Chapter 10: Journey to the Holy Land (3)
“No, it’s not for that reason. It won’t attack our people, but it often sleeps in the reed marshes. Its instinctive vigilance while sleeping creates a special ice mist within hundreds of meters. When our people go about fishing and gathering plants, they often enter this area without warning and can hardly escape. As a result, hundreds of our people have died from this ice mist. Moreover, this creature refuses to stay in one place and keeps changing locations, leaving our people at a loss. If it were you, could you tolerate such a situation continuing?”
Sighing, Eirwen showed signs of concern. The ice dragon had managed to escape, even though it was fully enraged. Although a pursuit team had been sent, Eirwen wasn’t sure if they could kill or capture the young ice dragon. It depended on the speed of the dragon’s amnesia effect and the dragon’s own resistance. Once the ice dragon escaped the Great Swamp, it would pose a huge threat to the Jellyfish Tribe. Dragons had a stronger desire for revenge than any other race, and they certainly wouldn’t let such a grievous injury go unaddressed. Fortunately, her sword strike had caught the dragon off guard, dealing it a severe blow. The ice dragon wouldn’t be able to return to its former strength for some time. Though dragons were highly vengeful, they were also quite intelligent. The presence of these people now would surely make the ice dragon wary. It wouldn’t dare to attack until it was strong enough to defeat them all at once. Hopefully, this illusion could last longer.
In fact, Eirwen also realized that when Komer and his group mentioned her home, they must have guessed that their visit to her tribe was likely related to the issue of the Catalonia River route. She had heard about the current situation in the Caucasus as well. For ordinary people, their main source of food is grain, especially wheat. The Caucasus could hardly cope with the large number of immigrants it had taken in, while the upper and middle reaches of the Catalonia River were renowned for their high-quality grain at low prices. Opening this route would be like opening a path filled with sunshine and hope for the Caucasus. If Komer could solve the curse that had plagued her tribe for centuries, she would be inclined to agree to opening the Catalonia River route on a limited basis. With the threat of retaliation from the ice dragon, having Komer, a relatively friendly neighbor, to help could at least greatly reduce the pressure on her tribe. The ice dragon couldn’t be defeated just by having more ordinary warriors, as that would only result in more casualties, especially in such a marshy area full of waterways.
“Hehe, this ice dragon is quite interesting. It even goes to such lengths just to sleep. Has this guy always lived in the Great Marshes?” Komer was also quite curious about the origin of this ice dragon. The evil dragon in the ocean to the east of her territory was another major problem; it had already severely disrupted shipping in Matdan. Ships heading to the southern regions had to take a detour near the central part of the Earth Ocean to avoid encountering it. That dragon seemed to have noticed this change as well, expanding its range of activities and becoming increasingly unpredictable. It often plundered the goods of merchant fleets. Fortunately, that evil dragon generally didn’t kill people, only causing losses of property. Yet, the presence of such a dragon in the sea made merchants and shipowners wary, greatly disrupting the shipping routes they had painstakingly established. Komer had also been planning to deal with this major problem at the right time, so it was necessary to learn more about the origins and habits of dragons.
“No, no. The Ice Dragon is not a permanent resident of the Great Swamp. The Turtle Dragon is the native species of this area—there are at least thirty of them living in the Great Swamp. But Turtle Dragons don’t cause trouble; they feed on fish and small animals and never attack our people. They’re quite tame. However, Turtle Dragons are the lowest rank among dragons, similar to the Earth Dragons in the Barbarian lands, and they’re not even recognized by other dragons. But this Ice Dragon is different. It’s said to have migrated from the Baden Gold Mountains over fifty years ago. Apparently, it lived in a lake there for some time before coming here for unknown reasons. At first, it behaved properly, staying deep in the Great Swamp and only occasionally coming to the Catania River to play in the water. We all got along peacefully, and we didn’t want to provoke it. But as it grew larger, it became more restless, constantly changing its habitat and coming to the riverbank to play, forcing our people to take cover everywhere. The entire Great Swamp was in chaos, even the Turtle Dragons had to avoid this arrogant creature.”
