Izo didn't react much, simply standing there with composure.
He was like a reef in the tide; the Snowrot Birds automatically veered away about a meter from him, as if they truly recognized him.
One second.
Two seconds.
Three seconds.
Four seconds.
Five seconds.
The sky regained its brightness, and the warm sunlight fell once more.
However, the surroundings were no longer as pristine and white as before.
The area was a mess, with the snow on the ground torn up in patches. It looked like a shredded, messy bedsheet, revealing the dark brown, tattered floorboards of the earth beneath.
After the Snowrot Birds passed through, withered branches were toppled and earth and rocks were overturned.
Almost every edible substance had been picked clean; even insects buried deep underground were flipped out to serve as nourishment for the flock.
As the noise gradually faded into the distance, the two young dragons finally dared to slowly lift their heads.
“Can you fly?”
“Keep up. They’ve found food.”
Izo had no time to wait for them to catch their breath. He spread his massive wings and, with a gentle flap, gave chase to the flock of Snowrot Birds.
“Ah? Wait for me, Brother!”
Looking at her departing meal ticket, the just-recovered Vivian was still a bit dazed. Suppressing the confusion in her heart and ignoring Leodero beside her, she also spread her wings and flew after Izo.
Only the oversized head—the signature trait of a juvenile dragon—was a bit of an obstacle.
“Hmph! Turncoat!”
Watching the two dragons who had just abandoned him, Leodero couldn't help but spit on the ground.
Yet, he still reluctantly spread his wings and chased after them.
After all, even a solitary and proud 'mighty one' still needs to eat.
High in the sky, Izo flew with ease and elegance, following behind the Snowrot Birds at a steady pace.
The other two young dragons, however, flew with some difficulty. They lacked Izo’s broad wings and long, scaled feathers.
Relying purely on magic to maintain flight was naturally more exhausting than having biological assistance devices.
However, compared to typical white dragons, Vivian and Leodero were geniuses among geniuses. At such a young age, they had already mastered the dragon race’s flight magic.
Being able to take off and land steadily was already quite an achievement.
“Izo, why don’t these Snowrot Birds attack us?”
“Are they really your friends?”
Looking at the massive flock of birds not far away, Vivian couldn't hold back the confusion in her heart and asked.
Leodero also quietly edged closer; he was also very curious how a dragon could become friends with a flock of Snowrot Birds.
“Rather than friends, it's more like a symbiotic relationship.”
“They find food for me in this barren place, and I deal with troublesome opponents for them, thereby reducing the flock's losses.”
“It's more about mutual benefit...”
“Ah? Didn't they attack you at first?”
“Of course they did. It's just that under certain circumstances, they couldn't break my defense, and they couldn't win a war of attrition against me.”
“And I can't kill them all. If I kill one King, they quickly elect a new one.”
“Both sides were helpless against the other, so we naturally chose to compromise.”
“Besides, we don't have any deep blood feuds. It’s all just for survival.”
“Tsk, weakness is weakness.”
“As a giant dragon, you’re actually willing to associate with a flock of smelly birds. You’ve brought shame to the face of all dragons.”
Upon hearing Izo’s answer, Leodero spoke with disdain.
He didn't think Izo’s behavior was wise or courageous; he only felt that Izo had discarded his dignity as a dragon to scrape by for survival.
In his understanding, this was an act of weakness, something a dragon should be ashamed of.
Leodero was still immersed in the arrogance of giant dragons. Even though he was the weak one, perhaps this was the innate shortcoming of the dragon species.
Listening to that fool’s ridiculous statement that ignored reality, the veins on Izo’s forehead bulged.
He desperately wanted to give Leodero a beating right now to make him clearly understand that the material world wouldn't change the fact of his weakness just because of his dignity.
Ultimately, Izo forced down his anger, frantically comforting himself that it was normal for children to be young and ignorant. Once he experienced a few beatings from life, he would understand these principles.
These twisted, ridiculous theories were all instilled in them by that big mother dragon; it wasn't the child's fault.
Beside them, Vivian immediately read Izo’s constipated expression and hurried over to give Leodero a slap.
“What are you blathering about?”
“Our Big Brother Izo has foresight. Someone like you, who can't even fill your own stomach, doesn't know squat!”
“You dare hit me?!”
Leodero clearly hadn't expected this younger sister—who was weaker than him—to dare lay a hand on him. He immediately wanted to strike back to teach this sister who didn't know the height of the sky a lesson.
He had to make her realize who was truly the boss!
“Wait, wait, wait...”
Vivian grabbed Leodero, dragged him to the side, and whispered:
“My dear brother! Are you actually stupid?”
“Whether we can eat our fill in the future depends entirely on him. You still dare to provoke him?”
“What do you mean 'provoke'?”
“I just can't stand his way of discarding his dignity.”
“Alright, alright, whatever you say. Filling our bellies is the most important thing.”
Hearing the words 'filling our bellies,' Leodero fell into silence. After all, the feeling of starving really wasn't pleasant.
Izo listened speechlessly to their loud conspiracy, but since that foolish brat Leodero had quieted down, he didn't plan to say anything more.
Finding food by following the Snowrot Birds was much more important than beating the boy up.
At the same time, he sighed in his heart:
This sister of mine isn't just a little bit smart.
Though she can't compare to those shrewd merchants, she's only four years old.
And she seems just like me, not at all interested in so-called dragon dignity.
If she doesn't die young, she will surely achieve something in the future.
Just then, the Snowrot Birds not far away became restless. They seemed to have discovered something.
Izo hurried to flap his wings and chased after them at full speed.
Looking down from above, the icefield was still a vast expanse of white, looking as if there were nothing there.
But if you had the eyes of a dragon, you could clearly detect a slight abnormality, looking like faint stains on a white cashmere carpet.
It was a herd of Snail-Rabbits. Their adult size could reach five meters, and they moved relatively slowly. Their bodies were covered in long, grayish-white fur that was wrinkled and dragged all the way to the ground, looking from a distance like a mop that had been used for a long time.
They relied on a massive mouthpart on their abdomens to feed, much like a robot vacuum, 'sweeping' the snow of the icefield frozen soil day and night just to obtain enough nutrients for survival.
Most importantly, they were very good prey. They were large enough and lived in groups, providing enough energy for a full meal.
Information about Snail-Rabbits automatically surfaced in Izo’s mind.
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