“First priority goes to the Bird Tribe. Elemental gemstones, you say. Such items are rare even outside the desert.”
“Hmm…!”
“Hah.”
“Oh dear…”
At Batukan’s words, all the tribes except one sighed in disappointment.
“Second priority goes to the Cow Tribe. The quantity of high-quality iron ore is considerable, and the quality of the magic stones is excellent as well.”
“Whew!”
The Cow Tribe, having been chosen, smiled in satisfaction, seemingly content with being ranked second.
“Next come the Dog Tribe, the Toh Tribe, the Demon Tribe, and the Serpent Tribe. The reason for this ranking is due to the number of our orcs. The goods brought by the Toh Tribe are certainly of high quality, but the quantity is lacking and wouldn’t be of much help to our orc numbers. On the other hand, the monster materials from the Dog Tribe are not only plentiful but also quite diverse.”
“Grr… I acknowledge that.”
“Hmph…”
The Dog Tribe, ranked third, nodded in agreement, showing no signs of objection, while the Toh Tribe looked quite pained by the result.
In contrast, the Serpent and Demon Tribes frowned, seemingly unwilling to accept the decision, prompting Batukan to add further explanation.
“The items brought by your tribes were also excellent in terms of quality. However, they lacked the variety offered by the Dog Tribe’s goods.”
“……”
“Haah…”
Even after hearing the explanation, the Demon and Serpent Tribes didn’t look pleased, but they couldn’t press the issue further.
Doing so would only waste time, and if they were to raise complaints and end up losing the deal entirely, it would spell disaster for their tribes.
In the end, those on the losing end had no choice but to remain silent.
“Now then, let’s determine the number of Water Source Stones to be distributed.”
At Batukan’s continued direction, the representatives of the tribes nodded with serious expressions.
They knew they couldn’t increase their own share, but they had to make sure the other tribes didn’t get too much either.
Thus began a long and drawn-out negotiation, which concluded after three full days.
And the date of the trade was now fast approaching.
***
Countless footprints of beastkin and giant lizards were imprinted on the sand beneath the blazing sun.
As their numbers approached one hundred thousand, Parimash felt a chill run down his spine despite the sweltering heat.
“It almost feels… like a war is about to break out.”
“If things go sideways, I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s exactly what happens.”
“Hmm.”
Historically, the only times such vast numbers of beastkin had gathered were during times of war, so it was inevitable that concern would show on Parimash’s face.
Just as Shane had said, those gathered here wouldn’t hesitate to draw their blades if provoked.
However, contrary to Parimash’s worries, no major bloodshed occurred.
They too wished to avoid war and more importantly—
“Orcs. Kind.”
“But they also don’t mind a fight if one comes their way.”
“Hey, you over there. Your voice is loud. What’s going on?”
“Don’t fight. Peace is best.”
With hundreds of thousands of orcs present, a number not outmatched even by the beastkin who had come for the trade, any small disturbances were quickly quelled by the orcs themselves.
“Things are going… more smoothly than I expected.”
“Peace is made by those with strength.”
“Hmm…”
Parimash then proceeded with the task of organizing the transport personnel by tribe, together with the orcs.
As the sun began to set, those who had come as part of the transport convoys waited outside, while each tribe’s representatives, accompanied by guards, stepped into the orcs’ stronghold.
Whether it had been prepared in advance or not, unlike before, more than half of the Water Source Stones embedded in the ceiling had been removed and gathered in a corner.
“Then, as agreed in our earlier negotiations, 350 Water Source Stones will be given to the Bird Tribe.”
As Batukan spoke from among dozens of orcs, the Bird Tribe’s representative raised their hand.
Their demeanor was noticeably more respectful than before.
“Hmm… Before that, I’d like to make a proposal.”
“At this point?”
“It was a decision made after discussing with our chieftain, which is why it’s late. If possible, may we purchase that magic device instead of the Water Source Stones?”
“Hmm… the Visual Recorder. There aren’t many of those. Even we orcs use them with great care.”
“That’s exactly why we’re so eager to obtain it.”
Batukan’s eyes narrowed sharply at that.
He already knew well why the Bird Tribe was targeting that Visual Recorder.
“What do you plan to use it for?”
“Our Bird Tribe has long been skilled in shamanism. We want to directly experience what humans call magic.”
“Then there’s no need for a Visual Recorder specifically, is there?”
“That’s true, but there’s nothing quite like a Visual Recorder that contains such a wide range of elemental attributes.”
“Hmm…”
Though the Bird Tribe offered that explanation, Batukan appeared deep in thought for a moment before shaking his head.
“This trade of Water Source Stones doesn’t only concern your tribe. I also have no desire to stir up unnecessary trouble in this desert. So let’s proceed with the deal as originally discussed. As for the Visual Recorder, let’s talk about that separately at a later time.”
“In that case… understood. I hope for good news in the future.”
With those words, the Bird Tribe’s representative quietly stepped back.
Just as the orcs were about to begin transporting the pre-agreed quantity of Water Source Stones—
A commotion began to rise from outside.
***
The sanctuary of the Nakar Desert was a place revered as sacred by the beastkin, but upon hearing that, Raviata could confidently say to their faces:
“Bullshit.”
Sacred?
Raviata had never once in her life felt anything like that, but she did know one thing for certain:
This place was about as far from sacred as the farthest edge of the universe.
It felt like every step was sinking into a sticky swamp.
The kind that swallowed your calves whole.
