My Wife is an Evil Dragon-Chapter 21

Chapter 21: It Turns Out I’m Not a Thing
Xia Li had always believed that educating a dragon was by no means a simple task.
He not only had to teach Lucia how to live like a human, but also how to integrate into human society.
The former was not difficult. As long as they spent enough time together, Xia Li believed that Lucia would soon be able to imitate his way of life.
But the latter was very difficult.
Integrating into society was not as simple as finding a job and building a circle of friends.
For Lucia, the first step she had to take, and the most difficult one, was a change in her mindset.
She had lived in Azure Continent for a hundred years with the inherent thinking of a dragon. In this hundred years, she had constructed her own concepts and formed her own subjective consciousness.
Dragons did not have the concept of ‘transaction’.
Whenever they encountered anything they liked, they relied on one word ━ grab.
Weaker dragons would steal, while stronger ones would rob openly.
If they couldn’t grab it, they would fight. If they couldn’t win, they would flee. If they won, they would take it as their own.
It could be said that the way dragons survived in Azure Continent was similar to that of ordinary beasts.
Despite being able to speak human language, no dragon was willing to establish communication. They completely followed their own nature and wildness, relying on their powerful bodies to act recklessly.
Now, Xia Li wanted this dragon, who had lived alone for a hundred years, to change her traditional concept…
It was almost as difficult as taming a coyote to integrate into a human family.
There was absolutely no way to start.
“Xia Li, are these grains of rice what you just made in the pot?”
Lucia had finished her bowl of egg fried rice and was staring longingly at Xia Li’s bowl.
Although she really wanted to eat it, Lucia did not choose to grab it.
After all, she couldn’t beat Xia Li now. It wouldn’t be glorious to become Xia Li’s defeated dragon.
Lucia’s legs were dangling in the air as she propped her hands on either side of her body, still savoring the delicious rice from earlier.
“The food you make is so delicious. I didn’t expect you to be a cook.
If you had made me this kind of food in Azure Continent, I definitely wouldn’t have attacked you… Maybe we could even be friends.”
There was a hint of regret in Lucia’s tone.
This Brave Hero was actually quite nice, so why did they always have to fight when they met before?
She had only eaten a few of the nobles’ goats and robbed some gold coins from some Earl’s warehouse…
“Lucia, there’s something I need to tell you.”
Xia Li took a few bites of his egg fried rice. When he was almost done, he put down his chopsticks and his tone suddenly became serious.
Lucia stopped swinging her legs and nodded attentively at Xia Li.
“Tell me.”
“It’s about the rules of this world… Actually, this rule also applies in Azure Continent.”
Xia Li said seriously, “No matter what the circumstances, grabbing things is unacceptable.
In Azure Continent, if you grab things, you will be put on a wanted list and hunted down.
On Earth, if you grab things, you will also be wanted.”
“Oh…” Lucia thought for a moment. “So, if I went to grab that gold crown just now, I would be hunted down by the humans on Earth?”
“That’s about right.” Xia Li nodded.
Upon hearing this, Lucia fell silent.
She didn’t think there was anything wrong with it. After all, dragons were born to be hunted down by humans.
Whether they had robbed anything or set foot in human territory, every giant dragon in Azure Continent was a target of extermination in the eyes of humans.
Otherwise, why wouldn’t humans even spare newborn dragon hatchlings?
And the same went for the dragon eggs hidden in their nests.
Those dragon eggs that were taken away by humans, if they were lucky, would be hatched and raised as slaves. Those that were unlucky, or encountered species that were judged to be difficult to control by humans, would have their shells pierced with swords, or be taken home and cooked.
Humans always said that dragons were cruel, but in the eyes of dragons, humans were also cruel.
“Then I won’t ‘grab’, I’ll ‘take’.”
Lucia struggled for a while, feeling that there must be something wrong with her approach, so she corrected herself, “I’ll just open the glass cabinet door of the gold shop and take the gold crown!”
“…This is not about playing with words,”
Xia Li wanted to facepalm.
