Chapter 338: Screams, Slides, and Second Thoughts

Sluuuurp!

“…”

“…”

“Ahhh!”

It was the sound of someone deeply, profoundly satisfied.

“Auntie, maybe you should try to walk around more?” Orien asked innocently.

Riley looked over at the source of that decisive noise and found Orien practically inhaling his mango shake. The cup was already empty by the time Riley focused on him, as if the drink had never existed at all. The golden dragonling lounged back in his chair with goggles hanging around his neck, a giant duck floater propped behind him like a throne. The whole scene screamed carefree vacation, with splashes of water and distant laughter from the slides framing the moment.

Not helping.

That was not a fitting representation of the hard work Riley wanted to highlight at this point in time.

Because while it might not look like it with their current state of utter relaxation, the inheritance hunter had actually been hard at work for over a day now.

Oh yes. It had really been that long. Today already marked the second day since they arrived at the Cove Resort.

Honestly, day one had been challenging for so many different reasons.

Arriving at the waterpark in one piece had entailed prayers to several known and unknown entities, mostly because Riley had to contend with how many times the children demanded to know if they were there yet.

Now, Riley was totally fine with being asked.

Kael, on the other hand, the dragon lord who insisted on driving, was not a fan of such questions in the slightest.

Still, they made it in one piece, and that alone felt like a minor miracle.

What Riley had not anticipated was just how overwhelming the excitement would be once they actually arrived. It had been so long since he had gone on a proper out-of-town vacation that he had genuinely forgotten what human resorts were like, and he had severely underestimated how novel everything would feel to beings who were more used to manors, lairs, and magically sustained comfort.

Other races were great with their magic, their lineage, and their tools, but when it came to hospitality and service, the humans who had learned to survive the whims of powerful ancients were really hard to top.

From the moment they caught sight of the resort and the sprawling waterpark from the car, with bright slides twisting over turquoise pools and artificial waterfalls cascading down sculpted rock faces, the mood in the vehicle had shifted completely. Palm trees lined the entrance, colorful banners fluttered in the breeze, and beyond the glass, the entire place looked like a promise of fun that did not require effort.

Then there were the welcome drinks, the staff greeting them with practiced warmth, and the smooth way they were escorted into their rooms while being given tips and tricks on how to make the most of their stay. By the time they finished checking in, even the dragons were starting to understand why so many visitors looked excessively relaxed.

Funny enough, Riley soon discovered an interesting fact that turned out to be a smart win for the humans (and him). Because what greeted their odd group of tourists was mostly human technology that relied on neither artifacts nor mana circulation.

For those used to human technology, most things came naturally.

So naturally, they didn’t notice anything was strange until Kael complained about the bathroom.

“What am I supposed to do with all these knobs?” the dragon lord had asked, staring at the shower with deep suspicion. “Every time I push something, the most random water sprays come out.”

Riley had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing.

He never thought that one day he would be explaining the intricacies of human showerheads to ancient beings who were used to lagoons and water that flowed however they willed it.

But that was their reality before they even reached the entrance of the actual waterpark.

__

As a bona fide human for about twenty-five years, Riley and his family had definitely had the chance to visit a waterpark before.

Or at the very least, places that advertised themselves as one.

However, it seemed like Riley had not really paid much attention to new destinations over the years, because even he was caught off guard by the sheer size of the place.

Nestled right by the foothills, with over one hundred and ten record-breaking slides, attractions, and experiences, HydroWorld had been considered Eryndra’s largest waterpark from the day it opened about two years ago.

So yes, it was pretty new and fucking big.

It was so big that when Riley looked at the park map, he momentarily considered checking the probability that they had gotten the wrong landmark for his inheritance.

Just how were they supposed to look for clues when, excluding the area occupied by the beach and the Cove Resort, the place already took up twenty-five hectares of land?

Wasn’t that just insane?

It definitely was.

And it did not particularly help that moving around the place was incredibly distracting and, frankly, a little saddening.

While the ex-mortal had to go around searching for something that maybe didn’t belong, or feeling out something—anything that stuck out, all around him were people giggling, running, and splashing.

Screaming was also one thing they all had to get used to, particularly those with sharp hearing, because people just kept screaming bloody murder left and right, and the dragons kept thinking there was some sort of attack.

In all fairness, past Riley would have chalked it up to the usual sounds made in such places, but present Riley was all surprised by how his ears, even after dampening, could still hear them.

Thankfully, that wariness was quickly resolved when the dragons tested one of the slides.

Riley could still remember how his husband had stared at the giant slide, and at what he most definitely saw as a flimsy tube, and asked, “Are we expected to ride such a thing?”

The poor dragon lord looked like he did not want to be shot and shaken down a suspicious pipe, but he had no choice after one mouthy dragonling responded, “Uncle, it is okay if you don’t want to come with us. You can just wait like that grandpa over there.”

Orien had said it innocently, but clearly the child had a death wish.

Riley had to hold onto Orien after Kael looked the child up and down, as if considering when he was going to yeet him out.

Lucky for the golden dragonling, all such thoughts disappeared the moment their giant floater slid down the slide.

The raft that could fit four lurched forward, water rushing up around its sides as it picked up speed. The slide twisted sharply, banking them to one side before whipping them the other way, the momentum pressing Riley back into the rubber as they skidded along wet curves. For a heartbeat, the floater seemed to lose all sense of weight, skimming over a dip before plunging down again, the sudden drop yanking a breath out of his lungs.

Riley screamed along with the children, half in terror and half in disbelief, but when he turned his head, he was shocked to find Kael actually smiling.

It was an itty-bitty smile, but even the smallest of smiles on his husband’s face was rarer than precious metals.

Riley couldn’t help but grin at that.

However, they weren’t quite as composed at the very end.

When the floater finally hit the pool, it toppled with a splash, and only Kael managed to stay upright. Riley and the children barrelled straight into the water like wet chicks.

When the kids popped back up, hair plastered to their faces and eyes bright with excitement, Orien blinked once and muttered, as if having just realized the true goodness of the waterpark, “Again…”

“Let’s go again!”

Safe to say, they went on it again, while their parents stayed back by their private cabana, relaxing.

His father could walk a bit more after taking copious amounts of the elixir Kael kept supplying, but even so, he was careful to choose rides that would not be too taxing on his body. Besides, he assured them they would be fine because they could simply relax and enjoy the food and drinks.

Yep. There was that too.

So many things to try, and they had not even seen a quarter of the place.

Unfortunately, that was mostly for everyone else, because Riley could feel Thyrran reminding him of his actual purpose.

Of course, he wanted to find the inheritance as quickly as possible. The longer it took after all that effort, the more anxious he felt. But at the same time, he also wanted to have a little fun after everything they had gone through just to get there.

And it wasn’t like he hadn’t been looking around.

He had been looking so much that he honestly thought he was going to get blisters from walking.

But what exactly were they even looking for?

By the time day one ended, that question had practically become Riley’s mantra. It felt harder than searching for a needle in a haystack, because at least those people knew they were looking for a damned needle.

In his case, was he looking for a hole? Runes? A unique-looking rock?

Just what exactly was he trying to find?

He was a little bit miffed, to be honest.

But to the golden dragon’s credit, Kael tried to cheer him up by saying that instead of walking, they would take the lazy way next time.

The literal lazy river.

Kael had heard that people who could not walk much just floated along it and eventually toured a good portion of the park.

Riley had laughed at that because his mate was trying so hard to be helpful.

But who would have thought it would kind of work?!

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