Many times, beneath the flashy appearance often lies a bitter core. You can’t scrutinize the details of fairy tales too closely—after Snow White marries the prince, life continues, and thirty years later, there’s a day when even fat sags; Sleeping Beauty hasn’t moved in hundreds of years, how could the prince kiss her without first blowing off some dust; what did the Prince Frog eat before he met his princess after being a frog for so many years; the girl wearing red dancing shoes can never stop the dance until death, but how did she manage a bathroom break—see, our childhood is quite fragile. Regarding these questions, I once went to Avalon and asked the Grimm Brothers and Andersen, causing them to view me as a class enemy for quite some time...

I think the examples from fairy tales can reflect our current situation, after all, there’s nothing more fairy tale-like than a resplendent magic castle made of ice and snow. Living in such a castle usually involves three kinds of people: the cold and noble Northern Witch (who might also be an evil witch), the kind and innocent Ice Princess, and the mysterious and wise Winter Elf. I suppose in genuine fairy tales, these dwellers wouldn’t worry about their ice castle’s door freezing shut if left unattended for three days, nor would they have to smash their way in when returning home. I’m now deeply aware that fairy tales are deceptive; in fact, our ice and snow castle is a sham. There’s no kitchen or place to cook here, so Bingdisi had to light a massive campfire in the central hall, and we, a dozen or so people, including two invited half-dragon girls, grilled various odd things as dinner around the fire. The ice castle lacks guest rooms because Pandora didn’t meticulously design such details, so the two half-dragon girls still had to pitch tents to sleep in. The castle hall is several dozen meters high, basically a hollow shell, staying here feels no different atmospherically than camping outside; thus, looking at her tent and the campfire before her, Shajina asked me a very dialectically challenging question: "How is this different from pitching tents outside?"

I looked up at the ceiling some ten meters away, scratched my head: "Well, just make do and sleep here. Otherwise, should I find another villa for you? Who knows, someone might have one in their personal space."

Shajina glanced at us like looking at monsters, her gaze ultimately settling on the pure white little girl curiously watching the flames near the campfire: "Forget it, who knows what problem you’ll spring next. Let’s talk about this child instead, we were really startled at the time."

Shajina was referring to what happened half an hour ago, on the castle’s porch: She and Sona saw a row of little girl snow sculptures in the niches, followed by Mercury Lamp blurting out "...only the soul remains," leading to them having a huge misunderstanding. I still remember Shajina’s imaginative conjecture: "Turns out you’re an evil mage! You experiment with girls’ souls, stuffing them into magic puppets, even crafting them into these snow sculptures!"

Back then, she had an indignant expression, glaring at me while pointing at Mercury Lamp and those snow sculptures displayed in the niches. Before I could process how she arrived at such a rich association, the little doll on my shoulder had already stood up to protect her dad without hesitation: It leapt onto Shajina’s arm and bit: "It’s you who’s the magic puppet!" Well, maybe not exactly for the sake of protecting her dad...

That’s the scene from over half an hour ago—now, however, the misunderstanding has been cleared.

"Keep an eye on Little Qijing, make sure she doesn’t go playing around in the fire; be careful not to scatter the bonfire." I smiled at Shajina, then turned to call out to Sayaka. Perhaps from Anwina or Big Sister, Sayaka seems pretty adept at taking care of kids now. Little Qijing’s curiosity swells, having leapt into the bonfire several times earlier in excitement, and I had to have someone hold onto the little girl to prevent further chaos.

Back then, to clarify the misunderstanding, I summoned out the Rose Maiden soul who was busy watching movies in my Spirit Sea (I’ve recently discovered this way, extracting some fun memories to show Little Qijing, she quite enjoys it). This soul-bodied little girl truly startled the two half-dragon girls, but soon they noticed the former had no sign of being oppressed, instead being exceptionally affectionate towards "such an evil soul wizard," and so the misunderstanding naturally resolved.

"Are you really a mage?" Shajina poked at the campfire in front of her, casting a curious gaze my way, "You don’t quite look like one."

"I’ll explain when the chance arises; we’re traveling now, maybe when leaving here, I’ll tell you the truth—if you can understand it that is. For now, just know one thing, we’re not bad people." 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

"What’s really up with this little girl?" Shajina, seeing I had no intention to explain further, asked another question focused on Little Qijing. At this point, the latter was reaching her hand into the raging flames, attempting to grab the fire, with Sayaka nearby closely supervising to prevent her from grabbing embers and tossing them around; such a scene is hard to grasp in normal settings. I patted Little Qijing’s head tenderly, and she immediately giggled, snuggling over. "Her name is Xue Huajing, but just calling her Little Qijing is fine. This child has been born with only a soul, unable to grow in the real world, so I’ve been nurturing her in my Soul World all this time."

