"Luo Sa?" Aefina was the first to notice my odd expression and called out to me. Nia, seeing my ghost-white face, glanced around curiously. "Is there something strange here?"

Of course, there couldn’t be anything strange in Nia’s home. Even if there were, I wouldn’t have noticed it before Aefina or Nia—they were far stronger than me in every way.

"Huh? Oh… no." I shook my head, forcing a slight smile.

"Luo Sa, liars get surrounded by dark mist that smells like lies," Nia teased.

"Isn’t it ‘winds of lies’? I’m not lying. There’s nothing strange here."

And truly, there was nothing strange—everything was perfectly normal. The décor resembled that of a wealthy young lady’s home back on Earth, full of old-money elegance, not new-money flash. A bright, spacious hall. Soft, clean carpets. Walls painted a gentle yellow. Delicate trinkets with a girlish charm dotted every corner. If not for Aefina and Nia beside me, I might have mistaken this place for Earth.

Yes, it was all too ordinary. The entire house lacked any sense of another world—it felt like stepping back onto Earth. Over fifty days had passed since I’d crossed over. Though I never showed it, I missed home terribly. Leaving a world I’d lived in for over twenty years wasn’t something you just got used to overnight. The first few days were bearable with the novelty, but once that faded, the inconveniences of this world made the whole "adventure in a new realm" thing feel like utter nonsense.

Seeing this modern, familiar room pulled that buried homesickness to the surface. It crashed over me like a wave, leaving me frozen in place.

"..." Nia, seeing right through me, whispered something to Aefina. Aefina looked from Nia to me, hesitating.

"Just go. Trust me," Nia urged.

After a moment’s pause, Aefina mustered her courage, stepped forward, and wrapped her arms around me from behind. "Luo Sa… it’s okay. Don’t worry."

"...I’m fine," I said softly, patting her hands to reassure her. She silently loosened her grip and stood quietly beside me. I almost turned to pull her into a proper hug—until a flash of gold caught my eye.

"..." I froze, turning to stare silently at Nia.

"...Carry on. I see nothing. I’m a slime—I have no eyes… Oh right, no mouth either. Can’t talk. Yep, just a rock. Pretend I’m not here." Nia babbled, trying desperately to vanish as the world’s most obvious third wheel.

"...Weren’t you going to explain the Great Dragon Calamity?" Dwelling on this wouldn’t help. Better to gather intel.

"Right. Let’s sit and talk. Standing’s tiring." Nia led us to a door, opened it, and gestured us into what was clearly a guest lounge.

"Long ago, Great Dragons roamed freely across the world," Nia began, sprawled in an armchair like a bard spinning a tale. "They often formed close bonds with intelligent races. Some nations even had institutions dedicated to training dragon knights."

"Some nations? Did dragons have civil wars too?" My knowledge of dragons came mostly from Earth lore, cross-referenced with Aefina’s accounts. Where they aligned, I filled gaps with familiar tropes. Standard lore said dragons—powerful, long-lived, masters of sky and sea—were near-perfect beings, flawed only by laziness. But their numbers were scarce, and they knew it. They’d never kill their own kind.

"Dragon knights fought demons. Even if dragons clashed, they’d never fight to the death," Nia confirmed this world followed the same rule.

"That harmony lasted until about two hundred and sixty-some years ago." Nia’s words made me glance at Aefina—she’d mentioned being 260 years old. Too much of a coincidence to ignore.

"Right around then, an unhinged transmigrator arrived here." Nia paused. "Have you ever seen an Eastern dragon in this world?"

"Eastern dragons exist here? Seriously?" I was stunned. I loved Eastern dragons too—their majestic presence in art and symbolism outshone Western dragons. But biologically? An entire species couldn’t exist here. Only a transmigrator’s cheat power might bring one. A whole population? Impossible. No wonder I was shocked.

"Aefina’s never seen one either, right?" Nia, reading my reaction, turned to her. A blob of her jelly-like body stretched out, morphing into a tiny golden Eastern dragon figurine. "Like this."

"Never seen one," Aefina said flatly, shaking her head at the wobbling trinket.