If someone as powerful as Raviata was struggling like this, what would it be like for anyone else?
One could say with certainty. Every single step would drain their soul into this place.
“What a goddamn hellhole…”
According to Shane, this place had been created when Raviata’s ancestor, a dragon, fell into corruption.
It was said to be a space where time had been bound in place so that their soul could remain tethered to the mortal world.
And it seemed even Raviata couldn’t escape its influence. She had to constantly assert her presence, remind herself forcefully that she was not a part of this place.
If there was any silver lining, it was that despite compasses being useless here, the terrain matched that of the ancient Nakar region before it had become a desert.
Raviata relied on an ancient map given to her by Parimash, and after spending an entire month navigating, she finally found the place she was searching for.
A colossal structure.
The entrance to a temple said to have been built by the ancient beastkin to serve a dragon.
“Damn. That’s ridiculously huge.”
Even at a glance, it looked larger than most fortresses, and when she cast her magic across it, something sticky stirred from beneath.
“Tsk… this is as far as I go.”
She could feel it in her gut.
Down there…her ancestors were sealed away.
But Raviata instinctively knew that going any deeper would be suicide.
Even now, she was barely holding herself together within this timestream held in place by the dragon’s soul. If she went underground, it was obvious…she’d end up sealed alive, just like them.
“Well, at least I confirmed it… but what the hell am I supposed to do next?”
Just then, a voice echoed in her head. It was Ignis, the fire spirit she had contracted with.
[Yeah, that’s the tricky part, Commander.]
“You’ve lived for a few hundred years, haven’t you? Don’t you know something?”
[Wow. You never treat me like that normally, but now you’re bringing up my age?]
“You little—”
[No violence, please!]
“I’m exhausted, so just answer the damn question.”
Though Ignis usually had a snarky tone, seeing how drained Raviata looked, he finally responded with a more serious voice.
[Hmm… Commander. What do you think a soul really is?]
“…Well. I haven’t really found any solid information about it yet, so I can’t say for sure.”
Raviata had taken quite an interest in the study of souls and had searched for information on the topic more than once.
After all, once her physical body’s lifespan came to an end, her soul would be sealed here, alongside the ancestral dragon souls. That was her fate.
So she’d gathered information from many sources. But even in ancient times, knowledge about souls was scarce.
Unless one stumbled upon something from the mythical era, it was nearly impossible to find.
[A soul, you could say, is kind of like mana. Mana usually exists in a neutral state, right? But depending on the will of the world, it gradually finds its own attribute. And once it’s done fulfilling its role, it returns to that neutral state again.]
“Well, yeah. That makes sense.”
[Same goes for souls. Once they’ve fulfilled their role in this world, they return to nature only to be reborn with new life. That’s the cycle of life.]
“Then why the hell are you only telling me this now? I went through hell trying to dig up that kind of info, and you just kept your mouth shut.”
[Because, back then, you weren’t at the right level for it. Spirits like us may know a lot, but we’re also bound by restrictions. Keep that in mind. The only reason I can talk this much now is because you absorbed the Dragon Heart.]
At that, Raviata nodded in understanding.
She’d learned firsthand after crawling through countless dungeons that knowledge beyond one’s level couldn’t be obtained, no matter how hard you tried.
“So? What does any of that have to do with the souls of my ancestors sealed here?”
[Let me just add one more thing before that. I said that souls without a body return to nature and re-enter the cycle of life, right? Then let’s think about the opposite. The undead…souls that still linger even after death. How do they come to exist?]
“They’re formed when lingering resentment and grudges build up over time.”
[Exactly. A single person’s resentment isn’t enough to create an undead. It takes countless grudges piled together, becoming so powerful that they start affecting the physical world. Or it happens through artificial means.]
Artificial means.
The mention of necromancy made Raviata nod, and Ignis continued.
[But before the ancient era and back in the mythical era, there was virtually no concept of the undead. Back then, the prevailing idea wasn’t death, but ascension…returning to the universe. However, once the mythical era ended and the ancient era began, the concept of death took root. The reason was resentment. It was during the gods’ war in the mythical era that the idea of ‘resentment’ first appeared in the world, and from that point on, ‘ascension’ lost its meaning and the concept of ‘death’ was born.]
“There was no concept of death in mythology, huh…”
Raviata slowly nodded in agreement.
The green dragon she had seen in the Great Mezaiya Forest had also felt more like it was returning to nature rather than dying.
That thought led Raviata’s eyes to flash.
She was starting to understand what Ignis was trying to say.
[Starting to get it now?]
“Our ancestor was a dragon. Dragons are a race that existed since the mythical era. So the concept of death shouldn’t have applied to them, right?”
[Exactly. Dragons are beings tied to ascension, not death. But this one died while harboring resentment. How could that even be possible?]
“…You’re saying they were murdered?”
[Bingo. The ancestor of your clan was killed. It met death in the form of deep-seated resentment.]
At those words, Raviata’s eyes widened.
Someone had killed a dragon…a being that had existed since ancient times?
“So back to the point. How do we fix this?”
[Either the one who killed the dragon must deal with it directly… or, if that’s not possible, someone of equal standing has to step in.]
In other words,
There was no way Raviata could resolve this on her own right now.
[Looks like you’ll need to ask that shady guy again.]
“Ugh, this kind of thing really isn’t my style.”
Raviata begrudgingly admitted it.
If she wanted to overcome this situation, she had no choice but to ask Shane, the one who had known the truth of this place from the start.
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