Book 4: Chapter 10 |
Worthy of the strongest dragon slayer—his understanding of dragons’ living habits really was incredibly thorough.
After hearing the news, Isha replied with four concise words:
“Call me anytime.”
It was obvious that things on the Red Dragon Clan’s side had been far too calm lately. Big Sis had been stifled by peace and quiet and was desperate for some “family team-building” to relieve her boredom.
With Isha joining, the headcount was finally complete.
A few days later, everyone headed to Sky City.
Along the way, the little dragon girls showed intense curiosity about this live-action interactive game.
“I heard some senior brothers and sisters from the Young Dragon Division already went to play it. They said the experience was really good.”
The three little ones looked at each other.
They could roughly understand what a Princess card meant—probably similar to the identity cards in games they’d played before, like Werewolf.
But why was drawing the Princess card considered “good luck”?
Helena noticed their confusion and explained,
“The rules are simple. Eight people randomly draw identity cards. Once your identity is determined, then for the next seventy-two hours, you need to make your words and actions match the identity you drew as closely as possible. That makes it more immersive.”
“And that’s one of the game’s main selling points.”
“And the Princess is the female lead in this story’s setting—noble-born, clever as ice and snow, and the one everyone admires.”
Noah blinked, thought briefly, and delivered a sharp evaluation:
“The god-tier role on the good side.”
Helena froze. “Oh—Noah-chan, you’ve played similar games like Werewolf too?”
“Yeah. Our family’s pretty big, so when we’re free, we kill time with all kinds of games.”
If the Princess card really was the “god-tier role” in this game, then the player who drew it would indeed have a higher chance of winning than the others.
Of course, this live-action interactive game was probably different from the Werewolf games Noah’s family had played.
After all, the promotional poster said it included “scenario acting” and “NPC side quests.”
So it wasn’t just about talking well—you also needed the ability to complete tasks independently.
“I’m getting more and more excited… I really want to draw the Princess card.”
Sitting on the dragon’s back, Helena tilted her head up toward the sky. After a moment, she lowered her gaze to Noah, resting her chin in both hands, smiling with narrowed eyes as she asked,
“Noah, what identity card do you want the most?”
“Me…”
Noah thought for a moment. “The Knight card.”
Helena’s eyes lit up. “Because the knight can protect the princess?”
“No. Because the knight can kill wolves.”
The relentless overachiever was itching to fight, practically rolling up her sleeves.
“……”
Helena understood.
Her best friend’s personality, in adult terms, was “hopelessly straight.”
Not sensitive to romance at all!
But things were far from that simple.
What kind of person was Helena, the Silver Dragon Clan’s eldest princess?
She had successfully ambushed multiple Dragon Kings before. That required extremely sharp judgment and impeccable timing.
And of course Noah understood Helena’s meaning and the thing she was hoping for—but if Noah actually said, “If I draw the Knight card, I can protect you, Helena,” then a certain cowlicked little dragon girl might stage a melodramatic, blood-soaked ethical drama before they even reached Sky City.
So Noah answered Helena that way on purpose—to avoid a storm of blood and fury.
Thinking that, the relentless overachiever couldn’t help praising her own cleverness.
She looked at Mu’en.
Sure enough, her little sister looked quite calm.
Only those blue eyes kept glancing at Helena from time to time, as if in the next second Helena might snatch Noah away.
Noah smiled helplessly and shook her head.
Sister complex, sister complex… When will this silly little thing finally grow up?
……
As they chatted, they soon arrived in Sky City.
Since the Red Dragon Clan lived closer to Sky City, Isha was already waiting there.
Isha stood quietly among the crowd. Her breathtaking face and flame-like hair made her impossible to miss.
The red-haired beauty folded her arms, wearing her signature faint smile—sweet on the surface, wickedly mischievous underneath.
“If you were any slower, grass would start growing on my head.”
“Sorry, Sis. How long have you been here?” Rosvitha stepped forward and asked.
“Ten minutes.”
“Grass grows after ten minutes? Sis, if you’ve got that kind of talent, you should go support the desert region’s greening projects,” Leon said.
Isha laughed and shot her brother-in-law an amused glare.
“Oh? Looks like not only is your leg healed, your mouth’s gotten sharper too.”
Isha had only found out a few days ago about Leon being in a wheelchair.
Little Lo said he’d tripped over a rock while out.
Ha.
As if she’d believe that.
But believe it or not, Isha didn’t press further.
As long as this couple didn’t pull some absurd stunt like “lightning plus raging fire, the two of them wipe out a nation,” then fine.
As for everything else—let them run wild.
While they joked, Isha also noticed the blue-haired elegant woman beside them.
“Senior Claudia—we met once at Twilight Tower.”
As the younger generation, Isha naturally greeted first.
Claudia nodded. “Like Rosvitha, you’re also a very young, very outstanding Dragon King.”
“Not at all. I still have much to learn from you, Senior.”
After a round of polite mutual flattery, the three little ones ran forward.
“Auntie~”
“Auntie, Auntie—hug~”
Isha’s face lit up with an uncontrollable, genuine “auntie smile.”
She crouched down, hugging each little dragon girl, and even planting a kiss on each one.
In the end, she kept the warm-toned Little Light in her arms a bit longer.
Isha loved all three equally—truly equally.
But if she had to say who she clicked with most, it was definitely Little Light.
