In the valley shrouded in a curtain of rain, coniferous pines stood tall and upright, their treetops swaying with the wind and rain.
Garros flapped his wings and landed back, standing on a rocky ledge on the mountain wall, then summoned the Faerie Dragon, the Red Dragon, and all the Earth Storm Bears to gather.
Fine silver threads of rain continued to fall.
The bears were soaked in the rain, their fur dripping wet; the Faerie Dragon hid under the Red Dragon's wing to take shelter, while the Red Dragon wiggled her hindquarters and flicked her tail, feeling uncomfortable all over in the rain.
"I am going into Dragon Sleep."
Garros announced the news, saying, "I may not wake up for the next five years."
Upon hearing this, Mobel was the first to show his loyalty, kneeling on the ground with his rear in the air, a hint of Gnoll-like flattery appearing on his honest bear face.
"My Lord, please rest assured. With me leading the bears in guard, we will never allow any creature to disturb your slumber!"
"When you awaken, you will surely sweep through the Serel Wilderness like a storm, making countless creatures submit!"
The other bears looked at Mobel, envious of his dragon-flattering skills.
Ordinary bears were not good with words; they only knew how to work hard and couldn't think of flattering remarks. Thus, they felt Mobel was a Genius who was very eloquent, and the speed and proficiency with which he knelt left them in awe.
After Mobel had been kneeling for several seconds.
The other bears finally reacted, kneeling before Garros as well, expressing that they would definitely guard him well.
Garros, however, did not plan to slumber in the Coniferous Valley.
If they encountered a powerful enemy, relying on these bears, the Red Young Dragon, and the Faerie Dragon would still be insufficient to stop them. Moreover, with so many creatures gathered here, it was too conspicuous; it would be better to find a suitable place to undergo Dragon Sleep alone.
"Guard the Coniferous Valley well."
"When I wake up and return, I do not wish to see that this place has changed masters."
Garros gave his instructions seriously and then dismissed the bears.
The Faerie Dragon Vera poked her small head out from under Samantha's wing membrane and then flew toward Garros.
Flapping her translucent wings, rain sliding off her scales, she said, "I can help you find a safe lair! I know of a hidden grotto east of the coniferous forest; the entrance is covered by vines, and no one can find it."
"No need, I have my own plans."
Garros said.
Samantha also flew over: "Five years? Do you have to sleep that long? Can't it be shorter?"
During the last time Garros was resting due to injury, it was only seven days, yet she had felt severe anxiety and a lack of security. This time, it would be five years; just thinking about it made Samantha feel uneasy and nervous.
"Of course not. Five years is still a conservative estimate on my part."
Garros flicked his tail, splashing a bit of water, and said to Samantha, "During my Dragon Sleep, both you and Vera must be careful. Stay hidden in the Coniferous Valley and don't go running around for no reason."
Pausing, he added sternly.
"Don't spend all day playing with ants! When I wake up, if your Alchemy level is still at a standstill..."
He didn't finish his sentence, leaving a gap for Samantha to imagine the consequences herself.
In five years, if nothing went wrong, the two clans would likely accumulate some black oil reserves. At that time, he would need Samantha to use Alchemy to refine the black oil and improve its quality as much as possible.
"As long as you wake up quickly, I promise I won't disappoint you."
Samantha said.
Her obedient reaction was somewhat unexpected to Garros.
He didn't dwell on it and looked toward the Faerie Dragon Vera again.
Garros instructed, "Don't forget to collect your scale powder every day and gather it all together."
The Faerie Dragon circled around Garros and said, "Okay, okay!" She blinked and asked, "Can you play with me while you're sleeping?"
Garros shook his head.
"I'll be asleep; how can I play with you?"
The Faerie Dragon giggled, "It's fine, it's fine! As long as you give permission, it's okay. I won't disturb you; I can play by myself."
Her gaze swept over Garros's body, thinking about how she could doodle on this body or plant flowers and grass to decorate it, dressing Garros up to make him look 'cute and pretty.'
Garros didn't know the Faerie Dragon's specific thoughts.
But that didn't stop him from refusing.
"Sure, you can stay by my side while I slumber."
He said with a chuckle.
"Yay!"
The Faerie Dragon became excited and was extremely happy.
"Just be extra careful not to get killed by me. When I dream, I don't distinguish between friend and foe."
Garros said nonchalantly.
The Faerie Dragon's body stiffened.
She suddenly remembered that Garros could 'kill dragons in his dreams' and that she shouldn't get close.
"Um, never mind then. I'll play with Samantha and the bears; I won't disturb you."
The Faerie Dragon stuck out her tongue and immediately changed her tune.
After briefing the two dragons on a few more precautions, Garros began preparing for his Dragon Sleep.
He first went to the cave where the Cliff Snake Dragon's corpse was kept, carved out its most venomously potent heart, then left the cave and soared into the sky, his figure vanishing into the thick curtain of rain.
After some time.
Garros arrived above a certain area shrouded in rising clouds and mist, filled with the smell of sulfur.
This was the place he had pre-selected for his Dragon Sleep.
Garros had the habit of preparing for a rainy day and planning ahead.
While attempting to evolve Steam-jet Wings and using fairy scale powder for rapid thinking, he had thought of utilizing Dragon Sleep to increase the probability of success. Later, during his daily training and scouting of the surrounding terrain, he had discovered a suitable location.
Garros lowered his gaze to look down.
The rift below was like a wound hacked into the earth by a giant axe, winding and twisting as it stretched into the distance.
The grayish-white rock walls were covered with honeycomb-like holes, constantly spewing out scalding steam that condensed into thick mist in the cold rain.
Peering through the dense steam, dark red lava veins were faintly visible at the bottom of the rift, flowing slowly through the rock crevices like blood vessels, sending the smell of sulfur steaming up to a height of a hundred meters.
A high-temperature environment was something fire-attributed creatures liked.
However, this place was also filled with scalding, humid steam, and ordinary water-attributed creatures could not endure the heat here either.
The environment of the Steam Rift was harsh, and no creatures lived within it.
But for Garros, it was just right.
He folded his wings and, like an arrow from a bow, shot into the thick steam, passing through the high-temperature heat to gradually reach the bottom of the rift.
He hid himself within a rock crevice where steam was gushing out.
Garros smeared the poisonous blood from the Snake Dragon's heart onto his wings, corroding them to create dense clusters of holes, then gritted his teeth to endure the agonizing pain of high-temperature steam constantly passing through these openings.
The toxin from the dragon heart's blood was more potent and would last longer.
Furthermore, the continuous supply of steam here would constantly irritate Garros's wounds. Combined with the poisonous blood, this would slow down the healing process and make the toxins harder to eliminate.
But this was exactly what he wanted.
Waves of stinging pain washed over him.
Drowsiness was also surging like a tide.
Garros relaxed his mind as much as possible; his eyelids began to flutter with increasing exhaustion, and then he slowly closed his eyes, entering the state of Dragon Sleep.
The state of slumber.
All of a Dragonkin's aura is drawn inward, making it difficult for other creatures to detect them, yet their perception of danger does not slacken; instead, it becomes even more sensitive than usual. Once they sense a life-threatening danger, they will wake up immediately, though the state of Dragon Sleep will be interrupted.
The interior of the rift became peaceful.
Only the sound of surging steam was continuous.
Wrapped in the thick steam, the Red Iron Dragon slept in silence, silently evolving.
Waiting for his next awakening.
These wings, tempered through a thousand trials, might no longer need to interact with a rainy environment to blast out steam, trailing comet-like streaks as they became a peerless weapon of destruction.