novelraw Chapter 271
Chapter 271
Chapter 271: The First Day of a Dragon’s Life as a Human
10:00 AM.
The phone alarm rang on time.
Xia Li opened his eyes in a daze. As his mind gradually cleared, he suddenly remembered that he had an important task today.
He abruptly opened his eyes.
The first thing he saw was a snow-white collar and the warm, soft touch on the tip of his nose.
Focusing his eyes, Xia Li recalled that he had fallen asleep in Lucia’s arms last night.
He didn’t know if the dragon had used some kind of charm magic, but the moment Xia Li came into contact with the gentle embrace, he fell into a deep sleep, dreamless, and woke up feeling refreshed.
Dragon chest, high-class pillow.
“Morning~” Seeing Xia Li getting up, Lucia greeted him with a grin.
Xia Li had been lying on her chest all night, and her body was a little sore from not moving for a long time.
But Lucia felt good about it.
It felt like being a mother~
“Did you sleep?”
Xia Li remembered Lucia staring at him when he closed his eyes. Why was the dragon still staring at him after he opened his eyes?
Could she have not slept at all?
It had been eight hours!
“I slept…”
Lucia slowly looked away and stretched.
“I just woke up!”
She said as she yawned.
Xia Li stared at her fair little face for a while, then got up to get dressed and wash up.
The weather on the island didn’t have distinct seasons. The temperature here was above 25 degrees Celsius all year round. July was the hottest time, with an average daytime temperature of 35 degrees.
Xia Li changed into a clean white short-sleeved shirt and beach shorts, standard attire for the seaside.
The sleeves of the short-sleeved shirt were very short, and if they were any shorter, they would be like a sleeveless vest.
Standing in front of the mirror, Xia Li looked at the small silver tattoo exposed on his shoulder and admired it for a while.
When he first saw the silver markings, he was shocked.
Now that he was used to it, he thought it was pretty cool.
If he encountered any trouble in the future, he could just take off his shirt, and the other party would think he was a tough guy not to be messed with and avoid him.
Quite convenient.
“Why do you look listless?”
While Xia Li was looking in the mirror in the bathroom, Lucia was gargling and brushing her teeth beside him.
This dragon could brush her teeth and yawn at the same time.
Seeing her languid look, Xia Li seriously doubted if she had slept at all.
“No, I’m full of energy!”
Lucia splashed a handful of water on her face, and after rubbing it a couple of times, she felt much more awake.
The blue plaid dress that had been soaked in seawater last night had been washed clean by Xia Li. The sea breeze was strong, and it had dried completely overnight.
Lucia changed into the long dress, put on her big straw hat, held the hem of her skirt, and twirled in front of Xia Li, looking full of energy.
“Let’s go!”
It was almost noon, and the streets were bustling with activity.
They had pizza and coffee for lunch. Lucia couldn’t stand the bitter taste of the coffee and stuck out her tongue.
After lunch, Xia Li hailed a car and went to the city center of the island’s capital.
Embassies from all over the world stood on this bustling central street, each building with a distinct style. Not only was Lucia fascinated, but even Xia Li was captivated along the way, taking photos to send to Mrs. Fang to show her.
After getting out of the car, the carsick dragon stood by the road for a while to recover.
Xia Li checked the navigation on his phone and, after confirming the direction, took the dizzy dragon’s hand and walked forward.
The largest modern building was their destination.
“Ready?”
Xia Li took Lucia’s soft, white hand.
Both of their palms were sweating from nervousness.
Lucia nodded vigorously.
“Yes!”
They arrived at the spacious and solemn entrance.
The man and the dragon took a deep breath and pushed open the glass door.
If possible, Xia Li really wanted to leave Lucia at the door, go in to handle the matter, and then come out.
But he could do anything else for Lucia except this.
This had to be applied for and handled by Lucia herself.
Stepping into the hall, there were only a few people in the huge service hall. Xia Li took a number, and it was his turn soon.