"Of course you haven’t. There *are* no Eastern dragons." I itched to punch Nia, but her squishy body probably wouldn’t feel it. Not that I could beat her anyway.

"No such creature exists. But Western dragons *do*. That angry young man thought it ‘unfair’—so he vowed to drive *all* Great Dragons off the continent. Every last one." Nia sighed, clearly embarrassed to share origins with such an idiot.

"Transmigrators arrive with power—‘protagonist halos’ or ‘cheat skills.’ Used well, they’re incredibly strong…" Nia shot me a look. "No idea why you’re so weak, Luo Sa."

…Nia. That last jab was completely unnecessary.

"First, let’s clarify transmigration." Nia dropped a bombshell casually. "People don’t cross worlds randomly. They’re chosen for a mission—usually saving the world, stabilizing reality. To help someone from a magic-less world survive here, they get powers: the ‘halo,’ the ‘cheat.’ But imagine being ripped from your life, dumped into another world, and some god demanding you fix *their* problems. Why would you obey? So, the chosen are usually one of two types."

"Type one: Those who died unnaturally, clinging to a powerful regret."

"Type two: Those uniquely suited for the task, utterly disillusioned with their original world."

"Type one gets one wish after completing their mission—a wish tied to their regret. The god grants it based on how much it disrupts their old world. Resurrection? Impossible. Then they pass on."

"Type two stays in the new world forever, living out their days."

"And type three," Nia added dryly after the explanation, "is Luo Sa. The ‘no-clue-why-I’m-here’ special."

"Point is, transmigrators are strong." Nia paused—I felt her invisible gaze lock onto me. "That idiot found ways to exile all the dragons from the continent."

"Huh? How strong do you have to be to drive out *dragons*?" I clearly misunderstood.

"Impossible for one person! He slandered dragons worldwide. Twisted human perception. One person can’t drive out dragons—but what about *all* of humanity?"

"...Shouldn’t that have sparked a war?" Dragons weren’t saints. They wouldn’t just pack up after being smeared.

"Dragons are *lazy*. Constant harassment? Unbearable. So under their Dragon King’s lead, they left the continent. Relocated to Dragon Isle—somewhere humans couldn’t find them. That’s the ‘Great Dragon Calamity’."

"How is that a ‘calamity’?" My first thought: *angry young men are terrifying*. Second: *‘Great Idiot Calamity’ fits better*. I felt no disaster here.

Nia radiated pure disdain—directed at me. "Obviously. Humans named it. History’s written by the victors. I learned this from Mo Mo. You think it matches human records?"

Hearing "Mo Mo" again, my curiosity flared. If *they* knew… maybe they held answers for me too.

"Mmm… so late. Time for bed." Nia stretched her jelly body upward, then slumped back—was that a yawn? She oozed slowly toward a hallway, exhaustion weighing down her usual bouncy hops.

"Oh—rooms with triple-star plaques are guest rooms. Use any. No one else lives here. Bathrooms are en suite. No need to wander…" Her voice faded as she rounded a corner.

Seconds later, she oozed back—silent this time—then slowly reversed direction.

"..." Aefina and I watched her pass without a word. I suspected she’d gotten lost in her own home. How dumb could you get? Aefina stayed quiet—she’d barely spoken since entering the house.

Sensing my thoughts, Nia backtracked awkwardly. "Almost forgot—if I’m asleep and you need anything, summon my steward. Stand anywhere outside your room and call ‘Lulutia’ three times. She’ll appear." That summoning method felt suspiciously familiar. Same name too. Really?

With that, Nia finally vanished from sight, leaving us alone in her home. Her trust was… surprising.

It *was* late. Sleepiness tugged at me. I led Aefina to find a triple-star room. We found one in under two minutes—impressive for such a huge house. I wasn’t about to inspect every door plaque. Once inside the room, I turned to Aefina.

"Aefina, do you want to—" I hadn't finished when she pushed open the door and stepped inside. Her intention was clear.

Watching Aefina's back ahead, I touched the corner of my mouth, followed her pace, and closed the door behind me.

There must have been a smile on my face."