Chapter 64
Shen Qi was right in his premonition. In a few breaths, the red dragon flew right in front of him, and quite evidently, towards him intentionally.
The dragon stopped in front of him, its wings ceasing to flap. It hovered serenely mid-air, lowering its massive head. Its dark red eyes were focused on Shen Qi, seemingly evaluating him. Its hot breath exhaled, causing the temperature around to surge.
So warm.
Instantly, Shen Qi was drenched in sweat. It was indeed a fire dragon. Just its breath was enough to simulate the summer heat.
Shen Qi wiped the sweat from his forehead to prevent it from trickling into his eyes. His eyes circled the dragon’s body. It seemed even more beautiful up close. These scales, these spikes — he wanted to touch them.
The dragon watched Shen Qi for a while, seemingly wanting to touch him with its claw. However, it retracted halfway through. Suddenly, it spoke human language, the tone subtly expressing disappointment: "So small."
So small, so weak—how could it bear him?
But why did this man's blood stir him? Seeing him up close intensified the sensation; the restlessness within his body was almost unbearable. But why was it to a human, a weak human?
Shen Qi's lips twitched. Of course, he was small compared to the dragon. He also wanted to appear mighty and strong. But the seventh prince was only fifteen. Although western people mature early, considering the nutritional standards of this world, his height of 1.72 meters at fifteen was already quite tall. Looking at Mori and York, who were in their twenties and trained in martial arts, none reached 1.8 meters.
Looking up, Shen Qi met the eyes of the dragon, "Did you come for me?"
The dragon seemed surprised at his words and tilted its head.
Shen Qi spread his hands, a bright smile lighting his face. "I'm the offering, a sacrifice for you. Can you take me away?"
At the word "you", the dragon's eyes lit up. It extended its claw and grabbed Shen Qi. "That's right, you belong to me."
Just as it was about to fly off, Shen Qi quickly held onto one of its fingers, gesturing towards Mori and York. "Take them with us."
The dragon was visibly reluctant. It glared at Shen Qi dissatisfied, apparently finding him a troublesome pet.
Shen Qi sighed internally, patted the dragon's claw, and adjusted his position to sit in its palm. He stretched out his hand, waiting for it to lift him up. He planted a kiss on the dragon's fearsome-looking face. He gazed at the dragon with hopeful eyes: "They’re my attendants. If left here, they would die. If you don't like them, you could dump them somewhere safe after we leave this place, alright?"
The dragon's eyes, as large as a copper bell, blinked slowly, seemingly processing his words. A few seconds later, it extended its other claw and grabbed Mori and York into its palm.
"Thank you." Shen Qi said, a joyful smile on his face.
However, the dragon did not fly away immediately. Its dark red eyes were fixated on him.
Shen Qi was slightly stunned, then giggled. He leaned forward, planted another kiss on the dragon's face, and patted its hard scales. "Let's go."
Satisfied, the dragon flapped its wings and flew into the distance.
Shen Qi glanced back at the chaotic island. No matter what, with the island's barriers broken, this was a great opportunity for those intent on escaping.
The dragon was so massive and unmissable; those on the shores probably saw it too. If he was the bishop, he definitely wouldn't rush over. He would wait for a few days to ensure the dragon wouldn't reappear before moving in. By that time, those who yearned for freedom would have escaped. Of course, there was nothing he could do about the brainwashed ones. His perceived rescue might be considered a calamity in their eyes.
As to the Holy Church no longer using dragons as a spectacle for sacrifices, there was no rush. There were ten years between now and then, and there would certainly be a solution.
The dragon flew deeper into the sea with Shen Qi. Leif continent was a continuous landmass; or rather, a giant oval that occupied a third of the planet. The other two-thirds were covered by the sea.
Almost all humans lived on the mainland, with only a small number living on islands. These islands were usually close to the main continent. The deep sea has always been a mysterious realm.
Now, the dragon carried Shen Qi and his two knights, flying about ten minutes to land on a massive island.
From high above, Shen Qi saw that this island was very beautiful, densely vegetated, like a green gem nestled in the azure blue of the ocean. There were small hills, and even the occasional stream or waterfall.
The dragon seemed unsure, apparently contemplating whether or not to select this place. Shen Qi patted its palm, "This is the place. It's great."
The dragon lowered its head to look at him and landed directly in the middle of the island. Its wings created a gust of wind akin to a hurricane. Numerous trees fell, grass was uprooted, birds and animals scattered, and a flat spot quickly formed in the middle of the jungle.
Shen Qi was amazed, gaining a direct understanding of the dragon race's strength.
The dragon put Mori and York down and then flew directly up the mountain with Shen Qi.
Shen Qi gestured to Mori and York, who looked nervous, signaling them not to worry.
The mountain wasn't large, only slightly bigger than the dragon. After some hesitation, a red light flashed on the dragon and it shrank half of its size. To Shen Qi's astonishment, it extended its claw and dug a cave in the side of the mountain. It had a knack for selection as it chose the source of a stream. After a few light scratches, a pool of water was created at the entrance of the cave.
It put Shen Qi down by the pool. A slight swipe from a sharp claw ripped open Shen Qi's clothes into two pieces, dropping them to the ground, not even sparing his underwear.
Shen Qi's lips twitched. He wanted to comment on his fortune that no one else was around, didn't he?
The dragon nudged him towards the pool and said, "Bath."
Shen Qi glanced at it. Couldn't tell it was a clean-loving dragon.
What was going on though? Was it making him take a bath so that it could then "eat" him? That's not right; wasn't he impotent? Could the dossier information be wrong?