Shajina watched me for a while with a somewhat incomprehensible expression, making a hissing sound: "It’s like listening to a mystical old wizard tell myth stories; if I hadn’t seen it myself, I’d have said you’re a fraud. One daughter is a magic...puppet, and one is a soul, both so tiny. Are you even human? How many daughters do you actually have?"

Before I spoke, Xiao Xue’s lively voice rang out from the campfire’s other side: "There’s another one here! Here! I’m his daughter too! Don’t I look adorable? My dad treasures me!"

The two half-dragon girls were dumbfounded, looking at me with even more enigmatic gazes than before. At this moment, Bubbles pushed Little Baobao forward nonchalantly who sat on the other side of them: "Allow me to introduce, this is the Eldest Princess."

I felt great trouble fast approaching, yet before I could speak, Bubbles had already continued: "By the way, I’m the child’s mom, also that person’s wife over there." Lastly, she gave a thumbs-up: "Diligently performing wifely duties!"

Shajina and Sona looked at me with startled eyes, the latter being reticent, while the former asked with unprecedented seriousness: "Please, speak honestly, would you ever involve women from outside your race?!!"

Before I could say a word, Bingdisi—eccentric as ever—scanned around, letting his gaze linger on Sandora briefly, then cleared his throat preparing to speak. Luckily, I quickly reacted, tossing a piece of grilled meat to interrupt: "Keep eating, nobody thinks you’re mute!"

Shajina chuckled dryly twice, dragging her companion away, moving beside furiously...

Though this chaotic chatter seemed to have a positive effect: the two half-dragon girls’ initial aversion towards us became notably less pronounced. I decided it was time to ask a question I hadn’t figured out yet, and carefully chose suitable wording: "Well then, if I may ask one question, you seem to dislike mages quite a bit?"

Shajina frowned but didn’t get angry. She glanced at me, seeming to ponder whether this half-stranger she just met was worth confiding in, and then nodded, "Of course, I don’t have any good feelings. Sona and I were once adopted by a mage."

"Uh, it should be just the opposite, right? How come there’s no good feeling?" Qianqian immediately asked curiously.

Sona replied in a low voice, "Bought from the slave market, used as test subjects for potion research and labor. Because the physique of the half-dragon people is strong with high drug resistance, and we have great strength, while we ourselves can’t learn any magic, most mages with enough money and power like to keep a few half-dragon people as laborers. Although slave trading is prohibited by the royal family in many places, they always find excuses: sectarian wars, captured on the battlefield, family slaves, the loopholes in the law are numerous. Shajina and I spent our adult years in the poisonous drug test cages. Because of this, Shajina holds animosity toward all mages, while me? Although I feel it’s probably not right to harbor hatred against every mage, at least I can’t have any good feelings towards your group either."

I never expected to hear such a story, and suddenly felt that I really shouldn’t have asked this question. Slavery, mages, experiments... Who would have thought that these two half-dragon girls actually went through such things!

I felt very embarrassed, and the two half-dragon girls were all the while observing our expressions. Sona thoughtfully said, "It seems like you really haven’t heard of this kind of thing? I really don’t know where you travelers come from, could it be across the Black Plain? I heard there’s no slavery over there, and many weird researchers wander around, with some even crossing the Black Plain."

I found that if I continued to delve into this topic, I’d soon be at a loss for words again, so I decisively stopped and hesitated before asking the next question: "So how did you gain your freedom later? Were you released?"

"Released?" Shajina looked into my eyes with her golden vertical pupils, "So naive, a half-dragon slave is a high-priced item. Even the wealthiest mage wouldn’t waste such an asset easily. We were both used until dead. As I said earlier, Shajina and I came of age inside those drug test cages. Based on some odd formula found in ancient ruins, that mage crafted several potions. To verify their effects, he fed them to us: that was our birthday gift. Later, he determined that those potions were all deadly poisons. Sona and I soon collapsed, our bodies festering. That mage, thinking we were dead, threw our bodies and the cage out into the wild. However, for some reason, whether it was luck or something else, we pulled through and astonishingly recovered after shedding skin. To this day, apart from some occasional side effects, we are almost as healthy as we were before."

As Shajina spoke, she looked incredulously at her own arm, as if the scars left by the poison were still evident. "This is how we gained our freedom. Afterward, Sona and I escaped that duchy, began wandering around, doing some petty theft, working as laborers when our health allowed, and during the winter, we’d break noble windows to get caught and thrown into jail. No matter which it was, we could at least get a meal. Frankly, jail food was better than garbage. Slowly, even the guards recognized the two of us; somewhat sympathetic, they knew seeing us meant winter was here, the two lizards... half-dragons looking for a safe place to hibernate, so they treated us kindly. One young prison guard, whose father had adventured outside, would chat with us about his experiences and brought a notebook left by his father, filled with exploration experiences in dangers, etc. We realized that adventurers were the only profession that required no professional skills to start, so we decided to become adventurers. You, who have status, mightn’t understand what an adventurer really does. To the average person, adventurers are akin to hobos and scavengers. Anyone can claim to be an adventurer: as long as you have strength and courage, can gather some tools and things for survival and defense, and dare to pick up odd stuff from relics to sell to alchemists and such, you can be considered a qualified adventurer."

