Chapter 1
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Volume 3 + Chapter 1: What Are You Looking At?
Xia Yi opened her eyes and woke up in bed.
“…Where am I?”
She sat there dazed for a while, looked down at her hands, and then tried to lift her tail.
Tail, heed my command!
However, her tail didn’t respond at all. There was only a hollow feeling behind her.
She shifted her hips slightly.
Her tail… was gone.
“As expected, it worked!”
Xia Yi jumped off the bed, her small feet in white stockings padding on the floor as she ran—pat pat pat—to the mirror.
Reflected in the mirror was no longer the silver-haired, silver-eyed dragon loli, but a black-haired, black-eyed human loli.
All her dragon-like features had completely vanished. She now looked no different from an ordinary human.
“Heh heh heh. As I thought—my transformation potion works perfectly!”
Xia Yi was very satisfied with the results of the potion.
This was a powerful alchemical formula she had secretly acquired from the dragon clan’s library, taken from an ancient recipe left behind by a dragon predecessor. She had refined it in secret, without Sharuru’s knowledge. The potion was strong enough to even suppress a Dragon King-level curse, allowing her body to revert to a human form.
Right now, Xia Yi is a human.
Her next mission was to infiltrate the human world and investigate the secrets of the human leadership. Acting as a human was naturally the most logical course—and safest too, as it would eliminate any risk of exposing her identity as a dragon.
Lucia’s approach involved using alchemical potions that altered physical appearance, combined with illusion earrings that distorted perception to hide dragon traits and simulate human features.
But compared to Xia Yi’s transformation potion, Lucia’s method was obviously inferior. So Xia Yi chose to use her own alchemy instead.
This was one of Xia Yi’s most precious hidden cards. She hadn’t told anyone about it yet.
If other dragons found out she possessed an alchemical potion capable of suppressing a Dragon King-level curse, it would cause a massive stir in the Dragon Realm.
“…Still, what a pity I didn’t get my male body back,” Xia Yi muttered, glancing at her form with some regret. “I’m still in loli mode… so far off from my original self.”
Even without her silver hair and silver eyes, Xia Yi’s appearance was still striking by human standards. She was adorably youthful, like a finely crafted porcelain doll. Growing up as a royal princess of the dragon clan had given her an elegant aura that still lingered in subtle ways—enough to draw admiration.
“Oh well. This will do. Once I reach House Lawrence and forge a false identity, I’ll be able to operate freely in the Kingdom of Rhine.”
After tidying herself up, Xia Yi changed outfits. She donned a wide-brimmed wizard’s hat and a loose-fitting mage’s robe, with a spellbook hanging from her waist—an impeccable image of a human novice magician.
She pushed open the door to her inn room. Without bothering to check out at the front desk, she headed downstairs and left quietly through the back door.
This was the port city of the Lizard people’s Blackstone Kingdom.
Xia Yi had already left the Dragon Realm and arrived here in Blackstone.
As a dragon princess, her arrival here would normally result in a lavish reception. Prince Gu Ya, who ruled Blackstone under dragon sponsorship, would rush to receive her with honor. Even without saying a word, the lizardfolk would scramble to ask if there was anything she needed and try their best to serve her.
But this was an undercover mission. Xia Yi decided to keep a low profile and operate independently. Very few knew she had left the Dragon Realm at all.
Standing on the bustling street, she saw many humans in addition to the local lizard people.
At Blackstone’s port, human activity was common.
After helping Prince Gu Ya reclaim his country, the vital mines of Blackstone now fell under dragon control. Most of the magic crystal mines were being exported via this port, sold across the land to various races.
Most likely, humans didn’t even realize that the magic crystals they were purchasing from the lizardfolk were secretly lining the coffers of their greatest enemy—the dragons.
“First, I should get a ticket.”
Xia Yi went to the port and found a merchant ship that sold passenger tickets.
“Miss Mage, are you heading back to the Kingdom of Rhine?” the ticket clerk asked.
“Yes,” Xia Yi nodded—though she found it a bit strange. Can this guy read minds or something? I didn’t even say anything yet.
The clerk smiled. “Miss Mage, I saw you here last time, buying a ticket. Remember?”
“…Huh?”
Xia Yi blinked, staring at the man and recalling a past visit.
Indeed, she had come to Blackstone once before, bought a ticket, and boarded a ship to return to the human world… but due to some complicated circumstances, she never made it.
To think she ran into the same clerk again. What a coincidence.
“I remember you saying you were done traveling and heading back to Rhine. Never thought you’d come back to Blackstone for another tour.”
“Ugh…”
Xia Yi’s cheeks flushed red.
It’s all this guy’s fault—reminding me that instead of going to the human world, I turned around and ran straight back to the dragon palace… to find Sharuru first thing.
She tugged down the brim of her wide wizard hat to hide her face, too embarrassed to meet the clerk’s eyes. Then she pulled out her coins.
As soon as she displayed the gold coins, several people nearby turned to look. Some of their expressions began to shift.
“Gold coins, huh? That’s quite a sum… Please wait a moment while I make change. You must be a noble—paying for a ship ticket with gold,” the clerk said with admiration, clearly envious.
Once she had her ticket, Xia Yi said nothing and jogged toward the ship to board.
—
With the sound of a steam whistle, the passenger ship bound for the human lands—the Kingdom of Rhine—began its journey.
Xia Yi didn’t stay in her assigned seat. Instead, she went up to the deck and leaned casually on the railing, enjoying the river breeze.
Thud, thud, thud…
She heard someone else walking across the deck and casually turned her head.
It was a human girl with long pink hair—even her eyes were pink. Her features were extremely attractive, and her figure was well-proportioned—her chest was definitely a size up from Xia Yi’s. She had the perfect balance between cuteness and beauty, like the heroine of a painter’s masterpiece. She immediately stood out in a crowd.
At her waist was a katana. She seemed to be a swordswoman.
Xia Yi stared at the pink-haired girl. She looks kind of familiar. Have I seen her somewhere before…?
So she kept looking… for a bit longer than she should have.
The other girl noticed, but Xia Yi still didn’t avert her gaze.
The pink-haired girl furrowed her brow, clearly confused by Xia Yi’s staring.
The two girls locked eyes in a weirdly charged moment.
“…What are you looking at?” the pink-haired girl asked bluntly.
Xia Yi shot back without hesitation, “Looking at you—got a problem with that?”
