……

Naga, a strange and evil humanoid creature who has lived in the depths of the sea for a long time, has the ability to ride the waves, has a strong sense of territory, and will often be ruthless in expelling or destroying passing human ships.

Matthew had heard him mention this kind of group when he was chatting with Archmage Ronan.

It is said that the appearance of the Naga is related to a "Twilight Creation" who was sealed by the gods at the beginning of the Age of Enlightenment.

The Twilight creature hated the gods and wanted to hollow out the corners of the gods.

He lured some humans to the ocean by the sea, and taught them the evil ritual of cannibalism.

In the course of the cannibalistic ritual, the humans who believed in the creation of the twilight mixed themselves with a large number of snakes, and the power of the ritual made the flesh and blood of the snakes indistinguishable, and in the midst of painful excitement and unknown whispers, the original Naga was born.

They are called "Primordial Naga".

The Primordial Naga were highly appreciated by the Twilight Creations, and inherited the most evil powers from the latter.

Each Primordial Naga has lord-level powers.

Subsequently, under the orders of the Dusk Creation, they went to different seas and established a huge tribe of snake people at the bottom of the sea.

It's just that the Naga who were born later did not have the opportunity to be blessed by the Dusk Creation, although they also possessed strength and qualities far beyond those of humans, but they were too far behind the original Naga.

The Naga that was born later was called the "Derivative Naga".

Now the Naga who is rampant and domineering in the many seas of Aindo is the derivative Nagado.

Since the original intention of the Twilight Creator was to convert more humans into Naga, the Nagas would often leave the Undersea Tribe to raid the population.

And because the Naga are a matrilineal clan, over time, there is a saying on the sea that "the Naga family likes to rob men".

Of course, this is not a rumor.

Under the influence of that Twilight Creation, the Naga have a disproportionately high percentage of women.

After losing the tradition of cannibalism, the Naga tribe must ensure that a fixed number of foreign males are integrated into the tribe every year, or the tribe is at risk of extinction.

Besides.

Naga are generally physically strong, good at using weapons, and possess several innate spell-casting abilities.

On the sea, if you encounter a horde of Naga, fleeing is the best option.

At this time, in front of Matthew, the number of Naga surrounding Xuankunzi had exceeded 30!

They had long, green hair that hung down to their waists like seaweed, and the upper half of Naga's body was always naked, except for the waist where the humans and snakes met and were covered by a large string of colorful shells.

Underneath the shell is Naga's serpent-like lower body, but at this moment, it is blocked by the white waves stimulated below, which makes it difficult to see.

"I'm a traveler from the Gold Coast and want to visit Kinliu Island."

Matthew said kindly:

"They just sent me there."

The little Naga leader squinted his slender eyes and said:

"This is the territory of the Naga Kingdom, outsider, your presence here means that you have offended the Naga Queen, I'm afraid that only the Endless Sea Dungeon is your only destination!"

At this time, a female Naga behind him reminded:

"The Endless Sea Dungeon is full, and only a few empty seats are left next to Bigmouth Agutte."

"Isn't that more interesting? Take them to meet Agutte! ”

A cruel smile appeared on the male Naga's face.

Matthew noticed that the little stone next to him suddenly turned pale when he heard the name Agutte, so he asked a few words in a low voice, only to know that Agutte was a sea beast that had caused waves in the Arune Sea, and was known for his greed and deliciousness.

It was once a nightmare for the people of the nearby sea, but it was subdued by the Naga clan.

"Throw all your weapons here!"

The Naga leader commanded.

"It doesn't have to be that way, we can talk."

Matthew's face was full of smiles:

"I'm a traveler from afar, and I've collected a lot of unique little things along the way, don't you want to hear from me about the interesting things on the trip? I'm willing to share it with you. ”

The little leader of Naga sneered, and was about to say something, but suddenly his eyes rolled and he said to Matthew:

"Come on, let's go over there and talk, I hope your story can be interesting."

The two of them came to Xuankunzi's tail, and the other Naga scattered in amusement.

Matthew fumbled in his bag for a moment, and immediately smiled and offered a small pocket.

A couple of mirrors in my pocket, some berries.

On top of that, it's full of gold.

"You're very knowledgeable, little mage."

The little leader of Naga snatched the bag from Matthew's hand and said with satisfaction:

"I can let you go, but you must remember that the great Naga Queen is about to unify the Aru Inland Sea, and our Naga kingdom is taking shape, which is overwhelming! If you want to walk the seas to your heart's content, a little funny story may not be enough, you have to go to the queen, bow down to her, and beg her for permission so that you can travel to and from this sea for a long time. ”

Matthew suddenly pretended to be grateful:

"Thank you, thank you very much, if I have the opportunity, I will definitely visit the Queen in person."

The little leader was even more satisfied, and he couldn't help but say a few more words:

"Travelers like you, don't keep your curiosity under control.

It is inevitable that there will be bloodshed in the process of completing the unification of the Naga Kingdom, but it does not mean that it will be safe if it leaves this sea.

