"Mmm..."
Elsa let out the soft, sleepy sound of a girl just waking up.
She rubbed her eyes.
'Huh? There's a Red Dragon.'
'Whoops! It's Zog.'
Even though ten days had passed since she was abducted, she still wasn't used to having a Dragon around.
Especially not a Dragon who planned to go into the city to sell toys.
'Oh, well. I guess it's not that surprising.' She had seen more than enough bizarre things these past few days.
For instance, he had produced several thousand Yo-Yos, divided them into different types based on appearance and details, and gave them all very dramatic names.
Names like Firepower Warrior, Storm Eagle, Demon of Speed, and Shockwave...
Each one sounded more impressive than the last.
She had also seen Zog's sketches for many unproduced models, with names like Photon Spirit and Ice Soul.
In his words, the goblins' craftsmanship wasn't up to snuff, so he'd have to partner with the Dwarves.
'Just what is going on inside that Dragon's head, to come up with so many strange things?'
Several thousand Yo-Yos were packed and loaded onto a ship, now heading to Twin Tower City along with them.
Zog had also shrunk himself to about half the height of a person. Since a type of Dwarf Sub-Dragon was bred to be a popular pet about half a century ago, the diminutive Zog didn't look out of place.
However, a merchant on the ship thought Zog was a specimen of exceptional quality and tried to buy him for a hundred Gold Coins to use as a stud.
Elsa had been scared witless at the time, terrified he might get angry and obliterate the entire ship. She quickly had their two Beastman escorts drive the merchant away.
That's right, two Beastmen were accompanying them on this journey, responsible for moving goods and providing security. This was because if Zog were to act, the collateral damage would be too great, so he couldn't just use his power casually.
As for why they didn't take a Teleportation Array to Twin Tower City...
That was also because of Zog. His Magic Resistance was so high that a Teleportation Array capable of transporting him would have to be even larger than a Legion-level Teleportation Array.
Sometimes, being an Ancient Dragon was a helpless situation.
They were traveling on the newest steam-powered ship, which had only officially begun service a year ago. Due to insufficient power, it still required sails for assistance.
Still, the cabin environment was much better than that of a traditional merchant ship; besides the bed, there was even room for a desk.
For the past few days, Zog had been sitting at the desk, writing and drawing. If any outsider saw this, they would surely think they were having an Illusion.
"What are you drawing?" Elsa asked curiously.
"A comic."
"This is a comic?" Elsa had seen comics before. The clubs in the city sometimes drew them. They were usually exaggerated satires that were secretly posted on walls, and she quite liked them.
But what Zog was drawing was very different from what she had seen.
Those comics were all large-format pieces, usually oil paintings that conveyed their entire message in a single image.
But Zog was drawing with a pencil on book-sized paper. The images were composed of simple lines and divided into many panels.
It looked a bit like a simplified sketch, but sketches were normally just for rough drafts.
"Of course it is, but it's still in the line-art stage. I'll find an artist to fill it in after we get to Twin Tower City."
Elsa picked up a few of the finished pages.
_Firepower Young King_. It was a strange name, just like the ones for the Yo-Yos. 'Could it be referring to the Firepower Warrior?'
The art wasn't exceptional, but it was full of dynamic energy. The content of each panel flowed into the next, as if... as if it were telling a story with pictures!
On the page, two people stood on a bridge, launching their Yo-Yos as if they were Knights drawing their swords. They used special moves as if in a duel, and the drawings even included the Illusions she had created.
"I'll definitely surpass you."
"In the eyes of the world, my Western Speed Style is the most powerful."
"I will be back for the next tournament."
There was text inside little circles next to the characters, so she figured that was the characters speaking.
'What's this Western Speed Style? Isn't the west the territory of barbarians?'
The plot continued with various academies planning to hold a Yo-Yo tournament and currently forming teams.
The main character, seeing an injustice, used his Yo-Yo to knock a weapon out of someone else's hands.
The draft ended there.
It felt just like one of those hero novels, only Magic and Combat Techniques were replaced with Yo-Yos. She used to love this kind of story when she was little.
Although it felt a little embarrassing to read now, she was actually quite looking forward to seeing the main character show off his expert skills in front of the team.
Just thinking about it gave her a secret thrill of satisfaction.
'But who could he find to draw it?' She knew some artists, and they all believed that an image requiring text for supplementation wasn't expressed clearly enough. Such work would be a disgrace to their reputation.
