Chapter 84: The Transaction

Everyone sprang into action.

They set up what might have been the largest pot the courtyard had ever seen.

There was no cutting board—or rather, the swordfish itself was the cutting board, laid on a cloth to keep the ground from dirtying it.

Aurina, impatient, hefted half the swordfish onto the cloth.

Only then did onlookers realize this cute little girl was a dragon.

Some were curious how her small hands could steadily lift at least six hundred pounds of fish.

Richard displayed his team leader qualities, coordinating everyone seamlessly.

Sophia had been worried that Aurina, with her chaotic red dragon nature, would disrupt things—teamwork was practically alien to her kind.

But she saw with her own eyes that Richard and Aurina’s coordination was growing ever smoother, even surpassing her own.

Richard raised a hand and shouted, “Knife, Sanas. Sophia, get me… Sanas!”

Sophia knew he loved using this knife to tackle tough bones, hence naming it Sanas.

She turned to the table of knives, ready to grab it.

But a red blur—whoosh—flashed past her, snatching Sanas accurately, then darted to Richard’s side as a vague figure, handing it to him.

Richard, seeing Aurina, asked curiously, “How’d you know?”

“Beast of burden! Hurry! Hurry!” 

Aurina shouted. 

“Don’t keep this king waiting! Use your magic! Magic!”

Richard took the heavy boning knife and swung it hard at the fish bones.

Sophia approached, puzzled. 

“Aurina, how did you know he wanted that knife?”

“Simple,” Aurina said. 

“He’s chopping bones, right? That knife’s perfect for it.”

“I see,” Sophia said. 

“You know Richard well, don’t you?”

Questioning this king? 

As the supreme red dragon, having observed the strongest little bug, how could she not know how hard he hits, how strong he is, or what weapons suit his hands?

“Of course,” Aurina said, hands on hips. 

“How hard he swings, what length of weapon suits him—this king knows it all. Last time he switched to a longsword because the old one was a bit too long.”

Richard changed his longsword?

Sophia looked at Aurina, feeling she was showing off.

She suddenly realized she hadn’t adventured with Richard in a while and hadn’t paid close attention to him in combat, unaware even of his new sword.

“Water! Bucket!” 

Richard’s voice rang out.

In the blink of an eye—Sophia swore she only blinked once—Aurina vanished.

Another blink, and she reappeared from who-knows-where, balancing a water bucket on her head, feet planted beside Richard, swaying back and forth.

“So fast,” Richard said, grabbing the bucket and splashing water.

“Is it my imagination?” 

Sophia blinked, feeling she needed to step up or risk being sidelined in this activity.

“She’s just a kid,” Sophia muttered, psyching herself up. 

“You’ve got this, Sophia.”

Flies, drawn to the scent of blood, swarmed toward the swordfish carcass.

Richard said, “So many flies. Quick, get a cloth—”

Sophia remembered a cloth in her extradimensional bag and reached for it.

“Boom!”

Aurina opened her mouth, spewing fire, circling the swordfish.

The airborne flies vanished.

Richard said, “Nice job.”

Sophia stood for seven or eight minutes, watching Aurina spin like a top.

Outsiders wanting to help couldn’t keep up, and neither could she.

She began missing her soft bed, deciding to return to her room.

She stuffed the colorful shell necklace into a wooden box, tossed it on the bedside, pulled the blanket over herself, and lay down.

Through the efforts of one human and one dragon, Richard cooked feverishly, experimenting boldly.

He coated swordfish chunks with olive oil and herbs, slow-roasting them over charcoal until the skin was golden and crispy.

He sliced the fish into appropriately thick pieces, pan-frying them until both sides were golden, the skin crisp, the flesh tender.

Using various spices, he created an innovative blend: turmeric, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, cloves, chili powder, pepper, coconut milk, tomatoes, diced onions, and cardamom.

He sautéed onions, garlic, and ginger until fragrant, added the spice mix to release their aroma, then tossed in swordfish chunks, slow-cooking until the fish absorbed the flavors.

“So fragrant,” Aurina said, drooling. 

“Even a burnt rock would smell good.”

She rushed toward the stew pot, but Richard’s hand shot out, grabbing her tail.

“Not yet. Wait till it’s ready,” he said. 

“You signed the agreement.”

Aurina could only stare at the steaming, fragrant pot, now suspecting Richard’s contract was part of some clever magic.

Finally, Richard finished cooking part of the swordfish: braised, fried, stir-fried with sauce, simmered in wine, herb-roasted, salt-grilled…

Aurina couldn’t imagine one fish could be prepared in so many ways.

The dishes filled a makeshift long table, and she suspected Richard could keep going, limited only by table size, not skill.

“That’s enough for now,” Richard said, using a thin knife to slice delicate pieces from the freshest part of the swordfish’s midsection. 

“These slices are fresh. Hope there’s no poison. I heard some get worms from raw fish.”

Aurina kicked off with her hind legs, mouth wide, lunging at the table.

“Wait!” 

A steel arm blocked her, and she crashed into Richard’s arm, bending into a C-shape.

“Gah!” 

Aurina shouted. 

“What now? Keep this up, and I’ll gah you!”

A large hand reached toward her. “Money.”

Aurina asked, “Money?”

“Yes, you need to buy them.”

“Wait,” Aurina said. 

“Aren’t these all mine? Why does this king need to pay gold for them?”

Richard said, “You traded for these. I just paid for you, but you haven’t settled the transaction’s final step.”

Furious, absolutely furious, Aurina was enraged.

“This king, in all my life,” Aurina bared her teeth, hands clawing at her cheeks, “has never paid for anything!” 

Only to raise offspring do we give females gold!

Her anger surged. 

“I’ll show you this king’s might!”

Before her words finished, she pounced, graceful and powerful, like a tiger charging down a mountain, determined to bring her defiant beast of burden to his knees.

Richard reached out, grabbing her horn.

Dong! Like a bell ringing, Aurina’s head vibrated, her whole body shook, circling Richard dizzily before shaking her head, letting out an unconscious dragon sound: “Gah.”

“Think about it, Aurina,” Richard said patiently. 

“Without trade, no one would travel thousands of miles to bring spices or swordfish, and we wouldn’t have this feast. I want you to understand trade’s meaning, so you must pay.”

Aurina clutched her head, eyeing Richard’s iron fist and the table behind him.

She gritted her teeth.

Opening her mouth, she spat out a copper coin.

“Not enough.”

Aurina’s tail slapped the ground, and she spat out a silver coin.

“Still not enough.”

Aurina stomped, proud Dread Dragon never giving gold willingly! 

Even in death, she’d burn herself to ash.

But the aroma in the air, like a gentle maiden’s hand, caressed her cheek.

Anyway, his fiancée will bear my dragonkin someday. 

This is just… early payment for raising my offspring.

With that thought, Aurina wailed, spitting out a dozen gold coins.

“Good,” Richard said, taking the coins and looking at her warmly. 

“I thought you’d only spit out one. You’re smarter than I expected, Aurina.”

Foolish bug. Use those coins to raise this king’s offspring later.