Richard opened the notebook; the first page didn’t have many words.
Richard guessed it was because Aurina hadn’t learned to write many words back then.
So Aurina probably used drawings to replace text.
On it was drawn a cute dragon girl emerging from the eggshell, baring her teeth and claws at Richard, shouting: “Little girl!” These three words were the only text; afterward, Richard offered his cloak and money pouch.
The Q-version cute Aurina then rode majestically on Richard’s shoulder.
A smile tugged at Richard’s lips; he continued flipping.
Still drawings; the content he interpreted was roughly, “Acting cute to Richard can make him cook and offer food.”
Next page was Aurina sticking out her tongue to lick Richard; Richard scared and fleeing everywhere, even dropping his holy hammer amulet on the ground.
“Richard is afraid of licks.”
“The great dragon king of kings wins again.”
Next next page.
“Richard is so dumb, loves giving gold coins to others.”
Next next page.
“Richard.”
“Richard.”
As he flipped, he came to a sentence.
“Richard is mine; this king has licked him, gaga…” Accompanied by a drawing of Aurina majestic, holding a chain binding Richard’s neck, with words like “wedding,” “fiancée,” “wife” beside it.
The notebook felt heavy in his hand; unknowingly, he had experienced so much with Aurina.
Richard smiled slightly, flipped to the next page, but it was blank.
“Gah!”
A red afterimage barely flew past Richard; the notebook in his hand disappeared.
Richard saw it was Aurina; he called out: “Aurina.”
Aurina didn’t dare stop for a moment, using all four limbs to rush out the door, so fast.
Her four limbs waved afterimages like wheels; she even skidded on the ground, drifting into the wall, then darted out, vanishing without a trace.
Richard lowered his outstretched hand.
He had returned to reality; from now on, they had no relation anymore.
He packed up the things Aurina left behind; she hadn’t left much, many of her things were in her stomach, nothing memorable.
Richard continued checking his property, seeing if there were any overlooked valuable items; he flipped to the thing called phone.
If he remembered correctly, Frostsilver thought it dirty and didn’t want it.
But holding it now was useless; Richard hesitated, between dignity and fourteen thousand five hundred gold coins, hesitated.
Finally, he tapped the phone screen with a single finger, fumbled around, successfully sent a text to Frostsilver.
“Frostsilver, are you there? Do you recycle this phone? I need gold coins.”
He waited for a while, staring at the phone screen.
Frostsilver’s message came: “Dragon-slaying sword hilt, two thousand gold coins.”
“Non-negotiable; I’m asking about the phone.”
“You’re really poor; three hundred gold coins. Servant will come to collect the phone.”
Richard was silent for a moment, then sent a message: “You will treat Aurina well, right?”
“She has nothing to do with you anymore; she’s much better with me than with you.”
A few pictures were sent: red-haired Aurina pouncing on a gold coin pile half-buried with treasure chests, sometimes sitting on the gold pile like an emperor, sometimes swimming in the gold pile like bathing, dog paddling or backstroke.
Heaven knows how she managed various poses in such a small gold pile.
But her face was brimming with smiles and joy.
Richard felt endlessly bitter inside.
The last message was: “Don’t disturb us.”
After that, Frostsilver’s avatar grayed out.
Richard really wanted to know what expression was on his face now?
Bitter smile? Anger?
Sourness? He looked around; there was no mirror in this room; mirrors were expensive; this wasn’t Sophia’s bedroom.
Next was busyness, busy preparing the wedding.
Richard was absent-minded, found an opportunity, went to find Granny Raya under the cover of night.
Since solving Thousand-Crow Eye, Granny Raya no longer needed to hide in the local Hand of Tyr knight order’s shelter.
After Richard visited, Granny Raya coaxed the lame orphan to sleep, then quietly came out; she smiled at Richard:
“Be quiet; if they know you came, they’ll make a fuss to get up, surround you to hear stories.”
“Granny Raya,” Richard said. “The day after tomorrow, I’m getting married.”
“I know; great,” Granny Raya said.
“I received your invitation.”
Saying that, she looked Richard up and down, gratified, reached out, pinched his arm.
“Back then, an orphan no one wanted; now grown so big, marrying Sophia, settled down after; you’re truly the pride of our orphanage.”
Richard said: “I have to give fifteen thousand gold coins as bride price.”
“So much?”
“Estimated fifty years to pay off,” Richard said. “Sophia’s father said he’ll get me a position, three hundred gold coins a year.”
“That’s pretty good,” Granny Raya said. “Means he sees you as a son-in-law.”
Richard twisted his mouth in a bitter smile, strained his throat hoarsely: “Granny, I… I don’t want to get married.”
Granny Raya was startled: “How can you think that? Have you told anyone else?”
“No.”
“Sophia has followed you for so many years; you’re both dragon-slaying heroes, a match made in heaven,” Granny Raya said. “You have to be responsible, you know?”
Richard said: “I know… I just… impulsively.”
“I know,” Granny Raya said. “You’re just afraid of marriage; don’t overthink. Sophia is a good girl, also your good wife; a man’s best virtue is responsibility.”
