At the auction venue, as expected, four mutated beings were found: three had been injected with merfolk blood and one with scarlet salamander blood.
Their identities were fairly mundane. What was truly useful was a string of characters Shen Zhaomu had spotted in the system: NN02721. The tech team was already working hard to trace its origins.
Unfortunately, other data had already been destroyed.
The other auction participants were gradually released, grumbling and cursing as they left.
The Bill Hoya auction, having gone through this ordeal, might take a long time to fully return to normal.
With the issue resolved, Shen Zhaomu finally removed Lu Shanhuai from the blacklist.
“Tell me honestly,” Lu Shanhuai, who was on his way home, asked, “Did you not like the novel I sent you?”
“I didn’t,” Shen Zhaomu replied.
“Tsk. You really have no taste,” Lu Shanhuai sighed, “But our breakthrough this time went smoothly, thanks to your presence. I wasn’t even aware of Bai Yiyi’s situation before.”
“As long as she’s willing to stay here and causes no trouble, it’s fine,” Shen Zhaomu responded.
Lu Shanhuai mused, “I’m afraid she’s here to take the credit. She was specifically appointed by the Star Governor. Otherwise, how could she mobilize the audit team? Damn, those with royal backgrounds have it so good. Do you think the Star Governor sent Bai Yiyi to annoy us because you roughed up some of his people?”
“Even if he did, there’s nothing we could have done.”
“Why not? You shouldn’t have been so rough back then… Oh well, I know you won’t change. Just be careful,” warned Lu Shanhuai. “Going against Bill Hoya means upsetting many others.”
“Many have tried to assassinate me, yet I’m still alive. This time won’t be an exception.”
Lu Shanhuai wanted to say more but held back. All he ended up saying was, “Rest well today. The tech team will send you the results directly. Also, Qianqian is here.”
Shen Zhaomu was silent. When he had given Long Shiyu his false identity, he had completely forgotten about Song Qianqian.
Although Song Qianqian was a few years older than Shen Zhaomu, she joined the hunter training team a batch below him. She jovially followed Lu Shanhuai’s group around, affectionately calling him “Brother Shen”, justifying it with the saying, “Every girl is forever eighteen.”
She was quite renowned in the association for her sniping skills and was an outstanding hunter who had twice been awarded for her merits.
As expected, within ten minutes, a flurry of messages from Song Qianqian came flooding in.
Counting Sheep: I’m in Kassand! Calling boss Shen! Calling boss Shen!
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Counting Sheep: Is sister-in-law there too? I want to see his radiant beauty! Who’s the cutie you’ve entrapped by your side?
Jbecalcu Vtffq: (YyrfrrfvZjc.pqu)
Vtfc Itjbwe ofia j tfjvjmtf mbwlcu bc. Qlat Obcu Vtlse jgbecv, Vbcu Hljcdljc kjr ilxfis ab mgfjaf j gemxer obg j ktlif.
Lf gfaegcfv ab atf lcc klat Obcu Vtlse.
Cr rbbc jr atfs fcafgfv, atfs tfjgv j ibev fzmijwjalbc: “Gjwc la, lo P ojli jujlc, P’w cba ola ab yf tewjc jcswbgf!”
Fang Qing was still at the reception, scribbling something. He looked up and, upon seeing Long Shiyu, expressed remorse, “Sorry, I tend to have a bad temper when I’m experimenting… and when I’ve just woken up. You bore the brunt of both this morning.” He hesitated a moment, “I might have said some unpleasant things to you. Did I scare you off?”
Fang Qing genuinely couldn’t remember what had happened in the morning.
By the time he fully came to, Long Shiyu was nowhere in sight. When Shen Zhaomu had asked him, he was clueless.
He had concluded that Long Shiyu had been frightened away by his awful temper.
…Little did he know, Long Shiyu had left the inn that morning with a beaming smile.
“No,” Long Shiyu replied, “I just went out to find something to eat.”
“Did you find something?”
“Sort of.” With the help of Will, Long Shiyu had enjoyed a hearty meal at the Undertakers’ place and later went to the auction.
All in all, it was a very satisfactory day.
Seeing Long Shiyu being so “considerate” and not blaming him at all, Fang Qing felt even more guilty, promising breakfast for him the next day.
Long Shiyu followed Shen Zhaomu upstairs and was just about to return to his room when Shen Zhaomu pulled him into his own.
Shen Zhaomu said, “You’d better give me a good explanation for what happened today. What’s going on between you and the Undertakers?”
“Oh, they found out I’m a dragon and worshiped me,” Long Shiyu explained. “I even had a meal with them.”
Shen Zhaomu sighed, “Do you know why they worship dragons? Because the current throne is held by the Dragon King. They’ll follow any dragon. A third-generation dragon appeared here eleven years ago. It was the Shen family that handled it. At that time, the Undertakers also greatly admired him and even hid his crimes.”
