Chapter 139

After dropping the anchor and securing the sailing ship properly, Woojin stepped onto the turtle’s shell.

Soon after, he came face to face with the naga fortress. Its appearance was quite impressive, so Woojin stopped for a moment and looked around at the surrounding buildings.

His gaze mostly lingered on the outer walls.

‘Were these made by carving barnacles?’

Strangely enough, the fortress had been constructed using the shells of enormous barnacles.

They hollowed out the insides of the barnacles to create empty space, then cut doors and windows into the outer walls, and used large clam shells and coral reefs as building materials to form the roofs.

‘They look very sturdy.’

The barnacles seemed to be firmly rooted into the turtle’s shell.

Their support was so strong that even if the turtle dove deep into the sea or swam roughly, the fortress buildings probably wouldn’t be torn away.

Honestly… Woojin felt a little envious.

‘Where on earth did they find something like this?’

He would have to ask the one in charge of the fortress.

With that thought in mind, Woojin quickened his pace. As a result, the naga general guiding him also increased his speed.

Soon the two of them arrived at the heart of the fortress—the largest building at its center.

When they walked inside…

They encountered a gigantic naga warrior.

A naga covered in dark blue scales. His body was twice as large as the general’s.

The snake’s lower body was thicker than a log, while his upper body was broad-shouldered and muscular. He resembled a cobra puffed up to its fullest extent. There was only one naga of such enormous size in the world.

The king of the scaled ones—Veshkan.

‘So he came here personally.’

Woojin was secretly surprised. He hadn’t expected to meet the naga king in a place like this.

Veshkan seemed to be thinking something similar.

“Guardian of the Nol… I expected you might still be alive, but this is a rather unexpected reunion.”

“I agree.”

They were not close enough to exchange warm greetings. So Woojin immediately asked what he was curious about.

“What are you doing in a place like this?”

“Taking a stroll. Staying cooped up in the palace every day is dull.”

“…Well, that’s true.”

Even if one has good food and a comfortable bed, staying locked in one place for too long makes the body itch.

Like restless fish that would die quickly if they couldn’t swim, Woojin and Veshkan were the type of beings who had to wander outside to feel satisfied.

Veshkan continued speaking.

“And… there have been rumors that a very powerful magical beast has taken residence in these waters.”

The magical beasts that once lived near human seas had recently begun fleeing far north. That meant a powerful creature was active in the area.

Such a lifeform could become a major threat in the future. That was why the naga king Veshkan had personally come to hunt it.

Woojin smirked and replied.

“That misunderstanding probably happened because of me. I hunted quite a few magical beasts in this area recently.”

The magical beasts in these waters had fled north to escape Woojin.

Seeing that trend, the nagas must have mistaken it as the appearance of a powerful beast.

After learning the truth, Veshkan sighed in disappointment.

“I thought I might enjoy a bit of excitement for the first time in a while… but the matter ended rather anticlimactically.”

“That’s how it usually goes.”

“Sit. I’ll have some drinks brought out.”

Woojin was about to reply that there was no need… but the quick-footed naga attendants had already begun setting out food.

Dishes made from freshly caught fish.

Before he knew it, a drinking session had begun. Woojin took a casual sip of alcohol and then flinched in surprise.

A brandy with a deep, rich aroma.

“This is human liquor. Where did you get it?”

“The Religious Alliance, I believe they’re called. They occasionally come into our territory and offer tributes.”

The Religious Alliance had decided it would be beneficial to build connections with the races of the Demonic Realm.

So they periodically visited naga lands and offered gifts.

Veshkan took a large gulp of alcohol and said,

“I don’t like the fact that the southern humans are rummaging around the Demonic Realm… but since they’ve offered tribute like this, I can’t easily touch them.”

“Looks like you really like the liquor.”

“It’s something we can’t obtain in our territory.”

In the Demonic Realm, it was not easy to find edible food.

Even the Nol tribe used to treat dried bones as a delicacy and eat them sparingly.

Of course, that was a story of the past now.

The Nol tribe had allied with humanity and developed at an unbelievable speed. Food had become abundant enough that the entire tribe could now live without going hungry.

“…Honestly… it’s enviable.”

Veshkan muttered as if talking to himself. Woojin chewed on a fish dish and responded.

“If you envy that, why don’t you form a military alliance with humanity as well?”

“That doesn’t appeal to me.”

Unlike the Nol tribe, which was small but elite, the naga race possessed enormous power.

Their territory and population were vast enough that they called themselves an empire.

Even if they formed a military alliance, there would be little benefit.

The food humans could provide wouldn’t be enough to feed so many nagas, and their territory was too large to be civilized quickly.

Therefore, it would be wiser to find a more rational solution.

Veshkan muttered as much to himself.

…Suddenly, Woojin felt a chill.

“You… you’re not planning to go to war with humans, are you?”

“Not right now.”

“So you might change your mind later.”

Veshkan slowly nodded.

“If the time comes when it becomes necessary.”

If the human forces weakened enough and an opportunity appeared, the naga king planned to invade this land and turn it into a colony.

Their scouting of the southern seas was part of that plan.

Breaking through the Wall of Yurgis would be difficult, so instead they would use sea routes to strike the Religious Alliance from behind. This was essentially a rehearsal to see if it was possible.

