Chapter 10: Underground Romance
*"Lord Azure Dragon is truly our hero..."*
*"If not for Lord Azure Dragon, our Sea Emperor Snake clan would have been wiped out long ago..."*
*"Grandfather, did you really come from another world?"*
*"Qing Lan, for the future of the sub-Azure Dragon clan, you must offer up everything..."*
"No!"
Qing Lan let out a sharp cry as she jolted awake from her dream. Her sudden movement startled Tang Ping, who was sleeping beside her.
"W-What happened?!"
The two locked eyes, both realizing they were completely unclothed. Simultaneously, their faces flushed deep crimson. Qing Lan pulled the duvet up to cover her chest, her face burning. Tang Ping silently averted his gaze, staring out the window.
"...."
"...."
The awkward silence began to stretch. Just as Tang Ping was thinking of an excuse to leave the room, Qing Lan spoke up.
"Is there something so interesting outside? Is it better looking than me?"
"No, I just..."
"Just what? You did so many... excessive things to me last night, and now you're going to pretend nothing happened? Are you planning to dodge responsibility?"
"I am not!" Tang Ping turned back hastily to clarify, only to find that she had let the covers slip again.
Her curvaceous, devilish figure was like a shot of adrenaline to Tang Ping in his morning state. A certain part of his body reacted naturally—a change that was immediately noticed by Qing Lan, who was sharing the same bed.
"No, wait, that's..."
"Don't say it. Let me."
A pair of snow-white hands, smooth as jade, circled Tang Ping's neck as she pressed her entire body against him. Her emerald hair cascaded down, blocking the morning light from the window. Tang Ping could feel her breath melting against his face; she likely felt the same.
*Do humans breathe this loudly?*
*She smells so good...*
*And... so soft...*
The two heavy weights pressed against his chest, but he felt no discomfort at all.
"Ah!" Tang Ping couldn't help a soft moan. He really couldn't help himself. Waves of pleasure surged to his brain; dopamine was secreting at a frenzied pace.
The green-haired Dragon Princess was also flushed with heat. *Ah! This is so embarrassing!!! It's early morning, what am I doing?! But... he seems so happy... in that case... then I...*
"...One more time?"
---
*Thump, thump, thump!*
Two figures were sprinting down the hallway in a desperate rush, buttoning their clothes as they ran. One of them kept shooting glaring glances back at the other, who looked entirely helpless.
"It's all your fault! What if Lady Tanoxi blames us?!"
"You can't blame me! You're the one who kept saying 'more'!"
"You're still talking? Stop talking! I dare you to say one more word!" Qing Lan stopped running abruptly. She spun around and blocked Tang Ping's path, raining a flurry of tiny punches onto his chest. This weak assault felt less like venting anger and more like flirting.
Tang Ping rolled his eyes, feeling resigned. *Heh. A few days ago, I was worrying about next month's rent. Now I'm debating 'responsibility' with a dragon? Life is unpredictable...*
He chuckled bitterly and decided not to let her fool around any longer. He grabbed her wrist and forcibly pulled her along toward the cafeteria. The Dragon Princess froze for a moment, then, looking at the man's back, a faint, slender smile played across her lips.
---
When Tang Ping and Qing Lan finally reached the scene, they found the cafeteria completely empty.
"No way... we're over an hour late. Why is no one here?" Tang Ping pulled his phone from his pocket to check the time: 10:17 AM.
*Did they already finish breakfast? No, that's not right. Who else knows how to operate the oven or the microwave? Even if they did, they wouldn't know where to find the ingredients.*
"Ah... it's so inconvenient without Alpha," Tang Ping sighed.
He had meant to have Alpha set an alarm last night, but he remembered this morning that he had deactivated Alpha the day they arrived on the island to prevent any data leaks to tech companies or governments. His command from the previous night had never been received; he had to set alarms manually.
*SPLASH!*
A massive sound of water came from outside. That direction... the pool?
"You're up early, loyal servant."
