Chapter 68
Dragon Chi was sad. Although he didn't understand why he was sad, it didn't hinder him from feeling that way. This sadness escalated on the second day when Shen Qi, with his bag packed and his two servant boys standing in front of him, was ready to leave.
Dragon Chi also felt a bit wronged. He didn't understand why Shen Qi was in such a hurry to find a companion. It felt like a gold coin that had jumped into his arms was sprouting legs and trying to run away.
Heartbroken.
He sat on the sofa Shen Qi had made from wood, looking gloomy with a clear unwillingness to cooperate.
Shen Qi straightened his clothes. They were re-tailored from the extra fabric on Mori and York's clothes — modern style shorts and short sleeves. All three of them were dressed the same. Luckily, the small island was situated in the tropics and it didn't look like it was going to cool down even after a month.
Picking up his backpack, he spoke, "No problem, you don't have to take us. We can leave on our own." He then turned to Mori and York, "Let's go, let's push out the boat we built and give it a try in the water."
Despite having spent a month together and having seen Dragon Chi's human form, Mori and York were still very afraid of him. They worriedly glanced at Shen Qi, obviously fearing he had angered Dragon Chi. After all, he was a dragon.
Dragon Chi resisted, growling at him and angrily saying, "You can't leave, not without my permission!"
Shen Qi hardened his face, "What if I insist on leaving? Would you kill me?"
"No!" Dragon Chi hurriedly said, "I won't kill you. You still need to cook for me, chat with me, and touch me. You can't die, nor can you leave."
"But I am growing up," said Shen Qi, "Just like you want to find a female dragon when you come of age, I also need to find a partner. I want to get married and have children." He paused then added with a deeper meaning, "All I want is to find a lover. Even if I have one, I'll still cook for you and chat with you. I'm not saying that I'm leaving. I'll bring my lover back here, to take care of you together."
"But… but..." Dragon Chi had a feeling that something was off in Shen Qi's words, but he couldn't articulate why. Guided by his emotions, he asked, "What about the touching? Can we still play touch if you have a partner?"
Even the densest Mori and York understood what Dragon Chi's 'touch' meant. They were shocked and glanced at Dragon Chi's two valets outside. They looked at each other and saw the worry in each other's eyes. This won't do, it was absolutely wrong!
The prince was right, they had to leave the island and find a lover for him — a human, a normal human.
Shen Qi didn't say yes or no. Instead, he said, "If you agree, I can help find someone else for you. As long as you are willing to give up your gold coins, many will rush to help you."
"I don't want anyone else, I want you!" Dragon Chi blurted out subconsciously. But after digesting the meaning of Shen Qi's words, he hesitated, "Can... can I?" A glint of hope sparkled in his eyes.
Shen Qi sneered internally, 'So it's true.' He knew this beast had not yet come to his senses. His mind was filled with nothing but copulation, recognizing anyone who could satisfy him.
He was indeed a troublesome guy.
Suppressing his anger, Shen Qi smiled wryly, "Why not? Once we reach the mainland, I promise I'll personally take you to find someone until you're satisfied. How does that sound?"
Dragon Chi cleverly hatched an idea. He thought that he wouldn't be able to stand against the female dragons. Since humans could make him stand up, why not search for human females instead? Surely, among the vast number of humans, he would find females who could make him stand up. There might even be more than one. With this thought, his face lit up with excitement.
He's really smart!
Shen Qi indeed was a good human. Dragon Chi cast a regretful glance at Shen Qi. If he wasn't indifferent to gold coins, Dragon Chi would have given him one. No, he'd have given him two.
Thinking this way, his mood quickly changed from gloomy to sunny. He was full of excitement and conceded, "Good, good, good. Let's go now!" He paused, pretending to be fierce, "You can't trick me. If I find out you're fooling me, I'll never let you go!" Then he softens again, "Don't worry. If you can find a female who can make me stand, I'll set you free. How about that?"
