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Chapter: 269

“Creator Dragon God!!”

A prayer echoed loudly in my ears.

Just as I settled down to sleep after a long time, out of nowhere comes this thunderous noise. I furrowed my brow and opened my eyes.

Hmm. That prayer sounds like it’s targeting me directly. They’re calling me the Creator Dragon God… Could it be a Lizardman? They seemed to be living peacefully without any fuss… Why in the world am I suddenly hearing their calls?

I looked toward the direction of the praying voice.

“Creator Dragon God!!!”

There, amidst the stormy seas, was a Lizardman barely holding on in a tiny boat as huge waves crashed all around.

Hmm… Why is this Lizardman out here all alone on a boat?

Especially in such rough waters, on a flimsy little craft.

I pushed aside the questions bubbling up and began calming the weather around the Lizardman’s boat.

I don’t know the situation, but if they need help, it’s right to lend a hand!

If their prayer is so desperate that I can hear it in my ears, I can’t just ignore it!

As the storm gradually settled and the towering waves calmed, the Lizardman collapsed exhaustedly onto the deck.

Why on earth did this Lizardman come out into the middle of the ocean?

And before that, can a Lizardman, who lives in freshwater, even venture into the sea?

To resolve these questions, I reached out toward the small boat the Lizardman lay in.

For now, it seems harsh to leave them drifting in the vast sea… Let’s send them to that small island over there.

This tiny boat has no proper sail. How they managed to reach the ocean on such a craft is beyond me… I summoned the currents to steer the boat toward the little island and gently nudged the Lizardman’s head as they lay unconscious.

In this kind of situation, reading the memories seems to be the best move.

—

The Lizardman’s name is Queo-Tlan. They’re just an ordinary Lizardman, nothing particularly special.

Even calling them ordinary means that they meet the standards of Lizardmen, though. Compared to regular humans, they can definitely be seen as a warrior with a far stronger physique.

Their specialties are swimming and diving. They make a living by catching and selling fish, utilizing those skills.

It seems their swimming and diving abilities are superior compared to other Lizardmen, as they’re known for having the best swimming skills among nearby Lizardman tribes.

The reason this particular Lizardman came out to such treacherous seas is due to a wager.

“I’ve heard there’s a massive lake at the end of this world! If it’s as huge as they say, there should be plenty of fish to feed all the Lizardman tribes!”

“What? Who’s spreading such nonsense? Where would a lake that big even be?”

“Oh, do I look like a Lizardman who would spread rumors? This is information I gathered from merchants who roam the world! And they say that at the bottom of that lake resides the master of all currents!”

The master of all currents…? Oh, are they talking about Thetis? Lizardmen tend to have some uniquely different titles compared to others.

Perhaps it’s because they’re one of the oldest races existing on land since before humans appeared?

“Are you talking about the King of Spirits? That’s an intriguing story.”

The King of Spirits…? Do Lizardmen not see other children as gods?

Well, thinking about the era in which Lizardmen emerged… it’s not surprising they don’t regard those children as gods.

In the time when Lizardmen were born, they would have thought of the children more like the parents of dragons, and after the dragons turned into spirits, it would be more like a king ruling over spirits.

It might be more accurate to think of them as the King of Spirits rather than gods.

Wait, does that mean Lizardmen only see me, the Creator Dragon God, as their sole deity?

They don’t believe in any other gods, just me?

What’s going on? Didn’t they have some belief in the name Quetzalcoatl I gave myself back then? Hmm… That’s probably intertwined with the Lizardmen’s faith, distinct from the Creator Dragon God.

I don’t know. There are those who believe in gods like this, and there are those who believe differently. What’s it to me?

While I stuffed those bizarre thoughts into a corner of my mind, the conversation between the two Lizardmen became increasingly heated.

“But there’s no guarantee that story is true! We have no way to confirm it!”

“I figured you’d say that! So how about making a wager?”

“A wager?”

At the mention of a wager, Queo-Tlan’s expression perked up.

Betting is always exciting!

“I’ve heard that if you keep going down an endless river, you’ll reach a vast lake at the end of the world. Among the Lizardmen I know, you’re the best swimmer, so I think you could make it. What do you say?”

