Coiling Dragon

by welyjesch

  “Metallic lifeform?” Aches was flabbergasted.

  Bates’ eyes lit up. Only now did he remember his metallic lifeform, and he immediately laughed. “Right. I agreed to your request to use my metallic lifeform and allow everyone to ride it. Now, it’s destroyed. Aches, you have to compensate me! My metallic lifeform was a high level one, worth eighteen million inkstones!”

  “Eighteen million?” Aches stared.

  “What, are you not going to pay up?” The face of the big-bearded Bates immediately hardened, as though he were about to attack Aches.

  Aches hurriedly said, “Lord Bates, don’t worry, I’ll compensate you, I’ll definitely compensate you, alright?”

  “That’s more like it.” The big-bearded Bates laughed delightedly. His metallic lifeform was actually only worth around eight million inkstones. Now that it had been destroyed, he actually made a profit of ten million inkstones.

  Aches felt resignation in his heart. Who the hell had he pissed off, for all these disasters to happen on this trip through the Starmist Sea?

  “If this happens a few more times, this entire business trip will all but have been for nothing.” Aches sighed helplessly. Actually, the value of the products which Aches had brought was quite high. If he could bring it to the Bloodridge Continent, he would indeed make quite a bit of money.

  Unfortunately, the price of metallic lifeforms was high as well.

  “Will you be coming with us?” A voice rang out.

  Aches and the other seven Deities turned to look. The speaker was Linley. The big-bearded Bates glanced at him, then began to chortle. “Aches, if you want to travel alongside us, you need to first see if Linley agrees or not. I’m not the decision maker here. It’s up to Linley.”

  Aches and the rest of the seven all knew that the most powerful person in this group was Linley!

  “Lord Linley, we…” Aches hurriedly laughed.

  “If you want to travel along with us, it’s fine.” Linley laughed calmly as he spoke. When these words came out, Aches and the others all let out sighs of relief. Linley, seeing the situation, couldn’t help but laugh. “However, I have to warn you that although I killed Ganmontin, he still has another divine clone left. More importantly…there is a terrifying figure behind him, and that ultimate expert will most likely come looking for me.”

  “Ultimate expert?” Aches and the rest of the seven couldn’t help but look at each other.

  The nearby Bebe, wanting to frighten them, added, “That Ganmontin was nothing more than a subordinate of that expert. If you just think about it, you can probably come to the conclusion…that the expert should be on the same level as an Asura!”

  “Asura!” Aches, Tam, Wilburn, and the others felt their hearts shake. To a God, the Asuras were invincible figures that were far above them.

  The green-haired man, ‘Tam’, hurriedly said awkwardly, “Lord Linley is so powerful that he should be able to deal with that expert, right?” Aches and the others immediately looked at Linley.

  “I don’t have any confidence at all of being able to do so.” Linley refuted. “Everyone, make your decisions!”

  Aches and the other seven looked at each other.

  “We’ll still follow you, Lord Linley.” The seven, in the end, made their decision. If the seven were to roam the Starmist Sea by relying on their own power, there was no way they would be able to safely arrive at the Bloodridge Continent. By following Linley, they would be much safer.

  Linley, hearing this, couldn’t help but laugh.

  “If I can protect you, I will. If I’m not able to, then you’ll have to rely on yourselves.” Linley laughed calmly. “Alright, let’s head out!” Linley waved his hand, and a metallic lifeform appeared on the surface of the Starmist Sea.

  Linley knew very well that Aches no longer had any metallic lifeforms.

  Since they knew that behind Ganmontin there was this Lord Commander, Linley’s group naturally devised a method to make it so that they wouldn’t be found. First, Linley destroyed the interspatial ring and even that divine artifact, then took a roundabout route as they advanced towards the Bloodridge Continent.

  The Starmist Sea was vast and boundless. Even the most powerful of experts would find it very hard to find someone within the Starmist Sea.

  At first, Linley’s group had been quite worried, but after advancing for over a year without encountering any danger, everyone relaxed.

  The endless Starmist Sea. During their quiet voyage, twenty years quickly passed after their encounter with Ganmontin.

