It was obvious that the plesiosaur was not a picky eater; that was the only explanation for the variety of things found in its stomach. A pile of half-digested fish, seaweed, and miscellaneous items had emerged from its corpse.

“Look at this guy. It looks as if he swallowed a whole boat as well,” Henrick said in surprise.

A boat in perfect condition, with a skeleton in it, had emerged from the plesiosaur’s insides. Henrick immediately went over to search the skeleton’s pockets, taking a handful of gold coins from it.

“You’ll be punished if you steal money from the dead,” Shaneth rebuked him.

“It probably paid all of its dues to cross over to the underworld, so it got a refund,” Henrick cheekily retorted.

Kang Yoon-Soo searched the plesiosaur’s innards for a while, and an assortment of strange items fell out whenever he moved his hands around in it.

[Wave Ring]

[Epics of the Ancient Heroes, Volume 17]

[Cayman River Jewel]

Kang Yoon-Soo took an old book from the pile and wiped the stains off its covers. Some small letters, made from candle wax to make sure that they would not be erased, emerged.

[Library of Knowledge]

‘I’ll need this for the next destination, so I’d better keep it safe,’ he thought.

Kang Yoon-Soo placed the book and the jewel in his backpack, then put the Wave Ring on his finger.

It was then…

“Krwak! Krwaaak!” A familiar cry came from within the plesiosaur’s insides. Iris rushed to clear away the pile of seaweed blocking the way, and a softshell turtle covered in digestive fluids slowly crawled out.

“Mung Bean!” Iris cried out, hugging the turtle. Mung Bean was covered in disgusting digestive fluid, but Iris was not fazed at all.

Mung Bean also cried out happily when it saw Iris. “Krwaaaaak!”

The party members bit into fresh airdrop fruits, preparing to dive back down once again. They had checked the end of the tunnel, but all they had found at the end was a steep vertical path that was impossible to climb. In the end, Kang Yoon-Soo led the way, and the others followed behind him just as they had the first time.

Splash!

Perhaps it was because they were no longer nervous about anything, but the swim back felt much more arduous and tiring compared to the first time. However, it seemed that the water was quite a bit warmer than it had previously been for some odd reason, and the fish bones and half-eaten remains could no longer be seen anywhere.

“Fuwah!”

It was already dawn by the time they surfaced above the water. The rain was much weaker, seeming as if it would soon come to a stop.

As Shaneth squeezed her hair dry, she was the first one to speak up. “Come to think of it, there is something I was curious about.”

“What is it?” Nell asked.

Shaneth looked at Nell and asked, “How did you fish out the plesiosaur alone? We couldn’t do anything even when we worked together.”

“I annoyed it,” Nell replied curtly.

“What?” Shaneth asked, perplexed.

“The hook was stuck between its teeth, which was why I kept shaking it. That monster had a tendency to swallow everything that annoyed it. The owner of the island left the water of its own volition,” Nell explained.

Shaneth tilted her head, feeling as if Nell had just been playing with his words.

Nell continued with a nod, “Fishing isn’t about how strong you are. Fishing is all about patience and experience. Every single one of our movements is a reflection of the years we’ve spent mastering our art.”

The party reached the island’s shoreline with Mung Bean tagging along behind them. The river’s tides were still raging wildly, and it was certain that they would end up being pushed downstream if they attempted to swim across it. They had no way to cross the river, as the boat they had taken on the way had been destroyed.

“Should we wait for the rain to stop?” Yan asked.

However, Kang Yoon-Soo shook his head and replied, “The waterway linking the island to the Cayman River will disappear when the rain stops.”

Yan seemed to be in a dilemma. He said, “But it’s too risky for us to try and cross the river when we have no way to get across other than to swim.”

It was then that Mung Bean slowly crawled toward the water and cried out, “Krwaaaaak!”

“Mung Bean, what’s the matter?” Iris asked.

However, Mung Bean just kept looking at the other side of the river while crying out continuously. As the turtle’s cries rang out through the sounds of rain, a group of large shells suddenly surfaced from the water.

“Krwak!”

“Krwaaah! Krwak!”

Cries that sounded just like Mung Bean filled the air as hundreds of softshell turtles emerged from the river; their green shells were likewise nearly identical.

“It’s my first time seeing this many softshell turtles in one place!” Shaneth exclaimed in surprise.

There were so many turtles in front of them at that moment that it would be believable to say that all the softshell turtles in the Cayman River had arrived.

