Unease

Aigie, the red flame dragon, was starting to look dazed.

It seemed she harbored some special feelings for the Dragon King.

Consequently, she still hadn't processed the fact that her King had sold her.

"Shalin, it looks like you two will be staying in my Kingdom of the Moon for a century or two."

Shalin was startled and looked at Luo Li.

She noticed the girl’s eyes constantly flickering toward her older sister.

In an instant, she understood what was being implied.

To think that this human Saintess would actually worry about her sister.

It seemed they wouldn't suffer any grievances during the next couple of hundred years.

But then again, it made sense; they were purebred dragons, after all.

Even in a normal transaction, this Saintess of the Moon wouldn't dare mistreat them.

"Yes, that is exactly what His Majesty intended."

Beside her, Aigie shook her head, her eyes finally regaining a bit of focus.

However, she didn't seem to understand what the two were discussing.

Had she and her sister not been sold by the Dragon King?

What was this about one or two hundred years?

Aigie looked at the two of them, completely bewildered.

Luo Li noticed this and spoke as if nothing were out of the ordinary.

"The contract the Dragon King made with me applies to you two. When I die, the contract naturally ends, and you can return to Dragon Island."

"But until then, let’s try to get along peacefully. Allow me, as the Saintess of the Moon, to show you some hospitality."

Aigie suddenly snapped out of it, seemingly understanding something. The daze in her eyes was replaced by clarity.

However... contrary to Luo Li’s expectations.

Once Aigie recovered, her gaze carried a trace of killing intent.

Her target was none other than Luo Li!

'Holy crap, did I say something wrong?'

'Good heavens, is Aigie planning to kill me so she can go back and report her mission as complete?'

Shalin, standing nearby, also sensed something and quickly reached out to tug on Aigie’s sleeve.

"Aigie, have you forgotten what His Majesty’s orders were?"

Aigie froze at those words.

Luo Li was equally stunned.

"Wait, Shalin... what did you say? The Dragon King's orders?"

Orders?

What orders?

Why did Luo Li suddenly have the sinking feeling that she had been swindled?

Shalin smiled and turned toward the human Saintess.

There was no longer any need for secrecy; besides, the Dragon King hadn't said anything about hiding it.

"Replying to Your Highness, His Majesty’s order was that he was concerned for your safety. He commanded us sisters to protect your life during the Dragon Calamity."

So... her two hundred million was spent for nothing?

No, it wasn't a total waste!

Thinking of this, Luo Li quickly pressed further.

"The Dragon King said... only during the Dragon Calamity?"

"Yes, but it appears the duration has now been extended," Shalin replied with a smile.

Luo Li felt a strange sensation, as if she had somehow lost out on something.

Whatever, she wouldn't dwell on it.

Having the protection of two dragons was enough to ensure her safety.

Moreover, for the foreseeable future, the command of these two dragons would be in her hands.

With that thought, Luo Li turned to look at Aigie.

"Aigie, please look after me for the next hundred years."

Regardless of the circumstances, although her initial goal wasn't longevity, who wouldn't want to live a few more years if they could?

Of course, it depended on the situation.

If she fell into the hands of the demon army, it would be better to live a shorter life.

But if she could steadily ensure the development of the Kingdom of the Moon and withstand the demon invasion, then living longer was definitely a win!

As long as she broke through level 30, a lifespan of a century or more was practically guaranteed.

"A hundred years?"

Aigie asked, as if confirming something.

The girl lowered her eyes in thought for a moment.

She looked up with a serious expression.

"Yes, a hundred years. Only a hundred years. If you sisters want to leave after a century, I won't stop you."

In a hundred years, if she couldn't make the Kingdom of the Moon glorious again, then having two dragons wouldn't make a difference against the demon army anyway.

"Aigie, a hundred years isn't long for your dragon race, right?"

The lifespan of purebred dragons generally reached thousands or even tens of thousands of years; a mere century was nothing to them.

Aigie remained silent for a moment, and the killing intent in her eyes slowly dissipated.

Phew, things had finally stabilized.

