Southern Continent, Tarra Kingdom.
At dusk, a grand banquet was underway in the royal palace.
Everyone attending this event was someone of great prestige and noble status within the kingdom.
The aristocrats, harboring their own intentions, wore false smiles as they mingled, all in preparation to welcome the guests from Dragon Island.
After half a day of intense preparations, the maids had meticulously decorated every corner of the palace.
The orange candlelight placed beside the floral arrangements lit the corridor leading to the banquet hall, while the fountain in the center of the garden reflected the colorful blossoms nearby.
The already luxurious palace now glittered with even more brilliance.
To show their respect toward the envoy from the dragon race, the banquet was arranged at the highest level of formality.
But to everyone’s surprise, the king had returned from Dragon Island with only a young dragon to handle the situation.
When they heard this news just moments ago, many of the guests couldn’t believe their ears. Was this young dragon actually more capable than the two adult dragons who came a month earlier?
The unusual attitude of the dragons raised suspicion among the guests.
Based on their expectations, resolving such a bizarre incident should at least require the involvement of a Dragon King. And given the dragons’ usual arrogance, a more aggressive response wouldn’t have been unexpected.
If the dragon race could quickly identify the cause and prove that it was all a false alarm unrelated to Tarra Kingdom, then the kingdom could still offer some reparations—this was already the most favorable outcome they could hope for.
Some pessimistic nobles believed that things had already gone beyond the point of no return. The disappearance of four adult dragons was a serious blow to the dragon race’s prestige.
Judging from the dragons’ typical arrogance, there was no doubt what would come first—the truth or their wrath.
Others were convinced this was all an elaborate conspiracy. The dragons’ strange behavior from the beginning had been a signal—this whole affair was orchestrated by them.
What power in the world would dare provoke the dragons? And who else could eliminate two adult dragons without a trace?
They believed the dragons had long coveted Tarra Kingdom. Seeing its decline, they sought a pretext to launch an offensive and gain greater benefits.
No matter how crude the plan was, under the dragons’ overwhelming power, Tarra Kingdom would become nothing more than their vassal, forced to provide a continuous supply of gemstones and gold from the human world.
This theory had become the mainstream among those present.
Although the kingdom had tried hard to suppress information about the second dragon disappearance, the ever-perceptive politicians had already sensed the hidden currents beneath the surface and were scrambling to find a way out of the impending disaster.
It was at that moment that a tall, elegantly dressed dragon girl appeared before their eyes.
*****
The rotund king, wrapped in an especially large ceremonial outfit that still couldn’t hide his bloated figure, slowly stepped forward.
The ill-fitting clothes severely limited his mobility and left him feeling hot and suffocated.
The chatter in the banquet came to a halt at the sight of the king’s movement—the guest of honor had arrived.
Lu Qiuchen was dressed in a gown primarily blue with black accents. Her ample chest was modestly covered by the conservative cut of the dress.
The sleek black satin shimmered with subtle blue highlights, and bits of gold glittered along the hem. The flowing skirt concealed her full, slightly fleshy thighs.
As she walked, the tips of her toes overlapped delicately, the dress swaying slightly with each step before quickly settling, occasionally revealing the silver tail hanging behind her.
She stepped carefully into the opulent palace. Before coming, she hadn’t wanted to wear women’s clothing at all.
But unfortunately, none of the clothes in her inventory were suitable for such a formal occasion.
Considering she was now representing the dragon race, she had reluctantly followed the maids to the dressing room.
Aside from the gown, the maids had even prepared a variety of accessories for her—but she had firmly rejected all of them.
The dress already made her feel so exposed and insecure. And they wanted her to tie ribbons on her horns? Bows on her tail? Dream on!
To the human maids, the beautiful young lady before them seemed gentle on the outside, but in truth, she was still a powerful dragon. They could only sigh in their hearts.
Back on Dragon Island, when she took on human form, Lu Qiuchen had only ever chosen somewhat androgynous women’s clothes.
Men’s clothing, in her current body, felt too restrictive in certain areas. In fact, wearing them would make her feel even more awkward and embarrassed than wearing women’s clothes.
This was… the first time in my life I’ve officially cross-dressed like this… and it had to be in public, no less!
The overwhelming shame slowed her pace. She inched her way into the center of the hall.
So it was: one trying to move quickly but unable to, and the other too embarrassed to walk properly. The two finally met at the center of the grand hall.
Under the curious gazes of the crowd, Lu Qiuchen forced a small smile at the king. The pudgy, pig-like monarch disgusted her. She wanted nothing more than to avoid physical contact—and ideally, never see him again.
Fortunately, the king had some tact. Realizing the girl showed no interest in him, and knowing that even his status meant little to the dragons, he wisely refrained from offering a handshake or embrace.
Expecting a juvenile dragon to follow human aristocratic etiquette would have been ludicrous, even in the nobles’ eyes.
After a simple exchange of formal greetings, the king gave a brief introduction to the guests and promptly announced the official start of the banquet.
Lu Qiuchen had no interest in mingling with these upper-class humans, but she was very interested in the exquisite food.
Taking full advantage of her status as a young dragon, she roamed the banquet tables in search of delicacies.
