Chapter 136: Flying
Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations
Editor: Karai
The small black-and-white dragon tumbled off the edge of the crib and landed on the floor. The large bed in the room blocked the camera’s view, and Yuanxiao vanished from sight. Heinrich blinked. “They…”
The next moment, a tiny dragon burst out from behind the bed, wings flapping with all their might. Their mouth hung open, panting with effort. Their immature wings barely supported their body, and they wobbled wildly through the air. When they reached the middle of the bed, their strength gave out, and they dropped onto the mattress, bouncing a few times with soft thuds.
Yuanxiao sprawled out, limbs spread flat against the bed. Just as Lin Xu and Heinrich thought they were about to fall asleep, they pushed themselves up again on their tiny paws. Determination burned in their icy blue eyes. Reaching the edge of the bed, they leapt.
Whoosh—
This time, they didn’t crash to the floor. Instead, they flapped their wings and successfully lifted into the air, circling the room. Their movements were still clumsy, their flight unsteady and jerky, but they managed.
After nearly ten full laps around the room, Yuanxiao, panting hard, returned to the crib. They rested on the soft bedding for a few seconds, then huffed and pushed open their eggshell. One little limb at a time, they crawled back inside, tucked themselves in, and placed the top shell back in place—pretending nothing had ever happened.
On the other side of the screen, Heinrich and Lin Xu stared at the video feed for three full minutes. Once they were sure Yuanxiao wasn’t coming out again, they reluctantly turned off the monitor.
Leaning into Heinrich’s chest, Lin Xu murmured, “Yuanxiao actually figured out how to fly on their own… Well, I guess that makes sense. You weren’t going to teach them.” Heinrich wrapped his arms around him. “I only learned how to fly myself a few days ago.”
Lin Xu had no intention of responding to Marshal Chu’s serious, yet completely shameless attempt to act cute. Instead, he simply said, “Turn off the lounge surveillance.”
Heinrich carried out the command with practiced ease. He knew exactly what it implied. Summoning the control panel, he disabled both the monitors and the AI management for the lounge area. Then he slid his arms beneath Lin Xu’s legs and swept him up, carrying him toward the sofa.
Yuanxiao currently slept in their bedroom. Even if the little one was still young and didn’t understand anything, it wasn’t exactly ideal. No one could say for sure whether Yuanxiao would remember any of their childhood when they grew up. So, Heinrich and Lin Xu had no choice but to handle things elsewhere.
The bridge’s control console was cold and hard—delightfully intense—but the lounge sofa was much softer, wide enough to stretch out comfortably, and infinitely more luxurious. Heinrich laid Lin Xu gently down on the couch. Outside the panoramic window, the galaxy spun slowly by. Kneeling beside him, Heinrich leaned in and pressed a kiss to the curve of Lin Xu’s jaw.
—
By the time everything ended, Lin Xu’s mind still floated in stormy waves, not yet fully returning to shore. Heinrich helped him dress, then scooped him into his arms and carried him back to the bedroom.
Lin Xu panted softly against his chest, beads of moisture still clinging to his lashes. The sweet, lingering scent clung to Heinrich’s breath, reigniting the fire that had only just begun to settle.
When he opened the bedroom door, Yuanxiao was tucked quietly inside their egg. The big white shell sat still, completely motionless. Heinrich gave it a glance, then carried Lin Xu into the bathroom. Before washing up, he handed Lin Xu his fourth hot chocolate of the day.
Lin Xu, throat sticky with sugar, groaned and shoved against Heinrich’s groin. Heinrich didn’t respond, eyes dark and unreadable as he continued. He knew exactly how far Lin Xu could be pushed. Back before Yuanxiao was born, he’d exercised plenty of patience and restraint. But now, with Lin Xu’s consent… he’d lost all sense of control.
