Shane felt like he was losing his mind after seeing Ragnar confirm that the egg is indeed a dragon’s egg.

  The nobles, knights, and merchants at the banquet were stunned when Ragnar confirmed the dragon’s egg was real.

  "Where did he get the dragon’s egg? Crossing the ocean is nearly a death sentence," one merchant said. The noble beside him nodded in agreement.

  Everyone knew the ocean posed the greatest challenge, regardless of rank. Since the dawn of the gates, the seas had become infested with monsters. No one dared venture there to clear the gates or the creatures escaping from them.

  This allowed powerful monsters to thrive in the ocean, while many land monsters perished if they could not survive or cross the seas. Only those adapted to the ocean endured.

  It was rumoured that there are dozens of paragon rank equal monsters, if not more, in the ocean, and anyone who wants to cross to reach the Dragon’s Continent would be lucky if they were ever able to land in the Dragon’s Continent without any injuries.

  Even if one were to reach the dragon’s continent, whether dragons will be welcoming or not is another question, as the relations between dragons and humans have not been so clear in recent years, as they have closed themselves off and rarely talk back to humans.

  As they considered all of this, their shock was clear, and many felt a newfound reverence for Ragnar’s courage in possessing the dragon egg.

  Some people felt threatened by this display, as if Ragnar intended to flaunt the power of the Drakethorne house. Among them was Malrec Veilcaster, of one of the four grand ducal houses, renowned for their talent with illusion-related class. The Veilcaster patriarch’s younger brother, Malrec, was present, and he felt no desire to linger after witnessing such grandeur.

  “Tch, what use is a dragon egg to a child who cannot even walk?” Malrec Veilcaster muttered. He wore a fine black suit adorned with red embroidery. His flowing black hair, fair skin, and strong build gave him a striking presence, while his narrow white eyes glinted as he spoke.

  A noble beside Malrec glanced around the room before leaning in. “You are absolutely right, Lord Malrec. Why make a display like this in front of everyone? They just want to show off their superiority.”

  Malrec Veilcaster looked to the side to see a better look at the noble who was buttering him. The noble on the side was wearing a simple white suit; his complexion was thin, his face average-looking, and his short hair was not tidied properly. His face was brimming practically as he saw Malrec turning to him, and he felt that Lord Malrec would recognize his greatness.

  “Haha, I hit the jackpot. I just need to keep making him feel better. Then I am all set,” thought the noble beside him. He was the patriarch of a small barony and ruled with tyranny, caring nothing for the people.

  Malrec’s pale eyes locked onto the baron’s, and suddenly the baron found himself frozen, his gaze empty. He bowed to Malrec and quietly slipped away to another part of the hall.

  When the baron reached the other side of the hall, clarity returned. He was startled to find Malrec gone—and even more unsettled to see he was no longer where he had been standing. A chill ran through him, and he stayed silent for the rest of the banquet. Now he understood why the grand ducal houses inspired such fear.

  While this unfolded in the banquet hall below, Ragnar stood on the terrace above. He walked toward the throne, knelt on one knee, and lowered himself to meet his grandson’s gaze.

  Shane hurried to Ragnar’s side and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Father, giving this to the baby will enrage the dragons. We should return it to them."

  Ragnar brushed his son’s hand aside and met his eyes, fully aware of Shane’s concerns. "I know what you fear, but do not worry. This egg was not stolen from the Dragon’s Continent."

  Shane felt his head spinning at his father’s words. If the egg was not from the Dragon’s Continent, then where had it come from? Did it fall from the sky?

  Shane asked, "Then where did you find this egg?"

  At that moment, the banquet hall fell silent, and every guest turned their attention to the father and son as they spoke.

  Everyone in the room was eager to hear where the old man had acquired the egg, if not from the Dragon’s Continent.

  Ragnar began his tale. "I was patrolling the border one night when a glowing orange gate appeared nearby. I judged it was not too dangerous and felt confident I could handle it alone, so I approached and entered. Inside, I quickly defeated the weak monsters and moved to the center, where I found an enormous dragon’s skeleton. Only bones remained; it had died long ago."

  Ragnar got excited at this point. Despite all his experience, he wasn’t able to hold himself at this point, as his eyes lit up, and he said, “There at the center was a dragon egg. “

  At last, Shane let out a breath. It was not unheard of to find monster eggs in gates, since people often formed contracts with such creatures as familiars.

  "Tch, lucky bastard," Malrec muttered, clearly displeased with the old man’s luck. If the egg had come from the Dragon’s Continent, the dragons would surely try to reclaim it. But if it came from a gate, there was little they could do.

  The merchants at the banquet could almost see gold before their eyes as they listened. They knew a dragon’s egg could make them rich—if only they could get their hands on it. But they quickly dismissed any rash thoughts, fully aware of the Drakethorne house’s power.

  Sera Azurestorm and Nyra Blackheart finally breathed a sigh of relief as they listened. They were glad Alex was receiving a dragon’s egg, though they had worried the dragons might come seeking revenge. Now that they knew the egg came from a gate, they could relax.

  No one interrupted Ragnar this time. He called his wife, Nyra Blackheart, and asked her to recite the magic that would bind the egg as Alex’s familiar. A glowing circle appeared around Alex and the egg, linking them. The egg vanished into Alex’s left hand, leaving behind a tattoo of many colors and patterns resembling a dragon’s wings.