Chapter 21
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 21
Chapter Title: City of Snakes and the Sea (6)
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After stopping by the spice shop and learning there was no such thing as 'sea serpent broth,' Cheisi had come to the rocky shore where waves crashed against the stones.
"...Could you type what the boatmen said into the chat?"
Cheisi recalled the boatmen she'd met while wandering Azelchen. She definitely remembered hearing how to summon Siurug.
-OK
-Just came to see the fish.
Soon, a long chat message scrolled up.
Reading it, Cheisi floated the massive glass jar she'd gotten from the spice shop out onto the sea.
It bobbed gently.
As the jar started drifting away, she hurriedly scooped it back and used her fishing rod to tie it securely to a rock.
Then, Cheisi prayed toward the ocean.
"Lord Siurug... I want to taste you..."
Siurug didn't come.
No matter how many minutes she waited.
The sun dipped low, painting the world in golden hues, while the sound of crashing waves echoed softly.
Cheisi began to feel sleepy.
She sprawled out on the rock like a dried catfish, half-closing her eyes as she watched the jar sway on the waves. That's when she spotted a shooting star streaking from the sky.
A distant spot lit up brightly, briefly revealing the shape of an island.
"...Did you just see that island?"
-Saw it
-Hidden one?
-Let's go
"Later. Right now, I need that sea serpent broth."
Cheisi waited a bit longer.
The water churned violently, and a black serpent sliced through the waves, swimming swiftly toward her.
Cheisi tried to persuade it.
"Excuse me, Lord Siurug. Could you just dip your tail in this jar...?"
The sea serpent nudged the jar a few times before losing interest and circling lazily around.
This would turn into endless waiting at this rate.
Cheisi attempted a trade.
"I'll... give you all the fish I've caught so far."
Siurug reacted.
It approached the rock where Cheisi sat and gaped its massive jaws wide open toward her.
"...You won't snatch it this time, right?"
She had a bitter memory of her fish being stolen once before, but Cheisi decided to trust Siurug this time.
Pulling out all the fish she'd caught from her inventory, Cheisi tearfully tossed them toward the serpent.
"Just dip the tip of your tail in the jar..."
Siurug munched on the fish Cheisi had thrown, then stared at the jar for a moment.
And then... it vanished.
"...Huh?"
Staring blankly in the direction Siurug had gone, Cheisi realized what happened.
".........Fuck?"
She'd been robbed again.
Tricked once more.
There's a saying: fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.
She'd been duped twice.
And with precious fish she'd spent ages catching, no less.
Cheisi felt her emotions surging.
Taking a deep breath, she screamed toward the sea where Siurug had disappeared.
"...Hey! You goddamn bastard! Come back...!!"
Having shouted with all her might, Cheisi soon saw a massive black serpent slicing across the water toward her.
Siurug had returned.
HISS-!!!!
In an extremely enraged state.
Cheisi felt wronged.
'No, you're the one who did wrong.'
She'd only sworn a little, never expecting to face the furious sea serpent baring its fangs head-on.
HIIIISSS-!!!
Siurug surged up from the depths.
Its black body reared toward the sky before lunging at Cheisi and swallowing her whole.
Cheisi's world turned pitch black in an instant.
Lens monsters have a feature that summons them next to the streamer if they fall too far behind for smooth streaming.
A lens monster was summoned beside Cheisi, now engulfed in the sea serpent's maw.
The viewers saw it.
Lick lick lick.
Lick lick lick lick lick lick lick lick lick lick.
Siurug's tongue slathering Cheisi in saliva.
Cheisi attacked Siurug's tongue.
No damage went through, but she kept swinging anyway.
Ignoring her, Siurug drenched Cheisi completely in drool before spitting her out onto the rock.
Siurug curled its tail into a heart shape toward Cheisi. The terrifying aura from moments ago was gone.
"......What the hell."
As Cheisi shuddered, soaked in sticky saliva, Siurug swam lazily around her before suddenly grabbing her with its tail and hoisting her onto its body.
"Hweh?"
Before Cheisi could process it, Siurug shot across the sea at breakneck speed.
"Hweeeek...!"
The cat riding the sea serpent faced a brutal salty headwind.
Everything around blurred past insanely fast, leaving no time to think.
The lens monster flapped its wings desperately to keep up, but lagged behind and had to respawn beside Cheisi repeatedly.
-Speed feels insane
-Oooohhh
-Whoa, that drift was pro
"What speed...! Save me... hweeeee...!!"
