Vol. 4 Ch. 8

On the grass of the training grounds, the young dragon girls sat together.

Noa and Aurora were staring at each other in silence, an air of seriousness between them that felt out of place for children.

Moon looked at her older sister, then at her younger sister, blinking with curiosity. She wiggled the tuft of hair on top of her head and asked earnestly,

“Are we playing a game called ‘Just Staring Without Talking’ today?”

Aurora raised a hand, cutting off her second sister’s question while keeping her eyes on Noa.

“I just saved you,” Aurora said, enunciating each word clearly.

“What do you mean, Aurora?”

“I’m not talking to my big sister; I’m talking to the ghost hiding inside her.”

“Ugh~ not ghosts again. Aurora, you even talk in your sleep about catching ghosts,” Moon groaned, sprawling out lazily on the grass, her little tail spreading beneath her.

Moon had developed a sort of PTSD from the word "ghost." Every time, Aurora would drag her into ghost-hunting adventures that always turned out to be pointless.

Over time, Moon had begun to suspect that her little sister had simply gone stir-crazy from boredom during summer break, unable to find enough fun and eventually losing her mind.

Noa covered her face with a sigh. “There are no ghosts, Aurora. You’ve been hunting them for a whole month. If you keep this up, summer break will be over. Why don’t we use the time left to play some games or practice the magic we’ll need for next semester?”

It wasn’t scary that her little sister was a troublemaker.

What was scary was that this troublemaker was smart and stubborn.

Aurora only trusted what she saw, heard, or deduced herself. No matter what others said, she wouldn’t change her mind unless there was definitive proof.

If Noa inherited their dad’s talent and determination and Moon took after their mom’s occasional silliness, then their little sister Aurora must have inherited both their parents’ unyielding stubbornness.

This trait was perfect for scientific research, but could she please not use it on her big sister?

Aurora narrowed her eyes slightly, then waved her hand dismissively.

“Hmph, I don’t know what you were trying to do while spying on Mom at work, but don’t expect me to save you next time.”

Noa shook her head with a smile. “So, were you saying that to me or to this so-called ghost?”

Suddenly—

Aurora stood up, walked over to Noa, and cupped her sister’s face with her small hands.

“Big sis, believe in me. I will save you!”

“...Okay, I’m sure that one was meant for me.”

Moon sat up and raised her hand. “Umm, so what game are we playing today?”

“What do you want to play?” Noa asked.

“Ummmmm...”

Moon rarely thought hard, only really doing so when choosing a game or deciding on dinner. But no matter how much she thought, she realized they’d already played every game that summer, and playing them again felt dull.

So, she gave up thinking.

“I don’t know...”

While the three of them sat there in indecision, two maids passed by the training grounds.

One of them seemed to be holding a flyer for an event.

“Oh, this looks like such a unique game! I’ve never heard of it before,” one maid said.

“I heard it’s a game brought over from another race. Thrilling, exciting, and quite a brain-teaser!” the other maid replied.

Moon’s ears perked up, and she ran over to them.

“Miss Myss, Miss Elia, what game are you talking about?”

Myss bent down and handed the flyer to Moon. “Your Highness, we’re talking about a new live-action interactive game that’s become popular in Sky Castle. Look.”

Moon took the flyer with both hands. The main image was of a massive castle, dark and mysterious under the night sky.

Beside it were some cartoonish bats, not too scary in appearance.

Moon read the words on the flyer:

“Sky Castle’s newest large-scale live-action interactive game: Explore the mysterious castle and help the princess find the hidden culprit...”

“Yes, Your Highness. If you’re interested, you could ask Their Majesties to take you,” Elia added.

Moon’s eyes lit up. She hadn’t heard of this game before, and just the flyer alone had sparked her excitement.

“Thank you, Miss Myss, Miss Elia,” Moon said politely.

“You’re welcome, Your Highness.”

Moon ran back to her sisters, flyer in hand.

After sitting down next to Noa and Aurora, she spread out the flyer.

Noa and Aurora leaned in to take a look.

“A live-action interactive game?... Sounds fun,” Aurora said, visibly interested.

It was well known that when the words “live-action” and “interactive” were put together, it usually spelled fun and excitement!

As the top mischief-maker of the Silver Dragon Clan, Aurora wouldn’t want to miss such an opportunity.

“Right, right! Aurora wants to go. How about you, big sis?” Moon asked excitedly.

Noa kept reading the flyer.

“The game lasts at least seventy-two hours and is best for groups of friends or family... The recommended number of participants is eight...”

Noa quietly counted their relatives.

“Dad, Mom, Moon, Aurora, me... Even if we include Aunt Isha, that’s only six people. We don’t have enough, Moon.”

Besides the keywords “live-action” and “interactive,” this game also had the word “large-scale.”

Along with its seventy-two-hour duration, it had a participant requirement.

And knowing the Melkvey family’s nature, they weren’t likely to join up with others for a group game.

Moon pouted and began to think hard again. “Then... we could ask Sherry to come!”

“Sherry’s away on a mission and hasn’t been home for a while.”

“Um... What about Milan and Aunt Anna?”

“Milan’s busy with work and can’t make time. As for Aunt Anna... she doesn’t seem to like this type of game.”

Feeling defeated, Moon flopped back onto the grass again.

Aurora, too, looked disappointed, fiddling silently with the tip of her light-pink tail.

Noa’s eyes fell on the flyer, where the winning mechanics and prize were noted at the top.

“Whether you’re part of the good team or the wolf team, as long as you complete all the triggered tasks, you’ll be the winner of the game.”

“The winner will receive the ultimate hidden relic of the castle—the Black Sacred Stone.”

There was a small note in parentheses explaining the “ultimate relic.”

“The game item ‘Black Sacred Stone’ is made of the safe material ‘Night Spirit Crystal.’”

“Night Spirit Crystal... I remember our teacher saying it’s not very common but not particularly useful. It’s mostly used for decorative pieces.”

Most people probably joined the game for the novelty and fun, not caring much about the final prize.

“Little one, that’s not just a ‘useless material,’” said the “ghost” that had been silent until now.

Drip—

A drop of water fell from the dark golden ceiling into the water at Noa’s feet, rippling out to the massive white dragon.

“What’s Night Spirit Crystal?” Noa asked.

“In ancient times, dragons used Night Spirit Crystal to enhance the magical circuits inside young warriors. This allowed them to cast more powerful magic without harming themselves.”

The ancestor explained patiently, “Moreover, it also increases the efficiency of gathering magic.”

Noa raised an eyebrow. “If it’s so effective, why isn’t it used anymore?”

“Because to activate its properties, it requires a special type of magic.”

A special type of magic.

Noa immediately understood what the ancestor was implying.

“Only primordial power can unlock its true potential, right?”

“Clever girl.”

The ancestor said, “So, Noa, this is our chance.”

Noa blinked. “What chance?”

“If you won’t let me borrow your mother’s wedding pendant, then Night Spirit Crystal is the perfect substitute. We need it to gather primordial power more quickly.”

“So... you need to join this game, and you must win.”