Humans were always cunning. As a lone dragon, he could easily be fooled. Many dragons in his tribe had been deceived by humans. Although he wasn't frightened of them, he feared they would take his gold coins and not help him find a female. On top of that, it had been several years since he had been on land. Since Shen Qi was human, he must know a lot about human affairs. With his help, Dragon Chi wouldn't have to fear being tricked.
Feeling proud of his cleverness, he tried to intimidate Shen Qi and reward him at the same time. He was certain that Shen Qi wouldn't dare to trick him.
Shen Qi almost laughed in disbelief, but he did chuckle warmly instead. "Okay," he nodded, "that's what you said. I agree."
Dragon Chi felt a slight unease, but the desire for a female quickly overshadowed it. Without further ado, he leaped out of the cave and morphed back into dragon form. He extended a claw, as if to carry them to the mainland.
Shen Qi shook his head, "No need. That would draw too much attention. They might discover us before you even reach the land. By then all the people will have fled. How will you find a female then?"
"In that case," Shen Qi narrowed his eyes, "could you minimize your size to that of a cheetah? We can set sail, and you can help us navigate. How does that sound?"
Dragon Chi was a bit dissatisfied. Humans were so troublesome. However, he thought of the females and agreed to Shen Qi's proposition.
Then, the group of three humans and one dragon set off in a small boat towards the mainland.
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Dragon Chi indeed could reduce his size. Initially, he was as big as an elephant and towed the boat with a claw, which raced across the calm sea surface, scattering dragon energy. No underwater creatures disturbed their journey. In less than half a day, they spotted the coastline.
Shen Qi immediately asked him to shrink a bit more. Reluctantly, Dragon Chi turned himself to the size of a hawk. He didn't pull the rope anymore, and Shen Qi, Morris, and York took turns steering the boat while Dragon Chi circled in the sky, guided them.
Shen Qi chose a direction opposite to St. Carlos. According to the continental map he had seen before, it should be the Rostock Empire, a medium-sized country ranked in the top four. They were heading for Chester Port.
The Leif Continent was a unified entity, so, the maritime industry wasn't developed. However, it didn't mean that the ports were undeveloped. The coastal cities of every country were bustling as traveling by sea was much more convenient and faster than land, even if they couldn't sail far. They could still follow the coastline to quickly reach other countries.
From afar, they could see countless vessels of various sizes crowding the entire port.
Shen Qi found a discrete spot to sail the boat. Dragon Chi had already transformed into a human form and wore the shorts and short-sleeved shirt Shen Qi had prepared for him. He didn't have proper shoes, so he wore straw sandals. Shen Qi didn't dare let him bring out the collection of gold shoes he had.
Even though it was early morning, the port was already bustling. Freight ships were unloading goods with the help of laborers, cruise ships were ferrying tourists to the shore, and many were preparing to depart. Tourists were waving their goodbyes to their loved ones before boarding their respective ships.
There were also vendors with boxes and baskets hawking their wares, contributing to the bustling and prosperous scene.
Shen Qi looked calm, while Mori and York were somewhat excited – after all, it had been a long time since they had seen other people. Dragon Chi, on the other hand, was full of curiosity, looking around, especially at women, scrutinizing them closely.
"Let's find a place to stay first," Shen Qi stated.
Leading the group out of the port and into the city, Shen Qi expertly navigated to an inn. He didn't mind Mori and York's doubts about a prince being familiar with such things.
After all, he had no intentions of bringing them back with him this time.
As for the accommodation fees, Dragon Chi was naturally the one to pay. Nearing the port, he reluctantly pulled out ten gold coins for Shen Qi, refusing to pay any more.
Shen Qi wasn’t bothered by Dragon Chi's stinginess. After all, Dragon Chi didn't understand human currency. To ordinary people, ten gold coins were already a year's worth of living expenses, and that's assuming they had meat at every meal.
The cost for two rooms in the inn for three days was only two silver coins, while a hundred silver coins were worth one gold coin, and a thousand copper coins equalled one silver coin.
