The entire Sturitt Kingdom was in an uproar. The city, which would normally fall silent after nightfall, remained as lively as it was during the day for the first time in history. The streets were packed with panicked residents.
After all, their most precious little princess had been abducted by a dragon. This was a matter of the utmost importance!!
At the moment Yu Deng was carried away by the dragon, Song Shiyu was still engaged in a conversation with King Charles as part of his triggered scene quest.
"You are the princess's knight and have spent time by his side. Do you believe that the princess, as the kingdom's heir to the throne, has earned the love and devotion of his subjects?" The old king had deep nasolabial folds. When he looked at someone without any expression, there was something sinister about him.
"Has he driven away the darkness for the kingdom's people and brought them glory?"
Song Shiyu narrowed his eyes slightly. The old king's tone didn't sound like that of an elder asking about a child's recent circumstances. Instead, it carried a subtle sense of scrutiny and judgment, along with a hint of... indifference.
There was definitely something wrong with this old king.
Song Shiyu didn't kneel before him. Instead, he simply stood at the foot of the steps and stated, "Her Highness the Princess is a wonderful person. He is outstanding, and I willingly choose to follow him, just like all the other subjects of the kingdom."
"So, you willingly choose to follow him?"
The old king was about to say something more when the castle's alarm suddenly rang out, its sound resounding through the heavens. Exclamations of shock erupted both inside and outside the castle, while the head maid's panicked shouts could faintly be heard from the corridor outside the council chamber.
"His Highness the Princess has been taken by a dragon!"
The little princess was missing?
Song Shiyu abruptly raised his head and immediately strode away.
[Ding! Player Song Shiyu, please take note. You are currently participating in a scene quest. The quest has not yet ended. Please do not leave without authorization.]
As the system notification sounded, the old king's reprimand followed, his voice filled with anger at having his authority challenged.
"Knight, I have not yet finished questioning you!"
Song Shiyu turned around and looked at the NPC indifferently. He tossed out an amnesia item, then swung his longsword and struck the back of the old king's neck. With a loud thud, the king collapsed unconscious.
"You should be grateful that the princess might need you for the upcoming events in the storyline," Song Shiyu said calmly.
This was the first time he had ever taken his anger out on someone else like this. If the king hadn't summoned him, he could have stayed by the little princess's side. He would never have allowed that ill-intentioned dragon to abduct him.
—The vendor who had used gold and silver treasures to attract the little princess's attention during the royal tour that afternoon was obviously that very dragon.
Gripping his longsword, the knight turned around and strode toward the scene.
...
In the sky.
The last traces of the evening glow had completely faded. The orange-red afterglow had vanished, leaving the sky a deep blue, like a clear, profound gemstone.
Yu Deng still had no idea that the human kingdom had already descended into chaos. He mentally prepared himself for a few seconds, gathered his courage, and lifted the petals once again.
Good. The scene before his eyes was still exactly the same as before. This wasn't a dream at all. He really was in the sky!
Yu Deng finally came to terms with his situation. Panicking, he clutched the petals tightly, revealing only the upper half of his face as he looked around in shock.
"How am I in the sky...? What's going on?!"
He had merely closed his eyes for a moment. How had he gone from his bedroom in the castle to the sky?!
The enormous creature carrying Yu Deng on its back heard his voice and turned its head to answer, "Oh, quite obviously, I'm taking you to the territory of the dragon race, my dear Princess."
Yu Deng's eyes widened. "Eh? The dragons' territory?"
The comments in Yu Deng's livestream were scrolling by at lightning speed.
[ I thought the baby peeking out from inside the flower was already cute enough, but there's actually something even cuter! ]
[ Awww, my wife hiding back inside the flower bud is so ridiculously adorable. My heart is melting. ]
[ Hehehe, you silly little baby. I'll gobble you up in one bite. ]
[ So our little Princess Deng Deng has been kidnapped by an evil dragon? ]
[ Don't you dare bully Deng Deng! Speaking of which, ever since Deng Deng entered this instance, his livestream has been black for half the time. What exactly have you been doing to him?! ]
Yu Deng thought about the creature known as a dragon for a moment before cautiously poking his entire head out and looking ahead.
The one carrying him through the sky was indeed a giant dragon. Even the enormous flower bud resting on its back looked tiny in comparison.
The dragon's scales were black with a reddish tint, possessing the lustrous appearance of gemstones. Its enormous black wings flapped slowly, their edges sharp and rigid.
Yu Deng immediately thought of the little wooden dragon sculpture he'd received during his royal tour. Judging by the colors alone, the dragon carrying him looked rather similar to that carving!
The giant dragon flapped its wings and smoothly banked around a towering mountain peak. Yu Deng was jolted by the movement and immediately ducked back into the flower bud with a whoosh.
