"The child's father disappeared after I gave birth to it! Heartless man!"

Late at night, atop the tree canopy, beside a warm campfire, the young dragon mother complained to Ethan about her familial disputes, while he sat upright, holding a large white egg in his arms.

He learned about his temporary identity in this realm—a poacher. The mission was to steal a dragon egg and return to the big city to sell it, as it was a major job that would allow him to return home and marry once completed.

During training, the guild mentioned that to facilitate investigators' rapid integration into different realms, a new identity would be generated upon entering a realm based on the surrounding environment, and in realms without human settlements, it could even result in transformation into species like mushrooms or carnivorous plants.

Before being thrown down from the treetop by the angry single mother dragon, Ethan attempted to use a communication skill.

Perhaps due to prolonged loneliness, the dragon mother suddenly opened up, and the conversation gradually took its current form.

Ethan gained a lot of knowledge.

In this Kingdom dominated by Summoners, dragons naturally occupy the apex of the natural ecological hierarchy. Dragon cubs are fiercely sought after as companions by Summoners. For Ethan, a knowledgeable modern person, this is quite understandable; young dragons are akin to quasi-divine beings, accessible only to wealthy merchants and nobles of considerable status, while the egg form is even more valuable.

Because it increases intimacy.

Even dragons have the tendency to see the first creature they encounter upon hatching as their mother.

Ethan's identity was that of a professional poacher, originally part of a small team of about a dozen members. After the man with the turban and beard was thrown down from the treetop by the angry single mother, only Ethan was left as the sole commander.

"Is there a way to find the child's father?"

Ethan also pondered,

Just recently, he learned about the ecological behavior of dragons—during the special mating season, after laying eggs, the male dragon would disappear, leaving behind a single mother dragon to raise the child. When the mother dragon went out to hunt, the dragon egg in the treetop nest would be unprotected.

This is a racial trait.

And when the hatchling breaks out and learns basic flight abilities, the mother dragon would leave the treetop nest too.

"Flew away toward the southwest."

The dragon mother tilted her head, gazing mournfully with amber lizard-like eyes into the distant darkness, "Mostly can't be found."

Ah, nature!

Even the eloquent Ethan could not help but fall silent.

"Madam, sorry to disturb today; if fate allows, we shall meet again another day."

"You're here to steal a dragon egg, aren't you?"

The dragon mother seemed not ready to let him go that easily, her gaze locked on Ethan immediately.

"On the surface, it does look that way."

"On the surface?"

"But in reality, I'm an undercover spy for the Kingdom currently engaged in a covert investigation. Not long ago, we received a report claiming a large theft gang had infiltrated the Kingdom's borders, and to capture this poaching gang in one go, I've been disguised as one of their members and acting with them for the past three months."

Ethan once had no choice, but now he only wants to be a spy.

The next journey is already planned; after saying goodbye to the single mother dragon, they just need to head south along the forest to reach the border city, Moon Forest City, which is said to be built within the forest.

The single mother dragon gazed intently at Ethan, seemingly lost in thought.

She tilted her head slightly, coiling her body, her spiky chin resting on the ground due to the motion.

"Where do you intend to go?"

"Heading to Moon Forest City in the south, although there were some unexpected twists in the process, the despicable poaching gang has finally been completely captured."

"You're quite skilled at communicating with dragons."

Had it been other humans, she would probably have thrown them down the tree canopy with one swipe already. Initially, she did intend to do just that, but when this young man named Ethan started talking, she was willing to hear what he had to say.

Time passed swiftly, and soon darkness fell, and she realized not only did Ethan speak well, but his appearance also matched the aesthetic of dragons, plus he was heading to the south of the forest...

That's where human civilization is built.

"Take this egg with you as well."

?

Ethan was startled by the sudden suggestion, suspecting this was a sting operation, and immediately rejected it with righteous indignation, saying, "Madam, as I said, I'm not here for such petty theft!"

"I have a feeling, if this child follows you maybe someday it might meet its father."

The dragon mother's eyes glowed brightly.

In fact, there wasn't just one dragon egg in the nest; from what Ethan could see in a glance, there were about six similarly sized white eggs in the dragon's nest.

Filled with an aura of destiny—a young man encounters a single mother dragon, and the latter entrusts a dragon egg to him, thus setting the young man on an adventure.

This is undoubtedly a classic adventure script fitting the world-setting.

Except, this young adventurer is actually a poacher.

The dragon mother added, "It said it wants to travel with you."

Really?

Ethan glanced again at the large egg cradled in his arms; the dragon egg remained motionless, so how did the dragon mother understand what it was saying?