Though the guests harbored all kinds of thoughts, they knew this little dragon probably held no real power. In their hearts, they speculated on the dragons’ next moves.
For now, they simply treated the occasion as an ordinary banquet—just one that happened to have a dragon in attendance.
Since the adult trial was about finding clues, Lu Qiuchen’s not-so-bright mind was forced to kick into gear.
The entire kingdom had been turned upside down, and they still couldn’t find a single trace. Yet this banquet has gathered nearly all the influential people in the capital.
If the dragons’ disappearance really has something to do with the Tarra Kingdom…
Regardless of how they pulled it off, whoever’s behind this must have had contact with someone here. The key clue is probably in someone at this banquet.
She drifted among the tables, appearing focused on the food before her, but her attention was partially split—quietly observing the people around her.
Suddenly, she sensed a malicious gaze land on her. It lasted only a second before vanishing. But as a dragon with keen senses, Lu Qiuchen could always detect and parse the direction of a gaze.
Without revealing anything on her face, she continued sampling from her plate. When she closed her eyes to savor the taste, a sweet smile bloomed—utterly conquered by the dessert.
Lightly spinning on her heel, she walked toward another table. Her gaze, turning with her body, casually swept in the direction that gaze had come from.
There was only a flowerpot. No one in sight.
The person is very alert, Lu Qiuchen judged. But that also confirms the mastermind is indeed among the guests at this banquet.
The grand banquet ended amid laughter and cheers. On the surface, everything seemed perfectly cordial and festive—but beneath that, undercurrents churned and suspicion lingered.
Lu Qiuchen, for her part, had a great time eating. The delicacies of this other world had their own charm.
Unlike the simple and rugged dragonfire roasts of Dragon Island, these human dishes were diverse and meticulously prepared, offering a refreshing contrast for a stomach that had only known grilled meat for the past four months.
Suppressing her dragon aura, Lu Qiuchen climbed into a carriage and departed from the palace, heading for the teleportation array with a knight escorting her.
Back when Tara’s first king had founded the kingdom, he had formed a pact with the Dragon Tribe. That alliance had lasted for over a thousand years.
The people of Tara had extensive experience dealing with dragons, and the royal family even held the rare privilege of access to teleportation directly to Dragon Island—an honor found nowhere else in the world.
The first king had set aside a massive region on the western side of the capital’s Druride Mountains. Caverns were carved into the mountainside to create nesting chambers for visiting dragons.
The area had its own teleportation array linked to the palace, and stationed soldiers whose sole task was to ensure dragons felt at home.
Lu Qiuchen arrived at her temporary residence. Just this morning, the two dragons who had been staying there were found to have mysteriously vanished.
She planned to question the staff for intel, then go inside to search for clues—hopefully uncovering any lingering traces.
Upon hearing her request, the knight accompanying her immediately sent for the guard who had first discovered the disappearance.
The guard, having been on standby nearby, arrived quickly. Seeing that the one questioning him was a noble lady in an elegant gown, his anxiety mixed with a little excitement.
But the moment he noticed the dragon horns and tail, that excitement quickly vanished.
If she were just a beautiful noblewoman, he might’ve had some indecent fantasies—something to comfort himself on lonely nights. But realizing she was a dragon who could swallow him whole with one bite, his heart remained completely unmoved.
According to the guard, he hadn’t been the one delivering food two months ago. The guard on duty at that time had discovered the nest empty and had wheeled the meal cart back—just in time to be spotted by the captain. ]
Upon learning that the dragons were missing, the captain had immediately reported it to his superiors. That guard was never seen again, and the dragons never returned that night.
The next day, His Majesty ordered a nationwide search. Every corner of the kingdom had to be combed—even the most remote regions. They were also sent to the duke’s territory to search the deep mountains.
Citizens all assumed that their muddleheaded and incompetent king had simply gone mad or was acting on some bizarre whim.
But the soldiers all knew that searching for fugitives was just a pretext—the real objective was to locate the missing dragons.
What kind of criminal in Talah could possibly warrant the mobilization of the army and the royal guards?
And so, after a full month of running around, the soldiers had built up quite a bit of resentment, while the public grumbled louder with each passing day.
When the search finally ended and they returned to their garrison, they received a new order: two more dragons had arrived at the site.
This time, the captain assigned him to deliver food to them. He spent the whole night on edge, terrified he’d end up like the previous soldier. But as the days passed, he realized that delivering meals to dragons wasn’t as scary as he thought.
He even grew bold enough to sneak bites of the food along the way.
Then, this morning, just like usual, he pushed a whole cart of freshly roasted lamb chops to the entrance of the dragon lair using a wheelbarrow. In the past, a faint magical veil would always cover the lair entrance, but today… it was gone.
He immediately reported the situation to his captain, who once again filed a report with the higher-ups. What happened afterward, he didn’t know. He was only told to stay here and not move.
“Milady, that’s the full account of what happened.”
Lu Qiuchen let out a small sigh of helplessness. The soldier had certainly been thorough—he’d said everything, including things he probably shouldn’t have.
Aside from getting a full timeline, she hadn’t learned anything especially useful.
She waved her hand toward the captain, who was glaring daggers at the soldier beside her, signaling him to back down, and turned to prepare to enter the dragon lair and inspect the scene.