"Hey..." Yu Deng's voice was soft, filled with grievance. "Why did you suddenly take me away? Y-You came specifically to kidnap me, didn't you...?"
Of course, he had specifically come to take the little princess away.
However, saying that aloud would make it sound as though the dignified leader of the dragon race had become completely infatuated with a princess from the human kingdom, willing to risk everything just to abduct him. Therefore, the giant dragon skillfully came up with an excuse to justify his actions.
Some strange plants had appeared in the human kingdom. That had nothing to do with him. He had merely happened to pass by and plucked a flower.
As for the little princess inside the flower... How was he supposed to know that there would be a princess inside it?
The giant dragon said, "I happened to come across Your Highness the Princess, so I decided to bring you back to my territory."
"But I'm really scared. It's so high up here." Yu Deng's voice carried a faint, tearful whimper. "How could you take me away without even telling me first...? What if I fall?"
The giant dragon immediately lost his earlier composure. The words tumbled out of his mouth as he clumsily tried to reassure him.
"That won't happen! I'm an excellent flyer, and I've even placed a magical protective barrier around you. I absolutely won't let you fall!"
After making this hurried promise, the giant dragon awkwardly changed the subject.
"Anyway, just... don't be afraid. We'll reach the dragon territory soon."
...
The giant dragon hadn't been lying. About five minutes later, they passed through thick layers of clouds and arrived at the territory of the dragon race.
Yu Deng could feel the giant dragon landing on solid ground. Cautiously, he poked his head out of the flower bud once again and caught sight of the territory perched high above the clouds.
Although they were clearly high up in the sky, what greeted their eyes wasn't a vast expanse of ethereal clouds, but dark reddish-brown sandy soil. Mountain ranges stretched into the distance, with sparse vegetation scattered across the landscape. Almost every mountain had a cave, but there were hardly any buildings of the kind commonly found in the human kingdom.
This was the territory of the dragon race, built high in the sky. It was truly wondrous—a completely different land existed above the clouds.
Compared to the Sturitt Kingdom, the temperature in the dragon territory was considerably higher. Not long after Yu Deng arrived, he could already feel a thin layer of sweat forming on his back.
His gorgeous dress was simply too thick. The layered skirt had at least five or six layers, making him feel stuffy and overheated.
After landing, the plant on the giant dragon's back trembled. The flower bud slid down along the dragon's wing. Once it landed on the ground, its pink petals fully bloomed, allowing the little princess inside to climb out.
Holding onto the petals, Yu Deng cautiously stepped onto the ground, finally recovering from the thrilling experience of flying at such a high altitude.
After Yu Deng left the flower bud, the plant secretly brushed against him. To his surprise, it slowly regressed, transforming back into a seed, which the giant dragon promptly put away.
"Welcome to the territory of the dragons, Your Highness the Princess." A deep, pleasant voice sounded above Yu Deng's head. "I am the leader of the dragon race."
Yu Deng took two steps backward and greeted him softly. "Hello."
Standing before the giant dragon, Yu Deng could finally get a clear look at its appearance.
There was no doubt that this dragon looked incredibly cool. Its black scales, tinged with red, were harder than diamonds. Two curved horns grew from the top of its head, its claws were razor-sharp, and its tail looked immensely powerful. Its entire body radiated a cold, imposing beauty, a kind of fierce, brutal elegance.
Yu Deng stared blankly for several seconds, marveling inwardly at its appearance. Unable to resist, he reached out and touched the dragon's scales.
The scales felt wonderfully cool to the touch, which was especially refreshing in such a hot environment. Without realizing it, Yu Deng stroked them a couple more times.
The giant dragon, who had secretly been striking a cool pose: "!"
The little princess's hand is so soft. His touch feels so good...
"Your Highness the Princess." The giant dragon was practically floating with happiness, barely managing to suppress the urge to wag his tail. He called out to Yu Deng. "How about I take you to my lair? There are..."
Before the dragon could finish his invitation, a large group of noisy, dark silhouettes came rushing over from a distance with a thunderous roar. A few seconds later, these massive creatures landed near Yu Deng with a series of heavy thuds, kicking up clouds of dust and shaking the ground as though an earthquake had struck.
Yu Deng: "?!"
Waaah!
He nearly lost his balance on the shaking ground, but the dragon leader extended the tip of his wing to steady him.
Once the dust settled, Yu Deng saw at least twenty giant dragons. There were red ones, green ones, black ones, and dragons of all sorts of colors. Among them were also a few dragons in human form.
Yu Deng even spotted a somewhat familiar face. It was the silver-haired stranger he had encountered the previous evening after his chance meeting with Xiao Pang and the others.
Huh? So this guy is also a dragon? Just how many fantasy races have infiltrated the Sturitt Kingdom?! The place is practically full of holes!
These dragons were all enormous in their true forms, so their voices were as loud as rolling thunder.