As far as I know, the south is not very peaceful, the Golden Lord wants to unify the cities on the south bank, and there is a group of guys who call themselves the Scourge Cult who want to do some evil ritual.

A weak traveler like you is an easy target. ”

Matthew nodded again and again when he heard this, and he went down with a fart, and slapped the little leader of Naga into a flutter.

But he was wondering in his heart, Queen Naga wanted to dominate the Aru Inner Sea, and the Golden Lord wanted to control the southern cities, which was an unprecedented sign in history!

"Could it be that the mystery lock of civilization is failing? Is this part of the odd number of days, or are the gods secretly playing tricks? ”

Matthew wondered.

As for the Scourge Cult mentioned by the little boss, it also gave him a sense of "how come there are you everywhere".

Taking this opportunity, Matthew talked with the little boss for a while, and learned from him about some of the recent events in the Aru Inland Sea.

As he spoke, the little leader suddenly stared at Ah Bing behind Matthew:

"Why does you skeleton look like you don't have a good brain? staring at me all the time, I don't like it. ”

Matthew was stunned.

Immediately, he realized something, and hurriedly ordered Ah Bing to restrain his strangeness.

In the Undead Pact.

A faint sense of grievance and anger passed through.

Matthew glanced at the data bar.

……

"Hint: You managed to avoid a prison sentence by bribing the Naga head, and you gained the elements of the "bluffing" realm: bribes, touting, and accumulating more elements, you will get a chance to enter the field for the first time.

Warning: Your summon Soldier is desperate to kill the Naga in front of you.

Because of this encounter, he awakened some of the memories of his previous life.

Ah Bing is dissatisfied with your orders, but he can understand your concerns, so he is just a little aggrieved."

……

Did Ah Bing have a festival with the Naga clan in his previous life?

Matthew spoke out through the contract to reassure:

"Now is not the time to do it, we need to stay in the Aru Inland Sea for a while, and when this is done, I will not stop you."

Bing nodded dumbly.

Subsequently.

Matthew watched the high-spirited little leader take the other Naga away on the waves.

After a while, a faint sense of direction appeared in his perception.

He knew that it was the spell mark he had left in his gold and pocket that was in effect.

……

Junliu Island.

On the beach, Xuan Kunzi stretched his limbs lazily.

On the side, old Ali handed over a thing with the thickness of his index finger and the length of his palm, like a cannonball, to Matthew.

"This is the 'Sky Sparrow', a little gadget made by our Sioux people, lit with fire and released into the sky, which can be seen far away on the sea.

Launch it if you want to leave, and even if we don't see it, the other boatmen will come and pick you up.

But be careful, it seems that the situation in this sea area is a lot more tense now, and I'm not sure if this will attract Naga again-

Actually, they shouldn't be here, and the place where they were active before was mainly in the deep sea. ”

As he spoke, the old man sighed deeply.

Matthew took the cupola and watched the old and young take the Xuankunzi away, and then set his eyes on the slightly dilapidated island in front of him.

The next moment.

He takes the form of a raven, looking down on Junliu Island from the sky.

The eastern tip of the island hits a current, which splits the current from the east, one to the northwest and the other to the southwest, from which the name of the island may be derived.

The island is high and wooded, with many seabirds inhabiting the eastern cliffs, and there are many wild animals in the mountains and forests.

The beach on the southwest side is gentle, and in one place a small bay is formed, where Matthew sees a pier with several dilapidated fishing boats.

"The congenital conditions of this island are not good, and it is not very suitable for human beings to open up the land and survive."

Matthew found that the human structures on Junliu Island were mainly concentrated in two large flatlands on the southeast and southwest sides, and the rest of the island was a little rarer, but it was estimated that the mountains were too steep and difficult to cultivate, and the Sioux people here gave up after trying it for a while.

Along the way, he saw a number of islands, all of which had better geology than Junliu Island, but they were deserted.

This shows that the original Sioux people discovered other mysteries on this island when they chose a place to live.

Matthew flew around the island.

He sensed that the field here was stronger than in other places.

Living here, even if he fails to advance to the Equilibrium Messenger, he has the opportunity to continuously accumulate the elements of the equilibrium realm.

"The power of the field is truly magical."

Matthew took on human form and stopped near a ruined stone house.

This should be the "return village" mentioned by Li Weiqi.

Despite his mental preparation, Matthew was depressed by the dilapidated and desolate scene in front of him.

The stone houses here were next to each other, but as he went, he found that at least a third of them had collapsed.

If one house collapses, the next room will be affected.

Therefore, the vicinity of the collapsed stone house is uninhabited.

The return village is sparsely populated.

Matthew walked a short distance, and all he saw was an old man squatting at the door of the stone house silently smoking a cigarette, his face was wrinkled and his eyes were numb.

Matthew tried to say hello to him, but the old man didn't get any response, not even a look.

He had to keep going.

Finally, passing by an intersection, Matthew heard a groan of pain coming from a larger stone house.

"Excuse me, do you need my help?"

Matthew asked, standing in the doorway.

