Chapter 2249 Monarch Without a Crown <TOC> Chapter 2251 The Frog and Raccoon
Translator: SumTLMan
In The Unnamed Land, Angel expressed his confusion, “What’s the matter?”
Dangros, upon seeing that Angel had actually forgotten, felt a mix of happiness and a tinge of disappointment. He was pleased because, judging by Angel’s demeanor, it seemed that he didn’t expect anything in return; however, he was also disheartened because it appeared that he held no significant place in Angel’s heart.
It doesn’t matter if I’m not valued; after all, I never held Angel in high regard… Dangros thought to himself, shaking his head in an attempt to dismiss these thoughts. Yet, not only did this fail to dispel his feelings, but the sense of loss in his heart also began to slowly expand.
Noticing Dangros’ downcast and sullen appearance, Angel was completely baffled.
The events at the Marlaya Mountain? What happened there again?
Angel rapidly reviewed everything that had transpired since arriving at Marlaya Mountain, and something seemed to click: “Are you referring to the incident on the Mena Glacier?”
Hearing Angel’s voice, Dangros suddenly looked up, his eyes slightly brightening: “You remember?”
Angel nodded, “If you’re talking about the matter with Troysa, then yes, I remember.”
“Your memory is even worse than my little brother’s,” Dangros said with a slight smile on his lips, but his words carried a complaint: “I just wanted to thank you for not handing me over to that great demon, Troysa. Otherwise, I might have…”
Angel said, “Actually, you don’t have to thank me for this. Even if I had handed you over to Troysa, she wouldn’t have done anything to you. Didn’t she say that she just wanted to see if you were worthy of inheriting the name of Kalomaches?”
Dangros curled his lip, “Do you believe what she says?”
Angel nodded, “I do.”
Dangros looked at Angel with dissatisfaction, “Well, I don’t. If she took me away, she would definitely lock me in a pitch-dark ice prison and continuously erode my flames with ice water… She would also malevolently tie me to an icicle and whip me with an ice whip full of barbs, vigorously lashing my tender body, constantly torturing me…”
The more Dangros thought about the scene, the more his hand trembled.
Angel: “…”
Angel then added, “I think, aren’t you a bit too imaginative? Suffering from delusions of persecution?”
“I’m not making things up. Troysa is a big demon, all creatures of the ice element are demons!”
“But Troysa is a creature of the water element.”
“…Any elemental creature from the Marlaya Mountain, whether it’s of the ice element or the water element, they are all big demons, big villains,” Dangros said bitterly.
Angel looked at Dangros, whose expression was filled with both resentment and a sense of relief as if he had narrowly escaped a great peril, understanding that this was indeed what Dangros truly believed.
At its core, the issue stems from the historical remnants between the Fire Domain and the Marlaya Mountain.
Upon recalling his initial arrival in the Fire Domain, Eremy merely exhibited his ice powers, prompting Dangros to engage in combat without hesitation. This clearly indicates that, for Dangros, ice elemental creatures are considered lifelong adversaries.
However, when Mr. Magu speaks of the Marlaya Mountain, he doesn’t harbor such strong resentment; it’s curious then that Dangros has become such an avid anti-ice advocate.
Angel shook his head, finding it difficult to comment on the matter.
From his perspective, the elemental creatures of the Marlaya Mountain are generally favorable, and because of this, he is inclined to believe that Troysa harbors no ill will towards Dangros.
Yet, if viewed from the standpoint of a fire elemental creature, Dangros’ caution could seem justifiable, since fire and ice are incompatible by nature. However, Dangros’ reaction might be considered somewhat excessive.
“Alright, I accept your explanation. No need for thanks; since Mr. Magu entrusted you to my care, it’s my responsibility to ensure your safety,” Angel said, smiling warmly as he gently patted Dangros’ hand in an affectionate gesture.
This tender act made Dangros slightly shy, but it quickly regained its composure, its expression turning slightly melancholic: “Is it only because of Mr. Magu?”
Observing Dangros’ disappointed face, Angel chuckled softly: “Of course not. Even without Mr. Magu’s request, I would never hand you over.”
Dangros paused momentarily, not questioning further, and then, with a bowed hand and a murmur, said, “Regardless, I still owe you my thanks…”
After pausing briefly, Dangros lifted his head again and said, “Of course, I’m merely thanking you for not handing me over to Troysa. I won’t thank you for capturing me!”
