would happen when someone discovered Lorne's abilities.
"Princess, my parents would prefer I live here with them, and frankly so would I. Childhood, even for dragons, goes by so fast. It would break my parent's heart. Plus, my Grandfather is here, and the Elders of the Wu Di clan always taught me. I would feel wrong abandoning them," Lorne said.
The Wu Di Clan people were happy and proud of Lorne's answer. This boy truly was a part of their Wu Di Clan! Lorne's parents were overjoyed. Hearing their son preferred to stay with them, what parent wouldn't be happy?
"But..." the Princess began.
"Princess," Lorne said in a whisper as he leaned forward to her. "I think this is a good opportunity to demonstrate sincerity," Lorne said.
This Dragon baby was too sharp. He was right. She could insist he come with them. However, this would reinforce the image of the Dragon Empire as an unfeeling tyrant. Or she could listen to his wishes and show the Dragon Clan truly wanted to change and become friends with the Wu Di Clan. To succeed in her mission, she knew which choice she had to make.
The Princess nodded her head in agreement. "You're right Xiong. Would you mind if I sent a teacher here to teach you how to cultivate as a Dragon?" the Princess asked.
"Don't I have my father?" Lorne asked with a smile.
This kid was tricky! She knew she couldn't win against him. Once again, she gave in to his wishes. On the upside, the Clan Chief began to see the Dragon Princess in a positive light. He didn't know about the rest of the Dragon Empire. After all, he still saw the hate and fear in the eyes of that Major yesterday. Lorne was right. He should judge each person individually. One person doesn't make the Dragon Empire good, but it also doesn't make it evil. He needed more time to understand the current Dragon Empire.
The Dragon Princess eventually took her to leave after they finished their chat. It was a much better meeting than she could hope for, especially after yesterday's disaster! The Princess made her way back to her ship and contacted her father. The Princess told her father about the meeting and about the amazing Dragon baby hidden away near the Beast Forest.
The Dragon Emperor was amazed to learn there was such a powerful Dragon-Wu-Di hybrid. Even still, he felt his daughter was right to not insist the Dragon baby come with her. As important as such an addition would make to the Dragon Clan, it still paled in comparison to the benefits of becoming allies with the Wu Di Clan. Besides, it was still just a baby, who knew what would happen in the future.
The Emperor never revealed just how much the Dragon Empire needed the Wu Di clan. The Princess knew this deal would affect the living beings in the Dragon Empire, but she mainly thought it meant the Dragon Clan could be overthrown.
The Dragon Emperor knew better. He knew it was just a matter of time before that terrible being decided to finally strike at the heart of the Dragon Empire. He knew if this being was successful it wasn't just the Dragon Empire that would suffer. Not only would the Dragon Empire disappear. All sentient life would disappear. The being they were facing was a member of the Desolate Demon Empire who was renowned for their vicious policy of wiping out all sentient life in the universes they conquered and replacing them with members of their race.
The Dragon Empire and its allies would soon enter a genocidal war!