Chapter 50

Riding on Afra's back, Rao Ke had no idea how stunned the customers below were when Afra and the others transformed into dragons. At that moment, she only felt one thing.

"This is awesome!!"

The fierce wind whipped against her face, stinging with a numbing sensation, while the forests below blurred into a patchwork of yellow and green.

Rao Ke never imagined she'd be transported to another world to run a shop, let alone become a dragon rider.

"We've got about another day of flying. It'll be dark soon; let's rest by the Mermaid Sea tonight and continue tomorrow morning," Afra said after a while, checking the sky.

"Okay." Rao Ke was looking forward to it — she hadn't seen the seaside in this world yet.

As the sky darkened, Afra and Garcia flapped their wings and landed on a sandy beach.

With nightfall, the temperature dropped, but the sand still held the lingering warmth from the three suns.

Rao Ke stepped barefoot onto the warm, soft sand, savoring the unusual sensation.

"Seaside, beach — that means barbecue, of course!" Rao Ke sniffed the sea breeze, her excitement mounting.

"Sounds good!" Afra didn't know what barbecue was, but she was sure that anything Rao Ke mentioned was bound to be fun or delicious.

The group eagerly set about preparing the barbecue, and Rao Ke even sent Garcia into the sea to catch some seafood.

As dusk fell, they pitched a tent on the white sand and began their evening feast.

The grill grate glowed red from the charcoal. Rao Ke placed a few marinated chicken wings onto the wire mesh.

A sizzling sound rose as the charcoal coated the wings in a pale golden hue. As she brushed on oil and sprinkled cumin and sesame, the skin turned crispy and golden while the inside stayed juicy and fragrant.

Afra enthusiastically grabbed a bunch of skewers to grill, so Rao Ke made room for her.

But on her first try, Afra returned disheartened, holding a bunch of burnt-black skewers.

Rao Ke handed her a fragrant chicken wing, comforting her. "It's fine — it's totally normal for your first barbecue."

Afra tossed her burnt skewers into a trash bag, took the one Rao Ke offered, and took a bite with a pout. "I'll definitely make the perfect skewer next time!"

The group sat under the canopy, grilling skewers while admiring the clear starry sky and the blue sea beyond.

In a corner unseen by them, two mermaids poked their heads out of the water, carefully observing.

"Eila, we should report to the captain later," Annie said cautiously.

They were patrol members for this beach today. They'd been doing their usual rounds of the sea and sand when they spotted these four visitors.

"Two dragons and two witches — I doubt our entire sea could take them, and these rare races are protective of their own. Picking a fight with one means picking a fight with all," Eila observed warily.

"So what do we do?" Annie kept a sharp eye on their surroundings. "Come on, let's go report to the captain!"

"That's the only option for now. Let's go."

The two mermaids quietly dove beneath the Mermaid Sea.

Chrisley, lounging on a beach chair with a novel in hand and nibbling on barbecue, set down the book and smiled at the Mermaid Sea. "It's so quiet over there — you can hear even the slightest sound clearly."

Rao Ke stared at the Mermaid Sea and replied with a smile, "Exactly."

"Captain, bad news!" Annie and Eila noisily swam to their captain, Vera.

Vera was getting annoyed by the racket. "What kind of behavior is this, running around yelling!"

"Sorry, Captain, but something major has happened up there!" Annie said urgently.

Vera's expression cooled. "What happened?"

"Two giant dragons and two witches just arrived at the mermaid beach — we don't know what they want," Eila said nervously.

Vera turned serious. "Eila, go report to the king. Annie, come with me to keep an eye on them."

The three mermaids split up. Vera followed Annie, and they silently returned to their original observation spot.

There, they found only a tent, glowing with light — clearly someone was inside.

Three minutes before Vera and Annie arrived, the four had just finished cleaning up. Rao Ke had suggested playing Monopoly inside the tent, and the others had readily agreed.

"They seem to have all gone into the tent. What should we do, Captain?" Annie observed for a while, then looked at Vera.

Vera stared hard at the tent. "Keep watching. Wait for word from the king before deciding."

So inside the tent, the group was playing Monopoly with gusto, while Vera and Annie kept their loyal eyes on the tent from the Mermaid Sea.

After a while, Eila swam over with a squad of shrimp soldiers and crab generals. "Captain, how is it?"

