Chapter 141: Who Are You Calling Baby?

Chapter 141: Chapter 141: Who Are You Calling Baby?

As soon as they entered the space, Ophelia and Zerev settled the three little dragon cubs into the stream. To prevent the cubs from fully submerging and drowning, Zerev stepped into the water to keep them company.

Meanwhile, Ophelia hurried to use a growth-acceleration pack from her inventory to ripen the ramie and jute planted in the soil. Once they were ready, she followed a medical prescription and planted the traditional Chinese medicinal herbs needed to reduce a fever. She grew batch after batch until she finally gathered all the necessary ingredients.

By this time, two hours had already passed.

Ophelia quickly purchased an electric medicine-boiling pot from the System Mall, filled it with water from the stream, plugged it in, and started brewing the medicine. After finishing all this work, beads of sweat dotted her forehead.

She walked over to the stream to check on the three little dragon cubs. Their body temperatures hadn’t dropped yet, but they hadn’t risen any further either. She then looked at Zerev in the water. His cheeks were flushed red, and he was already showing signs of oxygen deprivation. Spending two hours in the space this time was his absolute limit. Had he not been soaking in the stream, he probably wouldn’t have lasted this long.

Ophelia stripped off her hemp skirt, stepping into the water wearing only her tube top and panties. She cradled the three cubs in her arms and said softly, "Zerev, you go out first and let Tyler come in. You can come back once you’re well-rested."

Zerev nodded and swapped places with Tyler.

Once inside, Tyler took over Ophelia’s duties, though she didn’t sit idle. She went to the warehouse to check on the medicine. The liquid in the pot had turned a rich brown. She glanced at the timer; it would be ready in another half hour.

She waited anxiously. When the electric pot finally clicked off, she ignored its scalding heat and hurriedly poured out three bowls of the fever-reducing medicine. However, she faced a new problem when it came time to feed them. The three cubs were completely unconscious with their jaws clamped shut, making it impossible to get the liquid down.

Ophelia’s eyes welled up with anxious tears. "What do we do?"

Tyler squeezed her hand, offering gentle comfort. "Princess, don’t worry." He then pinched the oldest cub’s chin, forcing his mouth open. "Princess, feed him quickly."

Ophelia blew on the hot liquid as she carefully poured it down the cub’s throat. By the time all three cubs had taken their medicine, another hour had passed.

Tyler gently wiped the sweat from Ophelia’s forehead and pressed a kiss between her brows. "Princess, don’t worry. They’ll be fine. Even ordinary cubs can survive the shape-shifting period. The cubs of the Dragon Clan have strong bodies; they will definitely make it through."

Although Ophelia logically understood this, she still couldn’t rest easy without seeing them wake up with her own eyes.

When two hours were up, Tyler went out and swapped Zerev back in. By this time, the medicine had taken effect, and the cubs’ temperatures had dropped. Only then did Ophelia’s racing heart finally settle.

"Zerev, how long does it take for a dragon cub to shape-shift?" she asked. It had been five hours since the second oldest cub started running a fever, but he hadn’t shown any changes yet.

"It’s still too early. You should get some sleep." Seeing the dark circles under her eyes, Zerev felt a pang of heartache.

"I won’t be able to sleep unless I see they’re okay with my own eyes," she replied.

And so, they stayed up until dawn. Tyler and Zerev swapped places back and forth before there was finally some progress with the shape-shifting.

The second oldest was the first to react. He suddenly opened his eyes and leaped onto the shore. His joints popped with loud cracks, a sound so violent it made Ophelia wince in sympathetic pain. Watching him curl into a ball of agony and roll on the ground, her eyes reddened with distress. She wanted to step forward, but Zerev held her back.

"Ophelia, we can’t interfere with their shape-shifting. Otherwise, we’ll only be dragging them down," he warned.

Hearing this, she could only bite her lip and watch as he cried out in pain.

After about half an hour, his body began to change, starting with his limbs. His previously furry legs and arms transformed into fair, pale human arms and legs. Next was his head. Finally, he entered the crucial stage of the shape-shifting period: retracting his dragon horns and tail into his body.

This process was far more agonizing than before. Purple-blue veins bulged on his slender neck, and his eyes turned so bloodshot that their original color was completely obscured. At last, with a resounding dragon roar, he completely finished his transformation.

Ophelia was just about to run over when she saw him open his mouth and breathe out a small wisp of flame. She paused in her tracks, turning back to look at Zerev. "Did he awaken a superpower too?"

Zerev pursed his lips. "It seems so."

He was equally surprised. After a century, out of the three dragon cubs Ophelia had borne for him, two had unexpectedly awakened superpowers. Finding this rather strange, he scanned the miraculous space around them. He wondered if the cubs’ ability to awaken superpowers had something to do with this place.

Ophelia had no idea what Zerev was thinking. She quickly rushed to the second cub’s side, crouching down to inspect him thoroughly. Only when she was certain he was completely unharmed did she breathe a sigh of relief.

"Mother, Mother," he called out. The redness in his eyes faded, and upon seeing Ophelia, he reached out his little arms for a hug.

Hearing her baby’s call, Ophelia’s eyes grew hot with tears. Yet, she was slightly bewildered when she realized he hadn’t actually opened his mouth to speak, despite her hearing his voice clearly.

"Once the cubs shift into their human forms, you can communicate with them telepathically," Zerev helpfully explained from the side.

Ophelia nodded in realization. So she had unlocked the Mind Reading Technique.

"Oh, Mommy’s good boy," she cooed, holding him close and showering him with kisses. "You worked so hard during your transformation, baby."

He shook his head. "I’m just happy to finally call you Mother."

As if following his lead, the oldest and the youngest also began their transformations in rapid succession. Fortunately, Zerev’s time limit in the space hadn’t expired while they were shifting. Under his watchful eyes, all three dragon cubs successfully completed their transformations.

With all three fully shifted into their human forms, it became clear that only the youngest—the little female cub—hadn’t awakened a superpower. However, neither Ophelia nor Zerev felt disappointed. After all, such a tremendous stroke of luck couldn’t possibly happen to everyone. To prevent their little girl from feeling left out, Ophelia and Zerev tacitly agreed not to mention her brothers’ superpowers.

When the couple brought the three stark-naked toddlers out of the space, Tyler was incredibly surprised. Before he could even say anything, he turned around, hurried to the next room, and brought out three sets of tiny animal-hide clothes he had prepared in advance to dress them.

"Mother, do I look pretty in this outfit?" The little female cub, already showing a love for beauty, trotted up to Ophelia and did a cute little twirl.

Ophelia bent down and stroked her pale gold hair. "So pretty. Our little baby looks beautiful in everything."

"Mother, when you say ’baby,’ do you mean me or my sister?" the oldest asked, gazing at Ophelia with a look of naive confusion.

Ophelia was momentarily speechless. Before the cubs had shape-shifted, she had always just referred to all of them as "baby."

Tyler chuckled. "It seems it’s time to give them proper names. But there’s no rush. Everyone has had an exhausting night. Let’s get a good sleep first. Naming them can wait until we wake up."

Ophelia agreed, especially as she watched the three plump, fair-skinned toddlers yawning uncontrollably.