"This island is really selling for only Ten Gold Coins?"
Elsa eyed the merchant before her with suspicion. He was stout, with a curly beard and beady eyes, and a smile that all but screamed, 'I've got a bad idea.'
Ever since returning from the Holy Mountain, Zog had been planning to build a film production base. It would be used to shoot *Holy Mountain Journey* and potentially many other films in the future.
Land in the city was worth its weight in gold, and Dragon Island was too far away. After searching high and low, he found this small island five nautical miles southwest of Twin Tower City's port.
When she contacted the island's current owner, she was quoted an unbelievable price: Ten Gold Coins.
It wasn't that she had become so rich and arrogant that she'd stopped caring about Ten Gold Coins.
Rather, for an island of over fifteen square kilometers, the price was just outrageously cheap.
That wasn't even enough for Craig to order two Yo-Yos!
Judging by the merchant's desperate expression, there was probably still room to negotiate the price down.
"Of course it's only Ten Gold Coins! I've been in business for years—when have I ever cheated anyone? Feel free to ask around the city. I may not run the biggest business, but my reputation is certainly guaranteed."
The merchant wiped his sweat, nervously glancing toward the sun as a brocade of sunset colors spread across the horizon.
Elsa gazed at the island. The terrain was quite flat, with its highest point probably less than a hundred meters above sea level. Besides being a little sparse on trees for an island, making it look a bit bare, it didn't seem to have any other drawbacks.
"So, have you made a decision? To be frank, I'm in urgent need of cash. I have no choice but to sell this island at such a low price. It's my last resort."
The merchant grew more agitated as he spoke, glancing repeatedly at the sun, which was just about to dip below the horizon.
Noticing the merchant's strange behavior, Elsa had an idea how to find out what he was hiding.
"How about you give me a proper tour of the island?"
"That's not necessary. There isn't much to see on this island."
"But what if I'm satisfied with what I see and decide to buy it?"
"In that case, I can give you a thorough tour tomorrow. How about we head back for today? It's almost dark; you won't be able to see a thing."
"I know the Lighting Technique."
"That's not..." The merchant's expression was starting to crack. He darted a look at his boat, his body already trying to inch in that direction.
Just as he took a step, he bumped right into Zog's Dragon Horn.
Before the merchant could offer an excuse...
"SHRIEK—"
A piercing cry echoed from the distant shadows, the cry of some unknown creature.
Elsa looked at the merchant and tilted her head, as if to say, 'Now are you going to come clean?'
Seeing no point in hiding it any longer, the merchant spilled the beans.
"The island really is mine, but there's a Koutao Fishman Tribe living on it. They come out of their holes in the ground every night. I can't build anything here, and I can't grow any crops."
The merchant looked so aggrieved he was on the verge of tears.
"Didn't you hire an Adventurer Corps to drive out this Fishman tribe?" Elsa asked.
Logically, that would have been the merchant's first move. They weren't exactly known for their concern for species conservation.
"It's not allowed. This group of Koutao Fishmen was here before Twin Tower City was even founded. They're the indigenous people, and we're the newcomers. The government requires the protection of native groups. So... can I go now?"
"You can."
With Elsa's permission, the merchant turned tail and bolted for his boat.
"Hold on."
Hearing her voice, the merchant dropped to his knees with a THUD. "I've told you everything! If I don't leave now, it'll be too late!"
Elsa tossed him a pouch. "Ten Gold Coins. You can ask around the city, too. I may not run the biggest business, but my reputation is certainly guaranteed."
The merchant snatched the coin pouch and scrambled head over heels into his boat.
"So, how are we going to take over this island?" Elsa asked Zog.
"Obviously, we kill most of the Fishmen, keep a few, and lock the survivors in a zoo for people to look at. Once we get tired of them, we'll draw up a reservation for them to make do in, and then we'll establish a Thanksgiving Day to thank them for giving up the island."
"Huh?" Elsa couldn't follow Zog's train of thought.
"Hehe, just kidding. How could I do something so monstrous?" Zog chuckled. He hadn't expected the Sutton Kingdom to be so civilized.
"You gave me a scare. So what's the real plan?"
"You'll handle it."
"Huh? I'm supposed to fight the Fishmen?"
"You'll win."
Elsa stared into Zog's huge, crimson eyes. He didn't look like he was joking.
"How am I supposed to win?"
Zog drew a Magic Array on the ground—a Teleportation Array. It was a new one he'd learned, convenient for summoning people whenever he needed.
