Chapter 388 - 272: Zog is a Good Red Dragon (2)

Chapter 388: Chapter 272: Zog is a Good Red Dragon (2)

This only made them cry harder.

The teachers spent a frantic ten minutes consoling them, finally getting the children’s streaming tears and snot to subside into hitching sobs.

"Alright now, it’s Christmas Day, so everyone will be getting a present! And the best-behaved child will even get a chance to have their wish come true...!"

Hearing that there were presents, the children all got up and started heading outside, still sniffling but wasting no time.

On the playground, all the Magic Energy Crystal Stones on the Christmas tree were lit, casting a dazzling, multicolored glow into the night.

"Look, it’s the Christmas Dragon!"

A sharp-eyed child quickly spotted the figure flying through the night sky.

The story of the Christmas Dragon had already been written into children’s books and told to the students.

A child’s emotions come and go quickly. They had already tossed the whole Digital Monster affair to the back of their minds, now cheering at the sight of the Red Dragon drawing ever closer.

"Whoa! He’s actually real! I thought it was just a story for little kids!"

It was, in fact, a story for little kids.

Zog, hearing the shouts from the sky, silently answered in agreement.

He didn’t need any reindeer to pull a sleigh. He could fly just fine on his own.

After descending to a suitable altitude, Zog opened the Treasure Chest Monster and started dumping gifts straight into the crowd.

The gifts, which everyone received, only came in a few varieties. You got whichever one you happened to catch.

All the gift boxes were wrapped with festive paper and ribbons. A Feather Fall Technique had been cast on them, so they would drift down slowly and wouldn’t bonk any of the kids on the head.

"Whoa, it’s raining presents!"

"Thank you, Christmas Dragon!"

When they weren’t being little terrors, kids were actually pretty cute.

Zog executed a graceful spiral, banking around to land right next to the Christmas tree.

The puffy costume didn’t impede his agility in the slightest.

Standing before several hundred children, all gazing up at him with pure adoration, was an incredible emotional high.

Zog adjusted his voice-modulating bow tie, selecting a warm, fatherly tone.

"Did you like my presents, kids?"

"We loved them!"

"And can you guess what other surprise I have for you today, besides the presents?"

"A wish come true."

"Excellent! Then let me help the luckiest child here make their wish come true."

"What? I thought you were going to grant a wish for the best-behaved kid," a child asked in confusion.

Zog shot a quick glance at the principal.

The principal’s slightly awkward smile showed she hadn’t anticipated this hiccup.

In professional terms, it was a failure to align on the details.

Fortunately, Zog was quick on his feet. "You’re absolutely right," he continued. "I’m here to help the best-behaved *and* the luckiest child make their wish come true."

He then sent an urgent message to the principal using the Communication Technique.

"Who’s the best-behaved kid?"

"Lucia."

"Is her wish outrageous?"

"No, it’s reasonable."

The principal replied in a low voice, pointing toward the area where the wishes from Lucia’s class were hung. Zog would have to find the specific one himself.

Zog nodded. ’Looks like I’ll have to add a rule in the future,’ he thought. ’Something about the Christmas Dragon having limited magic, so he can’t grant just *any* wish.’

"Alright, let’s find our first lucky winner of the day..."

Zog plucked a wish from the tree.

"Dior!"

A chubby little boy in the crowd immediately shrieked and jumped to his feet.

"His wish is... for his mom and dad to take him to the Ice and Snow Paradise in the Northern Domain!"

That couldn’t be easier to grant.

Zog reached a claw into his chest and pulled out three tickets to the Ice and Snow Paradise—the deluxe package, which included room and board.

The chubby boy took the tickets excitedly, but his expression quickly fell. "Actually," he said, "I’d rather my mom and dad just spend time with me. They’re too busy with work and are hardly ever home."

’How come there’s a follow-up request?’

Zog asked, "What do your mom and dad do for work?"

"They’re laborers at the construction site by the port," the boy said. "They get paid by the day, so they don’t want to miss a single day of work..."

"Hmm..."

"So I guess even the Christmas Dragon can’t help, huh?"

"Of course I can! You just tell me what day you want to go, and I promise your parents will have the time off."

"Really?"

"Absolutely!"

Zog had only hesitated because he was thinking, not because the request was difficult. Since they worked at *his* construction site, it was incredibly easy to arrange.

He had just realized this was likely a very common problem.

Originally, every worker at the Deepwater City construction sites had mandatory days off scheduled into their shifts.

However, many workers, wanting to earn more, would take on odd jobs elsewhere on their days off. The commute often made them even more exhausted than if they’d just worked straight through. After a few fatigue-related accidents, there was no choice but to make the days off optional.

More than exhaustion, the people here feared having no work at all.

Poverty had scarred them so deeply that the very idea of relaxing and enjoying life didn’t even enter their minds.

Zog didn’t have a solution for this problem, at least not yet.

It was a habit that would be hard to break even if they became wealthy. He’d seen plenty of elderly people who had everything they needed but still insisted on a life of self-imposed hardship.

He went on to grant the wishes of a few more children.

"And now, for the final wish of the evening! This one belongs to the best-behaved child, and she is... Lucia!"

Before he had even finished speaking, a little girl stood up confidently. None of the other children raised any objections.

’She must be a truly outstanding student,’ he observed. ’Probably the type whose grades leave the runner-up in the dust.’

Zog opened Lucia’s envelope. Inside was a long letter with neat handwriting.

He skimmed its contents. The letter was about Lucia’s grandfather, a farmer in a small village. Apparently, her grandfather had heard that a wealthy family from their village went to the city, learned some farming secrets at an internet cafe, and that there was even more information about farming available online.

Zog thought for a moment. ’That sounds about right,’ he mused. ’The corporation’s Druids have posted a lot of tutorials about farming and husbandry on YouTube.’