  “Rumble…” The waves of the sea rolled on.

  The metallic lifeform broke through the waves, with Linley seated outside at the head of the ship, staring at the waves.

  “Twenty years!” Linley gripped the wine bottle, casually taking two gulps. “In the Infernal Realm, time really does go by fast. Just traversing the Starmist Sea alone takes decades. By now, we haven’t even covered half the distance.”

  During the past twenty years, at first, Linley was worried about encountering that Lord Commander.

  But as time went on, Linley relaxed. After travelling for twenty years, most likely it would be extremely difficult for that Commander to locate them. After all, even Paragon-level Highgods wouldn’t have a significantly greater divine sense than normal Highgods.

  How then could they find Linley?

  “Boss.” Bebe suddenly scurried out from the cabin of the ship, his face filled with excitement. “Boss, in the cabin, they were discussing an extremely famous island that we are about to reach. It seems it is called Miluo Island!” During this journey, Linley’s group had halted at a few cities before as well.

  The vast Starmist Sea had many islands within it, and they were divided amongst ten prefectures as well. Every single prefecture had ten cities, which were all built upon the various islands.

  The islands of the Starmist Sea generally had a circumference of ten thousand kilometers, with the larger ones perhaps even a million kilometers, far larger than Linley’s homeland of the ‘Yulan continent’. This was more than enough land to build a city.

  “Miluo Island?” Linley couldn’t help but be surprised.

  “They say that Miluo Island is very developed and flourishing with trade. There’s even some sort of ‘Arena’ on Miluo Island as well, I hear.” Bebe was rather confused about this as well.

  Linley, however, remembered that in that book which described the geography of the Infernal Realm, there was a rather weighty description of the ‘Miluo Island’.

  The Miluo Island was a large island that was hundreds of kilometers in circumference, and was within the ‘Silverblue Prefecture’ of the Starmist Sea.

  Miluo Island was an extremely bustling place with a very large amount of people passing through it. Each day, many merchants and warriors would gather there. Its degree of activity wasn’t one whit lower than the ten major cities of the Silverblue Prefecture.

  This was a very puzzling thing, actually. An island that was comparable to the ten cities of Silverblue Prefecture?

  “Hey, Linley, what are you chatting about?” The big-bearded Bates walked to the front of the ship as well.

  “Just chatting about Miluo Island.” Linley laughed calmly.

  “Miluo Island?” The big-bearded ‘Bates’ sighed. “This is a very special place. It isn’t under the protection of the Starmist Army, nor does it have the protection of any prefectural soldiers, but it is as bustling as any of the large cities. Within the island, there is an independent castle which allows merchants to engage in trade.”

  The Starmist Army was comparable to the ‘Redbud Army’; it was the army of the Starmist Sea.

  “Miluo Island has an extremely powerful army within it which protects the rules of Miluo Island.” Bates sighed in praise. “The soldiers of this army are all Highgods and are very outstanding. After all these years, Miluo Island has never decayed!”

  Linley couldn’t help but feel puzzled.

  Each prefectu
re only had ten cities. But this Miluo Island was actually able to entice so many merchants to enter it, and was able to be maintained for so many years. This was indeed quite astonishing.

  “Miluo Island has two famous places within it. One is the ‘Free Castle’, while the other is the ‘Arena’. Within the Free Castle, no battles are permitted whatsoever. If any fighting is discovered, the soldiers of the Miluo Island will definitely show no mercy at all! Within the Arena, the onlookers aren’t permitted to battle each other. Anyone who violates this will also be surrounded and killed by the army!”

  Bates’ eyes were filled with amazement and excitement. “Miluo Island is too powerful. Up till now, no one has dared to challenge it.”

  “So many merchants trade there? Can it be that no one dares to steal there?” Bebe snorted. “I refuse to believe it. Ordinary people don’t dare rob the merchants, but can it be that the prefectural soldiers will also be afraid to? For example, the Starmist Army?” The Starmist Army was the army of the Sovereigns.

