Yafuris is the first plant of spring. When the April winds sweep across the land, Yafuris’s blue flower blooms accordingly.
This blue flower, which appears only once annually worldwide, bears a beautiful name: Blue Wind.
It compels the subject under its influence to speak their truest thoughts.
Godwin·Westzer wore a smug expression. He hadn’t casually used this extraordinarily valuable Blue Wind on an ordinary human – this particular blossom had been prepared specifically for her.
This human was too peculiar. Only by forcing her to reveal her innermost thoughts could he discern what kind of soul lay concealed beneath the surface.
Godwin found this straightforward, brute-force method perfectly suited to his tastes – swift, direct, and overwhelming, aligning with his consistent approach.
The young human girl’s lips parted and closed as she slowly uttered her first response, carrying an inexplicable ambitious spirit.
“I want to take all the treasures from this mountain back home, not a single one left behind.”
The expectant expression on Godwin’s dark, inverted-triangle face gradually stiffened. Her eyes were too pure, giving him the mistaken impression that she might offer an extraordinary answer.
Indeed, it had been an illusion.
The Black Dragon’s eyes flashed with anger as he sneered, “Fine. If you want to take all the treasures here, you’ll have to step over my corpse. Go on, tell me how you plan to execute this scheme of yours.”
Shen Jiang tilted her head, seeming to expend considerable mental effort to comprehend his words. Her expression turned somewhat peculiar.
“By becoming a follower of the Great Dragon. A follower’s duty is to clear the weeds from the mountain – no, to clear the treasures from the mountain. You just need to become the Great Dragon’s follower.”
This convoluted response completely caught Godwin off guard, leaving him silent.
“What exactly do you mean by ‘treasures’?”
This time Shen Jiang answered quickly: “Can’t you see? The whole mountain is covered with medicinal herbs. Oh, there don’t seem to be as many here as up above, no wonder you can’t see them.”
As she spoke, she pointed toward a plant laden with red berries not far away.
Godwin nearly laughed in exasperation at her feeble yet offensive gesture. If he didn’t know that no one could resist Blue Wind’s magic, he would have thought this human was toying with him.
All dragonkind knew from childhood that wherever they lived, the surrounding land became barren – this “barrenness” specifically referred to magical plants. This was a universal trait among dragons – any place they inhabited would become overgrown with ordinary weeds useless for magical cultivation.
Godwin raised an eyebrow, “Why do you consider those weeds treasures?”
This was the first time he’d heard such a claim from a human. Since this human had chosen to study such unconventional magic, perhaps in her eyes these weeds truly were special entities.
Shen Jiang responded swiftly this time, speaking fluently without hesitation: “Cistanche deserticola – the sacred warming tonic, Danggui – the holy blood supplement, Sanqi – the premier hemostatic, Tianma – both medicine and food, Huangqi for replenishing qi… There are too many! The key is they all grow so beautifully.”
Godwin: “…”
Here we go again, he couldn’t help recalling when she’d praised that tiny green gemstone before.
Where exactly had she learned this terrible habit of extravagantly praising every piece of rubbish she encountered?
Who gave her the courage to praise those utterly magic-devoid weeds so extravagantly?
“Those weeds contain no magical elements whatsoever and can’t be brewed into any magic potion,” Godwin couldn’t help but correct the human’s misguided perception.
“They’re not weeds—they’re treasures!”
Shen Jiang frowned, clearly displeased, her tone so assertive it brooked no opposition.
Godwin was amused by her stubborn yet self-assured demeanor. He hadn’t known this human possessed such audacity.
Clearly, her inner self wasn’t as submissive as she appeared.
Godwin found himself appreciating this bold side of her more. After all, what she was so earnestly defending were merely the insignificant weeds outside his Dragon lair.
At this moment, he was enveloped in a subtle, indescribable sense of pleasure—unfamiliar yet deeply comforting, entirely different from the exhilaration of soundly beating a Silver Dragon or Fire Dragon.
The thrill of conquering a powerful foe was far more intense and satisfying. Unlike now, this vague, inexplicable delight and pride softened the sharp lines of Godwin’s face.
Though this human didn’t desire his unique favor, didn’t want to learn the mighty magic of the dragon race, and didn’t covet the astonishing treasures within his Dragon lair.
She regarded these weeds that grew alongside dragons as priceless jewels.
Even though they were utterly ordinary.
This might not have been the answer he expected, but Godwin felt no other answer could have pleased him more.
A follower with no ambition, who only coveted the weeds beside a Great Dragon.
The effects of the Blue Wind were about to fade. Let him ask one final question.
“Besides those weeds, do you harbor any other desires for me? Speak freely to the great and benevolent Fire Dragon Godwin.”
A flicker of longing appeared in Shen Jiang’s previously dazed eyes, and upon seeing this, Godwin revealed a hint of smug satisfaction.
“I really want the Black Dragon to take me flying once.”
Godwin: “…”
Such an absurd dream for a mere follower.