These ten gold coins were enough for Shen Qi to accomplish what he had planned.
Chester Port was the largest port in the Rostock Empire. Owing to its geographical advantage, Chester City was naturally bustling with people – quite an animated scene.
After recklessly spending three silver coins, the inn's servants quickly brought them new clothes, shoes, and relevant accessories.
Dressed neatly and under Dragon Chi's impatient urging, Shen Qi exited the inn.
"Your High--Young Master," Mori corrected himself in the presence of a crowd, "How about I gather some information first and then lead you and Lord Dragon there?"
Regarding the matter of their young master visiting a brothel, Mori and York were extremely reluctant. In their eyes, such a filthy place was hardly worthy of their master's presence.
"No need," Shen Qi laughed, "I've already asked the inn's servants. Just follow me."
"Let's hurry up," Dragon Chi tugged at his sleeve, feeling very uncomfortable with clothes wrapped around him. If it weren't for Shen Qi's promise to help him find a female, he would have surely transformed into a dragon again, humans were just so troublesome.
Despite finding some things interesting, he didn't like the noise — finding a female and leaving quickly would be best.
Shen Qi glanced at him without saying a word. He led the group through various twists and turns, finally stopping in front of a beautiful building. From the outside, it looked elegant. The elaborately carved doors were closed, and beautiful flower pots were placed at the entrance.
Before the group approached, a carriage pulled up and stopped. A servant knocked on the door, and a man dressed like a housekeeper greeted them with a beaming smile. A well-dressed gentleman stepped down from the carriage and arrogantly entered the building.
Following suit, Shen Qi led his group closer, entering with the approval of the joyful housekeeper.
Upon stepping inside, they were greeted by a completely different world. The spacious hall was bustling with people coming and going, accompanied by lingering music. Men and women intertwined – some embracing, some holding waists, all dancing to the rhythm.
Dragon Chi's eyes widened instantly.
Shen Qi gave Mori a look, who then stepped forward and handed a gold coin to the housekeeper. The man's eyes sparkled, and he led the group straight to the second floor.
"Call all the girls from this floor, no need for the ones from the ground floor," Shen Qi said once they were seated.
Dragon Chi nodded in agreement, visibly excited.
The housekeeper showed hesitation, "Some of the girls are currently serving customers..."
"No worries, we can wait until they finish," Shen Qi replied, dropping five gold coins onto the table.
The housekeeper's face lit up instantly. Gathering the coins, he promptly went to make arrangements.
After the housekeeper left, Shen Qi turned to Dragon Chi, extending his hand. "Did you see? To find a female, we need to spend money. Ten gold coins will hardly be enough. We need more. This is just one place. We will go to many such places until you find a female that satisfies you."
Dragon Chi looked a bit baffled. He hadn't expected human females to be so expensive. In the dragon clan, female dragons never demanded their treasures because, for dragons, treasures were as vital as life itself. Their courtship was determined by who was stronger, not who was richer.
Suddenly, he hesitated between coupling and his gold.
After some contemplation, he finally handed over ten more gold coins to Shen Qi, although not without some pain. "We'll see when we run out," he said.
Perhaps he would find a female that excited him before these ten coins were used up? It was an optimistic thought.
However, reality proved him wrong.
Over the course of half a month, he had distributed three thousand gold coins and yet, he still hadn't found a female that could excite him. They had moved from Chester City to the neighboring Set City.
Dragon Chi was getting dizzy from looking at so many women. Watching yet another ten gold coins fly into the care of the housekeepers, he felt so sad he could almost cry.
He regretted his actions. He didn't want a female anymore, he wanted his gold back.
Feeling wronged, he went out to find Shen Qi. Following his scent, he walked through numerous corridors, turned two corners, and there he was, standing beside a colorful glass window. Dragon Chi was about to approach him when he saw a human male walk up to Shen Qi. The man grinned, getting into Shen Qi's personal space, circling his waist, and rubbing intimately against his body.
At that moment, Dragon Chi felt a surge of uncontrollable anger.
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