Exchange!

Her cheeks puffed in indignation, her eyes aflame with fury at the deceitful black dragon. He had cunningly manipulated a young dragon to bait her, the formidable monarch of the black seas, only to portray himself as the victim in their scuffle, slyly claiming her leg to concoct into his stew. "Ha! As if!" she scoffed, the waves echoing her disdain. In these parts, only the black dragon dared such insolence.

Other deep-sea rulers approached her with caution, well aware that she could devour them whole without a second thought.

"That foolish orca should have been his prey," she mused bitterly. She had believed the black dragon's sudden appearance was coincidental, yet he had long been a frequent visitor to these waters, masquerading his intentions under the guise of neighborly visits, bearing so-called gifts.

At first, the local deep-sea lords had eyed the black dragon as potential sustenance, silently watching from the shadows of the abyss. Misreading their silence as acquiescence, the dragon perhaps believed the deep sea had no ruler.

Then, on a day shadowed by his deceit, he had audaciously returned, proclaiming his gift-giving intentions while tossing bags filled with unspeakable, mysterious substances into the depths. The ancient monarch, who had ruled these waters for aeons, could hardly believe such audacity existed, a black dragon daring to pollute her realm with his unmentionable offerings. Though his strange gifts held magical properties for the sea's inhabitants, they could not quench her rage. Swiftly, he fled, narrowly escaping her wrath.

"What do you mean by accusing me of freeloading off your limbs? I never harbored such thoughts. After our initial encounter where we both contemplated devouring each other, all our interactions have been through clear exchanges," she seethed.

"It did happen occasionally, but this time you clearly intended to use the young dragon as bait. Had I attacked you and the young dragon just now, you would have relished playing the victim, ready to retaliate and claim another of my legs, wouldn't you?" she accused, her tentacles crossed in a display of defiant insight.

"May I cleanse your face with seawater first?" she sneered sarcastically.

"My ink is my own, and I wear it proudly, unlike a certain black dragon who proclaims to offer gifts, only to secretly deposit his unspeakable items into our waters, all the while loudly claiming to purify our marine environment and aid the evolution of our sea life. Isn't it disgraceful? Don't you feel any shame?" The squid lady prodded her ink-stained cheeks as her voice dripped with contempt.

"My dragon excrement holds immense value in the human world," he retorted haughtily, misunderstanding her disdain. "You wouldn't understand, having never ventured beyond our waters."

Lance displayed no shame or hesitation; he understood the value of his giant dragon's feces well. In the human realm, such substances were coveted for their rarity and potent properties.

"Especially from a pure-blooded dragon like myself," he explained with a hint of pride. "Imagine being stranded overnight in the wilderness. Just light up a pile of my dung, and it'll keep you safe and warm until dawn. It wards off monsters, alien beasts, and ferocious creatures, not to mention its use as a potent source of heat."

In the human world, dragon dung was revered as an item of extraordinary power, sought after by adventurers and heroes who knew its worth. Lance had once sold his dung directly, fetching a silver coin per kilogram. When he consigned it to the auction house, it commanded a starting bid of one hundred gold coins for two hundred kilograms, always sold to the highest bidder.

His recent deposit into the deep sea was intended to mark the territory as his fishing ground. Little did he expect that it would disturb several powerful deep-sea creatures residing there.

"Black Dragon, is the human world really as fascinating as you make it sound? As fun?" inquired the squid lady, her curiosity piqued.

"Indeed, it is. Why, fancy a visit?" Lance's tone was teasing, his smirk almost audible.

"Are humans tasty?" she ventured next, her interest clearly not just recreational.

"No," he replied curtly.

Lucia paused, puzzled. "How do you know they aren't delicious if you've never tried one?" she prodded.

"I haven't, and I don't intend to," Lance affirmed.

"Ah, I see. You're worried I might go there and gobble them all up, aren't you?" she chuckled, her voice echoing through the water.

"I'm more concerned about you getting vanquished by the formidable humans there," he retorted.

"And are these formidable humans delicious?" she asked, her tone playful yet pointed.

"That's not the question you should be asking," Lance corrected softly.

"Oh? And what should I be asking?"

"You might consider if those strong humans would find you delectable," he quipped, turning her inquiry on its head.

The squid girl tilted her head, tapped her cheek thoughtfully, and asked, "So, do these strong humans think I am tasty?"

"Top-tier delicacy," Lance jested, his tone light.

"Hehe, I knew I was appetizing," she giggled. "You know, Black Dragon, you're quite the delicacy yourself. What if I teach you my regeneration technique? Once you master it, we could share a meal of each other's limbs. How about it? I fancy your dragon tail, and you can have one of my legs. Sounds fair?"

"Teach me the regeneration technique?" Lance pondered the proposition with a mixture of intrigue and trepidation.

The very idea that he could learn this skill from the squid girl and then engage in such a bizarre exchange of limbs was outlandish—almost perverse!

The squid girl's proposal was tempting, dangerously so. "I don't possess the plethora of appendages you do, so an exchange would be impractical for me. Besides, I fear that one day you might develop a taste for me and devour me entirely when I least expect it," he replied cautiously.

Lucia coiled into a tight ball, her tail enveloping her like a shield. The seemingly innocent squid's words had struck a chord, teaching her a valuable lesson: Sometimes the seemingly guileless creatures speak the most profound truths.

The squid girl, with her innocent demeanor and charming words, sent shivers down her spine. It was a frightening realization for Lucia that the evil dragon could engage so casually with such a formidable deep-sea creature.

"That's true, I don't have as many limbs to spare as you. Perhaps I'll just have to wait until you pass from old age, as you once promised I could," the squid girl quipped, half-joking, half-serious.

"I haven't forgotten," Lance assured her.

"Good. Then what will it be this time? What would you like to trade? Stories? Gold coins? Tales of my adventures? The fruits from my grove, perhaps? Medicines? Weapons? Choose," he offered, listing the treasures he could provide.

"I want you to take me to the human world for a visit," she declared, her curiosity about Lance's tales of the human world getting the better of her.

She envisioned a thrilling adventure: encountering powerful humans and, if outmatched, offering her limbs as a peace offering, or a meal. In her eyes, the dynamics were simple: she would consume the weaker humans, and the stronger ones could consume her if they managed to best her. This was the law of nature as she understood it, the weak serve as food, while the strong indulge as foodies.

"In the human world, I want to be the foodie," she mused aloud, thinking of turning the tables.

"But if those human foodies end up eating me, I'll attempt to escape. And if I can't and become a meal instead, I won't hold any grudges. The cycle of predator and prey is natural," she reasoned with a philosophical air.

Lance sighed, a deep sound that stirred the water around them. "I can't take you there, not to let the humans pay the price for a mere bite," he responded firmly.

"If you won't take me, then you'll have no legs from me," she retorted, her tone playful yet stern.

"And then, I won't eat," Lance concluded, his voice echoing a finality that seemed to settle the current debate.