Chapter 51

The dragons of Dragon Island were all abuzz with the news that Afra and Garcia had brought two outsiders from the Kaqisha Continent to Dragon Island. For a place as closed off as Dragon Island, that was practically headline news.

With some nameless old dragon witnessing and spreading the word as it passed by, the entire island soon learned of it. Everyone had been cooped up on Dragon Island for who knows how many centuries, so naturally, they discussed it with great fervor.

"Do you think the Queen might be planning to open Dragon Island to the world again?" a more quick-witted dragon cautiously offered his opinion.

A heavy silence fell over the crowd.

The dragons' heated discussions, however, didn't disturb the trio currently enjoying their hotpot in the slightest.

Afra's nest was filled with the rich aroma of hotpot, and the place was positively steamy, so much so that Rao Ke had to drag out two fans to cool things down. Afra, on the other hand, found it perfectly comfortable, so only Rao Ke and Chrisley ended up using them.

Afra threw open the windows, and the tantalizing scent of hotpot drifted out, driving the dragons living nearby absolutely crazy.

"What in the world is Afra eating that smells so good?" Aisbe, the ice dragon living next door, was currently curled up on a massive, frost-emitting ice crystal. Lately, the heat disaster had intensified with the scorching weather, and the three suns hung in the sky like enormous blazing orbs. It made cold-loving dragons like Aisbe especially miserable, so she barely left her spot, preferring to stay curled up on something chilly.

As she breathed in that rich aroma, Aisbe felt her mouth start to water.

She swallowed hard, then pulled out her Astrolabe from beneath her belly and saw that the Dragon Island section was unusually lively for once.

Aisbe scrolled through her Astrolabe while inhaling the hotpot fragrance wafting over from Afra's place. Eventually, she pieced together the whole story—Afra had brought two witches back from the mainland to Dragon Island. So that delightful smell was from food these two witches had brought?

Aisbe tossed and turned on her ice-crystal sofa, already planning to visit Afra's nest the next day and see if she could buy some of that heavenly-smelling food.

The neighbors around Afra's nest were all fidgeting restlessly from the scent, unable to settle down.

Meanwhile, Afra, the very dragon everyone was pining over, was cracking open a can of cola. With a sharp "click," the pull-tab popped, and cold air seeped out from the opening. She took a hearty gulp and felt a wave of refreshment wash over her. Truly, hotpot was meant to be paired with ice-cold cola.

"Tomorrow I'll take you to meet my teacher!" Afra said, fishing out a piece of duck blood and popping it into her bowl.

The duck blood was impossibly delicate, nearly crumbling at the slightest bite, and it came with a burst of scalding heat. It burned Afra's mouth, making her feel like she was stir-frying the piece right inside it.

"Sounds good. Oh, Afra, is there anywhere around here where I could sell stuff?" Rao Ke asked curiously.

Afra thought for a moment. "The Central Trading Market, I suppose. That's where we all go to buy and sell. Why, you want to sell something?"

"Mm-hmm, force of habit. Every new place I visit, I get the itch to start trading," Rao Ke said with a smile.

Afra wasn't the type to pry into others' business, so she simply nodded. "Okay, after we see the Queen tomorrow, I'll take you to the Central Trading Market to have a look."

"Thank you for all the trouble," Rao Ke said gratefully.

"No worries at all!" Afra waved her hand dismissively.

The three of them happily enjoyed their first dinner of their first day on Dragon Island.

"Good night, you two. Get some rest," Afra said, leading Rao Ke and Chrisley to the guest rooms before smiling and closing the door behind her.

The room held two simple wooden beds adorned with soft, light-blue quilts.

Since Rao Ke wanted to wash up first, Chrisley settled onto the sofa and conjured up a slick, trashy power-fantasy novel, diving into it with relish.

As Rao Ke walked past with her change of nightgown, she shook her head in exasperation. Ever since the library had been unlocked, her employees had become hopelessly addicted to those novels, reading them to the point of forgetting to eat or sleep.

The next morning, every single one of them would look fit to cosplay as a panda.

It had only stopped when Rao Ke threatened to revoke their employee perk of freely browsing the library's books if it affected their work.

Rao Ke quickly washed up, dried off, slipped into her nightgown, and padded out with her damp black hair loose.

"I'm done. You're up."

Chrisley reluctantly tore his gaze from the face-slapping plot. "Alright, I'll go once I finish this chapter."

Rao Ke climbed into bed and immediately got to work on official matters. "Fine, but make sure you go after this chapter!"

"Mm-hmm!" Chrisley nodded absently.

Rao Ke then turned her attention to the Keke Shop. Xue Jiali had messaged her, saying that because Afra and Garcia had revealed themselves as dragons, the shop was now flooded with curious customers.

Rao Ke hadn't expected that bit of news to have such a big impact on the shop's visitors. But then again, the Keke Shop wasn't exactly full of ordinary races, so everyone had taken the revelation about Afra and Garcia surprisingly well.

"Alright, you all handle it for now. Things seem manageable at the moment—if anything changes, let me know."

After dealing with the shop's affairs, Rao Ke looked up and found Chrisley still absorbed in his novel on the sofa.

"Teacher!"

Chrisley looked up to see Rao Ke's dangerously sweet smile and immediately scrambled to his feet. "Don't be mad, I'm going right now, my dear KeKe!"

Watching Chrisley dash into the bathroom in a panic, Rao Ke could only shake her head helplessly. Honestly, every single time he needed to be nagged before he'd put down a book or novel.

Still, Rao Ke could understand. The culture from another world had its own unique charm and allure, so as long as he wasn't overly indulgent, she tended to turn a blind eye.

Inside the bathroom, Chrisley slyly smuggled in a novel, then settled comfortably into the bathtub, soaking while reading to his heart's content.

And so, the first night on Dragon Island came to a quiet end.

The next morning, Afra got up early to prepare breakfast for the two guests. She toasted some bread and slathered it with a special jam, creating a flavor all its own.

Rao Ke took a seat on a wooden chair, and Afra handed her a slice of bread along with a glass of fresh magma milk.

"Where's Chrisley?" Afra asked, noticing his absence.

Rao Ke took a bite of the bread, then a sip of the milk. "He stayed up all night reading one of those novels—he can't get up now. The two of us will go meet the Flame Dragon Queen."

Rao Ke was thoroughly exasperated; she knew Chrisley would be this unreliable.

Afra, clearly accustomed to Chrisley's habits and demeanor, didn't ask further and simply smiled in agreement.

After breakfast, Rao Ke climbed onto Afra's back as she shifted back into her dragon form, and the red dragon flew her toward the Flame Dragon Queen's nest.

"We're here!"

Rao Ke dismounted and looked up at the grand, imposing castle before her.

"Come on, I'll show you the way," Afra said cheerfully, leading Rao Ke inside.

Along the way, they passed other dragons, and Rao Ke faced their stares with a calm, composed expression.

"The Flame Dragon Queen's study is just ahead," Afra said, her demeanor growing solemn.

At the study door, Afra knocked three times softly, and a voice from within called, "Enter."

Afra opened the door and stepped inside with Rao Ke behind her.

The study was packed with books, all lining shelves built into the walls, and there sat the Flame Dragon Queen, Yanshajia.

Yanshajia watched as Afra led Rao Ke in, a smile breaking out on her usually stern face. "Welcome, owner of the Keke Shop. I am Yanshajia, Queen of Dragon Island."

Afra, seeing that the two were about to get down to business, quietly stepped to the side.

Seeing how courteous and respectful Yanshajia was, Rao Ke naturally didn't put on airs. She smiled and extended her hand. "Hello, I'm Rao Ke. I've come to Dragon Island to discuss establishing a Teleportation Array between the Keke Shop and Dragon Island."

Yanshajia looked at the straightforward Rao Ke, unable to hide the amusement in her eyes. "Yes, I was hoping to have a proper talk with you about that as well. Don't worry—Dragon Island will not shortchange you."

Rao Ke handed over the agreement Kalisa had drafted. "Take a look. If there are any issues, we can make changes."

Yanshajia took the agreement, read it carefully from beginning to end, then set it down. "No problems here. Happy to do business!"

Rao Ke hadn't expected things to be resolved so easily, and her tone turned eager. "Happy to do business!"

The two signed their names on the contract, and with a flash of blue light, both Rao Ke and Yanshajia felt a faint binding settle into their consciousness—a part of the contract's constraints.

After signing, Yanshajia smiled at Rao Ke. "I have pressing matters to attend to for now, but if you have any questions, Afra will take care of you. Once I'm done, I'll be sure to host you properly."

"No need to worry," Rao Ke said, rising with a smile to show she understood. It was only natural for a leader to be busy, especially since Yanshajia seemed to have some grand plan in motion.

Rao Ke stood and bid farewell. "I'll take my leave then. Go ahead and attend to your work."

Yanshajia rose to see her out and instructed Afra, "If Ms. Rao Ke has any important matters, do your best to handle them well. If you run into problems you can't solve, you can always come to me."

Afra patted her chest confidently. "Don't worry, teacher. Leave it to me!"

Yanshajia sighed inwardly—that was exactly why I'm worried, since it's you. But as the heir, this was something she'd have to learn eventually.

"Alright, you two go on then."

Afra led Rao Ke out of the Flame Dragon Queen's nest, then shifted back into her crimson dragon form. "Come on, let's head to the market!"