A Millelith soldier gulped, suppressing his fear as he stepped forward.
At the entrance of Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, the ferryman and Mona had followed the Charmeleon outside.
The soldiers immediately questioned them. "What is going on with the parlor? What is that thing?"
"Apologies, apologies! This is Director Hu's Charmander... it just evolved and turned into this!"
The ferryman explained frantically. "We are very sorry for the disturbance. The Director is on her way back. Rest assured, this Charmeleon won't hurt anyone. Miss Mona is here to control it!"
"ROAR!"
As soon as the ferryman finished speaking, the Charmeleon whipped its head around and roared.
A jet of flame erupted from its mouth, scorching the air.
"Holy crap!"
The people standing in the direction of the fire scrambled back in terror, feeling the intense heat wave wash over them. Sweat instantly drenched their backs.
"Little Fire Dragon!"
Mona looked anxious. She waved her hand, summoning a stream of water that instantly vaporized the flames.
"Steam Suppression!"
Since evolving, the little guy's temper had become explosive. It was randomly spitting fire inside the parlor, and now it was doing it outside.
"My Archons... that little fire lizard evolved into this?"
"I knew something was weird about that pet! It went from a cute round-headed baby to a monster in seconds!"
"Is this for real? It used to be so dopey and cute! How did it turn into this fierce beast? It's huge now!"
"This is ridiculous. It really is a fire dragon. Will it evolve again? If it gets bigger, won't it burn down the whole street?"
"It looks so vicious... I'm scared just looking at it."
The crowd gathered around the parlor stared at the fire-breathing dinosaur with panic.
They couldn't reconcile this fierce creature with the clumsy, adorable Charmander they had seen before.
But now, seeing it breathe fire, they believed it.
This thing was a real dragon.
"That creature..."
Keqing, who had been patrolling nearby streets, arrived quickly after being notified by the Millelith.
When she saw the Charmeleon at the entrance, her eyelid twitched.
Director Hu's pet... turned into this?
Just two nights ago, Ningguang had asked her to remind Hu Tao to keep her fire-breathing pet under control.
And today, it had transformed into something that looked ready to start a war.
"Lady Keqing."
The Millelith soldiers looked relieved to see her. "What should we do?"
They looked helplessly at the roaring dragon. It wasn't attacking anyone, but having a monster screaming at the door wasn't exactly good for public order.
"Miss Mona is handling it. We don't need to worry about property damage for now," Keqing said calmly. "Wait for Director Hu. It's her pet; she has to be the one to restrain it."
"Where is it? Where is my dragon?!"
Just as Keqing finished speaking, Hu Tao's voice rang out.
She burst through the crowd, running toward the parlor.
"ROAR!"
Hearing her voice, the Charmeleon, who had been looking irritable, suddenly perked up. Its eyes lit up, and it bounded toward Hu Tao.
The aggression vanished instantly, replaced by excitement.
"Eh???"
Hu Tao stopped in her tracks, looking at the creature with a distressed expression.
"Why did you get so big? And... you're kind of ugly now."
How did my cute Charmander turn into this?
It was two-thirds her height now. Its face was angular and fierce, not round and cuddly.
Hu Tao pouted.
If it evolves again, will it get even uglier?
"ROAR!"
"ROAR!"
Hearing Hu Tao call it ugly, the Charmeleon roared in protest. It looked genuinely offended.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
It slammed its tail onto the ground repeatedly, creating a rhythmic booming sound to vent its frustration.
Hu Tao: "..."
She sighed deeply.
The joy of evolution had evaporated.
This 'Middle Fire Dragon' isn't as good as the small one. Charmander was a mascot. This guy is... a bodyguard.
And worse, a bigger dragon meant a bigger appetite. Wangsheng Funeral Parlor now had another rice bucket to feed.
"Is it that well-behaved?"
From a distance, Keqing observed the interaction. The dragon had calmed down immediately upon seeing its owner. Even its tantrum was just a harmless protest against being called ugly.
Keqing raised an eyebrow.
Actually, it looks quite reliable.
Unlike Hu Tao, Keqing appreciated the creature's fierce appearance. It looked like a capable guardian.
"Director Hu is back. The dragon calmed down instantly."
"I'm envious. Imagine having a dragon bodyguard like that. It looks so cool!"
"Yeah, it gives off a strong sense of security."
"I heard she got it from the Jar Shop. Maybe I should go try my luck."
"I can't afford 100,000 Mora for a jar. But did you hear? Xiangling and Chef Mao opened a 'Roast Suckling Pig' that runs around while dripping oil! It smells delicious!"
"Wait, really? A living roast pig?"
The crowd's fear turned into curiosity and envy as they watched the dragon interact with Hu Tao.
"Director Hu," Keqing approached, her tone serious. "Please ensure this creature is properly restrained. Do not let it breathe fire in public or scare the citizens. If you bring it out, keep it by your side at all times."
"Did you hear that?"
Hu Tao looked at the Charmeleon. "No trouble. No fire breathing. No shouting. Don't scare people."
"Roar."
The Charmeleon nodded, understanding perfectly.
Then, it patted its belly and pointed a claw at its mouth, signaling that it was hungry.
"Holy crap, it understands human speech!"
"It's so smart!"
"That's amazing. Most pets need years of training."
"I want to pet it!"
The crowd was won over. A dragon that understood commands was infinitely cooler than a mindless beast.
"Sigh."
Hu Tao sighed again. "Fine. I'll take you to Wanmin Restaurant. Taking you to the Shopkeeper's place would be rude; I can't mooch that much food."
She decided to feed the beast at Xiangling's place.
As Hu Tao led the dragon away, Keqing departed to report to the Jade Chamber.
Wanmin Restaurant.
"Yanfei, why are you so free these days?"
Xiangling leaned on her table, looking curiously at the pink-haired lawyer slurping noodles.
"I remember you used to be swamped with work. But the last two days, you've been hanging out here all day."
Yanfei was Liyue's top legal adviser. Usually, she was booked weeks in advance. Seeing her idle was strange.
"I can't help it. I haven't taken a single case," Yanfei shrugged helplessly.
"Ever since I got the 'Sorting Hat' (Repentance Hat) from the Jar Shop, I make every client wear it to test if they're lying to me."
"And guess what? Every single one of them was hiding something or lying outright. Just like before."
"So, I refused to take their cases."
"Honestly, I have to thank the Shopkeeper. If not for that hat, I'd still be running around like a headless chicken, wasting time on cases doomed by clients' lies."
Yanfei took another bite of noodles, looking satisfied yet bored. The hat had made her job infinitely more efficient, but it also revealed just how dishonest her clients were.
Read ahead with 100+ chapters now with daily updates!
@patreon.com/Zefyrus