Chapter 9
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Chapter 9: I Seem to Be Like a Rich Widow
Lin Lin felt she had taken on a good job.
To travel on the government’s expense to Dragon Safir’s territory, to check if his hot springs are friendly to humans, and to offer constructive advice.
On this continent, humans and Orcs are the most common races, and because humans live in groups and have technology, they accumulate more wealth. Taking aside the factions, doing business with humans is always a good choice.
As the only human in the Demon King Castle, Lin Lin was honored to give her opinions on the future hot springs.
She rode in a carriage with Safir towards the Dragon race’s territory.
The spacious and comfortable carriage had enough room for Lin Lin to lie flat, but clearly, she did not waste her thoughts on this trip.
This was Lin Lin’s second outing, and unlike the first time she was carried like a sack, this time she could comfortably enjoy the view outside.
How annoying, the Dragon race’s life is just too pleasant!
Outside, a Lizardfolk sat at the front of the cart, guiding two black horses under the gloomy sky. The farther they got from the Demon King Castle, the clearer the sky became.
Lizardfolk are loyal servants of the Dragon race.
Unlike Safir’s human form, the Lizardfolk have the traits of half-beast and half-human. Their upper bodies resemble lizards, with long, slender snouts and eyes like those of the Dragon race. However, their eyes are a dark golden color, like the desert.
The Lizardfolk may not have high intelligence or understanding, but they are a hardworking race. They have tough skin and strong fertility, and their native language is that of the Dragon race, making them a top choice for servants.
Low intelligence means they are obedient and easy to control, while strong fertility ensures their numbers remain sufficient. However, their attacking power is not as intimidating as that of the giant tribe, but the quiet dragons prefer their silence and endurance.
Lin Lin lifted the curtain from the cart’s door frame, and in her sight, she could see the scaly back of the Lizardfolk, with scales extending down its slightly raised spine. The Lizardfolk wore no top, only a pair of dark gray pants for ease of movement.
The scales serve as their armor.
The dark red patterns looked like the colors of a flame about to go out. As a little bit of bright sky appeared, the scales shimmered with a healthy shine in the sunlight.
This is a strong male Lizardfolk warrior.
Lin Lin stared at his back for a long time.
Unlike the icy blue dragon scales on Safir’s neck that seemed too private and secret, the Lizardfolk’s scales appeared rough and bright; they did not mind showing them off. In fact, these beautiful scales were a way to display their charm and attract mates.
Driving the cart was clearly easy for him; the Lizardfolk’s tail poked out from a hole at the back of his dark gray pants and swayed back and forth in boredom.
Lin Lin was drawn to that magical tail and reached her hand out from the cart’s door, trying to touch the tip of his swinging tail.
Lin Lin hesitated for a moment, but being a human who knew nothing about other races, she bravely reached out to touch it.
The tip of the tail she held gave a little twitch in her hand, and the rough scales suddenly flared up.
Everything changed too quickly; before Lin Lin could react, the cart suddenly sped up, the horses neighed sharply and galloped wildly, and the once steady cart began to shake violently.
The Lizardfolk tightened the reins firmly. After the horse had run quickly for a few hundred meters, they slowly relaxed the reins, managing to calm the horse that had just been startled.
The Lizardfolk driving the cart turned around, and a dark golden reflection like quicksand showed Lin Lin’s face. The lizard had few facial nerves and could not make the rich expressions of a human. The Lizardfolk quietly looked at Lin Lin.
Lin Lin awkwardly pulled back her hand that had caused trouble.
Like a cold gear in a giant machine, after she indicated she would stop, the Lizardfolk turned his head as if nothing had happened and continued his work, as if Lin Lin had never bothered him.
Lin Lin whispered an apology, but the other person did not turn his head.
After putting down the curtain, Lin Lin turned to see Safir, who had been resting with his eyes closed in the cart, opening one eye.
To make it easier to ride in the cart, Safir pulled back his wings.
Unlike the Lizardfolk, the Dragon race had abundant nerves on their faces, and every part of their body was complex and mysterious, allowing dragons to make any movements they wished.
