Chapter 24: Return to Dragon Island

Lu Qiuchen was preparing to head to the eastern region of the Southern Continent—specifically, the Kingdom of Knights. Even back on Earth, she had always been fascinated by the knight profession. In the various entertainment works she’d seen, knights were usually portrayed as paragons of the Eight Virtues and often appeared as heroes.

As for the Paladins she’d already encountered, her impression of them wasn’t particularly good. It wasn’t that they didn’t meet the standard of knighthood, but rather that, compared to knightly spirit, Paladins seemed to care more about the glory of their god.

That could also be due to the role Paladins played within the Church. They were the Church’s primary combat force. Unlike knights in traditional fiction who had evolved over time, Paladins had a much narrower focus—their main duty was hunting heretics.

But the knights of the Kingdom of Knights were different from Paladins. According to the information Lu Qiuchen had gathered along the way, they truly upheld the ideals of chivalry. And she was very interested in a country like that!

After confirming her destination, she had to first return to Dragon Island and report to the Elder Council. If she didn’t report in—or worse, ran off again after reaching her destination—she could end up like those Andona sisters from before.

Of course, the punishment usually wasn’t too severe. Just a few decades—or up to a hundred years—of being grounded on Dragon Island.

But for those repeat offenders who never admitted fault or showed any remorse, if the situation was serious enough, the Elder Council might decide that the current account was a lost cause and prepare to start over with a new one. In human terms, it would be something like: Hurry up and get married and have kids!

So, Lu Qiuchen was flying back to Dragon Island.

Just thinking about the Andona sisters gave her a headache. She’d assumed that as the elder sister, Andona would at least show some of the authority that role implied. Even if she couldn’t control Andora, she should at least be able to hold back her reckless little sister.

But reality was that both sisters had rushed off to the forest elves and caused a scene. They’d almost brought the elves knocking on Dragon Island’s door. When she got back and saw them, she’d definitely give them a proper scolding!

Ahead, the edge of Dragon Island had come into view. Lu Qiuchen flapped her wings and accelerated toward it.

She had now spent nearly five months in this world. It was currently January, and Dragon Island was even colder than the Southern Continent—but for a silver dragon like her, the chill was perfectly comfortable.

Unconsciously, she had grown accustomed to this body. The discomfort she’d felt when she first transformed into dragon form had faded, and now she could perform basic aerial maneuvers with relative ease.

She also had to give thanks to the great Dragon God. Even when she took on human form, she didn’t have to deal with things like periods—which saved her no small amount of trouble.

After a month away, returning to this familiar place unexpectedly stirred a subtle feeling of anxiety. With a sigh, she realized more and more that she had already adapted to life here.

Hard training, pure(?) friendships, thrilling adventures—everything that had happened over the past few months had gradually changed her mindset.

She had gone from being a university student on Earth… to becoming more and more like a young adult dragon.

Enough useless thoughts.

Lu Qiuchen flew toward the Elder Council’s mountain valley. Passing straight through the illusion that covered the valley, she went to report to the great dragon on duty for the month. Not seeing Alduin or any of the Dragon Kings, she continued flying toward her den, which was built halfway up the peak of Dragon Vein Mountain.

Unlike most pure-blooded dragons, Lu Qiuchen was more comfortable in human form. So in addition to her dragon’s lair, she also had a small two-story house of her own—her home, built after mastering ice magic, designed entirely to her taste.

Now in human form, she lay on the not-so-soft ice bed and felt a level of relaxation she hadn’t experienced for a month. The feeling of being home brought a sense of security. Before she knew it, her eyes closed on their own.

It was already noon the next day when Lu Qiuchen finally woke up.

First, I’ll go look for the Silver Dragon sisters… then check in on Miss Blue Dragon.

Having made up her mind, Lu Qiuchen went around asking the other dragons about the sisters’ whereabouts. Once she learned where they were, a gloating smile crept across her face.

“So tired!” Andora flapped her wings and descended, dropping the massive boulder clutched in her talons. The rock hit the ground with a heavy thud , kicking up a cloud of dust.

These past few days, she and her sister Andona had been hauling stones down from the Dragon Vein Peak to the base of the mountain. The Elder Council had ordered the construction of a new structure, though Andora had no idea what it was supposed to be. All she knew was that ever since returning to Dragon Island, she’d been seized by the Elder Council and assigned to one of the least desirable jobs on the island—one no dragon willingly took.

A thundering crash landed nearby as another boulder hit the ground. The wave of dust it raised coated Andora in dirt. She grumbled, stood up to shake herself off, then flopped right back down on the ground.

Her once-pristine silver scales were now covered in grime, and the usually fastidious Silver Dragon didn’t even bother to move. Within moments, soft snores could be heard—she’d fallen asleep next to the boulder.

Standing atop a freshly dropped stone, Andona glanced at her pig-like sister sprawled on the ground, then slowly lay down herself. The “punishment” training over the past few days had been brutally effective. She now regretted messing around in the Kingdom of Tara with her sister. Thinking about the month-long labor sentence, Andona grew a little despondent.

In the nearby forest, Lu Qiuchen stood atop a tall, straight spruce tree, her figure hidden among the dense branches. Watching the two dragons napping, she decided not to disturb them.

Seeing how exhausted they are puts me at ease. After finishing this punishment, they shouldn’t have the strength to cause more trouble for a while.

