Chapter 18: Success
The next morning, Livia was awakened by a rustling sound.
When she opened her eyes, she saw Talos rigidly lying by the pool, holding a piece of impossibly soft leather and meticulously polishing his scales. His focused expression, gentle technique, and the way he had to stare at the crystal wall for half an hour afterward to check the blind spots—it was exactly like the young ladies she used to see in department stores, meticulously applying makeup while looking in the mirror.
Livia lay quietly, not daring to breathe too loudly.
Afraid of disturbing the Great Lord of Cleanliness's morning skincare ceremony.
Talos first polished his left foreclaw, then his right foreclaw, followed by his hind legs, flanks, and the edges of his wings... Every single scale was polished until it gleamed, not allowing even a speck of dust.
Livia lay by the entrance to the passage and quietly watched the entire process.
The whole procedure lasted—
Two hours.
Two hours later, Talos finally stood up, satisfied, shook his azure scales, and turned around.
Seeing Livia awake, he paused for a moment, then immediately pulled his cold, aloof face back up: "What are you looking at?"
"N-Nothing. Nothing at all," Livia immediately lowered her head and acted docile. "Please, continue, continue."
Talos snorted coldly, walked back from the pool to the main hall, and flopped back onto the prized white fur rug.
The moment he settled down, Livia precisely caught one detail—
The tip of his tail was deliberately curled upward, not touching the ground.
The scales at the very end of his tail were polished so brightly they reflected light; they could practically be used as mirrors.
Livia sighed inwardly in admiration.
This guy's mysophobia was three times more perverse than the system described.
She slowly got up, tentatively moved half a step forward, and asked in a soft, gentle voice:
"Um... would you like some help?"
Talos glanced sideways at her: "Help with what?"
"H-Help you groom your scales..." Livia offered a sweet and harmless smile. "You definitely can't reach the spots on your back by yourself, right?"
Talos remained silent for a few seconds.
Then, he slowly, slowly rolled over,
Presenting his broad, smooth back completely toward her.
Livia: "..."
It worked.
She tiptoed over and gently touched the Blue Dragon's back scales with her claw tips.
The Blue Dragon's scales were harder and slicker than the Red Dragon's, and they carried a faint, tingling sensation of static electricity. She followed the technique she remembered from animal documentaries, starting from the shoulder blades and gently stroking along the growth direction of the scales, stroke by stroke.
Talos's body first stiffened sharply.
Then, little by little, he began to relax.
As she groomed, Livia quietly observed and took mental notes.
Whenever she groomed certain specific spots, Talos's ears would twitch slightly—
That was the signal that he was thoroughly enjoying it.
After grooming for a full half an hour, Talos finally spoke faintly: "That's enough."
Livia immediately stopped and obediently retreated a few steps.
Talos turned over, his amber vertical pupils fixed on her, staring for a long time.
Then, he suddenly tossed out lightly:
"You can stay another day."
Livia was stunned.
"Tomorrow, groom the other side for me."
With that, Talos directly closed his eyes, adopting the aloof posture of 'I require rest,' and ignored her.
Livia stood in place, silent for three seconds.
Okay, stay calm, keep up the act.
She flopped back by the entrance to the passage, starting a silent countdown in her mind.
One day.
She had one more day.
The result—
On the second day, Talos said: "Stay another day."
On the third day, Talos said: "Stay another day."
On the fourth day, Talos said: "Stay another day."
On the fifth day, Talos said: "Stay another day."
Livia finally couldn't stand it anymore.
While Talos was immersed in polishing his scales, she couldn't help but ask:
"Um... when exactly can I leave?"
Talos's scale-polishing motion instantly stopped with a'swish.'
He slowly turned his head, staring at her with an extremely complex expression, as if he had heard something utterly unbelievable:
"You want to leave?"
Livia nodded vigorously: "I can't just sponge off you forever. I have my own lair to return to."
Talos was silent for a very, very long time.
So long that Livia thought he was about to fly into a rage.
Then, he suddenly spoke calmly, his tone as light as if he were saying, 'Today we eat lava fish':
"Mating."
Livia was completely dumbfounded: "...Huh?"
"Mating," Talos repeated expressionlessly, sounding outrageously self-righteous. "You help me lay a clutch of eggs. After you lay them, you can leave whenever you want; I absolutely won't stop you."
