Chapter 30: 2: Welcome to Krakalond

Chapter 30 2. Welcome to Krakalond

Dacus put down the monocular and handed it back to Dustan Cold-Eye, comforting him as he saw the longing expression on his face: "Don't worry, it will happen."

After passing Kalond Kar, the ship sailed for three days. The sea was crowded with ships, all heading back. If they were any later, the Sea of Malice would begin to freeze, and the maintenance costs of staying at Kalond Kar through a winter were far too high.

Captains preferred to head to Krakalond after selling their slaves. There, they could access large trading markets and recruit skilled hands. They could sell off their plunder during the winter for a good price, and the cost of ship maintenance was cheaper.

That day, Alisha approached Dacus and told him she had a strange dream last night—it felt like an omen, but she couldn't quite explain it.

Dacus remarked that her fate had shifted, so where did this omen come from? Was it from a new calculation? It was likely eighty percent chance that Lilith was playing tricks out of boredom. He told her to come to him if she had similar omens again, and he would interpret the dream. It was also possible Alisha was just looking for an excuse to chat.

The ship sailed for another two days before reaching the Dim Light Tower. Looking at the fifteen-kilometer-wide strait, Dacus's mind was filled with questions.

How did Esarion get in? Sailing on dry land? Were the guards on the Dim Light Tower blind? Did Lilith use mist to conceal him? Or did he sneak in using Druzi ships and equipment?

*Stop thinking about it; it has nothing to do with me.*

Dacus was getting a bit full of himself. Lately, he had spent his free time researching the Lucian tablets with Chupa Coco. The two "geniuses" researched and researched, but they hadn't discovered a damn thing; he only knew the tablets were made of obsidian and were quite old.

What was a "Happy Planet"? No, what was the "Grand Plan"?

Dacus assigned Rayne a glorious and arduous task: teaching Chupa Coco Elven. He had originally intended to do it himself, but he discovered that this cunning spirit lizard could speak Imperial with a Lucian accent, likely because Chupa Coco had dealt with many humans in the ports before.

If he wanted to take Chupa Coco out of Krakalond, the lizard had to speak Elven to appear normal. If Dacus acted as he had before, those Druzi would notice his unusual behavior, and he would only be creating trouble for himself. He couldn't exactly let him speak Imperial, could he?

Dacus ordered Chupa Coco that he must learn, otherwise, he would be locked away somewhere—and there was no telling if that would be for years or hundreds of years.

Kallion was breaking down. The cold lizards he had originally brought out were all gone and no longer needed his care; the three beast tamers handling the pegasi and warhorses could manage without him.

Now, he spent his days in his room staring blankly at Chupa Coco. It was a constant nuisance, yet he couldn't use a dragon-sinew whip on the creature. If he could, he would have whipped the spirit lizard to death. Aside from meal times, he had to keep watch in the room every day. Once, due to a moment of inattention, Chupa Coco had poked his head out too far and got stuck in the porthole; it took a massive effort to pull him back.

As the weather grew colder, Chupa Coco gradually quieted down. Kallion thought his good days had arrived, but then Rayne showed up again. He wished he were deaf.

Rayne was also frustrated because he couldn't understand the Lucian dialect of the Empire.

Chupa Coco was even more frustrated; he felt this dim-witted, chirping, flailing elf was even stupider than a giant lizard.

Pure torture!

Two weeks later, the ship arrived at Krakalond, with a biting cold wind blowing from the northwest.

Dacus stood on the deck, arms resting on the railing, watching Krakalond draw closer. Strands of black hair were blown up by the wind, dancing in the breeze. The cold wind brushed against his face, making him shiver despite being heavily dressed.

The taste of victory? No. Dacus had no competitive spirit, but the wealth in the cargo hold was quite substantial. Still, it was justifiable; this way, no powerful figures would pay him too much attention, as long as his cousin remained in the spotlight.

Dustan Cold-Eye walked over, looked at the Black Arks in the noble pier district, and said, "Young Master, the *Soul's Claw* has returned from Zhendan."

Dacus nodded and said, "If you were the Admiral of the Black Arks, what would you want to call it?"

"Young Master, I wouldn't even dare dream of being an Admiral of the Black Arks."

Dacus rolled his eyes. *You weren't saying that before.*

"I wish it were called the *Harbinger of Despair*."

Dacus couldn't be bothered with him and told him to get lost.

He could hear the waves crashing against the shore. He continued to gaze at the towering Tower of Destruction and the countless other spires, recalling the city before him. This was the second-largest city in Nagaros; "City of Ships" and "Tower of Destruction" were both titles of Krakalond. The city sat on the plains at the edge of the Black Ridge Mountains, with the Red Venom River winding through the city and flowing north into the Sea of Malice.

Over five thousand years, the city had expanded outward countless times. Countless spires rose like bamboo shoots, mostly in shades of black and purple, exuding an atmosphere of gloom, strangeness, mystery, and terror.

The Tower of Destruction still stood on the west bank as a symbol of the House of Hell's Calamity. Deep underground, various kinds of beasts were kept and studied.

The docks, shipyards, markets, taverns, inns, beast pens, warehouses, and the slave district occupied the east bank of the Red Venom River. The Black Ark mooring area and the noble piers occupied the west bank. The city walls, arenas, noble manors, and narrow commoner streets extended to the west. Three bridges made of black marble and black steel spanned the Red Venom River, connecting the east and west of the city; they were sturdy and wide enough to accommodate a War Hydra.

The middle-tier nobles of Krakalond hired thugs, rogues, and mercenaries to extort "Red Venom River Sightseeing Fees" from the commoners crossing the bridges. The city guards claimed to be completely unaware of this.

These city guards were conscripted from the commoners. Centurions were composed of minor nobles, and a squad consisted of ten soldiers plus one captain. Five carried rapid-fire crossbows and five carried spears, serving as the garrison force. Krakalond had roughly six thousand city guards, who could be deployed for field combat outside the city if necessary, commanded by Nuker, the young master of the House of Hell's Calamity.

To sum it up in one sentence: they were the Druzi version of the Shield Sea Guards.

The internal environment of the commoner districts in every Druzi city was essentially the same: streets were a tangled labyrinth, and in some places, the space was so cramped that three people could barely walk side-by-side. Every household was an independent fortress, with crossbow slits in narrow windows watching the passersby, guarding against intruders on the street and neighbors alike. Some dilapidated buildings had collapsed onto the roads, blocking entire streets, and many streets and alleys led to dead ends, greeting unlucky souls with traps or poisonous sewers.

The city had two main gates. The Screaming Gate south of the Red Venom River led to the Venom Woodlands, while the Despair Gate to the north led to the far north, where a gravel-covered road about ten kilometers long stretched out, lined with vast noble manors and plantations.

At the end of the road, several forks led north and west. From there, continuing north began a journey of several weeks through the Dark Road; if one was lucky, they could reach Haig Grave. Usually, no one took this route; a sane Druzi would choose the Undersea. Choosing to go west required crossing the Shadow Forest to reach the town of Stog Cor.

The ship belonged to the House of Hell's Calamity, flying the red flag of the War Hydra. Without being inspected, it sailed directly into the noble pier district.

"God, it feels good to be home."