“That... damn...”
The bald man’s voice resembled Tang Soyeong’s in pitch, which was already irritating when she did it. But seeing it come from a man with a beard like that? Even worse.
“Gekgek.”
Still, he arrived at just the right moment.
This fo-ti root and ginseng are a bit too bitter to eat as is—don’t they have something like honey around here?
I scratched my belly and let out a raspy, mocking sound.
“He’s... he’s casually eating all the elixirs like this...!”
Huh?
I didn’t eat that much.
“Garigekgek.”
And honestly, there wasn’t much worth eating here anyway.
“Th-this lizard...”
He wanted to get angry, but he couldn’t.
I was brought here by Docheol, after all.
Even if I did commit the minor offense of devouring all the elixirs, they couldn’t lay a hand on me.
Honestly, if they just offered my body directly to the True Dragon, it’d resolve everything.
All the effects of the elixirs I consumed would combine within me, making it all the more potent.
But clearly, that wasn’t what these people wanted.
They were probably planning to secretly feed one elixir at a time to insects daily and stash those insects away for their own benefit.
Inspired by this thought, I mimicked the dance I learned from that old Compsognathus.
If nothing else, it’s great for annoying people.
And judging by the glazed look in his eyes, it was working.
“Ugh! I can’t take this anymore! You damn lizard!”
The bald man’s patience finally snapped, and his head turned as red as an octopus.
“Calm down and behave...!”
I opened my mouth wide.
Then I stared directly into the bald man’s eyes.
Chomp.
I closed my mouth again.
“H-Hiiik!”
Yeah, that’s right, don’t mess with me.
Behave yourself.
Otherwise, I might actually bite you.
*
The Elixir Storage, also known as the Black Cloud Guild, was in a state of emergency.
It wasn’t enough that one of the Dragon Progeny, Docheol, had come to their headquarters. No, he’d left behind a lizard.
At first, they were terrified he’d come to expose their corruption. But they felt relieved when he merely left behind the strange lizard and departed.
However, they soon realized their mistake.
The lizard Docheol left behind seemed fully aware of its status and acted with complete impunity.
And now, a single lizard had put the entire Black Cloud Guild on the verge of collapse.
As Docheol and a certain lizard had speculated, this place was a storage hub for elixirs meant for the True Dragon.
But that wasn’t its only purpose.
After all, the True Dragon was a mythical being, and very few were certain of its existence.
Only the gatekeepers and high-ranking officials who entertained external guests knew of their relationship with the True Dragon.
The rest merely assumed the elixirs were offerings to some higher powers.
That’s right—the elixirs gathered here weren’t solely for the True Dragon.
The best of the best went to the True Dragon, but the rest were used to sustain the Black Cloud Guild.
Notable martial artists from various regions would visit the Black Cloud Guild to purchase elixirs and neidan.
Seventy percent of these customers were spiritual beasts, and the remaining thirty percent were humans.
Due to its location near the outskirts of the Ten Thousand Great Mountains, where orthodox sects rarely ventured, the Black Cloud Guild avoided scrutiny.
Rumors about the Heavenly Demon Cult didn’t help their reputation, but that only made it a frequent destination for spiritual beasts who didn’t care about such things and for dark practitioners willing to take risks for power.
Even some outsiders from beyond the Central Plains occasionally sought out the Black Cloud Guild.
The guild provided elixirs and neidan to a diverse clientele at high prices.
But now, all of that was in jeopardy because of one lizard.
With an infuriatingly smug expression, it roamed the guild, sniffing out every hidden stash of elixirs and devouring them all.
It wasn’t even subtle. Like a mischievous puppy, it would dig into the ground to unearth hidden elixirs, and when caught in the act, it would look away and whistle awkwardly, clearly embarrassed.
They should’ve known the lizard wasn’t ordinary, given it had been handed over by Docheol, but they hadn’t expected this level of trouble.
They couldn’t touch it because of its status, but that wasn’t the only problem.
The lizard had a vicious temper, snapping at anyone who dared come near.
And after staring at its face for too long, one began to notice its snout growing sharper, as if forming a perfect angle. A deeply unsettling thought arose: if that angle became a right one, something catastrophic might happen.
One bald man had even risked losing a finger trying to capture the lizard.
But to his horror, a sudden storm and lightning bolt struck him down, leaving him unconscious.
The lizard had stared back with innocent, wide eyes, but even a fool could tell it was the cause.
A lightning strike inside a cave wasn’t exactly normal.
Miraculously, the Black Cloud Guild had discovered one of the lizard’s weaknesses.
