Chapter 51: Draining the Pond to Catch All the Fish

The old clan leader immediately expressed slight regret and said,
"I see. I didn’t expect such boldness from a young dragon like you. You certainly have great potential to become the Dragon King someday."
"You're too kind. I simply hold myself to very high standards," Victoria said, narrowing her eyes.
Lind rolled his eyes almost to the back of his head.
High standards?
High blood sugar, high blood pressure, high cholesterol?
Sensing Lind’s displeasure, the young dragon idly scratched his back with the tip of her tail, trailing downward.
Lind dared not risk a surprise attack.
He took a deep breath, pried open her claw, and spoke calmly,
"Let’s go inside the cave first."
On the way to the cave entrance with the old clan leader, various burrowing dragons eyed Lind curiously.
Whenever he looked their way, they would immediately bow low, pressing their foreheads against their folded claws.
This seemed to be the highest form of respect among burrowing dragons.
Lind felt puzzled; although he had severely wounded the red dragon, he had not killed it.
If it was fear of his strength, that was understandable, but such sincere respect and gratitude suggested there might be deeper reasons.
The tunnels dug by the burrowing dragons were surprisingly spacious, easily wide enough for four of him to walk side by side.
Lind hunched over, resting his head in his hands, and cautiously entered the gently sloping passage.
As the old clan leader led the way, he explained,
"Many years ago, a forest fire broke out here, with trees burning everywhere and nowhere to escape. It was our burrowing dragons who dug these tunnels to save many animals."
"After that year, our clan expanded the tunnels and connected different caves so that if another fire occurs, we can save even more lives."
"Salute to your clan."
Lind sincerely replied.
"By the way, old clan leader, I have something to say…"
"Lind!"
The young dragon’s voice behind him interrupted.
He turned to see that Victoria’s middle wing was stuck and she couldn’t fully enter.
Lind waved his hand to signal,
"Victoria, wait outside for us a while. Find something to do. We’ll come find you when we’re done talking."
Victoria sulked and turned her head away, recalling the events from a few days ago.
She decided to slip back into her darkened state and teach Lind a lesson once he came out.
With a muffled grunt, the young dragon reluctantly stepped out of the cave entrance.
Lind was then able to continue the unfinished conversation,
"Old clan leader, aren’t you worried I’m an imposter pretending to be Lind?"
"That’s a strange thing to say. We’ve lived in this valley for so long that the natives have likely all encountered you. Besides, the white-necked crows have informed us of your general features. White animals are quite rare in these woods."
The old clan leader leisurely added,
"White-necked crows are very intelligent birds. They know some basic dragon language and can communicate with other birds. If you want to befriend them, bring some berries—they love those."
"But if you truly are Lind, they would willingly help you anyway."
"Old clan leader, I haven’t completely defeated the red dragon yet. If I do, will my home turn into a bird’s nest?" Lind joked half-seriously.
The old clan leader laughed a few times, but his laughter held a trace of bitterness.
"Having hope is what gives you the will to live. Without even the slightest hope, living is no better than being a corpse."
"Take our clan as an example."
"You don’t know this, but the burrowing dragons are facing the danger of extinction."
"Hmm?"
Lind showed a look of surprise and suspicion, about to ask more when the old clan leader pushed open an underground door and gestured for him to enter first.
Inside, the space was larger than Lind had imagined and not so dark.
Embedded in the walls were unknown soil-colored crystals that emitted a faint glow underground.
The burrowing dragons live underground year-round and don’t require strong light sources; this was likely provided for the animals seeking refuge, so they wouldn’t be lost in the dark and become anxious.
At the far end stood an altar-like structure.
The distance and dim lighting made Lind unsure if his eyes were deceiving him.
Besides that, this underground chamber, several times larger than his own shelter, housed many burrowing dragons.
At the sound of the door opening, they all turned toward it almost simultaneously—more precisely, they sniffed the air.
Their eyesight was not very good.
This reminded Lind of the old clan leader beside him, who could see him clearly from five meters away on the surface—a true "clairvoyant" in their clan.
"Old clan leader, is there a big difference in eyesight among burrowing dragons?"
"There’s a huge difference from youth to old age," the old clan leader said, staring at Lind’s face. "The burrowing dragons nearing the end of their lives actually see more clearly."
"Thank you for your effort. Please walk a few more steps with me."
"When you see what’s ahead, you’ll understand why our clan faces extinction because of the red dragon."