Chapter 16: Target Locked
Livia lay in her volcanic lair for seven full days.
Those three dragons outside were more punctual than the security guards clocking in at the village entrance.
They arrived every morning at dawn, knocked on the door without fail, piled up gifts, and wouldn't leave until the sun set.
The Bronze Dragon, Eldman, brought his own rations, munching away while chattering incessantly; the Green Dragon, Velisis, had mastered a daily song, the tune wilder than a startled Stone-Winged Demon; and the Water Dragon, Tide, was even more outrageous—he directly moved a coral mattress and lay down by the cave entrance, clearly intending to set up a long-term camp.
Livia buried her head deep in her claws, the tip of her tail impatiently slapping the ground with a 'thwack, thwack.'
Destroy me, seriously, just get it over with.
If this continued, she, a Red Dragon, would eventually be driven into becoming a reclusive volcano dragon by three lovesick male dragons.
For the one hundred and first time, she opened the system panel, her gaze locked onto the button she had never dared to touch—
[Mate Locator]
Having been single for twenty-six years in her previous life, and only just reaching adulthood in this one, her resistance to the concept of 'finding a partner' was etched into her DNA.
But the current situation was more pressing than her personal feelings.
Those three outside were not suitors; they were creditors demanding payment.
She couldn't drive them away; she couldn't fight them—they brought gifts daily, their demeanor as pious as a pilgrimage. If she lashed out with her tail, rumors would spread across a thousand miles in the Dragon Clan by tomorrow:
[Shock! Volcanic Red Dragon violently attacks devoted suitor without cause!]
Her reputation would be ruined beyond repair.
After much deliberation, there was only one path to break the deadlock:
Find a formal mate and extinguish their hopes.
Livia took a deep breath of the hot magma air, closed her eyes, hardened her resolve, and clicked fiercely on [Mate Locator].
The system panel flashed blue, and a line of text popped up coldly:
[Scanning suitable male dragons within a five-hundred-kilometer radius... Scan complete.
Matches meeting basic criteria: 17.
Excluding already mated: 9.
Excluding low bloodline purity: 5.
Remaining candidates: 3.]
Livia's eyelids twitched violently.
Three?
Could it be... the three outside the cave entrance?
She stiffly scrolled down.
First entry:
[Bronze Dragon · Eldman]
[Length: 21 meters]
[Age: 147 years]
[Bloodline Purity: B+]
[Personality Assessment: Chatterbox but kind]
[Specialty: Can speak for three days and three nights without repeating]
[Special Note: Pursued 17 female dragons, all failed, grows stronger with each attempt]
Livia: "..."
Second entry:
[Green Dragon · Velisis]
[Length: 19 meters]
[Age: 103 years]
[Bloodline Purity: B]
[Personality Assessment: Overconfident]
[Specialty: Sings off-key but enjoys his own performance]
[Special Note: Firmly believes he just hasn't met a dragon who appreciates him]
Livia silently buried her face back into her claws.
Third entry:
[Tide]
[Length: 18 meters]
[Age: 89 years]
[Bloodline Purity: B+ (Water Dragon Mutation)]
[Personality Assessment: Zen, goes with the flow]
[Specialty: Automatically gathers water while sleeping]
[Special Note: Not actually interested in finding a mate, just tagging along for the excitement]
Livia stared at the panel, silent for a full minute.
System, are you deliberately trying to mess with a dragon?
She took a deep breath, opened [Advanced Filter], and her claws flew across the selections:
Combat Power A-rank or above, Intelligence B-rank or above, Gene Rarity B+ or above, No major personality flaws.
The system spun three times.
[Filtering complete. Matches found: 1.]
Livia froze.
There actually is one?
She clicked on the details, her pupils contracting slightly.
[Talos Thunderhowl]
[Race: Blue Dragon (Pureblood)]
[Age: 216 years (Peak Youth)]
[Length: 23 meters]
[Combat Power: A- (Dragon Breath carries electric paralysis, rich melee experience)]
[Intelligence: C+ (Arrogant and flighty, but basically has a functioning IQ)]
[Gene Rarity: B+ (Pureblood Blue Dragon, no mixed colors)]
[Lair Coordinates: Three hundred kilometers southeast, underground cavern in the Crystal Desert]
[Personality Assessment: Extremely arrogant, possesses extremely strong territoriality, severe mysophobe]
[Daily Scale Cleaning: 3.5 hours]
[Reason for being single: Claims 'Ordinary female dragons are not worthy of me']
Livia's gaze was fixed tightly on that line—
Daily scale cleaning for 3.5 hours.
The tip of her tail slowly, slowly lifted up.
Her eyes narrowed into dangerous slits.
He has a weakness.
A super massive weakness.
She continued scrolling down; the system was excessively thoughtful, even listing his daily routine clearly:
[Combat Style: Lightning strike first, paralyze then bite, highly experienced.
Weakness: Extremely arrogant, loves showing off, prone to underestimating opponents.]
[Social Life: Lone wolf, no relatives, no allies, relationship with all surrounding dragons is ruined.]
[Lair: One hundred meters underground, hidden entrance, equipped with electric shock traps, has a dedicated cleaning pool.]