Lucia kept replaying the process and dialogue Xia Li had told her beforehand in her mind.
But when she faced the government staff, she was still so nervous that her teeth chattered.
It wasn’t fear, just a bad state.
And her dragon head was still dizzy, causing her to be distracted several times during the conversation, looking absent-minded.
With the help of a translator, Lucia barely managed to fill out the application form and orally explained her reasons and requests to the staff.
Fortunately, the local immigration policy was relaxed, with no restrictions on age, gender, race, education, language…
They only had one requirement.
That was money.
As long as you paid enough, nothing was a problem.
It was basically buying citizenship with money.
Moreover, this island nation had a history of taking in a large number of refugees, and they were more willing to accept citizens like Lucia who were young, had labor skills, and were willing to spend money.
However, when Lucia asked about the price of settling down, she was still taken aback.
At first glance, 50,000 yuan was acceptable.
However, this 50,000 was not 50,000 Chinese yuan.
Lucia’s lips formed a big ‘O’ shape.
There was an exchange rate in this world.
50,000 US dollars, equivalent to 350,000 yuan!
The price had gone up!
Lucia was so surprised that she couldn’t close her mouth.
The government staff member sitting opposite her, serving her, was amused by her surprised expression several times.
After waiting for about ten minutes, Xia Li came back after making several phone calls.
350,000 yuan, paid directly by card.
Lucia didn’t even know where he got so much money…
They only had 200,000 left!
A difference of 150,000… such a large sum of money, Xia Li managed to get it in minutes.
Lucia seriously suspected that Xia Li had sold himself.
“We had frozen 100,000 in the bank. I scraped together another 100,000 from Peach and the others, and I’ll pay them back when we get back.”
While waiting for the form to print after swiping the card, Xia Li whispered in Lucia’s ear.
Lucia’s math skills had improved a lot.
She quickly calculated that there was still a sum of money missing.
“What about the other 50,000?” Lucia asked softly.
“The gold coins Old Xia gave me,” Xia Li replied.
Lucia: “…”
The image of the kind father with silver-rimmed glasses suddenly appeared in her mind.
Lucia felt a little guilty.
When she went back to the other world before, she hadn’t even considered bringing local specialties for Xia Li’s father. She had only thought about bringing some for his mother…
She had to be fair.
The Brave Hero’s father was also a strong supporter of the Brave Hero.
◈◈◈
Coming out of the service hall.
The man and the dragon collapsed on the rest chairs as if their energy had been drained.
Lucia was beautiful and had a strong personality. Her small face was the perfect blend of East and West.
Except for not knowing English, she was flawless.
The interview was successful.
They got the receipt.
But due to the local work efficiency, it would take at least two days for the results to come out.
Xia Li searched online repeatedly and confirmed that this basically meant ‘approved’.
They had already half-stepped into the door of Earth citizenship.
“Phew…”
Lucia wiped the sweat from her temples and adjusted her breathing.
It was so scary…
She was so scared that her tail almost came out.
She had stuttered several times during the conversation due to nervousness, but because she was so beautiful, the government staff member was patient enough to gently wait for her to finish her story.
The story was made up.
But her determination to obtain citizenship was real.
From now on, she was no longer the cheap dragon worth 48.5 yuan in a convenience store, only worth two small loaves of bread, a bath towel, and a kitchen knife.
She was a precious dragon worth 350,000 yuan!
Once her identity was confirmed, she would be a legally recognized precious dragon!
“We can go back directly after we get the results the day after tomorrow.”
Xia Li relaxed for a while and wiped the sweat from his forehead with his clothes.
It wasn’t just Lucia who was scared, even Xia Li was terrified.
He was afraid that something might happen and they would have to go home empty-handed.
Although there had been an unexpected price fluctuation, the result was very smooth.
“You, you, don’t you have a two-week visa… the plane tickets are for several days later.” Lucia calmed herself down and looked up at Xia Li.
