Chương 59: Reborn as the Dragon: — Chapter 59 - From Now On, Your Name Is Ji Taimei

"Roar!" Su Nian covered Anna's ears and let out a thunderous roar, snapping the Harpy leader out of whatever fantasy she'd been wallowing in. Hana blinked back to reality. One look at the Black Dragon looming before her and she decided he was simply too eager to wait. She was a little shy about it, honestly. But monsters didn't bother with human rituals, no love tokens, no courtship, none of that nonsense. As long as two creatures liked the look of each other, they could get started whenever they pleased.

With that thought settled in her mind, the Harpy leader Hana spread her wings with a coy flutter and presented her withered body. She even retracted her sharp claws and talons, just to make things easier for him. However...

"SMACK—" A massive open-clawed strike caught Hana square across the face. She spun five or six times on the spot before crumpling to the ground, her limbs twisted in four different directions. She lay there, fighting through the dizziness, and stared up at the brutal Black Dragon with pure bewilderment, the look of a woman watching her man flirt with another harpy right in front of her face. Su Nian rolled his claws together, producing a series of sharp cracks. He studied the Harpy leader.

Her head clearly hadn't fully reconnected yet. So he raised his dragon claw again, measured his strength carefully, and delivered a second one, SMACK, that sent several teeth pinwheeling through the air on a fine spray of blood. The Harpy leader's cheek had begun to swell. That one woke her up properly. She understood now, the Black Dragon had zero interest in reproducing with her. The nerve. Was she not beautiful? Were her colorful tail feathers not attractive? They were gone now, fine, but she'd had them before!

Were her carefully braided dreadlocks not pungent enough? Were her headlights not flat enough? Was her skin not rough enough? Hana couldn't make sense of it. Countless male harpies had begged to reproduce with her and she'd turned every last one of them down. What in the world were this dragon's standards? Indignant as she was, she flattened herself against the ground in a posture of absolute submission. She had no desire to provoke him further.

Because she'd already felt it, a faint, cold killing intent, barely there, like the edge of a blade you don't see until it's too late.

"If you don't want your entire clan to end up as food in my belly," Su Nian said, "I suggest you drop every unrealistic thought in that head of yours. Immediately." He didn't bother with further punishment. These harpies averaged level seventeen, solid air force material. Their scheming, underhanded nature made them ideal scouts. Killing them off would be a genuine waste. The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. And their uses didn't stop there.

Their flight made them perfect cargo runners and laborers. Every one of them had a sweet singing voice, perfect for luring players into traps. On top of that, to keep their feathers in peak condition, harpies grew new ones at a remarkable rate. Aside from a few choice display feathers kept specifically to attract mates, their utility plumage cycled out roughly every three days. All those shed feathers could be spun into clothing and decoration. Su Nian had already ordered the kobolds to start doing exactly that.

Which was why every harpy in the cave currently stood bare and featherless.

"I... I'm sorry, great True Dragon. I am willing to atone for my foolishness." The Harpy leader Hana pressed her head to the ground, shaking.

"Good." Su Nian gazed down at her with cold, imperious eyes.

"Your vile bloodline is utterly unworthy of becoming my retinue. But rejoice — I am currently expanding my forces. Even something as lowly as you can still receive my generosity." His body stretched five full meters, and when he spread his wings the span nearly hit ten. Shadow swallowed the entire space. Every harpy in the cave began to tremble as the dragon's presence bore down on them, a pressure that wormed into the bones and didn't let go. They had no dragon blood. They had no resistance to it at all.

"This... this is our honor, great True Dragon." Hana's voice was barely audible.

"On behalf of all harpies, I thank you for your generosity. We are willing to become your retinue." She had practically buried her face in the dirt.

"Hmm." Su Nian snorted, his expression giving away nothing. He raised one sharp claw and pressed a single drop of heart's blood to the Harpy leader's forehead. It sank in immediately. With that drop in place, betrayal was no longer a concern worth having.

"I, Su Nian Waterhouse Stupak, declare you and your clan to be my retinue. Remember my true name. You will carry it with pride." He paused.

"From now on, your name is Ji Taimei." He'd come up with it on the spot. Hana was hard to remember. Fine black scales had already begun threading along Ji Taimei's neck. Her round brown pupils had shifted into gold, slit vertically like a dragon's. Even her withered frame had filled out slightly, she looked considerably less wretched than she had five minutes ago. She was stunned. She'd known the effects of dragon heart's blood were extraordinary, but she'd never imagined she would ever receive any.

She had expected to be just another common follower. But — Ji Taimei? What kind of name was that? Was it a compliment? Was he calling her beautiful? A little warmth crept up her neck, but she still preferred her old name. She decided to push her luck.

"Great Master, I actually already have a name. I am called Hana."

"Ji Taimei."

"But..."

"Ji Taimei."

"... As you wish, great Master. Ji Taimei it is." Ji Taimei pressed her forehead to the ground, deeply and profoundly grateful for her new name. Su Nian gave a satisfied nod and moved on.

"Starting tomorrow, you and your clan train with the rabbits. I want to see actual muscle on your bodies within three days." He let that sit for a moment.

"You will also carry ten tons of stone material out of the lair every day to build your load capacity. I expect you to be combat effective even on the ground. My standard is simple: beat Bugs Bunny, and we're good." He flicked a claw toward the far end of the cave.

"The one with the gold chain." Ji Taimei looked. A Blazing Rabbit built like a siege engine was hanging from a stone crossbeam by both forepaws, hammering out reps at a pace that left nothing but a blur. Low, rhythmic grunts pushed out with every pull, focused, mechanical, relentless. Then Ji Taimei noticed the ankles. Two fat, wide-eared Spear Pigs dangled from them, strapped on with coiled Blackwater Pythons, swinging gently with each rep like living counterweights. The rabbit must have felt her staring.

It turned its head. Ears perked. Giant, gleaming buckteeth caught the light as it grinned at her from across the cave. A smile of absolute nuclear kindness. ➤ Next: Personally Feeding