But considering that this guy’s concept had to change, he added, “Everything you’re doing now is ‘getting something for nothing’. This kind of thing will be judged as ‘illegal’ by this society.”
“How can you say I’m getting something for nothing!”
Lucia blinked her amber eyes in surprise. “It’s also a kind of labor when I go to grab something… Just like when dragons go out hunting, I expend energy and gain prey. Can this be considered grabbing?”
“…” Xia Li was speechless.
In the eyes of the dragon, the world was still a place where the strong preyed on the weak. Things she grabbed with her own ability were not considered grabbing.
“Humans are always like this, taking all the resources for themselves. They distribute food, divide territories, and even keep wild animals and birds in captivity and label them.
But we dragons also need to survive. We need a place to rest and we need to eat…
On the contrary, you humans not only gradually deprive us of our living space, but also label us as evil.”
As expected, Lucia still couldn’t understand the human concept.
She thought about her way of life for the past hundred years, the days of wandering and hiding.
Her nest was always being plundered and re-plundered. Humans would seize her territory, and she would take it back. If she won, she would live there for a few more years. If she lost, she would leave.
From a young dragon to an adult dragon, Lucia had never had a place to settle down for a long time.
Thinking about this made her feel aggrieved.
Especially this Brave Hero named Xia Li in front of her.
He had overturned her nest at least three times!
Xia Li’s Demon Repelling Sword was completely beyond the normal combat system!
Fortunately, Lucia always ran fast, otherwise she would definitely have been defeated and captured… At that time, she would probably have been forced to give birth to a brood of little dragons!
Thinking of this, Lucia glared fiercely at Xia Li’s home.
Xia Li had raided her home so many times, shouldn’t it be her turn to raid his once!
Lucia clenched her small fists and raised them, trying to slam them on the table fiercely.
However, when she saw the empty rice bowl on the table, she felt her heart soften.
Raising her hand to pick up two remaining grains of rice from the bowl and put them in her mouth, Lucia said resentfully.
“Besides the need for survival, the only thing dragons like are shiny things…
We do like to grab gold coins from human nobles, but what’s wrong with liking such things? It’s not like it’s hurting anyone.
You humans also like to wear animal fur. In this regard, it’s you who kill, not us.”
Lucia grumbled as she picked up rice from the table to eat.
Seeing this, Xia Li pushed his unfinished bowl of rice forward.
Lucia’s originally gloomy face lit up with joy.
She pointed at herself, meaning ‘Is this for me to eat?’
Xia Li nodded.
Xia Li didn’t expect Lucia to actually reason with him.
He thought this kind of clash of values would lead to a big fight.
But Lucia was angry, but she didn’t show any signs of losing her temper.
◈◈◈
Are all dragons so good-tempered?
Xia Li didn’t remember dragons having such a setting.
It could only be that Lucia’s personality was like this.
Speaking of which, this guy was too easy to coax.
She was still angry just now, but now her face was beaming while eating.
“I understand how you feel.”
Xia Li’s gaze didn’t leave Lucia’s face as she buried herself in her food. He softened his voice and said, “After all, humans are not the only intelligent species in Azure Continent. Each of your races has its own concepts and positions.
Resource disputes are also interest disputes. You are not as smart as humans, so even though you have great power, you can only suffer losses at the hands of humans.”
Lucia listened to Xia Li’s words and slightly raised her head from the bowl.
There were still grains of rice stuck to her cheeks, and her amber eyes showed the same slightly aggrieved look as before.
Xia Li had just said he understood her.
Lucia had been lonely for a hundred years and had never thought of letting anyone empathize with her.
Hearing these words from the mouth of a human Brave Hero made Lucia feel strange.
Lucia’s nose felt a little sour, and she was inexplicably touched.
Once emotions are recognized, they begin to amplify.
A dragon like Lucia, who had just turned a hundred years old, was only about eighteen years old in human terms.
Moreover, dragons were inherently less intelligent.
Although they had a majestic and huge body, dragons were actually very simple creatures.
“Well… it’s okay. Humans can’t beat me anyway.
