Meeting the Lord Ryuujin
The distribution of Kiblinki Saltas proceeded smoothly, and all the villages on the list had received them.
All that remained was to finalize the finer details before heading home, but before that, there was one place I wanted to visit—and was supposed to visit anyway.
The island where the Ryuujin reside—The Ryuujin Peak.
It seemed Priscilla and her group were going there to pay their respects since they planned to use the island’s medicinal products for trade, so I decided to tag along.
“It’s reassuring that you’re coming with us, Lily, but… you’re sure Talat won’t pick a fight with the Ryuujin, right?”
“I think it’ll be fine… unless the Ryuujin challenges us to a contest of strength.”
“Let’s avoid any trouble if we can, okay? I really don’t want to stir things up here.”
I understand, even without her drilling it into me.
But given how often Talat and I get challenged to contests of strength whenever we go near strong monsters… I can’t exactly blame her for being cautious.
It’s honestly frustrating, though.
Ryuujin Peak is about two and a half days by ship from Taisha Island.
We departed from Taisha’s port at sunrise, and by sunset two days later, we arrived at the Ryuujin Peak.
There was a proper port built for ships to dock, but apparently, no one actually lived on the island.
I couldn’t help but wonder… why?
“Hmm? Oh, that? You’re better off hearing it directly from the Ryuujin,”
answered Lady Kikuri, the Earth Seat, who came along with us, brushing aside my question.
What does that mean?
It left me a little uneasy, but after resting the night at the port’s lodge, we made our way into the island’s mountains.
There were no paved roads here either—we simply picked out paths that looked easy to walk.
Clearly, this island had been left untouched by human hands.
I guess it really is considered a special place because the Ryuujin live here.
“Alright, this is where Lord Ryuujin resides.”
“This? It just looks like a cave to me…”
“Sure does. Lord Ryuujin, would you kindly come out?”
At Lady Kikuri’s call into the depths of the cave, something shining emerged from within.
It slithered out of the cave, then soared into the sky, stopping at a height where it could look down on us.
Its form was unmistakably that of an Eastern dragon.
(Kikuri? What brings you here?)
“Yes, Lord Ryuujin. We wish to use your medicinal products for trade and have come to seek your permission.”
(I’ve told you before, I care not for such things. I leave the use of my shed scales to the residents of the Isles of the Eight Gods. If those scales spark conflict, I will intervene. But otherwise, I will not.)
“Of course, but we prefer to be cautious… just in case.”
(You’ve always been the careful one. So, how much do you plan to distribute?)
“We’ll start with small amounts. After that… well, it depends on how things go. Under the right conditions, the medicine becomes a cure-all, but without them, it’s nothing but a foul-tasting concoction.”
(That is good. Be sure to thoroughly explain the proper usage when distributing it.)
Proper usage? I wondered silently.
And how do Kikuri and the Ryuujin know each other so well?
Looks like I’ve got a lot of questions to ask later…
What do you think about this chapter?
Thanks for the treat. 😊