A group of islands finally ca into view on the horizon.
The first thing that caught the eye were the towering trees — their sword-shaped leaves a distinct blue-green hue, each leaf swaying gently in the ocean breeze.
The trunks were thick and sturdy, branching out high above to form broad, umbrella-shaped canopies that cast deep, cool shadows on the ground below.
Many of the trees reached heights between twenty-five and fifty feet, though so dwarfed even that. A closer look revealed caves carved into the thicker trunks and treehouses tucked neatly among the branches, connected by rope bridges and ladders.
The Shadow Pearl, moving silently across the waves, began to sink beneath the water’s surface until it disappeared entirely. More like they sinked into its own shadow.
anwhile, Tyler, Lily, Mathilda, Darla, and Mana followed closely behind Zuzia and Myrtle, stepping onto the island’s sandy shore.
Myrtle led the Phantom Pirates toward a colossal tree at the island’s center, its presence dominating the landscape. From nearby caves and high-perched houses, figures began to erge — Immortal Practitioners in varied garb, their eyes lighting up as they spotted Zuzia. Murmurs spread quickly. The Dragon Princess was well-known here, her na enough to bring people out in greeting.
She is the reason why they are all living well. She always beat up the people who bullies them.
The path wound through a grove dotted with clusters of small white and greenish-white flowers, their delicate petals releasing a sweet fragrance into the air. Bright orange-red berries dangled in clusters, attracting flurries of colorful birds that swooped in and out of the branches.
Mathilda stopped just before the towering tree and gestured upward. "This," she said with an interesting expression, "is the Dracaena draco... the Dragon Tree."
The tree was magnificent — its thick trunk supporting a crown of leaves far above, like the tiers of a grand pagoda. When cut, the trunk released a crimson sap patterned like the scales of ancient dragons. This "dragon’s blood" was the source of the tree’s na and was prized by artisans, alchemists, and even healers.
They approached a massive opening at the base of the tree. The hollow’s dark interior looked almost like an abyss, swallowing light whole.
"The entrance is big," Tyler said.
Myrtle explained to Phantom Blackwood, "because Princess cos and goes in her real form."
Real form — aning her full dragon body.
The guards who had escorted them broke away, joining other residents of the island: sea folk with iridescent scales, Dragonions who are basically dragonkin with horns and tails, and a few that looked half-beast, half-human.
The mont Tyler and the others stepped inside the hollow, the darkness lted away into a warm, blinding glow. The entrance was still behind them, but it now seed sealed off, as though stepping through had brought them into a completely separate realm.
The golden light ca from piles of treasure stacked high around the chamber. There were heaps of rare materials — golden carp fins that shimred like molten sunlight, scales from long-dead ocean beasts, glowing coral branches, veins of volcano-forged gold, and glints of spirit-forged tal. But among all the dazzling riches, Tyler’s eyes were drawn to a small test tube filled with fine, greenish-golden sand that glimred in its container.
"Sunwave Gold..." Tyler muttered.
Sunwave Gold was among the rarest and most expensive forms of gold known. It could only be found at dawn, when the first rays of sunlight struck certain stretches of ocean. There, schools of Sunwave Fish would briefly spit out these particles, which had to be gathered quickly without harming the fish. To keep it from losing its luster, the sand had to be stored near other types of gold.
Myrtle stiffened when she saw Phantom Blackwood’s gaze linger on the vial. She knew pirates were greedy by nature, but she decided to place her trust in the Dragon Princess.
"That was gathered by Myrtle," Zuzia said casually. "She told that green gold is very expensive and also the tastiest... but she never let eat it."
Tyler’s mouth twitched behind his mask. Eat it? Even he had never managed to acquire Sunwave Gold before. It took more than money — it required absurd skill and luck. Still, he was impressed enough to give Myrtle a small, approving nod.
The group split up to explore.
"This is your nest, huh?" Mana asked, glancing around at the vast chamber. "I was expecting sothing like a wyvern nest... but this is more like a palace."
"My treehouse is my nest," Zuzia replied matter-of-factly.
From her storage ring, Zuzia began to pull out items to show off to the others — finely crafted weapons, the gleaming teeth of sea titans, the massive bones of deep-ocean leviathans, and other rare treasures.
Then she brought out a small box and opened it, revealing a thin, disk-shaped object about the size of a coin. Pressing the center, she activated it. Three razor-sharp blades unfolded and began spinning rapidly, whirring with deadly precision like a fidget spinner gone wrong.
Without warning, she tossed it toward Tyler. His eyes widened as the blades vanished mid-flight, only to reappear hovering behind him. Every instinct scread danger — the thing radiated an intense killing intent.
In the blink of an eye, another "Tyler" appeared behind the spinning device and caught it. The first Tyler dissolved into an ice statue, shattering silently.
"This thing is dangerous..." Tyler said, turning the device over in his hands.
"Don’t worry. I was controlling it — otherwise, you wouldn’t have caught it so easily," Zuzia assured him.
"What is it?" he asked.
Zuzia’s smile turned sly. "One day, so of those bastards from the Sea Dragon Palace were returning from a ruin. As a Dragon Princess who robs the rich and gives to the poor... we ambushed them. I found this on one of them. It can only be used once, but it’s ridiculously powerful. I had twenty-five of them... this is the last one." Her eyes sparkled with expectation as she looked at him.
Tyler understood imdiately — she wanted him to replicate it. "Let keep this for a while," he said, tucking it away.
Myrtle wanted to say sothing but stopped when she saw her Princess is grinning like a love struck fool.
"Now ... Shall we all start mating?" Zuzia asked with a grin.
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