"They're all in the tent; we can't tell what they're up to," Vera replied calmly. "Keep watching."

The people in the tent had no idea they were being watched by a crowd outside.

Rao Ke took four one-piece sleeping bags from her space and handed them to the others.

Afra watched as she landed on Chrisley's territory and wailed, declaring herself bankrupt, while Chrisley held a thick stack of play money and emerged as the final winner.

"Alright, time to sleep. We still have traveling to do tomorrow," Rao Ke said, noticing the late hour and thinking about the itinerary ahead, so she urged everyone to rest.

So they tidied up, turned off the light, and settled in for the night.

The mermaids and the shrimp-crab soldiers outside exchanged bewildered looks.

"Keep watching," Vera ordered. And so they stayed, heads bobbing in the Mermaid Sea, staring at the tent on the distant beach.

The next morning, Rao Ke woke to the alarm ring, sat up groggily, and roused the three big cocoeons beside her for a wash.

"They're coming out!" Annie, who had been watching all night, shouted excitedly the moment Rao Ke and the others emerged from the tent.

Vera clamped a hand over Annie's mouth and pulled her underwater to hide.

Garcia heard the noise and glanced in their direction a couple of times, then looked away, unconcerned.

"Let's have soy milk with steamed buns or soup dumplings for breakfast," Rao Ke said, not wanting to cook, so she pulled out some instant food.

Since Rao Ke was preparing breakfast, the others figured they had no room to complain and nodded.

After finishing breakfast, the four took to the sky and continued their journey.

Vera and the others silently watched their figures shrink to tiny dots.

"So what exactly did they come for?"

...

After half a day of flying, Rao Ke actually fell asleep on Afra's back.

"Keke, wake up!" Afra called, and Rao Ke stirred from her sleepy haze to find herself on an ancient stone platform.

She quickly climbed off Afra, who then transformed back into human form.

"This is our Teleportation Array on Dragon Island. We teleported from here to the Kaqisha Continent before," Afra explained to Rao Ke and Chrisley.

Though Dragon Island's environment was quite rustic, it was adorned with all sorts of shiny gems and crystals, making it dazzling at first glance.

Also, perhaps because it hung in the sky, the temperature was hotter than below.

But since dragons generally tolerated heat well, and those who disliked the heat just lounged on their crystal nests at home, it didn't matter much.

Afra, being a Flame Dragon, felt particularly comfortable — though not as nice as soaking in lava.

"If you don't mind, you can both stay at my nest," Afra said warmly.

"Not at all." Rao Ke smiled at her.

Garcia was eager to get back to his nest to organize all the goods he'd bought from Keke Shop, so he said goodbye to Afra and the others first.

Afra transformed back into a dragon and let Rao Ke and Chrisley climb on. "Hold tight, I'm going to fly!"

Afra flew a few dozen meters above Dragon Island, giving Rao Ke a good view of the island's layout and terrain.

Dragon Island was an irregular shape, with a towering dragon statue over ten meters tall right in the center.

Around the statue, various buildings were scattered across the island, with one castle standing out the most.

"That castle is the nest of the Flame Dragon Queen, also my teacher," Afra said briefly.

"My nest is just below hers." Afra flew forward and descended as they neared her nest.

Afra's nest was built from black crystals that sparkled in the sunlight.

Afra led them inside, which had three floors. "Let me fix up rooms for you; just have a seat on the chairs for a moment."

Afra's nest was filled with all sorts of gleaming crystals. Rao Ke found a flat one to sit on.

Based on everything she'd seen along the way, Rao Ke decided what to sell: various jewelry, nail polish, sparkly makeup — things like that.

"Let me browse the shop first," Rao Ke opened her Astrolabe and looked at shiny goods.

[Adventure Quest Triggered!]

[Adventure Quest: The Dragon's Shiny Treasure!

Details: Sell shiny items from the shop to the dragons. Sell 2000 shiny items (must include at least 3 categories).

Progress: 0/2000

Reward: Unknown]

Seeing the surprise quest, Rao Ke was unfazed, calmly dismissed it, and continued picking items.

"Alright, I've cleaned up for you! It's pretty simple, but if you need anything, just let me know!" Afra dashed down the stairs excitedly.

Rao Ke and Chrisley nodded.

"So, are you two hungry?" Rao Ke looked at them. "How about hotpot for dinner? Keep it simple."

"Yes!"