21 This craft is truly remarkable! (Please keep reading!)

What does "tsundere" mean? What does it mean to be "out of the meta"? What is he talking about?

Valentina blinked in confusion, her face wearing the innocence of someone untouched by the baptism of modern knowledge. Lately, she had been suspecting that perhaps she had been locked away for too long, to the point where she could no longer understand the language of the outside world.

Just as the hungry dragon was feeling puzzled, Herbert continued, "My dear customer, do you have a preferred hairstyle? Longer or shorter?"

Valentina’s lips twitched, and she said nonchalantly, "Whatever you like..."

"Whatever, huh? People who say that are always the hardest to deal with."

Herbert, the amateur barber, curled his lip and picked up his scissors with a sigh. "Since you said it yourself, don't blame me if you regret it later."

Once you’ve entered this shop, you’re at my mercy. This establishment takes no responsibility for any consequences!

*Snip.*

With the soft sound of blades sliding and pressing against each other, strands of hair, bright as flames, drifted down. Although Herbert had issued a disclaimer in advance, he was no idiot who would start blindly without any preparation.

As the second son of a Duke, Herbert knew nothing about hairdressing, but the poor soul who had struggled alone through his previous life was quite familiar with a pair of scissors. His skills weren't exactly professional, but they were more than enough to trim his own hair and that of his friends.

The scissors fluttered behind Valentina as she nibbled on her last chicken leg. Having learned her lesson from last time, she had grown obedient, choosing not to finish everything at once but to quietly savor the process.

Not long after, just as Valentina was about to pop the clean-picked bone into her mouth to crunch it, her shoulder was lightly patted.

"I won't share this with you!" she turned back, looking alert, then immediately crunched the bone and swallowed it.

*Crunch, crunch, gulp.*

Herbert: "???"

"Who would fight you for that!"

He sighed with weary exhaustion, waving his hand. "Turn around. Let me trim the front for you, too."

"Oh."

Watching the unusually obedient Dragon Lady, Herbert couldn't help but arch an eyebrow. For a moment, he couldn't resist the impulse to press his hand onto her head and ruffle her hair.

"Hmm?"

Valentina looked up, staring at the boy in confusion, her eyes conveying both bewilderment and... a silent threat.

*What are you doing?*

In this life-or-death crisis, Herbert seemed to enter a special state. At this moment, he knew with absolute clarity what he should do and what he absolutely must not do!

Maintaining his expression, he continued to ruffle her hair and said earnestly, "...Don't talk, I'm thinking about how to cut it."

Valentina instinctively felt something was strange. She stared closely into his eyes, but found no flaws, so she could only let out an "oh."

"Oh... hmm?"

*Thump-thump, thump-thump.*

The distance between them was so close that Valentina could clearly hear the strong, rapid beating of the boy's heart within his chest.

"I said, why is your heartbeat so fast?" Valentina’s brows twitched as she squinted and asked, "What are you afraid of?"

The ruse was exposed; it seemed all was lost.

But Herbert remained incredibly calm, even replying with a hint of irritation, "I'm afraid that if I mess up your haircut, you'll get angry at me again... Alright, stop moving, we're almost done."

*Snip, snip.*

With two final, crisp movements of the scissors, Herbert completed his artistic creation. He stood up, stepped back a few paces, squinted to observe his work, and nodded with satisfaction.

"Hmm, not bad. My skills are truly excellent!"

"Just as I thought, this look really suits you."

?

Valentina looked at Herbert’s strange smile and felt a sudden chill. She hurried to ask, "Hey! Don't just stand there smiling, talk! What do I look like now?"

"Don't be impatient, I'll show you."

Herbert pulled out a mirror he had prepared and placed it in front of the Dragon Lady, saying proudly, "Ta-da!"

Valentina had intended to snatch the mirror, but the moment she saw the person reflected within, her expression went blank.

"Ah..."

The Valentina of this moment was like a different person compared to the vagrant-like appearance she had before; the messiness and wildness were gone. Her medium-length red hair fell loose behind her, with a few strands framing her forehead, giving her a look that was wild yet softened.

Such a striking, heroic-looking beauty would undoubtedly turn heads on the street. It was hard to say if she would "slay" men, but she would certainly "slay" women. If a video of her were posted online, those young girls would likely be fighting to call her "Sister" or screaming "Mommy."

"Is this... me?"

Valentina shook her head in a daze, murmuring in disbelief, "Is this really me?"

It wasn't that she hadn't seen her own human form before; she hadn't hated it, but she certainly hadn't liked it as much as her dragon form. She had always firmly believed she preferred her majestic and powerful dragon appearance. But now, looking at herself in the mirror, her conviction wavered.

"Of course it's you. And this is what you were always meant to look like."

No makeup, no special effects—how could it not be her original look?

Herbert handed the mirror to her and smiled. "I’ll give you this mirror as a thank-you gift for your cooperation. You can look in it every day from now on and admire your own beauty."

"Ah... hmm."

Valentina took it, looking somewhat dazed, her gaze fixed on her own reflection, falling silent for a long time.

Taking this opportunity, Herbert collected all the hair clippings.

"Good, the material is secured!"

Suppressing the excitement in his heart, Herbert didn't let his guard down. He picked up a damp towel and walked toward Valentina.

"Alright, you can admire yourself later. Let me help you wipe the hair off your face first."

One must commit to the act; he couldn't let his cover blow at the very end.

Valentina blinked, snapped out of her trance, and instinctively refused. "No need, I can do it myself..."

*Isn't it enough to just burn the hair off with a flick of fire? Why go to all this trouble?*

Valentina tried to dodge, but Herbert wouldn't let her go. He held the damp, wrung-out towel right in front of her.

"Alright, don't worry about it. Just close your eyes."

"You... Mmph!"

The slightly cool towel was pressed unceremoniously onto her face, followed by circular motions, up and down.

*Up, right, down, left.*

His technique wasn't gentle—it could even be called rough—but the Dragon Lady didn't pull away; she was exceptionally cooperative and obedient.

*Up, right, up, right, up, right, up, right.*

Because this was the first time she had ever been cared for by someone else.

She kept her eyes closed, silently whispering a name in her heart.

"Herbert..."

After finishing Valentina’s haircut, Herbert didn't go to the next level. Instead, he left the prison directly with the hair. Rather than continuing to farm favorability with others, he needed to process these troublesome materials first—at least wash them, since they were destined for his mouth.

This time, to avoid any potentially awkward encounters, Herbert didn't go to the kitchen to wash them. He specifically chose the most secluded well in the monastery.

However, before he could fully approach, he caught a familiar scent, and his expression shifted violently.

"What the..."

"How did I run into this again!!?"

His face grew somber as he stared at the grass carp by the well. Only one thought echoed in his mind:

"Brother, your sleight of hand... you really are quite something."