Woojin cursed inwardly.

‘This snake… you can’t let your guard down around him.’

What should he do?

Killing Veshkan would not be a good choice.

If he did that, the naga warriors would surely rise up to avenge their king.

If the nagas allied with the dark priests and struck the Religious Alliance… the situation would become far worse than it already was.

After thinking for a moment, Woojin asked,

“What do you want?”

Veshkan had deliberately prepared drinks and told Woojin about his plans. That meant he wanted to ask for something.

As expected, Veshkan spoke without hesitation.

“The tributes are far too small. My kin around me are always dissatisfied… so I would like the amount increased to at least twice its current level.”

Woojin had once been an advisor with considerable influence.

Veshkan wanted him to visit the Religious Alliance and request that they offer more tribute to the naga race.

Woojin scratched the back of his neck and answered.

“That’s… a difficult request.”

“Why? Is your authority insufficient?”

“I already retired long ago, so I don’t have much influence anymore. Besides, the Religious Alliance thinks I’m dead.”

The Religious Alliance had concluded that Woojin died while fighting the dragon.

And since things had turned out that way, Woojin had decided to keep his survival a secret.

Veshkan looked puzzled.

“Why hide the fact that you’re alive? Don’t you feel your achievements are being wasted?”

“I just want to live quietly.”

Getting entangled with the Religious Alliance would be exhausting.

The Cardinal of Strife, Horace, had been an extremely diligent superior. Because of that, Woojin—who had been an advisor at the time—had also been forced to work without a moment’s rest.

‘I can’t go back to doing that again.’

Living leisurely like he did now was ideal. He had no intention of returning to the Religious Alliance.

Veshkan clicked his tongue.

“Then I’ve wasted good liquor.”

With those words, Veshkan made a gesture. A naga attendant approached and quietly removed the bottle of brandy that had been placed nearby.

Woojin tried to at least finish the brandy left in his glass, but the attendant’s hand was faster. The naga servant snatched even the glass away.

Woojin finally snapped in irritation.

“Ugh, you stingy snake bastards… Hey! Instead of whining about tributes, why don’t you pay money and buy it yourselves? Nothing in this world is free.”

He had spoken out of annoyance.

But Veshkan’s reaction was unexpectedly positive.

“How would one purchase it?”

“Well, from a merchant—”

Woojin trailed off mid-sentence.

Thinking about it, the naga race lived in an environment where trading with merchants was difficult.

‘The eastern region is geographically too far.’

The wall city Yurgis was located in the western part of the continent. Because of that, it was easy to travel to the Nol tribe of the western wastelands, but the naga race of the eastern forests was far too distant geographically.

Human merchants had difficulty traveling there, so attempting trade was not easy.

How could this situation be solved?

Woojin stroked his chin in thought… and suddenly a decent idea came to mind.

“What about using a sea route?”

Maritime trade.

Instead of traveling by land, they could move quickly between the naga race and the humans by sea.

Of course, this method also had a major flaw.

The northern sea was home to many dangerous magical beasts. If a sailing ship ventured out recklessly, it would be wrecked and become fish food.

But there was a way to solve that problem.

“Have your race escort the ships. If you do that, maritime trade should proceed without issues.”

The naga race were warriors who could move freely underwater. If they escorted the ships and drove away sea monsters, trade could continue without much difficulty.

Veshkan pondered the suggestion.

Escorting humans… and trading with humans to purchase goods. Both were unprecedented actions.

“…An interesting proposal. I was thinking of using this sea route for war, yet you suggest using it as a trade route between our two races.”

“Doesn’t it sound reasonable?”

“There are too many obstacles before it can be called that.”

The plan was far too large in scale. Maritime trade between two races would require several sailing ships, capital, and manpower.

Risky ventures rarely attract heavy investment. That was why Woojin’s proposal lacked practicality.

“If an opportunity arises in the future, we may attempt it.”

For now, it was difficult to begin.

When Veshkan reached that conclusion, Woojin—who was sitting across from him—blinked and spoke.

“All the things you’ve been rambling about… wouldn’t they be solved if you just talked to my younger sister?”

Cindy was a great merchant who commanded multiple sailing ships.

As he said that, Woojin pointed at the brandy Veshkan was drinking.

“That liquor was made by Cindy too.”

Veshkan sat silently for a moment… then suddenly gestured somewhere.

The naga attendant who had stepped back quietly approached and placed the brandy bottle and glass—taken earlier—back onto the table.

Seeing that, Woojin scolded him.

“Do you really have to be this stingy over a single drink?”

“Someone just told me that nothing in the world is free.”

“….”

On the glass bottle was an image resembling a beetle engraved on it.

It was the emblem symbolizing Cindy’s merchant company—the Golden Weevil.

Cindy’s father, Golden Maggot Volf, had once been a great merchant who oversaw the entire frontier city.

Although most of his businesses in the Demonic Realm had been shut down after being targeted by the dark priests, the distillation business had taken place inside the Wall, so Cindy inherited it intact.

In short, the conclusion was…

“She’s ridiculously rich. If she really wanted to, she could probably start maritime trade.”

“….”

Veshkan simply responded by taking another gulp of alcohol.

Woojin had nothing more to say.

…He won’t say a word.

This is why dealing with scaled creatures is so troublesome.