Ever since the goddess of magic came for revenge, Zuo Teng had become a very cautious dragon.
Aisha, of course, wasn't just some random person he grabbed off the street.
Illusionists were rare among mages—less practical than offensive magic, less lucrative than enchanting or alchemy, and not as mysterious or respected as divination. Hardly anyone studied it.
There were only a few hundred registered illusionists in the entire Mage Association.
After bribing some insiders, Zuo Teng filtered through all their files.
Too famous or too powerful was a no-go—not that he couldn't beat them, but the trouble they'd bring? Ugh. Bothering. Dragon problems.
They had to specialize in visual illusions—other sensory illusions were useless for yo-yo tricks.
Preferably someone with a stable, happy family. Much easier to control than loners who had nothing to lose.
Out of the remaining names, Aisha stood out.
Her evaluation from the association: "Limited in deception, but excellent visual appeal."
She also had part-time experience doing stage effects for theaters.
Not a qualified illusionist by professional standards, but a perfect match for Zuo Teng's needs.
Of course, Aisha had no idea about any of this.
She thought she'd just had the bad luck to run into a villainous dragon and was now trying to figure out what a "yo-yo" even was—while worrying about whether she'd still get the promised twenty-five silver coins.
Technically, the subordination contract was supposed to bind both parties, but she wasn't naïve enough to think a bit of magic could really constrain an ancient red dragon.
Zuo Teng pulled out a yo-yo to demonstrate. Even with his claws shrunk, it still looked hilariously oversized in his grip.
He slipped the loop over his middle finger, the string coiling snugly around the digit.
With a sharp, practiced snap of his wrist, the yo-yo spiraled downward, spinning with such velocity that it created a faint whistling sound.
The toy hung there, suspended at the end of the string, rotating so rapidly it appeared to hover in defiance of gravity. A soft, mesmerizing hum emanated from its perfect balance.
Aisha finally realized why it looked familiar—her brother used to play with these when they were kids. Drop it, and it'd roll right back up. Never understood the appeal.
Wait, was this deadly dragon's "weapon" just… an actual toy? She was a bit disappointed, honestly.
But then—something wasn't right. The yo-yo wasn't coming back up.
That made it even more boring!
Figures. A flying lizard with brute strength couldn't possibly grasp the subtle art of human toy design.
And then—Zuo Teng moved.
His wrist flicked forward, sending the yo-yo into a wide, sweeping arc that cut through the air like a miniature comet.
With breathtaking precision, he looped the spinning disk around his foreclaw in a fluid motion known as "Around the World."
His scaled fingers danced with the string, weaving intricate patterns as the yo-yo responded to each subtle movement.
He snapped the toy backward into a "Reverse Flip," catching the string on his claw before transitioning into a lightning-fast "Split-Bottom Mount" where the yo-yo spun horizontally between two loops of string.
Without pausing, he bounced the yo-yo off the string in a "Hop the Fence" maneuver, then launched it into a dizzying "Barrel Roll" that sent it spiraling around his arm three times before returning to spin perfectly centered.
Aisha's eyes couldn't keep up.
Wait—what?
Did he just use magic to pull that off?
The yo-yo whirled through a complex "Skin the Gerbil" trick where it seemed to crawl along the string before suddenly shooting outward into a "Boingy-Boing," bouncing between two points as if defying physics itself.
For the finale, Zuo Teng executed a perfect "Suicide" move—releasing the yo-yo into a vast, dangerous-looking loop around his entire body before recapturing it with a dramatic flourish.
By the end of the dizzying combo, Zuo Teng caught the yo-yo with flair, his claw closing around it with a satisfying snap as he reeled it in with stylish precision. Silent. Cool. Even his terrifying dragon face looked kinda... handsome.
Aisha mimicked him, throwing the yo-yo down. It spun for two seconds, then wobbled pathetically and hung limp on the string.
Why!?
The confused and slightly offended look on her face gave Zuo Teng immense satisfaction.
Back in elementary school, he was the undisputed yo-yo king. Li Fei, Mike—none of them could touch him.
He seriously thought he could go pro… until he watched a real tournament video and immediately decided school wasn't so bad after all.
"We need two types of illusions," he said, getting to business. "Basic light effects triggered by spinning, and complex illusions triggered by specific trick combos. Each yo-yo should be able to trigger multiple illusions. Any issues?"
His goal was to recreate the kind of flashy visuals you saw in cartoons and TV shows. Different tricks summon different effects.
And later? Limited edition yo-yos. Special moves tied to special yo-yos. Sell each one for dozens of gold coins.
Aisha blinked. No one had ever requested illusions be triggered in this way, but... theoretically, it was possible.
"No problem," she said. "Use delayed-activation runes."
Those runes could trace paths as they moved, forming magic arrays to trigger pre-set illusions.
"Great. I'll show you the workplace. Goblin Xin-104 will bring the project specs."
"Um… who's Xin-104?"
"The goblin who did the translation earlier. Goblins don't have names—only the chieftain and shaman get those—so I gave them numbers."
