American comics: Starting with Luke the Maker

"This is?" Loki watched as Luke grabbed the milky white little dragon, no bigger than a half-grown dog, from the jar. He held it by its small wings, like grabbing a chick, and held it up in front of his eyes.

"A Life Dragon, possessing powerful life force and capable of sharing its life with its master." Luke stuffed the little dragon into Loki's arms.

"Wait, wait, hold on! Damn it, can it not understand me?" Loki was tightly gripped by the little dragon's limbs. Even through his clothes, he could feel the delicate but already sharp claws scraping against his skin, causing a slight pain.

The little dragon wasn't nearly as docile as it had been in Luke's hands. Instead, it was like a hyperactive child, constantly climbing on him, adjusting its position as if trying to find a comfortable spot.

Finally, Loki felt a weight on his head and his eyes rolled upwards. The little dragon had made Loki's head its nest, lying on his thick, neatly combed hair. Its four claws were curled up like a kitten's, and its slender tail wrapped around Loki's neck like a rope for security.

Loki uncomfortably tugged at the smooth, cold dragon tail on his neck, but it didn't budge. The little thing's strength was surprisingly great. Of course, Loki would never admit that he was just too weak.

"You have to teach it. It's a blank slate right now, curious about everything," Luke said, looking at Loki.

"With it, can I beat Hela?" Loki was eager to try, looking at Luke with anticipation, hoping to get a positive answer from him.

"You're dreaming!" Luke bluntly shattered Loki's expectations. "It's just a newborn baby dragon. You expect it to help you defeat Hela?"

Loki was stunned for a moment. His eyes met the dragon's head looking down at him, and he looked blank. "Then what can it do for me? Do I have to raise it?"

"It can keep you from dying," Luke said. "That way, you don't have to worry about being killed by Hela."

"Couldn't there be a stronger one?" Loki was tempted by what Luke said, but still unsatisfied. Clearly, ensuring he wouldn't die meant he could only be a fleshy punching bag? Was he stuck being a weakling who could only take a beating?

"In that case, this dragon isn't bad either." Luke pointed to another ice crystal dragon in the jar, which was spewing cold air and almost freezing the liquid inside. "It was created with a biological version of the Casket of Ancient Winters as its heart. Its bloodline attributes are similar to yours. It has considerable combat power after adulthood and can coordinate well with you.

If you were a warrior, I would be happy to introduce you to such a combat partner. But I think with your personality, you might waste its talent."

"What about this one?" Loki stubbornly looked at the last jar, where the little dragon's head had prominent horns, and its imposing aura and eyes revealed a sense of狂暴 and unruliness.

"Don't even think about it. Your brother might love it, but with you, I'm afraid the aftershock of its battles could directly take you away. You can't tame it," Luke bluntly extinguished Loki's thoughts.

"Okay, okay, then it is. How do I raise it?" Loki looked helpless, but after thinking about it, he still reluctantly said, "Is it really just one choice? You can name a price! I think all three little cuties are pretty good. I want to give one to my brother, put it on his tab."

"What do you think this is? Wholesale cabbage? They're not that cheap," Luke ridiculed Loki's outrageous request. "Besides, one is already your limit for raising."

Seeing Loki's disbelief, Luke said, "They're still small and in the stage of absorbing nutrients. The richer the nutrients at this stage, the faster they grow and the greater their potential. My suggestion is to let it devour highly concentrated life fluid from a young age. This new energy can be synthesized according to the energy ratio of various mental and emotional energies.

I'll give you a discount. A standard portion, about a day's worth, will only cost you 1999 new currency. My suggestion is not to skimp. Buy several years' worth at once, and I can give you some discounts."

"And its adulthood is calculated in millennia. Of course, this cultivation method of yours will shorten its adulthood and make it develop earlier, but each stage will still be counted in units of at least five hundred years. You don't have to worry about it dying before you. It might be able to see off you, your son, and your grandson. Of course, if you have a good relationship with it, you might live as long as it."

"This is just the early juvenile stage. When it reaches adulthood, it will need to supplement even more nutrients and undergo more training, which will also require you to spend money. For the best cultivation, my suggestion is not to skimp on this money.

All the information is written in this breeding manual. You can take a look at it."

Listening to Luke casually mention the expenses to be borne at each stage, Loki's face gradually turned pale from his earlier confidence, and finally he felt lifeless. He looked at Luke, like a drowning man making a last struggle: "Can I return it? I don't think it's so bad to be killed by Hela."

The little dragon gripping Loki's claws suddenly increased its strength, and its slender and powerful tail wrapped around Loki's neck twice, making it difficult for Loki to breathe, so naturally he couldn't speak.

"It likes you very much. Come, sign this contract. The purchase price is already on it, and a month's worth of food is included. It's a steal! Of course, if you still want to own a second one, that's no problem." Luke pulled a Abyssal Contract from the void, wrote a price on it, and handed it to Loki, signaling him to sign.

"One is enough." Looking at the price on the contract that made his eyes go dark, Loki, who had always thought he was quite rich, suddenly realized his poverty. At this moment, he had a deep understanding of what Nick and the others had said.

No matter how rich you are, at Luke's place, you can always recognize your poverty.

There are too many good things, but too little money.

"I want a loan!" Loki said, resigned to his fate, after signing with his eyes closed.

"No problem," Luke nodded readily.

"Remember to send the bill to Thor Odinson!" Loki shamelessly scammed his brother. "Just consider it payment for helping him handle affairs all these years. He bought a hammer, and I bought a dragon. Isn't that fair?"

PS: Thanks to 寂静得峰. 隐月显阳, and 刃狙 for the donations.