Nell nodded and said, “So they finally showed up.”

“What do you mean, father?” Yan asked.

“I saw them when I was dragged underwater. These softshell turtles hid underwater when the owner of the island appeared,” Nell explained.

It turned out that the softshell turtles had been hiding from the plesiosaur before reappearing all at once.

Mung Bean slowly crawled toward the river, and Iris exclaimed in surprise, “Mung Bean! Where are you going?” However, Mung Bean did not look back no matter how desperately she called out to it.

“Krwak! Krwaaak!” Mung Bean eventually disappeared after crawling over to the other softshell turtles that looked exactly like it.

Iris stood still in a daze, unable to believe what had just happened. She muttered, “M-Mung Bean…”

Henrick snickered and said, “It seems to me that the turtle just used us to save its family.”

Iris suddenly looked at Henrick and asked, “What do you mean?”

“It pretended to be a docile pet while slowly luring us to this island,” Henrick explained.

The innocent Iris looked as if she were about to burst into tears at any moment.

Shaneth scolded Henrick, “Do you really think Mung Bean set up such an elaborate plan?”

“Who knows? It seemed to be quite smart despite how it looked,” Henrick said in an annoying, teasing voice, which finally made Iris cry.

“There is no way Mung Bean would be like that!” Iris shouted.

It was at that moment that Mung Bean suddenly cried out from amid the sea of softshell turtles. “Krwaaak!”

The softshell turtles moved busily around in response to Mung Bean’s cries. The previously scattered turtles lined up, forming something that resembled a bridge made of stepping stones.

“Hmm… It seems as if they’re asking us to step on them and cross,” Henrick said with a hint of skepticism in his voice, knocking on the shells. The shells were so sturdy and rock-steady that they did not move one bit.

Kang Yoon-Soo was the first one to step across the turtles’ backs, saying, “Let’s go.”

The rest of the party members crossed the bridge of turtles, which stayed perfectly steady despite the raging currents. As they were crossing the bridge, the rain slowly came to a stop. The dark clouds receded, and the morning sun slowly began to shine down on them.

“The island is disappearing!” Yan shouted, pointing at the island.

The island that had appeared during the downpour slowly started to disappear. Nobody would be able to find it ever again unless they were willing to row a boat in the middle of a heavy downpour.

The turtle bridge dispersed once all of the party members reached land. Iris looked at the departing turtles with tears in her eyes. She said, “It seems that Mung Bean did not like me. My heart hurts.”

“Iris unni, I’m sure you were precious to Mung Bean as well,” Shaneth said.

“Really…?” Iris asked while sniffling.

“Of course! Why would the softshell turtles make a bridge for us if that weren’t the case?” Shaneth replied with a smile as she comforted Iris.

Iris sniffled and hugged Shaneth, saying, “Shaneth is a really good person.”

“And unni is the purest and most innocent,” Shaneth replied.

Henrick clicked his tongue as if he could not stomach the scene.

Meanwhile, Nell lowered his head and bowed toward Kang Yoon-Soo, saying, “Thank you.” Then, he passed his fishing rod to Kang Yoon-Soo.

[Nell’s Fishing Rod]

Rating: Rare

Restrictions: Fishing Level 5 or above

A fishing rod handmade by the continent’s top fisherman, Nell. You will be able to catch even the most difficult fish in any place.

*The fishing line will never snap.

*You can inflict more damage than most weapons if you smack a target with this fishing rod.

*The chances of catching rare species or items will be greatly increased.

Nell’s Fishing Rod not only allowed the user to fish in the lava, but also in all sorts of other places. It could catch any sort of creature, not only fish. Additionally, it could be used as a weapon in combat. It would definitely be a very helpful item on their journey.

“Thank you,” Kang Yoon-Soo said.

“It’s nothing compared to you saving our lives,” Nell replied with a wave of his hand.

Kang Yoon-Soo and his party turned around and prepared to leave. Suddenly, however, Yan called out and asked, “Ah, are you going already? I’d like to invite you over to lunch at our place if you’re fine with it.”

“We have a long way to go,” Kang Yoon-Soo replied before walking away. The others soon followed him and slowly drew farther and farther away, eventually disappearing from view.

Yan just stood there dumbfounded as he watched them disappear over the horizon. Only when Nell spoke up did he snap out of his daze.

“Let’s go home,” Nell said.

Yan hurriedly followed behind his father while muttering, “Mother was really worried about you, father. You might get an earful instead of a warm welcome when you get home.”

