The male supporting character was actually myself.

The little girl cried even louder, "Daddy, I'll work hard to earn money for the family! Please don't throw me into the dragon's lair, please, I'm scared! Uncle Dom, please lend me a gold coin, okay? I'll find a way to earn money to pay you back!"

Dom, puffing on his cigarette without even looking up, said, "It's useless, give up. The dragon has already asked you to be its bride. No amount of gold coins can buy it back now. Just be a good girl and serve the dragon well, and you'll make a fortune by bringing home lots of gold!"

The little girl crying her heart out stands in stark contrast to the indifferent townspeople.

Jiang Chen saw all of this and gradually walked away from the group of townspeople, heading around the back mountain.

The long line of people, like an ant colony, slowly climbed the mountain. Finally, at noon, they reached the highest peak, where there was a hole that looked like a huge, open mouth waiting to devour its prey.

Dressed in bright clothes, Romon carried a bag full of gold coins to the cave entrance and gestured for everyone to be quiet. "I need to go see if the dragon has woken up yet, and then give it this year's gold coins. Wait here for my orders, and bring Lisa in when it wants a bride."

"Thank you for your selfless dedication, Mr. Brave Romon!"

"Thanks to Mr. Romon, otherwise the dragon would have destroyed our town long ago."

"Praise be to Mr. Romon..."

…………

Amidst a chorus of thanks and praise, Romon, with a gentle smile on his face, carried the gold coins into the cave.

What a bunch of idiots!

He thought smugly to himself, "If I don't teach them a lesson, it'll be difficult to collect gold coins later. After all, once they lose their threat, they'll lose their motivation." Poor old farmer, who told you to disobey and insist on being a role model?

Let everyone watch as they push that little girl into the lava below the cliff; they'll be terrified and desperately try to raise money to survive!

Luo Meng was secretly pleased with himself as he walked into the deep cave and took out the gold coins, stuffing them into a hidden pocket on his body.

Hey, if it weren't for having to put on such a show, we wouldn't have to go through all this trouble.

In previous years, we would climb to the top of the mountain, go into the cave, throw a few stones down to make a roaring sound, and then we could come down the mountain with a bag full of gold coins.

This year was a bit more troublesome, but things will be much easier from now on...

He stuffed the gold coins in and kicked down a few large rocks, and a low, rumbling wind rose from the deep, lava-filled cliff, sounding just like the roar of a dragon.

Chapter Four: The wicked will be punished by the wicked.

"How scary! Could it be that the dragon is angry?"

"My goodness! Mr. Romon is really brave!"

"No, no, I can't bear to watch. What if the dragon eats Lisa?"

"Shh! Don't speak, angering the dragon will be troublesome..."

…………

The enormous roar terrified the crowd gathered at the cave entrance, who huddled together and whispered amongst themselves. The timid women wished they could get down the mountain as quickly as possible, not daring to even approach the cave.

A moment later, Romon came out of the cave with a helpless look on his face and said, "Come on, poor child. From now on you are the dragon's bride. Be bold and come in. Pray that the heavens will bless you and grant you the dragon's favor. Perhaps you can live a better life because of it."

Lisa wept and begged everyone around her, but the indifferent townspeople remained unmoved.

Her biological father and uncle, annoyed that she wouldn't go inside and fearing she would anger the dragon, impatiently shoved her towards it. The townspeople, both timid and curious, followed closely behind, hoping to catch a glimpse of the terrifying dragon and boast about it to others later.

At the deepest part of the huge cave is a precipice, and some people who looked down were so frightened that their legs trembled.

The deep, dark bottom of the cliff is filled with winding lava, so it is not very dark. The jagged rocks seem to hide terrifying monsters, and every now and then a low, eerie wind howls by, causing gasps of surprise.

"We can't see it; the dragon is probably hiding in the deepest part."

"I feel like that huge, dark thing is breathing. Is that a dragon?"

"My God, pushing her off such a height, the poor child will be smashed to pieces, won't she?"

Romon pursed his lips and said loudly, "Then it depends on her own fate. If the dragon is satisfied with Lisa, it will definitely catch her in mid-air. Don't waste time, come on, dragon's bride, good luck."

The little girl, Lisa, cried and struggled desperately, but she was no match for several strong adults. She was lifted up and thrown off the cliff with shouts!

"Ah! Help!"

A piercing scream echoed through the valley, its resounding echo sending a shiver down the spines of the townspeople who dared not approach the cave to witness the scene.

Even if it's for your own life or your child's, you have to collect enough gold coins!

otherwise……

The thought that they or their families might be thrown down in the future terrified them.

Luo Meng observed everyone's behavior and secretly rejoiced, thinking that his job of collecting gold coins would be even easier from now on! Indeed, small sacrifices and great threats are the way to control people's hearts in the long run.

"Poor child, good luck." He knew without even looking that Lisa would fall into the lava and be obliterated, after all, there was nothing in this mountain except lava and terrifying winds...

Just when he thought the exciting show was over and it was time to wrap things up with a show of kindness and severity, the crowd at the front suddenly erupted in shouts.

"A dragon! It has indeed appeared!"

"It's very pleased with the dragon's bride! The dragon caught Lisa!"

"Mr. Romon is absolutely right!"