The door of the stone house was open, which allowed him to see the scene at a glance, and as soon as he had finished speaking, Matthew stepped in.

For he saw an old woman fall to the ground.

She was now rolling weakly with her arms propped up.

"Are you okay?"

Matthew went over and helped her up slowly, then sat down on the edge of the bed, and realizing that the old woman's body could not stand sitting for a long time, he immediately made some more bedding from the side and made her half-lie down.

"I just want to get up and take a sip of water on my own."

The old woman said gratefully:

"My husband went out to pack his fishing gear and will be back soon, thank you, kid."

Matthew brought her a glass of water, waited carefully for her to drink, and then shook his head and said:

"It's just a gesture, you don't have to thank me."

Immediately, Matthew asked with concern:

"Is there no one else who can take care of you? Let's say a child or something? ”

"Kid?" The old woman snorted lightly:

"They all went ashore, Torch City in the south, Ash City in the north, they went anywhere, but there was no one who wanted to stay on the island.

But they didn't do anything wrong, because the other young people on the island did the same.

It's not our hometown anyway, so what are you going to do on the island? ”

Seeing that she was in good spirits, Matthew chatted with her for a few words.

Not long after, the husband of the old woman named Pearl returned, and to Matthew's surprise, he was not Sioux, but more of a Jango and Coastals mixed race.

His name is Orgen.

Orgen looked a dozen years younger than Pearl.

Upon learning of the old woman's fall, Orgen was very grateful to Matthew and insisted on keeping him at home for dinner.

During lunch.

Orgen spoke of his origins, a native of Leh on the southern shore who had formed an indissoluble bond with Pearl, who had become a widow at the time, through a trade.

After a few years of Orgen's persistent pursuit, he moved to Junliu Island and married Pearl.

Since then, the two have given birth to five children, two boys and three girls.

These children all left Junliu Island when they reached adulthood.

In the beginning, they would come back once a year to visit.

After a long time, the five children discussed that one person would come back each year as a representative and take turns visiting their parents.

A few years later, Mr. Olgen said the last time a child came to visit them was three years ago.

"I don't blame them, they are now grown up, they have their families and their children, it is impossible to waste time on the island with me as an old woman.

Do you remember, Orgen, Jasmine, they discussed raising money to take me to Big Rock to retire and live a good life.

It's just that I'm too stubborn to leave. ”

As Orgen recounted the experience, the old woman couldn't help but interject.

Orgen smiled when he heard this: "Yes, yes, our children are still very filial." ”

"Don't talk about that, kid, what did you come to the island for?"

Matthew told the truth about his intentions, and placed the letter of introduction written by Lee Weiqi on the table.

Orgen opened the envelope, and instead of looking at it himself, he handed it to the pearl.

After reading it, Pearl sighed and said:

"You're late, the village chief has returned to the embrace of the sea last year, and no one in the entire Junliu Island knows about the inheritance of the way of equilibrium."

Matthew had expected it, and although he was depressed when he heard the news, it was not too uncomfortable.

"It's okay, I'm just here to try my luck."

He tried to make his smile look lighter.

Pearl handed the letter back to him:

"If you're not in a hurry, stay on the island for a few more days, there are a lot of empty houses here, I'll ask Orgen to clean it for you. Wait until the Lantern Festival is over and then leave, kid. ”

Matthew had seen about the festival from Samantha's research.

But she didn't elaborate, other than to note that it was a very important holiday for the Sioux people.

Matthew thought about it, and he didn't have any other idea anyway, and it would be good to stay on the island for a while.

Experience the island atmosphere, continue to perceive the realm field, and take time to cram spells.

So he agreed.

The next few days.

Matthew found a stone house not far from Pearl and Orgen's home.

I have to say that the climate of Junliu Island is really pleasant, and according to Orgen, even in winter, it is as warm as spring.

This reminded Matthew of Peggy while enjoying the climate.

Previously, in Rolling Stone, every winter, Peggy yelled that she was freezing to death and asked Matthew to accompany her to keep warm.

Matthew had touched her bones, and it was indeed so cold that it was useless to add clothes or burn the fireplace, and of course, what made him even more puzzled was why a skeleton could feel cold?

It was also the first time he became aware of Peggy's anomaly.

Remembering Peggy, Matthew can't help but have a craving.

He had eaten poorly along the way, either dry food or unpalatable exotic food.

Only after entering the Junliu Island has been greatly improved.

Orgen's craftsmanship is good, but Matthew can't be cheeky enough to rub the food of old couples every day, right?

The days passed.

It is getting closer and closer to the Yuan Lantern Festival.

This day in the evening.

Matthew came alone to hang out on the beach to the south.

At this time, the sea breeze is slightly cool, and the sunset is gilded.

The waves crash against the sand and reefs, and the seabirds fly in harmony with each other.

As he walked, Matthew suddenly noticed a dark object on the beach in front of him.

And the appearance is very different from the shells that can be found everywhere here.

He walked over and bent down to pick it up.

……

"Hint: You found a tombstone (King Mingtan)."

……

(End of chapter)