After nightfall, the darkness in the City of This Shore was even deeper than elsewhere, but there were still many places lit up with bright lights. It seemed this place also had a colorful nightlife.
In a deep alley, Enya wore a black robe that blended into the night.
She did not conceal her presence.
As she walked through, she could feel many gazes spying on her, but they were all very cautious—only observing her movements, not probing her strength with mental probes.
Following the wine seller’s directions, Enya arrived at the northern city wall.
She leaped up, easily clearing the towering wall.
She walked past the guards on duty, slipped out without a trace, and moved along a small path surrounded by lush woods.
The night here was exceptionally dark, clearly something was affecting it.
Enya looked up. Her pale golden eyes transformed into golden-red dragon eyes.
The Breaking Illusion trait allowed her to see the extremely thin layer of gray twilight that enveloped the territory of the City of This Shore.
It was like a sunshade net—during the day it blocked part of the city’s sunlight, and at night it cut off all the starlight.
This was why the night here was darker than elsewhere.
“This move… it’s not much different from what I did in Red Pine City.”
“No, mine was more sophisticated.”
The Dream World she created in Red Pine City directly descended the Dream Realm into reality, overlaying it on the original space. Illusion and reality were both controlled by Enya, rather than constructing a separate结界 space parallel to reality. The difference was like building a house on the original site versus digging an underground chamber beneath it.
Walking through the pitch-black forest, she heard not a single sound.
That was strange.
After dark, forests usually had insects chirping, and some magical beasts would come out to hunt. But this forest was eerily silent.
Suddenly, Enya heard the urgent sound of a great river rushing ahead.
She quickened her pace, passed through the trees, and came to a barren land.
Just as she was about to move forward, a hoarse male voice came from the side.
“Hey, woman. A few more steps and you’ll fall into the river.”
“I know.”
Enya turned to look at the man in tattered clothes with messy hair. She of course knew that ahead was the so-called Black River.
The man chuckled and said, “This river appears here silently every night. It’s already swept away countless people. I’ve never heard of anyone seeing the bodies of those taken by the Black River. So this place is a perfect spot for murder and dumping bodies.”
“Are you here to dump a body?” Enya asked.
The man fell silent, as if he didn’t want to talk to her anymore.
That suited Enya just fine.
She walked upstream along the Black River, leaving the man behind.
After walking for a while, Enya saw a silver lantern light in the distance. She hurried over. As she got closer, she made out an old antique sailing ship beneath the silver lantern.
The ship was small, only about ten meters long.
The deck was about three to five meters above the surging black river water, and the silver lantern hung from the top of the mast.
Enya stepped onto the wooden platform and approached the ship. A burly man blocked her way.
She took out some money and tossed it to him. He didn’t catch it. Enya released a hint of killing intent.
The burly man staggered, then quickly reached out to catch the money pouch before it hit the ground, simultaneously stepping aside.
Just then, laughter came from the ship, speaking a language Enya didn’t understand. It was probably some dialect—likely mocking that burly man for being incompetent.
Enya ignored them, leaped up, and landed on the deck.
The wine seller had told her that these Black Boat operators loved to rip off passengers, especially those who didn’t dare to make trouble.
Someone inside the cabin was smoking a water pipe. Enya didn’t want to go in at all. There were already many people on the deck, gathered in small groups. Each had found a spot, and none spoke.
Enya also found a place, sat on a crate against the wooden wall, and closed her eyes to rest. She didn’t bother observing others, though many observed her.
A lone woman, mysterious identity.
…
That was very intriguing, but they only watched from a distance, not probing further.
After all, this was a dangerous place. If you could avoid provoking someone, you did.
Fifteen minutes later, at the captain’s command to weigh anchor, two strong sailors pulled up the anchor. The captain held a curved blade and cut the rope securing the ship.
Just then, a figure in a black robe rushed up at incredible speed, even crashing through the deck’s railing, sending wood chips scattering across the once-clean deck.
“You *!” The sailor in charge of cleaning cursed loudly.
Once the rope was cut, the ferry was immediately swept downstream by the turbulent current. The ferry swayed violently on the black water, but the person who boarded just in time stood perfectly steady.
Enya opened her eyes and looked.
That person wore a tattered black robe as if burned by flames. Many small holes revealed pale skin beneath. From two gaps in the hood protruded a pair of deep red horns.
