"Oh boy, you are going to be expensive to feed, aren't you?"

Hmph!

The dragon made a dismissive sound that somehow conveyed aristocratic disdain despite coming from something the size of a house cat.

Then another realization struck me - I had no idea whether this dragon was male or female. The thought hadn't even occurred to me during the hatching excitement.

I carefully examined the dragon while it was distracted by ignoring the sloth corpse. After a moment of observation and checking the relevant anatomical features, the answer became clear.

"A girl, then," I confirmed aloud.

She looked at me with those big eyes as if acknowledging the identification, then walked towards the Noble-rank offering before kicking it away with its tiny legs.

"Hey! What are you doing, that's food. Don't be wasteful!" I reprimanded it although a soft smile was on my face.

The cute little dragon seemed to wilt at my reprimand which made me feel guilty for doing so.

It's a few second old child. I need to be more gentle. Sigh, life of a caretaker is really hard.

"Alright, let's try something better quality," I muttered, returning the sloth to storage and withdrawing an Elite-rank forest boar I'd harvested earlier.

Thud!

The boar corpse appeared, significantly larger and radiating more potent mana than the previous offering.

The little dragon's demeanor changed immediately. Her head perked up with interest, her nostrils flared as she caught the scent, and she actually took several determined steps toward the meat.

Though her movements still showed some reluctance - clearly this wasn't ideal quality either - she approached the boar and took a tentative bite.

Nom… nom… nom…

The eating sounds were impossibly cute. Small, delicate bites accompanied by satisfied chirps between mouthfuls.

Her tiny jaws worked relentlessly through the tough meat, and I could see her scales brightening slightly as she absorbed the Elite-rank beast's nutritional value.

Crunch… nom… chirp!

She paused eating briefly to look up at me, as if seeking approval that she was doing this correctly. When I nodded encouragingly, she returned to her meal with enthusiasm at the prospect of eating.

"So the quality must be at the Elite-rank minimum," I noted with mild exasperation. "At least you're not demanding Transcendent quality… yet."

Nom nom nom!

The little dragon continued eating with adorable determination, her tail swishing contentedly as she consumed what was probably ten times her current body weight in magical beast meat.

I watched her feast and couldn't help but smile despite the realization that feeding an Emperor-potential dragon with expensive tastes was going to consume significant resources.

But looking at those big sapphire eyes and listening to those cute eating sounds, I decided it was worth every golden coin it would cost.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

If I wasn't the son of a duke, I would find it difficult to feed this thing. Unless I continuously hunt in the forest, I would never be able to satisfy its hunger.

With the cute little dragon now properly fed and curled up contentedly on my desk, I turned my attention to a practical matter that would solve near future feeding concerns.

I retrieved my communication crystal and contacted the same subordinate who had handled the Thornback nest excavation.

"Young Master Blackwood," his professional voice came through immediately. "How may I assist you?"

"The Thornback corpses your team extracted - I need you to preserve all the meat in stasis. Don't sell any of it. Keep it fresh using preservation enchantments."

There was a brief pause as Marcus processed the unusual request. Monster meat was typically sold quickly to alchemists or restaurants specializing in magical cuisine, as maintaining large quantities in stasis wasn't exactly profitable.

To his credit, he didn't question the order. "Understood, young master. I'll ensure the meat from all specimens is properly preserved. Shall I arrange for regular deliveries to your location, or would you prefer to collect it personally?"

"Arrange deliveries to this address… Weekly shipments should be sufficient for now."

The address that I gave him was the same mansion I had recently gotten from my daily reward.

"Consider it done. Is there anything else you require?"

"Yes. Keep all the Transcendent Thornback materials - carapaces, venom sacs, specialized organs, everything from the three alpha specimens. Those are not to be sold. Everything else from the Elite-rank spiders can go to market."

"Excellent decision, young master. The Transcendent materials will fetch premium prices, but holding them for personal use or strategic sale timing is far more valuable. I'll catalog everything and provide you with detailed inventory reports."

"Good. Proceed with selling the Elite-rank materials and send the revenue reports to the family accounting office."

"It will be handled immediately. If I may say so, young master, the total harvest from that operation was extraordinary. The materials alone should generate approximately 150,000 golden coins once processed and sold through proper channels."

That was decent money from a single excavation even by ducal family standards, and it would provide excellent funding for various projects and expenses - including feeding an increasingly expensive baby dragon.

"One final thing," I added. "Discretion regarding these arrangements. The fewer people who know about the meat preservation request, the better."

"Of course, young master. Only essential personnel will be informed, and they are all bound by family confidentiality oaths."

"Thank you. That will be all."

I terminated the connection and looked back at the sleeping dragon, her tiny form rising and falling with peaceful breaths.

Elite and Transcendent-rank meat would keep her well-fed as she grew, and having a steady supply meant I wouldn't need to constantly hunt just to satisfy her dietary requirements.

The materials from the three Transcendent Thornbacks would also prove valuable for future blacksmithing projects or strategic trades when the right opportunities emerged.

Purr!

The little dragon made a soft sound in her sleep, unconsciously responding to my presence even while resting.

I smiled and gently stroked her small head with one finger, careful not to wake her.

Between the daily reward system, family connections and careful planning, I was building the foundation for challenges I knew were coming - challenges that would require every advantage I could accumulate.

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