Read Novel Full Chapter 478: The Fishing Village
Chapter 478: The Fishing Village
Godfrey looked at Ken, who kept moving. His footwork was exceptional, and the way he swung his katana changed afterward. It was like he altered between stances.
He suddenly took a deep breath, took two steps back, and slowly lowered his sword. He then took one solid step forward, pushed his entire torso in the same direction, and swung his katana upward.
A gust of wind burst up from his feet, forming what looked like a wall made of wind. Because of the leaves and the fierce speed of the air gathering there, Godfrey and Ema could clearly see the wind.
Ken then swept his leg outward, about to unleash what would seem to be a Wind Slash, but at that moment, his right leg shook, forcing him to tilt in the wrong direction, shattering his stance.
His hand swung back as a way to balance himself, but the wind gathered in the katana shot out, slicing the old structure Godfrey and Ema were in.
It divided it into two and cut down three other structures and mounds.
Godfrey squinted as Ken fell on one knee. On the other hand, Ema saw her life flash before her eyes.
"Why don’t you leave the katana swinging to your summon? You’re a Summoner, not a samurai. You’re not supposed to fight with your summon."
Godfrey rose to his feet, approached Ken, and stretched out his hand. Ken stared at his hand for a while. He took it, rose to his feet, before facing Ema.
"I’m sorry."
He walked away.
"Don’t look at me like that." Ema looked away when she noticed Godfrey’s gaze. She closed her eyes like someone who knew she had messed up.
"It skipped my mind that one of his legs was damaged when I almost lost both of mine," Ema said apologetically as she came out and watched Ken’s retreating back view.
***
They continued the journey, riding for hours nonstop until the sun once more began to set. Then they got to the shore of a vast body of water.
After an hour’s effort of going around, they discovered the boss had to be somewhere on the sea.
All three of them, on the backs of their mounts, stood at the shore.
"Is it inside the water?" Ken asked.
Ema pursed her lips. "I have no idea. But there’s no doubt it might be a huge centipede lying inside the water."
"That woman spoke about a Ronin. The boss of this dungeon can’t be a centipede if we go by her tale."
Ema turned her head to Godfrey. "What if her tale was a lie?"
"Can any of us fight underwater?" Godfrey looked at both of them.
"I’ve never even jumped into a pool. What makes you think I would dare enter an ocean?" Ema responded.
"It’s almost dark." Godfrey sighed. "Track another scent. Anyone close to the shore. They should have some information for us."
"You heard him, Yoru," Ema whispered to her summon, who began to sniff, then began to run toward the left.
Godfrey and Ken quickly followed. A few minutes later, they found a village close to the shore. The village rested beside the gray shoreline, no more than a handful of weathered wooden houses with thatched roofs clustered around narrow dirt paths.
Fishing nets hung from bamboo poles to dry in the salty breeze, while small wooden boats bobbed gently against a worn pier. Rows of fish smoked over crackling fires, their scent mingling with the sea air.
Beyond the homes, patches of rice fields stretched toward the hills. Aside from the distant cry of gulls and the steady rhythm of waves, the tiny fishing village was wrapped in peaceful silence.
"It looks like people still live here," Ken said as they rode down to the village.
"It’s deserted," Godfrey frowned as he dismounted. Ema and Ken also came down from their mounts.
"People clearly stay here, or those fish won’t be there."
"People or someone."
The shoji door of one of the houses slid open, and a man came out with a rake. He held it defensively, eyeing them while trembling at the sight of the size of the creatures these strange individuals rode.
Were they gods?
Ken’s attire looked familiar, but this man was well-versed in samurai armour, so he knew Ken’s armour was just too advanced for him to be comfortable.
"W...What do you want?"
"We’re looking for the centipede demon. Would you be a kind sir and tell us where he is?" Ema beamed.
"We know he was a Ronin. Or am I wrong?" Ema watched the man’s eyes widen while he lowered his rake.
"D...Do you se...ek death?"
"So you know him, then." Ema drew close. This made the man lift up his rake once more.
"Is the centipede demon in the water?"
"What’s a Ronin going to do in the water?" the man asked.
Ema cleared her throat. "Where is he, then?"
"On an island far into the Black Sea, but you can’t get to him, so don’t bother trying. You’ll only die in the water."
Ema gestured at Godfrey. "You see, my golden-haired friend here has a beast that can fly. We can just fly there."
The man lowered his rake and laughed. "Go on then." He gestured for them to leave.
"I just pray your corpses don’t wash up on my shore. Wash up somewhere else."
His response made Ema frown. She looked at the boys, then back at the man.
"So we can’t fly there?"
The man scowled. "There’s a gray fog not far into the sea. You can’t see it." The man pointed at a pole.
"See that pole." They all looked at it. The pole wasn’t more than twenty feet tall.
"Anything higher than that, and you won’t be able to see a thing. It’s also quite stormy most times. The waves will kill you. Then there are the centipedes in the water. Just go home."
The man closed his door and went back in.
It felt like he considered their quest so stupid to the point that he lost his fear of their mounts. They were too stupid to be feared.
Ema returned to Godfrey and Ken. "Black Sea. No flight, centipedes in the water. That demon has made sure nothing will be able to get there. I can’t even get into a normal pool. I’d rather die than go into one with centipedes."
Ken turned, then pointed at a larger boat. It wasn’t that big but definitely bigger than the other fishing boats. This boat also had a thatched roof and what looked like a small room with a lantern at the front.
It looked like it was built for a different purpose other than fishing.
"That can be our transport."
"Can you move that thing?" Ema asked.
Godfrey knew telekinesis could work, but he wasn’t really sure that it could cover all aspects when he was in the sea. They needed someone who knew everything about the boat and the sea.
And from the look of things, that man also knew about the island, and through him, they had just confirmed that the tale of the centipede demon wasn’t just a tale after all.
"I’ll convince him," Ema said and walked toward the house.
"How?" Ken tilted his head.
"Leave a woman’s secrets, will you, little boy?" She clicked her tongue, got to the shoji door, and knocked.