The intricate markings seemed to carry a strange, mystical power for once they appeared, the five dormant and lifeless looking dragon eggs, suddenly all began to burst with vitality.

Not only that, but as these markings spread further across each eggs, the aura around them also changed.

Originally, the five eggs did not give any sort of special feeling, but there was now a slight sense of oppressive pressure within each one.

It was the dragon’s innate powers.

A hazy glow flickered on the eggs for nearly a minute before it gradually faded.

By this point, the five eggs were completely covered in layers of strange yet beautiful markings.

Seeing these patterns, the golden dragon, Alexius, suddenly became excited and almost lost his composure:

“D-Dragon markings! It have truly appeared!”

“A miracle! This is the miracle of life!”

He instinctively stood, wanting to lean closer for a better look. But, glancing at Evé with her scepter in hand, Alexius forced himself to hold back.

Thus, he could only stare at the dragon eggs, which was constantly generating patterns with a mixture of expectation, excitement, and awe.

In that moment, he just looked like a father awaiting the birth of his children.

Well, Alexius could not help but lose his composure.

Since for dragons, there is a world of difference between eggs with dragon markings and those without one.

Throughout the universe, dragons are considered to be ancient creatures and are also one of the few remaining creatures with golden lineage to date.

However, along with their immense power also comes certain natural laws that restrict them, in which the most significant one being their bloodline inheritance.

For any beings that possess strong bloodlines, their race’s lineage gradually dilutes with each generation, weakening over time until it becomes common and unremarkable.

Alas, this process is why some ancient divine species eventually went extinct.

However, fortunately for dragons, they possess a unique ability that could combat this generational decline—their dragon markings.

These markings are unique patterns that can naturally appear on a newly laid dragon eggs, and having them imbues the egg with their race’s heritage, which grants them the capability to awaken the latent bloodline within the unborn young dragon inside.

Eggs that have dragon markings will produce hatchlings that are able to directly inherits the knowledge of their race and can also unlock their full bloodline potential, thereby allowing them to grow faster and stronger.

In contrast, eggs without any markings shall result in the young dragon inside it to be unable to inherit their race’s knowledge nor awaken their bloodline’s potential.

As a result, these markless dragons will inevitably suffer significant degradation in intelligence and latent ability, which leads to them resembling mere ordinary magical beasts once they grew up.

These so-called draconic beasts, despite retaining the outward appearance of a dragon, inherently lack their true power and potential.

And so, they are treated by other fully marked dragons as no more than distant relatives of their kin, akin to some sub-dragon species.

Thus, having these dragon markings on their eggs are essential for maintaining the purity of the dragon bloodline, which in turn, also ensures the race’s survival up to this day.

In contrast to their arch-rivals, the Titan, who fell into near extinction, leaving only remnants of their bloodline in the mighty Behemoths, they the dragons have still remained at the peak of power across the universe mainly due to these birth marks.

This is why Alexius was so ecstatic at the sight of these dragon markings reappearing on each eggs.

In general, dragon markings can only form while the egg is still inside the mother’s body.

However, once the egg is laid, if it lacks dragon markings, then they cannot form at that point any longer.

Yet, what the Goddess of Life did just now have truly defied everything Alexius knew about his own race.

These five dragon eggs which were originally markless had somehow miraculously acquired their dragon markings!

This meant their race would soon to welcome forth five whole new noble dragons with pure bloodline.

And Alexius, being an old mythical dragon, understood all too well the profound significance behind this unfathomable phenomenon.

The enormous golden dragon turned towards Evé and bowed his head low in deep gratitude and sincerity.

“Praise to you, Great Goddess of Life! Today, you have shown me a new path for the future of our race!”

Evé accepted his thanks with grace, gazing at the dragon eggs with a slight smile.

“All the five eggs have now regained their lost markings, just as I promised. I expect these hatchlings shall be born in about a week or so.”

The Scepter of Life has the power to purify bloodlines, and the divine power of life can also accelerate the growth of all living things, not just plants but other creatures as well.

Therefore, dragons are no exception either.

Normally, these dragon eggs, which had lost their dragon markings, would have still required several more years to hatch.

However, with their bloodlines purified by the Scepter of Life and their potential awakened through the infusion of life’s divine power, the development of these five dragonlings has been greatly accelerated, meaning their bodies are nearly ready to be born already.

Once they fully attune to their new dragon markings and receive their race’s heritage, the hatchlings inside will be ready to finally break out of their shells.

This process will take a week at most.

Eve’s voice was clear and melodious, with an ethereal, holy quality, as her words resonated throughout the skies of Florence, bringing a sense of peace.

Hearing her words, the golden dragon Alexius looked at her with even deeper reverence.

For a proud, ancient dragon like the Crimson Gold Blade, who had attained demigod status as a mythical dragon, this display of heartfelt respect was so rare that it would astonish any other deities should they ever witness it.

Once again, Alexius inclined his head toward Evé and spoke in a sincere manner:

“Your Grace Evé, you truly are a friend of dragons. May your light shine forever upon the realm of Seigües.”

“According to your agreement with His Excellency Reinhardt, these soon-to-be-born hatchlings will remain here in the Elven Forest and will be able to form a companionship pact with any of your followers.”

Hearing the exchange between the golden dragon and the goddess, the players eyes widened.

…Companion Pacts?!

All the players currently present in the vicinity quickly turned their heads toward the five dragon eggs, their gazes brimming with excitement, eagerness, and a touch of greed.

But as Alexius noticed their stares and meaningfully glanced their way, the players quickly adjusted their expressions, reining in their excitement.

After all…

By now, even the least attentive of them already knows how crucial a NPCs’ favorability can be.

Having dealt with black dragon Meyer beforehand, they knew that these dragons are a very proud creatures.

This golden dragon was clearly a powerful NPC, so it wouldn’t be wise to anger him.

After hearing Alexius’s words, Evé smiled and nodded.

“Very well.”

With that, she briefly shone with radiant light and gradually faded from everyone’s view.

The goddess had immediately departed just as quickly as she initially appeared.

Alexius respectfully bowed his head, watching as Eve disappeared, and didn’t raise it again until he could no longer sense her divine presence.

He then glanced around at the curious players on the surroundings, before focusing back on the five dragon eggs.

Shrinking his form, he curled around the eggs and closed his eyes, resting as he awaited the moment these young dragonlings finally hatch.

Seeing Alexius shift his attention away from them, the players could finally sigh in relief.

They then looked eagerly at the eggs he is protecting, as each of them barely contained their excitement.

“Hahaha! We can actually now form a pact with dragons!”

“I’ve waited for this day for so long!”

Everyone was feeling ecstatic at that moment, their hearts racing with anticipation, eager to witness the birth of the dragonlings.

—Until a quiet voice broke through their midst with a single important question.

“But guys…aren’t there only five dragon eggs?”

Almost immediately, a tense silence fell over the excited crowd. The realization hit like a cold wave, as everyone’s mood abruptly shifted.

This time, as the weight of the question hung in the air, the surrounding players subtly glanced at each other once more…

But now, there was also a competitive edge present within each of their eyes.

— 442 —

【 DRAGON EGGS 】

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Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep