Chapter 15: The Aftermath of the Rose Scent
Livia felt incredibly refreshed as she flew back.
She had obtained the fire lotus, the staff, a pile of human equipment, and even got to watch an entire large-scale human internal conflict show for free—no need to crack sunflower seeds. She glided through the twilight, wings spread wide, her tail swaying idly. Her dark red scales shone under the setting sun, bright as a flying, red-hot branding iron.
As she flew past the third lifeless volcano, she suddenly stopped.
In the sky ahead, three dragons were circling.
These weren't the winged bandits like the Stone-Winged Demons, nor were they mere fire-type riffraff; they were True Dragons.
The first: a Bronze Dragon. About twenty meters long, its greenish-blue scales shimmered with a cold metallic sheen. Its wings were broad and large, giving it an elegant flight posture—clearly built for endurance.
The second: a Green Dragon. Around eighteen meters, its emerald scales looked as if it had just rolled out of a forest. Two slender, curved horns topped its head, and its amber vertical pupils narrowed, radiating an air of cunning and infuriating smugness.
The third... she didn't recognize it.
Its scales were pale blue and semi-transparent, looking like ice sculpture or condensed water. Its body was more slender, and its wings were as thin as a cicada's. As it flew, water vapor drifted out from between its scales. No doubt about it, this was a Water Dragon.
The three dragons were locked in a tense standoff, facing each other in mid-air. Their dragon might crackled violently, making the air feel taut.
The Bronze Dragon rumbled low in its throat, the Green Dragon's tail cracked the air with sharp whips, and the Water Dragon spread its wings, clearly signaling, 'If you move again, I'll spray water.'
None would yield to the others, and it looked like a fight was imminent.
Livia immediately hovered three hundred meters away, curling up to watch the spectacle discreetly.
What was going on? Territory dispute? Prey competition? Or... a romantic rivalry?
Before her thoughts finished forming, the Bronze Dragon's ears twitched, and it suddenly turned its head, sniffing the air frantically.
The Green Dragon also turned its head and took a deep inhale.
The Water Dragon's thin wings shivered, and it also turned.
Three pairs of dragon eyes'swished' and locked onto her simultaneously.
Livia: '?'
The next second, her mind buzzed, and a thunderbolt struck her consciousness.
— — Rose Scent.
— — That damned pheromone from her heat cycle.
She had washed herself in the Lava Lake for three days the last time it flared up, thinking she was completely clean. But today, transforming back and forth between human and dragon, the slight expansion and contraction of her scales caused the residual scent deep within to drift out again.
It might not be obvious to a Red Dragon, but to other male dragons...
It was a searchlight in the dark night, the scent of roast meat to the hungry.
The three dragons exchanged a look. The previous atmosphere of mortal enmity vanished instantly.
The next second, they all flapped their wings and charged straight toward Livia.
Livia didn't hesitate for a second; she turned and fled.
'Miss, please wait!' The Bronze Dragon beat its wings, instantly closing the distance by a hundred meters, its voice booming enough to shake the ears. 'That scent on you—'
The Green Dragon aggressively shoved past, bumping the Bronze Dragon sideways, and shot to the front: 'I smelled it first! Don't fight me for it!'
The Bronze Dragon was so angry it lashed its tail across the Green Dragon's face: 'Nonsense! I was closest!'
The Green Dragon's head was knocked sideways, but it surprisingly didn't retaliate, continuing to chase desperately.
The Water Dragon quietly opened its mouth, and a thick jet of water 'whooshed' out, drenching the two dragons ahead.
Taking advantage of their momentary daze, it slid gracefully to the very front, and looking back, it didn't forget to preach:
'What are you arguing about! The young lady hasn't even stated her preference yet!'
Livia glanced back, pressed her wings down, and maxed out her speed.
The twenty-meter-long Red Dragon sprinted at full power, the wind howling past her ears.
But the three dragons behind were no slouches—the Bronze Dragon excelled at sustained flight, the Green Dragon had maximum burst speed, and the Water Dragon, despite its delicate appearance, was deceptively fast. No matter how she tried, she couldn't shake them off.
She made a decisive move, abruptly turning and diving toward her own volcano.
The three dragons followed closely, shouting calls that grew more enthusiastic the nearer they got.
'Miss! What is your name!' roared the Bronze Dragon.
'My name is Velisis! I live in the Emerald Forest to the south! I own a mine!' roared the Green Dragon.
'My name is Tide! I come from the East Sea! My specialty is pearls! The size of your fist!' shouted the Water Dragon.
Livia remained silent, burying her head and charging forward.
Soon, the familiar volcano appeared before her.
She didn't slow down at all, diving straight into the crater, plummeting down the inner wall, and landing with a 'clank' at the entrance to her lair. She turned and darted into the main hall.
Without even pausing, she turned back and blasted a fireball at the archway above the entrance.
'Boom—!'
A massive amount of rock collapsed, sealing the entrance completely, leaving not even a crack.
Livia collapsed in the center of the main hall, panting heavily, her heart hammering.
Immediately, the shouts of the three dragons came from outside, each one louder and more sincere than the last.
'Miss! Come out! We mean no harm!'
'We just want to get acquainted! Make friends!'
'I have pearls! Really! The size of a fist! I can give them all to you!'
Livia silently covered her ears, burying her head in her claws.
I won't listen, I won't listen, it's just male dragons chanting.
The barrage of confessions, self-introductions, and showing off lasted for a solid quarter of an hour.
Finally, the Bronze Dragon's voice sounded, laced with reluctance:
'Miss, do you live here? I'll remember this place! I'll bring treasure to visit you another day!'
The Green Dragon immediately chimed in: 'I'll come too! I'll bring my family's heirloom emeralds! They're worth more than your lousy bronze!'
The Water Dragon, Tide, slowly added the finishing touch: 'I'll bring pearls, baskets full of them.'
The voices gradually faded away.
Livia held her breath and waited for a full half-hour. Only when she confirmed there was absolutely no movement did she uncover her ears, raising her head, still shaken.
She lay on the ground, staring at the blocked entrance, looking utterly defeated.
She used to think her heat cycle was just a nuisance. Now she finally understood—
This wasn't a nuisance; it was a global male dragon positioning system.
A tiny bit of scent drifted out, and three True Dragons fighting twenty kilometers away immediately stopped fighting, teamed up, and chased her.
And they even remembered her home address.
The more Livia thought about it, the more panicked she became. She scrambled up and rushed into the treasure room.
Without a word, she pried the most treasured ruby off its stone platform and stuffed it into the deepest crevice in the rock wall.
Then, the fire lotus box, the human staff, swords, armor, all the valuable trinkets—she shoved everything inside wholesale, then clawed loose stones to bury it thoroughly.
After hiding the treasure, she finally breathed a sigh of relief, but then suddenly remembered one more thing.
She paused, slowly turned around, and walked toward the side path leading to the Lava Lake.
She peered down—
The lake surface was quiet, with a few corpses of fire-type fish floating on top.
Every single one was a male fish.
Belly up, completely dead.
Livia: '...'
She didn't need to think to know.
Her faint residual pheromone had seeped through the rock fissures into the Lava Lake, smelling so good it had apparently suffocated the few remaining male fish in the lake.
She flew down with a blank expression, used her claws to scoop up all the dead fish, and threw them with a 'plop' into the deepest part of the lake.
Whoever wants them can eat them; just don't let her see them again.
After dealing with the fish corpses, she flew back to the main hall, collapsed in her original spot, and her mental state completely shattered.
She thought it was over.
Too young, too simple.
The next morning, Livia was still asleep when she was woken up by loud shouting from outside.
'Miss! I'm here!'
It was the Bronze Dragon.
Livia didn't move, pretending to be dead.
'I brought a gift! Look!'
'Clang—!'
A heavy piece of metal crashed onto the ground. Just by the sound, she knew it was substantial.
Immediately following that, the Green Dragon's voice sounded: 'You're fast! I brought something too!'
'Thud—!'
Another piece.
The Water Dragon Tide's slow voice made its grand finale: 'I brought pearls, and coral too, specialties from the East Sea.'
'Clatter clatter...'
A pile of shells and pearls smashed onto the rocks, a crisp and pleasant sound.
Livia quietly got up, crept to the edge of the blocked entrance, and peered out through a tiny crack in the stone.
The moment she looked, her breath hitched.
The three dragons were squatting neatly in a row, like three large dogs waiting to be fed.
In front of them was a small mountain of gifts:
The Bronze Dragon had brought a refined bronze ore block half the height of a person, excellent quality;
The Green Dragon carried several raw emeralds, their outer crusts looking promising;
Tide had spread out a pile of pearls, coral, and colorful shells, which glittered in the sunlight, dazzling the dragons' eyes.
Livia's throat moved subtly.
Bronze ore, valuable.
Raw emeralds, high probability of profit if cut open.
Pearls and coral, could fetch a large sum of gold coins in human cities, and were perfect for decorating a lair.
She swallowed.
She was tempted.
Truly tempted.
But her reason remained intact.
If she went out, she wouldn't be receiving gifts; she'd be signing for a mate.
Livia fiercely restrained herself, retreated to the center of the main hall, and continued playing dead.
The three dragons squatted there quietly, squatting for an entire day.
It wasn't until sunset, when the light dimmed, that the Bronze Dragon reluctantly stood up:
'It seems the lady isn't home today. We'll come again tomorrow.'
The Green Dragon immediately agreed: 'Yes, we'll come tomorrow! I'll bring an even better emerald!'
Tide flicked his tail: 'I'll bring a box of pearls.'
The three dragons flapped their wings and flew away.
Livia watched the pile of glittering gifts from behind the cave opening, through the crack.
Valuable.
Truly valuable.
So much so that she almost couldn't resist digging open the rocks and rushing out to accept the delivery.
But she held back.
She thought if she hid for a few days, they would give up.
Three days later.
In the early morning, the familiar voices sounded again, louder and more enthusiastic than last time.
'Miss! We are back!'
'The gifts are doubled!'
'If you don't like them, we can exchange them!'
Livia buried her head deep in her claws, her tail drooping listlessly onto the ground.
The pile of gifts outside was even higher.
The ore the Bronze Dragon brought was large enough to build a wall.
The Green Dragon brought a fist-sized, bright green emerald; even through the rock, one could sense its aura of wealth.
Tide had dragged over an entire box of pearls; the box had cracked, scattering pearls everywhere.
The three dragons squatted by the entrance, gazing eagerly at the sealed opening, their tone devout and sincere.
Livia listened, listened, and finally fell into complete despair.
Heat cycle, rose scent, pheromone, male dragons, proposals, showing off wealth with gifts, relentless pestering...
She had lived for twenty-two years, fighting magical beasts, digging lairs, tricking systems, and conning humans, but she had never felt this broken.
Livia took a deep breath and sent a desperate cry in her heart:
Destroy me.
Hurry up.
Whoever wants to be this dragon can have it!