The next morning, the brilliant starlight filtered through the barrier of Lintian Palace, casting its glow upon the jade-like tower of Queen’s Tower.
A hum echoed from Horse Tower, and two figures vanished.
The next second, Tunzuo and Olivia appeared in Saint Media City via the teleportation array.
Tunzuo breathed in the crisp morning air, his expression calm, his skin radiant from a good night’s sleep.
He stretched lazily, stepped off the array, and a satisfying crack came from his bones.
In contrast, Olivia, standing beside him, still wore her confident and elegant smile.
However, the stark white neck brace around her throat was far too conspicuous, making her look as stiff as a concrete pillar.
“Ah… Little Ghost, did you have to hit that hard? My neck still hurts…”
Olivia grimaced as she worked her neck muscles, teasing Tunzuo in the process.
She seemed to be in a superposition of both fine and not fine.
Tunzuo glanced at her subconsciously, his gaze lingering on the neck brace for two seconds before looking away as if nothing had happened.
“Hmph, serves you right for not behaving. You brought this on yourself.”
Tunzuo muttered under his breath, showing little sign of remorse.
It turned out that after Tunzuo had yanked Olivia’s neck out of place with a sharp crack using a scissor hold the night before, he finally cooled down.
He released Olivia and chose to deal with the unsightly mess in the room.
As Tunzuo’s thoughts shifted, all the lewd items and clothing Olivia had materialized—things that would make a witch blush—dissolved into bubbles and vanished into the air.
After tidying the room, Tunzuo grumbled under his breath, just loud enough for the feigning-dead Olivia to hear.
“Honestly, dragon witches are such perverts. Their brains are nothing but muscles and smut. Still a young witch, yet already thinking such filthy thoughts. Not worried about straining your back…”
Lying on the floor, Olivia listened to Tunzuo’s muttered complaints—full of disdain but with a hint of indulgence.
The smile in her eyes deepened, though her aching neck kept her from making any exaggerated expressions.
About ten minutes later, Tunzuo emerged from the bathroom in his pajamas.
Olivia had already treated her own injury, fitting a pure white neck brace around her throat.
She adjusted it in front of the mirror, trying to look normal.
Seeing Olivia with the neck brace, Tunzuo raised an eyebrow.
The Antuxi genes in his blood stirred with mischief, his fingers itching.
For a moment, Tunzuo felt a strong urge to rip off the neck brace and replace it with a funnel-shaped Elizabethan collar, then fill it with water.
But when Olivia turned around and looked at him with curious eyes, Tunzuo’s heart softened.
He suppressed the rising urge for pranks.
‘Forget it, I’ll spare this perverted dragon for now. After all, I’m a kind-hearted witch who can’t stay mad.’
After a quick wash, Tunzuo and Olivia lay side by side on the bed.
Olivia should have been grateful for such an opportunity, but now, lying in bed, she had to face one good and one bad piece of news.
The good news was that, thanks to her earlier outburst, Tunzuo hadn’t put up any barriers this time.
That meant, in theory, Olivia could get handsy with him anytime and enjoy some close cuddling.
But sadly, there was a bad news that shattered everything.
Thanks to the neck brace’s obstruction and the golden dragon witch’s naturally huge horns, Olivia’s range of motion was severely limited.
She could only lie flat like a zombie, unable to even turn her head to glance at Tunzuo beside her, let alone roll over.
Whenever she tried to turn sideways, her heavy horns pressed against the edge of the brace, making her neck throb with pain.
Helpless, Olivia had to obediently stay on her side of the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling like a sealed mummy, silently crying inside as she deeply reflected on her earlier behavior.
Now, back to the present.
Tunzuo broke the silence, pulling Olivia back to reality.
“So, pervy dragon, how do we get to your place?”
“Take a cab. Golden Courtyard isn’t far from Lintian Palace. By griffin carriage, it’ll take about an hour or two.”
Olivia answered matter-of-factly as she snapped out of it.
She pulled out her grimoire and swiped her finger across the screen, as if booking a ride nearby.
Hearing this, Tunzuo narrowed his eyes.
Seeing Olivia book a ride with her grimoire struck him as funny, and he couldn’t help teasing her.
“What? Is Dunayala into ride-hailing now too? I thought witches had some fast travel method, like instant teleportation. Besides, aren’t you a young lady of wealth? Shouldn’t you have a private car waiting for you? Don’t tell me you’re saving on fuel.”
Olivia shrugged helplessly at Tunzuo’s half-joking question, continuing to fiddle with her grimoire as she explained.
