The twilight slowly draped over the earth like a gentle veil, painting the sky in a magnificent glow.
The burning crimson of the sunset spilled its light extravagantly, laying a splendid and vibrant tapestry across the entire sky.
Within the Burning Steel Castle, the Dragon Race conclave, which had been ongoing for so ti, was gradually drawing to a close; the clamor had subsided, leaving the air filled with a tranquility as if the dust had settled.
"Deborah."
The Red Iron Dragon slightly turned his massive head and lowered his voice, asking the Red Silver Dragon, who was quietly lying beside him on the stone platform, "Are you as fond of singing and dancing as that energetic Golden Dragon? Or rather..."
His eyes carried a hint of curiosity, "...do you have other ’roles’ you’d prefer to imrse yourself in?"
To live and adventure in human society in various humanoid forms.
This behavior was far more than just a unique hobby of that eccentric Golden Dragon Alberto.
It was an interest shared, to a greater or lesser extent, by almost all tal Dragons in their hearts, though unlike the near-obsessive performance desire of the Golden Dragon, other tal Dragons often appeared more restrained and reserved in their indulgence.
"No."
Red Silver Dragon Deborah replied crisply and smoothly, "And frankly, I can’t muster much interest in singing and dancing itself."
She paused slightly, as if recalling sothing, then continued thoughtfully, "However, speaking of it, it does remind of my parents, who... seed to have had similar ’role’ experiences."
"I’ve heard many interesting stories from their adventurous journeys in their youth."
She adjusted her lying position slightly and continued, "My father, Adri, his favorite role at that ti was that of a witty, slightly frivolous Minstrel, always plucking at strings in taverns."
"And my mother, Selena, she was keen on playing a Noble Lady with a high and mighty deanor, who was unusually cold to everyone, seldom smiling."
Humorous and light-hearted Adri? Cold and unsmiling Selena?
Images of the two Dragons as he rembered them imdiately floated in Galos’s mind.
Adri always appeared serious and deep, as if heavy-hearted, with a stern deanor and a mind sharp as a needle; while Selena’s personality was almost identical to that of the current Deborah, cunning and quirky, far from the term ’cold.’
When tal Dragons transform into human forms, they seem particularly keen on adopting personas that are starkly opposite to their dragon nature, filled with contrasts.
Galos silently pondered.
Like Alberto—when in human form, he is a sunlit, exuberant adventurer, almost to the point of exaggeration; but once in his true Golden Dragon form, he becos majestic, obsessive, even sowhat brooding.
The Red Silver Dragon elegantly lowered her head.
She delicately sipped a goblet of honey wine, offered tily by a waiter, the sweet fragrance of fruit wafting to moisten her throat, then continued enthusiastically recounting the ’glorious days of yore’ belonging to her parents.
"In their youth, they loved to travel together, performing this carefully crafted role-play."
"The ’Minstrel’ always displayed himself boldly and flamboyantly, fond of singing his self-composed romantic tales about eloping successfully with a rebellious Noble Lady, no matter which town or village they visited, in the middle of bustling taverns or marketplaces."
"And the ’Noble Lady’ would invariably be clad in splendid attire, adorned with a radiant gem necklace around her neck, heavy gold earrings dangling from her earlobes, and her wrists and hair embellished with an assortnt of obviously expensive ornants... yet, accompanying them was not a single proper guard or servant."
Upon saying this, Deborah couldn’t help but let out a clear, crisp laugh:
"The result, almost invariably, was the lure of this irresistible combination drawing in those blinded by greed, harboring ulterior motives like sharks scenting blood, gathering with malicious intent."
Her eyes twinkled with mischievous light, "As for the final outco, naturally, there would be no surprises."
"Those who willingly walked into the trap often ended up being countered by my parents, picking up nothing but disgrace... It is said that much of their first pot of gold from adventurous journeys was accumulated in such ways!"
It’s a classic case of bait-and-switch.
Using themselves as sweet, tempting bait, waiting for those with sinister intentions and greedy hearts to snap at the lure.
This is one of the trickery most beloved by tal Dragons, who handle it with utmost finesse.
In contrast, transforming into ferocious-looking monsters or beasts that invite attacks first before engaging in justified defensive extortion appears sowhat crude and low-level.
This thod is seldom used by tal Dragons.
Unless a specific evil target is identified, and they are truly unwilling to spend too much effort crafting a more sophisticated trap, they might occasionally employ this more direct, yet less artistic approach.
"It sounds like you’re quite interested yourself."
Galos remarked.
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