Chapter 1728 - 333: Being a Father Is Really Not Easy

Chapter 1728: Chapter 333: Being a Father Is Really Not Easy

For the entity with green eyes, everything made perfect sense.

As a creature capable of dual-gender reproduction most of the time and asexual reproduction when necessary, the Crystal Dragon indeed has the concept of ’parents’.

Although born via asexual reproduction from the Aether Crystal Dragon, theoretically having only a mother, since the mother passed away when it was still a Dragon Egg, Green Pupil spent the vast majority of time with Ian and others after its birth.

And being the first person it saw upon emerging from the eggshell, who taught Green Pupil how to break out of the shell and control its ’other forms’...

In Green Pupil’s heart, Ian was undoubtedly akin to a ’father’.

Even the fact that he frequently left home, rarely returning, but always brought back heaps of gifts and taught how to become stronger (Meditation Technique and Essence Furnace Core) - perfectly fit the definition of a father!

Incidentally, Shasha, who always played with it, helped familiarize the surroundings, and took care of Green Pupil, was regarded as ’foster mother’ in Green Pupil’s eyes.

Andor, the kind-hearted uncle who took care of other forms in the breeding area, was the ’uncle from another place’ who didn’t live together but was kind and bought gifts as well.

The Frost Butterfly who showed it around the South Sea Great Labyrinth and played with the Fae alongside, was naturally ’sister’.

Elan, who would also play and tell stories with Green Pupil, was ’brother’.

What a harmonious family! Green Pupil always felt joy for its family members... Although the mother left early, as long as it could grow healthy and strong, the mother would surely be pleased too.

"... What sort of hierarchy is this? You call Elan brother but call me dad."

— Might as well call me big brother, after all, my brother and I often merge with you.

Though Ian found it odd, he couldn’t argue much.

Because realistically, to Elan, he was more like a father rather than a brother.

Big brother like a father, after all.

He slightly shook his head: "Who taught you ’offering both life and soul to me’ line? I guess it’s Andor."

[It was indeed uncle!]

Green Pupil seriously replied, though sensitive and smart, it worried: [Did I say something wrong? Uncle mumbles some lines while writing a novel, I found it quite nice, that’s why I learned a bit... Please don’t blame uncle, okay?]

"No." Ian sighed: "It’s just that I didn’t expect Andor to become so cultured over the years — has he really started writing novels? That’s quite impressive."

Even saying so, Ian didn’t stop Green Pupil from continuing to call him ’father’—he wasn’t really bothered by it, just amazed by the rapid intellectual progress of Green Pupil.

Compared to Shasha, whose intelligence kept improving up to a ten-year-old child’s level, Green Pupil’s intelligence had clearly exceeded the ’child’ category, being sensitive, sharp, and even having learned ’concealment’.

Due to Ian’s surprise, Green Pupil felt a bit dejected, refraining from calling Ian ’dad’, and even hid its emotions, as if it had just said something ordinary.

"I’m actually glad to see you grow so fast."

After pondering for a while, Ian soothed Green Pupil from afar with his soul, "If you are willing to call me father, I don’t mind, just like how Frost Butterfly calls me father, I’m happy to accept that."

"However," he paused, "if you truly wish to be known as the ’child of Silver Peak’..."

"Then, Green Pupil, your future cannot be so ’leisurely’."

Upon hearing this, Green Pupil became invigorated: [I’m not afraid of hardship—I’m willing to do something for you, Father... I can work hard]

In fact, this was part of the youthful nature, a desire to be ’recognized’ leading to doing ’some things’.

Ian clearly understood that at times, emotions were not solely about giving or accepting but occasionally about seeking or helping others. From Green Pupil’s perspective, since its birth, it had always received Ian’s favor, assistance, and cultivation, but in its own view, it essentially was playing carefreely.

With increasing intellect and understanding of Ian’s current situation, Green Pupil felt a sense of near anxiety—it seemed to become a bystander dragon, only watching ’father’ and other ’relatives’ always in motion, while it remained, feeling almost abandoned.

