Eorzea, the ocean city
"What happened to my HQ ingredients? They were just here! A huge pile of ingredients, and in the blink of an eye, they're gone!" The man wearing a mage's hat was almost in excruciating despair. Giant sharks, sawfish, lightning fish, and glory dragon fish—these were top-tier fish ingredients, the highest quality within their category—but now, in an instant, they were all gone! The fishermen from the Fishermen's Association looked equally troubled.
"So what were you doing just now, and for how long?" asked the yellow-clad security personnel, also looking pained. From his description, that large quantity of fish was no small matter. "I just went to the Bismarck restaurant to buy some seasonings and kitchenware. It took about... five minutes."
"Did you leave any traces at the scene?"
"No, I double-checked, and all the fish are missing. It seems to be the work of a group, and they didn't leave any footprints. However, the ground is covered in mud and dirty water, so I suspect they might have come by boat for transportation, and there were many of them." The receptionist of the Fishermen's Association added, "If I have to point out something special, I think I heard the sound of a magitek engine. Recently, quite a few machinists from Ishgard have been around, so that noise is also quite common."
"Using mechanical power for transport, huh? No wonder there would be such traces," a member of the security team remarked while examining the shoreline. There were noticeable signs of something having scraped against it, and the force behind that mark was substantial enough to leave such terrifying scratches on the reinforced high-strength bank. "But was that pile of fish worth that much?"
"On the market... probably several million gil," came the response.
"....That's indeed a rather huge amount," the security captain wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.
Meanwhile, the culprit had almost digested all the stolen goods and was wandering the streets in a daze, drawing one astonished gaze after another. Following the scent, the juvenile dragon instinctively climbed up to the terrace of the Bismarck restaurant. Her amber eyes were fixed on the catgirl-flavored skewers on the table, watching as the catgirl waitress set them down and observing the patrons sprinkle on the seasonings. Then... the patrons suddenly lost their appetite.
As someone who still had a shred of conscience, it was impossible to eat the skewers with a nearly naked young girl draped in nothing but a tattered blue and white fur staring hungrily. "Uh... do you want some?" one patron asked hesitantly, extending a hand. All that remained was a stick—"Where's my meat? That huge skewer? How did you manage to make it disappear so quickly?"
"Nom, nom." The juvenile dragon was not very satisfied with this human-like, or rather, humanoid body formed from ether. Fortunately, she still had that crystal to change back to her original form at any time. But... as soon as she transformed back, her teeth would start hurting again, especially after she couldn't resist the temptation of devouring the unfortunate fisherman's entire catch and a large quantity of maple syrup unloaded from a merchant ship at the dock. So, her teeth began to throb painfully again, forcing her to remain in this human form.
Thankfully, the juvenile dragon was accustomed to standing upright and using
However, the juvenile dragon quickly discovered the advantages of having a human body. She could sit on the side of the street doing nothing, simply watching the passing adventurers, and food would be offered to her—delicious food at that. For her, as a dragon whose main pursuit in life was "eating," this was perfect. Plus, her teeth didn't hurt in this form, allowing her to devour all kinds of sweets and cold drinks, and she even dared to shove unknown items into her mouth.
"So, whose child is this, anyway?" a catgirl from the yellow-clad security poked at the juvenile dragon's chubby face. The latter was focused on demolishing the food. For a Valstrax, being poked in the face by others elicited no displeasure or odd feelings, even in a human body. This was simply how juvenile dragons played, poking each other in jest. However, trying to feed her or pushing her down onto someone else's back was a different matter.
"I'm done eating," the juvenile dragon made a sound that she believed expressed her message clearly, but what others heard was a soft, tender "ah~." Her amber eyes stared blankly at the yellow-clad catgirl guard, clearly conveying her desire for more food.
"Well, you've eaten so much already. Aren't you afraid of feeling unwell?" The juvenile dragon had consumed nearly half her body weight in food. However, for a seven- or eight-year-old child, that amount would only constitute two or three bites. This was especially true considering she had nearly swallowed half a ton of various fish at once, so it could only be seen as indulging in dessert after a meal.
