The Steranta Mountain Range—the tallest, most treacherous, and grandest span of peaks in the Demon Race’s domain.
It lay roughly a thousand kilometers from the palace, but for the Evil Dragon, such a distance was nothing—a morning’s journey of casual chatter and playful wandering.
The range’s highest summit doubled as the Demon Race’s most active volcano to date. The constant seismic rumblings ravaged the surrounding landscape, yet the environment they forged was utterly astonishing.
Valleys choked with hazy mists and suffocating volcanic ash lay sealed beneath relentless winds and snow. Flanking basalt cliffs gleamed with veins of orange-red molten rock. Far below, like flowers blooming along riverbanks, vibrant orange flora flourished amid the scalding sands. The charred skeletons of bold human adventurers dangled from sheer rock faces, their grim remains a perpetual warning of the deadly terrain.
Adventurers risked their lives here not merely because the harsh Steranta Mountains hosted so few Demons, but for the Flame Chrysanthemums—the flowers thriving near magma pools hotter than a thousand degrees Celsius.
These blooms absorbed fire magic, radiating the fierce glow of molten rock. They were as perilous as they were captivating.
Unlike other heat-loving plants, Flame Chrysanthemums could be transplanted to distant lands, where they stubbornly survived to serve as prized ornaments or medicinal ingredients.
A single blossom commanded fifty to a hundred gold coins—the ultimate windfall for any adventurer, enough to ensure a lifetime of comfort.
Yet harvesting them required specialized gear, coordinated teams, and raw power to confront the horrors that might rear from the boiling depths.
“Splash!”
An Evil Dragon’s head broke the surface of the magma pool, frolicking like a fish in the shallows.
“Mommy, Mommy, this feels amazing! When are we building a hot spring at home?!”
Tilly splashed about with uncontained glee, knocking loose chunks of volcanic rock that tumbled into the pool and only heightened the Little Evil Dragon’s delight. She unfurled her scales, black fading into deep crimson-purple, savoring the unparalleled bliss.
…Though it still fell just short of Mommy’s gentle strokes.
“No need to rush—we’ll head deeper. There are even better hot springs waiting,” Xuefei explained. She spread her arms and scooped the little dragon into an embrace. Even in humanoid form, Xuefei dwarfed her.
At first, Xuefei had fretted that the little one couldn’t withstand such blistering heat. The magma beneath Tilly burned at a full fifteen hundred degrees Celsius, after all—and Xuefei knew of no creature beyond elemental monsters that could endure it.
The caverns beneath the Steranta Mountains twisted into a colossal labyrinth.
Pressing onward meant scaling vast sheer stone walls, emerging into cavernous chambers reminiscent of some foreboding ancient castle. Countless pits roiled with magma, their glow and the molten veins overhead the region’s sole illumination.
Any hapless adventurer stumbling into such depths would perish from the scorching toxic gases or simply lose their way amid the hellish vistas.
For Evil Dragons, however, it was pure paradise.
“Mommy, let’s move here!” Tilly cried, leaping skyward and beating her wings to dart through the cavern.
In short, she zipped about wildly—but it showcased the fruits of a morning’s training all the same.
“Lingering in a place like this every day would turn you into a wild savage. But that’s fine—I’ll commission a private magma pool,” Xuefei promised.
In truth, she’d never taken a magma bath herself and had no idea what to expect.
“Yay! Mommy’s the best!”
With that, Tilly vanished into the shadows once more.
Clearly, this place captivated her far more than the garden’s greenery.
Leia reached out to stroke the head of Chesia, who had been trailing timidly behind Xuefei since earlier. The girl hadn’t shifted to humanoid form either, and at her mother’s touch, she dipped her head with a soft murmur.
“Chesia, go bring Tilly back. Don’t stray too far—make sure she doesn’t get devoured by some weird monster. We can’t have that tarnishing the Evil Dragon’s dignity.”
Xuefei couldn’t help a mental eye-roll. So it’s the potential property damage she’s worried about, not Tilly getting hurt!
Chesia nodded and launched herself after her sister. In moments, the two little dragonesses were locked in a joyous tussle, evenly matched and inseparable. It ended with Tilly “captured” under the pretense of obedience, dutifully trailing Chesia back. The moment her claws touched down, Chesia turned expectant eyes to Leia, claiming her reward.
Another fond pat on the head.
With that said, the four of them arrived at the largest magma pool. It resembled a small volcanic crater, the surrounding rocks relatively flat and smooth—an ideal spot for cultivation and relaxation.
“Let’s use the pool up ahead,” Leia suggested. “The temperature there is high, and the flow is strong. It should feel quite comfortable.”
Xuefei moved to scoop up the obedient Chesia, intending to stroke her scales like petting a kitten to check her condition. But out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of the utterly naked Leia.
Against that hellish backdrop, Leia was even more breathtakingly beautiful than the so-called Flame Chrysanthemum. She flicked her dragon tail, turned her head, and shot Xuefei a sidelong glance, her eyes lingering on the pure white dress clinging to Xuefei’s form as she said:
“Why so shy, Xuefei? I’ve already used my Pressure to drive off all the local creatures. No one will disturb us.”
“Eh?!”
Only then did Xuefei realize the serious problem.
Their clothes offered no heat resistance. They might withstand powerful impacts, but that didn’t mean they could survive the scorching magma.
Saying nothing more, Leia stepped forward and untied the ribbon around Xuefei’s tail. She brushed Xuefei’s fair skin with a gentle touch, then—with the ease of long practice—exposed Xuefei’s exquisite and alluring figure to the volcanic heat.
Leia’s eyes grew greedy.
Xuefei was convinced Leia was about to make a move on her. She even closed her eyes, bracing herself for whatever overture might come. But instead, Leia said:
“The children should shift back to human form too. It’ll help toughen their scales and skin.”
Xuefei snapped her eyes open and fixed Leia with a reproachful glare for toying with her like this. The latter simply folded Xuefei’s clothes and stockings neatly before stowing them in her space.
Catching that look, Leia flashed a teasing smile.
“What’s the matter, Little Xuefei? Why’d you freeze up like that? Were you expecting something? Or have you fallen for me?”
Her flawless, jade-smooth body was on full display, impossible to ignore.
Xuefei’s face burned red. For a moment, she had no idea how to respond. Leia’s constant flirtatious games had conditioned her with a kind of muscle memory, and the thought of herself turning so bold filled her with equal parts shame and irritation. But she could hardly accuse Leia of anything when she’d “done nothing.”
All she could manage was a soft murmur: “Damn you, Leia.”