When the water finally stopped, Heinrich dried Lin Xu’s hair, wrapped him in a bathrobe, and carried him back to the bed. By then, Yuanxiao had already woken up from a nap and was now happily gnawing on their own eggshell from the inside—crack, crack, crack. Heinrich gently laid Lin Xu down, then dimmed the lights.
“Are you going to sleep?” Lin Xu asked hoarsely, his voice soft and fuzzy, curling right around Heinrich’s heart. Heinrich sat down beside him. “No, I thought you might want to rest a little.”
Lin Xu blinked slowly, his eyes dry from the heat. “I’m fine.”
“‘Fine’?” Heinrich echoed.
Lin Xu tilted his head and looked at Heinrich’s handsome, solemn face. He asked softly, “What, are you trying to make sure I can’t walk for the next three days?”
Heinrich answered immediately, “Absolutely not.” He looked away, his expression twitching slightly at Lin Xu’s teasing. Some alphas had a certain nasty tendency like that. Heinrich didn’t. At least… not in theory. Lin Xu chuckled, too lazy to concern himself with Marshal Chu’s inner moral struggle. He patted the man’s arm. “Go grab me a few sea crystals.”
The crunching sounds from inside the big white egg suddenly stopped. Yuanxiao hadn’t yet formally learned language, but they could already pick up on a few key words—like “sea crystal,” which usually meant food. Heinrich left to fetch the crystals, and Lin Xu tilted his head, meeting Yuanxiao’s gaze through a crack in the eggshell.
Yuanxiao quickly pulled the shell closed again, but when they heard Heinrich’s footsteps returning, they couldn’t resist cracking it back open. Their wide eyes blinked up at Lin Xu in anticipation of being fed.
The eggshell was large, but Lin Xu always worried that one day, this shy little dragon would finish eating it entirely and then cry from having nowhere safe to hide. So, whenever he heard Yuanxiao munching on their shell, he made sure to offer them a few sea crystals to make up the energy.
This time, however, he didn’t crush the crystal to release its energy fluid. Instead, he dropped the whole thing into the egg, the force nudging Yuanxiao—who had been crouching by the shell’s crack—back inside.
Yuanxiao sat dazedly in the egg, staring blankly at the pink sea crystal in their arms, not even noticing that the upper half of the shell had been shoved off. They looked up at Lin Xu and let out a soft whimper. But Lin Xu remained unmoved, watching Yuanxiao with Heinrich, neither making a move to help.
“Whiiing… huuuh…” Yuanxiao flapped their wings, eyes welling up with tears. Heinrich reached out and gently touched their forehead, but he didn’t assist.
Watching his little one’s pitiful expression, Lin Xu sighed, picked up a sea crystal, bit it between his teeth, and crunched it—demonstrating. Yuanxiao glanced at Lin Xu, then back at the crystal in their own arms, which was bigger than their paws. They furrowed their brow and gave it a tentative bite. So hard… whimper…
They let go, smacked their lips a few times, then tried again, squeezing so hard that tears began to stream from their eyes—until finally—
Crack. They managed to gnaw a small chunk out of the sea crystal. Pink-glowing energy fluid leaked from the fragment, and Yuanxiao immediately forgot their earlier frustration. Eyes sparkling, they began to lick at the energy with delight. Finally, some independence.
Lin Xu let out a quiet breath of relief.
– –
Capital Star, Imperial Palace.
“General Neumann, how do you find the weather today?”
Luke Neumann, here to report to the emperor, paused for a moment. Then he stepped forward, saluted, and replied, “Many people dislike gloomy weather. It tends to dampen the mood.”
Alfred sat beneath a marble pavilion, staring at the heavy, dark clouds pressing low against the sky. The wind howled through the palace gardens, lashing trees and flowers before the storm broke.
“You’re not wrong,” Alfred said with a soft smile. “But a bit of wind is good for the soul. Out in space, even with all the sunlight, you can’t feel the wind. And you never see the rain.”