As for what would happen later, she had a whole century to figure that out.

Besides, if she was still under constant threat of death after a hundred years, she might as well pass the title of Saintess to the next generation.

She could retire in peace somewhere.

Or she could just turn into a fiend and stop putting in so much effort.

Outside the hall, the dark dragon Black walked in, still carrying the case.

His face still bore that indifferent expression.

"Lady Luo Li, I’m afraid we will be imposing on you tonight."

"It’s no trouble. Nara, go prepare accommodations for these forty or so dragon compatriots. Make sure they are hosted perfectly, and prepare plenty of food."

They were dragons, after all. Even in human form, their appetites were terrifying.

'Dragon compatriots?'

It was the first time Black had heard such a term. It seemed no other race on the continent referred to dragons that way.

But for some reason, Black found it pleasant to hear.

At the thought, his wariness of the girl grew. Her capacity for inclusion was truly terrifying.

Even as a well-known loner among the dragons, he couldn't bring himself to feel any dislike toward her.

He knew this woman was greedy for money, yet he also knew she wasn't greedy for herself.

This earned her a measure of respect.

She was a completely different story compared to his own King.

At the mention of his King, Black felt a surge of resentment in his heart.

It was truly... hard to describe!

Clearly, there was a gap between humans and dragons!

If his own King had even a third of this girl’s grace, he wouldn't be so full of bitterness.

Forget it, there was no point in overthinking.

"In that case, I will accept your hospitality. On behalf of my compatriots, I express our gratitude to Lady Luo Li."

"Mr. Black, what are you saying? There's no need for such formalities between friends."

"Nara, go make the arrangements. It must be of the highest standard. The funds will come directly from the national treasury."

"Yes, Your Highness."

Nara acknowledged the order and hurried off to prepare.

Luo Li then turned back to Black.

"Someone, bring a seat for Mr. Black. He will join us for the banquet later."

Black shook his head.

"That won't be necessary. I will just rest for the night and return to Dragon Island to report tomorrow morning."

"Actually, I have something I’d like to ask you, so I’d like you to stay for a bit."

"Lady Luo Li, there’s no need for such politeness. If you have a question, just ask."

Black didn't treat himself as an outsider; his previous thanks were only on behalf of the other dragons.

In dragon tradition, once they acknowledged someone, that being became a friend.

He naturally wouldn't stand on ceremony with a friend.

The silver-haired girl on the divine platform looked grave, as if lost in thought. She hesitated for a moment before speaking slowly.

"Mr. Black, do you know what actually triggers the Dragon Calamity?"

A flash of realization crossed Black’s eyes, but then he shook his head helplessly.

"Lady Luo Li, I’m sorry, but I’m afraid I can’t help with that."

Seeing the disappointment in the girl’s eyes, Black thought for a moment and added an explanation.

"It’s not that I’m unwilling to tell you, but I truly don't know what happened."

He looked up at Luo Li.

"I only know that this matter has existed for at least a thousand years."

"As far back as my memories go, the Dragon Calamity has occurred every century or so."

"It seems all low-level magic beasts carrying dragon blood develop intense desires for aggression and destruction. During this time, these hybrid magic beasts have no rationality to speak of."

Thinking of something, he added:

"But Lady Luo Li can rest assured; the skysoar dragon is a formal dragon race recognized by the Dragon King, not a hybrid. It won't be affected by the Dragon Calamity."

"However... a bit of irritability might be unavoidable. Please be prepared, Lady Luo Li."

Black’s explanation caused Luo Li to furrow her brows.

A thousand years... From that perspective, the Dragon Calamity seemed vaguely connected to the demon race.

After all, the demon race also appeared a thousand years ago.

Such a coincidence in timing was bound to be suspicious.

But the fact that even Black didn't know made it even stranger.

"Does the Dragon King have nothing to say about this?"

Luo Li followed up curiously.

Black didn't respond, but Aigie spoke up from the side.

"His Majesty and the older dragons in the tribe are all tight-lipped about it. In my experience, every dragon who knows about it seems very wary of the subject."

"Older dragons?"