Livia opened her mouth, unsure which point to retort first.
Talos continued to praise himself: "I've examined your scales; their quality is decent, and your bloodline should be pure. I've been single for over two hundred years not because I couldn't find a mate, but because I found no one worthy. You are barely qualified."
Livia: "..."
Alright, he had definitely mastered the art of arrogance.
But she endured it.
This was what she came for in the first place.
"Fine," Livia agreed readily.
Talos, however, was stunned: "...Fine?"
"Fine," Livia nodded decisively. "But I have conditions."
"What conditions?"
"After mating, give me half the treasure."
Talos's dragon eyes instantly widened to their largest, and his voice shot up eight octaves: "Half?! Are you insane? That's the fortune I've accumulated over two hundred years!"
Livia slowly lay down and began reasoning with him, her logic as clear as a negotiation expert's:
"Think about it. You've been single for over two hundred years. Why? It's not that you couldn't find anyone, it's that you look down on everyone. Now that you've finally met someone you find 'barely qualified,' if you miss this chance, you won't find another. You might wait another two hundred years and still not meet anyone. Will your treasure double in two hundred years?"
Talos fell silent.
Livia continued her output: "Besides, I'm only asking for half, not all of it. You still have the other half to continue accumulating. Furthermore, once I lay the eggs, I'll leave immediately and never bother you again. You can continue being the aloof overlord of the Crystal Desert. No one will ever know you mated with a female dragon; it won't affect your persona at all."
Talos's expression visibly began to soften.
Livia knew when to stop and immediately conceded: "If half is too much, then thirty percent."
Talos stared at her with a strange look: "You first asked for half, and now you're offering thirty percent?"
Livia was honestly and righteously frank: "Negotiation tactics. I state a high number first to give you room to bargain. If you truly bargain, I'll step back."
Talos started.
Then, he suddenly laughed.
A Blue Dragon, usually cold and aloof and not prone to smiling, suddenly laughed. His expression was a little twisted, yet oddly novel.
"Interesting," he looked at her. "You are the first female dragon who dared to negotiate terms with me."
"So?"
"Forty percent," Talos decided instantly, his tone leaving no room for argument. "No less."
Livia pretended to think for a second, then immediately nodded:
"Deal."
—————
Three days later.
Livia was sprawled out in Talos's lair, feeling like her entire dragon body was falling apart, the tip of her tail twitching weakly.
Nearby, Talos was already precisely by the pool, continuing his unshakeable scale cleaning ceremony.
He polished with such focus, meticulousness, and thoroughness, occasionally checking his reflection in the crystal wall.
Livia lay in the distance, silently timing him mentally.
3.5 hours.
The system didn't lie to me.
While Talos was completely immersed in his world of cleanliness and completely unguarded against the outside world, Livia quietly got up and tiptoed into the treasure room.
The treasure room was slightly smaller than the main hall, but the sight inside made her dragon eyes brighten instantly.
Gold coins piled into mountains, gems blinding the eyes, magic weapons, alchemy materials, and all sorts of shiny valuables covered the floor.
Livia took a quick glance and estimated in her mind—
At least thirty thousand gold coins and more.
She strictly adhered to the agreement and only took forty percent.
And she didn't grab randomly; she was highly selective: the gold coins of the best quality, the largest and clearest gems, the most powerful magic equipment—she specifically chose the most valuable, easiest-to-carry items and stuffed them away.
She crammed everything into the crevices under her scales, securing them tightly.
After taking her share, she silently exited the treasure room and tiptoed to the entrance of the passage.
Before leaving, she looked back one last time.
Talos was still lying by the pool, his back to her, his tail curled high, polishing his scales with complete absorption, completely unaware that he had just been 'used and discarded,' and that forty percent of his fortune had been stolen.
Livia didn't make a sound. She squeezed sideways into the narrow rock crevice and began climbing upward.
When she crawled out of the lair entrance, it was early morning outside.
The sun had just risen over the edge of the sand dunes, casting golden sunlight onto the snow-white Crystal Desert, making it breathtakingly beautiful.
She took a deep breath of the fresh air, spread her wings, and suddenly took flight.
After flying about ten kilometers, she couldn't help but look back.
