The dragon’s claws seemed to be perfect for digging. In just a few moments, the hole had grown large enough to fit an entire dragon inside.
Ruan Shu was crouched behind a tree, carefully wiping away the black ash from the vine wrapped around her wrist with a leaf.
This little vine was incredibly clingy. Every so often, it would lift its pointed tip and nudge her fingers softly, so endearing.
Though it was a bare plant without any fluffy fur, it really did seem like a pet.
She was so focused on playing with the little vine that she didn’t notice the black dragon had already stopped digging. It trotted over, stretched its neck, opened its mouth, and, without warning, gently bit down on the unsuspecting girl, lifting her up.
Ruan Shu: “(ovo)”
“Why didn’t you make any sound?” she softly complained, her voice gentle and slightly pouty.
Being picked up so suddenly was pretty scary!
With her in its mouth, the dragon couldn’t talk, so it only let out a muffled hum, swiftly carrying her to the edge of the hole it had dug.
The contents inside were now fully exposed.
Ruan Shu: “Wow…”
There were so many different colored bones, scales, fur, and even some fruit inside.
The little vine proudly raised its tip. These were its treasures—its own collection!
Almer carefully set her down, then transformed into his human form.
“I’ll store these things for you and give them back when we return.”
His spatial ring was finally coming in handy.
Ruan Shu blinked as she watched the items in the hole disappear in an instant.
She stared curiously at the spatial ring on Almer’s hand.
Although he had once let her play with it freely, she’d never actually taken anything out from inside.
“When will we go back?” she asked, tilting her head as she looked up at him. They’d been out here for quite a while; her father and brother must be ready to go home by now.
Almer scooped up his little lucky charm, muttering with a hint of regret, “Time really flies.”
If his knight commander had heard him say that, he’d probably cry. Their majesty had never once thought time was moving too fast—only ever too slow!
“And you? Are you staying here?”
Ruan Shu paused after saying this, realizing they might have just dug up the little vine’s treasure.
Her face flushed with embarrassment. “Um… the treasure we dug up is actually its, isn’t it?”
Almer glanced sidelong at the vine. “But it’s ours now.”
He said this shamelessly, completely unapologetic. After all, a dragon’s skin was thick.
Ruan Shu: “…”
“No way! Her skin’s definitely not that thick,” Ruan Shu protested softly, unable to hide her embarrassment.
But, surprisingly, the vine coiled tightly around her wrist, clearly unwilling to leave her. It wanted to stay by her side!
Though others couldn’t perceive it, this mutated plant could keenly sense the aura surrounding Ruan Shu. Her aura was gentle and healing, just like her personality.
In the eyes of the mutated plant, this little star beast cub radiated an energy that naturally absorbed the essence of heaven and earth, converting it into a calming energy that the plant could absorb. Even the toxic “X substance,” generally considered a pollutant, was absorbed by her body and purified, causing her no harm!
Of course, only the mutated plant could sense this, which is why it so desperately wanted to remain near this star beast cub.
Even the severe injuries it had suffered from the dragon’s attack could heal within a month if it stayed by her side.
So, there was no way the Blackberry vine was going to let go of Ruan Shu.
Watching the vine wiggle around her wrist, Ruan Shu’s eyes crinkled into a smile. “Do you want to come home with me?”
The vine nodded enthusiastically.
Standing nearby, Almer crossed his arms, watching with a skeptical gaze.
This was really a mutated plant?
He glanced at Ruan Shu, rubbing his chin in thought.
In the end, the little vine got its wish and stayed with Ruan Shu. Almer transformed into his dragon form, letting the little “lucky charm” sit on his back.
“Take care of her,” he said, directing the words at the Blackberry vine. Then, he spread his wings and soared out of the forest.
Sitting on the dragon’s back, Ruan Shu’s hands fluttered nervously, unsure where to hold on.
Thankfully, as Almer took flight, the vine on her wrist suddenly extended, wrapping around both her and the dragon to secure her firmly in place.
Ruan Shu’s eyes widened as she held tightly to the vine.
Suddenly, the black dragon sped up, but oddly enough, despite the incredible speed, she couldn’t feel any wind at all. She sat comfortably, protected by an invisible barrier.
In reality, Almer had created an energy shield centered on himself to protect his little lucky charm.
An hour later, they arrived at the Marshal’s residence.
The moment the dragon landed, the butler rushed out, eyeing the Emperor with a hint of hostility.
Almer’s knight commander, who had come out of the Ruan household, noticed the butler’s expression and awkwardly scratched his nose, pretending not to see anything.
“Miss!” The butler, on the verge of tears, hurried forward to take Ruan Shu down. Then, he noticed the vine coiled around her wrist and froze.
“What…is that?”
“Your Majesty.”
Os stepped forward to greet Almer with a formal bow, but his gaze drifted to the vine on Ruan Shu’s wrist, and his pupils constricted slightly.
That definitely didn’t look like an ordinary plant!
Then he glanced back at their now-human Emperor and couldn’t help but think, …Your Majesty, what’s that on your face?
A quick look at the young girl revealed a similar scene: her soft, snow-white skin was dotted with a few sooty black fingerprints, her smiling face a bit smudged with dirt. Yet, despite the grime, it did nothing to hide her beauty.
“What… is this?” Oss asked, struggling to find words.
Ruan Shu thought for a moment before responding, “A pet.”
Yes, a pet. She couldn’t think of any other term to describe it.
Almer’s lips curled in a half-smile; this “pet” was indeed something special.
With a casual wave of his hand, a heap of items appeared in the courtyard.
The butler: “…”
Oss: “…”
What was all this stuff? Just where had these two gone? And why did it seem like they’d packed an entire adventure into less than a day?
Almer tilted his chin toward the pile. “This is her pet’s… ‘settling-in fee.’”
Ruan Shu blinked in surprise. Weren’t these things things they’d taken? Well… it worked, she supposed.
The butler stared, moving his gaze from the vine coiled around her wrist to the heap of “gifts.” His face went numb with disbelief.
“Is…is that…”
Pointing at the vine on Ruan Shu’s wrist, which was currently pretending to be a bracelet, he stammered slightly.
“A mutated plant!”
The butler and Oss both exclaimed the words at the same time.
Even Oss, who had seen all manner of strange things, was at a loss for words.
A pet?
Just how powerful was this girl to be treating a mutated plant as a pet? Even their own Emperor hadn’t managed that!
Not that he meant to criticize their Emperor, but Almer’s luck with mutated plants was legendarily terrible; even the gentlest plants would turn their leaves up at him or pelt him with rotten fruit if he got too close. He’d never seen anyone more disliked by mutated plants than His Majesty.
TL: Updated 13 chapters today!