"Seriously, why live so hidden? It's not like anyone's stealing their stuff. These dragons are way too secretive," Little Kitty grumbled after days of searching with me. She'd run off with plenty of food and drink, thrilled at first, but now it was pure torture.
"Don't say that, Kitty. Maybe they're guarding their lair. I hear dragons are filthy rich, obsessed with shiny stuff like gold coins, jewels, and rare armor. They only leave to hunt, otherwise they're hoarding their treasures," I speculated.
"Really, Brother Tian? How do you know? I've lived here forever and didn't know!" Little Kitty turned, gazing at me with admiration. Being stared at by a beauty feels damn good. I explained smugly, "I once found a dragon's hoard in a cave. So many treasures, you couldn't count them."
"Wow, so much! Brother Tian, you're amazing—you beat a dragon!" My face should've blushed, thick as it is. Lying to a beauty, especially my adorable Kitty with whom I've gotten intimate, is unforgivable. "I didn't beat it. When we entered, the dragon was already dead, just skin left. This armor I'm wearing? Made from that dragon's hide," I said, pointing.
"Looks like dragon hide!" Kitty said, touching it. I pulled a blue dragon-hide armor set from my storage ring. "Here, the last one's yours." Kitty stripped naked right in front of me to change. Ugh, no brain. If someone's hiding, she's fully exposed. I've told her a million times—gotta drill this later.
"Brother, am I pretty?" Kitty spun in the armor. "Not bad—handsomer than my generals, a total heartthrob!" Never skimp on praising girls; it's one of my golden rules. Wanna hear more?
"Brother, you're mean! If I'm not pretty, just say it, no need to beat around the bush," Kitty pouted. "Comrade Kitty, my love, words can't describe your beauty. How could I ever call you ugly?" I asked, baffled.
"Who compares a girl to a guy?" she said. Oh, that's the issue. "Look, I'm too used to the barracks, forgot my wife's a woman. But in that armor, your valor outshines any man!"
"I'm not that great," she said. Did I hear right? Our Kitty being humble? Time to study Female Psychology. I've got plenty of wives, but handling them's tough. Gotta keep updating my approach, mastering the "Man's Three Obediences and Four Virtues" to keep up with modern women.
I tossed an apple core randomly, clapped my hands, and stood to keep moving. Suddenly, a shout came from behind: "Stop! You're in dragon territory—no further!" Kitty and I locked eyes, high-fived, and jumped for joy. If he hadn't shown up, we'd be wandering these mountains for days. "Brother, you're my star of hope!" I rushed to give him a big hug, bursting with gratitude. "Stop! What're you doing?" Guess good intentions get misunderstood.
Something felt off. I paused, sizing him up. "What're you staring at? Never seen a hot guy?" he snapped, flustered. Damn, that's a universal line, galaxy-spanning. "Brother, is this dragon territory?" I asked. "Of course, what else would it be?" Bingo—then it hit me what was wrong. Dragons, who rarely mingle with others and look down on other races, wouldn't let a human guard their land.
"Brother, if this is dragon turf, don't tell me they'd let a human guard it. Hungry? Just say so—no need for lame excuses that ruin your image…" To teach him lying for food is wrong, I lectured for over four thousand words, fully embodying tireless mentorship.
"Who said I'm not a dragon? Who said I'm here for your food?" he roared, neck red, rebutting my points. Didn't expect such a heated reaction, like we had some blood feud.
"Enough talk. I'm here to discuss something critical with the dragons. You will take us, or we'll keep at it till you do. We've trekked this damn forest for five or six days—think we'll give up now?" I pressed.
"Can't you tell me first, and I'll inform the elder?" His curiosity was relentless, but he was doomed to disappointment. "No way. I'm not even sure you're a dragon. Do dragons look like you?" I shot back.
"What should dragons look like?" he countered. "Horns, scales, wings, at least!" Damn, think I'm some ignorant fool? This genius emperor ain't that gullible.
"Who says dragons can't shapeshift?" He glared at me like I was a backwoods bumpkin. "Show me, then," I said. "Fine!" A flash of white light, and a white dragon appeared. "Well?" Holy crap, he can shapeshift. My brain short-circuited. How does that massive body shrink to human size? Inflatable? Nah, impossible. Save that for later.
"Now, tell me what this big deal is," he said, still curious. "Sorry, can't. It's too important—only for your elder or dragon king. Who knows if you're a spy for our enemies?" "You dare slander me, punk? Now I'll settle the score for poking me earlier!" Damn, this dragon's ready to throw down. If I wasn't here on business and playing nice, you think I'd fear your scaly ass?
"Kitty, step aside. Watch me school him," I said, flipping him the bird.