I guess I’ll consider the debt from their previous nonsense paid off… for now.

Next up: time to visit Miss Blue Dragon. Hmm… I borrowed some human currency from her last time I went to the Kingdom of Tara. Maybe I’ll ask her for another loan?

It’s not even my money, so it doesn’t hurt to spend it! And I’m already running low again…

When Lu Qiuchen brought up borrowing money again, she ran into some resistance.

“No way! These coins took me hundreds of years to save! You already took so many last time!” The girl in front of her looked quite indignant.

Lu Qiuchen clasped her hands in a pleading gesture. “Fiya, pleaaase~~ Just a little more! I swear I’ll pay you back next time!”

“Nope, nope! Huh? You’re leaving again?” Fiya suddenly realized something and stared wide-eyed.

There was a touch of grievance in her voice. She just got back to Dragon Island and is already planning to leave again? And she only came to see me to borrow money? Hmph! Do I even matter to her anymore?

“I want to visit the Kingdom of Knights!”

“You mean that Towitch place or whatever? I’m so jealous! I wish I could grow up faster and go explore too!”

To be stuck on Dragon Island for over 300 years—ugh, it had become so boring!

“What if I take you with me? Want to come along? But you’ll have to cover the expenses, okay?”

“What! There’s such a good deal?! Dammit, I’m tempted… but those are the coins I painstakingly saved up…”

For young dragons raised by the Elders’ Council and cared for by the major families within the clan, there were quite a few ways to make money. When they were little, they could act cute around familiar adult dragons and be rewarded with a few gold coins or gemstones.

Although each haul wasn’t much, the accumulation over time meant most young dragons ended up with a fairly substantial personal hoard.

Most of them didn’t yet grasp the concept of money, nor did they know how valuable these shiny things were in the human world. To them, they were just fascinating toys for showing off and comparing with friends to win admiring looks.

“How much could it possibly cost to visit the human world?” Miss Blue Dragon was still preoccupied with her standing among the young dragons. If it cost too much, she wouldn’t go!

“How much gold do you have?” Lu Qiuchen asked in return. As soon as she spoke, her eyes were nearly blinded by the sight of a gold pile taller than herself.

A small mountain of coins and gems gleamed brilliantly under the sunlight. Golden light reflected off the grass and bathed Lu Qiuchen’s figure in a dazzling glow.

‘A real-life rich loli has appeared!’

“You don’t need that much. This little bit is enough—more than enough to live comfortably!” Lu Qiuchen bent down, scooped up a handful of gold coins, and said to Phia, “Once we’re in the human world, don’t go flashing all your gold around like this. It’ll only bring trouble. Put it away.”

Seeing that Lu Qiuchen had only taken a small handful, Phia let out a sigh of relief. That tiny bit wouldn’t threaten her status among the other young dragons.

After stashing the gold back into her spatial pouch, Phia’s little brain suddenly remembered: last time, this silver dragon had asked her for gold, and she’d given her a lot .

She hadn’t understood the value of gold at the time, but she wasn’t stupid. The silver dragon had just said this small amount was enough—so where did all that gold she gave her last time go?!

After a brief scuffle between the two dragons, Lu Qiuchen and Phia parted ways. Bringing Phia along to the Kingdom of Knights had been a spur-of-the-moment decision, but it was also something Lu Qiuchen had considered before.

During her time living on Dragon Island, the only ones she could truly call friends were Phia and the silver dragon sisters. Unlike the sisters, who always stirred up trouble, Phia was adorably naïve and sweet.

Lu Qiuchen, who saw Phia as a little sister, felt a pang of pity when she realized the girl had never once left Dragon Island in her 300+ years of life.

With her strength nearing the legendary rank, Lu Qiuchen figured there shouldn’t be any real danger in taking Phia along—if they couldn’t win a fight, they could always run.

Against shadow fiends, the speed-type demons that didn’t use spatial magic, she could keep up by teleporting in short bursts. But extended chases would be more difficult.

Having thought it through, she submitted a formal request to the Elders’ Council.

*****

A month and a half later—

Lu Qiuchen, in her silver dragon form, soared through the sky carrying a human-shaped Phia on her back, heading for the southern continent.

The extra delay was partly because the Elders’ Council was uneasy about letting a young dragon like Phia go out into the world. They spent an entire month conducting thorough assessments, only approving the request once Phia passed all tests across the board.

The other reason was that Lu Qiuchen and Phia planned to blend into human society. So over the past month and a half, the two dragons received intensive education and training about human civilization.

One elder dragon, who had lived among humans for a long time, personally volunteered to be their instructor.

To Lu Qiuchen’s surprise, the old dragon was very knowledgeable about the upper echelons of human society and had a warm, gentle attitude toward humans. Toward her, he was especially kind and fatherly.

She had always assumed all elder dragons were arrogant and looked down on humans.

After some discreet questioning, she found out the shocking truth: the old dragon was nearly ten thousand years old—and he was the very one who had created the half-dragon race!

Upon hearing that, Lu Qiuchen felt as if thunder was crashing in her brain and a herd of alpacas was galloping through her heart.

So that’s it! No wonder the old dragon had always tried to teach her to be a proper lady, while being so lenient with Phia.

She’d unknowingly run into the ancestor of her current body!