If you didn’t have that Demon Repelling Sword, I could have taken over the castle…”
Lucia muttered as she poked at the grains of rice on the table with her finger.
She didn’t expect to be beaten by Xia Li for three years, and then be comforted by him.
Xia Li ignored her little complaints and continued in a serious tone.
“However, this is Earth.
It’s different from Azure Continent. There’s only one intelligent species here, humans, and the entire planet is completely dominated by them.”
Xia Li wouldn’t argue with Lucia about the rights and wrongs of Azure Continent.
They were different races and naturally had different stances. No one was truly evil, so such arguments were meaningless.
Moreover, the concepts on Earth were different from those in Azure Continent. The two places had vastly different worldviews.
“Here, everything you see is controlled by humans. Everything you can touch has its own ownership.
Our resources have long been allocated, and the wars that needed to be fought have been fought. There may be reshuffles in the future, but now is a time of peace.
The land you’re standing on now has complete laws and rules. Your only way to survive is under the protection of these rules, and the prerequisite for this is to follow the rules.”
Xia Li paused here and seeing that Lucia was listening attentively, he continued.
“I’m explaining the rules to you now, and you must strictly follow them in the future.
Anything you want has its own owner, either the state or a private individual.
Let’s not talk about things that belong to the state for now, you can’t shake them with your strength. As for things that belong to private individuals, they are all earned through their hard work. If you easily take them away from them, you are breaking the law and committing a crime.”
Lucia, sitting at the table, was trying to understand these words.
Xia Li could tell from her furrowed brows that her CPU was about to overheat.
“Let me give you an example,” Xia Li cleared his throat and said.
“For example, you spent a whole day in the kitchen making a bowl of rice. You’re starving, but suddenly someone breaks in and snatches your rice. What would you do?”
“I’d beat him up.” Lucia answered immediately.
“Right, that’s it,” Xia Li continued. “But the rule of this society is that there are special people who will punish such thieves. They will be interrogated, imprisoned, and eventually pay a heavier price than stealing a bowl of rice.
Although they won’t be directly executed like in Azure Continent where you used to live, the punishment here is quite severe.
For example, stepping on a sewing machine for life…
That is, cooking for others for life, but not being able to eat it yourself.”
In order to make it easier for Lucia to understand, Xia Li used an analogy that would resonate with her more.
Lucia felt terrified when she heard this.
Cooking for others for life, but not being able to eat a single bite herself?
Wouldn’t that starve her to death?
“Do you understand how serious it is?”
Seeing the horrified expression on Lucia’s face, Xia Li knew his words had worked.
“I understand.” Lucia nodded vigorously.
Lucia liked Earth. She liked the food here and the dragon’s lair that Xia Li had made for her.
She had always been willing to live by the rules of this world, she just didn’t understand the laws here.
Now that Xia Li had told her, she knew what to do.
“Xia Li, I have another question.”
“Ask away.”
“You just said that everything I want has its own owner… Then Xia Li, what is your owner?”
“My owner?”
This unexpected question stunned Xia Li. He thought for a long time but couldn’t figure out the answer.
This dragon’s train of thought was truly bizarre.
“I’m not a thing, so I don’t have an owner.”
After saying that, Xia Li’s expression froze.
“…That’s not right.”
“Huh? What?”
Lucia looked at him with a puzzled expression.
Damn.
Xia Li sighed inwardly.
He was almost confused by this dragon.
If he hadn’t seen the innocent look in her eyes, Xia Li would have suspected that she was messing with him.
“Humans are not considered ‘things’. Our country has no slaves. Everyone belongs to themselves, so we don’t have owners.”
“…So, it’s legal to grab people.”
“Grabbing people is also illegal!”
“Oh, oh, then I won’t grab.”
Xia Li was almost exasperated by this silly dragon’s strange logic.
However, he had achieved his goal for today.
Lucia understood the most basic rules of this world and was willing to accept them.
This was an important step for the dragon to take towards integrating into society.
Everyone, please water the story with your monthly votes and recommendation votes!!
┗|｀O′|┛Roar~~（Dragon Roar）