  Could it be that it wouldn’t come to deal with Miluo Island?

  “I’m not sure about that.” Bates shook his head.

  “Miluo Island has already existed for countless hundreds of millions of years. There definitely has to be a special reason for all this.” Linley had a general idea of some information regarding Miluo Island. However, it was still just a general idea. From this, though, Linley was able to postulate…that someone capable of forming an army composed of Highgods, as well as create a trading location outside of the city, had to be an utterly, monstrously powerful figure.

  “Behind Miluo Island there is definitely an astonishingly powerful force.” Linley said to himself.

  “Hey, just now, I heard you say that in three days, we’ll be at Miluo Island?” Bebe suddenly asked.

  The big-bearded Bates nodded and laughed, “Right. Three more days. Miluo Island is extremely interesting and fascinating, especially the Arena, and especially the Highgod Arena. The battles there even include some extremely powerful experts. It is so incredible!”

  Linley couldn’t help but feel a hint of anticipation in his heart as well.

  Miluo Island. An independent island within the Starmist Sea. It had no prefectural soldiers of the Starmist Army, and yet it was one of the most bustling places here.

  Three days later.

  “There’s so much activity!” Seeing the enormous island from afar, Linley’s group was shocked. Upon seeing Miluo Island’s island entrance, they actually saw countless, densely clustered metallic lifeforms heading in that direction.

  “At every moment in time, there are a large number of metallic lifeforms arriving.” Linley couldn’t help but sigh in amazement. “Each day, how many people must be arriving here at Miluo Island? It really is hard to fathom. The amount of activity here at Miluo Island really is no lower than any other island.”

  On this trip, Linley had seen quite a few cities.

  Their degree of activity was roughly the same as this Miluo Island.

  “Boss, let’s go. Let’s go take a look at this Miluo Island!” Once the metallic lifeform drew near and halted at the entrance location, Bebe immediately and excitedly was the first to charge out.

  There was no need to pay an entrance fee to enter Miluo Island. Linley’s group thus stepped down and entered this legendary Miluo Island.

  Book 16, Starmist Sea – Chapter 15, Miluo Island

  Miluo Island was a verdant island. Ancient trees could be seen everywhere, and the fresh air uplifted the spirits of Linley and the others. From afar, they could see the varied buildings, some sumptuous restaurants, and other edifices. The people on the streets were in an endless stream as well.

  At present, some members of bizarre races walked past Linley’s group. Some were sharp-eared elfin creatures with faintly green skin, while others were enormous whale-warriors whose faces had a rather scaly look. Although upon becoming a Deity, one could transform into a human, some bizarre races had different aesthetic standards compared to humans. Even in human form, they would maintain some of the things they felt proudest about. For example, the tail of a fox-man, or the fish-scales of an oceanic creature.

  Linley’s group was no longer puzzled by these things. Turning, he laughed as he looked at the nearby Delia and the others. “We’ve been on the sea for quite a while. Let’s first go to a restaurant, and then to the Arena and the Free Castle later.” Linley had been curious long ago regarding the legendary ‘Arena’. In this place, he would be able to see some of the techniques of real experts. How could he give up a chance like this?

  “We’ll do as you say, Lord Linley.” Aches chuckled as he spoke.

  Linley, hearing these words, understand that ever since his battle with Ganmontin, he had already become the acknowledged leader of this squad. This was how things worked in the Infernal Realm. Experts were revered.

  “Hey, Boss, look. That squad dressed in blood red armor. All of them are Highgods.” Bebe immediately pointed into the distance.

  Linley and the others immediately turned to look. Indeed, on the streaming, crowded streets, there were three men dressed in blood red armor, which had some unique patterns atop them. Linley wasn’t able to tell what sort of hidden meaning the patterns represented. As the three warriors walked atop the streets, everyone else on the streets intentionally maintained their distance, clearly not daring to offend them.

  The big-bearded Bates said hurriedly, “Linley, that’s the private army for protecting Miluo Island. No matter what, don’t offend them. All of them are Highgods, and they are extremely many in number. Over these countless years, nobody has ever dared to cause trouble at Miluo Island.”