"I don't know whose child this is. She's been staring at me ever since the food started coming out, and it's making me uneasy." It wasn't just a pang of guilt; the girl's gaze was very strange. It wasn't the look of someone observing a peer
"Um, I'm done eating." The juvenile dragon showed the empty plate to the two beings who appeared to be human. In her memory, humans didn't have furry ears and tails, which was why she had looked them over with such curiosity: "What are these creatures? Can I eat them? Are they tasty? How do I eat?" However, since they were willing to provide her with food, from the dragon's simple worldview, these beings could be seen as friendly and not edible—perhaps even as a source for more food... a sort of cash machine?
"...Can we get her another portion?"
"But we're almost out of ingredients."
"Anything will do."
"How about some green tree toad legs?"
"..."
Although the meaty legs of such massive toads were tender and delicious, there was a technical issue: anyone who had seen the ingredients in their living forms would consider this dish dark cuisine, especially since it was seasoned with escargot. When it was served, everyone except the juvenile dragon displayed expressions that were difficult to describe.
At that moment, the juvenile dragon also showed signs of being picky for the first time. She meticulously picked out all the escargot and discarded them, stuffing her mouth with the remaining herbs and toad legs, her cheeks visibly bulging as she chewed. The toad meat, coated in breadcrumbs and fried in butter, was incredibly delicious, possessing a tender, crispy quality akin to fried chicken legs, but without the rough texture of chicken fibers. Instead, it had a silky, smooth mouthfeel. The juvenile dragon expressed her extreme and special appreciation for this creature's meat—her actions were clear as she presented the empty plate once again to everyone, exclaiming, "I'm done again!"
"...."
"..."
"There's still plenty of Green Tree Toads left," the maid said, wearing an awkward yet polite expression. "Then bring them all over. This little one really has quite the appetite. I honestly wonder where all that food she eats goes."
"But frying and processing them still requires... Hey, don't go in there! That's the processing room! Be careful of the hot oil!"
However, the little dragon was completely fearless. After all, her own dragon breath could reach temperatures of over 2400 degrees. Hot oil? Hah. Well, eating too quickly could still burn her tongue, though.
The little one sprawled next to the freshly slaughtered but not-yet-cleaned Green Tree Toad legs, sniffing intently. She was memorizing the scent and shape of this prey. Then... once her teeth were healed, their doom would be sealed! Extinction awaited them!
As the apex predator and top-tier hunter, she was confident she could wipe out the entire habitat of these creatures within a year. After all, they had such tender and abundant meat—wasn't providing food and energy for the top predator their innate purpose and reason for existence?
Moreover, after observing the ingredients here, she began comparing them with certain things in her memory. Happily, she made a decision about the fate of an unfortunate creature on the beaches of the New World. That would be the crabs, which were basically absent this season in the New World.
In particular, the General Scythe Crab, with its castle-like shell, was immediately targeted for hunting by the Apex Dragon because of its size. Typically, these hard-shelled creatures weren't her preferred prey, which allowed them to roam freely and arrogantly in various regions.
But now, the little dragon had plenty of tools at hand to pry open hard shells and savor the tender meat inside. Previously, she hadn't known whether they tasted good or not, and since these creatures rarely showed themselves and were difficult to hunt, she hadn't bothered with them. However, now... she had eaten crab before and knew how delicious and sweet the meat beneath those hard shells could be.
So, all she needed to do was wait for this particularly long dream to end and for her toothache to heal. After that, she would slaughter every single one of those hard-shelled creatures.
Yes, the little dragon still believed she was dreaming, dreaming of a vision the Great Crystal had shown her before. However, this time the Great Crystal was quite accommodating, filled with many edible things and even some cooking methods she hadn't thought of herself. Although it seemed that the things here couldn't be taken back and it was difficult to find substitutes for breadcrumbs. Speaking of breadcrumbs, would wrapping crab leg meat in tuna flakes and frying it yield a similar effect?
"By the way, I still don't know your name." After consuming a maple sugar candy, they barely managed to drag the little dragon out of the kitchen. However, she completely ignored their inquiry and solemnly licked the candy, while simultaneously pondering whether her previous sugar intake had been too one-dimensional. Perhaps she could look into some tree sap for flavoring; combining it with Giant Peak honey might create a unique taste profile!
Although the little dragon didn't respond, the security team eventually found a crystal on her, something as rare as the professional crystals that some adventurers possessed. Inside was a curled-up strange dragon that didn't seem to represent any particular occupation, but there was a small note attached that read "Tianhui." "Hmm, that's a strange name. How about I call you Huihui?"
