Chapter 17: Negotiation
A Blue Dragon's head, radiating immense pressure, slowly emerged from a crack in the rock.
Its entire body was covered in deep, translucent azure scales. When the sunlight hit them, faint electrical filaments gently danced across the surface, magnificent yet dangerous.
Three backward-curving horns stood sharply defined on its forehead; the middle one was the longest and sharpest, looking exactly like a spear tip ready to pierce a dragon at any moment.
Its amber vertical pupils swept down coldly, filled with an arrogance and impatience that clearly spelled out, 'Don't even think about getting close.'
This was Talos Thunderhowl, the legendary pure-blood Blue Dragon known for being ridiculously single and pathologically obsessive about cleanliness.
He scrutinized Livia from head to toe, his tone laced with obvious caution: 'A Red Dragon? Where did you pop up from?'
Livia instantly entered performance mode. She tucked in her neck and lowered her head, adopting a demeanor as docile as a newly hatched firebird: 'From the north... the Scorched Plains. My mother chased me out, I'm homeless, so I could only fly south continuously.'
'Exiled?' Talos scoffed, his tail tip tapping the stone dismissively. 'What major offense did you commit?'
Livia paused for a second to gather her thoughts, then let out a grievance-filled whine: 'I... I dirtied the nest.'
At those words, Talos's entire draconic face instantly changed dramatically.
It wasn't anger or vigilance; it was a physiological disgust rising from the depths of his soul, as if he had smelled ten thousand rotting Rock Sheep.
'Dirtied it?' He bit out those two words softly yet fiercely, like chewing on scalding, foul-smelling lava. 'How did you manage that?'
Livia's face remained unchanged, her heart rate steady, as she continued weaving her tale: 'I brought a Rock Sheep back to the nest to eat. Only halfway through, I realized the sheep's stomach was full of rotten flesh, so foul that the entire nest became uninhabitable. My mother flipped out when she returned, said I disgraced the family, and kicked me out on the spot.'
Talos fell silent for three seconds after hearing this, his expression twisted into something complex.
The next second, he retracted his head.
A moment later, he poked it out again, pinching a sparkling white crystal in his claw. With a 'thwack,' he tossed it in front of Livia: 'Take this. It can quench your thirst if you hold it in your mouth. Then, scram.'
Livia gently caught it with her claw and looked down—it was a Water Elemental Crystal.
This thing could indeed quench thirst, but its hardness was comparable to diamond; most dragons couldn't bite it, so they had to let it slowly dissolve in their mouths.
For a Red Dragon like her, it was no different from gnawing on a stone.
She quietly pushed the crystal aside and continued speaking softly, using a weak, pitiful, and helpless tone: 'Your Excellency... I really just want to rest by the edge of your territory for one night, just one night. I promise, I won't touch, step on, or dirty anything.'
'No.'
'I'll sleep outside, not in the cave.'
'No.'
'I...'
'No means no,' Talos interrupted directly, flicking his tail irritably, causing the nearby gravel to crackle with electricity. 'I don't care if you were kicked out or got lost. My territory does not accept any foreign dragons. If you understand, leave quickly.'
With that, he retracted his head, intending to hide completely back in the cave.
Livia, thinking fast in her desperation, blurted out the killer line: 'I can help you clean your nest!'
Talos's movement, halfway retracted, suddenly froze.
'What did you say?' He poked his head out again, his tone completely changed.
'Clean the nest,' Livia immediately piled on, her eyes shining with sincerity. 'I see your scales are so bright and spotless, you must be extremely clean. I am also very particular about hygiene, it was just an accident last time that got me kicked out. If you let me rest for one night, I can clean your lair, polish your scales, and organize your treasure hoard—anything!'
She paused, hitting the vital spot: 'Your back scales, you certainly can't reach them yourself, right? I'll help you groom them, I guarantee every single scale will be polished until it shines brighter than crystal!'
Talos stared at her, his gaze clearly softening.
Livia felt certain she had won.
For other dragons, mysophobia was a flaw, but for the Blue Dragon Talos, it was a faith.
A female dragon who understood cleaning, loved cleanliness, and could polish his back was infinitely more attractive to him than a hundred pearls combined.
Sure enough, Talos remained silent for a long time, his tone softening considerably, carrying a trace of undisguised anticipation: 'What... what do you use to clean your scales?'
Livia blinked for a moment: 'Huh?'
'Cleaning supplies,' Talos impatiently explained. 'Lava ash? Volcanic mud? Or do you just rinse with plain water?'
Livia's mind raced at top speed.
In her entire life, she only had one method for cleaning scales—diving into a lava lake and soaking until she was completely burned clean.
