Forming A Bond (1)

After departing from Bell Hoda and traveling for half a day, the cityscape of Vthuma began to come into view in the distance. Azadine marveled at the metropolis filled with golden-hued buildings.

“Wow… so that’s Vthuma. Even if they have a lot of gold, did they really paint the buildings with it?”

“Oh, that’s yellow leaf.”

Jiswa answered Azadine’s curiosity.

“Yellow leaf?”

“Yes. It’s a lacquer made from a special tree resin. It’s cheaper than gold leaf, but still a very expensive material.”

“That’s amazing. From afar, it really looks like gold. Is it durable? Doesn’t it peel off during heavy rain or storms?”

“I’ve heard it’s durable. But it’s not entirely peel-proof. It does require occasional maintenance.”

“Is that so? Impressive. How much is it? If it’s cheaper than gold leaf, maybe I’ll use it on my own place later. I mean, for now I’m a wanderer without a home or even a shrine.”

“Haha. It’s still extremely expensive for personal use. A single can of yellow leaf costs three times the weight of the same amount of silver. And that’s for the lowest grade.”

“Three times the weight in silver? And they paint buildings with that? Is that even possible?”

Azadine was shocked by Jiswa’s words. With that many gold-colored buildings, if they were all painted with yellow leaf, could the price Jiswa mentioned be wrong? How could such an expensive coating be applied to building exteriors like that?

Seeing Azadine’s doubts, Jiswa replied.

“Usually it’s used for bowls, art pieces, or furniture. Only a place like Vthuma can afford to paint buildings with it. It is, after all, the capital of the golden land.”

“But is the capital of Vthuma also called Vthuma?”

“People who aren’t Vthumans often can’t grasp the nuance in pronunciation.”

“They really painted that with something three times as expensive as silver… That’s amazing. But there’s no sign of war yet—no Naga army in sight.”

Azadine looked over the city, still in awe.

The center of Vthuma was structured around a massive crossroad—wide enough to allow six carriages to pass side by side, with a drainage canal running along one side.

Even with the drainage included, the entire road was so wide and neatly paved that one could easily estimate the wealth and prosperity of the city.

“Wow. This place is seriously rich. But it’s not the time to just stand here and gawk. Alright, let’s go.”

Azadine’s group headed toward Vthuma’s city gate.

In front of Vthuma’s gate, soldiers were nervously scrutinizing the people passing by.

“Nagas can disguise themselves as humans, so everyone must cooperate with inspections!”

“Damn it! There’s too much cargo that needs to be brought in. What nonsense is this?”

“The Nagas attacked the ships, so now we have to haul the goods overland. And you’re making it worse?”

“Why inspect the merchants? Just inspect travelers!”

The merchants, forced to use the land route because of Naga attacks on ships, began to grow angry as customs inspections delayed their entry.

However, the officer in charge remained strict.

“They could have sneaked in among the merchants! We’re even using a blood mage, so please understand!”

Shockingly, they were pricking people’s fingers at the gate. A blood mage, cloaked in blue cloth, was using the blood to determine whether someone was human, Naga, or another species.

“Ugh… this is bad.”

In Azadine’s group, Shati and Scott were disguised as humans. With inspections this thorough, their true identities would surely be exposed.

“This is idiotic. I bet a ridiculous number of Nagas are already inside Vthuma.”

Shati sneered at the soldiers scrambling to enforce inspections this late.

While it was better than nothing, stopping Nagas—who could move freely through water and boasted incredible swimming ability—at the land routes would be meaningless. It would have made more sense to bring the goods into the city quickly…

That’s how much people feared Nagas disguised as humans.

“By the way, Shati. I’ve been wondering.”

“What?”

“Are Nagas good swimmers?”

“Of course. The freshwater-snake tribes have gills that let them breathe in rivers, and the sea-snake tribes have gills suited for the ocean.”

“But ordinary water snakes or sea snakes don’t have gills.”

“They’re not full gills. Near the ears, they have moist breathing membranes that open and close when in contact with water. It helps them breathe a bit better underwater, allowing them to hold their breath longer. But freshwater Nagas are vulnerable to seawater, and sea Nagas to freshwater, so they just keep the membranes shut in that case.”

“I see. And the land-dwelling tribes?”

“The land-dwelling tribes don’t have those membranes. Their bodies are heavier, so they’re not as good at swimming. But they make up for it with incredible strength.”

“Hmm. So they can easily infiltrate the city through the drainage canals and sewers.”

“But they’re inspecting with blood magic up ahead—what now?”

“We’ve got no choice. Jiswa and I will go in separately and meet with the Heavenly Lord of the Blue Turban Party. Scott and Shati, can you wait here?”

“Got it, boss. Then… can I eat the snacks Randha gave us?”

“We’ll use the snacks and booze Randha gave us later for negotiations. Just eat normal rations for now.”

With that, Azadine headed for the inspection post with Jiswa. There were so many people waiting that the blood mage was visibly overwhelmed.

“Wh-who are you?”

“This is Priest Jiswa of the Blue Turban Party. There’s urgent news—we must meet the Heavenly Lord.”

