Recap
They stood in comfortable silence, the wind rustling through the leaves above them. Shen Chaomu’s turbulent emotions gradually calmed. The setting sun cast long shadows, painting the golden grass and distant mountains in a warm glow.
A sense of familiarity washed over him, a feeling of belonging, of a connection that transcended time and species.
“Have you heard the saying that people become stars after they die?” Shen Chaomu asked.
Long Shiyu looked at him, puzzled.
Shen Chaomu smiled. “It’s another fairy tale people like to believe. Is it true?”
“Probably not,” Long Shiyu replied. “But I don’t know much about things outside this galaxy. Why do you ask?”
“Just a thought.” Shen Chaomu ruffled his hair. “Come on, let’s get some barbecue.”
The last rays of sunlight faded, replaced by the warm glow of the barbecue flames. The air was filled with the sizzle of cooking meat and the lively chatter of orcs. Men and women, clad in traditional attire, moved through the crowd, their fur-trimmed clothing and the clinking silver ornaments at their waists catching the light.
Long Shiyu’s plate overflowed with meat, but his gaze remained fixed on the grill, where several skewers sizzled enticingly. Shen Chaomu, seated across from him, sipped his tree brew, its woody aroma a pleasant contrast to the savory meat.
They had initially joined Yang Zhiming and the others, but Long Shiyu’s impressive appetite and the limited access to the grill meant that sharing a table was a constant exercise in self-denial. Long Shiyu wouldn’t snatch food from others, but his yearning glances were difficult to ignore. Shen Chaomu, taking pity on his companions, had relocated with Long Shiyu to a separate table.
Now, they had the entire grill to themselves.
“You haven’t worked at a barbecue restaurant, have you?” Shen Chaomu asked, turning a skewer.
“I have,” Long Shiyu replied.
Shen Chaomu sensed a story. “What happened?”
“I was fired for stealing food.”
“I can’t imagine what your definition of ‘stealing’ is,” Shen Chaomu said dryly.
The meat was cooked to perfection, juicy and flavorful, just as Shen Chaomu had promised. The free-range black pigs, raised on a diet of mushrooms and wild fruit, imparted a unique sweetness to the meat.
Shen Chaomu piled the cooked skewers onto Long Shiyu’s plate.
Long Shiyu picked up his chopsticks, then hesitated. “Aren’t you going to eat?”
“I’ve had plenty. Don’t judge my appetite by yours.”
“But you’ve barely eaten anything.” Long Shiyu eyed the meat with reluctance. “Have some.”
Shen Chaomu, remembering the incident with the soup and the dragon’s cultural sensitivities regarding food, quickly reassured him. “I’m full, really. Eat up.”
Long Shiyu, finally convinced, began to devour the meat with gusto.
Later that evening, Long Shiyu, freshly showered, stood on the balcony, gazing contentedly at the bustling scene below. Shen Chaomu, having discussed plans with Yang Zhiming and the others, returned to the room, tossing a small object to Long Shiyu.
“Here.”
Long Shiyu caught it. It was a delicate, birdcage-shaped contraption, no bigger than his thumb. Intricate gears spun within, their movement generating a mesmerizing interplay of gold and silver light.
The evil dragon’s love for shiny objects was well-known. Long Shiyu’s eyes lit up. “What is it?” he asked. “Is it for me?”
“Yes. Just a little trinket from the market. It’s from the Western Hemisphere.” Shen Chaomu smiled. “I thought you’d like it.”
The Zhanshu Chamber of Commerce was known for procuring such unique items. They were quite resourceful.
After the dwarves disappeared, they left behind a wealth of mechanical ruins. The Zhanshu Chamber of Commerce occasionally unearthed these relics from the desert sands, selling those with research value to the orc royal family, Alliance researchers, or the Hunter Association. The rest were sold to tourists and locals, prized for their intricate craftsmanship and unique designs.
The chamber’s abundant resources funded various projects in the Eastern Hemisphere, including the Green Inn.
Long Shiyu, delighted with his gift, searched for a place to display it. His evil dragon treasure chest was back on the main star, but this was a gift from the princess, deserving of a place of honor. He settled it on the bedside table. “I love it,” he declared. “I’ve never seen dwarf machinery before.”
“You can see more in the Western Hemisphere,” Shen Chaomu said with a smile. “The dwarves transformed the entire underground. The planet’s core is a massive furnace.”
As he sat down, his terminal buzzed with a wildfire alert. The initial blaze in the north, near the border of the Western Continent, was being contained. But a new fire had erupted on the western edge of the Eastern Continent.
The cause: a massive thunderstorm.
Lightning had struck an ancient tree, igniting the dry undergrowth. The storm was unusually large, even for Tabu, and had already destroyed many trees. Images showed fallen giants and raging flames.
Shen Chaomu frowned. He and Long Shiyu had encountered an abnormal number of powerful thunderstorms lately, each one violent, the lightning splitting the sky. Something wasn’t right.
If not for the lack of alarms and the clear monitoring readings, he would have suspected a strange beast was responsible.
Wildfires in Tabu were difficult to extinguish and often attracted strange beasts, making containment even more challenging. The association messaged, requesting his assistance if the situation escalated.