Thus, he promptly agreed to Ian’s seemingly impertinent request—that was after all a part of its form, one-third of its life, simply handed over like that.

Of course, to Ian, this was not the case.

With Shasha and Green Pupil guarding the southern coast, even when Ian was battling the Demon Legion, trade routes between Harrison Port and Canaan Moore were not cut off by the Fiery Flame Land’s navy. On the contrary, Shasha and Green Pupil easily dealt with several special operations teams from Fiery Flame Land trying to sneak into the South Ridge via sea routes.

Moreover, Green Pupil did not need to do much, just needed to protect the South Sea Great Labyrinth and wait for Ian to take over.

But since Green Pupil was so smart, it certainly couldn’t just be an ordinary ’relic guardian’.

"The Crystal Dragon, I recall, should be ’biological cosmic battleships’ from previous era civilization, right? Though transforming into multiple forms due to subsequent environmental adaptation, the initial design should all be like Frostbait Moths as cosmic war units."

"Perfect, when I eventually repair the orbital accelerator surrounding the South Sea Great Labyrinth, if Green Pupil is strong enough, it can assist in maintenance."

Ian’s original idea was to have Green Pupil and Shasha as his naval forces... but now it seems sea battles in this wretched place of Terra are quite unnecessary, mostly aerial brawls of strong individuals.

If so, why not fast-track, what’s navy for, we directly develop space force!

Yet, this would indeed require Green Pupil to learn quite a lot... at the very least, it must understand some principles of previous era’s technology.

"Green Pupil, I’ll give you access to remotely connect with the Heart of Terra, where I’ll occasionally lecture for you."

Contemplating, Ian earnestly told Green Pupil, "Not just you, Shasha, Frost Butterfly, and Elan will also go there. Though you may be far apart, in the Domain of Void, you can all be in one place."

"Rest assured, I’ll be with you all."

While soothing like this, Ian thought: "Am I being too unreliable?"

However, looking after children is just like this.

To be honest, Ian indeed felt as if more and more people were surrounding him; the forces belonging to the Silverpeak Domain were no longer just himself, and the potential for the future was impressive.

Not to mention, simply having Adalbert would suffice as a top-tier strength for Ian later on. Being the successor Duke of Solin highly values, Adalbert’s potential, in Ian’s eye, undoubtedly aligns with the Fifth Energy Level potential, though inherently good-natured and overly moral, in a place like Terra, maintaining such high morality is itself a rational madness, a firm will.

Next, Sio is at least a Fourth Level at the very least. After the Exotic Species Research Institute excursion, Sio, gradually realizing his own existence’s meaning, is no longer the naive and slightly insecure young dragon of the past, but progressively soaring, optimistic, the guardian watching over Silverpeak Domain.

Afterward, being Ian’s brother, holding the Retrospective Vision, Elan is likely the ’successor’ birthed from history among countless ’choices’ for Ian... although still weak now, Ian knows well that Elan, possessing the real ’Retrospective Vision’, can draw terrifying knowledge and resources from many histories to strengthen himself anytime.

He has already started doing so. Embrace Light values him, which is evident.

Furthermore, Viscount Grant, who has advanced to the Third Energy Level, also enriches the Southern Ridge lineage’s foundation... his children are Ian’s future pupils; as the inheritor of the Abyssal Leviathan Bloodline, Ian is confident in nurturing this pupil to the Fourth Energy Level.

Plus Shasha and Green Pupil, and people like Qingchao Scott, now the Silverpeak Domain is quite promising, only needing a period of development to fulfill its potential, to be called a significant force!

Just...

"These future strong individuals are honestly still children now."

After sensing Green Pupil’s mood improvement, Ian inquired about current conditions, how well Green Pupil was playing and learning, then terminated the communication with a sigh: "Still need to take good care of their emotions. Needless to say, it has indeed been a long time without checking on Frost Butterfly, let’s ask her about her recent situation later on."

"Being a father is truly not easy."

Ian sighed.

Beside him, Yisen Gard: "?"