“A-ah, Priest? But the inspection backlog is huge… And not all the officers here are part of our order, so letting you pass freely might cause issues. Unless you offer something…”

“Would money help?”

“Money’s good, but it’d take a lot to bribe our way through. On the other hand, the guard captain is a heavy drinker. A gift of alcohol might work more cheaply.”

“Really? As it happens, I’ve got just the thing.”

Azadine pulled out a bottle of alcohol given to him by Randha.

“Oh! This is perfect. Yes, this should work.”

Just then, an officer managing the checkpoint approached.

“Hey! What’s going on here? Why are you cutting in line?”

“Ah, this gentleman is a priest of the Blue Turban Party. He says there’s an urgent matter and asked if he could be inspected ahead of others.”

“No way. You think he’s the only one like that?”

“Well, I was going to offer this to the captain of the guard…”

“Hm? Oh?”

The general’s eyes flickered at the sight of the bottle.

“Hey, this is Kashasha from Bell Hoda! What a rare treat! Well, if you’re with the Blue Turban Party, your identity should be legitimate. Fine, go on in.”

The officer accepted the bottle and let Azadine and Jiswa through without even performing a blood magic inspection.

‘Damn. If I’d known they wouldn’t inspect us, I would’ve brought Scott and Shati too.’

Azadine hadn’t expected to be waved through so easily and was caught off guard. But if he asked now whether the others could come in as well, it would likely raise suspicion—so he kept quiet.

Inside Vthuma, the atmosphere was chaotic due to ongoing defense preparations.

Laborers had been mobilized, and elephants were hauling lumber. They were stacking sandbags and wooden barricades near the canals to prepare for potential Naga infiltrations via the waterways—but with so many canals, it seemed like a near-impossible task.

“Ooh, elephants…”

Azadine was thrilled to see the creatures he’d only ever read about actually working.

“Hahaha. Surprising, Priest?”

“It’s my first time in the Vthuma region. Korasar was already quite different from where I grew up, but this place is absolutely astonishing.”

However, the expressions of those working with the elephants weren’t pleasant.

Since Vthuma experiences heavy rainfall during the monsoon season, its cities were equipped with drainage systems, and many homes were built on stilts. The ground level typically served as a market space, cleared out when the rains came.

Surrounded by rivers, the sea, and the seasonal squalls that came with the monsoon, Vthuma was inherently intertwined with water—making it the perfect environment for Nagas to invade.

To better secure the city, Vthuma had begun a relocation operation, forcing residents in low-lying or poorly defensible areas to evacuate, especially where water would make it hard to build barricades.

The problem was, those low-lying areas were where the city’s poorest and most powerless citizens lived.

People already crushed by poverty couldn’t survive losing their homes. To stay somewhere other than their own homes, they needed money—money they didn’t have. For those with nowhere to turn, the mandatory evacuations issued in the name of defense felt utterly heartless.

Worse still were the soldiers’ attitudes. They treated the lowland residents—society’s lower class—with disdain and aggression.

“Are you really telling me to leave my home? This is too much! I’ve lived here all my life!”

“Shut up! If you’ve lived here all your life, then dying today won’t make much difference!”

“We’re doing this work to defend the city! And you’re interfering? You bastard—are you a Naga in disguise?!”

The soldiers threatened the resisting civilians with spears and swords, forcibly evicting them, even dismantling their homes and furniture to scavenge wood.

During an active siege, many people died and homes were left abandoned. Survival became more important than possessions, and broken furniture ceased to matter.

But this was still early in the conflict—during a time when the city’s defenses were just being built. Destroying private property now only invited resentment. Yet no one dared confront the soldiers marching with elephants at their side.

“Mm. The mood here isn’t great. Judging by the tension among the troops, the situation must be pretty dire. Jiswa, where’s the Heavenly Lord of the Blue Turban Party?”

“Yes, the Blue Turban Party is this way.”

Even amidst the chaos, Jiswa seemed pleased as he led Azadine onward.

The Blue Turban Party had earned a large following in Vthuma by treating malaria and fevers. The King’s Church tried to crack down on them as heretics, but the public backlash was massive.

The Blue Turban Party offered healing upon initiation, while the King’s Church demanded enormous donations for treatment.

There was no question as to which group the people preferred.

As a result, Vthuma’s current king, Manja-Jadek, enacted regulations to prevent the King’s Church from punishing the Blue Turban Party without cause. The King’s Church was furious and threatened to excommunicate Manja-Jadek—but their authority had plummeted ever since Coral Sahar fell to the Messenger Clan.

“Because of Vthuma’s endemic diseases, outsiders can’t do much here anyway. The King’s Church no longer has the power to remove Vthuma’s king. They also can’t help when the Nagas attack. For the Blue Turban Party, it’s a win.”

“So. The Blue Turban Party is now officially recognized by the Vthuma king?”

“Yes. The king even granted them a building. That’s the Heavenly Lord’s residence—Heavenly Hall.”

Jiswa beamed with pride as he pointed out the Heavenly Hall to Azadine.