So, the dwarves are roughly done, huh? What else is there?
Beastmen? Yeah, the beastmen were just living their lives without much change.
Their numbers have increased significantly, spreading here and there, but other than that, not much else.
The nation of beastmen, Vistia, is still thriving… and it seems like they’re maintaining smooth relations with both halves of the split Romania Empire.
Unlike Vistia, caught between the two Romanias, Rattkinia, which borders only North Romania, seems to be in a bit of a strange position.
It’s said Rattkinia has had a conflict with their neighbor North Romania, but they maintain a close relationship with South Romania instead.
They trade through sea routes with South Romania while keeping a careful eye on North Romania across the border.
It’s a classic divide and conquer situation. I don’t know whose idea it was, but it seems like South Romania had a hand in it.
With Rattkinia in existence, North Romania is probably feeling threatened not just by South Romania but also by the fierce rat beastmen potentially attacking from the side.
The overall power level tilts a little more in favor of North Romania, but it seems they’re using this strategy to maintain balance.
Hmm. And other than that… hmm… nothing much, I guess?
Maybe the betting was thriving thanks to the horse beastmen racing? Or there was a snake beastman who lied about being a lizardman for a scam? And of course, the dog beastmen had some disputes about lineage. Oh, there’s also the occasional social issues caused by those free-spirited cat beastmen, but we can skip over those trivial matters.
So, let’s wrap up with the beastmen and move on to the next topic.
Shall we take a look at the mermaids under Thetis’s care?
Mermaids living under the sea. Those peaceful mermaids living under Thetis’s protection.
Curious as they are, the mermaids gradually spread out across the sea.
Many mermaids lost their lives in the process, but as they’re born, they have a survival strategy of laying many eggs.
Once they secure reasonably safe bases, increasing the number of mermaids wasn’t a difficult feat.
That just means there are plenty of threats to the mermaids… but let’s not dwell on that.
So, the mermaids spread throughout the sea and began establishing villages and underwater civilizations.
Sometimes they used items washed ashore or helped humans who fell into the sea, learning knowledge as they grew.
Thanks to those mermaids, humans slowly began to explore the sea a bit more.
Humans, who used to stick to the nearer waters, started embarking on ships to venture out into the deep blue.
In this process, they learned from mermaids how to ride the current or prayed to the God of Wind to summon favorable winds. Just minor things, let’s skip over those.
Thus, the humans who established a cooperative relationship with the mermaids started trading items from the ground that mermaids couldn’t obtain, in exchange for coral, pearls, and various seafood.
It didn’t take long before they realized the value of the items offered by the mermaids.
Many items washing around in the sea held great value on land.
So, it became clear that using mermaids could lead to great profits.
And… the beauty of mermaids, mirroring the God of the Sea, became something many desired.
Then came the ensuing events: mermaid trafficking.
Once free to swim in the sea, the mermaids were left crawling on land.
Humans deceived curious and innocent mermaids, lured them to land, and captured them to make big bucks.
The outcome? Well, rage from Thetis.
To put it simply, they all died.
Not a single soul who incurred the wrath of the Sea, the Water, survived.
Their fate was sealed: they couldn’t touch a single drop of water, nor could they drink, leading them to their end.
Dying with dry throats, they suffered from endless thirst.
Even when they tilted a bottle to drink, not a drop reached their lips, and even if they submerged their heads in a bathtub filled with water, not a single drop touched their bodies.
In desperation, when one jumped into a river, they emerged without a drop of water on them.
All the water was rejecting them.
Thus, dying in an unquenchable thirst, those who enslaved mermaids met the same fate.
And so, the slave traders of mermaids vanished, never to appear again.
“I heard that’s what happened. Isn’t that a bit harsh?”
“Harsh, you say? It was only those who broke the rules that were dealt with, after all. Honestly, I wished I could call forth a huge wave and wipe them all out, but… I thought that would upset Mother.”
Grumbling, Thetis replied. Huh. Well, that’s true.
“I understand that land creatures hunt water creatures to survive and eat. It’s a natural order. But capturing water creatures alive for your own greed? That’s unacceptable.”
Yet, Thetis had clearly established her own standards.
“Hmm. Is there anything else happening?”
“Huh? Ah, yes. Anyway, there isn’t much happening in the sea. The mermaids are spreading, but I doubt they’ll cause any accidents.”
Thetis spoke calmly. Well, she’ll manage just fine.
Alright, let’s skip past Thetis and the mermaids and move on to the sylphids and bird beastmen.
The bird beastmen who trust the sylphids have seen their numbers grow significantly over the last 300 years.
Despite the rather barren conditions, they managed to increase their numbers… thanks to their connection with the Church of Life, leading to great benefits.
The sight of bird beastmen fluttering about with large bags secured to their necks and hips can be seen in any city of decent size.
Additionally, the Church of Life published and distributed the world’s first newspaper, gathering and organizing information from around the globe.
It also facilitated swift delivery of urgent letters or small packages one person could carry. The ability to utilize flying bird beastmen made speedy delivery a reality.
Thanks to the bird beastmen, the world feels just a little smaller.
Anyway, those working bird beastmen sent the food they bought with their earnings back to their homeland, allowing the bird beastmen back home to thrive on that food.
In a way, it feels like they’re leeching off those working bird beastmen, but what can you do? The working bird beastmen themselves grew up on the food sent by others.
Perhaps you could say they’re forming one gigantic community, working for the benefit of that community.
Thus, the bird beastmen continued to increase their numbers, maintaining their faith in the sylphids while also accelerating the flow of information in this world.
Of course, not every bird beastman works for the Church of Life, but many are keen to recognize the value of flight.
So, the bird beastmen are enjoying their own sort of prosperity.
“See, my faith is steadily growing! Recently, even other races have begun believing in me!”
“I see.”
The sylphid beamed confidently. What do they call this expression? Oh right, it’s in Japanese.
“Those who sail wish for the wind to push their ships! They pray for gentle winds and hope strong storms don’t strike!”
“The speed of a ship depends on the wind and current. I thought as navigation improved, your faith would increase as well, and I was right.”
“Huh? Is that so?! So if humans had ventured out to sea faster, that means there would have been more who believed in me!”
The sylphid pouted, looking a bit displeased. It was kind of cute, which made me chuckle softly.
“Technology develops step by step. If you try to run before learning to walk, won’t you fall? You usually start with coastal navigation before slowly venturing into the deeper sea.”
“But….”
“Well, now there should be more who believe in you, so cheer up. While ships aren’t very large now, over time bigger ships will come, and many will strive to move goods across the sea, thus your faith will grow even more.”
“Uh, I guess so?”
The sylphid’s face brightened again. Ah, so cute. Those quick shifts in expression are truly adorable.
“It’s just that the era wasn’t ready for me until now! Now that people know the value of wind, it’s my golden age!”
“Happy faces are nice to see!”
“Heheh.”
I simply patted the sylphid’s head gently.