For example, when they were sleepy, just half-opening one eye near the disturbance was enough to see the changes around them. Even though his large and fearsome Dragon race body lay on a hill made of gold, he could clearly see the tiny movements of humans that were as small as ants to him.
At that moment, Safir looked at Lin Lin with eyes like sapphires, feeling confused as he noticed all her little movements, not understanding why she wanted to provoke the lizard servant.
Lin Lin tugged at the ends of her hair, feeling a bit guilty, and changed the subject, "How long until we reach the territory?"
The topic caught the Dragon race’s interest; he opened his other eye and ended his afternoon rest.
"We need to go to Tocopia first," Safir replied, "I have something to do."
Lin Lin’s eyes brightened; she knew this name. She had heard about this city from Dark Elf Felix.
The Dark Elf, who tried to act cold but was actually quite easy to compromise, shared some of his past. Tocopia was one of the few paradises mentioned by Felix, a place to rest for a while, and Felix even believed every city should learn from Tocopia.
A city that even the Dark Elf, who has a not-so-good reputation among surface creatures, could praise must be a welcoming place with many races, a lovely city that is quite orderly.
Lin Lin was filled with excitement for this city.
The sun was almost setting, the horses slowed down, and the carriage arrived at the town of Tocopia, the closest to the Dragon race’s territory.
The closer Lin Lin got to the city, the more she could see other carts rushing by, which was indeed how a rich city should look. She lifted the curtain of the cart window and saw a cart pulling bright golden straw, driving alongside her.
The setting sun shone on everyone’s faces, and lying in the pile of straw at the back of the cart was a boy with red hair.
The messy-haired red-haired boy had been watching the Lizardfolk who was driving the cart, but when Lin Lin leaned forward, his attention shifted to her.
The boy looked up, his eyes round and straightforward, clearly focused on Lin Lin’s black hair.
Lin Lin remembered that some humans believed black hair was a sign of a witch, so she raised her hand to cover it, but it didn’t really change anything.
Unlike the children in the village, the red-haired boy did not scream or look scared; he raised an eyebrow, got up from the straw pile, and even leaned forward as if he wanted to talk to Lin Lin.
Lin Lin hesitated about whether to greet him.
"Lower the curtain," said a young man from the Dragon race behind Lin Lin.
Lin Lin did as he said. She turned her head and saw the dragon scales that had been on Safir’s neck had disappeared; his skin was smooth and white, his posture proud and noble, like a true human noble.
"The children here are very clever. If you want to make everything easier, you should wear a hat," Safir suggested.
Lin Lin didn’t argue whether that red-haired boy was clever, but she also knew that in the eyes of dragons, most humans were untrustworthy outsiders, just like Safir’s reaction when he first saw her.
"Maybe you can help me change my hair to a different color?" Lin Lin thought Safir’s trick of removing his scales was pretty nice.
"Sorry, I just controlled the growth of the scales," the dragon calmly said, "I am good at destruction, not those spells used for deception. Perhaps Dark Elves are better at those."
Lin Lin tried to tell if Safir was subtly insulting Dark Elves. She looked straight into Safir’s honest eyes and couldn’t tell.
"Well," Lin Lin said somewhat disappointed, as she picked and chose from a corner of the carriage. In the end, she chose a black hat that could cover most of her face and tucked her hair inside it.
She held a small mirror and looked at herself. Whether it was the usual dark and expensive clothes of the Demon King Castle or this overly concealing hat, Lin Lin had a mysterious beauty like that of a widow whose husband had died.
"I feel like one of those widows who get richer after losing eight ex-husbands," Lin Lin said as she drew on some bright red lipstick, pressing her lips together to evenly spread the color.
Safir had already grown accustomed to Lin Lin acting up. Or rather, this human woman didn’t care about his response; she merely wanted to express herself.
"I have to say what’s on my mind. If I don’t, I will go crazy," the human woman seriously told him.
