Chapter 110 The Lake Under the Moonlight
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The feast was over.
Although Argentavis reluctantly urged us to stay the night, there was no time for that.
Sharing drinks and meat to solidify the alliance was the most time we could spare.
Argentavis handed us a few items wrapped in colorful cloths, similar to those I’d seen in the Silver Dragon Cave.
These items, according to him, were weaknesses of Gaechar-goa-dal.
To be precise, they were objects that even Gaechar-goa-dal feared.
While they alone wouldn’t be enough to defeat him, Argentavis claimed that these items were why he had managed to survive.
I worried that giving these to us might put him in danger, but Argentavis, confident in his ability to escape, insisted it was better for us to have them since a full-scale battle was imminent.
Given that no one knows the Bird King better than the Snake Queen, his judgment seemed sound.
As the sun set, we didn’t return to the temple after leaving Argentavis’s territory.
The Snake Queen mentioned there was somewhere she needed to stop by.
“Birds can’t see well at night. That’s why we need to move now.”
It made sense.
After all, snakes are nocturnal, and birds are diurnal.
No matter how strong a bird might be, unless it’s an owl or a similar species, it would struggle to fly in the dark.
Moreover, the Snake Queen was moving in her Lamia form, making her even harder to detect.
Perhaps that was why she had caused a commotion during the day.
She declared, “We’re heading north!” loudly to mislead the enemies, and now, while they’re off guard, we were heading somewhere else.
Sssss.
I slithered alongside the Snake Queen.
Saying I walked alongside her sounded strange since she had no legs.
Sssss.
“Shikshik.”
Shikshik hissed from my neck.
Since forming an unspoken alliance with Jjakjjak, her gaze had become more resolute.
Though she still retained her round, chubby appearance.
Her determined expression lasted only a moment before her face slowly drooped.
Even though her eyes were open, it was clear she was getting sleepy.
It made sense.
It was late, she had just eaten a filling meal of eggs, and she was at an age where sleep was abundant.
She also used up a lot of energy bickering with Jjakjjak.
“Gorolong…”
The sound of a snake snoring was no longer strange to me.
It had become so familiar that it didn’t even seem odd.
The Snake Queen looked at the sleeping Shikshik and smiled.
Lately, I’d been seeing her smile more often.
I never imagined she could make such expressions when we first met.
“She must take after me, being so sleepy.”
Could it be that the Snake Queen also slept a lot?
Was she holed up in the temple because she was sleeping?
As I mused over these trivial thoughts, I continued to follow the Snake Queen.
How long had we been walking when the Snake Queen suddenly stopped?
“We’ve arrived.”
Tall reeds obscured the view ahead, making it impossible to see what lay beyond.
The Snake Queen, as if expecting this, pushed aside the reeds with her hand.
What appeared before me was an expansive lake.
The jungle is usually densely packed with trees, so it’s rare to find a place that feels so open.
Yet this lake was wide open.
It might seem out of place, but it didn’t feel unnatural at all.
The lake blended seamlessly with the jungle.
Small trees dotted the area, and the lake itself was quite expansive.
Despite the darkness of the night, the bright moonlight reflected off the lake’s surface.
Chirring.
The insects chirped in unison, as if to announce their presence.
In the sky, countless fireflies danced.
“What do you think?”
I had seen countless breathtaking sights in this world.
A Dilophosaurus using the ultimate technique of the Tang Clan, a cockatrice with the head of a chicken and a snake, a spider asking to be spanked, and a snake that could talk.
Each one was a shocking sight that defied the common sense I once knew.
But if I had to choose the most beautiful scene, I would pick this moment without hesitation.
I may not have an eye for art, but the scene before me was so beautiful that it transcended such things.
“This is my favorite place. The air is clean, and the water is clear. Just watching those fireflies flying in the sky warms my heart.”
Indeed, this view was worthy of being called a masterpiece.
Yet there was something I couldn’t quite understand.
It was undoubtedly a beautiful place, and I didn’t regret coming here so late at night.
But it had nothing to do with our main objective.
Weren’t we gathering strength to fight the Bird King?
Shouldn’t we be searching for elixirs, seeking new allies, or devising a plan to defeat the Bird King?
That was our primary goal.
So why had we come here instead?
The Snake Queen wouldn’t have made such a decision without a reason.
Her blood ran cold, far colder than mine.
She was much more calculated than I was.