This was a new term, and it piqued Luo Li’s curiosity.

She looked toward Aigie, but it was Shalin who answered her.

"Saintess, the distinction between new and old dragons isn't a strict internal classification. It’s just how our younger generation differentiates the dragons from a thousand years ago from those born afterward."

A thousand years again. It seemed the demon race’s impact on the continent a millennium ago was even more severe than she had imagined.

Shalin continued her explanation.

"Within the dragon race, we are divided into the young and the old. The younger generation makes up about two-thirds of the total dragon population. The remaining third are mostly older dragons left over from a thousand years ago."

Based on a dragon’s lifespan, a thousand years wasn't old; they would have just recently reached adulthood.

The dragon race spent five hundred years just going from infancy to the growth phase.

Only after those five hundred years were they considered proper adult dragons.

But looking at it this way, the ratio of the younger generation to the previous generation was very strange.

Logically, there should be far more adult dragons than young ones.

Yet now, the number of thousand-year-old dragons was only about half that of the younger generation.

If the younger generation was represented by the number 2, then dragons over a thousand years old only represented 1.

There was only one explanation for this.

Most of the dragons over a thousand years old had fallen in the war against the demon race a millennium ago.

Those who remained were the survivors, raising their own children and those of others.

Over the course of a thousand years, they had replenished the dragon population to its current level.

In other words, a thousand years ago, the dragon race must have undergone a massive breeding period; otherwise, it would be impossible to have so many offspring of a similar age.

It was highly likely that before the total war with the demon race began, the previous Dragon King had issued an order.

The entire race had to leave behind offspring before they could go to war, which led to such intensive breeding.

"So, Black, you’ve only recently reached adulthood?"

Luo Li was curious, but Black didn't mind and had no intention of hiding it.

"Yes, I am only seven hundred years old. I’ve just reached adulthood. I’m still very young."

'Sure, seven hundred is young—my foot!!'

'For a dragon, maybe, but for her, she would have been reincarnated countless times over!'

Even by the standards of the most long-lived humans, she could have lived three lifetimes.

She really couldn't compete with long-lived species.

Their perception of time was entirely different.

"If Lady Luo Li is curious, why not ask my King personally?"

Aigie glanced at Luo Li with cold eyes. Was that a hint of jealousy in her gaze?

"Given how much His Majesty values you, if you ask, perhaps he will give you an answer."

'Really?'

The girl blinked and twitched her nose.

There was a heavy scent of jealousy in the air.

No wonder Aigie had been so dazed about being sold.

Being sold by the person she liked would naturally leave her in a stupor.

However, in Luo Li’s estimation, the Dragon King probably had no romantic interest in Aigie.

"Yes, I’ll ask the Dragon King myself when I get the chance."

Luo Li nodded with a smile.

Only then did she remember Lina and Momoka standing nearby.

She quickly introduced everyone to one another.

After some polite exchanges, they were acquainted.

For this evening's banquet, Luo Li actually did the cooking herself. Although the ingredients weren't overly lavish, she managed to prepare a unique feast.

The banquet ended amidst laughter and cheerful conversation.

Everyone ate their fill and enjoyed themselves.

Momoka, however, spent the entire time staring at the two dragon sisters with sparkling eyes.

To her, having real dragons right in front of her was something to be curious about.

As for Astrid, she was still too small; her current height was only a little over two meters.

Compared to the massive bodies of the dragon race, which could easily reach hundreds of meters in length, she was far from their level.

Seeing how curious Momoka was, Luo Li calmly took a sip of tea.

It was a good thing she hadn't called Ligeia over, or else these two sisters might not have kept their virtue tonight.

Last time the Dragon King came, Ligeia had almost tried to collect samples on the spot.

She would wait a few days before telling Ligeia, once things had settled down.

She set down her teacup, listening to the pleasant voices of the girls around her.

Luo Li’s thoughts, however, began to drift.

Everything in the Kingdom of the Moon seemed to be getting on the right track.

But why did she still have a lingering sense of unease?

Had she overlooked something?

Two words flashed involuntarily through her mind.

Nobles!