The Golden Dragonfather discovered the incident of Saga fleecing the Sea Witch's wealth.
After being stopped by the other party, Saga gave a sheepish smile and scratched his head, saying:
"I understand, Father."
At the same time, Saga suddenly felt a surge of psychic energy brush past him. Tracing the source of the energy, he turned his head to look.
A bizarre and strange fish-like creature caught his eye.
It resembled a bloated, obese sea fish with a row of eyes on its forehead and a human-like mouth with unnaturally neat teeth. Its smooth skin, a mix of black and green, was dotted with grey spots, and where its fins should be, there were instead slimy tentacles.
As its eyes rolled about, the creature locked gazes with Saga.
"Greetings, dragon who has embarked on the path of a Mind Warlock. Welcome to the Magic Fish Empire for an exchange of learning."
Contrary to its odd appearance, a gentle and wise whisper emanated from within Saga's mind.
After finishing its sentence, the creature swayed its tentacle-fins and turned away, enveloped in a faint glow of psychic energy.
"Sea Abyss Magic Fish. A superior race of the Magic Fish Empire, masters of psychic power, strong and intelligent psychic beings. The imperial capital of the Magic Fish Empire, the stronghold of the Sea Abyss Magic Fish, is located in the deep trenches of the Frozen Ocean."
Watching the creature's retreating figure, corresponding legacy knowledge was triggered in Saga's mind.
Saga looked around.
Aside from the Sea Abyss Magic Fish and the Sea Witch, occasionally, one could spot the intelligent-looking giant sharks from the Shark Empire.
The Shark Empire was the most powerful among the three great sea empires.
Composed of countless sharks with unique abilities, such as the Iron Melt Shark, Shark Eagle, Tentacle Shark, Thorn Shark, Lightning Shark, and more, the superior beings among them could rival ordinary True Dragons.
The Shark Emperor of the Shark Empire, a mighty demigod, had participated in the siege against the God of the Hunt in his descent to the world, ferociously biting off the god's arm.
Afterward, Saga continued to wander around Dragon City.
The various giant dragons and sea races, along with the bizarre deep-sea scenery, kept Saga's eyes busy.
Compared to the bustling splendor here, Saga's Moon Bay was not worth mentioning.
Any legendary giant dragon could easily obliterate Moon Bay in one fell swoop, and that was still an overestimation of Moon Bay's scale. In fact, a powerful high-ranking giant dragon could accomplish that without the need for a legendary one.
After some time, Saga was still full of enthusiasm.
The vast Deep Sea Dragon City was not something that could be explored in a short time, nor was the Metal Dragon Island above. The area Saga had explored was just a tiny fraction.
However, the Young Dragon competition was about to begin soon.
To seize the honor and rewards of the Young Dragon Champion, Saga needed to prepare well. The waters of the Deep Sea Dragon City ran deep, and there were no shortage of monstrous young dragons.
To stand out among the dazzling array of powerful young dragons and surpass them all, he could not afford to slack off and had to give it his all.
"After the competition, I'll take a good look at the sights of Dragon Island and Dragon City."
Immediately, Saga flapped his wings and flew towards the palace where the Golden Dragonfather resided.
Among the many grand and magnificent dragon palaces, the Golden Dragonfather's palace was also one of the most splendid and majestic. The hundreds of feet tall golden palace shone brightly in the deep sea, made of gold, silver, and other precious metals, and adorned with a multitude of colorful gemstones that attracted the attention of dragons.
Saga arrived leisurely at the main entrance of the dragon palace.
The Golden Dragonfather's palace was even more magnificent and splendid than the Red Dragoness's.
The door alone was as tall as a mountain, intricately carved with countless complex magical runes, exuding an indestructible aura.
Around the dragon palace, a host of sea race guards, resembling giant shrimps clad in heavy armor and wielding weapons, radiated powerful auras.
"It would be quite difficult to burst through the gates here."
Under the watchful eyes of many guards, Saga slowly approached.
Any one of these shrimp guards, if taken out, would be a high-ranking being, the elite of the shrimp race.
Meanwhile.
As the golden dragon approached, the shrimp guards remained silent, like silent statues.
And as the leader of the shrimp guards, a giant crab guard with a body diameter of dozens of meters and a carapace that shone with a black metallic luster, took the initiative to come to the door and opened the dragon palace gate for Saga.
"Prince Saga, please enter."
The legendary crab general bubbled as he spoke in Dragon Tongue.
It was his first time seeing Saga, but his attitude was very friendly, clearly having been instructed by the Golden Dragonfather in advance.
Then, led by the crab general, Saga entered the main gate, passed through a long corridor, the main hall of the dragon palace, the training grounds, and finally arrived in front of a luxurious and spacious room.
A row of gentle-looking sea maidens awaited at the door.