“Hey, don’t say that, Little Ghost. Building teleportation arrays isn’t like planting cabbages. The approval process is a hassle—involves space coordinate registration and safety audits. With the Witch Council’s efficiency, it’s hard to get approval.
“Of course, witches have various fast travel methods, like rapid travel spells or teleportation scrolls. But… if something goes wrong—say, incorrect teleportation coordinates and you invade another witch’s territory—the fine is on you.”
The Council’s fines are astronomical! So witches prefer spending a little to have a more comfortable and secure long-distance travel.
“As for a personal ride… well, I have one, but it’s too flashy. Every time I take it out, a bunch of witch reporters swarm me. It’s a hassle. Unless it’s an important occasion, I usually avoid using it.”
After hearing Olivia’s explanation, Tunzuo nodded in agreement.
No wonder—what Olivia described was exactly the same routine An Lin complained about every weekend.
Every time An Lin griped about fines and approval processes, Tunzuo had been listening on the sidelines, his ears practically calloused from it.
As Tunzuo and Olivia chatted, a gust of strong wind suddenly swept past them, tousling their hair.
“Scree—!”
With two sharp cries, two sturdy griffins folded their wings, pulling a peculiar carriage shaped like a birdcage, and slowly landed by the roadside.
“The griffin carriage is here. Let’s go.”
Olivia stepped up onto the carriage’s footboard first, her movements a bit stiff due to the neck brace but still graceful.
Then, she turned and extended a hand to Tunzuo, palm up, making an extremely gentlemanly gesture.
“Hmph, you sure know how to act refined at times like this.”
Tunzuo curled the corner of his mouth, a hint of approval flickering in his eyes.
He took Olivia’s warm hand, lightly jumped, and boarded the griffin carriage.
Once Tunzuo and Olivia were seated on the soft leather seats, a strange sound suddenly came from the driver’s seat.
Squish, squish, squish…
It was a rhythmic bouncing noise, like soft flesh slapping against a cushion.
“If you ladies could please fasten your seatbelts, next stop, Golden Courtyard. Bark.”
A slightly childish voice, trying hard to sound mature, came from the driver’s seat.
Tunzuo looked closer and saw that the driver of the griffin carriage wasn’t a witch, but a round, glowing-bellied spherical seal.
The seal had smooth, shiny fur that gleamed healthily in the sun.
It was about the size of a basketball.
It strained to hold the reins with its tiny flippers, its big black eyes sparkling adorably—so cute that any witch would want to squeeze it.
“Oh wow, so cute! What’s this?”
Seeing such an adorable creature for the first time, Tunzuo couldn’t resist.
Forgetting his image, he leaned forward and began rubbing the seal’s round belly and head.
The seal’s soft body felt amazing, like a strawberry daifuku wrapped in fur.
The seal didn’t resist, letting Tunzuo knead it into various shapes, but it still grumbled in a dissatisfied tone.
“Miss, please don’t grope the driver. That’s workplace harassment! You’ll have to add extra fish treats for this, bark!”
“Sealball, a service race deeply bonded with the witch race.”
Olivia sat beside Tunzuo, watching him look delighted, and explained with a smile.
“But sealballs are only active in certain regions, so you probably haven’t seen one, Little Ghost. They’re gentle-natured and highly intelligent. They can help witches with all sorts of tasks, at a very… reasonable fee. Just give them fish treats.”
As she said this, Olivia pulled out three large bags of premium fish treats from her storage artifact and stuffed them into the storage compartment beside the driver’s seat.
Upon receiving the fish treats, the sealball’s serious expression instantly crumbled into a beaming smile.
Little stars appeared in its black-bean-like eyes.
It wriggled its body and actively rubbed against Tunzuo’s hand.
“For the sake of the fish treats, I’ll let the miss touch me, bark.”
After vigorously petting it for a good while until his palm felt hot, Tunzuo reluctantly let go of the sealball and sat back in his seat.
The sealball patted its belly contentedly, sat back in the driver’s seat, waved its flippers to command the griffins, and instructed its two passengers.
“But please don’t touch for too long. We’ll need to get going soon, bark. Please fasten your seatbelts, ladies. We’re about to take off, bark!”
“Scree—!”
The griffin let out a long cry, flapped its massive wings, and the carriage slowly lifted off the ground, soaring into the clouds.
Out of fondness, Tunzuo decided to cooperate with the cute driver and began looking for seatbelts.
But after fumbling around the seat for a while, he found nothing but smooth leather and metal armrests.
“Strange? Where are the seatbelts?”
Just as Tunzuo was puzzled, Olivia’s lips curled into a mischievous smile.
She flipped her hands beside the seat, and two long golden chains materialized in her grasp.