'Whatever. Zog will definitely have a way to handle it. Worst case, he can just abduct another one, right?'
"What do you think?" Zog asked.
"It's pretty interesting. But you're not drawing all this just to sell Yo-Yos, are you?"
"Of course it's to sell Yo-Yos. After reading this, don't you want to buy one?"
"Is all this trouble necessary?"
In Elsa's understanding, the toy business usually only covered a block or two. Becoming known throughout the whole city was the absolute limit, and any necessary advertising just meant putting up a few posters on the street.
"Of course it is. We're going to sell Yo-Yos all across the Continent, and even the whole world. Besides, don't you think Yo-Yos are difficult to use?"
"They are, but what does that have to do with the comic?"
Elsa had secretly tried to imitate the tricks in Zog's project proposal. Not only did she fail at basically all of them, but she also ended up with a bruised forehead.
The only trick she could do was "Walk the Dog," which was just letting the Yo-Yo roll on the ground for a bit before pulling it back.
According to the plan, Walk the Dog wasn't supposed to have an Illusion, but at her strong suggestion, it could now summon a little white dog.
"That's why I'm going to use a comic to make people think Yo-Yos are really cool. It'll create a trend. People are animals that love to follow the crowd. To keep up with the trend, they'll overcome the difficulty barrier."
"And besides, the comic itself is interesting, isn't it?"
"We've arrived at Twin Tower City!"
The sailor's shout came, announcing the end of their journey.
The passengers all flocked to the deck to take in the sight of the largest city on the Continent.
Elsa was also excited. She had never been to such a large city, and her brother worked here.
Zog, however, wasn't particularly interested. The last time he came here was over two hundred years ago. Back then, it wasn't called Twin Tower City, it was very small, and the City Lord didn't have any valuable trinkets.
There was, however, an interesting young Mage who had opened his Mage Tower to the public for shelter.
Zog had been intrigued at the time and decided to graze the tower with his Dragon Breath to give him a little scare, but to his surprise, it was completely blocked by the Mage's Protective Shield.
'If he's still alive, he must have been promoted to a Legendary Mage by now.'
They disembarked. The cargo had to wait for inspection by customs officials, so it could only be stored in the warehouse for now.
Zog planned to take a look around first. This was his first time seeing a city from such a low vantage point.
Just then, a Half-Elf approached them. His clothes looked old but were neat and clean.
"Respected lady, welcome to the Magic Capital, the City of Commerce, the Birthplace of Technology, the great Twin Tower City that connects two continents! I imagine you must be in need of a professional tour guide for your journey."
Elsa looked at Zog. Now that they were in the city, she had to be the one to speak for him.
"Take me to the biggest toy store in the city."
"Oh, you truly are a lady with a youthful heart."
'It's not for me,' Elsa thought to herself.
They hired a carriage, but the horses collapsed in fear whenever Zog got near, so he had to fly along behind it. The two Beastmen also jogged along with them.
"This is Chrysanthemum Street, one of the most prosperous streets. You can find anything you want to buy here. Of course, the prices aren't exactly pretty, but I'm sure that's no concern for you."
The Half-Elf explained with great diligence.
"Ackley's Toy Store! If you're buying toys, you can't go wrong here. I hear even members of the Imperial Family love the toys they design."
It was a small, three-story building. Zog glanced across the street at a restaurant, which was also three stories tall.
Just as the Half-Elf was about to open the door, Elsa interrupted him. "No need. Let's go to the shop across the street instead."
"Of course, as you wish. This restaurant's seafood paella is their specialty. I'm told the head chef is from Lael Island..."
Elsa walked into the restaurant, and a waiter came to greet her.
"Welcome..." he began, but was cut off.
"Who is the owner of this building?"
"Sir Bain." The waiter was confused but answered the question nonetheless.
"Excellent. Please inform Sir Bain that Lady Elsa Stone wishes to purchase this building. He will be made an offer he cannot refuse."
The Half-Elf and the waiter were both stunned. 'Is there something wrong with this woman's head?'
The manager noticed the commotion. He glanced at the accompanying Beastman Warriors and the pet Sub-Dragon, guessed she was probably the spoiled child of some noble, and decided she wasn't someone to be trifled with. He hurried over.
"Lady Stone, if I may be so bold as to ask, why do you wish to purchase this building?"
"To open a toy store."
"Huh?"