Indeed, Safir did not think that Lin Lin was a talkative woman. If you wanted to measure who talked the most, the Brass Dragons in the Dragon race were the real chatterboxes; they could drive the thieves who tried to steal from their nests mad with their chatter. Even other Dragons, like the Safirs, would never start a conversation with a Brass Dragon.
Safir believed that Lin Lin was willing to share her thoughts because… she was very lonely. She was a human from another world, different from the Demon King Castle, which had no humans, or from most of the humans in this world. Letting her emotions out was a way to relieve stress.
She enjoyed deliberately saying things others couldn’t understand, creating a kind of self-deprecating humor, a behavior that Safir had seen from the Dark Elf.
Sometimes, when they had different opinions, the young elf would deliberately shrug and speak in a quirky tone, "Sorry, I’m a freak. Even among the many freaks in the Dark Elf community, I am the strangest one."
That was why these two got along so well.
Safir frowned slightly; he would not judge the friendship habits of others in the Demon King Castle. However, he believed that Lin Lin would soon realize the differences in understanding between humans and Dark Elves.
The cart slowed down as it approached the city gate.
The sky had completely darkened, and lights began to twinkle throughout the city.
Arrived! The city highly recommended by the Dark Elf! A rare paradise in the world!
"The wealthy widow who has lost eight husbands" jumped down from the carriage with great energy, stretching her stiff legs.
Lin Lin stood next to the Lizardfolk, curiously gazing at the lively city.
How to say, a bit disappointed. After all, Lin Lin has seen the tall buildings of modern society. Although this city is crowded and the lights are bright at night, it’s actually just okay.
A real big city should have humans packed like sardines in the subway. Oh, well, I don’t mean to complain about how many people live here.
Safir got off the carriage.
The Lizardfolk immediately lowered his head and knelt on one knee beside the carriage, allowing the noble Dragon race to step down calmly and steadily onto his knee.
Why is your way of getting off so cruel, you noblewoman! You can be this widow!
Lin Lin stood with her arms crossed, watching the Dragon race’s overly graceful movements.
The young man, who was now completely without scales and had a human face, looked up at Lin Lin, his jewel-like bright blue eyes now a more subtle light blue.
Safir, with his pale skin and elegant posture, furrowed his brow slightly as he looked toward Lin Lin, appearing to hesitate.
What is he hesitating about?
Lin Lin had to admit that the men of Demon King Castle were very handsome; usually, when they had horns, scales, and jagged teeth, she felt nothing. But when their non-human features were hidden, she could feel the charm of these faces blessed by the God of Darkness.
Thank you for your contribution, God of Darkness. Even though you are weak in fighting.
Just then, while Lin Lin was confused by Safir’s hesitant expression, she suddenly felt a tight squeeze around her waist as she was embraced by strong, unfamiliar arms and pulled into the crowd.
The crowded road was filled with people, not only humans and Orcs but also dwarves, mermaids, giants, winged people, and other races that Lin Lin was completely unfamiliar with; the air was filled with various strong, pungent smells of different creatures, along with a mix of perfumes and smoke.
As Lin Lin felt someone pulling her away, she bumped into the winged person’s wing, like crashing into the softest feather duvet.
Like a slow-motion scene in a special effect.
Lin Lin watched as the face of the young man from the Dragon race grew farther away from her.
Safir opened his mouth, his lips moving. Lin Lin could understand what he was saying by reading his lips.
[I’ll buy something first. I’ll see you later.]
You were just hesitating over this silly thing! Get lost for a while!
Lin Lin knew she couldn’t put her hopes in a useless man, like a rabbit caught by an eagle, flailing helplessly.
Then, a cold hand reached out from the side.
There was another accomplice.
Just a simple gesture of a finger saying "shhh," and Lin Lin’s mouth was forced to close. She couldn’t open her lips and swallowed dryly.
She saw the face hidden under the hood.
Dark skin, silver long hair, and special golden lines made of paint across the cheekbones and nose bridge that Felix did not have, like a totem believing in some kind of power.
Lin Lin thought, it really seems to be the happy home of the Dark Elves.
Select Dark Elves.
Tocopia is truly a great city for doing bad things.
