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[Vol. 1] Chapter 36: The Guardians of the Black River

It was a large turtle, or perhaps a dragon turtle?

Because it was hiding in the water, Violet couldn't see it very clearly, but judging from the dragon-like features on its body, its bloodline purity should be quite high. The attack it unleashed earlier, which was a high-speed water jet from its mouth, was created by this dragon turtle.

And now, attacking the ship from underwater were probably its minions or subordinates.

They came in all shapes and sizes: gigantic fish, serpents, smaller turtles that looked somewhat like dragons but lacked wings, and lizard-like creatures with webbed feet. They all exhibited some features of dragonkind, and their attack methods were diverse. Violet couldn't even be bothered to count them all.

The strength of these river monsters varied, with their numbers estimated at over a thousand. The weakest ones were around Level 10, roughly equivalent to human's Bronze level. 

The strongest among them, including the leading dragon turtle, appeared to be at Level 45-50, surpassing even Flora's level. This made them some of the strongest creatures Violet had encountered so far.

Hmm… they reminded her of the creature she had spotted that one night at the Fortress, the one that had been spying from above and had received a flashbang from Violet.

Assuming they were on land, Flora might have a decent chance of defeating this creature with the help of two magical items. However, in the water…

It was no wonder people said the Black River was difficult to cross. With such a formidable creature around, if it weren't for Violet providing the Noah's Ark and staying aboard herself, relying solely on Lilya and her troops, there was a real possibility of total annihilation.

As the saying goes, no matter how powerful a warrior is, it's challenging to face these local creatures in the water, unless they can fly or their strength is so vastly superior that they can easily overpower them.

"Miss Violet, below…"

Her Royal Highness watched as the golden barrier blocked all the water droplets, relieved but also concerned about the disturbance beneath the ship.

Although she had a formidable army of thousands and ace guardians like the Shadow Guard, in the middle of the Black River, it was still a challenging situation. She had no choice but to seek help from her miraculous teacher and guard, Miss.

"It's alright, just some little bugs. Let them knock at it slowly, even if they break their teeth, they won't harm the ship. But what's in front of us… we definitely need to deal with it."

During the conversation, the enormous turtle-like creature, seeing that its attacks were ineffective, couldn't seem to hold back any longer and gradually rose from the river's surface.

It was over a hundred meters long, with only part of its body exposed above the water, enough to make it eye-to-eye with Violet and the others on the deck.

It had spiral-shaped double horns on its head, longer and more powerful limbs compared to an ordinary turtle, and its skin was covered with thick, dark scales.

If it weren't for the broad shell on its back, which stood like an island in the river, this creature would have looked like a wingless dragon.

"What a powerful Dragonkin characteristic… perhaps even more formidable than the half-dragon people of the Beastfolk. Is it… a direct lineage?"

Suddenly, a gasp of astonishment, filled with chills, came from behind. To evoke such strong emotional fluctuations from this usually silent woman, it seemed that the old turtle's background might be even greater than Violet had anticipated.

On the river's surface, there was the sound of an ancient, thunder-like voice, like an echo from a distant past, the sediment of time.

"I am the great Lord of the Black River, Nasserian, the son of the Dragon of Dark Waters, the Guardian of the Black River. Human, why do you intrude upon our territory?"

Can we communicate?

Lilya stared in amazement at the massive turtle-like creature on the river's surface. She then looked back at Violet, who showed no signs of response. Lilya took a deep breath and approached the imposing figure, speaking confidently.

"I am Lilya Melchior, the Fifth Princess of the United Human Kingdom. These are my subordinates. Respectful Guardian of the Black River, we mean no harm…"

"Insolent!"

What was once a thunderous, ancient voice suddenly boomed several times louder, as if a deafening thunderclap reverberated across the river's surface. 

Despite the protective barriers and curtains, the deafening sound left Lilya feeling dizzy, nearly causing her to stumble. Fortunately, the person behind her, Flora, steadied her.

"Lowly human, I am not here to converse with you. I was looking for the true power behind you. I'm the son of the Dragon, Nasserian, the Guardian of the Black River!"

"Oh?"

Lilya was momentarily stunned. She and Flora exchanged a glance of helplessness, unsure of whether to respond to this demand.

"Well…," Violet sighed.

This old turtle, as soon as it emerged, kept glancing in my direction with those lifeless fish eyes. Does it really think others can't see it? And does it really have to add such a long prefix to its name every time it addresses itself? Who can remember that?

She continued to silently grumble in her mind, but it was clear that the creature had made up its mind to communicate only with her. Despite finding it troublesome, Violet suddenly felt a slight spark of interest in this self-proclaimed Guardian Turtle and decided not to immediately resort to violence as she had originally planned.

"You want to speak with me, don't you? What's the matter?"

"Oh, this aura, indeed… May I inquire about your name?"

After observing the black-haired girl who had stepped forward from behind Lilya, the turtle, who called itself Nasserian, suddenly became more respectful, even adopting a softer tone, almost a "whisper" in its speech, considering its previous thunderous voice.

"…I'm Violet, a traveler of sorts who came from afar out of curiosity. I'm currently employed by Lilya as her temporary guardian. What's the matter? Are you looking for trouble?"

"No, no! Absolutely not! It's just that someone of your stature accepting the employment of a mere mortal… My apologies, I've overstepped. I have no intention of judging your actions, I'm just a bit surprised…"

It felt like the majestic voice of the old turtle suddenly became somewhat humble. And from the way it spoke, Violet got the feeling…

"Do you… do you happen to know me?" Violet raised an eyebrow.

Otherwise, there was no explanation for the sudden 180-degree change in its attitude.

After all, Violet had only used a 6th-level defensive skill earlier, and if that alone could scare the old turtle, then its titles as the "son of something" and "guardian of something" were quite underwhelming.

But that couldn't be the case. Violet had traveled from a game world to this one and had been in this world for less than a month. It couldn't be a matter of her own memories…

"No, I have never met you before."

"?"

Violet suddenly fell silent.

"No, you act like you know me so well. What are you up to?"

Nasserian's voice paused for a moment, and its enormous dragon eyes scanned the people on the deck, as if assessing something.

"There are some matters I wish to discuss with you alone. Would you be willing to bring me into your divine… I mean, your private space? It should not be difficult for you."

This statement sounded like a request, but Violet could sense that it was also a kind of test, a subtle way of saying that if she couldn't demonstrate some sort of ability or method, Nasserian had no intention of sharing further information.

Can Violet do it? Of course, she can.

However… how did this old fellow know she had such abilities? And that overly familiar and humble tone, it all felt quite complicated.

She initially thought it would be a simple river crossing, maybe dealing with a few ignorant monsters at most. But the appearance of Nasserian, the old turtle, had thrown the situation in a direction Violet had not anticipated.

"Very well."

After a moment's contemplation, Violet agreed to the big turtle's request. After all, this skill wasn't some closely guarded secret, and she didn't mind if it was observed. Once she entered her own domain, she had no fear of any potential schemes the turtle might have.

"I'll be back in a moment."

Turning her head, she briefly instructed the princess, not waiting for their response. Violet let her thoughts surface and softly chanted.

"Open the gates."