The woman with white hair gently stroked .
"Contrary to what the Guild Master said, it’s quite docile, isn’t it? Look at this—it’s even purring as if it’s happy."
Purring? I’m not a cat, so what’s with the purring nonsense?
"Gerolong."
"This… this can’t be…!"
The Guild Master looked at , completely bewildered, as if he couldn’t believe what he was seeing.
To him, I must’ve seed like a hopelessly violent lizard. Always snapping at anyone who got close, stealing elixirs daily—that’s the picture he had of .
But, surprisingly, all of that was an act.
This, the calm and collected deanor, was closer to my true self.
"I’ve heard that it becos suspiciously docile around won, but I didn’t expect it to wag its tail so cheerfully…."
The Guild Master had worked hard to find a way to deal with .
He’d figured out that bringing won to fan would make behave—at least sowhat.
Sure, they were all beautiful, but I’m not so basic lizard who gets swayed by charm.
To be precise, the people around were all so exceptionally attractive that most didn’t even register.
I hate to admit it, but none of them were on par with Soyeong.
Though I’ll concede, their figures were better than hers.
"Ahem…"
The Guild Master stole a quick glance at the woman’s rather generous "energy pouch" and cleared his throat awkwardly.
He was probably thinking, You’re a lizard, how can you even care about that?
Sorry, but I’m a lizard who has reached the pinnacle of enlightennt.
I’ve realized that size doesn’t matter.
...Although, having sothing substantial is still a nice bonus.
And after seeing Docheol, I’ve learned that appearances aren’t everything.
My perceptive lizard eyes could tell that there was more hidden beneath her attire.
Not "Gerolong" but "Kelorolong"—a sound entirely devoid of elegance.
Whatever was hidden, it felt significant, though I wasn’t sure what.
The woman stroking was a cold beauty.
Her "pouch" was impressive, and her internal energy wasn’t just for show either.
That’s why I decided to play along and pretend to be captivated by her.
From what I could tell, her internal energy rivaled that of Akbulhwi.
Her attractive face was just a bonus.
...Honestly, maybe I’ve always been drawn to strong won.
I did always find myself wagging my tail endlessly in front of my master.
Yeah, that’s it. Thinking of it this way makes feel better about myself.
"How could anyone claim such a docile lizard is violent? Guild Master, do you think I don’t know what’s going on? Skimming off a few elixirs here and there, while still taking full paynt—this isn’t the first ti."
Crack.
Frost spread around the room.
What I’d only speculated was now confird—she controlled ice.
For a spiritual beast, that might not be too surprising. But for a human, wielding this kind of energy was no small feat.
With us, even creatures like Tus, Pus, and even Chillang had begun dabbling in ice, so it wasn’t a big deal. But for a human, this was remarkable.
"I-it’s the Ice Phoenix Divine Art!"
The Guild Master shouted in alarm.
The Ice Phoenix Divine Art.
Hearing that na confird her identity.
She must be from the North Sea Ice Palace, one of the outer martial realms.
They were a group known for their clichéd aesthetics—blue eyes, western features, and a 90% chance of having a constitution that made them perfect for yin-yang unity with the protagonist.
The woman before must be the Palace Mistress of the North Sea Ice Palace.
"Gek…"
But holding in her hand like this wasn’t right.
It’s only because I’m not a regular lizard that I’m fine, but if I weren’t, I’d already be a frozen lizard popsicle by now.
Also, if this really is the Ice Phoenix Divine Art, it’s kind of underwhelming.
Maybe she’s holding back her power because she’s conscious of .
Her output wasn’t even on par with Tus and Pus.
"Huff… huff…"
The Guild Master was panting heavily.
He probably thought the Ice Palace Mistress had shown him rcy.
Sure, he’d be terrified of the damage to the elixir storage if she caused a scene, but it was also because if the elixirs were destroyed, his own downfall would follow.
...Though, to be fair, a certain lizard had already stuffed all the nearby elixirs into its mouth. But hey, they weren’t destroyed—I’m just storing them.
