Chapter 192. Offer
Inside the rented mansion, Tyler watched as Zuzia, the little dragon in loli form, lay sprawled on top of a pile of gold coins, treasure chests, shiny pearls, and various other glittering items. Among the treasures was a fish with a metallic gleam. It had died, but its body remained encased in a silver sheen, harder than most materials Tyler had ever seen. Its skin wasn’t just colored silver—it was silver.
"Only now do you actually behave like a dragon," Tyler muttered, half in amusement, as he observed the scene. According to his readings, dragons had an instinctive love for hoarding shiny objects, a behavior Zuzia had rarely shown until now. Most of the time, the small dragon spent her days lazily sleeping or lounging around the ship. But this was the first time she’d gone out of her way to collect treasures like a true dragon.
Tyler approached the pile, curious about her newfound trove. Zuzia, sensing him drawing near, growled softly. Her growl, however, was more cute than threatening, because she is in young girl form, a far cry from the intimidating roars of full-grown dragons.
"Are you really going to act protective of this junk?" Tyler teased as he reached out his hand, aiming to ruffle her head.
Without warning, the little loli dragon opened her mouth and bit down on his index finger.
Bite
Tyler barely flinched as her teeth clamped down on his finger. Instead of pain, what followed was a bang as a puff of smoke rose from Zuzia’s head. Tyler rubbed his fist which he used to bonk her head.
She tilted her head in confusion, her golden eyes blinking as if trying to understand what just happened . Tyler smirked, shaking his head. "You are tough as iron even in humanoid form." he remarked, not even surprised anymore by her strength.
Zuzia let go, distracted by the smell of food. Taka, the octopus fishman, walked into the room with a tray of fresh-cooked seafood. The second she caught the scent, her eyes lit up, and she eagerly leapt off the pile of treasures, abandoning her hoard in favor of the food. She bounded toward Taka, snatching a piece of fish right off the tray before he could even offer it.
Tyler chuckled, turning his attention back to the ’treasures’ she’d collected. Some of it looked valuable, but a lot of it was just shiny junk. Still, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of pride in Zuzia’s little dragon instincts kicking in.
Just then, Mana appeared beside him, phasing into view like a wisp of air. "Mana, did you find anything interesting?" Tyler asked casually, still examining the treasures.