If she dared to say that out loud, this mysophobic Blue Dragon would instantly blast her away as something filthy.
She frantically accessed her memories from her previous life and brought out the skincare regimen, earnestly making things up: 'I use volcanic mud mixed with lava ash, mixed into a paste and applied to the scales. After waiting a while, I wash it off. It leaves them smooth, shiny, clean, and fragrant.'
Talos's eyes lit up instantly.
It was the glow of someone seeing an unparalleled secret manual.
'Volcanic mud and lava ash?' He leaned forward, his tone urgent. 'What is the ratio?'
'Seven to three.'
'How long do you leave it on?'
'A quarter of an hour.'
'Do you rinse with cold water or hot water?'
'Lukewarm water!'
Talos retracted into the cave with a 'whoosh.'
Inside, there was a rustling sound of rummaging, like someone searching for a peerless treasure.
After a good while, he poked his head out again, solemnly pinching a black slate in his claw, and carefully tossed it over: 'Read this aloud.'
Livia caught it and almost burst out laughing.
The slate was neatly engraved with lines of precise characters—a dedicated formula for scale cleaning:
['Volcanic Mud (finely sifted) seven parts, Lava Ash (finely ground) three parts, add a small amount of clear water to form a paste. Apply evenly to scales, avoiding eyes, nose, and mouth. Let sit for a quarter of an hour, then rinse with lukewarm water. Note: Do not use on the head, do not use on wounds, do not apply for too long, do not stimulate with cold water...']
The entire procedure was as rigorous as a magical incantation.
Livia looked up, her expression incomparably sincere: 'Your Excellency, your formula... is more professional than mine. I'll go back and immediately change mine according to yours.'
The tip of Talos's tail subtly, secretly, and slightly twitched upward.
Although he forcefully suppressed it as quickly as possible, Livia precisely captured that momentary flicker of smugness.
She had succeeded.
Talos retreated back into the crack.
A moment later, his deliberately indifferent voice came from inside the cave: 'Come in. But I'll lay down the ground rules first—you are not allowed to touch my treasure, not allowed to wander around, not allowed to touch anything randomly, not allowed to make noise, not allowed to...'
'I know, I know, I know!' Livia immediately responded, acting perfectly obedient, and squeezed sideways into the narrow gap.
This entrance slanted downward for over fifty meters before truly entering the main part of the lair.
The cave walls were all semi-transparent crystal, refracting the light softly. The air was dry and fresh, with a faint hint of ozone—the scent of a Blue Dragon's electrical aura, clean and cool.
Talos walked ahead, muttering constantly as he went, like a fussy housekeeper: 'My lair is divided into three sections: the passage, the main hall, and the pool. The stone door on the left is the treasure room, the one on the right is the resting area. Do not approach the pool at the very back without my permission, understood?'
'Understood.'
'The ground in the exact center of the main hall was just cleaned and polished by me; you are not allowed to step on it.'
'Got it.'
'The treasure room door is closed; you are not allowed to open it.'
'Understood.'
'The resting area carries my scent; you are not allowed to rub against anything there.'
'Don't worry, I absolutely won't rub against anything.'
Talos glanced back at her, his eyes clearly stating: 'I don't believe you, but I can't be bothered to say it again.'
The moment they entered the main hall, Livia was slightly stunned.
It was over thirty meters in diameter and more than ten meters high, the entire space enveloped by crystal rock walls, providing its own soft ambient lighting.
In the very center lay a huge, thick white fur rug that looked priceless, perfectly smooth with not a single hair out of place.
The floor was smooth as a mirror, clearly polished repeatedly.
There was no dust, no gravel, no shed scales, no leftover bones, no miscellaneous clutter of any kind.
It was outrageously clean.
Terrifyingly tidy.
Livia had no doubt—this guy really spent his 3.5 hours of daily scale cleaning purely on work, without touching a drop of water.
Talos arrogantly lay down on the white fur rug, looking down at her: 'You will sleep by the entrance of the passage tonight. Don't go further in, don't touch anything randomly, don't make any noise, don't...'
'Got it, got it, got it! I understand everything,' Livia responded obediently and settled down quietly at the entrance.
Talos stared at her for a long while, confirming that this Red Dragon indeed looked peaceful, clean, and quiet, before slowly withdrawing his gaze and closing his eyes.
Livia also closed her eyes.
But she wasn't sleeping at all.
Her breathing was steady, her heartbeat stable, and her mind was working furiously.
She was waiting.
Waiting for Talos to fall into a deep sleep.
Waiting for time to slowly tick over to tomorrow.
Waiting for the perfect moment to strike—the moment that belonged to her.
A grand drama centered on 'mysophobia' and 'exploiting mysophobia' had just begun.