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CHAPTER 18
🕑 Added 2025-04-30 10:02:22 +0000 UTC"This island is really just ten gold coins?"
Aisha narrowed her eyes suspiciously at the merchant in front of her—portly frame, curly mustache, squinty eyes, and a smile that practically had “I have a bad idea” written across it.
Ever since they returned from the Holy Mountain, Zuo Teng had been busy planning the construction of a film studio to shoot Journey to the Holy Mountain—and possibly many sequels to come.
Land within the city was crazy expensive, and Dragon Island was way too far. After scouring maps and scouting for days, he finally found this tiny island five nautical miles southwest of Twin Towers City’s port.
And when they got in touch with the island’s current owner… the price was an absurdly low ten gold coins.
It wasn’t that Aisha had gotten rich and cocky to the point where ten coins meant nothing.
But for an island over fifteen square kilometers large? That price was criminally cheap.
You couldn’t even buy two sets of Craig’s deluxe yo-yos for that kind of money!
And judging by the merchant’s anxious face, there was even room to haggle.
“Of course it’s just ten gold coins! I’ve been in business for years—when have I ever scammed anyone? Go ask around the city! I won’t say I’m a big shot, but my reputation? Solid!”
The merchant wiped the sweat from his brow, eyes flicking nervously toward the sinking sun. The twilight sky burned gold and crimson at the horizon.
Aisha glanced toward the island. It had flat terrain, and even the highest point probably didn’t break a hundred meters above sea level. The trees were a bit sparse for a sea island, leaving it looking rather bald—but other than that, there weren’t any glaring issues.
“Have you made your decision yet?” the merchant pushed. “To be honest, I really need the money. That’s why I’m selling the island for so cheap. Desperate times and all.”
He was getting more and more jittery by the second, eyes darting to the sun like it owed him money.
Something was fishy.
Aisha smirked. She had an idea to figure out what he was hiding.
“How about giving me a proper tour of the island?”
“No need, really. There’s nothing special to see.”
“But what if I like what I see and decide to buy it on the spot?”
“Er, well, how about tomorrow then? The sun’s going down, and it’ll be too dark to see anything properly.”
“I can cast Light.”
“N-not necessary…” The merchant’s smile started twitching. His eyes darted toward the boat like it was salvation, and he began inching that way.
But before he could take a step, he bumped right into Zuo Teng’s dragon horn.
And before he could sputter out an excuse—
"SKREEEE—"
A shrill, otherworldly screech echoed from the shadows. No one could tell what kind of creature made that sound.
Aisha tilted her head and looked at the merchant like: Well? Your turn to spill the beans.
Knowing he’d been caught red-handed, the merchant confessed everything in one big gulp.
“The island is mine, yes! But there’s a Kuo-Toa murloc tribe living here. They come out of their burrows every night! I can’t build anything here—I can’t even grow crops!”
He looked like he was about to cry from sheer frustration.
“Didn’t you think of hiring an adventuring party to wipe them out?” Aisha asked, surprised. That’s what merchants usually did—eco-conservation wasn’t exactly their strong suit.
“I can’t! They were here before Twin Towers City was founded! They’re indigenous! We’re the newcomers! The government has rules—they must be protected. So can I go now?!”
“…Sure.”
The moment Aisha gave her okay, the merchant took off at Olympic speed toward his boat.
“WAIT!”
Aisha’s voice stopped him in his tracks. He spun around and dropped to his knees with a thud. “I’ve told you everything! I swear! If I don’t leave now it’ll be too late!”
She tossed him a pouch. “Ten gold coins. You can ask around the city—I won’t say I’m a big shot, but my reputation’s solid.”
The merchant grabbed the pouch and scrambled onto his boat like his life depended on it.
“So… how are we going to take over this island?” Aisha asked, turning to Zuo Teng.
“Easy. We kill most of the murlocs, cage the rest in a zoo for display, then when we’re bored, toss ‘em in a reservation. After that, we declare a Thanksgiving Day to honor them for vacating the island.”