Having said that, Dangros turned his head away awkwardly, pretending to be interested in the scenery outside.
Angel leaned in and said, “So, I noticed you were silent for a while there. Were you thinking about how to thank me?”
Dangros continued to feign interest in the landscape, almost as if he were about to compose a poem.
Angel understood the young bearish child’s embarrassment and didn’t pursue the matter of thanks any further, instead, he changed the subject, “Speaking of which, the Fire Domain and Marlaya…”
Angel was cut off mid-sentence, suddenly pausing and looking around with a puzzled expression.
The surrounding area was clear and bright, with only the occasional gentle breeze blowing through, and nothing else in sight, not even a cloud close by.
Angel’s sudden pause and vigilant expression were also noticed by Lobert standing nearby.
Lobert asked, “My lord, is something the matter?”
After a moment of contemplation, Angel responded, “Have you noticed anything unusual around us?”
“Unusual?” Lobert shook his head, “I’ve been on the alert, and haven’t noticed anything out of the ordinary.”
After Lobert’s response, which also included consulting Speedling, who also gave a negative answer, it wasn’t surprising to Angel. Before asking Lobert, he had secretly contacted Eremy, who also hadn’t noticed anything amiss.
Eremy’s response was essentially the final word on the matter.
It is important to understand that Eremy is a true workhorse. After being assigned the role of scouting and surveillance, it never relaxed its vigilance. Furthermore, its strength is formidable, and its ability to sense danger surpasses that of Lobert and Speedling. If Eremy couldn’t sense it, it was even less likely for others to do so.
Therefore, Angel still placed great trust in Eremy’s judgment.
However, this time, Angel still harbored a slight hesitation. Just when he was speaking with Dangros, his mental sense twitched slightly, vaguely feeling as if he was being spied upon, and this sensation did not feel distant, as if it was right by his side. But as soon as he came to, the feeling vanished.
“Could it really be my misconception?”
After pondering for a moment, Angel could not figure out the exact situation and could only temporarily keep a low profile, looking up to ask Lobert: “Where are we now? How far are we from our destination on the coast?”
Lobert replied, “We have already left the area of Marlaya Mountain. Currently, we are in the middle of the Gentle Waves Sea. The coast next to us leads to the Sparking Mountain Range, and further ahead, the coast leads to the Black Thunder Pool.”
“The coast where we plan to land, being in an unregulated area, is still ahead of us. With our current speed, it will take two more days to reach.”
Angel nodded, “Are there any powerful beings in the elemental territories nearby, especially those with stealth abilities?”
After thinking for a while, Lobert said, “The Sparking Mountain Range and the Black Thunder Pool do have several powerful thunder elemental creatures. However, when it comes to stealth abilities… there are none.”
“Even if there were, with their energy fluctuations, it would be nearly impossible to escape the ‘wind’s’ surveillance.”
Angel nodded, believing what Lobert had said. Being an elemental creature himself, Lobert was sensitive to the fluctuations of elemental energy.
Since he said so, it must be true.
However, Angel always felt that his mental senses should not be mistaken.
Unable to figure it out, Angel could only set it aside for the moment.
Glancing at the clear sky around him, Angel withdrew his gaze and refocused on Dangros.
Dangros, suspicious and wary, looked around: “Mr. Pat, is there something wrong?”
Angel shook his head: “Nothing’s wrong, let’s continue with the previous topic. Speaking of which, I still don’t know why the Fire Domain and Marlaya Mountain have become enemies. Marlaya Mountain drifts on the sea, while the Fire Domain is in the distant inland. How did you two start fighting?”
Dangros: “Well, about that…”
As Dangros began to ramble on, the Gondola also gently moved away from the vicinity.
Long after the Gondola had departed, a breeze swept by.
The wind passed, leaving silence in its wake.
…
On the Gondola, the voice of Dangros continued.
“Stop. I already know, there’s no need to repeat,” Angel interrupted Dangros hastily during a brief pause.
“Have I been repeating myself?” Dangros, originally speaking with indignation and fervor, asked somewhat confusedly after being cut off by Angel.
“You’ve already repeated it three times,” Angel said. “I understand the situation; you don’t need to say it again.”
