Chapter: 269
“Oh, Creator Dragon!!”
The sound of someone praying resonates in my ears.
I had just settled down to sleep for the first time in ages, but suddenly, out of the blue, I opened my eyes with a frown.
Hmm. The praying voice pierces straight into my ear. Judging by the term “Creator Dragon,” could this be from the Lizardmen? Those guys seemed to be living quietly without any issues… So why am I suddenly hearing a voice calling for me?
I turned in the direction of the voice praying.
“Oh my God, Creator of the World!!!!”
A Lizardman was barely hanging on, relying on a tiny boat amid the roiling sea, where huge waves were crashing down like crash splash…
Hmm… Why on earth is this Lizardman alone on a boat in a place like this?
And in such a rough stormy sea, no less, clinging to a small boat, of all things!
I set my rising questions aside for a moment and began to gradually calm the weather around the Lizardman.
I don’t know the backstory, but if he needs help, it’s only right to lend a hand!
If the prayer is earnest enough for the voice to pierce my ears, I can’t just ignore it!
As the storm slowly subsided and the house-sized waves began to calm down, the Lizardman flopped down on the boat, utterly exhausted.
Why on earth did this Lizardman venture out onto a boat into this boundless expanse of ocean?
Before that, can a Lizardman, who usually lives in fresh water, even come out to the sea?
To clear that dilemma, I reached out toward the small boat where the Lizardman was sprawled.
First things first, letting him drift across this vast ocean feels… well, a bit much… um… For now, there’s a little island over there, so let’s get him over there first.
A minuscule boat without a proper sail. I really can’t fathom how he managed to get out to sea on something like this… I manipulated the current and pushed the boat toward the small island, then gently set it on the sandy beach before poking the head of the unconscious Lizardman.
In this kind of situation, reading memories is probably the best approach.
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
This Lizardman’s name is Queo-Tlan. He was just an ordinary Lizardman, nothing particularly special about him.
Even if you call him an ordinary Lizardman, that’s really just by Lizardman standards. Compared to an average human, he’s a warrior with a much stronger physique.
His specialties are swimming and diving. He makes a living by catching fish to sell using those very skills.
It seems his swimming and diving skills are a cut above those of other Lizardmen, as he’s famed for being the best swimmer among the local tribes.
One little bet, however, is what led the Lizardman to brave these rough seas.
“They say at the end of this world lies a lake so enormous that it seems to have no end! If such a lake exists, it would surely be teeming with enough fish to fill the bellies of all the Lizardman tribes!”
“What? Who would spread such nonsense! Where on earth could you find a lake that big?”
“Oh! Do I look like a Lizardman spreading rumors? This is information gathered from traveling merchants! And deep in that lake, there’s even talk that the Master of All Flows resides!”
The Master of All Flows…? Ah, are they referring to Tethys? Lizardmen often have some peculiar titles, different from other races.
Could it be that they’re the oldest race, having existed on land long before humans arrived?
“The Water Spirit King, you say? Now that definitely piques my interest.”
Spirit King…? Don’t the Lizardmen regard mere children as deities?
Well, thinking about the era in which the Lizardmen emerged, it makes some sense they wouldn’t see those children as gods.
In the time when the Lizardmen were born, they probably thought of them more like the parents of dragons rather than gods, and after the dragons turned into spirits, they might’ve regarded them as kings ruling over spirits.
It might be more accurate to see them as Spirit Kings rather than gods.
Wait a moment, then—do the Lizardmen see only me, the Creator Dragon, as a deity?
Do they not believe in any other gods, worshiping only me as their divine figure?
What’s this all about? My avatar, who I named Quetzalcoatl ages ago, seems to have believed in me? Hmm… maybe that’s because the Lizardman faith is mixed in with human beliefs, thus making it separate from the Creator Dragon?
I don’t know. If some people believe in their deities this way, there must be others with differing beliefs too. Anyway, who cares?
While sorting out those absurd thoughts and stashing them away in one corner of my mind, the conversation between two Lizardmen heated up.
“But there’s no guarantee that story is true! There’s no way to verify it!”
“I figured you’d say that! So, how about we make a bet?”
“A bet?”
Queo-Tlan’s face shifted into a puzzled one at the mention of betting.
Betting has always been a source of fun, after all!
“I’ve heard that if you follow the endless river downstream, you can reach a gigantic lake at the world’s end. Among all the Lizardmen I know, you’re the best swimmer, so I believe you can make the journey. What do you say?”
