Chapter 31: The Three Goods and Cartography

After picking up the plate and tipping the small cakes into her mouth, Victoria did not actually eat them. Instead, she secretly tucked them into the spatial gem hidden within her mouth.

Spatial gems are incredibly precious, yet she possessed two. One was a gift from her mother, the other from her grandfather. She wore one as a necklace, resting against her chest right over her heart, while the other was tucked away in her mouth, nestled just behind her lower incisors—a spot that barely interfered with her speaking or eating.

She chose these two locations because one is where love is felt, and the other is where love is spoken. Besides, a clever little dragon never keeps all her treasures in a single gem.

Seeing that all three plates were now empty, Chirona couldn't wait to share her intelligence:

"First, the Red Dragon’s treasury offerings are divided into three categories: 'Beautiful,' 'Useful,' and 'Entertaining.' This corresponds to the three-day order of the tribute process."

"Flying dragons like me, which are small to medium-sized and capable of soaring through the skies, mostly present beautiful, exotic treasures to win the Red Dragon’s favor. As for earth dragons with dragon or near-dragon bloodlines—like those red salamanders we saw earlier—they usually come as a group to offer a 'useful' treasure, either something that directly enhances its power or a tool designed to increase its combat capabilities."

As Chirona spoke, Linde shifted his gaze to Pink, who was sleeping on a wooden crate nearby. This adorable creature had begun hibernating after licking the dragon orb, and it had been about five or six days since. During this time, golden mucus would occasionally seep from its skin. For plants, this mucus not only accelerated growth but also acted as a ripening agent. Victoria had carefully sensed it and confirmed that it contained a high concentration of magical energy, which, if consumed by a dragon, could rapidly restore depleted mana—a miraculous effect in the heat of battle. Since then, Linde had used only a tiny fraction for his crops, keeping the rest dried into solid pellets and stored in test tubes for potential use in emergencies.

When he snapped back to reality, Chirona’s voice was still going:

"As for the group offering 'entertaining' tributes, they are mostly sentient non-dragon creatures, dragons with very diluted bloodlines, or flying dragons that failed to find anything 'beautiful.' Because they are considered worthless in the eyes of the Red Dragon, they have to resort to tricks to please it; otherwise, it will settle for the pleasure of their blood..."

The butterfly dragon’s voice trembled slightly, not out of fear, but out of indignation. She suppressed her emotions, striving to help Linde and Victoria analyze the situation as objectively as possible.

"If we are going to act, I suggest we do it on the third day. This group of contributors suffers the most abuse and faces the deepest discrimination from the Red Dragon; their resentment is nearly palpable. It would be easiest for us to unite them."

"In my view, the third day is the final day of tributes. After the previous two days, the Red Dragon’s guard will be lowered. We could even steal the 'useful' treasures offered the day before. Furthermore, those coming to pay tribute on the last day are viewed as complete non-threats—mere waste—so the dragon won't give them a second thought."

"We can use this opportunity to launch a surprise attack and leave it with an unforgettable experience."

After sharing her thoughts, Chirona cautiously scanned Linde and Victoria. Seeing them both nod, she finally breathed a sigh of relief. She then joked, "Being lectured by both of you today has left me feeling quite insecure; I feel like the young dragon here."

"One is already a headache; if another one comes along, I might as well just hang myself from the nearest tree," Linde laughed, teasing her in return.

Victoria, however, spoke up with slight dissatisfaction: "What’s wrong with being a young dragon? Shouldn't we follow whoever makes the most sense? Why should we assume that age equals being right?" She added, "And Linde, you’re just a young human yourself. What right do you have to call me small? Wait until you grow a second head before you try to mock me."

"Fine, fine, we’re both young, don't be angry," Linde said, choosing not to bicker with her.

But his words took on a different meaning in Chirona’s ears. *Oh no, am I the only old one here?*

Chirona shook her head vigorously to cast the thought aside, then asked Linde for supplies: "Give me some paper and a pen. I’ll draw a diagram of the palace interior. I don't recall the terrain around the palace well, but I am intimately familiar with the layout inside!"

*Well, that’s a strange thing to be proud of, sister,* Linde thought to himself. Nevertheless, watching her hold her dragon head high, he applauded to show his respect.

The weak have the weapons of the weak, and the strong have the soft spots of the strong. Chirona may have been a victim in the past, but now, the pain of her experiences had crystallized into valuable intelligence, sharpening into a blade waiting to strike at the tyrant on the throne.

"After entering that tall, majestic palace gate, all tribute-bearing dragons and non-dragon creatures must pass through a long corridor before arriving at a massive wall at the end," Chirona said while drawing. Although the lines weren't perfectly straight, the pattern allowed Linde and Victoria to understand her perfectly.

"Then, you turn left to enter a vast hall. The Red Dragon lies on a white jade throne near the back, half-closing its eyes as it watches the contributors below, while its servants wait upon it."

"We contributors line up in a long queue, heads bowed, holding our offerings as we pass before it. If someone fails to satisfy the Red Dragon... well, they cease to exist."

"After passing through the hall, you only need to round two corners to reach the treasury. There are no side paths, so there's no fear of getting lost. However, this corridor is patrolled by sub-dragon guards to ensure we don't wander into other rooms."

"Finally, you arrive at the treasury. There are two guards at the entrance. Once inside, you place your treasures in their respective categories and head toward the exit, where two more guards record your name and species."

"If anything doesn't match up, or if someone tries to pilfer anything, they become a corpse. No one dares to play tricks now; everyone leaves honestly through the exit and follows the path to get out of the palace as quickly as possible."

"As for the final path out, there are usually only three or four guards patrolling. At the third intersection, there is a room to the left that looks particularly grand, inlaid with all sorts of exotic stones. It sparkles so much that I couldn't help but glance at it whenever I passed by. That is likely the Red Dragon’s bedchamber."

*Palace Gate → Corridor → Main Hall → Passage → Treasury → Exit (with the Red Dragon's bedchamber located to the left at the third intersection along the way).*

Linde scribbled a simple route on the side of the diagram.