“Here.”
Olivia handed the chains to Tunzuo, her eyes sincere.
Tunzuo stared at the inexplicable golden chains in Olivia’s hands, his mouth twitching.
His voice fluctuated with changing emotions.
“…Seriously? You sure these are seatbelts?”
Olivia just smiled, holding the chains as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
“Oh, griffin carriage seatbelts are like this. After all, there might be turbulence at high altitudes. To prevent passengers from being thrown out, it’s safest to secure the limbs. Come on, Little Ghost. Let me put them on you. Like this, lock around the ankles and wrists…”
As Olivia approached with the chains, Tunzuo’s mind instantly flashed to an image of himself being locked to the bed, unable to move.
The moment Olivia leaned in, Tunzuo reacted swiftly, shoving her away and pressing himself tightly against the back of the seat.
“No way! I refuse!”
Tunzuo resolutely declined Olivia’s offer, insisting he didn’t need a seatbelt.
“I can hold on myself! Besides, as a ghost witch, I’m immune to physical damage. A little traffic accident won’t bother me. You keep that protection for yourself, pervy dragon!”
Olivia had to reluctantly withdraw the chains, letting out a faint sigh as if lamenting that she hadn’t managed to tie Tunzuo up.
The griffin carriage flew smoothly above the clouds, the scenery unfolding like a painting.
But after the initial novelty wore off, Tunzuo felt a bit bored.
Just as he was about to pull out his grimoire to browse the magic net, his peripheral vision caught sight of a small shelf embedded on the side of the carriage door frame.
A few magazines, looking a bit old, were stacked there.
Out of curiosity, Tunzuo decided to grab one to pass the time.
“Hmm? Geography and Tourism Magazine?”
Tunzuo randomly pulled one out.
The cover featured a scenic hot spring resort, with blurry figures playing in the water.
In fancy letters, it read Guide to Beast Race Witch Customs.
Mistaking it for a guide to local witch customs, Tunzuo thought it would be a good chance to learn about Dunayala’s geography.
But as he flipped it open, the more he read, the more something felt off.
The first article introduced “The Special Massage Techniques of Slime Witches: How to Melt Your Body in Ecstasy.”
The second article, illustrated, showcased “One Hundred Uses of a Succubus Witch’s Tail.”
The third article cut straight to the chase: “Practical Tutorial on Discreetly Casting Charm Spells in Public.”
Before he could even flip through half the magazine, Tunzuo’s face turned bright red.
He slammed it shut with a snap, screaming internally.
‘Gah! This is that kind of book! The witch races are way too open!’
Guide to Beast Race Witch Customs detailed the characteristics, preferences, sensitive spots of various witch races, and even included locations and detailed reviews of infamous pleasure clubs.
The scale was far too stimulating for a young witch like Tunzuo, who was still innocent.
Flustered, Tunzuo shoved the magazine back in its place, fanning his ears with his hands to cool down.
Once his breathing steadied, he turned his head slightly to glance at Olivia beside him.
Olivia was looking out the window, appearing indifferent.
But the slight lift of her lips and the teasing glint in her eyes betrayed the fact that she was holding back laughter.
‘Damn pervy dragon!’
Tunzuo gritted his teeth inwardly.
Olivia definitely knew what that magazine was! She had watched him take it without warning him, clearly waiting for him to embarrass himself.
Seething with anger, Tunzuo couldn’t call Olivia out, because she would definitely play dumb and tease him again, saying something like, “Oh, Little Ghost, what fun thing did you find? Let me see too.”
To avoid letting Olivia have the satisfaction, Tunzuo had to endure this for now, planning to settle the score later.
After about two hours of flight, the griffin carriage finally reached its destination.
Through layers of clouds, a golden city built on an entire floating continent appeared at the edge of Tunzuo’s vision.
The griffin carriage landed smoothly in front of a grand golden city gate.
The gate towered hundreds of meters high, made of pure gold, refracting an arrogant radiance under the sunlight.
On either side of the gate stood two imposing golden dragon statues, roaring with their heads raised—identical to the original form of the golden dragon witch race.
And before the golden city gate, a tall golden dragon witch had been waiting for some time.
She wore a well-tailored gold-thread gown, her golden hair coiled behind her head, exuding an air of elegance and nobility.
Seeing Olivia help Tunzuo off the griffin carriage, she smiled warmly and walked over with graceful steps.
She stopped directly in front of Olivia and Tunzuo.
Her gaze briefly lingered on Olivia’s neck brace with slight surprise, then she spoke in a gentle tone.
“Long time no see, little sister. How have you been?”