"Are you using this innocent lizard to cover up your mistakes? Am I right?"
"T-that’s not it…"
"Not it? Are you planning to lie to the end?"
What should I do?
My tail wagged lazily.
I needed to get a grip.
Getting all googly-eyed over a pretty face wasn’t befitting of the Divine Beast of the Gae Gak Sect.
"Kelorolong."
Wow, her hips are incredible.
"I’m sorry. But I swear on the honor of our guild, that lizard ate all the elixirs…!"
The Guild Master stuck to his claim.
Hearing this, the Ice Palace Mistress pressed her hand against my stomach with a curious expression.
"Geeeek."
Hey, no matter how much you poke, nothing’s coming out.
"Well, whatever. It’s not like I can cut ties with this place over sothing like this."
She seed aware of the Black Cloud Guild’s corruption but wasn’t planning to make a big deal out of it.
Maybe she needed the guild for sothing too.
Unlike , who casually devoured elixirs, elixirs were considered imnsely valuable treasures.
Even soone like Baek Un from a wealthy family had risked approaching the Ten Thousand Great Mountains to obtain one.
Knowing the dangers of the mountains, he must’ve been desperate—that’s how difficult it was to secure high-quality elixirs.
So, the Black Cloud Guild, which provided elixirs for a price, naturally had a steady demand.
Still, my plan to destroy this place after everything was over hadn’t changed.
"If you give this lizard, I’ll overlook everything."
"Gek?"
I lifted my head to look at the Ice Palace Mistress.
She wants to take ?
I liked her, but this wasn’t part of the plan.
Snap.
I quickly bit the Ice Palace Mistress’s finger.
Chomp.
It was so cold that my tongue went numb.
My head felt dizzy, like I’d eaten ice cream too fast.
Was this what extre cold hands felt like?
It was completely different from just touching her.
"T-this…"
The Guild Master couldn’t hide his panic.
Was he worried about losing ?
But I hate when n obsess over .
"What, do you think I’m asking for it for free? I’ll pay for it. I know you’re trying to inflate the price by saying it’s consud all these elixirs, but if you na a reasonable price, I’ll pay."
She must be loaded!
I looked at her with wide, sparkling eyes.
As I did, I felt a gaze from sowhere else and turned my head slightly.
Through a small hole in the wall, I could see an antenna sticking out.
...Centipede?
It was Centipede's antenna, drooping sadly.
Centipede!
This is a misunderstanding, really!
“Gekgek, Gegegek!”
Poke.
“…It’s not about the price.”
“Not about the price? Are you seriously planning to fra this lizard for stealing elixirs and then punish it?”
The Ice Palace Mistress’s voice grew sharp.
Her tone suggested she was more angry at the Guild Master than particularly fond of .
“This lizard is destined to be offered to soone else. It already has a master waiting for it.”
Crack.
For a brief mont, veins appeared on her otherwise pristine white face.
“Guild Master of the Black Cloud Guild, have you forgotten who I am?”
Crackle.
Once again, frost spread across the area.
“You are the esteed client of the Black Cloud Guild and the master of the Ice Phoenix Divine Art, Arin, who presides over five palaces.”
But this ti, it seed the Guild Master wouldn’t back down so easily.
As Arin gently nibbled on her finger, I watched with keen interest.
Watching fights is always entertaining, after all.
The Ice Palace Mistress was undoubtedly strong, but the Guild Master didn’t seem like a pushover either.
“And yet you dare talk about masters to soone like ?”
The situation was teetering on the brink of an all-out conflict.
My little lizard brain spun rapidly.
If they ended up fighting here, my mission would essentially be accomplished.
While it wouldn’t be a perfect outco, I’d already stolen plenty of elixirs, and the Black Cloud Guild would naturally be destroyed in the process.
Plus, the True Dragon’s wrath would fall on soone else, not .
