"Lord, the drone we dispatched is transmitting footage," a subordinate in a black robe announced as he rushed into the great hall.

In the hall, Mingye sat upon his high seat, eyes glued to the footage being transmitted to the screen.

Su Yaoyao and Noah stood below. Su Yaoyao unconsciously wrung the hem of her clothes, her eyes filled with tension and worry.

Noah, meanwhile, glanced sideways at Su Yaoyao. Seeing how much she cared made him feel a little jealous.

’He almost wished Bai Lian and his group were all dead. But if that happened, she would be devastated.’

’He had seen her cry her heart out before, and it was a truly heart-wrenching sight.’

On the screen, the wasteland was deathly still. Wreckage from the Flying Ship lay scattered across the ground, metal fragments glinting coldly in the dim light.

The search drone circled back and forth, its camera capturing every corner of the crash site. But no matter how carefully it scanned, there was no sign of Bai Lian or his group.

Su Yaoyao was frantic, her eyes scanning every inch of the footage as an indescribable panic welled up inside her.

Seeing Su Yaoyao’s pale face, Noah quickly said,

"Sis, don’t worry. The fact that we can’t see anyone might be for the best. It probably means they’ve been rescued."

Su Yaoyao let out a long sigh of relief at his words. ’Yes, that has to be it.’

’They contacted Augustine before heading to the Imperial City. Since they’ve been missing for so long, Augustine must have sent people to find them.’

’They must still be alive!’

She gently placed a hand over her heart. Tears streamed uncontrollably down her face, yet the corners of her mouth curved into a smile.

The fear and despair that had built up over the past few days found an outlet in that moment, and hope was rekindled in her heart.

She gazed down at the hem of her dress for a moment, then turned and quietly walked toward the main entrance.

Seeing this, Noah immediately latched onto her like a shadow, asking as he trailed behind, "Where are you going?"

Su Yaoyao didn’t break her stride, replying, "I’m in a good mood. I’m going shopping for clothes."

Mingye watched Su Yaoyao’s retreating figure, his brow furrowed slightly.

Her posture was straight and resolute. ’For some reason,’ he thought, ’it seems like she’s changed somehow, right under my nose.’

Su Yaoyao walked through the bustling marketplace. During the day, with the city gates closed, it was just an ordinary market. But once night fell and the gates opened, it transformed into a black market. A ceaseless stream of "merchants" would flock to Snake Scale City to conduct their business, creating a motley crowd of all sorts.

It was unclear whether Mingye was afraid she’d be in danger or afraid she’d escape, but he strictly forbade her from going out at night.

If she wanted to take a walk or go shopping, she could only do so during the day.

She entered a clothing store. The moment the owner saw a female walk in, his face went deathly pale, and he dove under a table in terror. "A female!"

Su Yaoyao sighed helplessly. ’Am I really that scary?’ she wondered. ’Looks like I’ll have to come out and walk around more often to get to know everyone. Maybe I can change their perception of females.’

"Sir, I’m just here to buy clothes. I don’t mean any harm. Besides, Noah is here. He’ll protect you, so you don’t need to be afraid."

Su Yaoyao did her best to make her voice sound gentle and friendly.

However, the owner just shrieked, "Lord Noah?!"

His eyes rolled back in his head, and he fainted on the spot.

Su Yaoyao looked at Noah in confusion, her brow furrowing. "Why is he so scared of you?"

Noah scratched his head, looking a bit sheepish. "The last time I was making a potion, I ran out of Peacock Feathers, so I came and plucked some from him. I swear I didn’t take that many... just one or two, you know. To help him molt ahead of schedule."

The corner of Su Yaoyao’s mouth twitched. ’I don’t believe for a second it was just "one or two,"’ she thought. ’The reality was probably far more brutal. It seems Noah is something of a little menace in this city.’

Su Yaoyao walked over to the owner, crouched down, and gently channeled some of her spiritual power into him.

The owner slowly came to. Feeling Su Yaoyao’s goodwill, he was filled with gratitude.

He thought back to his former wife. She would do nothing but beat and curse him. Once, just to make a beautiful piece of clothing, she’d plucked his peacock feathers completely bare. When she saw he no longer had any beautiful plumage, she cast him aside without a second thought.

Later, he heard that Snake Scale City sheltered all males who had been harmed by females, so he came here and opened this clothing store with funds provided by the Lord.

But the few feathers he had just managed to grow back had been plucked out by Noah. For a peacock who prided himself on his beauty, it was a heart-wrenching blow.

But now, he looked at Su Yaoyao and said with sincerity, "Thank you."

Su Yaoyao smiled. "You’re welcome."

Noah pouted, feeling a little jealous. ’How come my little female doesn’t comfort me like that?’

Su Yaoyao began to browse the clothes in the shop, with the peacock owner trailing cautiously behind her.

"We don’t have any dresses for females in the shop, but I can custom-make one for you," the owner said respectfully.

"No, that’s alright. I don’t need a dress," Su Yaoyao replied without looking back.

The owner was bewildered. He thought of his former wife, who had been utterly obsessed with dresses, wearing only the most lavish and beautiful ones year-round.

Su Yaoyao searched through the racks, discovering that while the men’s clothes were better suited for activity, they were all far too large for her.

Just as she was starting to feel disappointed, she spotted an outfit hanging high up, carefully wrapped in packaging. A single glance told her it was a much smaller size.

She had just reached for it to try on when the owner rushed to stop her. "Miss Yaoyao, you can’t have that one! It’s..."

"Let her try it on," Noah interjected.

Hearing this, the owner took the outfit down and handed it to Su Yaoyao. She looked it over, saw nothing amiss, and walked into the fitting room.

A faint smile played on Noah’s lips as he thought to himself, ’I didn’t expect Sis to have such good taste. She picked out my custom-made outfit.’

Because Noah often liked to take the form of a child, the shop kept different sizes of clothes tailored specifically for him.

A moment later, Su Yaoyao emerged wearing a sharp men’s suit. The tailored cut accentuated her slender waist, giving her a dashing, heroic air.

Noah’s eyes lit up. ’Sis looks amazing in my clothes,’ he marveled. ’It gives her a unique charm.’ 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

Now that she had clothes suitable for activity, she just needed a pair of athletic shoes.

"Sir, about the shoes..."

Before Su Yaoyao could finish her sentence, the owner looked as if he’d just remembered something important.

"Oh! Right, right! The shoes! I almost forgot!" he exclaimed, bending over and rummaging through the shop.

"Found them!" The owner walked over excitedly, holding an exquisite shoebox. He presented it to Su Yaoyao. "These are the shoes the Lord commissioned from me for you."

Su Yaoyao froze, then opened the shoebox in confusion. Inside was a pair of beautiful high heels. The tops were inlaid with glittering jewels, and the heels were elegantly and exquisitely designed.

"These can’t be for me," Su Yaoyao said, finding it hard to believe.

"You’re the only female in the city. If they’re not for you, who else would they be for? Go on, try them on."