That night, Long Shiyu endured the indignity of having his clothes removed by his hooligan princess for a wound inspection, then snuggled happily beside him. As he settled in for his bedtime story, the terminal blared an alarm.
Shen Chaomu, momentarily distracted from his struggle to invent a princess-appropriate tale, sighed.
“Are you going again?” Long Shiyu asked.
“Yes.”
“I’m coming too.”
“You’re injured. You need to rest. The materials for the magic haven’t been gathered yet. What if you encounter Shen Di again?”
“I can defeat him.”
“It’s dangerous.”
“But I’m a first-generation dragon.”
“It’s still dangerous. And there might be thunderstorms. Stay here, rest, and eat some barbecue. We’ll be here a while longer.”
“Ying…” Long Shiyu’s disappointment was evident.
Ten minutes later, bundled in Shen Chaomu’s oversized trench coat, Long Shiyu boarded the sightseeing bus. The temperature difference between day and night in Tabu was significant, and despite his insistence that fire dragons were impervious to cold, Shen Chaomu had bundled him up.
The journey to the new wildfire was long, and fatigue settled over the group. The Black Knight, unable to be left unsupervised, nervously boarded the aircraft, clutching his miniature apple and pineapple plants. These tiny replicas of Tabu’s unique flora were popular souvenirs. He had won them in a gambling match with the orcs, his skills with dice and cards apparently undiminished after a thousand years.
“Why did you get those?” Long Shiyu asked as the aircraft took off.
“The children loved them,” the Black Knight replied, carefully placing the plants on the table. “In my time, these were rare, grown only in the royal gardens. Greedy beasts would try to steal them, but I, the valiant knight, protected them.” He chuckled at the memory. “Those were glorious days.”
“Do they taste different from normal fruit?” Long Shiyu asked.
“More delicious, I think.” The Black Knight turned to his horse. “Potato, wouldn’t you agree?”
The warhorse whinnied.
The others were preoccupied with the wildfire situation, leaving Long Shiyu and the Black Knight to admire the miniature plants.
“Times have changed,” the Black Knight lamented. “Even a valiant knight like me grows old. Before I met Potato, I would challenge windmills while riding a donkey.”
Long Shiyu poked at the pineapple’s leaves.
“He caused the thunderstorm, didn’t he?” the Black Knight declared. “Potato can smell him. Why don’t you tell them the terrifying king is still alive? I thought a new king meant the old one was dead.”
Long Shiyu interrupted him, a glint in his golden eyes. “Don’t tell them,” he said, a sly smile spreading across his face. “I’ll deal with him, just like before.” He stood, eager to return to Shen Chaomu and secure his goodnight kiss.
“Potato says the human’s spiritual power is unusual, its color beautiful,” the Black Knight continued. “Why does he have something similar to yours…?”
“Stop talking,” Long Shiyu hissed, his smile turning predatory. “You know too much.”
The Black Knight wisely fell silent, intimidated by the sudden shift in Long Shiyu’s demeanor. He wasn’t sure what to make of this new king, who seemed quite capable of retaliating for his rambling.
Long Shiyu, pleased with himself, returned to his princess.
The aircraft flew through the night, finally approaching the wildfire zone.
The next morning dawned overcast, with flashes of lightning illuminating the dark clouds. A mournful cry echoed from the living room. “Where’s my pineapple?”
The Black Knight squatted beside the empty flowerpot, his gauntleted hands trembling, his posture a picture of despair.
Yang Zhiming, who had risen early and was puttering in the kitchen, was oblivious to the drama unfolding. They still had some time before reaching the wildfire zone. Reports indicated the situation was stabilizing, with no large-scale strange beast activity.
“He was complaining about being hungry last night,” Song Qianqian yawned, pointing at Yang Zhiming. “He must have eaten it.”
Yang Zhiming’s eyes widened. “What does it have to do with me? I was asleep!”
“If it wasn’t you, was it Brother Shen?”
“Maybe it was sister-in-law,” Yang Zhiming suggested.
“It wasn’t me,” Long Shiyu said earnestly.
Yang Zhiming, convinced by his sincerity, turned his attention to Li Jianchun. “Maybe she ate it.”
“Don’t slander my Jianchun!” Song Qianqian retorted.
Li Jianchun, sipping her coffee, calmly pointed at the trash can. “There’s no pineapple peel.”
“Then it must have been a thief!” the Black Knight wailed. “They took the whole pineapple! This is revenge!”
“The pineapple was still there when I went to the living room last night,” Yang Zhiming protested.
“You were sneaking around?” Song Qianqian asked, raising an eyebrow.
“I wouldn’t steal a pineapple!”
“Maybe you wanted a snack after working on your machines.”
“If I had stolen it, I would have eaten it. Why wouldn’t I peel it?”
“Do pineapples need to be peeled?” Long Shiyu asked, confused.
Everyone turned to Long Shiyu, who had spoken.
“Ying!” he squeaked, shrinking under their gazes.
Shen Chaomu, with a sigh, apprehended the guilty dragon.
___
To support the author’s raw: click here.
Support me here + advanced chapters: click here.
Update: Every Weekday
Leave a Reply