"Rawr?" The little dragon looked at her in confusion before continuing to eat the candy. Names were something she could understand; she had memories of human society. However, she didn't find it particularly significant. Whether she was called Huihui or something else, even one or two, A or B, as long as she understood it was her designation, that was enough. As for whether it sounded nice or strange, she couldn't care less.
Although it might be due to the Great Crystal, she could understand what the humans were saying. However, that didn't mean she could speak their language or produce human-like sounds. In reality, she had always emitted dragon sounds. It was just that, given her actual age and the age of this body, she had such a soft, delicate voice. If she were an adult, the people present would probably have to endure some pressure from the wind first.
"However, this fur is... quite strange. Where did you get it?" The little dragon felt she could answer this question. Considering the pile of shiny plates, she stretched out her hands, curling her fingers and mimicking a grabbing motion, while also producing a soft "Rawr~ Rawr~" sound. Almost melted the heart of the catgirl guard who still retained a bit of youthful innocence.
However, what she was actually expressing was quite clear: "I set out from my nest, then I saw a creature with white fur and cyan scales gliding at low altitude, so I swooped down, caught it, and then dropped it from a great height—thus, a poor Thunder Dragon lost its life and its dreams..."
The fur was left in her nest after she had eaten all of it. The Thunder Dragon's electric quills were used to wipe her body after a sand bath, which felt comfortable for scraping out the sand from the crevices of her scales. That was why she kept them, using them as a blanket or bedding. Here, she also took it out to wrap her body because they felt damp and uncomfortable, whether human or dragon. Of course, she knew that she needed something to cover her body while mingling in the human world, but as for the reason behind it... she had no idea.
—"Maybe humans court in this way?" Based on her memories and actual observations, it was true that human males and females sought mates according to the outer coverings they had. From a dragon's perspective, those males in the docks, bare-chested or simply dressed in light fabrics, were hardly favored by females. However, in reality, they were among the stronger types among humans. From a dragon's worldview, strong male dragons should be welcomed, suggesting that their offspring would have healthy genes. Yet, human females instead selected slender and less robust males, but with ornate exterior fur...
"Just like birds."
The little dragon happily associated the human reproductive and mating processes with those of birds. For her, concepts like love were completely incomprehensible. In fact, most female dragons lived solitary lives, except for a very brief estrus period. Once a male dragon intruded, he would typically be killed on the spot. The Tianhui dragons were no exception; during their estrus, they would call for males, who needed to defeat all competition and bring a sufficiently large prey to enter the territory of the females.
What followed was a romantic aerial dance. The male dragon that maintained the upper hand, staying above the female, would ultimately gain mating rights. The mating process typically lasted 30 to 40 hours, with the male needing to mate over 400 times to ensure the female would conceive. Afterward, the male had to leave as quickly as possible during the time it took the female to eat the meeting gift. Otherwise, he might be killed and eaten.
Following about three years of pregnancy, the female Tianhui dragon would lay 30 to 40 eggs, with no more than three surviving. Most eggs would fail to hatch for various reasons and would be discarded by the female. After hatching, the young dragons would be nurtured by the female until they were about three years old, at which point they would be driven out of the nest. However, they were allowed to hunt in her hunting grounds.
Until the young dragon reached about fifteen to twenty years old and entered adolescence, they had to leave home completely to find their own habitat and hunting grounds, competing with other flying dragon species and ancient dragons. During this process, some Tianhui dragons would inevitably meet their demise. Therefore, despite the Tianhui dragons having a long lifespan of a thousand years, their population has never been large and was once thought to be extinct.
As for the creatures bold enough to steal Tianhui dragon eggs... they were mostly just a few reckless birds that enjoyed danger. Most of the time, they succeeded, as Tianhui dragons did not have the habit of incubating their eggs. They rarely brooded over eggs in their nests, relying instead on natural light and temperature for incubation, and seldom stayed to guard their nests.
Similarly, most egg-stealing birds were taught by nature to distinguish between dead eggs and live ones. If they stole a live egg, they would be tracked down and hunted to the ends of the earth by the Tianhui dragons—considering their flying speed, almost all who did this were doomed. Under natural selection, the surviving reckless birds learned what was worth taking and what was not.