Dangros opened his mouth for a while before finally murmuring, “Alright, I understand.”
Dangros showed a look of grievance, but Angel simply ignored him. Angel wasn’t making baseless claims; Dangros had indeed been going over the same points three times already.
The reason Dangros wasn’t aware of his repetition was purely because he got carried away. Whenever he touched upon the grudge against the Marlaya Mountain, Dangros couldn’t help but wish to denounce all ice elemental creatures one by one. In the end, he would forget what he had initially said and thus kept repeating himself.
However, from his words, Angel managed to extract the essential information.
The animosity between the Fire Domain and the Marlaya Mountain is a grievance that has been building up for thousands of years, the specifics of which Dangros himself does not know, but the spark of this hatred is believed to be Kalomaches.
Because Dangros repeatedly said that Marlaya Mountain has stealthily ventured into the Fire Domain numerous times, with the intent of pilfering the remains of Kalomaches.
It is precisely because of Kalomaches that Dangros, who considers himself the inheritor of Kalomaches, harbors deep-seated loathing for all elemental creatures of Marlaya Mountain.
This is also why Dangros, even before being captured by Troysa, imagined how she would punish him. For he, if given the chance to capture an ice elemental creature, would treat others in the same manner.
Overall, it’s quite a clichéd story. Angel merely listened casually, not wanting to get involved in the animosity between ice and fire, as their current hatred resembles a diorama war, purely an internal squabble.
Once humans enter the Tidal Realm, all such ancient enmities must be set aside.
Days and nights passed, and two days quickly went by.
During this time, they encountered no dangers and smoothly arrived at the designated coast.
This coast is unnamed, or rather, the coasts along the way are all the same, mostly unnamed. After all, elemental creatures, unlike humans, do not possess a strong desire to name places.
Only elemental territories or very special places have unique names; other places are mostly nameless.
In this unnamed land within the Tidal Realm’s main continent, places without names are everywhere.
Angel chose to land on a nameless coast. The road they are about to take is also nameless.
They will cross many nameless rivers, traverse nameless mountain ranges, and finally arrive at their destination: the Green Forest Domain.
The reason for choosing this route is precisely because it is all “nameless.” According to Lobert’s travel experiences, although not all elemental territories in the Tidal Realm are as harsh as the Toothpull Desert, there are still certain restrictions. Rather than wasting time contemplating the limitations of each territory, it is more convenient and quicker to choose the jurisdiction-free, nameless areas.
Moreover, elemental territories usually have extreme environments. Even without restrictions, entering them can be quite dangerous. For instance, creatures of the wood element would absolutely not enter a fire element territory.
It can be said that the majority of travelers and adventurers in the Tidal Realm almost always take the path through nameless lands.
Angel also did not want to waste time on various elemental territories. Even for sending the Drama Shadow Box, there was an envoy from the Fire Domain who went ahead. Therefore, he chose the path through the nameless lands to reach the Green Forest Domain as quickly as possible to resolve the matter of Feng’s treasure and then return to the Fire Domain to coax… no, to sincerely invite Kolokcro to become his elemental partner.
Re-entering the continent from the Gentle Waves Sea, under Lobert’s guidance, they proceeded from the nameless coast into the nameless mountains.
After flying over the nameless mountains for about half an hour, suddenly, a huge rumbling sound came from somewhere within the mountains.
As the sound spread, plumes of black smoke rose from the source of the sound.
“Eh, what’s happening over there?” Lobert’s head turned curiously to look.
Lobert’s tail head gave a glance at the rising smoke, then turned to Angel: “My lord, should we go have a look?”
“There’s no need to complicate matters unnecessarily,” Angel shook his head.
Lobert nodded, preparing to instruct Speedling to continue forward, when suddenly Dangros interjected: “Mr. Pat, let’s, let’s go have a look, shall we?”
Dangros looked at Angel with pleading eyes.
“Are you curious?” Angel glanced at Dangros, slowly saying: “You know, curiosity killed the cat.”
Dangros didn’t understand why curiosity would kill a cat, but now wasn’t the time to ask: “I’m not curious, it’s just that among the black smoke, I thought I saw sparks flying.”
“Since there are sparks… I was wondering, could it possibly be an elemental creature of fire?”
Chapter 2249 Monarch Without a Crown <TOC> Chapter 2251 The Frog and Raccoon