One of the reasons I kept my operations subtle and limited was to avoid unnecessary attention.
While the destruction of the Black Cloud Guild might draw so attention, if Arin ended up shouldering the bla, it would be a case of having my cake and eating it too.
The Guild Master sighed as if he had no choice and whispered quietly.
“Ice Palace Mistress, this cannot leave this room.”
Things weren’t going to resolve so easily.
The Guild Master was clearly trying to backpedal.
“…This lizard is an elixir intended for him.”
“Him?”
“Yes, the Black Cloud Guild exists entirely thanks to his grace. This matter is out of my hands. If you could find it in your heart to forgive this incident, we’ll offer you a freshly arrived Fire Pearl as compensation.”
The Guild Master continued referring to the True Dragon as “him,” which Arin didn’t seem to recognize.
It was suspicious, though. The Guild Master spoke as if Arin was aware of the True Dragon’s existence, even though she clearly wasn’t.
“A Fire Pearl… I suppose I’ll have to accept that.”
Arin nodded slightly, though she looked dissatisfied.
“But in the anti, is it alright if I keep this lizard with ?”
“Pardon? What do you an?”
“Well, according to you, this lizard is wild and dangerous, yet it’s perfectly ta in my presence. Wouldn’t that be beneficial to your guild?”
Arin pressed her hand firmly against my stomach.
“Geeeek!”
Let go, you maniac!
I may not be an ordinary lizard, but pressing down that hard is too much!
It almost felt like there was so emotion behind it.
…Not that a lizard could elicit that kind of emotion from a stranger.
“And I, for one, would like to learn more about this interesting lizard.”
The Guild Master—no, the Black Cloud Guild’s leader—couldn’t hide his inner turmoil.
He was undoubtedly weighing his options.
Should he cater to Arin, with whom he’d built a long-standing relationship of trust?
Or should he ignore her demands and take a hard stance?
“…If it’s the Ice Palace Mistress, then I suppose it’s fine.”
He grudgingly agreed, clearly unwilling to risk losing her as a client.
“Hmm, is that so? Then I’ll take that as a yes. Guild Master, you’re free to leave now.”
I wanted to stir up more trouble, but there wasn’t much I could do.
I’d unexpectedly run into one of the few people capable of keeping in check.
It seed I’d have no choice but to lounge around, eat, and wait for Docheol to show up.
“Oh, before you go, if you have any honey dumplings made with Okbong honey, bring them to my quarters. I’ll pay double for them.”
Okbong honey!
This person really knows their food!
“Gerong.”
I started drooling.
It was one of my favorite snacks.
So, they even had it here?
…That bald guy didn’t share sothing like this with ?
Unforgivable.
“Oh my, you understood ? I said Okbong honey, and you’re already drooling?”
Arin grabbed by the scruff of my neck and lifted up.
I’d had it a few tis before, and it was delicious.
“Do you really like honey dumplings that much?”
“Gerong.”
“Well, I thought you might.”
Arin smiled.
It seed we were surprisingly compatible.
We shared similar tastes, and she seed to like to so extent.
What was a sinful lizard like supposed to do?
It looked like I’d be fattened up and lazing around again this ti.
As I was happily lost in thought,
Snap!
The hand holding by the scruff suddenly gripped my entire body.
She tightened her hold on with one hand.
“So, you did steal all those elixirs, didn’t you?”
Arin looked at , startled, and spoke without moving her lips.
[Got you at last, you thieving lizard.]
This was… telepathy?
…Wait, thieving lizard?
Who else would call that?
It made sense coming from the Black Cloud Guild, but Arin had been defending just monts ago.
I looked closely at Arin’s face.
And then, I realized.
Why had I, upon seeing her “pouch,” instinctively gone from “Gerolong” to “Kelorolong”?
Why did the placent of that beauty mark seem so familiar?
[Didn’t I tell you I’d be watching?]
The person who had captured wasn’t the mistress of the North Sea Ice Palace.
It was Baek Seol-hwa.
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