Is It Funny That The Dragon Slayer Failed And Became The Dragon Princess? V2C3

   

Previous     Index     Next

3. So Many Fish

The Coastal Nation of Golde.

A gnoll stood by the sea on a tranquil night, gazing out at the distant waters.

The moon rose over the sea, the surface calm, the sky serene.

It seemed an opportune moment to set out to sea for fishing.

His name was Ade, a fisherman.

"I say, brother, are we really going to sea tonight?" another gnoll inquired.

This gnoll, named Ale, had a cigarette dangling from his mouth, his demeanor lax as if he hadn't woken up, yawning despite it being time to work.

This irked Ade.

"If you don't want to work, you can bugger off. I'll do it myself."

"Brother, don't be so harsh. Have a smoke," Ale said with a smile, offering a cigarette.

Ade frowned but took the cigarette.

Ale then pulled out a lighter and lit the cigarette for him.

Ade took a few puffs, looked up, and blew smoke rings, displaying a raw, untamed beauty.

"Ale, it's not just you, you know. The fish during the day have all been swept up by those nobles with their fancy fishing boats. We can only scavenge at night and mustn't get caught, or we won't afford a meal, let alone the hefty bail if we end up in jail!"

"Ah, it's tough to make a living these days!" Ale sighed.

Golde was a peculiar country.

Ade and Ale weren't locals but gnolls from outside.

Many non-natives like them were in Golde.

Years ago, Golde was relatively prosperous, relying on tributes to the Dragon Kingdom and using the dragon's name to establish itself.

Many impoverished non-natives entered Golde to work and survive.

But then, a strange king came to power in Golde, clamoring for independence from the Dragon Kingdom.

Since the dragons rarely interfered and Golde wasn't adjacent to the Dragon Kingdom, the dragons hardly helped when Golde faced troubles.

It was merely a nominal association.

Golde paid a hefty fee to the Dragon Kingdom to become independent.

The king thought Golde could then walk a path of freedom.

But disaster struck.

Other nations had long coveted Golde and pounced on this opportunity.

Without the dragons' name, Golde's last shred of protection was gone, and foreign powers began to intervene.

Golde was no match for them.

The king regretted his decision, seeking the dragons' protection too late, as he was assassinated by foreign powers before he could, and the royal family was wiped out, leaving Golde without a legitimate ruler.

Foreign powers entered Golde under the guise of aid, starting a power struggle.

Golde fell into turmoil.

Many races gathered here, creating a melting pot.

In Ade's area, leadership had changed hands numerous times over the past decade.

"Let's go, to the sea. The weather's good tonight. With the gods' blessing, we'll catch plenty and won't need to sail for a week!"

"Alright!"

Ade and Ale pushed the boat into the sea with effort, jumped aboard, and prepared to set sail.

Their boat was no ordinary vessel; it was equipped with magical devices, including a navigation system, and was quite expensive. It was a joint investment that ensured they could sail at night.

However, it paled in comparison to the nobles' latest models.

The boat sailed on the tranquil sea.

"Old pal, why are we defying the ban and sneaking out to sea? What are you striving for?" Ale joked, "Couldn't we just farm back home?"

Ade glanced at him dismissively: "Would you be content farming? Half a year of farming back home doesn't compare to a few trips out to sea."

"Ha, true! I'd rather cry on a boat in Golde than laugh in the fields back home!" Ale took out a bottle of liquor and drank, "Golde may be chaotic, but it's better than our poor, remote hometown. There's no booze, no women!"

"…Drink less, remember we're working," Ade chided, "Do as you please once we're back."

"Alright, alright."

Ale set down the bottle.

"Brother, you're risking it all by breaking the law to fish at night. What for?"

"Of course, to make money. I'm planning to get married. I'm engaged to my childhood sweetheart. I'll buy a house in a safer area," Ade said, unable to suppress a smile, "Actually, I've almost saved enough."

"…I wouldn't have guessed."

"And you?"

"What else? Cigarettes, booze… oh, and women. Just enjoying life. No way I'm settling down with marriage." Ale said, "As long as I have money, I can have fun with beautiful women from all kinds of races. How great is that!"

Ade felt he and Ale were just not cut from the same cloth, despite being of the same race, their personalities were worlds apart.

But there was no other way, after all, he couldn't do the work alone, it was too tiring, and he didn't have enough capital, so he could only look for partners. Fellow countrymen were always more reliable than foreigners.