Seeming to notice Komer’s interest in the Ice Dragon, Eirwen sighed lightly and explained in detail its origin. It wasn’t a secret, nor was it necessary to keep it hidden. Besides, Eirwen hoped that after Komer truly helped resolve the Curse of the Water God, they could build a more harmonious, even cooperative relationship. That way, if they faced retaliation from the Ice Dragon, she could ask for his help. Of course, she had no idea that Komer was worried about the evil dragons in her territory and was seeking information on them.
Time flew by amidst the cheerful conversations between Komer and Eirwen. The wide Catania River was calm, with no wind. Perhaps because the boat’s speed was too slow, Eirwen summoned several warriors from the Jellyfish Clan to assist at the boat’s side. With the help of dozens of these warriors pushing from beneath the boat, its speed increased significantly. Komer didn’t understand how the Jellyfish Clan could survive underwater for so long, but every race had its unique physiological traits, which allowed them to thrive in certain environments.
A huge loop appeared in the river ahead; the Catania River formed a massive S-shaped turn here. At the turn, a branching waterway came into view, with several tall watchtowers lining both banks of the river—some situated at the edge of the reed beds, others standing right within them. Strange ribbon flags and triangular banners fluttered in the wind atop the watchtowers. Several large rafts were moored beneath them, scattered with cargo that appeared to be plant stems and tubers.
Although they had been warned in advance, the jellyfish people active in this area still showed surprise upon seeing a mortal ship enter the restricted zone. Komer could even clearly see the jellyfish people sentries on the watchtowers communicating using a unique signal language combined with strange whistles, likely in response to the mortal merchant ship entering thewarning zone zone.
Looking around, Komer saw no proper buildings aside from those wooden watchtowers clearly intended for military use. He didn’t spot any structures suitable for human habitation. Could it be that the jellyfish people even slept and rested in the water? That was quite unexpected, Komer thought to himself.
The large rafts and wooden boats were probably used to transport various daily necessities. Although the jellyfish people could live freely in water, some goods couldn’t—especially when transporting large quantities—so they still relied on rafts for transportation.
A uniquely shaped canoe shot forward like an arrow. The entire canoe was carved out of a single large, round log. The one at the front was clearly a scout, the one in the middle an attacker, and the one at the back the regular operator, who could also serve as an auxiliary attacker in wartime. The large bows they carried were likely their main weapons for combat on the water. Their bare bodies were covered only with special animal skins over vital areas, their muscular chests exuding an attractive presence.
Seeing High Priestess Elyse seated at the bow of the boat, the scout first bowed with his hand over his heart—a gesture of utmost respect for their leader. After some communication in the jellyfish people’s internal language, Elyse signaled that the merchant ship could follow the canoe into the harbor branch.
Once inside the branch, the water flow became much gentler. Jellyfish people could be seen fishing and swimming everywhere. Komer guessed this must be an important settlement for them. Judging from the density of human activity, their habitat couldn’t be far away. After traveling less than ten miles along the branch, a huge gourd-shaped water expanse suddenly appeared before Komer and his group, leaving them stunned.
The vast expanse of water covers at least several hundred hectares, which can be roughly estimated from the blurred edges of the reed marshes surrounding it. Several river channels branch off from here, indicating its importance. In the center of the water, a towering building over ten meters high stands majestically, its onion-shaped dome offering a unique visual appeal. Attached to this main building is a series of interconnected structures with curved, pointed, and sloping rooftops, showcasing the jellyfish people’s distinctive aquatic architectural style, which is truly astonishing.
However, to enter this central water area, one must pass through several checkpoints. In addition to the obvious watchtowers, Komer also noticed that the wide waterway through which his ship was moving seemed somewhat peculiar. The merchant ships kept changing direction under the guidance of canoes, sometimes even having to turn around, clearly due to some special underwater facilities that restricted free passage. The final checkpoint before entering the central water area was a wooden sluice bridge modeled after human constructions. This bridge, floating on the water, could be extended or lifted using winches. Cone-shaped spear carts stood on giant towers on either side; these were powerful weapons made using springs and winches, but they were difficult to move and could only serve as fixed defensive weapons. They wouldn’t be much of a threat in human fortresses, but their presence in the jellyfish people’s territory surprised Komer.