"Stop!" A voice halted my duel with this little white snake. An old man, maybe fifty, appeared out of nowhere, with a few youngsters behind. "Elder," the white dragon said respectfully. The elder and I sized each other up. "Greetings, I'm Makino Feitian, emperor of the Sun Empire from the Saint Demon Continent. Pleased to meet you, Elder," I said, extending my hand. He shook it, saying, "Pleased to meet you, far-off guest. Forgive our rudeness."
"Didn't expect the cat tribe's saintess here," the elder said to Kitty. "What? Kitty's the saintess?" My god, if the cat tribe tracks me for kidnapping their saintess, I'm in deep. "Kitty, why didn't you tell me?" I asked. She blinked innocently. "You didn't ask, so I didn't say. Besides, saintess or not, it doesn't change my love for you, right, babe?" I nearly collapsed—she threw my own line back at me, and I'm the babe? Total fail!
The elder chuckled. "How'd you know I'm the saintess? I've never seen you," Kitty asked, head tilted. "We don't meet often, but Dragon Island's clan leaders stay in touch. We knew about this pervert peeping at your butt the moment he showed up, just didn't expect you'd wander the forest so long," the elder said. Old man, just say you know her—why drag me through the mud? Kitty shot me a shy, accusatory glance. The elder smirked, clearly getting it. Old but not dead, huh?
We followed this so-called Sixth Elder to the dragon settlement. Surprisingly, dragons live in houses like other mainland races. Without a guide, you'd think this was a quaint mountain village. The houses are huge, though—half of each is a massive room, the other half split into smaller human-sized ones.
I looked at the elder, puzzled. He smiled. "Strange how we build houses, huh?" I nodded. "All races evolve toward human forms eventually. The big rooms are for our kids. Unlike humans, dragons complete their human transformation in the womb. Born as dragons, they can't shapeshift until they gain sentience—about twenty human years. Before that, they stay in primal form for protection, since young dragons lack combat ability."
Now I got why their houses are like this. "Must take tons of food to sustain that size," I said, picturing a dragon's appetite. "Not what you think. In their primal juvenile phase, they need energy blocks for the massive energy demands, not much food. Once they shapeshift, energy block needs drop, and by adulthood, they live like humans, eating regular food. You can keep eating energy blocks, but who'd want to? They're tasteless, like plain water."
Passing some houses, we saw juvenile dragons poking out, wagging huge heads and licking us with long tongues. They thought it was fun, but I felt gross—hot dragon breath blasting my face like summer heat. Their parents would rush out, pat their heads fondly, smile apologetically at us, while the kids whined and nuzzled them. Not exactly charming.
"That's rough. Must need a ton of energy. Dragon parents have it tough," I remarked. "No choice. Once they reach human form, it's like humans, cutting excess consumption. Parents stockpile energy blocks before birth—not just for the kids, but for the mother to recover from childbirth's energy drain," the elder explained.
Hearing "energy blocks," I thought of the high-energy crystals around Flying Dragon Star. "Elder, can any energy block work?" I asked. "Yes, anything with energy, like some magical beast cores. High-grade blocks are scarce now. For our race's survival, we send people to the mainland yearly to buy them. That's why we love gold coins—money buys stuff. But mining's dwindled."
I pulled a palm-sized high-energy crystal from my storage ring and handed it to the elder. "Check this out. How's the energy?" I was baiting their interest for later negotiations. The crystal I gave could power Earth for thirty years. Cohen gave me three and a mini energy converter for emergencies—didn't expect to use one now. Wish I'd brought more. The Sixth Elder took it, closed his eyes, and glowed blue like lightning. He staggered back, then grabbed my hand, thrilled. "What is this? Absorbing it feels incredible, and the energy's massive. One block could save us ten years of trips!"
He reluctantly handed it back. I pushed it toward him. "We call it a high-energy crystal. First visit, no better gift. Back home, we use these for weapon power." "Thank you!" the elder beamed, passing it to the youngsters behind him, who examined it excitedly.
After walking half an hour from the village entrance, we reached a massive room built from polished stone, temple-like. I knew my mission would conclude here. Five people stood on the stone steps, including a young-looking woman—likely the other five of the six dragon elders. The Sixth Elder introduced them. Their names, long like Western ones, seemed to include their parents'. I didn't bother memorizing, just noted their ranks. The woman was the Fourth Elder. Shaking her hand, I slid my finger across her palm. She wasn't stunning, but something about her drew me in. She noticed, shooting me a shy glance. Damn, why am I so horny on Flying Dragon Star? (Per the classics: someone's excusing his shamelessness.) Kitty, don't blame me tonight.