The Eternal Rift
It lay in the bitterly cold heart of the Eternal Night Fortress. Mortal bodies could not take a single step inside; the ice would freeze a person solid in an instant before they shattered into fragments with a clang.
"No wonder they sent us. Why do we have to deal with every random mess?"
Winslow held on to "Little Yellow Chick" to keep her from getting lost.
"But aren't I a mortal too? Won't I turn into a lump of ice if I go in?" Li Jia asked in confusion.
Actually, Li Jia rather wanted to go inside and see what the evil dragon looked like, and whether it was as majestic and imposing as the dragons in Game of Thrones.
"That won't be a problem. You can turn into an animal and hide inside my clothes."
Hera spoke with a perfectly straight face. Li Jia curled her lip. She was definitely doing this on purpose to tease her.
Seeing her reluctance, Hera waved a hand and said, "If a certain someone doesn't want to, forget it. She'll just have to wait outside for us."
"Who said I didn't want to? I do!"
The moment she heard Hera wasn't planning to take her into the demon's lair, "Little Yellow Chick" immediately started protesting.
Hera smiled with her lips pressed together. Her reverse psychology had worked.
"Then can I decide what animal I turn into? Nothing too ugly."
Li Jia was someone with her own aesthetic standards. Even if she became an animal, she had to become a good-looking one.
"Then let's turn you into the same animal you are now."
Hera recited an incantation, and Li Jia felt herself slowly shrinking. How had Winslow and Doreen both turned into "giants"?
Even when she looked up, she could only see their ankles. Soon, Li Jia saw what she herself looked like.
Soft yellow feathers lay neatly over every inch of her down. Her head was round, and her body was round too, like a plump ball of cotton candy.
Li Jia tried taking a couple of steps. Her little feet bobbed along, her tail feathers swaying gently as though she were trailing a tiny sunflower petal.
She had turned into a little yellow chick.
Li Jia was a little angry. She didn't want to become a little yellow chick. If she could turn into an animal, why couldn't she become a mermaid or something else like that?
"Chirp, chirp, chirp, chirp!" Li Jia flapped her wings, loudly expressing her displeasure. She demanded to be transformed into a different creature. She wanted to become a noble, aloof peacock!
Hera crouched down and tapped her little head with a finger, smiling. "Isn't this cute? Other species don't really suit you, and they wouldn't be convenient to carry."
Li Jia landed a peck on her with a smack, then continued her chirping accusations. She demanded the restoration of her human rights-or animal rights.
Hera simply scooped her into her palm and stroked Li Jia's fluffy feathers. They felt so wonderful that she couldn't stop.
She finally understood why Artemis was so partial to her little penguin. Even though she only had twelve hours in human form, Artemis insisted on keeping her by her side.
Who wouldn't love this?
Little Yellow Chick hummed under the petting as though she were getting a scalp treatment. Seeing how much Hera was enjoying herself, she felt too embarrassed to keep chirping away. This was probably just like petting cats and dogs in the modern world.
It was actually quite comfortable. She didn't know whether Hera had specifically learned how to do this or simply had some technique, but Li Jia didn't dislike the feeling.
Since she couldn't resist anyway, she might as well just enjoy it.
Gradually, Li Jia realized there was nothing particularly bad about being a little yellow chick. She didn't have to walk herself; she could simply hang off a big shot like an accessory, and that was that.
Winslow wanted to pet her too, but Hera refused her without mercy.
Outside, everything was pitch-black, and a bone-chilling wind howled past. Li Jia lay comfortably sprawled in Hera's warm palm.
The outside world was full of turmoil, but she was only a little yellow chick, at peace with the world.
The demon's lair lay hidden at the center of the Eternal Abyss, surrounded by deathly silence. A huge black boulder stood at the entrance, its surface covered in strange patterns resembling the seal of some mysterious power.
Above the cave mouth, vines intertwined into eerie shapes and swayed in the wind, ready to seize intruders at any moment.
Black mist hung over the entrance, giving off a pungent, bloody stench that made one want to vomit. Occasionally, wisps of black smoke drifted out of the cave like ghosts wandering through the air, adding an eerie, terrifying air to the entire lair.
Li Jia's eyes sparkled as she watched.
How could there be such a realistic haunted house?
"You really like it here?"
Hera could feel the little creature in her palm moving faster and growing more excited the farther they went inside.
"I do."
Back in the modern world, Li Jia had really wanted to visit Happy Valley, but she had never had the chance. Only when she took part-time work as an NPC could she experience it while getting paid. Visiting a place like this as a customer still felt different from being at work.
"Then should we change to this style?" Hera asked after careful consideration.
Li Jia: "?"
Li Jia: "Boss, we could, but there's no need. We can't make ours the same just because someone else's looks nice. Wouldn't that lose its individual character?"
She didn't want to come back to a gloomy Hot Spring Ravine every day. Liking haunted houses didn't mean she wanted to live in one.
Hera: "..."
Did she like it or not?
After that, whenever Hera asked whether she liked something, Li Jia chose to answer, "It's pretty, but our own home is still prettier."
Only then did Hera abandon the idea of whether she needed to change the decor at home to raise her child.
With a wave of Hera's hand, the barrier at the cave entrance vanished completely. As the mist parted, the inside of the cave grew brighter and more dazzling.
Apparently, an entirely different world lay within.
As Li Jia followed Hera into the cave, she realized just how little she knew. The world inside the demon's lair wasn't frightening at all. She suddenly recalled "The Peach Blossom Spring," which she had studied in middle school.
A secluded paradise truly existed, only it wasn't an ancient Eastern version, but a Western castle with gardens.
Seen from afar, the fortress in the deepest part of the demon's lair resembled a castle from a dream, standing upon a vast expanse of land.
Beyond the castle gates lay an enchanting flower garden planted with all kinds of flowers. Roses, tulips, and lavender vied to bloom. At the center of the garden stood a huge fountain, its jets of water dancing to the rhythm of music.
Li Jia thought this didn't look like a demon's lair at all. It was more like an evil dragon had built a castle for a princess to live in-a Western version of hiding a beauty in a golden house.
She hadn't expected an evil dragon to have such romantic taste. Li Jia wanted to see the little goldfish in the fountain, so she pecked Hera's palm, forcefully expressing her desire to get down.
Hera looked at her as though she were an idiot. "What's so interesting about that? Haven't you seen enough of the pufferfish and all those colorful fish in the reservoir at Hot Spring Ravine?"
Unhappy, Li Jia pecked her palm several times in succession. They were already out sightseeing, so why wouldn't she take her to see the little goldfish? She couldn't lose her right to look at things just because she was a little yellow chick now.
Unable to win against her, Hera could only use Shadow Escape to reach the fountain and hold Little Yellow Chick up to see the little goldfish inside.