  “Understood.” Linley laughed calmly.

  This private army of an island was actually vastly more elite than the Starmist Army or the prefectural armies. In addition, Miluo Island had been bustling for countless years now. Linley couldn’t help but feel astonished by the person behind Miluo Island.

  “Hey?” The nearby Delia frowned, her eyebrows knitting. “Bates, I remembered that you said before that Miluo Island is divided into the west island and east island regions. In the east island, it seems only the ‘Arena’ and the ‘Free Castle’ are restricted. In the other areas, it is fine if battle occurs, so there shouldn’t be any members of the island patrol, right?”

  Linley’s group, prior to coming to Miluo Island, had been warned about the rules of Miluo Island by Bates, who was familiar with them. Only the ‘Arena’ and the ‘Free Castle’ of Miluo Island were safe grounds.

  “Those aren’t patrols. Most likely, those three warriors are on break.” The big-bearded Bates laughed as he spoke. “Also, when Miluo Island warriors are on patrol, each squad has ten people, not three!”

  While walking and chatting, Linley’s group headed deeper into Miluo Island. Miluo Island was simply too vast, with a circumference of hundreds of thousands of kilometers, which was multiple times larger than Linley’s homeland of the Yulan continent. Fortunately, Linley’s group was capable of moving at a speed that far exceeded mortals, and so to them, this sort of scope wasn’t that much.

  “This restaurant isn’t bad. I ate here last time.” The big-bearded Bates pointed at an ancient, classy-looking building in front of them.

  “Alright. I’ll trust your judgment.” Bebe chortled and was the first to rush into the restaurant. Linley’s group naturally began to laugh while following him. However, as they walked into the restaurant, Linley was stunned.

  By the side of the door, there was an explanation notice:

  For those who eat in my restaurant, if they engage in battle, they must pay a fee of ten thousand inkstones. If a chair is broken, a hundred inkstones must be paid. If a table is broken…

  “What…what’s this all about?” Linley had never seen this outside of a restaurant before. Olivier, curious, also read through the rules. “How greedy. The chairs and tables are probably worth not even a single inkstone, but they actually want to charge
so much. Also, any overturned food needs to be paid at ten times the price?”

  Aches laughed. “This is a unique aspect of Miluo Island. After all, in normal cities, battles are strictly forbidden. But in Miluo Island…aside from those two areas, the other areas all permit battle and killing. Or, at least, the patrol soldiers of Miluo Island won’t interfere. But these many restaurants and hotels and other service areas, which have formed into a huge alliance, will interfere.”

  The restaurants, hotels, and other service locations had formed an alliance? Linley was somewhat astonished.

  “They won’t go too hard on you, but if a battle occurs, then you absolutely must pay enough money. If you don’t pay up, they’ll attack.” Aches sighed in praise. “If I were a store owner, I’d hope for people to engage in battle, and then I would be able to collect money afterwards.”

  Special places had special rules.

  “How intriguing.” Linley let out a few words of praise, and then headed into the restaurant. The restaurant was very large, and there were quite a few customers present. Linley’s group headed up to the second floor, dividing into two tables. Linley’s table was one seated near a window. Naturally, the fees were covered by Aches.

  “The silverfish slices are so tender. They melt as soon as they enter the mouth.” Bebe sighed in amazement, hurriedly using his spoon to scoop up yet another piece of fish, delivering it to his mouth while calling out loudly, “Delicious, delicious.”

  “This Bebe…” Linley and Delia were enjoying this rare chance to eat delicacies as well.

  “Did you misspeak? How is that possible!”

  “Of course I didn’t misspeak! This is absolutely correct. On the sea here from Bluemaple City of the Redbud Continent, every single large-scale bandit force was completely destroyed. Those bandit forces were completely dispersed!”

  Hearing this, Linley was shocked. All of the powerful bandit forces from Bluemaple City to here had been destroyed? Who could be so powerful? Linley turned to look, and saw two men drinking wine and chatting amongst themselves. One of them, a man with long golden hair, was speaking with assurance and composure.