“It’s okay, we can go back before the visa expires, and the plane tickets can be changed.” Xia Li replied.
They had less than 2,000 yuan left in their pockets.
They had gone from being rich to being broke recent graduates.
With the local cost of living, 2,000 yuan was actually enough to have a good time.
Even playing for a few more days wouldn’t be a problem.
“Okay…”
Lucia nodded in agreement and suddenly thought of something else.
“Right, we need to buy souvenirs for Aunt Fang and Uncle Xia!”
Now that they were really traveling, the culture and customs here were very different from those in China, so they should be able to find some good gifts.
Xia Li agreed to her proposal.
They didn’t need to buy anything too expensive, just a small token of appreciation.
People in small countries got off work early. Xia Li and Lucia hadn’t rested long before they saw the government staff packing up and preparing to close.
The man and the dragon hurried out and bought two bottles of sweet drinks on the street, drinking as they walked.
There were many places to go in the city center.
But cityscapes were similar all over the world. Compared to shopping, Xia Li was more interested in visiting local natural scenic spots.
Lucia was the opposite.
She was tired of natural scenery.
The culture of different human cities was the greatest pleasure of traveling for her.
Boutique.
Probably a standard store in all tourist cities around the world.
However, the items sold in each store varied greatly depending on the history and civilization of the region.
In a small shop less than ten square meters.
Most of the goods here were handmade, and each item was full of island charm.
The shelves were filled with wood carvings, and hand-woven headscarves covered the entire wall.
Like most tourists, Lucia went in and browsed for a long time.
Finally, she was attracted by the beautiful conch decorations placed at the far end.
This dragon just loved these flashy things.
The shell necklace strung together with silk thread weighed two pounds and clinked with every step she took.
Fingernail-sized yellow amber contained insect specimens unique to the rainforest. If you placed these artificial ambers in a dark place, you could even see them glow.
In addition, there were glass crystal balls, hourglasses, music boxes that sang when you pressed them…
Except for not being edible, they were very much in line with Xia Li’s understanding of the word ‘souvenir’.
“I can dive into the sea and get these things, and I can catch insects in the forest…”
Lucia just glanced at them and put them back in place.
Hearing her say this, Xia Li’s desire to buy these ‘souvenirs’ reached its peak.
He couldn’t throw this dragon into the sea to play anymore.
◈◈◈
And exploring the tropical rainforest…
After she gets her identity, she can go wherever she wants.
Before the identity is finalized, it’s better not to do anything that might cause complications.
“It’s not expensive anyway… just buy it,” Xia Li hurriedly said.
Lucia pouted: “We could get it for free!”
“Think about it…”
Xia Li casually picked up a palm-sized conch and said to Lucia: “Take this simple conch shell for example, it might seem crude, but there’s actually a lot of work that goes into it.”
“Firstly, most wild conches have flaws, like cracks or barnacles, and not all shells can be made into art… Secondly, the shells have to go through special treatment to become so shiny and smooth. The ones we pick up ourselves won’t be as shiny and will stink.”
“…”
Xia Li’s words persuaded Lucia.
She turned and went into the room to choose for a long time.
A small wooden cow for Anqi, a large black pearl for Fang Xia, and the cheapest and most practical large conch shells for her colleagues…
Even Xia Li’s three brothers had souvenirs, which were different styles of cool insect specimens.
As for Xia Li’s father, Lucia struggled for a long time, unable to decide.
Finally, Xia Li came up with a good idea.
The Caribbean is famous for its rum.
Bring a bottle of rum back for Old Xia, he’ll definitely be happy.
Today’s shopping spree cost a total of 800 yuan.
The dragon and human returned to their residence with a bag full of ‘local specialties’.
For Xia Li, the purpose of this trip had also come to an end.
Now they just had to wait for the results the day after tomorrow, and they could directly take the household registration certificate back. After six months, they would come back to collect the physical certificate.