“Really? I didn’t know that.”
Shen Zhaomu continued, “So, stay away from them. Those people are lunatics.”
After a few seconds of contemplation, Long Shiyu agreed, “Alright, I’ll try to keep my distance.”
Only then did Shen Zhaomu, satisfied, ruffle his hair.
Long Shiyu casually lounged on the sofa in Shen’s room, playing Fight the Landlord.
After a few rounds, he approached Shen Zhaomu’s table to watch. Shen Zhaomu was studying a bestiary, taking notes as he read.
Most people in the association saw him as an expert on exotic beasts, able to instantly devise strategies against them with just a glance. But little did they know the countless nights he spent poring over such resources, even seeking out arcane texts to investigate the backgrounds of certain creatures, like the culture of the merfolk tribes or the specific conditions under which vampires transform into bats.
That’s why, in dire situations, hunters always think of him first.
Long Shiyu pulled over a chair and settled down, his tail contentedly wrapped around one of Shen Zhaomu’s ankles.
His princess’ focused demeanor was so attractive.
Shen Zhaomu gave him a glance, and as was his habit, began to stroke the dragon’s head.
The feel of the black hair was pleasant, soft with a unique wild scent.
Long Shiyu, propping his head up, was also examining the bestiary. Suddenly, he remarked, “This entry is incorrect.”
He was pointing at the entry for the burrowing dragons. The note claimed that these creatures would flee during ground tremors, even the slightest ones, making them difficult to capture or hunt.
Burrowing dragons were not true members of the dragon clan but rather smaller dragon-like species. They were not particularly intelligent, but they loved to consume the livestock of nomadic peoples and then disappear underground. At their worst, they could be considered a natural disaster.
Shen Zhaomu inquired, “What’s wrong with it?”
“They don’t migrate from their burrows due to ground tremors,” Long Shiyu clarified. “What matters to them is the scent of the land.”
Shen Zhaomu was unfamiliar with this concept, “Scent?”
“Yes,” Long Shiyu nodded. “Only they can detect it. Usually, the earth has a simple earthy scent. When livestock are present, it’s sweet and sour. If a strong enemy approaches, the earth becomes spicy. But if you approach stealthily without disturbing the earth, they won’t notice. So, it has nothing to do with ground tremors.”
“But, didn’t you say only they can detect it?”
“One day, I encountered a large group of burrowing dragons. They told me about it.”
Shen Zhaomu was perplexed, “They told you?”
“Yes.”
“Verbatim?”
After hesitating for a moment, Long Shiyu responded, “Grreeekroaaarskreeech!”
Shen Zhaomu: “???”
Long Shiyu explained, “That’s exactly what they said.”
Shen Zhaomu took a moment to digest this, “Wait, they actually communicated with you?”
“They seemed pretty scared of me and asked me to let them go. In return, they shared their secret,” Long Shiyu elaborated. “But honestly, I wasn’t planning to harm them. I just wanted directions.”
Exotic creatures, especially dragons, are typically antagonistic toward one another. Dragons, in particular, did not have the concept of unity in their nature – they either dominate or submit to a stronger being.
They never show mercy to other creatures, and even to their kin, they’re often indifferent or hostile. It would indeed have been strange if the burrowing dragons hadn’t been afraid.
Shen Zhaomu jotted down Long Shiyu’s words. “I’ll have the research team look into this.” After making his notes, he playfully shook Long Shiyu’s silver dragon horn.
Long Shiyu: “Sob.”
Shen Zhaomu was still reeling from Long Shiyu’s impression of the burrowing dragons’ speech. Perhaps it was due to his racial talents? It was a great impression. Shen Zhaomu coaxed, “Can you do their call again?”
Long Shiyu shook his head, “It sounds silly.”
“I don’t mind. Give it another try,” Shen Zhaomu insisted, laughing. He continued to play with the dragon’s horn, causing Long Shiyu’s head to sway and his tail to draw a semi-circle on the floor in protest.
After some cajoling, Long Shiyu finally relented, “Fine, fine, I’ll do it again… SkreeegggrrrkreeegrrrrrrIhateyouskrrrrreeeegrrrrooooowl.”
Shen Zhaomu: “…”
“I noticed you slipped in an insult there.”
Author’s Note:
One cutesy sob a day: 1/1
Omg too cuteee
Tysm for the chappy
Cute!
LMAOOOO sneaky Shiyu 🩷
Omg so cute 😭😭😭
It’s a crime to be that cute shiyuuu 😝
Lamoooo I don’t even notice he add an insult there at first until I read the next sentence, this dragon is so cute
Hahaha it’s embarrassing for a dragon king to make “animal sounds” like a child playing pretend but his princess likes it 😂 and how simple is his explanation, “worshipped me” no big deal, there was food.