The hidden lair buried underground showed no traces from the outside.
Only she knew that below lay a Blue Dragon still polishing his scales, completely ignorant of everything that had just happened.
Livia suddenly remembered something and opened the system panel.
The'Spouse Location' page was still open, and Talos's information was clearly displayed:
[Current Status: Cleaning Scales (Estimated remaining time: 2 hours 17 minutes)]
She stared at that countdown for a full three seconds.
Then, she silently closed the panel, turned, and flew at full speed toward her own volcano lair.
—————
She flew over the Crystal Desert, over the barren Gobi, over the scorched plains.
In the distance, she saw the familiar volcano.
Then, she froze.
Above the crater, three familiar figures were crouched in a row, eagerly looking in the direction she was flying from.
Livia: "..."
Crap.
She had completely forgotten about these three.
The next second, the three dragons spotted her too.
The Bronze Dragon reacted first, flapping his wings and charging straight over;
The Green Dragon followed closely behind, his voice carrying from far away;
The Water Dragon, Tide, followed slowly at the rear, still clutching a bundle of colorful things in his claws—
It was the coral mattress.
Livia felt her scalp tingle.
Almost instinctively, she abruptly turned around and fled wildly in the opposite direction.
Heart-wrenching shouts immediately came from behind:
"Miss! Where are you going?!"
"We've waited for you for ten whole days!!"
"I brought the mattress for you!!!"
Livia didn't look back, her wings beating so fast they left afterimages.
As she flew, she suddenly felt the urge and tapped the system panel again, quickly scanning the'Spouse Location.'
The information for the three pursuers popped up.
She quickly scrolled down.
Reaching the very bottom, a new notification made her pause:
[New Target Detected: Talos Thunderhowl (Mating Completed). Enable secondary location tracking?]
Livia curiously clicked to view the details.
[Secondary Location Explanation:
A male dragon that has completed mating will continuously release special pheromones for the next 7 days;
Currently, this male dragon is in the post-estrus weakness period, combat power reduced by 30%, attention is extremely scattered, and he is extremely easy to capture again.]
[System Suggestion: Strike him while he's weak.]
Livia: "..."
Before she could savor that phrase, the system's next warning blared:
[Warning!
Talos Thunderhowl has finished cleaning and discovered the treasure theft!
Current Status: Enraged!
Tracking your scent!
Estimated arrival time: Within 2 hours!]
Livia: "..."
Three infatuated dragons relentlessly pursuing her from the front,
An enraged, clean-freak Blue Dragon seeking revenge from behind.
She hovered in mid-air and opened the system map to take a look.
Within a five-hundred-kilometer radius, it was densely packed with red dots—not a single safe corner.
Livia took a deep breath.
She opened the'Spouse Location' again and clicked 'Full Scan.'
[Scan complete.
Qualifying individuals: 0]
She stared at that glaring '0' for a long time in silence.
Just then, the system popped up a rare golden notification:
[Congratulations on achieving the hidden achievement:
"The Dragon Chase Crematorium Caused by One Dragon"]
[Achievement Reward:
Special Skill — Scent Concealment (Temporary)
Duration: 24 hours
Use immediately?]
Livia clicked 'Use' without a second of hesitation.
[Use]
The next instant, her body became semi-transparent, then completely vanished into thin air, leaving behind not even a trace of scent or a wisp of dragon might.
Below, the three pursuers whistled past.
Above, the enraged blue lightning flashed by.
The four dragons brushed past each other, none seeing or sensing the others.
Livia, invisible in mid-air, silently watched the famous scene unfold below:
Four dragons met in the sky, paused briefly, then immediately began questioning, suspecting, and accusing each other.
And then—
They started fighting right there!
The Bronze Dragon spat lightning,
The Blue Dragon spat thunder,
The Green Dragon spat acid,
The Water Dragon spat water.
The four elements exploded wildly in the sky, fighting until the sky and earth darkened, scales flew everywhere, and drops of dragon blood scattered.
Livia quietly watched the spectacle for a while.
Then, she silently turned and flew toward a completely new direction.
East.
She heard there was an ocean that way.
What was in the sea again?
She couldn't quite remember.
But it didn't matter.
Anyway—
Fly first.
The farther the better.