Magic Gems Gourmet

Chapter 306

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ED: LonelyMatter

Chapter 306 – Prologue to the World

Continental nations and island states. And the many floating cities that existed.

As if floating on the sea, these islands drifted leisurely through the sky.

They belonged to none of the countless nations and maintained neutrality in one such floating city.

“With all due respect, I believe this is not a region I can recommend.”

A lovely woman in uniform stated.

Hearing her voice from across the counter, a short girl sighed. She was born of the powerful Dragonfolk race, and her age was inversely proportional to her appearance. However small her body, her hidden prowess was extraordinary.

“I don’t care. Are you complaining about my choice?”

Her pouty gesture, with her cheeks puffed out, was adorable.

The uniformed woman, however, knew the girl’s true capabilities well.

“N-no! That’s not it… It’s just that the civilization there is poor, and access to other regions is bad.”

“I told you, I don’t know! What’s your problem? It’s just me moving, for crying out loud. Fine. I only came to tell you my decision. I’ve been indebted to you for a long time. There’s no need for fishing gear; just use it for tips!”

“Ah—W-wait!”

Hmph. The girl snorted as she exited the building.

Men and women in uniformed attire held reins and rode the flying dragons, crisscrossing the sky. Additionally, people kept appearing from the nearby airship docking area.

The girl glanced back at the luxurious, towering inn where she had stayed until just moments ago.

She pulled a sweet bun from her pocket, took a big bite, and felt her mood improve somewhat.

“Now then, what should I prepare first?”

Food, clothing, shelter. These three things were paramount.

“Hmm… How long would it take from here… Map… Map…”

She brushed the crumbs from the sweet bread off her hands.

She pulled a folded map from her pocket and studied it.

“About eight hundred days by a state-selected class airship. This is ridiculous… Why did I choose such a place? Hmph…”

She slowly took out another sweet bun, stuffed it into her mouth, and pondered what to do.

“If only I could borrow the power of someone higher up. But then again, even if they say it’s for those with money to burn—hmm? Wait a moment. I can reach this region without taking the air route. It’s not a region with a gap. Therefore—”

A glimmer of hope.

A single thought flashed through her mind, setting her feet in motion.

She saw a structure as large as a small island located in the direction of her destination: the neutral city.

The place the girl arrived at was teeming with monsters.

Yet, there was no danger. Every single monster was securely contained within cages.

“Well, well, we have a rare visitor.”

Almost as soon as she arrived, an elderly gentleman approached her.

Despite the bustling crowd of customers, he came straight for her.

“I’m interrupting you.”

“A deity… It is truly an honor for us to have the esteemed high-ranking one grace us with your presence. What might your business be?”

“I want a monster. One skilled in underwater movement. Yes, something like a water dragon. Do you have one?”

“We do. It lives in the inner tanks, but its quality is not particularly good.”

“Oh?”

“Its rank is low and it lacks intelligence. It cannot be taught the common tongue, nor does it speak dragon.”

“But it swims well, doesn’t it?”

“Quite so. It used to rampage in the coastal waters. However, its combat prowess is—”

As she walked, she nodded with satisfaction.

“That doesn’t concern me. Having it assist with surface travel is sufficient.”

“Then it should be fine. Would you like to see it?”

“Hmm, I suppose so.”

Glancing at the cages, the girl proceeded, passing by the voices and forms of the monsters inside.

She took in the sight of the wealthy, who came for amusement, and the newly independent with spare cash, all with disinterest, as the elderly gentleman led her toward the aquarium.

The aquarium they eventually reached was enormous.

“It’s ridiculously huge.”

The tank stretched across her entire field of vision and was so vast that its edges blurred.

“This is the water dragon you requested. Its scales are nearly identical to those of the superior species, but it lacks horns. Furthermore, since its fangs do not regrow, it likely cannot store as much power. However, its body grows without limit, so, given time, it has the potential to devour even the superior species.”

“What? It’s not a bad specimen. Then give me two. I’ll take them with me today. If you could also prepare a fine ship capable of enduring a long voyage, that would be helpful.”

“Understood. I’ll arrange for a sea vessel shortly.”

“Charge the payment to my account.”

“Yes, understood.”

The elderly gentleman drew a plate from his pocket. Dull, glowing characters appeared on its surface, which he manipulated with a pen.

The restless girl noticed voices approaching nearby.