Whenever men approached, it would bare its teeth and threaten to bite. However, it seemed oddly docile when women approached.
Taking a gamble, they sent women to handle it, and the lizard begrudgingly tolerated their presence.
It wasn’t exactly apologizing for its behavior, but it refrained from snapping and even listened to what they had to say—a major improvement.
Of course, it wasn’t as if any woman would do. Its attitude varied based on, of all things, the size of their chest.
It seemed absurd that a lizard would care about such things, but all evidence pointed to that conclusion.
As a result, the bizarre lizard now lounged in luxury, being fanned by women while feasting on high-quality food alongside the local insects.
But its theft hadn’t stopped.
While it no longer devoured everything in one sitting, it continued to pilfer little by little each day.
Still, that was better than nothing. Without these measures, the guild’s elixirs would’ve been completely depleted in just a week.
The head of the Black Cloud Guild racked his brain, desperate to find a way to deal with the lizard.
Whether to return it to Docheol or offer it to the True Dragon was unclear.
But neither option was simple, and the guild leader’s hairline receded further by the day.
*
"Kwishisik! Boss! This humble Black Thunder Twin Ghost is truly impressed!"
Black Thunder Twin Ghost.
The black mantis next to me was rubbing its hands together eagerly.
Ever since it had started following me around and getting handouts, it now regarded me as its boss.
"Kerrrk..."
The Violet General, not to be outdone, rolled onto its back and acted cute.
After tasting the human-prepared meat dishes, it seemed to be in a particularly good mood.
"I feel bad for taking so much from you, child, even those precious elixirs..."
Centipede, ever so kind, seemed overwhelmed by my generosity.
Unlike these freeloading insects, Centipede actually deserved it.
Honestly, I’d give her even more if I could, but giving away too much would risk alerting the humans, so I had to dole it out sparingly.
I’d originally planned to burn down the elixir storage, but it turned out to be laughably easy to infiltrate.
I got free food every day, occasional fanning from the GeLorong-esque people, and elixirs to steal and eat.
Living here didn’t seem like a bad idea at all.
Of course, this treatment was only because I was a precious lizard meant to be offered to the True Dragon.
I’d have to milk it for all it was worth until they finally drew their blades.
In the meantime, I needed to scout for potential converts to bring to the Gae Gak Sect.
If nothing else, these venomous creatures would be a perfect match for Soyeong.
Clatter.
The sound of a stone door opening echoed through the chamber.
Centipede and the other insects quickly retreated to the shadows.
Of course, I remained sprawled on the ground, lazily chirping.
What were they bringing this time?
Would they bring another elixir?
I was getting tired of stealing them every day.
"So, is it true that the lizard ate all the elixirs?"
A clear, melodious voice reached my ears, causing them to perk up.
"Y-yes! The lizard has settled here and has been consuming the elixirs daily..."
"Black Cloud Guild Master, if a mere lizard is enough to disrupt your operations, what am I supposed to do about this?"
The Guild Master was clearly groveling, which meant the newcomer held significant authority.
"Reaching the Black Cloud Guild is no easy feat, you know."
Could she be closely connected to the elixir storage?
"...I have no excuse."
"Well, let’s take a look first."
Step. Step.
The sound of footsteps approaching me grew louder.
Snap.
I readied myself to bite.
Whoever it was, they better think twice before touching me.
"Be careful, Your Grace! This creature has a violent temper and might bite you!"
Your Grace?
Not a princess, but Your Grace?
...Where had I heard that title before?
I tilted my head slightly to get a look at the person they were referring to.
White hair.
She resembled Baek Seol-hwa, but there was something different.
Seol-hwa’s white hair was soft and comforting, like freshly fallen snow. This woman’s white hair was cold and sharp, like frost.
She wore a black qipao that revealed her thighs, her exposed skin strikingly bold.
Yet she wore an incongruous fur-lined coat, as if to shield against bitter cold.
A coat like that... she must be from a frigid region.
...Wait.
White hair, Your Grace, cold climates.
Could it be?
The woman with white hair reached out and wrapped one hand around my body.
A chill seeped through me, colder than the Snake Queen’s scales, sharper than Baekrang’s icy aura.
"Is it really true, Guild Master? That a lizard like this caused chaos in the Black Cloud Guild? Hmm, I don’t think so."
I had planned to snap at her, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it.
"It’s surprisingly soft and warm."
I seethed.
"...Strangely warm. A lizard’s body temperature shouldn’t be this high. Guild Master, I like this one."
These sneaky bastards...!
They brought in someone like this just to capture me?
"Gerong, Kelorolorong."
I let out a defeated chirp.
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