"And this 'project plan'?"
"Details of your work. Trick diagrams, illusion sketches, that kind of stuff."
Aisha was lost. No one had ever asked her to work on illusions like this.
When she freelanced at the theater, directors used vague, flowery terms and obscure references. Communicating took ages.
Why did this dragon seem... more civilized and advanced than them?
Was he really an evil dragon with a laundry list of crimes?
So many questions filled her head that she didn't even notice she was following him into a goblin cave.
Not that it would've helped to resist.
If the dragon's interest in toys was "weird," then what she saw inside the cave outright shattered her worldview.
None of the darkness, filth, or scattered bones described in bard tales.
The place was clean, orderly, and even smelled neutral. Honestly, neater than most city streets she'd seen. Kind of... unsettling.
The cave was spacious, over three meters high, walls reinforced with stone. Not just goblins—there were orcs and undead too.
She and Zuo Teng climbed into a cart pulled by dire wolves. At intersections, the goblin driver would stop and wait for the undead traffic controller to lower the red flag and raise a green one.
Glowstones lit the way every so often, with signs clearly marking routes and sections.
Even the big cities in the kingdom didn't have this level of infrastructure!
Zuo Teng noticed her confusion. "Once food and shelter are handled, habits can change."
"But... how much food would all this eat?"
"They farm and raise livestock themselves."
"Huh?" Aisha thought she misheard. "Aren't these creatures... kinda dumb? Don't they just raid and plunder?"
"Common misconception. Humans love thinking they're special. Goblins and orcs are highly adaptive. Give them enough pressure, they'll learn anything to survive."
"And their pressure is...?"
"Me."
"…Oh."
Aisha suddenly felt a bit dumb. All this chatting, she forgot she was walking beside an ancient dragon.
The path opened up to a massive underground platform.
Rows and rows of goblins worked at long tables, each focused on a single task before passing it to the next.
"We're here," Zuo Teng said, hopping off and gesturing proudly. "Welcome to Yo-Yo Production Line #1."
"Production line?" Aisha didn't recognize the term, but the way they worked made the name pretty self-explanatory.
"Goblins are kind of dumb. They can't make an entire yo-yo themselves—so each one just learns one step."
Zuo Teng pointed to a separate, well-decorated cave.
"That's your studio and living space. 200 square meters, basic magical tools included, premium furnishings, private bath. If it gets too hot, just call a nearby undead—they won't curse coworkers."
This was... starting to look like a legitimate job, Aisha thought.
"Ren-82!"
A goblin scampered over.
"Starting now, you're Miss Aisha's assistant. Stand outside her door and be ready when called. If she's satisfied with your work, you get lizard meat for dinner. Got it?"
Ren-82 nodded and planted himself by the door.
"Then let's begin."
…
The first magical yo-yo was completed even faster than Zuo Teng expected.
Aisha delivered the prototype in just two days.
Even better, the process didn't require her to make each yo-yo by hand.
Rune magic worked like programming—call a "function" from the magic goddess's library, package it into a rune.
Transferring the runes onto yo-yos could be handled by ordinary goblins. Shamans could enchant them afterward.
So Aisha just had to handle design.
The light-effect rune was placed on the outer layer—triggered when the yo-yo "sleeps," with effects fading as it slowed. Neat and efficient.
The illusion rune was applied to the bearing layer—unaffected by spin. Smart placement.
Zuo Teng studied the yo-yo in his claws. Not as refined as Earth-made ones, but high-quality. Goblins didn't cut corners.
He started playing.
First, a perfect "Sleeper"—the yo-yo descending in a smooth glide before spinning in place, its core pulsing with a soft blue light that gradually intensified the longer it spun.
Next came the "Double-or-Nothing"—the string forming a complex loop around his foreclaw as the yo-yo passed through not once but twice, leaving a trail of sparkling motes that lingered in the air.
He transitioned seamlessly into a lateral "Skin the Cat," the yo-yo weaving between his claws while tracing glowing runes in its wake.
With a fluid motion, he executed a "Reverse Flip" that sent the yo-yo into an inverted spin, the string creating a perfect triangle as motes of light began coalescing above.
Each trick built upon the previous one, the magical energies accumulating with every precise movement.
The "Iron Whip" sent the yo-yo cracking through the air in a perfect horizontal plane, setting the stage for the grand finale.
He launched the yo-yo skyward with a powerful thrust—the legendary "Skyward Bind"—as the string uncoiled to its full length.
The yo-yo rocketed upward, trailing luminous energy, before executing a perfect return to his waiting claw.
And as the final move completed, a magnificent silver dragon illusion materialized from the collected magical energy, soaring into the sky with wings outstretched and jaws agape.
"Skyward Silver Dragon isn't even a finisher move!"
Zuo Teng laughed. A genuine, joyful laugh.
Aisha watched him, surprised.
Not because of the illusion—
But because she saw a smile.
A childlike, delighted smile…
On the face of a dragon.