“Why should I do that?”

Upon hearing Queo-Tlan, the Lizardman who mentioned the wager contemplated for a moment before responding.

“I have a gut feeling. If we verify the existence of this gigantic lake, we could make a fortune. Doesn’t that pique your interest?”

Queo-Tlan couldn’t come up with a substantial counter to that.

But wait, did Lizardmen really not know about the sea? How come? It’s not like they had no interaction with other races… Why don’t they know about the ocean?

Is it because they live inland? But they dwell near wetlands and rivers, right? Following the river should lead them to the sea… Hmm… Hmm…

Ah, could it be… because of saltwater? Hmm…

Considering the habitat of Lizardmen… they’re probably like freshwater lizards, so unless a mutated Lizardman adapted to the high salinity of seawater emerged, living by the sea would be tantamount to suicide…

So how did this Queo-Tlan make it to the ocean?

“Big money. Big money sounds good. But I still don’t want to take on such wild challenges based on a fanciful rumor.”

“Then how about this?”

The Lizardman who proposed the wager seemed to have anticipated that response, pulling something out from a bag under the table and placing it down.

A small wooden box. Something heavy seemed to be inside, causing the table to shake slightly.

“What’s that…?”

“This, my friend, is something I specially ordered, and it cost me quite a bit. It was crafted by Dwarven artisans.”

With that, he opened the lid of the wooden box gently.

What revealed itself was—

“This, this is…?”

Intricately carved scales.

Majestic wings.

A beautifully elongated tail.

And a head adorned with glorious and imposing horns.

A silver statue of a dragon filled the box.

“It’s a statue modeled after the Creator Dragon God. A masterpiece crafted from pure silver by a Dwarven master.”

A statue modeled after me… What in the world is this?

“Oooh… Oooooo…”

“I heard that you and your tribe have a strong faith in the Creator Dragon God. I figured something like this might be necessary to get you to move. I prepared it specially.”

“To see such a holy form of the Creator Dragon God… Creator Dragon God…”

Queo-Tlan reached out toward the statue resembling me, but just before their hand could touch the statue, the lid was abruptly closed, blocking their attempt.

“Don’t be hasty. This item isn’t yours yet.”

“Then… what do I have to do?”

“If you venture to that distant gigantic lake and confirm the existence of the master of all currents, I’ll hand it over. What do you think?”

Queo-Tlan pondered for a moment at the Lizardman’s words.

Venturing out to such a distant place wouldn’t be a trip you could accomplish in just a day or two.

Their children were already grown and fulfilling their roles as proper Lizardmen, and their wife was making enough living by producing papyrus, so it wouldn’t be an issue for them to set out on a journey for several days.

And even if it’s a big lake, isn’t it just a lake? With their swimming prowess, they could probably make it back without issue.

“Alright! I’ll do it!”

Thus, Queo-Tlan ended up on a small boat, journeying down the river for the sake of a single statue.

Sometimes swimming with the rope tied to the boat, other times letting the river flow the boat along, they set off on a leisurely journey.

After several days of traveling, full of confidence as they floated down the river, Queo-Tlan finally faced an immense lake stretching endlessly before them, and out of curiosity, when they took a sip of the seawater, they immediately began choking and vomiting it back up.

That strange salty taste. Even though they drank water, the thirst remained unquenched.

The seawater quickly robbing moisture from their hand as well.

Only then did Queo-Tlan realize this vast lake, this sea, was completely different from ordinary rivers and lakes.

—

Hmm… Are Lizardmen kind of dumb? Is their physical strength the reason their intelligence isn’t so high? Is being strong enough to make them lazy in developing their smarts?

Nah, well… since they knew nothing about the sea, I guess I can let that slide.

If the salinity of the sea water robs them of moisture… that’s deadly for the Lizardmen who need ample hydration to survive.

So… what should this Lizardman, Queo-Tlan, do now?

Should I just send them back quietly? Or should I help in some way?

Maybe neither… Should I just turn them into a Lizardman adapted to the sea?

After all, some fish can live in both freshwater and saltwater! There’s no rule against Lizardmen doing the same, right!

 

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