"Let me see, let me see! Hey, hey, stop blocking my view... Tsk, is this the little princess of Sturitt?"
"Roar! That kid Silverpeak wasn't lying. What a beautiful princess! Even if we take a huge step back, why can't such an adorable treasure be the princess of our dragon race? Why does he have to belong to the human kingdom?"
"I think there's a much greater chance that the little princess will become the leader's mate."
"Then will the little princess lay little dragon eggs?"
Compared to the Sturitt Kingdom, where hierarchy was strict and etiquette was highly valued, these dragons were much more unrestrained. They didn't care at all that their leader was standing right there, and their questions covered just about everything imaginable.
Surrounded by a crowd of enormous creatures, Yu Deng's head was buzzing. Their incessant chatter made him feel as though his eyes were about to roll back into his head.
Even while feeling completely overwhelmed, Yu Deng still managed to quietly argue with one of the dragons in his mind.
He absolutely did not want to lay dragon eggs... That would be way too weird!
Unlike his excited clan members, the dragon leader who had brought Yu Deng here looked furious. Yu Deng wasn't sure how he could tell a dragon's expression from its pitch-black face, but somehow, he could clearly sense the dragon's anger.
Of course, that anger was directed at the noisy dragons, not at Yu Deng.
The black dragon stepped in front of Yu Deng. His thick, powerful tail swept across the area, sending several curious dragons flying. He then spat out a mouthful of reddish flames, scorching the dragons and sending them fleeing in panic.
"This is the princess I brought back. Don't you have princesses of your own?!" the giant dragon roared, furiously chasing away the clueless dragons.
Even though Yu Deng was standing behind the dragon, he could still feel the heat radiating from the flames.
Waaah, it's even hotter now! His dress is so thick, too.
Driven away by the dragon leader, the curious dragons scattered in panic, taking to the skies and perching on distant mountain peaks where they could secretly watch the little princess. At last, the area fell silent.
No, wait! Something was wrong!
Out of the corner of his eye, Yu Deng spotted a gray dragon. The dragon suddenly shot into the air, its entire body glowing with an ominous red light as it charged straight toward him.
The gray dragon's pupils were almost completely unfocused, revealing not the slightest trace of reason. The roars coming from its mouth were broken and intermittent.
The moment Yu Deng met the gray dragon's gaze, he suddenly felt as though he had been plunged into a storm of agonizing rage and fury.
"...Wuu."
"Your Highness the Princess, please close your eyes."
The dragon leader immediately stepped in front of Yu Deng, striking the gray dragon with his sharp claws. The fierce gusts of wind generated by his movement quickly overwhelmed the other dragon. Soon afterward, several other dragons flew over and carried the gray dragon away.
This unexpected incident didn't require Yu Deng to do anything at all. He opened his eyes, still somewhat dazed, and watched them leave in confusion.
"What just happened?"
"I'm sorry for almost letting you get caught in danger. Something is wrong with him. But don't be afraid. He's already been taken away, and he won't hurt you." The giant dragon's voice sounded a little heavier. "As for the rest... if you want to know, I'll tell you later. Is that all right?"
Yu Deng didn't press him for more details. He nodded. "Okay."
The giant dragon gently picked Yu Deng up in his mouth and carried him toward the highest mountain peak. He flew into the lair belonging to the dragon leader and landed on the flat ground in the very center.
There were no artificial lights inside the lair, but various glowing gemstones were embedded in the walls, illuminating the entire cave brilliantly.
The cave was filled with all kinds of gold, silver, and other treasures. Any single piece would have been enough to astonish a merchant. Yet these precious gems were scattered carelessly across the ground, almost filling the entire cave. Yu Deng could barely keep his eyes open, nearly blinded by all the dazzling light.
The dragon leader put Yu Deng down, then lay down in front of him and formally introduced himself.
"Hello, my name is Oriel Smelid."
When the giant dragon pronounced his name, the sounds were somewhat strange, probably because he was speaking in the language of dragons. Yu Deng could only reconstruct the name based on the dragon's pronunciation, trying his best to remember it.
After Yu Deng responded, the giant dragon gazed at him expectantly for quite some time. When the little princess didn't continue speaking, he couldn't help prompting him.
"What about you? According to human etiquette, you're supposed to tell me your name now, too, right?"
That was true... Yu Deng tilted his head back to look at the giant dragon and thought for a moment before answering.
"All right, I can tell you, but you mustn't tell anyone else."
The giant dragon immediately raised one of his claws. "I won't tell a single soul!"
"My name is Yu Deng."
The giant dragon awkwardly repeated the little princess's name several times before happily calling out, "Little Princess Deng Deng!"
Yu Deng turned his face away. "Mm..." He paused, then asked, "Do you have any other clothes here? I... I'm really hot."
That was an excellent question.