“…Huh?”
Zuo Teng chuckled. “Kidding. What kind of monster do you take me for?”
Honestly, he was surprised the Sutton Kingdom was this civilized.
Aisha exhaled in relief. “Jeez. So what are we going to do?”
“You’re going.”
“What? I’m fighting the fish people?!”
“You’ll win.”
Zuo Teng stared into her wide, very-not-amused eyes. He wasn’t joking.
“…How?”
Zuo Teng crouched and drew a magic circle on the ground. A teleportation circle. Brand new spell. Handy for emergency reinforcements.
A flash of light later, the elite drow squad appeared.
“Dress Lady Aisha in the image of the Sea Mother.”
Fun fact: creatures from the Underdark were almost always… at least slightly deranged. Kuo-Toa were especially deranged.
They were religious fanatics. The only issue? They didn’t quite know what counted as a “real” god. So… they just made one up.
Their supreme deity? The Sea Mother.
Why a fish-man god looked like a human woman with seashell pauldrons, a crawfish head, and pincers was anyone’s guess.
If you didn’t know better, you’d think she was some interdimensional horror.
A short while later, Aisha emerged with a lobster shell helmet and echoing voice. “Can someone please explain what we’re doing?”
The plan: a little show called The Nameless Island Tragedy: When the Sea Mother Descended.
Underdark Lore 101: randomly pick any two intelligent species from there, and they probably hate each other.
Luckily, Zuo Teng had a full squad of elite drow warriors.
So here’s the play: the drow would stage a fake raid on the murloc village. In their darkest hour, the Sea Mother (a.k.a. Aisha) would descend and summon her divine beast—the legendary red dragon, Zuo Teng—to save her loyal children.
Night fell. The murlocs began their nightly scurry, coming out in small groups to scavenge.
“Check out this shell I found yesterday! Isn’t it pretty?” a murloc bragged to his friend.
His companion ogled it with envy as the first murloc proudly declared, “This shell must’ve belonged to the Sea Mother herself. Look how it shines!”
He lifted the shell into the moonlight, and it shimmered like a rainbow.
“Thwip—thunk!”
The shell vanished, pinned to the ground by a crossbow bolt.
They turned. Shadowy figures emerged—tall, lithe, and deadly.
Drow.
Protect the village!
One murloc raised his spear and charged—but the drow blinked forward, appeared right in front of him, and with one fluid strike, sent the poor fish-man flying into the sand.
…Huh? Still alive?
While the fallen murloc flopped around wondering how he wasn’t dead, another sprinted toward the village in panic.
“High Priest! The drow! The drow are here!!”
The priest saw the commotion from the altar and, being the brains of the tribe, immediately understood: they stood no chance.
But he wasn’t afraid—not with the Sea Mother watching over them.
He began his sacred, self-invented ritual, waving his staff and muttering nonsense.
Unfortunately, the drow were faster. One blinked right in front of him, blade aimed for his heart.
O Great Sea Mother… have you abandoned your most faithful servant?
He shut his eyes, awaiting death—
But nothing came.
He peeked.
The drow had vanished into the shadows, fleeing in terror.
“ROOOOOAAAR!!”
A thunderous roar shook the skies. A massive red dragon descended from the heavens, fire blazing from its mouth, scattering the drow like ants.
And from its back descended a majestic, impossible figure.
Human body. Lobster head and claws. Shells glimmering like moonlit pearls.
It was Her. The Great Sea Mother.
Every murloc dropped to their knees in awe, trembling in reverent fear.
“This dragon is my herald. Together, we shall build a new future for this island.”
Ah… even Her voice was divine.
As She vanished into the sky atop her dragon, the murlocs could only stare in stunned silence.
The high priest rose slowly, spiritually reborn. He would give his life for the Sea Mother’s command.
Though… one tiny doubt lingered in his mind.
Why does the Sea Mother’s herald breathe fire?
Then he shook his head. Nonsense. Who was he to question a god?
