Chapter 3 Getting Rich Starts with Shaking the Trees
Cheated.
Linde thought to himself.
He had fallen for the young dragon’s trick, but it turned out to be nothing more than an inexperienced fledgling.
And as for the taste, he’d made assumptions that proved wrong—it was nothing like the watermelons from his previous life. It tasted more like chewing on unsweetened sugarcane, just water and no sweetness.
He felt like a camel, chewing on the left, chewing on the right, but unable to swallow.
Yet, seeing Victoria savoring it with such relish, Linde wondered if he simply hadn’t adapted to the flavors of this other world.
Perhaps it would get better after eating it a few more times.
Once he finally managed to finish the dragon melon in front of him, Linde looked at Victoria, who was licking her paws, with a hopeful gaze:
“Dragon, can you find ore?”
“Hm?”
Victoria tilted her head, responding indistinctly, “Find what? Do you want diamonds?”
“Eat! My favorite thing is eating diamond ore. I don’t mind coal or iron mines either—the more, the better.”
At his words, the young dragon’s eyes lit up in a flash.
Oh, not bad~
A fellow connoisseur, just like herself.
“Finding ore is no problem. But you’ll have to wait a few days—my scouting skill hasn’t recovered yet.”
“That’s fine; I need some time to make tools anyway.”
Waiting a few days was acceptable for Linde.
Besides, he didn’t have the right tools for mining at the moment.
You eat your meal bite by bite, you walk the road step by step.
First, chop some trees for wood, then make a simple wooden sword, pickaxe, and some basic carpentry tools.
With this in mind, he proposed:
“Let’s move somewhere else first. That red dragon looks intimidating. We can’t provoke it now, but at least we can avoid it.”
Victoria nodded in agreement:
“Let’s go to my place. It’s pretty big, and we can get there in just a few minutes by flying.”
With that, she slowly unfurled her wings, preparing to take off.
“Wait, wait, I don’t have wings—I can’t fly!”
“Aren’t all humans able to take off on the spot?”
“There are humans like that, but I’m sorry—I’m not an attack helicopter, so I can’t do that.”
“Oh—”
Victoria nodded with uncertain understanding.
Her puzzled gaze made it clear that Linde’s words were somewhat confusing to her.
---
“Then I’ll fly in the sky, and you run on the ground!”
“Uh…”
Linde doubted that, if he cut open this adorable gemstone dragon, he would find anything but innocence inside.
Her next words made him almost lose his composure.
“It doesn’t matter if you run slowly. I’ll fly lower, you grab my tail, and I’ll drag you along.”
…
Were you looking for a punishment called ‘dragged-by-horse’?
Linde’s mouth twitched.
He hadn’t committed any grave crimes yet—perhaps only the intent to deceive a young dragon and future plans to exploit her labor.
Uh…
Thinking about it, he couldn’t quite meet those big, clear eyes.
She probably didn’t mean anything by it—it was just him overthinking.
Better to be clear.
“Isn’t there a possibility that I could ride on your back, and we fly together?” Linde stated his idea outright.
“Smart! Why didn’t I think of that?” Victoria happily patted her forepaws. “But, I’ve never carried a human before.”
“No worries, there’s a first time for everything. I’m not heavy, I’ll get on gently…”
Halfway through, Linde realized his words sounded off and quickly rephrased, hoping the young dragon would accept.
“Imagine this: other dragons haven’t carried humans, but you have—doesn’t that make you the world’s one and only human-riding dragon?”
“And later, when we’re familiar and become partners, maybe we’ll develop combo skills and catch enemies off guard. Then, you can claim to be the famous ‘human knight.’”
“What’s a human knight?”
“Uh, just think of it as a special and powerful kind of human.”
“Great! I want to be a human knight!”
Seeing the young dragon’s joyful expression, Linde felt a pang of guilt.
Some details didn’t hold up, but it was enough to coax her for now—he could work out the rest later.
For now, getting on the dragon’s back was the priority.
“Okay, hurry up and get on.”
Victoria crouched low, fluttering her colorful wings as if urging him.
“Alright, thanks.”
Without hesitation, Linde climbed onto her back, anticipating the feeling of soaring through the sky.
Once he was settled, Victoria straightened up, a mischievous smile appearing at the corner of her mouth.
But from Linde’s vantage, he couldn’t see the young dragon’s expression.
…
“Stop, stop, slow down!”
---
“I’m already at my slowest~”
“I know you’re a great flyer, but please stop spinning in circles—I’m getting dizzy…”
“Getting dizzy is normal. Take a deep breath. I’m going to accelerate!”
Originally sitting steadily on the dragon’s back, Linde was now in a whole new posture, clinging tightly to Victoria’s neck like a man holding onto driftwood, lest he be flung off.
Who taught you to fly like this?!
I want to revoke their pilot’s license.
It was like a white-haired, colorful-eyed little girl sweetly asking, “Brother, do you want to go for a ride?”
You happily agreed, thinking it was a gentle rocking car to kindergarten.
Next second, the car sped straight up Mount Akina.
The cute little girl instantly transformed into a muscular brute, pinning your head between her pecs and declaring,
“Brother! Once you’re in the car, I won’t let you leave this mountain.”
Li Meng had become Li Kui.
Linde felt his mind spinning like a blender, sick enough to want to vomit.
The beautiful music he’d heard in his previous life became a muddled mess as his consciousness blurred.
Speed: seventy miles per hour… Mood: doomed…
And see you again~
Hakeemi nanbei green bean, oh shikana san…
Linde felt himself drifting farther from humanity, ever closer to divinity.
He didn’t know how long the torment lasted, but a thunderous voice jerked him awake:
“Man!”
Linde sat up abruptly, gasping for breath.
He looked around at the unfamiliar surroundings, reached up to touch his head, and felt no round object.
Thank goodness—he hadn’t become a deity yet.
“Human, are you alright?”
“Not dead yet, but if you try it again, I will be.”
Linde fought back the urge to vomit, his pale lips trembling.
“Did you know? While you were flying, the only melody in my head was ‘farewell.’”
“Huh?”
“Forget it. No matter what, I’m never boarding your flight again.”
Linde staggered to a nearby bush and threw up, enduring the discomfort.