*Clack!*
The glass sliding doors opened on their own. Tanoxi walked toward them slowly, letting out a long yawn. At the same time, members of the Magic Wolf clan began appearing in the surrounding corridors. Tang Ping felt relieved they weren't late, but... *What's with them? Did they all agree to start work at the same time?*
"They smelled Tanoxi's scent and came over," Qing Lan whispered in his ear.
Tang Ping realized that Brenno and the others had likely been awake for ages. Finding the cafeteria empty, they had simply napped in the hallway, waiting for Tanoxi or someone else to show up.
Tang Ping asked Brenno why they didn't just sleep inside the cafeteria so people would know they arrived.
"The smell in there is too intense. Waiting in there just makes us hungrier," Broad, the eldest son, said sheepishly. The wolf clansmen behind him nodded in unison.
Suddenly, another figure dashed in from outside and dove straight into Tanoxi's arms.
"Big Brother, you guys are so slow! I've already flown three laps around the island!" the young boy, Helios, complained pouting at Tang Ping. He was the first to arrive, and after waiting forever, no one showed up! Helios was very angry! He demanded three puddings for snack time!
Seeing everyone was present, Tang Ping invited them in. As for what to eat... frozen pizza and corn chowder it was!
---
That afternoon, the representatives gathered in the TOSTTO conference room.
"You said... inspect the island?"
"Yes. While Lady Tanoxi said the island is undergoing changes—and I believe in the greatness of your divine power—we still need to send people to various locations to record data." Tang Ping looked at the sandbox model on the table, then at Tanoxi across from him.
"Specifically, three things: take photos, take measurements, and record findings. That's it."
Tang Ping pulled a cardboard box from under the table. It contained over a dozen military-grade smartphones, four or five action cameras, and a pile of fully charged power banks.
"Use these devices to take photos of the coastline, cliffs, rivers—even a handful of soil or fresh water. I need a massive amount of data."
"Eh? Am *I* going?" Tanoxi's eyes widened. She couldn't believe her servant was giving her orders.
"I'd love to go personally, but if I do, there's no one else to finish the project proposals," Tang Ping explained helplessly.
Although Tanoxi had summoned the warehouse and hotel from Rookie City, and the water, electricity, and internet somehow functioned (Tang Ping had asked, but she had brushed him off), he still had to write the proposals and research the data himself. Alpha's absence was a serious handicap.
"Plus, I need to take inventory of our remaining supplies. The chores here are piled as high as a mountain; if I leave, no one can take over."
Tang Ping had a headache. In terms of combat power, Tanoxi and her kin were top-tier. But as for administrative staff, he was the only one. He had to do everything from major planning to trivial errands. Until they found more logistics personnel, this was his life.
"Then just send Brenno and the boys! Why do I have to go personally?!" Tanoxi pouted.
"They don't know how to operate electronic devices, remember?"
"Then let Qing Lan—"
Before Tanoxi could finish, Qing Lan interrupted. "I want to learn more things so I can help you better in the future. So, I've spoken with the Hus... Master Husband. I'll stay by his side to learn how to operate the equipment while protecting him and our base."
"But I need to learn too! This is my country!" Tanoxi argued, clearly not wanting to do the legwork.
"...Have you forgotten how many times you fell asleep during yesterday's meeting?" Tang Ping deadpanned.
Tanoxi was left speechless.
After yesterday, one thing had become abundantly clear to everyone: Tanoxi only cared about the results; she had zero interest in the process or the execution. Otherwise, she wouldn't have slept so soundly that she started drooling during the meeting.
"And besides... don't you want to see the new nation you're about to create with your own eyes? This will be your territory, where a brand-new religion will take root! This is the starting point of a grand history! Don't you want to witness it personally?"
As Tang Ping delivered his stirring speech, a peculiar sensation welled up inside Tanoxi. *Is this the joy of knowing my power is about to break through to a new level? No... it feels more like the thrill of exploring the unknown!* It had been a long time since she felt this way.