Dragons were more accustomed to living in their true forms. Even inside their lairs, they usually remained in their original bodies, so they had no need for clothes. Only when they transformed into human form did they require clothing. However, the humanoid forms of dragons were all quite tall and muscular, and none of their clothes would fit Yu Deng.
Besides, the little princess was supposed to wear dresses, right?
Oriel thought about this very carefully. He frantically rummaged through his collection until he finally found a treasured box he had once stolen from a merchant. After a great deal of searching, he managed to pull out a dress.
"Would a dress like this work?"
Yu Deng took it and examined it closely. The sky-blue dress was exquisitely made, but the fabric was very thin, and the hem was quite short. Its sleeves were designed in a style similar to spaghetti straps.
Yu Deng hesitated for a few seconds. "Is this the only one?"
"There should be more..." the giant dragon replied instinctively. But after noticing the length of the dress, he immediately changed his answer. "No, there aren't any others. This is the only one. I happened to acquire it by chance."
Yu Deng furrowed his brows slightly. However, he was simply too hot, so he decided to change into the dress anyway.
"Could you turn around? I need to change my clothes."
The giant dragon lay down in front of Yu Deng, looking rather reluctant to turn away.
"Am I not allowed to look?"
"..." Yu Deng's earlobes turned slightly red. "You can't."
It would be strange to have such a gigantic creature staring at him while he changed clothes.
The giant dragon reluctantly turned around. Yu Deng hurriedly pulled off his dress and changed into the lighter one. Without the heavy skirt weighing him down, he immediately felt much cooler.
However, the dress was far too short. Once Yu Deng put it on, even the slightest bend would expose the flesh of his buttocks, and there was practically nothing to conceal his snow-white legs.
The giant dragon turned around and took one look at him. Its entire body froze as it stared motionlessly at the little princess, feeling as though its scales were beginning to burn.
The little princess is so fair…
"I'm done changing, so… what exactly did you bring me here for?" Yu Deng asked.
The giant dragon answered instinctively, "I just wanted to bring you back here. You're so beautiful, Your Highness. You're even more beautiful than all my treasures combined."
After saying that, the giant dragon hurriedly tried to justify itself. "Besides, kidnapping you is a warning to the human kingdom! That old geezer will definitely be furious!"
Yu Deng's attention was immediately diverted. He asked in confusion, "Do you hate the old king?"
The dragon's answer was straightforward. "Yes."
This conversation gave the giant dragon a little inspiration. After honestly answering the little princess's question, it activated a special magical connection and initiated a magical call to the king of the human kingdom.
A moment later, the old king's face appeared on the transparent screen.
The giant dragon blocked the little princess from view and spoke with unmistakable mockery. "You old geezer! I've taken the princess away! Your human kingdom is doomed!"
King Charles: "…"
The old king had actually just been knocked unconscious by Song Shiyu. He had only been revived shortly before the magical call connected. Now, after being provoked by the leader of the dragon race, he rolled his eyes back and fainted again.
Giant Dragon: "?" Is he really that fragile?
Song Shiyu, the culprit who had knocked the old king unconscious, was also standing nearby. He didn't even glance at the king who had fainted once again, nor did he care about the giant dragon's taunts. His entire attention was focused on Yu Deng.
"Your Highness, are you all right?"
Song Shiyu's gaze was difficult to read. They had only been apart for such a short time, so how had the little princess already changed into such a revealing dress?
"I'm fine now." Yu Deng leaned forward, meeting Song Shiyu's gaze through the screen. "Don't worry."
The giant dragon clicked its tongue. It still found that knight extremely irritating.
"His Highness is doing perfectly well here with me. I have plenty of treasures, and I can take good care of the princess, too." As it spoke, the giant dragon shrank until it was just over two meters tall. It folded its wings around Yu Deng, enclosing him in its embrace.
"Eh?" Following the dragon's movements, Yu Deng was gently scooped up and seated on its tail.
The dragon's tail was covered in scales, too. As it supported Yu Deng, the scales grew taut with barely contained excitement. Since the skirt was so short, the cool scales pressed almost entirely against the soft flesh of his buttocks.
The ferocious dragon and the delicate little princess were pressed together. Rather than the princess being imprisoned in the dragon's embrace, it looked more like the dragon itself had been tamed.
The communication ended the very next second. Song Shiyu only caught a glimpse of the little princess leaning back slightly, his unobstructed legs dangling in the air and his rounded toes curling ever so slightly. The dragon's long tail curled around from behind and wound itself between the little princess's legs. The tip slipped beneath the hem of his skirt, settling at an extremely suggestive angle.
The tip of the dragon's tail brushed against his delicate skin, and Yu Deng let out a soft, muffled moan.
The giant dragon cautiously lowered its head to nuzzle Yu Deng's cheek. Feeling triumphant, it loudly boasted, "The little princess belongs to me now!"