Because both of them had that “fun chaos” trait.
The older one loved watching adults’ drama.
The younger one loved watching her sisters’ drama.
A red-and-pink duo—endless entertainment!
……
More than half an hour later, they arrived at the venue for the live-action interactive game.
Because the game lasted an ultra-long seventy-two hours, you had to make a reservation to start a session.
Luckily, Helena had done plenty of research in advance and knew the reservation process.
They entered the venue, and the staff immediately welcomed them warmly.
After verifying their identities, the staff led them into a small room resembling a conference room.
“Welcome, everyone, to our newly launched live-action interactive game—‘Castle Secrets.’”
“Allow me to briefly introduce the background story for this session.”
“In a mysterious ancient castle, there is a treasure that can grant any wish—the Black Holy Stone.”
“The owner of the castle is a king. As he approached the end of his life, he revealed the Black Holy Stone’s existence to his only daughter—the princess. He hoped his daughter would use it well, and above all, never let it fall into the hands of those who walk crooked paths.”
“After the king passed away, many people came to attend the funeral, to mourn this great king.”
“That night, several guests, having traveled from far away, stayed overnight in the castle. The princess warmly hosted them.”
“After dinner, the princess returned to her room. As was her routine, she checked a wooden box under her bed. Inside was a key that could open the stone gate to the secret chamber where the Black Holy Stone was kept.”
“But when the princess opened the box, she was shocked to discover the key was gone.”
“The princess immediately summoned her personal guard and rushed to the secret chamber. The chamber door was open, and the holy stone had vanished without a trace.”
“The princess immediately ordered the castle sealed.”
“At that moment, there were eight people left in the castle, including the princess:”
“The princess; the princess’s two friends; a guard; the queen; the king’s old friend; the royal chef; and a doctor.”
“And next—”
As the staff narrated the background story, they had already placed eight identity cards face-down on the table.
“Please draw your identities.”
The little dragon girls rushed forward impatiently and each grabbed a card.
“Eh~~ Why am I one of the princess’s friends?”
Mu’en looked a bit disappointed.
After all, every little girl had a princess dream somewhere in her heart—even if she was a real princess at the Silver Dragon Sanctuary, that didn’t stop her from wanting to be a princess in the game too.
“Little Light, what did you get?” Mu’en leaned in to look.
Little Light didn’t care much. She openly displayed her identity card.
“Also one of the princess’s friends. Hah, this princess sure has a wide social circle.”
Helena drew the Guard.
She looked left and right, then her gaze landed on Noah.
“Noah-chan, what did you draw?”
Noah blinked. Her little face stayed calm and steady as ever. Unhurried, she flipped her identity card over with a finger.
“Princess.”
“Wah~ You drew Princess! And I’m the guard, so that means… I can protect you personally!”
Personally. Protect.
Warning, warning!
You have disturbed a sister complex!
Little Light could clearly feel the “friend” on her side suddenly erupt with blazing fighting spirit.
Good. The law of entertainment had been established!
“I drew Doctor,” Isha said. “Little Lo, what about you?”
“Oh, I’m the Chef. Tch. Why am I the chef?”
“Because your gameplay is pretty unappetizing,” Leon seized the chance and stabbed her.
Rosvitha rolled her eyes in speechless irritation, too lazy to deal with this idiot.
“I drew the Queen,” Claudia said.
“Tsk… why do I have to play a mom-type role every time?”
Thinking back to the academy stage play, she’d played Leon’s “evil stepmother queen.”
She hadn’t expected that even in a team-building game, she’d still be cast in the same sort of role.
Then Leon, naturally, held the final identity:
The King’s old friend.
He pressed a hand to the card and slowly lifted it.
The top line was the identity name.
But what caught Leon’s attention was the small print beneath:
“Old Friend, Independent Faction”
“Mission Objective—”
“Kill everyone.”
XX
This part won’t be too brain-burning, since our main focus is watching the fun.
Of course, there will still be some mind games. It won’t be too hard.
Now watch how General Leon becomes the enemy of the entire world
Also, it’s the end of the month—everyone clear out your monthly tickets, please, I’m begging.
…
Footnotes:
- Call me anytimePinyin: suí jiào suí dàoExplanation: A common phrase meaning “I’ll come as soon as you call,” implying immediate availability.
- Family team-buildingPinyin: jiā tíng tuán jiànExplanation: Modern slang borrowed from workplace “team building,” used humorously for family group activities.
- Auntie smilePinyin: yí mǔ xiàoExplanation: A warm, delighted smile typically associated with an aunt doting on children.
- As if I’d believe thatPinyin: hā, guǐ cái xìnExplanation: A blunt, sarcastic expression meaning “Only a fool would believe that.”
- Walking crooked pathsPinyin: wāi mén xié dàoExplanation: A phrase referring to shady, unethical, or heretical methods; often used in fantasy settings.
- Vanish without a tracePinyin: bù yì ér fēiExplanation: Literally “to grow wings and fly away,” meaning something disappears completely.
- Unappetizing gameplayPinyin: cāo zuò bǐ jiào xià fànExplanation: Internet slang: someone plays so badly it “ruins your appetite,” meaning it’s hard to watch.
- Law of entertainment has been establishedPinyin: lè zi de fǎ zé yǐ rán què dìngExplanation: A humorous, dramatic way of saying “this is going to be good drama.”