[Daily Schedule:
Morning Hunt (2 hours) -> Noon Return to Lair for Cleaning (3.5 hours) (Lowest Alert) -> Evening Patrol -> Deep Sleep at Night]
Livia closed the panel and slowly raised her head.
This guy is practically a tool dragon custom-made for her by the system.
Solitary, arrogant, fixed schedule, fatal weakness in mysophobia.
Combat power A-, can take a beating, won't shatter at the first touch.
Bloodline pure enough, offspring won't be embarrassing.
Most importantly—
Three hundred kilometers, not too far, not too close, just right.
She clicked on [Tactical Simulation].
The system instantly provided three plans:
[Plan One: Direct Confrontation]
Success Rate: 32%
Risk: High chance of creating a deadly feud, making things more troublesome.
[Plan Two: Disguise as a damsel in distress to gain trust]
Success Rate: 67%
Risk: Time-consuming, easily seen through.
[Plan Three: Exploit the mysophobia weakness]
Procedure: Approach using 'cleaning techniques,' activate Charm Dragon Might while he is polishing his scales.
Success Rate: 81%
Livia stared at the 81% for a long time.
System, you are finally reliable this one time.
She shut off the panel, got up, and walked to the sealed cave entrance, peering out through the cracks in the stone.
The three outside were still there: the Bronze Dragon was gesturing while bragging, the Green Dragon was practicing his song, and the Water Dragon was sound asleep on the coral mattress.
Livia sighed silently in her heart.
I'm sorry to the three of you.
You dragons are fine, it's just... I'm not worthy.
She turned and entered the treasure room, digging out the fire lotus, staff, jade, pearls, and ores, and reburying them in the deepest, safest corner.
Then she walked to the Lava Lake, took a deep breath.
Time to go out and get a 'partner.'
The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, Livia made her move.
She absolutely could not use the main entrance—those three were staking it out.
She took the secret escape tunnel at the bottom of the Lava Lake.
She traveled downward, squeezed into a fissure at the base of the volcano, swam thirty kilometers along the underground lava river, and quietly emerged at the foot of another dormant volcano.
Unseen, unheard.
By the time she crawled out of the lava vent, the sky was already bright.
The eastern sun was rising, heating the scorched earth.
The distant horizon was pale white—that was the direction of the Crystal Desert.
Livia shook the magma residue from her scales, spread her wings, and took flight.
Three hundred kilometers was at most two hours at her speed.
She flew low, hugging the ground to avoid all sightlines, passing over blackened plains and barren Gobi, finally arriving at a place of blinding white light.
The Crystal Desert had arrived.
The sand was snow-white, mixed with fine crystal fragments; when the sun hit it, it was so bright the dragon couldn't keep her eyes open.
Heat waves distorted the air, making distant objects shimmer like water.
Livia narrowed her eyes and slowed down.
The system coordinates placed the target twenty kilometers ahead.
She circled at low altitude, sweeping the ground like a detective.
The desert appeared empty, but upon closer inspection, flaws were hidden everywhere:
The shadow of a rock was at the wrong angle, a patch of sand was a shade too dark, a fissure was unnaturally straight.
She landed on a sand ridge, folded her wings, and crouched down to start digging.
After digging three meters deep, her claw hit something hard with a 'clang.'
Brushing away the sand, a massive rock was revealed. On the rock was a narrow, long fissure, the edges bearing faint scorch marks—
Not from fire, but from a Blue Dragon's electrical Dragon Breath.
Found it.
Livia circled the rock once.
The fissure was narrow, only wide enough for one dragon to squeeze through sideways. Wind whistled from below, sounding unfathomably deep.
She took a deep breath, suppressed her entire Dragon Might, and adopted the softest, weakest, most harmless posture.
Facing the fissure below, she called out softly in a gentle, slightly wronged voice:
"Excuse me... is anyone home?"
The cave was silent, only the sound of the wind.
She called out again, her voice softer, more pitiful:
"Lord Talos? I'm just passing through... Could I possibly... beg for a drink of water?"
Three seconds of silence.
From the depths of the fissure, a low, cold, arrogant male voice finally came through, instantly conveying 'Don't bother me':
"Scram. This is my territory."
Livia didn't scramble.
She squatted obediently by the edge of the fissure, her voice aggrieved and weak:
"I'm truly dying of thirst... I've been flying all day and haven't had a single drop of water. Could you please have mercy and give me just one sip?"
"There's an oasis nearby."
"The oasis has Sand Worms... I... I can't beat them..."
"What does that have to do with me?"
Livia softened her voice, revealing just the right amount of awe:
"You look incredibly strong, you surely aren't afraid of Sand Worms. If you'll give me a drink of water, I... I can help you with chores."
Silence echoed from the fissure for a very long time.
Livia waited quietly.
She understood this type of dragon too well—
Dragons arrogant to the bone are most susceptible to the allure of weakness and worship.
Sure enough, after a while,
From deep within the fissure came rustling sounds, the friction of scales against rock.
A beautiful, cold, Blue Dragon head, radiating an air of arrogance, slowly emerged from the crack.
Its pupils were ice-blue, its vertical slits sharp, and its scales were so clean not a speck of dust remained.
Just one look screamed four words:
—I'm obsessed with cleanliness.
Livia lowered her head slightly, adopting the most harmless and obedient appearance.
The plan had begun.