Shen Qi narrowed his eyes and glanced nonchalantly at the dragon's lower half. Perhaps due to the different physical structure, he didn't discern anything. As he got into the water to wash off the sweat from his body, he asked curiously, "Are you going to eat me?"
The dragon squatted at the cave entrance, staring intently at him, his deep red eyes reflecting a hint of confusion. It seemed troubled with something. Upon hearing Shen Qi's question, the dragon stretched its head closer to him as if trying to sniff something. "Are you male?"
Shen Qi was sure that his facial expression at the moment wasn't a pretty sight. What the hell was that about? All along, had this beast been thinking that he was a woman?
The dragon seemed to realize that it had asked a silly question. With a look of disappointment, it withdrew its gaze, wilted and curled up. Lying on the ground, it appeared exceedingly desperate and even let out a whimpering howl, as if life held no hope for the dragon.
“Happiness -10.”
Shen Qi: ...
This was the first time his happiness level had decreased without doing anything.
He checked the dragon's happiness level, and after the 10-point reduction, it had just a pitiful 15 points left.
Shen Qi didn't know whether to lament the dragon's innocence or foolishness.
He didn't quite understand the habits of the dragon race, but from its demeanor, it wasn't difficult to guess that dragons would usually pair one male and one female. They'd never had male-to-male relationships, so the dragon had been feeling desire towards him yet despaired upon discovering Shen Qi was a man.
Shen Qi thought, "What should I do? I'm also feeling desperate."
He had initially thought the dragon would be a cool and dominant creature. However, it turned out to be innocent and naive, understanding almost nothing.
After a moment of speechlessness, Shen Qi exited the pool. Since his clothes were rendered unwearable, he wrapped them around his waist like an apron, covering the crucial areas. Fortunately, he had quickly taken off his shoes earlier, or they would have been ruined too.
He didn't immediately try to engage with the dragon. He had found the dragon, so there was no rush. First, he needed to settle down.
This place was not bad, with mountains and water. He had seen many fruits on his way up, making it suitable for survival.
Alas, what had just been a magical fantasy had suddenly turned into a wilderness survival challenge.
Shen Qi organized his current belongings: an "apron", a pair of shoes, a short sword, and the "key" which could make men fell silent and women shed tears due to its dazzling gold.
Unable to stop himself, his eye twitched again. After thinking for a bit, he decided not to throw it away. After all, it was made of pure gold. If he ever needed to return to the mainland, he could melt it down and exchange it for money.
He used his torn underwear to wrap it up and put it aside. Using the remaining cloth from his clothes, he fashioned a small cloth bag, tying it about his waist. It also came in handy as a belt.
Just as he was about to go down to meet Mori and York to plan for survival, he saw a little red flower beside him. This was the flower he had taken from the sacrificial boat and secured at his waist. Despite all the turmoil, the flower remained vibrant.
Shen Qi picked it up, raising an eyebrow, and walked over to the dragon. He patted the dragon's horn on its head, something he had wanted to do since the start.
When he saw the dragon open its eyes, he grinned and handed over the red flower, "For you."
The dragon stared back at him with its dark red eyes, looking completely dumbstruck.
Shen Qi placed the red flower on its claw and impulsively kissed its cheek. He stroked its horn, saying, "Don't be sad. Wait here for me; I'll be back soon."
The dragon glanced at the flower, then back at him, maintaining a bewildered expression.
Shen Qi smiled at it and turned to leave. He used his light-footed agility to reach Mori and York at the foot of the mountain.
As he had expected, Mori and York were waiting where they had been left, not wandering around. Upon seeing him, they first breathed a sigh of relief, but when they noticed his "clothing", their faces instantly turned somber.
"Your Highness..."
"Stop, don't overthink!" Shen Qi cut them off, "I'll give you one more opportunity to choose. If you want to leave, I can ask the dragon to take you to another country. But if you decide to stay, you'll have to follow my lead."
Mori and York looked at each other: "We swear to follow you, Your Highness!"
Shen Qi laughed, "That's enough. I don't need you to die for me, I need you to live well. We'll be staying on this island for the time being. With the dragon here, we don't need to worry about wild beasts. You don't need to worry about me either. You can settle down here on this open ground. There's a stream nearby and you don't need to worry about firewood since there's plenty lying around here. I saw some fruit trees over there when I came down. You can pick some fruits and start setting up. We'll take things slowly."
"Yes."
Shen Qi was satisfied. He didn't plan to keep them here for too long. After a year or two, he would send them away. After all, they were still young and they couldn't spend their whole lives on a deserted island.
After he settled Mori and York, Shen Qi picked some fruits and returned to the cave again.
The dragon was still at the entrance of the cave, but it had sat up and was blankly staring in his direction, holding onto the little red flower he had given it. Upon seeing him, its eyes lit up.
Shen Qi smiled at it, offering a fruit that looked like a banana — the most abundant type in the forest — to the dragon, "This is for you to eat."
The dragon blinked its eyes and its body emitted a red light. When the light vanished, the massive dragon was gone, and a naked man appeared in its place.
The man was incredibly handsome, with striking features, red hair, red eyes, holding onto the little red flower just like the dragon had been, and even seated in the same position.
Shen Qi exclaimed in surprise, "Are you the dragon?"
In all the records he had read, there was never any mention of dragons being able to transform into humans. He had once found it regrettable, but he didn't expect it would actually be possible.
However, once he had taken a good look at the man, his surprise turned into shock. Who could explain to him why the dragon had two little... no, big... he glanced at the fruit in his hand, which was trembling slightly. Wait, wasn't he supposed to be impotent? This didn't look like impotence at all!
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