Kimlan’s hands trembled; in an instant, his body and mind aged several thousand years. He didn’t even want to open his eyes as he released Arthur and the bonded beast.
What’s done is done; there was no way back. This kind of pact that directly affected the soul basically couldn’t be removed. He could only accept it.
Arthur struggled free and immediately ran anxiously to Eric’s side. Seeing him held tight by his grandfather’s magic, which he couldn’t undo, he said angrily to his grandfather:
"Quickly release him, his legs will go numb standing like that later!"
Kimlan held back the urge to vomit blood and moved his finger helplessly.
Only then could Eric move freely. He gasped for breath in fear.
The feeling of his body being involuntary was terrifying. This dragon hadn’t even moved much but had controlled him tightly.
Arthur’s anxiety was evident on his face. If not for fearing Eric’s anger, he would have wished to reach out and touch him to see if he was hurt anywhere.
His condition made Kimlan’s teeth itch. He really didn’t know what was so likeable about this immature cub.
"Alright, alright, what could happen? If I really laid a hand on him, the one hurt would be you, not him."
Arthur suddenly realized. He had been too tense just now and momentarily forgot about this.
Their conversation made Eric frown, feeling that the meaning within was not right at all.
"What exactly are you two talking about? Arthur, what pact did you sign with me? If it’s not a bonded beast pact, could it be..."
His face turned pale, and he hurriedly shouted at Arthur’s grandfather:
"I am not your grandson’s mate. Don’t you also not want me to be his mate? I was forcibly brought back by Arthur. My mate is still at the tribe waiting for me."
Having barely accepted all of this and planning to go back to digest it more, Kimlan: "..."
How should he say this? He didn’t even have the energy to be angry. He waved his hand and walked out with a desolate appearance.
As soon as Eric saw the other party leaving, he hurriedly grabbed this lifesaving straw:
"You let me go back, and find someone who can lay eggs for your grandson!"
Kimlan’s steps staggered a bit. Without turning back, he rolled his eyes to the sky. Did he think the Dragon race’s soul pact was just anything? If it were that easy to dissolve, he would certainly be the first to force the two to dissolve it.
Afraid of hearing more shocking news, he sped up. Huge wings sprouted from his back, and he didn’t even use the passage, flying directly out through the hole in the cave ceiling. In an instant, the cave entrance widened by several sizes, stones falling with a clatter.
"My barrier and window!" Arthur said angrily.
The next second, Kimlan flew back again. Ignoring the two of them, as if entering an uninhabited place, he hugged the iron pot with half the remaining stew and bread, then flew away again. This time, he truly disappeared without a trace.
Eric was extremely disappointed. It seemed he couldn’t count on this doting dragon grandfather. The personalities of other dragons probably wouldn’t be much better. What was he to do...
Grandpa left, but Arthur was very happy, not minding the other party stealing the food:
"That’s great. Grandpa doing that means he agreed. From now on, we will be mates legitimately."
"To be legitimate, at least one of the two must agree. Regardless of what weird pact it is, I only have one mate." Eric was completely angered by this Dragon race attitude, speaking expressionlessly.
The smile froze on his face. Arthur stood there hurt. Besides anger, there was also a huge emptiness and confusion about what to do.
Eric just wanted to find a quiet place to think of a way to return. Turning his head, he was surprised by the huge change in the cave.
The empty cave, as if it had been looted, suddenly had many more trees, tall and short, colorful, with a strange fragrance spreading.
It was like arriving in a tropical rainforest... What attracted his eyes the most was a tall fruit tree, heavy with yellow fruits, emitting a unique fresh scent.
"Lemons!" His eyes seemed to have little stars twinkling in them. He remembered when he first transmigrated here, wanting to make activated charcoal. Because he couldn’t find lemons, he had to ferment vinegar. Now there was everything, and lemons were delivered right to his face.
Lemon juice, and there was lemongrass in the stuff Max brought back from the Snake tribe - Lemongrass Chicken Feet! If making cake, adding lemon juice could perfectly neutralize the egg smell!
Mr. Jack added fruit vinegar to eliminate the egg smell when making pastries, which inevitably had a mixed smell. If he shared this method with him, he would definitely be very happy.
Eric eagerly picked fruit from the tree. After picking two, he remembered that he was not at the Hadu tribe now, but on Dragon Island. Here, there were no relatives or friends he wanted to share pastries with, nor were there his baking tools. His movements slowed down.
Squatting disappointedly on the tree branch, Eric looked at the lemons in his hand and smiled self-deprecatingly.
He didn’t want to think about the worst, but now Arthur signing a soul pact with him without permission was a fact. Looking at the attitude of that doting grandfather, he knew this pact was not something easily dissolved.
If it were easy, that dragon would have found every way to break it first, then find a mate for his grandson who could give birth to a golden dragon.
Could it be that he really had to stay here, never to return to the Hadu tribe again?
Before, after losing his relatives, Eric just went wherever life took him; wherever he was, he had to try to live well.
When he first transmigrated here, he also carried such thoughts, which was why he could survive in this strange and bizarre place until now. Having a mate, having relatives and friends, and attachments, he could no longer be as carefree as before.
There had never been a moment like now when he hated his helplessness so much. Eric squeezed the lemon in his hand tightly; the happy mood when he first discovered it vanished into thin air.
And Leo, he had tried so hard to raise the little lion to be a bit more cheerful and lively, and he had grown a size bigger. He didn’t know if the little guy had eaten well during the time he was away.
There were also Thomas and Anna. Whether it was the original owner or him, this couple had taken care of them wholeheartedly. This time, it must have brought them a huge shock.
Feeling sad in his heart, Eric only took two lemons and jumped down from the tree.
Kanude was obviously not a real dog, but its personality was exactly like an angelic Samoyed. It sensitively noticed his unhappiness and ran over anxiously, rubbing its big furry head against him.
Eric hugged it tightly in silence.
"You’re unhappy." Arthur stood not far away, not daring to approach. His eyes held heartache, sadness, and worry.
"You brought me here from the Hadu tribe and signed some pact. How can I be happy?" Eric didn’t want to pay attention to him originally, but he still couldn’t help but speak sarcastically.
Strange to say, Kanude was clearly Arthur’s bonded beast, but right now Eric was angry, and Kanude followed suit by glaring angrily at its master. Eric inappropriately felt a bit amused.
Arthur didn’t speak. He thought for a while, then left the cave. Before leaving, he instructed:
"If you want to go out and play, take Kanude with you. Other dragons will know you were brought back by me when they see it and won’t bully you."
Knowing Eric didn’t want to see him now, Arthur spread his wings and flew out from the hole used as a window, re-establishing a barrier for the hole.
He wanted to find dragons with experience to ask how exactly to make a mate happy and willing to stay.
Even with inherited memories, Arthur was just a newly matured dragon. His bones still held the greedy and predatory nature of dragons; he completely didn’t know how to handle this matter correctly.
He wanted Eric to be happy, just as happy as he was every day before, yet he couldn’t bear to release him back to the Hadu tribe, so he had to find adults to learn from.
He didn’t know if his unreliable parents could offer any opinions on this aspect. Arthur flew in the sky dejectedly.
Dragons passing by saw his expression and avoided him far away, lest they meet with misfortune.