For the week that followed, Yin Xie became my personal persistence trainer, showing up daily to ask for resources.
Each time, I declined, watching her return stronger the next day. I couldn't help but feel like I was playing a dangerous game of chicken with a dragon. It was thrilling, sure, but deep inside, I was screaming: One wrong move, and you're dead. One wrong move, and you're dead!
Exactly one week in, she came back with a fiery determination that could melt steel. Her presence alone felt suffocating, and I realized she wasn't even trying to suppress her aura.
"I should just cave at this point," I muttered to myself. After all, my dragon heart reserves had reached a whopping 22,680 units, and I had no personal use for them. Other lords would probably kill for even a fraction of that stockpile, but hey—sucks to be them.
Yin Xie finally spoke, her tone firm. "Human, I will share all my unique and rare resources if you lend me some of your immense wealth."
I decided to play it cool, pretending to think it over. But the room felt heavier with each passing second, and my lungs began begging for mercy. Her anxious energy was practically choking me.
"Alright, alright!" I yelled, raising my hands in surrender, my breath barely returning.
"How many dragon hearts do you need?"
"How many do you have?" she shot back, tilting her head.
Don't question me when you're the one borrowing, I wanted to say, but instead, I yelled, "Don't question me back!"
Then it hit me—I'd just yelled at a dragon. My eyes went wide, and my jaw froze. Welp, this is how I die, I thought.
But Yin Xie didn't seem to care. Instead, she started doing calculations with her hands, mumbling something about auctions and reserves.
"10,000 dragon hearts," I said quickly, before she could finish her math.
Her eyes went wide, and before I knew it, she shrank down into a cute little dragon form, flying around me in circles as if trying to size me up.
"You look cute this way," I blurted without thinking.
She instantly transformed back into her human form, her golden eyes locking onto mine. Her gaze was intense, and I quickly looked away, feeling like prey.
Clearing my throat, I retrieved 10,000 dragon hearts from my system and placed them before her.
Yin Xie's curiosity piqued as she watched me. "Human, what is this storage ability of yours? How are you holding so much with you?"
I shrugged, pointing at the neatly piled hearts on the floor. "This is all 10,000 dragon—"
Before I could finish, she waved her hand, and all the dragon hearts vanished, absorbed into her ring.
My eyes practically sparkled. "I want that ring!" I exclaimed, unable to hide my envy.
Yin Xie smirked.
"Get me a ring like that when you find one in the auction," I demanded, my desires now running wild. "Or lend it to me for a day when you come back!"
The dragon lady gave me a smug glance before disappearing. Ugh, dragons. Always taking the good stuff.
---
Yin Xie arrived in the evening, looking far too determined for my liking. "Human, let's go to the auction together."
I immediately shook my head. "No way."
She raised an eyebrow and smirked. "They might bring out better rings. Mine's barely a mid-sized one."
I gave her a skeptical look. "How long until the auction?"
"Ten days," she said, staring around in impatience. "We can't teleport there, so I'll be flying. I'll give you the opportunity to ride on my back—for an extra 10,000 dragon hearts."
Wait, what? Ten days? My brain started going into overdrive, calculating the logistics of ten days of non-stop travel. I was getting secondhand exhaustion just thinking about it.
"Give me those 10,000 dragon hearts," I blurted, figuring I could at least bargain a bit.
Yin Xie blinked, surprised. "But human, you gave them to me already."
I waved my hand in the air. "Listen, I'll go to the auction, and I'll buy items worth 30,000 dragon hearts. Isn't that better than scamming me out of 20,000?"
She hesitated, her eyes narrowing. I could practically see the gears turning in her head, but eventually, she reluctantly handed me the 10,000 dragon hearts.
There, I thought, that's one problem solved, now let's just hope I can make it through the next ten days without turning into a human-sized popsicle and seeing this fabled 'high-sized ring'.
With 10 days to go, my talents would soon bring me to a staggering 800,000 plus dragon hearts, but right now, my reserves were looking a little thin—and by thin, I mean a little over 20,000. This was no time to be frugal, especially with a dragon breathing down my neck. But hey, when you're dealing with dragons, you gotta do everything to live right?
I was just about to breathe a sigh of relief when Yin Xie called over Lucia for a fashion makeover.
Lucia's eyes gleamed like a professional stylist on a mission. "Now, now, master, let me doll you up so you're a fitting partner for a dragon."
I could already feel my self-esteem being ripped apart like a piece of paper. The tuxedo she handed me was sleek, all black, and shiny—but then came the mask. Yes, a mask. Because apparently, my face wasn't good enough for public viewing. Great. There goes my self-esteem.
So, there I was, wearing a tuxedo and a normal Kitsune mask, trying to look like I hadn't been entirely defeated by my own reflection. This is insanity.
Atleast I've already secured my real body with the Kitsune robe ability and this is just a clone body.
As I silently followed Yin Xie, I couldn't help but grumble about how the people in my city never actually saw me work. They only saw Lucia, the one actually getting things done. At least she deserves the praise, though, right? I thought. That's the bright side.
Yin Xie, in her dragon form, shot into the sky, and I had to hold on for dear life. The view was incredible. Floating islands! Temples hanging from the clouds like ornaments on a Christmas tree! Some of them had visible inhabitants—at least, I thought I saw some kind of movement—but the whole thing was so otherworldly, it was like a scene ripped from a dream. I barely managed to stop myself from pointing and yelling like a child. Floating islands? In the sky? Who builds this stuff?
As we soared through the skies, we crossed over the Virelith Kingdom in 3 days and then southward, toward the Thalorian Empire.
Ah, the Thalorian Empire. Chaos in every direction. Fire. Smoke. More fire. It looked like the entire empire was on the verge of spontaneously combusting at any given moment. Kirin had said most of the lords lived here, and judging by the state of the place, I believed it. Every time we dipped down from the clouds, all I could see were fires burning in the distance. It was a level of chaos that made me feel a little uneasy.
Reminds me of a certain pyro from a game who's such a cutie, I mused, watching the flames flicker below. I had to wonder—Could game characters appear here too?