The chapter opens with a brief exchange between Ziziani and Santu, who are reading together. The narrator tells us that the two of them have encountered an "incredible event" , in which the two men had to remove the dragon's core from their bodies. Santu did not want to do so, because he was worried about the effect this would have on his health. The two men decide to take care of the baby dragon, which is born from the core of the dragon. The baby dragon drinks "nectar" and poops, and the narrator is startled by the baby's behavior. He wonders if the baby is dreaming, and wonders why the baby wakes up. He also wonders if he had a dream about the core being removed from his body.