“Achoo~”
Walking on the street in the evening, the two with empty stomachs decided to go out for food first.
The biggest disadvantage of coming to a small country is that there’s no takeout, and you have to go out yourself to eat anything.
The cool sea breeze blew near the coast as night approached.
Lucia sneezed loudly.
Compared to the past two days, this time there was even snot flowing down.
She rubbed her shoulders, sniffed secretly, and glanced at Xia Li’s reaction.
Xia Li’s reaction was big.
He stopped in his tracks.
“You have a cold?”
Thinking of the icy cold seawater last night, Xia Li was worried.
He leaned his head over and asked Lucia with a frown.
“Definitely not!”
Lucia puffed out her chest to assure him.
Xia Li stared at her for a while and only relaxed after seeing nothing unusual.
As soon as he looked away, Lucia’s snot dripped down. She quickly wiped it with her hand and then looked up at Xia Li with a grin.
That was close, almost got caught with snot.
However, besides the runny nose, Lucia felt her throat itchy and wanted to cough.
She had been wanting to cough since this afternoon.
But afraid of being heard by Xia Li, she just cleared her throat and didn’t dare to cough it out.
Strangely enough, she really did have signs of a cold.
It might be because she caught a chill while playing at Zhou Anqi’s house, or maybe it was from swimming in the sea yesterday… Of course, it could also be related to staying up all night.
It is said that people who stay up all night are more vulnerable and prone to colds and illnesses.
But, it’s strange…
She’s a dragon, how can she get sick?
Lucia felt strange last night and used her phone to search on Baidu.
If an alien carbon-based life suddenly came to Earth, it would actually be very dangerous.
The variety and number of viruses and bacteria on Earth are unimaginable.
Without antibodies, these ubiquitous bacteria and viruses in the air can take over the body in a very short time.
It is said that if someone from ancient times traveled to modern times, they would die instantly because they couldn’t withstand modern viruses.
Actually, Lucia herself didn’t understand why she wasn’t affected by viruses and bacteria when she came to Earth.
After thinking about it, she could only explain it with her strong physique.
With a different body structure, the diseases that can infect her are very limited.
Just like cold-blooded animals and warm-blooded animals, many diseases are not interchangeable.
So now…
Could it be that she was showing ‘cold’ symptoms because her body structure was becoming closer to that of a ‘human’?
Or…
Because she had shared her power with Xia Li.
Strictly speaking, Lucia didn’t even belong to herself now.
She was not a ‘pureblood silver dragon’, but ‘Xia Li’s summon’.
But there’s no denying that.
She was indeed much weaker now…
Lucia lowered her head and moved her fingers.
She felt her hands were a little cold.
Not only her hands, but also her feet and body, were so cold that she wanted to shiver.
Only her head felt a little hot, even dizzyingly hot.
But Lucia didn’t dare to tell Xia Li.
Xia Li would worry.
Moreover, they were still abroad.
Even in their own country, it was already inconvenient for her to see a doctor when she was sick, and it was even more inconvenient abroad.
Just bear with it…
After going back the day after tomorrow, drinking that sweet water called Banlangen would make it better.
Lucia made up her mind and shook her head.
The drowsiness was swept away by her strong willpower. Her eyes focused, and her gaze quickly locked onto a seafood restaurant.
Although she couldn’t understand the letters on the sign, she could still understand the big squid icon.
“It’s so hot…”
Lucia fanned her flushed cheeks with her hand.
“Thinking about what happened at the government hall makes me nervous… I’m hungry, let’s go have dinner!”
Lucia changed the subject just in time, and Xia Li’s attention was diverted.
He glanced at the glittering squid sign and then looked down at the dragon’s slightly red cheeks.
Xia Li decided to feed the dragon first.
Using a translator and sign language, the two managed to order their food.
Seafood in Haiti is not expensive, and if you only order local specialties, 300 yuan can get you a full meal.
Now that their savings were less than 900, Xia Li knew they had to be frugal for the next two days.