The chaotic, whirling air made him nostalgic. Since boarding the Ark Fleet, Alfred hadn’t experienced the wind, rain, thunder, or lightning of nature even once.
“Your Majesty,” Luke began, unsure why the emperor was making small talk about the weather. He took advantage of the pause to state his business. “The Imperial Aerospace Authority has detected the return of the S297 to Imperial space. Estimated arrival at the Crescent District in three days.”
“Oh, Lin Xu is coming back.” Alfred closed the book in his hands.
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Luke still didn’t understand why the emperor cared so much about a minor Ancient Earth scholar. When he’d first been ordered to track the S297’s movements, he’d assumed it was due to concerns about Heinrich Chu collaborating with rebel forces in the Dionysus sector. But strangely, Heinrich’s name had barely come up in the emperor’s words at all.
“Have you taken care of what I asked you to handle?”
“All arranged. We’re just waiting for Dr. Lin’s return to choose the right moment.”
A flash of white split the sky. Thunder followed almost instantly. Thirty seconds later, the downpour began. Rain turned the view outside the pavilion into a haze of grayish smears.
“Understood,” Alfred said quietly.
Luke lingered beside him. Alfred asked, “Is there something else?”
“Your Majesty, regarding the personnel change in the Audit Division… my sister, she—”
“Capricciosa’s been stationed at the Florentine Front for years. She’s never been involved in this mess. What are you worried about?” Alfred asked, gaze steady. “Was she involved?”
Luke jolted to attention. “No, no she wasn’t.”
The First Legion oversaw the Florentine Defense Army, the Imperial Guard, and the Military Police. Though Capricciosa served as Legion Commander, she had long been based at the Florentine Front. The other two groups had been under control of another member of the Neumann family—until recently. Somehow, Alfred had removed that relative from power and handed oversight of both units to Luke.
Luke had benefited—and now had to repay the favor. Still, he couldn’t understand the emperor. The first major task Alfred had him handle was replacing the Audit Division’s personnel. Everyone removed had participated in assassination attempts on Marianna and Lin Xu. At the time, it had looked like Alfred was protecting Lin Xu.
But then… the emperor began laying traps for Lin Xu. Like a strange hunter who wouldn’t let anyone else touch his prey. Luke had no idea what went on in the emperor’s head.
“Then go,” Alfred said. “Let me watch the rain for a while.” After Luke left, Alfred stared into the rain, sighing softly. Years ago, he had prepared the consciousness transfer equipment, thinking that if his descendants dared provoke the Spiritual Monarch, then it was time for his return. He never expected to meet someone like Lin Xu.
And even less did he expect the great Marion Empire to be facing such turbulent undercurrents—the autonomous Haven forces, the Dionysus rebels, the capital giants from the Long Whale Region, and that damn fabricated history. Without someone to turn the tide, the Empire’s days were numbered. All those useless emperors…
– –
After discovering that Yuanxiao had been sneaking out to practice flying whenever their two dads weren’t around, Lin Xu decided to stop closing the door when he left the room—giving Yuanxiao more space to roam.
They’d fed Yuanxiao plenty of sea crystals along the way, and the little dragon’s wings were gradually unfolding, their body growing steadily larger. They were now nearly the size of the two rabbit-cats, which meant Lin Xu no longer had to worry about the cats bullying them. The three could finally play together.
There was still no clear way to determine Yuanxiao’s gender. Dragon anatomy seemed fully internalized, and neither Lin Xu nor Heinrich could figure out how developed Yuanxiao was at this stage. It wasn’t something they could just poke around to check. They’d have to wait until they reached Capital Star and let Zhou Pingbo do a genetic test.
S297 was approaching the Crescent District. Lin Xu and Heinrich waited together on the bridge. Suddenly, Lin Xu’s ears twitched at a faint sound. He turned—and immediately got a face full of white dragon belly.
This Title is available for faster chapter releases through paid Patreon membership. Any proceeds go to keeping the website running. Check it out HERE.