“Why on earth should I do that?”
The Lizardman who’d mentioned the bet considered Queo-Tlan’s response for a moment before speaking.
“Just a hunch, but if we can verify the existence of that gigantic lake, there’s a lot of money to be made! A great lake unknown to the Lizardmen. Doesn’t that spark some interest?”
Queo-Tlan found himself at a loss for words.
But wait, did the Lizardmen really not know about the sea? Why’s that? It’s not like they’ve had no interaction with other races… So why the lack of knowledge about the ocean?
Were they too far inland? But they’re living near wetlands and rivers, right? They should be able to reach the sea by following the river… Hmm…
Oh, maybe… is it due to saltwater? Hmm…
Considering Lizardmen’s living conditions… they’d be like freshwater lizards, making it suicidal to live by the sea unless a mutant Lizardman adapted to salty water popped up.
So, how did Queo-Tlan even reach the ocean?
“Big money. Big money sounds great. But all this nonsense about chasing after rumors seems reckless.”
“In that case, how about this?”
The Lizardman who proposed the bet seemed quick to anticipate Queo-Tlan’s reluctance. He pulled something from a bag beneath the table and placed it on top.
A small wooden box. It felt heavy enough that when he set it down, the table shook slightly.
“What’s that…?”
“It’s something I specially ordered and paid a lot for. Crafted by dwarven artisans.”
With that, he subtly opened the lid of the wooden box.
What emerged within it was—
“This, this is…?”
Delicately carved scales.
Wings of grandeur.
A tail that’s elegantly elongated.
And a magnificent head with impressive, regal horns sprouting.
A statue made of silver filled the box. It was a dragon statue crafted from pure silver.
“This is a statue modeled after the Creator Dragon. A masterpiece forged from pure silver, crafted by a dwarven master’s skill.”
A statue in my likeness… what is this?
“Ohhh… ohhhhh…”
“I heard that you and your family possess a strong faith in the Creator Dragon. I thought it would be hard to persuade you without something of this caliber. So I went out of my way to prepare this for you.”
“What a holy visage of the Creator Dragon this is… Creator Dragon…”
Queo-Tlan reached out to touch the statue that resembled me, but just as his hand was about to connect, a lid closed harshly, blocking him.
“Don’t rush. This item isn’t yours just yet.”
“Well then….”
“If you travel to that distant great lake and confirm that the Master of All Flows resides there before returning, it will be yours. What do you think?”
Queo-Tlan pondered the Lizardman’s proposal for a moment.
If it’s such a far-off location, it wouldn’t be a place one could visit in just a day or two.
His children were already grown and handling their own responsibilities as proper Lizardmen. His wife was thriving in producing papyrus, so they were well-off.
Taking a trip for a few days wouldn’t pose any significant problems.
And a gigantic lake is still just a lake, after all. Being a proficient swimmer means he should be able to make it there without issues.
“Alright! I’ll do it!”
And just like that, Queo-Tlan set out on a small boat down the river—for the sake of a single statue.
Sometimes, he’d tie a rope to the boat and swim alongside it, while other times, he allowed the current to carry the boat, enjoying a leisurely journey.
After several days of travel, Queo-Tlan finally arrived at a vast lake that seemed to stretch on forever. Out of sheer curiosity, he took a sip of the seawater and immediately gagged, spitting it out.
An unusually salty taste invaded his senses. It felt like despite drinking water, his thirst remained unquenched.
He could even feel the seawater quickly drawing moisture away from his hands.
It dawned on him then that this vast lake, this sea, was unlike any ordinary river or lake he’d ever encountered.
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
Hmm… Are the Lizardmen a bit simple-minded? Perhaps their physical strength comes at the cost of their intellect? Does being physically capable mean they don’t need to sharpen their wits?
Well, considering they had zero knowledge of the sea, I suppose it isn’t too shocking.
If saltwater sucks the moisture away… then for the Lizardmen, who struggle to survive without ample moisture, the sea must seem like a poisonous environment.
So, what should I do with this Lizardman, Queo-Tlan?
Should I let him go back quietly? Or should I provide some sort of assistance?
Or maybe… Should I turn him into a Lizardman that can adapt to the sea?
After all, some fish can thrive in both freshwater and saltwater! Why couldn’t Lizardmen potentially do the same?
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