Richard said: “Yes, Granny, you’re right.”
“Living in Haisha City isn’t bad,” Granny Raya said.
“From now on, you’re Haisha City’s legend; you two as a couple are.”
“Yes.”
After chatting a while, Richard said: “I want to sponsor the orphanage again.”
Granny Raya smiled: “You’ve donated enough to the orphanage already.”
He saw the expectant light in Granny Raya’s eyes; Richard felt uncomfortable, quickly took out a red cloth prepared in advance, with ten gold coins inside, stuffed into Granny Raya’s old hands.
He saw with his own eyes the light in Granny Raya’s eyes dim.
Richard said: “I’ll go first.”
Granny Raya said: “See you at the wedding.”
Richard mounted the warhorse gifted by the Hand of Tyr knight order after returning home, disappeared into the darkness, back to Sophia’s mansion.
About half an hour later, Richard led the horse to the stable; the horse stood in the stable, bright eyes looking at him.
Richard rummaged, found the oats left by the groom, fed the warhorse oats.
He thought of many things, thought of Aurina, battles, adventures, fourteen thousand five hundred…
Richard said: “Eat up, eat up; good thing oats don’t cost money.”
Richard was silent for a while, said:
“The day after tomorrow I’m getting married, will have fourteen thousand five hundred gold coin debt. For example, the oats you’re eating now probably sell for one copper per pound; now if you were to marry, to be with a mare, you have to give her one million four hundred fifty thousand pounds of oats… probably could flood this stable; what would you feel?”
The warhorse chewed the oats, listening, snorting at Richard’s hand.
Richard got engrossed in talking, talked outside for a full hour, then regrouped, strode back to the room to sleep.
Gold coins…
The next day, Frostsilver, honored to become Aurina’s foster mother, was eating with Aurina.
“What is bride price?”
Aurina lifted her head thoughtfully.
Frostsilver said: “According to human custom, it’s money given to the female side.”
“Then how much can Richard receive?”
Frostsilver, while being served by a servant, drank a bottle of warm milk and said: “Fifteen thousand gold coins.”
“So much?”
“It’s how much he has to pay.”
“What?” Aurina tilted her head, looking at her puzzled. “Him?”
“Yes,” Frostsilver said. “He has no value anymore; you should discuss my family’s ancient vault with me more.”
Aurina’s eyes lit up: “Vault?”
“Yes,” Frostsilver said. “You’ll know when we go back; you’ll see my most precious things.”
“So, why does the strongest little bug have to give gold coins?”
Aurina asked.
“Isn’t he the strongest little bug?”
“Because this is marriage,” Frostsilver said. “And he’s marrying a ‘dragon-slaying hero’ too.”
“Not the same; he’s the strongest,” Aurina said. “If I give him bride price, then can I use marriage spell on him?”
The servants nearby all laughed out loud.
Frostsilver put down the spoon: “Listen to me, little dragon. Bride price isn’t something anyone can give; at least you have to be his fiancé.”
Even the nearby gnome knight couldn’t help laughing out.
“So that’s it,” Aurina blew on the hot soup in front of her. “No wonder when I wanted to give bride price to buy him, he didn’t accept.”
“He has a marriage contract,” Frostsilver said. “Let’s talk about my mansion again, and the ancient vault; oh, later look at the oil painting of my vault.”
True dragons care about other true dragons’ opinions.
In front of this little one, Frostsilver madly showed off her “family wealth.”
The oil painting depicting Frostsilver family’s vault was brought up, gold mountains flooding.
Aurina’s eyes went straight, increasingly looking forward to going to Count Champagne’s country with Frostsilver.
She made up her mind to find a good opportunity to take some wealth that should belong to her.
Frostsilver knew Aurina’s greed well; she intentionally indulged it.
Red dragons naturally love wealth; so just like catching chicks, scatter rice under a propped-up wooden basin, and lure her into the trap.
Aurina wolfed down; Frostsilver couldn’t help reaching out, placing her hand on Aurina’s head.
Soon, her most precious treasure would completely belong to her.
Brother… your offspring’s blood will revive you, in the cage I carefully built.
Aurina sneezed: “Achoo!”
After eating, back to the room, losing the strongest little bug mount didn’t make her feel too depressed.
Since the bride price spell doesn’t work…
Aurina thought, suddenly had a flash of inspiration, recalled her first little bug spell.
She clapped her hands, opened her mouth wide, spat out all the belongings in her stomach completely; the room piled up a small “gold ship” and a big pile of miscellaneous daily items, including the ruby wine jug snatched from Frostsilver, some stockings.
Aurina reached out, rummaging through stockings, rummaging through hats, trying to rummage out a bit of gold.
“Meow~.” The orange cat rubbed against Aurina acting cute.
Aurina grabbed the orange cat, lifted it up, shook it hard; only shook out a few cat hairs.
“How is there not a bit of gold? Useless kitty.”
Aurina put down the hurt orange cat, grabbed the second cat and started shaking; soon beside Aurina gathered a group of hurt kitties, heads down listless.