"Thank goodness, I've got a satisfactory bride. The dragon should be happy now, right?"

…………

The murmurs startled Luo Meng, who quickly turned to look down the cliff.

Sure enough, a huge and terrifying dragon soared below the empty cliff. Lisa, who had been thrown off, landed on its broad back, trembling and looking even smaller and more pitiful.

Petals drifted slowly into the darkness, white veils cascaded beneath her, and Lisa, terrified, was completely blank-minded, trembling and too afraid to even breathe.

It really is a dragon!

Does the fact that it didn't kill me mean it's satisfied with me?

"Roar~" Jiang Chen flapped his huge wings and hovered as he landed on the jagged rocks covered in lava. He found a relatively safe spot, put the frightened little girl down, and then breathed out flames and roared, "Romon, you liar!"

The dragon can talk!

A thunderous roar echoed at the bottom of the cliff, and everyone trembled with fear, huddled together, too terrified to move.

Luo Meng was also terrified. He had run into the mountains countless times, but he had never seen a dragon before!

Where did it come from?

How do you know my name?!

"You summoned me here, saying that the generous townspeople of Missy City would give me a lot of gold, and I only need to give you a small portion." Jiang Chen flapped his wings and flew up to the cliff, staring at him with his huge, fierce eyes, and slowly said, "Five years have passed, and I haven't seen a single gold coin you promised!"

You liar, do you think you can fool me with some immature little girl?

Well, I'm a very reasonable dragon.

I was summoned from afar by you, yet I've endured until now. I'm furious! You just wait and see, you'll make the entire city of Missy pay for this charlatan's demise!

The mayor was so frightened that his legs went weak, and he knelt down with a thud, pleading, "Respected Mr. Dragon, every household in our Missi City contributes a gold coin every year and has Romon personally deliver it to you!"

He must have pocketed the gold coins!

"We, the entire town of Missy, have the utmost respect for you. Please forgive us, considering we haven't lost a single gold coin in the past five years! And from now on… if you wish, we can send you a bride every year!"

“That’s right, we can give you an extra bride every year in addition to gold coins!”

"Please, Mr. Dragon, spare us..."

…………

Jiang Chen was displeased. Long hadn't even mentioned any conditions yet, and you were already asking these poor girls to risk their lives to protect you. It was outrageous!

Ah, I'm afraid that every year they are "selected" children from poor families.

Since you put it that way, don't blame me for being ruthless.

"Really? Are they telling the truth, Romon!" Huge, sharp claws slowly opened, heading straight for the terrified Romon. Jiang Chen sneered, "You collect gold coins every year but don't give them to me, keeping them for yourself?"

"No, I didn't! I... I've never seen you before, you're not the dragon I summoned!" Romon's trembling rebuttal sounded utterly insignificant under the immense pressure.

No one listened to his explanation.

The townspeople, filled with rage and fear, wanted nothing more than to tear him apart alive!

They actually summoned a dragon on their own initiative and even made a pact with it to wreak havoc on the town. What's most despicable is that they took the money but lined their own pockets, which completely enraged the dragon!

"Kill him! Mr. Dragon, we'll get rid of this liar and traitor for you, please spare us!"

"Kill Romon!"

"Kill him!"

……

Everyone was filled with righteous indignation and shouted, wishing they could immediately throw the culprit into the dragon's lair and kill him to vent their anger.

“We can’t kill him yet.” Jiang Chen sneered, his voice booming like thunder. “I understand your pleas. We’ve all been fooled by this guy, Luo Meng. Dragons never tolerate swindlers. You make sure he returns every single gold coin he’s embezzled over the past few years to me within three days. After that, he’s yours to do as you please.”

As a reward, I will pardon your gold coin sacrifice.

However, starting this year, every other year when I roar and flap my wings on the mountaintop, you must choose a bride and send her to the cave.

Now take this despicable swindler away, and remember my words: make him return all the gold coins!

The dragon flapped its wings, creating a whirlwind that blew everyone out of the cave. Then, it roared, turned, and flew to the bottom of the cliff, landing among the jagged rocks and disappearing from sight.

"Host, you're awesome! Evil people will be punished by other evil people. Let the angry townspeople punish the bad guys!"

The fluffy dumpling spared no effort in showering the little girl with compliments, then looked at the still-dazed, crying little girl and asked curiously, "What do you plan to do with her, host?"

"She's definitely not going back to town. Didn't you hear her family planning to turn her into a money tree to squeeze money out of the dragon? They're a whole family of vampires!"

Chapter Five: A Happy Ending

"Dear Mr. Dragon, my name is Lisa."

The little girl realized that her behavior at this moment would determine her fate. She steeled herself and mustered the courage of a newborn calf, saying in a trembling voice, "My father gambled away all the gold coins we had prepared last month."

So... my family couldn't pay a single gold coin, and my father originally wanted to renege on the debt. But Mr. Romon said... he said he had to choose a girl to give to you as your bride.

If my parents are willing to give up a boy, they will send my older brother to you as a servant.

I was...

A girl dressed in a white wedding gown, her hair disheveled with flowers, knelt down with a thud and pleaded, "Respected Dragon Master, I can clean the room, cook porridge, and make traps. Please don't eat me... I will do many things to serve you comfortably!"