A flash of light later, the Zor squad appeared.
"Help Lady Elsa change her clothes. Dress her in the image of the Mother of the Sea."
As is well known, creatures from the Dark Nether Realm are all a bit unhinged, and the Koutao Fishmen are a particularly unhinged bunch.
They were fanatically religious but had little idea what real gods actually existed in the world. So, they pioneered a novel approach: inventing their own deities.
The highest-ranking among them was a goddess called the Mother of the Sea.
Though it was hard to understand why, the Mother of the Sea, despite being a goddess created by Fishmen, was depicted as a Human female with shells draped over her shoulders, and the head and claws of a crawfish.
Anyone who didn't know better would mistake her for some kind of otherworldly Evil Demon.
A moment later, Elsa reappeared with a lobster shell perched on her head. Her voice echoed as she spoke. "Can someone please explain what we're doing?"
The plan was as follows: Zog would stage a play, let's call it *The Peril of the Nameless Isle's Fishmen and the Descent of the Mother of the Sea*.
Fun fact about creatures from the Dark Nether Realm: pick any two intelligent species from there, and nine times out of ten, they'll be sworn enemies.
As it happened, he had a squad of elite Zor Elf Warriors under his command.
Thus, the Zor would feign an attack on the Fishman tribe. At the moment of crisis, Elsa, playing the Mother of the Sea, would make her grand entrance and summon the legendary Evil Dragon, Zog, to crush the invading Zor in one fell swoop.
————————
As night fell, the Koutao Fishmen became active, emerging in small groups to forage.
"Look at this shell I found yesterday! Isn't it beautiful?" one Fishman said, showing off its collection.
The envious looks from its companions filled it with satisfaction. It continued to boast, "This must be a shell once worn by the great Mother of the Sea! See how it shines!"
The Fishman held the shell high. In the moonlight, it shimmered with iridescent colors.
"WHOOSH—THWACK—"
The shell in its hand suddenly vanished, pinned to the ground by a crossbow bolt.
It turned its head to see several tall figures emerging from the shadows.
Zor!
'I have to protect the tribe!'
The Fishman gripped its spear, ready to charge. But the distant Zor suddenly vanished, reappearing before it in the blink of an eye. Before it could even thrust its spear, it felt a cold sensation in its chest as a blade flashed past.
An immense force sent it flying backward, where it slammed heavily onto the beach.
'Huh? I'm not dead?'
Seeing its companions kicked to the ground, the Fishman had no time to wonder why it was still alive. It scrambled to its feet and sprinted toward the tribe.
"High Priest! Zor! It's the Zor!"
The Fishman Priest had noticed the commotion on the beach. As the tribe's resident intellectual, he quickly realized they were no match for those Zor.
But he was not afraid, for he had the protection of the great Mother of the Sea.
Muttering incantations and waving his ceremonial staff, he began to perform a self-invented priestly ritual.
However, the Zor were even faster than he'd anticipated. Before his ritual was complete, one had already teleported in front of him, its short blade striking straight for his heart.
'Oh, great Mother of the Sea! Are you truly abandoning your most devout believer?'
The Priest closed his eyes in despair.
Yet, the killing blow never came.
'What's happening?'
He nervously opened his eyes, only to see the Zor warrior hastily retreating into the shadows and fleeing into the distance.
"ROAR—"
With a terrifying roar, a red Giant Dragon appeared in the sky. Its unfurled wings blotted out the moon as it spewed crimson flames, scattering the Zor in all directions.
As the Giant Dragon landed, a figure so breathtaking it left him speechless stepped down from its back.
The body of a Human, the head and claws of a lobster, and shoulders draped in fantastical shells.
It was Her. The great Mother of the Sea.
All the Fishmen fell to the ground, prostrating themselves and not daring to look directly at the deity.
"This Red Dragon is my emissary. He will work with you to build this island."
'Ah, the voice of the Mother of the Sea is so wondrous...'
Only after She had ridden the Giant Dragon and vanished over the horizon did the Priest pick himself up off the ground. All the Fishmen stared blankly in the direction their goddess had gone.
The Priest felt his very soul had been uplifted. He would not hesitate to sacrifice his life to carry out this divine oracle.
Yet, a faint doubt lingered in his heart. Why would the emissary of the Mother of the Sea be a fire-breathing Dragon?
But he quickly convinced himself. One should not presume to doubt the great Mother of the Sea. She, after all, was supposed to be omnipotent.