A hint of orange-red hair also showed. Enya also noticed an orange-red scaled tail under the robe, wagging side to side—seeming calm.
A one-eyed man with gray hair walked toward this foreign race in black robes.
“This passenger, you haven’t paid yet.”
“Huh?”
The voice that came from the foreign race in black robes was a clear girl’s tone. Hearing the one-eyed man’s words, she pulled back her hood.
Flame-like orange-red long hair tumbled down.
Crimson eyes looked at the one-eyed man. On the foreign girl’s stunning face appeared a hint of pride.
She asked very seriously, “What is money?”
“……”
The one-eyed man’s eye twitched, then he smiled and backed off. The surrounding people also sighed in relief. They were glad a fight hadn’t broken out.
Now they were in the middle of the Black River. If a fight broke out and damaged the boat, wouldn’t they fall into the water? Fly? No one could fly over the Black River.
Once in the water, even a feather would sink. Only a conceptual ferry could float on it.
Here, only a boat with a silver lantern would be recognized by the Black River as a conceptual ferry.
The one-eyed man walked to the captain’s side and whispered something in their unique dialect. Even if eavesdropped, the passengers couldn’t understand.
The foreign girl looked around, then sniffed.
Her fiery red vertical pupils fixed on a corner near a wall.
She strode over, looked at the person also in a black robe sitting on a crate, then stepped onto the crate next to it, crouched, and brought her nose close to sniff.
“Human, you smell really good.”
“……”
Enya had no intention of responding.
But the foreign girl licked her lips in front of Enya, bared small fangs, and said bluntly, “Yifu has never met a human who smells as fragrant as you.”
“So?”
“You don’t have anyone else’s scent on you. That means you’re Yifu’s.”
The girl named Yifu narrowed her eyes.
Enya tilted her head slightly and glanced at this girl from the Dragon Tribe. Her delicate, pretty face had some small orange-red scales, giving her a fiery, gorgeous makeup.
Paired with red vertical pupils and deep red dragon horns, the foreign race vibe was strong while still fitting human aesthetics.
Enya withdrew her gaze and looked at the surface of the Black River.
“You should have something to do, right?”
“Huh?”
Yifu was stunned for a moment, then remembered she had a mission. If she stopped to catch a human, she might fail her task.
Then she’d have trouble getting back.
After realizing this, the girl pouted at Enya.
“Yeah, but how did you know?”
“…A pig’s guess.”
Enya thought this one was probably a dragon sent to cause her trouble.
Yifu blinked and asked, “Are you a princess?”
“No.”
“Then… are you a human duke’s daughter?”
“……”
Enya suspected she was using process of elimination.
Seeing Enya didn’t immediately deny it, Yifu laughed even more.
“You’re a duke’s daughter.”
“So?”
Enya didn’t want to talk anymore. She felt she had run into an idiot. Talking to this dragon would lower her IQ.
But Yifu was very excited. Her tail under the robe wagged quickly.
“Yifu heard from her sisters: among humans, princesses taste the best, and duke’s daughters are also quite good.”
“Are you going to eat me?”
Enya was a little curious. Did the Dragon Tribe really eat people? She had never heard of that…
Yifu was also taken aback by Enya’s words.
“Why would I eat you?”
“If not eat, why would you capture me?” Enya asked.
Yifu lifted her head and said very seriously, “Of course to take you back as a toy! Yifu likes your smell. Yifu is very fond of you. You are Yifu’s.”
“……”
Enya’s mouth twitched.
Meet, like, claim ownership. Were all dragons like this?
Yifu reached out to lift Enya’s hood.
“Let me see your face.”
“Tch…”
Enya grabbed Yifu’s hand, stopping her from lifting the hood.
But Yifu then lowered her head, stuck out her long tongue, and licked the back of Enya’s hand. Compared to humans, dragons had longer, sharper tongues, more agile and powerful.
Yifu tasted the saltiness, then her eyes sparkled.
“Great flavor!”
“……”
Enya quickly let go and wiped her hand clean on her robe. If she had known this would happen, she wouldn’t have taken off those black silk gloves.
Yifu moved her head closer.
“So fragrant. Come with me.”
“No.”
Enya turned her back and shook her head.
Yifu pouted. “Why?”
“Forgot to tell you—I’ve already been marked by someone.”
Yes, Enya had been marked.
Archethia would definitely come for her. Besides, she had no hobby of being captured, unless someone could beat her.