He would never allow a lowly human to ride upon his body.
“Ahem… I advise you to abandon such foolish, unrealistic fantasies.”
“Now, you may tell me your name.”
“Shen Jiang. My name is Shen Jiang.”
“I declare that I permit you to become my first human follower, Shen Jiang.”
The resonant draconic voice pierced through the layers of mist, reaching Shen Jiang’s mind and dispelling the haze that clouded her thoughts. Immediately after, the strange sensation binding her body vanished, and the chaotic background noise of the air filled her ears once more.
Shen Jiang had finally regained control of her own body.
She stared at the Great Dragon before her, unsettled and speechless for a long time.
She was fully aware of everything that had just happened, yet she had been unable to control herself. Every question the dragon asked, she couldn’t help but voice her innermost thoughts.
The purpose of that bewitching blue flower was unmistakable—having her soul controlled to reveal her most genuine feelings was no different from being stripped naked in public. She even felt that having her heart laid bare to the dragon was more humiliating than running through the streets unclothed.
Now, Shen Jiang could finally use her mind to carefully review whether she had said anything wrong.
This dragon seemed exceedingly cautious, completely unconcerned with whether her allegiance was sincere, posing questions from the most unexpected angles.
That condescending, arrogant expression made Shen Jiang extremely displeased, but she knew there was nothing she could do about this dragon.
So in her rage, she raged for a moment.
“Respected Lord Godwin, may I ask what instructions you have for me now?” The new follower Shen Jiang requested guidance from the dragon.
Godwin grew irritated seeing her so meek and submissive—timid and hesitant, without a trace of the astonishing boldness she had shown when arguing with him earlier.
That subtle sense of pleasure instantly faded by more than half. Godwin flicked his tail in dissatisfaction, sending the annoying weeds flying.
The human indeed revealed a pained expression. Though she still appeared meek and submissive, Godwin could clearly see her distress.
“If you like those weeds so much, hurry up and embrace them, take them home to show off,” Godwin said impatiently, as if eager for her to disappear immediately.
Shen Jiang naturally detected the displeasure in his tone. She didn’t understand—hadn’t he just seemed to gladly accept her as a follower? But being sensible, she immediately retreated over a dozen meters with her Back Basket, fearing this harbinger of doom might suddenly erupt and silence her permanently.
Godwin watched expressionlessly as the human, carrying a small basket woven from branches, panickedly ran toward the mountains.
Hah.
Such an affected human.
Shen Jiang hadn’t expected that the evil dragon, though clearly angered, didn’t vent his fury on her and instead allowed her to escape.
Calming down and reflecting carefully on their earlier conversation, she realized this dragon was far more intelligent and perceptive than she had imagined.
Initially, she had been grateful for the evil dragon’s directness—that he hadn’t asked meaningless questions about whether her devotion was sincere.
But the more she thought about it, the more terrifying it became.
Humans might worship dragons to satisfy selfish desires, covet the dragon clan’s immense power, or even lust after dragon treasures—all these selfish motives could be disguised under the name of sincerity, cloaked in the most righteous appearances.
Even the most devout and genuine followers inevitably harbor hidden, unspeakable desires beneath their human hearts.
As for her—through a series of coincidences, pretending to be the evil dragon’s follower while actually scheming for the mountain’s herbs—she had instead been mistaken by the evil dragon for a true believer.
It must have been her rude offense when she exposed her true feelings earlier that angered the evil dragon.
Next time, she would have to be more careful with her words and actions, Shen Jiang reminded herself.
Naturally, she wouldn’t go near the Black Dragon to show her face and invite annoyance. This mountain was covered with medicinal herbs—it made no difference where she gathered them. However, the herbs here were noticeably sparser and of poorer quality compared to those outside the Dragon lair.
After some thought, Shen Jiang abandoned her original route and decided to take a detour, circling directly from here to the ridge behind the Dragon lair.
An hour later, Shen Jiang had painstakingly carved out a winding path with her sickle.
As expected, the plants here didn’t disappoint her for all the panting effort she had expended hacking her way up. Shen Jiang set down her sickle, plopped under the shade of a tree, and pulled out scattered equipment from her Back Basket, arranging them together. She first ate a chocolate bar to replenish her energy.
Although this place still seemed to be on Blue Star, Shen Jiang couldn’t shake the feeling that it was separated from her world by a dimension.
Since the dream stated that the entire universe was composed of countless novel worlds, could this be another novel world?
And that Golden Gate—could it be a product of a spatial rift between two worlds?
Entering this place for the second time, Shen Jiang adapted well. The Great Dragon had accepted her as a gardener follower, temporarily sparing her life.
As for returning home, she knew the Golden Gate would arrive punctually to pick her up after work—the sense of routine brought her inner peace.
Shen Jiang breathed in the mountain breeze, savoring the sweetness melting in her mouth as she imagined Grandma waking up. Filled with renewed vigor, she rolled up her sleeves after the break and began patrolling the back mountain of the evil dragon.