For example, the fish they caught at sea tonight were quite special, only active at night, and they would emit noctilucent light in the sea. The fish meat was delicious and could sell for a good price.

"Old buddy, I heard a rumor that the dragon race seems to have helped Golde," Ale said.

"Nonsense, the dragons would rather see Golde dead, after all, Golde has long since broken away from the dragon race, all thanks to that idiot king."

"No, I'm serious, it seems that there are dragons lurking in this sea, I've heard other guys mention it before."

"Don't listen to those bastards talking nonsense," Ade scolded.

In fact, this area had long been banned from fishing at night, including the nobles.

Because the higher-ups said that at night, more and more mysterious disappearances of ships were occurring on this sea…

But Ade didn't believe in such ghost stories; he had been a fisherman here for over ten years and hadn't encountered anything, just thinking it was the higher-ups being full of shit.

"Brother, is there a school of fish ahead!" Ale suddenly shouted.

Ade ran to the bow and looked into the distance. The gnoll's night vision was quite good, and he saw a large dark patch under the sea illuminated by the moonlight.

It was also emitting a faint glow.

He had never seen so many fish before!

Ade was ecstatic, "We're going to make a fortune!! If we catch this many fish, we can earn several months' worth!!"

"What good fortune, hurry, hurry! Let's catch up, don't let the school of fish get away!!"

Ade steered the boat, putting all his strength towards the large dark patch ahead.

Perhaps it was divine favor, but the "school of fish" suddenly stopped moving.

The two gnolls' fishing boat quickly stopped above it.

"Today I'm going to make a killing, woo!!"

Ale howled excitedly to the sky, grabbed the net, and began to cast it down.

But as soon as he cast the net, his voice abruptly stopped.

"Hehe, after this catch, I'll definitely have enough money to get married, and then I'll have to throw a decent feast, to make my wife proud…"

Ade even entered into a beautiful fantasy.

But after a while, the boat was eerily quiet, and he couldn't hear Ale's voice anymore, which was strange.

"Ale, what the hell are you doing? Don't be lazy!"

Ade cursed as he went out and was stunned by what he saw.

What happened, Ale… disappeared?

He looked around for a while but didn't see him anywhere.

Suddenly, an inexplicable chill crawled up his spine, rendering him immobile.

He felt like something was… watching him.

His heart was pounding so hard it almost burst his chest.

The gnoll desperately suppressed his fear and slowly walked to the side of the boat to look down.

He and the "school of fish" were staring at each other.

"…"

Thump.

After a splash, there was no one left on the boat.

Then, the dark "school of fish" carried the fishing boat back to the shore.

The ravenous creatures began to walk ashore, heading towards the town where the lights had not yet gone out.

…

…

"Your Highness, this is your new assignment," Sera said, "to investigate the true cause of the disaster in Golde."

"You mean… this counts as a disaster?"

Xia Yi was somewhat puzzled after hearing Sera's account.

She generally understood the past and present of the nation of Golde and the panic spreading through Golde.

"It should be. A disaster has befallen Golde now, many coastal cities have been swept by an unknown disaster, many people have died, and Golde has fallen into great turmoil, which has further panicked the people of Golde. If our dragon race can solve Golde's disaster, we can gain the trust of the people of Golde. Then, by driving out other races that want to intervene in Golde, we can even gain the faith of the people of Golde, and they will see the dragon race as saviors, and this land will forever be in the hands of our dragon race."

"What exactly is this disaster?"

"Your Highness, this task was not originally assigned to you. Our dragon race had previously sent someone to Golde, but that dragon mysteriously disappeared during the investigation, vanishing without a trace, and has not returned to this day. Now, our dragon race cannot sit idly by any longer."

"Is this a task given to me by Xia Lulu?"

Sera nodded, "Yes, it is the Queen's will. This mission carries certain risks. But you understand, if you complete a dangerous mission, you naturally can establish prestige among the dragon race, especially if you take control of Golde. You may accept or refuse; the Queen has left the choice to you, and whatever you decide is acceptable."

"I understand."

Xia Yi fell into deep thought, weighing the pros and cons.

Sera waited for a while, not speaking.

When the young princess opened her eyes, it seemed she had finally made her decision.

"So, Your Highness, your choice is…"

Previous     Index     Next