Nell looked at his son and began, “My son.”

“What is it, father?” Yan asked.

“Your mother is pregnant with your sibling,” Nell said.

“…Really?” Yan muttered. He was initially stupefied and could not believe what he had just heard. However, he decided to welcome the development, seeing it as an eventual new blessing upon their family.

“You’ve always wanted one. No wonder mother didn’t come out to look for you,” Yan said.

“It seems as if I’ll get to see my own child before a grandchild at this age,” Nell said.

Eventually, he stopped walking, then bent down and picked up a stick lying on the road. Then, he tore off a piece of his shirt and made a string out of it, tying it to the end of the stick. He then made a makeshift hook with a piece of wood and tied it to the end of the string.

“Go and make a basket. I’ll catch a snakehead and a carp on the way home,” Nell said.

“A snakehead and a carp?” Yan asked in confusion.

“Those two fish are good for expecting mothers. They have a lot of nutrients that are good for pregnant women,” Nell explained. He added, “There’s nothing that a fisherman can’t catch if he puts his mind to it.”

“With that fishing rod…?” Yan asked with a hint of skepticism in his voice.

“This is actually better if you want to really feel the fish,” Nell explained.

Yan was skeptical, but he decided to listen to his father anyway. He tore the bark off a cypress tree and wove a basket from it. Meanwhile, Nell went to the riverbed with his makeshift fishing rod that could not even be called a proper rod in hand.

Splash!

It did not take long for a fish to bite.

“There’s a bite, father!” Yan shouted.

“So it’s arrived,” Nell said leisurely, pulling the stick back.

Splaashhh!

There was not only one fish on the hook; a snakehead and a carp had both been caught at the same time. The father and son duo smiled as they looked at their catch of the day.

A softshell turtle passed by the riverbank and cried out loudly. “Krwaaaaak!”

***

The Reorkan Palace was in a state of emergency.

First, the emperor was dead.

Second, the princess had gone missing.

Third, Helkin was furious.

The death of Emperor Ranford Reorkan sent shockwaves throughout the royal palace.

An intruder had been able to infiltrate the royal palace, but the cause of the emperor’s death was suicide. On top of that, flowers from the princess’ garden had been used to kill the emperor.

Not only that… The princess had disappeared.

In her case, not even a corpse had been left behind. It was hard to tell whether the infiltrators had kidnapped the princess or the princess had run away from home, as she had not left behind a single trace when she disappeared.

They had to install someone in the emperor’s seat as soon as possible, but the most eligible candidate, the princess, was nowhere to be found. The royal palace was left in a state of confusion. Nobles met endlessly, and every single official task was delayed.

The third problem was also quite serious.

There was a rumor in the royal palace that a blood storm was brewing due to Helkin’s anger, as he had just lost his master. Some people gossiped that Helkin might use the chance to attempt to take over the throne; people believed that was not a baseless rumor, as the imperial guards were the strongest force on the continent. The respect the imperial guards had for Helkin, the captain of the 1st Order of the Imperial Knights, had reached a fanatical level, and they were currently the largest faction in the royal palace. The loyalty of a knight toward the throne could always change into a desire for the throne at any moment.

They enacted strict measures to make sure that the news of the emperor’s death would not leak out of the royal palace, but they received news that the White Lion Clan, the clan that had the largest number of Travelers among its ranks, was snooping around regarding the emperor’s absence.

The royal palace was shaken, and it was certain that a disaster was fast approaching the empire. They desperately needed a new emperor in such uncertain times to calm things down.

“Now, it is time for you to wake up, your highness,” Rumier Kazan commanded while rubbing a pendant in his hand. A beautiful blonde woman rose up from a coffin filled with sticky liquid substances—it was the seventh doppelganger of the princess. Rumier said, “Your highness was kidnapped, but you have managed to return safely.”

Princess Kisifran’s doppelganger nodded in response.

“I have imprinted the exact excuse you will use, so you will be able to remember it later on. Additionally, you just have to give the exact order I have requested once you are enthroned as the empress,” Rumier said.

The doppelganger nodded once again, and Rumier was satisfied.

The Royal Alchemist kept rubbing the pendant in his hand as if it were a lucky charm of some sort. He walked up to a tall mirror that was covered in various strange inscriptions, and it reflected his shiny hair and sinister appearance.

Rumier calmly thought about his goals once again. ‘The continent has to meet its demise at the hands of the Demon Lord.’