"So later we stole that notebook from the young guard and set out as adventurers..."

"Uh, stole it?" Qianqian couldn’t help but ask, and I also looked at Shajina and Sona in surprise.

Sona sighed, quietly saying: "Yes, we stole it. Back then we were used to stealing what we wanted, and that notebook was indeed very important. Without it, rash newcomers nine times out of ten would die at the hands of the Guardians of those ruins. Even with our limited knowledge, we’d heard this much: novice adventurers without guidance are quite endangered, so unless life forces it, few are willing to take up such disreputable work. That young man cherished the notebook as it was his father’s relic; he could show us, but he couldn’t possibly give it to us. Plus, if we died with it, it’d be lost forever. Sona was clever. On departure day, she suggested we seek him in the jail... and stole it. This was our only gear when we embarked on our journey."

While speaking, Sona pulled out from her backpack a somewhat battered, but clearly carefully repaired thick book. I couldn’t understand the meandering symbols upon it, but its careful preservation was apparent.

"Actually, from the beginning, we intended to return it once we became seasoned adventurers who no longer needed it!" Shajina hurriedly said, "But many things happened after that. Adventurer life is perilous, and with bad luck, even meals were elusive. Life pressed upon us, and we couldn’t find the right time to return the notebook, and as years went by, the matter was delayed. Now, perhaps even if we wanted to return it, we lack the courage. That young man must still disdain those two half-dragon thieves."

"After all, half-dragons are considered an uncultured race," Sona sighed a long sigh, burying her head in her knees. After a moment she put the notebook away again, "Moreover, running around following those ever-emerging ancient ruins, we’ve traveled quite far, across at least a dozen duchies. Returning to that city now would be an improbable journey, and after so many years, the once-kind young prison guard likely no longer holds that position; he may have changed appearance entirely. Human lifetimes are shorter than half-dragons, and we’ve already let time slip by."

A long story, not earth-shattering, perhaps not even a ripple compared to the storms we’ve endured, but to these ordinary half-dragon girls, it was their journey of hardship: the so-called grandeur of small lives. Whatever became of the kind young prison guard, I hope he’s doing well, and that these two half-dragon girls can muster the courage to return the stolen notebook.

After hearing my words of comfort, Sona merely smiled faintly, indicating she would eventually make her own decisions. Shajina, however, seemed to have shifted her focus from this topic, now keenly awaiting the meal.

For dinner, we used the ingredients we carried to throw together a group barbecue as suggested by Qianqian. Shajina provided their stored jerky and a type of very hard yet palatable pastry—provisions likely meant to stave off hunger during outdoor work. The jerky is edible straight out, but can be cooked if circumstances allow. Qianqian rummaged through her personal space, bringing out some flour and vegetables—though, in truth, we ought not to be surprised by the contents she carries. Sandora, as usual, unleashed a flood of snacks, leaving the two half-dragon girls slack-jawed. Various odd items brought by everyone included Mercury Lamp’s yogurt and the candies Little Baobao fished out. Most of the food was handed over to Monina to handle. Without Big Sister around, and Anwina absent as well, among us, the sole cook is Monina: she’s quite the chef, second only to Anwina at family cooking.

As we awaited the meal, Qianqian curiously took some jerky, skewered it on an iron rod, and placed it in the fire to roast. In my nervous anticipation, I pondered if the resulting charcoal remains would later be forcibly fed to me. Little Baobao tossed her treasured candies into the fire, where they were lost in an instant, leaving her hugging Bubbles and crying. Little Qijing remained steadfast in her roasting, convinced she could snatch the flames. Mercury Lamp placed her yogurt in a metal box, warming it slightly near the fire, and then drank with satisfaction. Meanwhile, the half-dragon girls curiously puzzled over how to open canned fruit. Sandora was roasting two rocks, one of which already had a third bitten off...

Me: "..." I was comforted to see that the half-dragon girls offered no comment on Sandora’s peculiar menu, seemingly having grown numb to it all.

The night passed without words after dinner, as we slept on the floor in the backdrop of this grand fairy tale castle, with a campfire ignited, a tent nearby. To reiterate, every misleading fairy tale has its own issues... (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, feel free to visit Qidian (qidian.com) to cast recommendations or monthly votes. Your support is my greatest motivation.)