"Prince Saga, this is the chamber prepared for you. You may rest here or be guided by the sea maidens throughout the palace. As long as it is not expressly forbidden by the master, you are free to come and go as you please."
"If you encounter any problems, you can inform these maidens or tell me. I am more than willing to help you resolve any issues," said the crab general warmly.
Saga withdrew his gaze from surveying the palace and nodded.
"Your Highness, I shall take my leave now."
The crab general moved his limbs and departed.
"Welcome, Prince Saga."
"If you need anything, just tell us. Our mission is to serve you," said the leading maiden as she approached Saga with light steps and bowed.
Her appearance was quite peculiar, resembling a humanoid creature with human-like posture and features, but her entire body was semi-transparent, as if made of flowing water, blending with the surrounding sea, only with a more intense color and deep blue skin.
"A type of water elemental life, a Water Sprite."
Saga recognized the race of these maidens.
The superior race of Water Sprites, the Water Giants, belonged to the higher echelons of elemental beings, with outstanding individuals comparable to ordinary dragonkind. Compared to them, Water Sprites were weaker but not ordinary elemental life. With their innate mastery of various water-based spells and considerable magical talent, they were not to be underestimated.
Immediately, Saga entered the chamber prepared for him by the Golden Dragonfather.
The sea water here was clear and transparent, without a trace of murkiness. The spacious and bright layout was favored by dragonkind, and in the center of the chamber was an underwater lava pool, radiating intense heat, making Saga feel quite comfortable.
Splash.
The little golden dragon jumped straight into the lava pool, contentedly closing his eyes.
The splashing lava made the water in the chamber a bit murky.
A few Water Sprite maidens approached lightly, their bodies swirling to absorb the splashed lava, and softly said, "Prince Saga, would you like us to clean your scales for you?"
Saga blinked and then nodded.
The Water Sprite maidens approached Saga, and their bodies softened, turning into streams of water.
The gentle currents brushed over the little golden dragon's body, swirling around Saga, flowing through the gaps in his scales, almost penetrating everywhere, bringing a massage-like comfort.
Saga's gaze narrowed, and he relaxed almost to the point of falling asleep.
"Life here seems quite nice."
The little golden dragon hummed contentedly.
After a moment, the willful Saga opened his eyes and said:
"That's enough, you may leave now."
The Water Sprite maidens reformed their shapes and obeyed his command to leave.
Saga exhaled, collected his thoughts, and climbed out of the lava pool, his eyes becoming focused and solemn.
Perched on the giant shell bed in the chamber, Saga closed his eyes, breathing steadily and rhythmically. Meanwhile, under his will, the force field began to change.
Centered around Saga, a vortex began to form and spread within the chamber.
As the vortex expanded, it stirred up much of the sea water.
Once it expanded to a certain extent, the vortex then contracted, alternating between expansion and contraction under Saga's control.
Based on previous ideas, Saga was attempting to develop a new skill.
Until his power essence was exhausted, Saga slowly exhaled and paused the experimental development.
But he did not stop there; instead, he delved into his own mind, focusing his mental will, and began to learn the psychic ability knowledge obtained from the Gemstone Dragon legacy.
This was a means to enhance his combat power at this stage.
A faint psychic glow, along with sizzling arcs of electricity, flickered uncertainly between Saga's scales.
Time quietly passed by.
It wasn't until Saga felt mentally exhausted and his learning efficiency declined that he stopped studying the psychic abilities.
At that moment, the gentle voice of the Golden Dragonfather reached Saga's ears:
"Saga, my child, I am very happy to see you working hard for your goals."
"However, the chamber is a place for rest, and there are more suitable places in the dragon palace for you to prepare for battle. I will take you there."
"Great! Thank you, Father."
Saga's eyes brightened in response.
Golden light diffused in the water, enveloping Saga, and then vanished in a flash.
Saga felt a blur before his eyes, and the next second, he appeared in an area he had passed before.
Centered around a ground paved with jade-like smooth stones, surrounded by colorful magical corals, the sea was filled with vivid and dreamy colors.
When Saga appeared here, he saw Yekaterina battling with a dragon-shaped construct formed from coral.
The Little Dragoness was agile, fierce in attack, and skilled and powerful in combat, exchanging blows with the coral construct dragon.
"Well, look at you, acting all nonchalant while secretly training yourself," the little golden dragon remarked, raising an eyebrow.
"Hmph, this is just my daily training."
Yekaterina did not stop because of Saga's arrival.
She merely glanced at Saga, murmured a word, and then continued to focus on her battle with the coral construct dragon.
Saga also stepped onto the jade stone ground.
Strange powers rose from the ground and the surrounding coral forest, nourishing Saga's body. He was surprised to find that his tired spirit was rapidly recovering, his thoughts becoming agile again, and due to the nourishment of his body, his absorption of force field energy became more efficient.
Proofreader & Editor: Lotas