Chapter 53: Diary
Lorenzos held the iron box, his eyes full of anticipation.
Runes were carved all over the box, and a faint blue light flowed between them. The box was not large, about half a meter square, but it felt heavy in his hand—not due to weight, but magical fluctuation.
"This is something I designed myself," Lorenzos explained, a hint of pride in his tone. "A new riddle every day, and the answer is the password for that day. Only the person who solves it can open it."
Livia lowered her head to look at the box.
Then she looked up at him.
"You designed it."
"Yes."
"And you set the riddle."
"Yes."
"And you can't open it yourself?"
Lorenzos's face turned red again: "I, I had a bit to drink when I set the riddle that day... and then I forgot..."
Livia was silent for three seconds.
Then she took the box and placed it on the stone table.
"What is today's riddle?"
Lorenzos leaned closer, pointing to a line of small text on the side of the box:
["I have a key but no lock, a door but no window, a treasure but no taker. What am I?"]
Livia stared at the line of text for two seconds.
"A diary."
Lorenzos froze.
Livia pointed at the box: "Yours. This box is your diary. It has a combination lock (key), an opening (door), and inside are your precious records (treasure). But no one can take it but you—unless they solve the riddle."
Lorenzos's mouth formed an 'O' shape.
Three seconds later, the box clicked and sprang open automatically.
Inside, dozens of booklets were stacked neatly—all diaries. They had leather covers, each numbered from [Volume One] to [Volume Seventy-Three], stacked perfectly.
Lorenzos stared at the open box, then at Livia, his eyes filled with shock.
"H-how did you know it was a diary?"
Livia's tone was calm: "You just said it. 'I have a key but no lock, a door but no window, a treasure but no taker.' Your own diary, changing the password daily, only you can access it—it fits perfectly."
Lorenzos was silent for a long time.
Then he sighed, pulled out the newest one, [Volume Seventy-Three], opened a fresh page, and began to write:
["Today's Record: Met a Red Dragon named Livia. She solved the riddle that stumped me for three days, and she also solved today's password riddle. She won the ten-round duel, and her request was—"]
His pen paused, and he looked up at Lia.
Livia stood beside him, watching him write with an expressionless face.
Lorenzos took a deep breath and continued writing:
["—The request was to mate with me."]
After writing this line, his face turned red again.
Lia looked at his face, which was flushed purple, and spoke: "Are you done writing?"
Lorenzos snapped the diary shut, stuffed it back into the box, and locked it.
"Y-yes, I'm done."
Livia nodded: "Then let's begin."
— — — — — —
Three hours later.
The temporary lair was hidden deep within the stone forest, a secluded cave Lorenzos had specially prepared for this 'activity.' The cave floor was covered with dry grass, a magic lamp glowed softly in the corner, providing gentle light and suitable temperature. There was even a pot of tea and two plates of snacks set out.
The preparation work was impeccable.
The only problem was—
The process itself.
Lorenzos was an extremely focused individual.
No, an extremely focused dragon.
When he decided to do something, he would concentrate completely, undistracted, focusing all his attention on the matter at hand. This was normally an advantage—until he started applying that focus to mating.
The first pause came less than five minutes after they started.
He suddenly lifted his head, stared into Livia's eyes, his expression as serious as if he were studying an unsolvable millennium-old riddle.
"Wait a moment."
Livia looked at him.
Lorenzos frowned: "That look just now—what did that look mean?"
Livia: "What look?"
Lorenzos: "That one—the one like you were sizing up an experimental subject. When you looked at me just now, there was an assessment in your eyes, like you were calculating something."
Livia was silent for a second.
On the system panel, Lorenzos's [Intelligence: S] was shining brightly.
"Individual differences," she said.
Lorenzos shook his head: "No. That wasn't a normal assessment, that was—"
Livia spat a mouthful of fire onto his face.
The flame wasn't large, and the temperature wasn't high, just enough to make him shut up.
Lorenzos froze for a second, then meekly lowered his head and continued.
The second pause came ten minutes later.
He lifted his head again, this time frowning even deeper.
"You have a scent on you."
Livia looked at him.
Lorenzos took a deep breath, his expression becoming serious: "Rose scent. Red Dragons should smell like sulfur, but you smell like roses. And a little bit—"
He inhaled deeply again, his pupils contracting slightly.
"There's a bit of Blue Dragon scent too? Very faint, but it's definitely there."
Livia remained expressionless: "Individual differences."
Lorenzos shook his head: "No. This isn't a normal individual difference. You have a mutation—or—"
Lia spat fire again.
This time the flame was a bit bigger, scorching a few of his whiskers.
Lorenzos looked down at the gray ash of his falling whiskers, was silent for three seconds, and then—
"Fine," he said. "I won't ask anymore."
He continued.
The third pause came twenty minutes later.
This time Lorenzos said nothing, just stared at her, his expression as complicated as a stewed soup.
Livia stared back, waiting for him to speak.
Five seconds.
Ten seconds.
