Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Thirteen years had since passed. It was now the fall of San Calendar Year 34.
A large ship approached the city of Danello in the Kingdom of Engido. It was a port city that had grown within the recent years. Though sea monsters and Children of the Sea were still almost impossible to kill, humanity had already devised methods to avoid them, developing safer seafaring routes.
This orc city, which had developed due to trade, had incorporated the opposing influences of humanity’s elegance and attention to detail with the orcs’ tastes for more basic simplicity, creating a surprisingly wonderful combination. From afar, the outline of the city could be seen from the seas, its port lined with several merchant vessels, including an array from both the human and orc kingdoms. A large number of dockworkers were constantly bustling around the port, creating a lively scene.
The stone buildings within the city were surrounded constantly with the daily crowds of passersby. A tall clock tower and a beautiful church could be seen clearly, even from the docks. In fact, they could even be seen from the far off horizon.
At that moment, two people approached. They were dressed in identical sky blue pullovers, black pants, and boots. For the shorter figure, the pullover seemed to be quite long, extending past the knees. Both of them had identical short hair and handsome features.
The tall figure was a bearded man. He had black hair and black eyes. The shorter individual was a blonde lion orc youth. Both of them carried backpacks and longswords. As the pair lifted their suitcases down from the ship, they made their ways into Danello.
There where many races on the roads of the trading city, including several types of orcs and human merchants. Within a church in the city, Lu Zhiyu met a dog-person orc that was clad in a black priest’s habit.
This signified that he was a member of the Church of Light within the orc kingdom, however, unlike the human version, they called themselves the Faith of the Sun and believed in the Sun Goddess Maria. The variation was not only revealed in the name, but even their beliefs and rituals of worship had major differences.
The Faith of the Sun, or the orc adaption of the Church of Light, stemmed from an attempt that occurred a few decades ago, when the Church of Light tried to expand within the orc kingdoms. Although it was effective to a certain extent, it still wasn’t popular.
However, after the battle that destroyed the Kingdom of Menkaure, the Church of Light and the Executioners had demonstrated an overwhelming power. Not only did many orcs start hating the Church of Light and humanity, but it was also extremely effective in spreading the faith of the Church of Light in the lands of the orcs. This combination of fear and power had made for an unexpectedly effective conversion tactic.
Religions within the orc kingdoms also went through countless changes, fights, and mergers on their way to forming the Faith of the Sun. Though its roots were much weaker as compared to the Church of the Light, its development was still extremely fast. Within a little more than a decade, the Sun Faith had spread throughout most of the orc kingdoms. Many tribes had also converted, thus embracing the Sun Faith.
After walking into the church, Lu Zhiyu hollered a loud greeting. Immediately, an orc Sun Faith priest turned around. “Hello! If it isn’t Baron Randhir Eranbell and our handsome Will! You’re all grown up! The two of you are quite alike, even if Will is just a bit too short, unlike you and most lion-people!”
Verthandi rolled her eyes upon hearing the old orc’s teasing. Her height had always been a bit of a sore spot that Lu Zhiyu teased her about. Now that the old orc had brought it up, she behaved a bit like a cat whose tail was just stepped on. She scowled at the older orc, feeling more than a bit sensitive.
Lu Zhiyu gave the old orc a warm hug. “My old friend Cory, I am glad to see you.”
“It’s been ten years, yet you still have the same energy.”
“I have already grown old, but you haven’t changed at all.”
After a bit of small talk back and forth, Cory invited Lu Zhiyu into a guest room in the back. The two talked as they walked. “I heard you will soon be promoted to become a bishop?”
Cory seemed very happy after hearing Lu Zhiyu’s words. He smiled as he replied, “All of the Bishops have been transferred to other locations, so I am already the acting bishop. As soon as the higher ups send the order, I’ll be able to wear the white robes.”
Lu Zhiyu was also quite happy for Cory. He was a devout believer, who had been around since the founding of the Faith ten years ago, back when it was still being suppressed. After being transferred to the city of Danello, he had been promoted. Now, as the acting Bishop of Danello, he wielded considerable influence within the Faith of Sun.
“Congratulations, you have finally gained control over the Grand Church of Danello. This is the dream of quite a few Faith of Sun clergy.”
Cory accepted Lu Zhiyu’s well wishes. “If I have the chance, I wish to visit St. Sarl City for a pilgrimage. I’d like to see the legendary kin of god, Her Holiness the Saintess, and the divine artifact, the Mask of Faross, which is a true sign of God. I hope one day, we too will receive a divine artifact and divine blessings from the Heavens!”
He continued. “Haha, but maybe that is me being too greedy. I will honestly be quite satisfied if I can enter the Kingdom of God after my passing. Even that is too much to ask for.”
Lu Zhiyu knew that the Sun Faith has been searching tirelessly for divine artifacts, as they often tried to contact the divine. Yet they had not received any response. Besides, they had been searching for the Sword of the King, which had been lost over ten years, without results.
After getting seated and chatting for awhile, Lu Zhiyu jumped into the main topic, his upcoming visit to the Kingdom of Engido. “I heard that an evil dragon has appeared within the Kingdom of Engido.”
Cory’s expression instantly changed. “Do not speak of the matter. It is rumored that this dragon is likely to appear, once it is summoned.”
Cory then got up and closed the window superstitiously, speaking very carefully. “But, yes, that is right. It is an evil white dragon that appeared about a year ago. After its appearance, it has pillaged many villages and robbed merchant vessels. After that, it became even crazier, raiding cities. Last month, it even stole away our princess, escaping with her to the Amos Icefield. It has demanded a ransom from the king, who has now set a bounty on the head of the dragon for the rescue of the princess.”
Of course Lu Zhiyu knew that he was able to pinpoint the location of the dragon. However, the purpose of this time’s journey was to set up a trial for Little Trouble, while raising her abilities to give her a chance to grow.
Yet, Lu Zhiyu had never expected this dragon to be so arrogant! Its personality and deeds were identical to the evil dragons of legend. Lu Zhiyu had to wonder if this was all due to the initial designs that he had programmed within their genes? He had given all the dragons a love for gold, but they had also received variations according to their subspecies. If Lu Zhiyu recalled correctly, white dragons seemed to be programmed to be…lustful?!
So, why did it capture the princess of the orcs? The size and species were a wrong fit for such a scenario. What did the white dragon want to do?
Lu Zhiyu’s head spun with these questions, while he pressed onwards. He then turned to ask Cory, “What is the most convenient route to the Amos Icefield?”
Cory looked at Lu Zhiyu. “You’re not thinking of slaying the dragon to save the princess, right? My God, you’re full of surprises old fella! But, I wouldn’t recommend leaping towards your own death in such a way!”
Although Lu Zhiyu was miffed by the tone of the old orc, he knew that his friend was only teasing, so he decided to ignore it and continue on. Seeing his reaction, Cory gave a huge laugh, then explained. “If you want to get to the Amos Icefield, it would be best to follow, or hire, an merchant team. I do know a caravan that frequents that route. I even believe that you are already quite familiar with its owner.”
“Who?”
“Elias…”