“Hm?”

The sound came from behind her. Not from the giant aquarium, but from the area with rows of small tanks.

“Hey, hey! It’s a dragon person!”

“Wow! I’ve never seen one before! You too, big sis!”

For some reason, small cages barely bigger than birdcages were lined up among the tanks.

The girl approached, drawn by the voices.

“Do you find me so unusual? How did you even know I was a dragon person?”

“We can tell by the smell! My big sister and I are really good at that sort of thing!”

“Yeah! I’m amazing!”

“Hmm… That is quite impressive.”

Despite the lackluster response, the girl gazed curiously at the birdcage.

She was puzzled by the two girls inside.

“Ah, well…that…”

The old gentleman realized.

At the same time, the girl realized that the creatures in the cage were beings that should never have been captured.

“Are these little ones lost?”

“Yes, it seems they were accidentally captured. Releasing them requires various procedures, and I was wondering what to do.”

“This won’t be settled with a mere punishment. These two are likely elementals, probably of the trees. I was considering reporting this myself.”

Twitch. The old gentleman’s body trembled, and a bead of cold sweat formed on his brow.

The girl grinned slyly and cradled the birdcage.

“Will you two come with me? It’ll be a long journey, and I could use someone to talk to.”

“Hmm… I don’t know! I’ll leave it up to big sis!”

“Big Sis doesn’t know either? Since I don’t really get it either, I guess I can come along!”

“You two have quite the free-spirited nature, don’t you?”

And so it was.

The girl smiled at the elderly gentleman, who nodded as if to say it couldn’t be helped.

“With you, there’s no one who could complain. Only those of even higher standing, perhaps. With all due respect, please keep our shop’s affairs—”

“I understand. As for capturing an elemental that enriches the earth… I suppose I won’t tell anyone else about that.”

“Haha… The fare for the ship will be covered as a service.”

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

The girl left the shop and climbed aboard the prepared ship, which descended toward the sea.

Looking up at the sky, she watched the floating city she had been in moments before drift away, gradually carried off by the wind.

She boarded a boat too large for one person, which was packed with necessary cargo. She sat cross-legged on the boatman’s seat.

“I’ll be away from Likua for a long time, but I never imagined it would be such a long journey.”

“Huh? What’s wrong?”

“If your stomach hurts, you should lie down and bend your legs, you know?”

“No, it’s not that. I was just feeling nostalgic for the first time in a while.”

Then, the girl looked out at the sea.

She gave an order to the two water dragons bound by sturdy chains.

“Here, I’ll give you food. Will you swim for me?”

But the two dragons wouldn’t listen; they only gnawed at their chains.

“I’ll say it again. Will you swim for me?”

Still no change.

Seeing this, the girl sighed. She rose and drew a massive scythe from the void.

The weapon resembled a treasure carved from a single crystal, its seeping magic sucking in air and warping space.

“What a bother…”

With a motion like a breath, she swung the scythe horizontally in a single flash.

Soon, beams scattered from above the girl and from the border of the floating city, striking the sea below. Only the rumbling of the earth and the eerie sound of evaporating seawater could be heard as the water dragons were flung into the air.

Guii—! Both necks were tightly constricted.

“You were ravaging the sea, weren’t you? I heard about it. So I’ll be strict with you.”

The two floating heads froze rigid, suspended as if in a state of suspended animation, clutching one open claw tightly.

They glared at the girl with wide, staring eyes, but a few seconds later, they averted their gaze.

A sound like shattering glass echoed around them, and they fell in an instant, diving back into the sea.

“Good kids. Shall I give you a snack first?”

From that moment on, the two changed their attitude and became obedient.

Several tens of minutes after departure: The elemental sisters perched on the girl’s shoulders and asked,

“Hey!”

“Hey, hey!”

“Hm?”

“Where are we going?”

“The wind feels nice!”

Come to think of it, she hadn’t told them.

Explaining why they were going there would be a hassle. Still, she figured she might as well tell them where they were going and pulled out a map.

“Here. If we keep going like this for four hundred days, we should arrive.”

“That’s far! We’ll have to stay overnight!”

“What’s it called?”

What region was it again? The girl realized that she had never paid attention and turned her gaze to the edge of the map to check.

She read the written words without emotion.

“――A place where a certain legend sleeps. The Ishtar Islands… a land far, far away.”

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