If it didn’t work out, he could only ask Old Xia for more financial support…
“It turns out the sign is an octopus, not a squid!”
Lucia ate her fill, feeling her spirit lifted by the delicious food.
Haiti also has rice, but the rice here is not as fragrant as the rice in their own country, and the fried rice technique is slightly inferior.
But considering the freshness of the ingredients, Lucia could give it a 99 out of 100.
“Octopus is also delicious!”
Savoring the taste in her mouth, Lucia finished the last of her coconut and got down from the chair.
“Wait.”
Xia Li had been staring at the blush on her cheeks for a long time.
Very suspicious.
Xia Li pulled Lucia over. The dragon wanted to run, but after her wrist was caught, the whole dragon froze like a cat whose scruff had been grabbed.
She looked like she was at Xia Li’s mercy.
Xia Li touched her forehead to feel her temperature.
He still felt something was wrong.
Then, he bent down and touched his forehead against hers.
Their temperatures were actually about the same…
Perhaps because they had just eaten, Xia Li’s body was also sweating from the heat.
Compared to him, Lucia’s temperature was more or less the same.
“I’ll let you off this time.”
Xia Li breathed a sigh of relief and added.
“I’ll buy you medicine when we get back, and you have to take it obediently.”
Traditional Chinese medicines like Banlangen are mainly for prevention, so you can drink them even if you’re not sick.
“Is it that sweet brown powder?”
Lucia blinked, actually looking forward to it.
“It’s very tasty!”
Xia Li: “…”
He thought that ‘taking medicine’ would deter the dragon.
But it seemed to have the opposite effect.
This dragon simply hadn’t experienced enough.
Wait till she tried authentic Chinese medicine and experienced the taste of injections and IV drips, then she would know fear.
But then again…
Xia Li subconsciously still didn’t believe Lucia would catch a cold.
Maybe she’s just a little unaccustomed to the environment… he thought to himself.
It was already late.
In the quiet street, the sound of the sea waves faintly came from afar.
Today’s task was complete, and Xia Li planned to take Lucia back to rest early.
Lucia looked quite tired, but that didn’t stop her from continuing to be stubborn.
Without a word, Xia Li tucked her into bed as soon as they got home.
Lucia was obedient, and after a simple wash, she burrowed into the covers with a flushed face.
Xia Li felt uneasy and reached out to feel the temperature of her face again.
He still felt it was a bit hot.
“Xia Li, Xia Li…”
Lucia grabbed Xia Li’s big hand and held it in her own.
She wiggled her waist, acting coquettishly like a cat rolling on the ground.
Although she was tired and sore all over, thinking about the progress they made during the day made Lucia’s heart blossom with joy.
“Am I considered an Earthling now?” the dragon asked with a smile.
“According to the laws of this world, you’re already more than half an Earthling… But in my heart, you’re already my wife.”
Xia Li sat by the bed, his tone so serious that Lucia felt embarrassed.
She didn’t know if he was flirting or speaking from the heart…
“It’s not that fast…”
Lucia scooted over, making a large space for Xia Li.
It was only eight o’clock in the evening, still early for Xia Li, and even if he lay down, he wouldn’t be able to fall asleep.
“You sleep first,”
Xia Li sat by the bed and turned off the lamp.
“I’ll look at some online guides and learn about the follow-up procedures for getting the certificate… You go to sleep, don’t wait for me.”
“Alright…”
Lucia was so sleepy that she could barely keep her eyes open.
For the first time, she, with such a strong body, felt exhausted.
When she was a dragon, she could stay awake for ten days and a half without feeling tired.
Why was she tired after only one day of being a human…
Lucia’s eyes fluttered closed, and she finally fell asleep.
Seeing her asleep, Xia Li tiptoed to close the window.
The evening wind outside rustled the leaves.
Under the streetlights, mosquitoes danced, casting large shadows on the ground.
It looked like it was going to rain.