Tanoxi felt a surge of eagerness, yet... something felt off. While her leading the inspection was indeed the most efficient way to handle things, and the arguments from her loyal servant and Qing Lan made perfect sense, she couldn't shake a lingering sense of dissonance.
*What is it? Did I miss something important?*
"This is the majority of my mana. It should help with your physical recovery." Qing Lan's voice snapped Tanoxi out of her thoughts.
She held out a fist-sized crystal to Tanoxi. Though her hand trembled slightly, Tanoxi didn't seem to notice; her attention was entirely fixed on the crystal.
*Good!* Qing Lan thought. *I've already purified my body with the holy water summoned via divine arts. There's no lingering scent of him... she shouldn't find out...*
"?"
The crystal glowed with a golden hue like the morning sun, its interior flickering with flame-like light, while the surface was etched with faint black patterns.
"A mana crystal? You poured your own mana into this?" Tanoxi asked, surprised, as she reached out to take it. She weighed the mana reserves inside and...
"!"
Tanoxi's pupils dilated, and her heart skipped a beat. *Good heavens!* The mana content was staggering and of incredible purity. At least 95% of Qing Lan's total mana was stored here. By giving this away, it would take Qing Lan at least six months to recover. During that time, she wouldn't even be able to use most of her divine arts, let alone revert to her true dragon form.
To think her best friend and subordinate cared so much for her! Even as an Evil God, Tanoxi felt a warmth in her chest. She gripped the crystal tightly, her eyes filled with resolve.
"I have received your conviction, Qing Lan! It's truly good to have you by my side!"
Hearing such a sincere confession, Qing Lan felt a sharp pang of guilt. In all the years they had known each other, this was the first time Tanoxi had said "thank you" so earnestly. And yet, she was...
"...Mm."
"?" Tanoxi noted that Qing Lan's expression seemed a bit stiff. *Is it a side effect of mana depletion?* She felt a wave of sympathy for her friend.
Not wanting to waste the sacrifice, Tanoxi crushed the crystal on the spot. A pure, overwhelming tide of mana enveloped her. Moments later, Tanoxi transformed from her loli form back into her original adult form.
"Ah! It feels so good to be back in my own body~" Tanoxi clenched her fists, looking satisfied.
"Aside from taking photos and videos, you should roughly calculate the distance between different points. It doesn't need to be exact; just use the wolf clan's travel time as a metric—like how many days it takes them to run there," Tang Ping instructed.
"Oh! And if any problems arise, remember to message me. But do *not* upload photos or videos to the internet. I'm afraid the tech companies might track us."
"Fine, I got it!" Tanoxi chirped.
And so, Tanoxi set off on her journey, accompanied by the Permafrost Magic Wolves and a very excited Helios, who was just happy to go out and play. Although the island wasn't yet "complete," it was already vast enough to be considered a small continent.
Tang Ping estimated the inspection would take about seven or eight days. Given the island's barren state, there might not be much to record, so they should be back soon. However, considering Tanoxi's love for sleeping in and their lack of experience with electronics, he told them to take ten days and prioritize safety over speed.
Tanoxi simply waved him off confidently. "I'll be done in seven days. Just make sure you prepare a victory feast!"
Tang Ping was speechless but didn't argue. He gave some final instructions to the more level-headed Brenno and Broad and provided them with ample food and water.
As he and Qing Lan stood at the hotel entrance, watching Tanoxi's group disappear over the horizon, Tang Ping felt a pair of arms wrap around his waist.
"Now, it's just the two of us... Master Husband..."
"Mm."
Tang Ping turned around, pulling the stunning beauty into his arms. Together, they walked back into the depths of the darkened room.
The night was still very long.
---
Meanwhile, at a beach roughly thirty kilometers away from the hotel, Tanoxi was setting up camp. Suddenly, her heart gave a jolt.
"!"
The Water God Barrier she had placed... it felt like something had pierced through it.
*What was that?*
Tanoxi looked back into the distance, toward the direction of her loyal servant and Qing Lan.
"A... whale?" she muttered, confused.