There must be another reason for coming here.
Perhaps a hidden opportunity awaited in this place.
“I wanted to show you this.”
The Snake Queen’s words were not what I had expected.
She brought me here just to show me this?
That couldn’t be right.
Perhaps this lake was the source of the Fire Carp?
Or maybe a powerful spiritual beast lived beneath its waters.
Yes, that would make sense.
Once again, the Snake Queen smiled.
“The princess seems to be sleeping soundly. Lay her down over there for a while. And bring the item we received from the former Bird King as well.”
The Snake Queen pointed to a nest-like structure made of reeds.
Judging by its size, it was just right for Shikshik to fit in.
She must have brought her here several times before.
“Gegek.”
Without a word, I gently placed Shikshik in the nest.
“Are you done?”
“Gegek.”
The Snake Queen’s tail coiled around me.
“Gegek?”
The Snake Queen smiled playfully.
“Relax. You might get hurt.”
She grabbed the back of my neck with a firm grip.
Then, from the low hill, the Snake Queen leaped into the air.
Naturally, I had no choice but to follow her.
Splash!
Even though it wasn’t a great height, the splash was large due to my weight.
Now I understood why she had me put Shikshik down first.
She intended to dunk me in the water.
I wasn’t sure of her exact purpose, but she had underestimated me.
I’m no pushover in water.
I’m a master of the Soaring Dragon’s Ascension Step, after all.
I quickly paddled to the surface.
Just as I was about to retaliate against the Snake Queen for dunking me…
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“Uhoho, were you surprised?”
That’s cheating.
How am I supposed to fight back when she’s smiling like that?
“You must be wondering why we came here. You have plenty to do, and you’re probably thinking that showing you a view wasn’t the only reason we came.”
It was as if she had read my mind.
“Gegek.”
I nodded lightly.
“I brought you here to express my gratitude.”
The Snake Queen bowed her head.
“Gegek!”
I was taken aback.
What was she thanking me for all of a sudden?
“Thanks to you, I was able to form an alliance with the former Bird King.”
I waved my hands frantically.
I didn’t do anything—I just made some “gegek” sounds.
Even the unicorn’s horn was technically stolen.
“I haven’t done anything, yet I’ve received so much help from you.”
She was saying exactly what I had been thinking.
I had received far more from the Snake Queen and Shikshik than I had given.
The Fire Carp, the Snow Lotus Ginseng, and even the Myriad-Year Golden Spirit Fruit.
These were precious elixirs that I might never have obtained even if I dedicated my entire life to it.
Having received such treasures, this was the least I could do.
“To be honest, before you arrived, things were not looking good. Goga-durisu siding with them was a significant blow. By using its power, they could build resistance to my abilities.”
Indeed, most of the creatures that followed the Bird King had developed resistance to petrification and poison.
They must have utilized the Cockatrice’s power to counter the Snake Queen.
“The longer the fight dragged on, the worse it became. Without any new variables on our side, the Bird King’s growing forces naturally gained the upper hand.”
The Snake Queen and the Bird King kept each other in check.
That’s why the ability of their subordinates to move freely was so crucial.
The Snake Queen had lost her most powerful subordinate.
“Do you know that you single-handedly destroyed a plan that Gaechar-goa-dal had been working on for decades?”
Hearing her praise made me a little embarrassed.
Normally, I would have made greedy “gegek” noises, hoping for more elixirs.
But not this time.
Maybe it was because of the serene beauty of this place.
Or perhaps it was due to the lingering anxiety in my heart.
“Now we’re on equal footing. The former Bird King and I, along with the forces under Argantavis and the Black Dragons allied with me, and that old lizard, will fight together. Our forces should be evenly matched.”
It was a list that instilled confidence just hearing it.
Both the Snake Queen and the Old Compsognathus were strong enough that I couldn’t see their levels.
If Argent
avis recovered, he would be comparable to them.
On land, the Snake Queen’s Black Dragons would play a significant role.
One Stegosaurus could easily take on five Terror Birds.
The pterosaurs under Argentavis would be crucial in the aerial battles.
And let’s not forget the rumored secret weapon.
If the Komodo-Lania joined the fight, we would surely have the upper hand.
“With all of this, we should be able to win.”
It was almost time.
We were so close to defeating the Bird King.
“So, my mate…”
“Please leave this jungle before the battle begins.”
Her words were completely different from what I had expected.