Fifteen seconds.
Lorenzos finally spoke: "Have you ever—"
Livia blasted fire for the third time.
This time the flame plastered him directly to the wall, and he slid down only after three seconds.
Lorenzos lay in the pile of grass, smoke rising from his body, the tip of his tail twitching occasionally. But he stubbornly pulled himself up, returned to his original spot, his face set in stubbornness.
"I, I just wanted to ask—"
"Shut up."
Lorenzos shut up.
— — — — — —
Three hours later.
Lorenzos lay sprawled in the pile of grass, like a crumpled and then unfolded piece of parchment. His scales had lost their luster, his eyes were vacant, and his tail hung limply on the ground, twitching occasionally.
But his brain was still working.
He painfully crawled up, moved to the stone table, pulled the [Volume Seventy-Three] diary from his chest, opened a new page, and began to record.
["Mating Diary · Volume Seventy-Three · Supplementary Record"]
• Mated today with a Red Dragon calling herself Livia Kelsina Novati.
• Her scales shimmered with a faint pink glow under specific light.
• She smells of roses, possibly a new breed or a mutated individual.
• She blasted me with fire three times. The first was a warning, the second scorched my whiskers, and the third plastered me to the wall.
• But she is very intelligent. Too intelligent. Intelligent like a living book of riddles.
• I tried to ask questions mid-mating, but she stopped me with fire.
• But I don't regret it.
He paused his writing here.
Then he continued writing:
• Next time we meet, I must ask clearly about the source of the rose scent.
• And what is going on with that hint of Blue Dragon scent on her.
• —If there is a next time.
He closed the diary, locked it in the box, and then flopped back onto the grass pile, closing his eyes.
Livia sat beside him, slowly sipping a cup of tea.
She watched him finish writing, watched him lock the box, watched him lie down.
System pop-up:
[Mating Complete. Gene Collection Progress: 35% (Copper Dragon genes are complex; one session is not enough)]
[Target 'Lorenzos Theo Doronto' Current Status: Exhaustion + Confusion + Curiosity + A touch of Fear + Much More Curiosity]
[Special Note: This individual has noticed the 'Rose Scent' and the 'Blue Dragon Aura.' It is recommended to prepare a reasonable explanation for future interactions. Otherwise, it might trigger an endless loop of questioning—once he starts questioning, he can ask for three days and three nights.]
Livia closed the panel, finished the last sip of tea, and stood up.
Lorenzos opened one eye: "Y-you're leaving?"
Livia nodded.
Lorenzos hesitated for a moment, climbed up, and pulled a wooden box from the corner of the wall.
"This... for you."
Livia took it and opened it.
Inside was a book with a leather cover, about five hundred pages thick. Carved on the cover in Dragon Language script were:
["Three Hundred Original Riddles"]
["By Lorenzos Theo Doronto"]
["Third Revised Edition"]
Lia opened the first page and saw a line of handwritten text:
["Dedicated to all dragons who love riddles"]
["—But most dedicated to the dragon who can solve all my riddles"]
She continued flipping backward.
Underneath every riddle, there was a line of small handwritten text noting:
["Inspiration for this riddle came from an observation at sunset once."]
["This riddle is dedicated to my mother; she loves these the most."]
["This riddle is dedicated to—Blank"]
Flipping to page one hundred twenty-three, she saw a riddle:
["I have scales but no wings, a tail but no claws, fire but no smoke. What am I?"]
The small note underneath read:
["This riddle is dedicated to Livia (if I can meet her someday)"]
Livia stared at that line of text for three seconds.
Lorenzos leaned closer, his face turning red again: "Th-that was written a long time ago. Back then, I had only heard your name and thought you could solve this kind of riddle..."
Livia closed the book and looked at him.
"What have you heard about me?"
Lorenzos scratched his head: "Just... the legends. They said a genius emerged among the Red Dragons, who could recite the Dragon Genealogy at three, solve ancient dragon riddles at five, and create a hundred original riddles by ten—the entire Copper Dragon clan was spreading it."
Livia fell silent.
System, did you really not make that up?
[This system reiterates: This information originates from internal Copper Dragon rumors and is unrelated to this system.]
She tucked the book into her embrace.
"Thank you."
Lorenzos froze for a moment, then broke into a wide grin, his whole face crinkling up with happiness.
"Y-you're welcome! If you have any riddles you can't solve in the future, come find me anytime! I, I can help you!"
Livia looked at him.
She looked at his face, smiling like a child, looked at those eyes shining brightly with excitement, looked at the tip of his tail shaking constantly with happiness.
She was silent for a second.
Then she turned and walked toward the cave entrance.
When she reached the entrance, she stopped, looked back once.
Lorenzos was still standing in the same spot, holding his diary, head down, scribbling something. The magic light illuminated him, and his copper scales shimmered with a warm glow.
She withdrew her gaze and walked out of the cave.
Behind her, the sound of the wind carried his murmuring voice:
"Today was truly a miraculous day... I must record it in detail..."