Chapter 17: Na Naya’s Still Good to Me

“Please…”

Maybe out of fear, Meng Linna whispered a plea.

She’d lived one life already.

But thanks to her “duke father,” it was an easy mode life.

She had zero stress resistance.

“?”

Na Naya’s head was full of question marks.

“What’re you talking about?”

Losing face now was better than becoming a s*ave.

Meng Linna raised her voice.

“Please don’t sell me as a s*ave!”

“Huh?”

Na Naya looked puzzled.

“Wait, you’re not here to enslave me?”

Seeing Na Naya’s expression, Meng Linna realized she’d misunderstood.

Na Naya had vowed revenge.

And she’d just been caught as a “stalker.”

Being dragged to the black market?

It wasn’t hard to assume something bad was coming.

This definitely wasn’t her imagination running wild.

“You read too many weird novels. You’re not well.”

Na Naya sighed.

“The mithril from before!”

“Oh!”

Meng Linna finally got it.

“You’re splitting the money! Why didn’t you say so? I knew Na Naya’s still good to me.”

“That’s your delusion. I just want you to shut up.”

Na Naya’s face darkened as she pulled out a coin pouch.

“Fifteen gold coins. Fees are already deducted.”

“Kinda feels like a deadbeat husband taking his wife’s paycheck!”

Meng Linna weighed the pouch.

The coins’ weight was reassuring.

Fifteen gold coins for the mithril was a bit disappointing.

But she’d barely done anything.

Free hush money—better not complain.

“You’re as outrageous as ever.”

Na Naya’s face showed disgust.

“We’re even now, Scumbag Sister. Cherish your life. Next time, I’ll make you pay.”

With that, Na Naya turned and left.

Meng Linna stood alone.

“Why’d we have to exchange money in the black market?”

Watching Na Naya’s back, Meng Linna scratched her head, confused.

Na Naya’s revenge vow made her uneasy.

But she had no solutions.

If only there was a way to change Na Naya’s view of her.

As Meng Linna brainstormed, the bar nearby swung open its doors.

They tossed out a drunk, who landed right at her feet.

A whole person thrown in front of her?

She’d be lying if she said she wasn’t startled.

“Huh?”

The bar’s bouncers glanced at her, said nothing, and shut the door.

Meng Linna looked down.

A petite dragon girl with blue hair.

Barely five feet tall, but her sharp dragon horns showed she was an adult.

As a pure human, Meng Linna wasn’t big on other races.

But she didn’t mind them either.

The dragon girl looked pitiful.

Her dress was soiled with vomit.

Her exposed skin was covered in small cuts.

“Ouch…”

The blue-haired dragon girl, thrown at Meng Linna’s feet, stirred from the pain.

She groaned.

Meng Linna’s gut said this girl was trouble.

But she decided to do a good deed.

She helped her sit against the wall.

Purely out of kindness.

Nothing to do with her being a petite loli.

“Hold still. I’ll heal your wounds.”

The dragon girl reeked of alcohol.

Her cuts were mostly minor scrapes.

They’d heal fine without treatment.

Maybe Na Naya’s revenge threat spooked her.

Meng Linna just wanted some good karma for peace of mind.

“Ugh…”

The dragon girl came to a bit.

She pushed Meng Linna away.

“Your miracle’s too slow!”

She pulled a strange potion from her pocket.

Popping the cap, she drank it.

In less than five seconds, her cuts healed visibly.

“What’s that?”

Meng Linna’s eyes widened at the potion.

In this world, healing came from divine spells, conventional medicine, or Yanan’s “blood therapy.”

Divine spells treated battle wounds but not diseases.

Conventional medicine was standard.

In Meng Linna’s knowledge, only a saintess’s miracle holy water could match this potion.

“This?”

The drunk dragon girl shook the half-empty bottle.

“Marigold potion! Want some?”

“Absolutely!”

Meng Linna nodded eagerly.

With a potion that healed wounds so fast, they might not need a dedicated healer.

Sure, Meng Linna was a healer.

But she instinctively saw profit in this potion.

Small-scale sales wouldn’t hurt her, right?

She felt she’d found a goldmine.

“I can teach you how to make it.”

The dragon girl hiccupped.

“Five gold coins.”

A new scam?

The mention of money made Meng Linna uneasy.

This was the black market.

She was a girl who’d just gotten a fortune from Na Naya.

Was this a capitalist trap?

“Fine if you don’t want it.”

The dragon girl was sobering up.

“I’m leaving then.”

Seeing her wobbly steps, Meng Linna gritted her teeth.

She called out.

“Wait, I want it!”

Just five gold coins.

It wouldn’t break her.

Might as well take the risk.

She handed over five gold coins.

“Wow, someone actually paid.”

The dragon girl was so drunk she could barely stand.

She wobbled, unable to straighten up.

“Wait a sec. This is my mom’s recipe…”

She pried a brick from the wall.

Using her nail, she started writing on it.

“You sure you got it right?”

Meng Linna was committed to the gamble.

But this dragon girl seemed unreliable.

She wasn’t dumb enough to throw money at a scam.

“No worries. If it’s wrong, find me at the Stray Dog Hotel.”

The dragon girl rubbed her bleary eyes.

“Just say my name, Qi Li.”