Cheisi clung desperately to the serpent's body, trembling to stay on, while the viewers—unbothered since it wasn't them—enjoyed the ride. Together, they raced across the waves.
The speeding sea serpent tossed Cheisi onto soft sand.
"Ugh... hwek... haak...... hek..."
Unable to handle the thrill, Cheisi panted on the sand before lifting her head.
"Hek... where's..."
It was a small sand island.
The land was all sand, and near the shore, trees with roots underwater bobbed in the sea.
"...This the little island... haak... from the shooting star... right...?"
You have acquired a title.
Cheisi stared confusedly at the message.
"Hek, a title...?"
What title in this situation?
Cheisi steadied herself and checked the title.
『Visitor of the Falling Star Island』
Acquisition Condition: Visit the hidden island in the Serpent Sea
It was a title adorned with beautiful stars.
Her eyes went to the acquisition condition.
"Hidden island...?"
It sounded extraordinary at first glance.
Cheisi scanned the island, then turned her head.
Azelchen was faintly visible in the distance.
Siurug, who had brought her here, swam idly nearby.
"I'm the first to come here... right...?"
She didn't know why she'd been brought here, but Cheisi first checked the info on her new title.
『Visitor of the Falling Star Island』
You have become a visitor to the hidden island in the Serpent Sea.
Grade: Very Rare
Effect: Activates 'Meteor Stone' when equipped
It was her first 'Very Rare' title.
But it had an unknown effect.
"...What's a Meteor Stone?"
-???
-There are tons of rocks around here tho
As the viewers said, the island was littered with stones.
Cheisi picked one up and checked its info.
｢Meteor Stone｣
A mysterious stone possessing the power to call stars.
Grade: Very Rare
Type: Decor Item
Press the pattern on the stone on the Falling Star Island to summon a 'star.'
The stone was the Meteor Stone she'd been curious about.
But she still didn't get the effect.
"Summons a star...?"
Tilting her head in confusion, a bird flew in and perched on her shoulder.
Corpse Bird nearby: Stamina slowly depleting.
Confirming her stamina draining slowly and realizing it was the green bird's doing, Cheisi flung it far away.
The bird returned undeterred, pecking at the ground pretending disinterest before diving at Cheisi again.
Only after being thrown about five times did the bird finally stay away.
Confirming it wouldn't approach, Cheisi examined the Meteor Stone again.
The front had an intricate star pattern, like an alchemist's symbol.
Touching it felt rough and gritty.
Cheisi equipped the title and touched the pattern.
A message appeared.
A star is falling.
Cheisi looked up at the sky.
Something twinkled in the night sky, then plummeted fast.
A 'star' soon crashed near the island.
Trees directly hit burst into massive flames.
"...Pressing this makes a star fall."
Cheisi pressed the pattern three more times.
A star is falling.
A star is falling.
A star is falling.
Like before, three stars crashed near the island in succession, causing white explosions.
This confirmed pressing the stone made stars fall around the island.
Realizing that, Cheisi felt an urge bubbling up.
"I can't hold back anymore..."
-Don't
-Fr, how could you lol
The viewers were already on the same page.
Tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap.
Cheisi began mashing the pattern at lightning speed.
A star is falling.
A star is falling.
A star is falling.
A star is falling.
A star is falling.
A star is falling.
A star is falling.
...
Countless stars began raining from the sky.
"Whoa..."
Cheisi gazed at the heavens in awe.
The sky was filled with stars.
Each one like a huge raindrop, pouring down like a storm.
Golden rain fell across the dark night sky.
"A meteor shower..."
The cat couldn't tear her eyes from the meteor shower she'd created.
She didn't notice the life-draining intruder.
The green bird sneaked up and perched on her shoulder.
Thrilled at not being chased, it preened excitedly, then glanced up and froze, feather in beak.
The two watched the night sky until the shower ended. Perhaps many more creatures were captivated by the starlit spectacle.
Only after the stars stopped did Cheisi notice the green bird on her shoulder.
Her stamina was already down 30%.
"Kriuk?"
As their eyes met, the bird tilted its head like what's your problem? Cheisi grabbed it and hurled it far away.
This time with maximum force, roughly.
"Kriiuuuuk!"
The bird let out a villainous squawk and flapped off into the distance.
"Hoo..."
Watching it go, Cheisi turned to the chat.
-Don't wanna hype it but it's gorgeous af lol
-How is this even a game wtf
-First time seeing this many stars fall
The viewers seemed purely amazed by the meteor shower too.
It was the most beautiful night sky they'd seen. Cheisi understood their reactions.
Of course, there were weird ones.
-You're using chat solo??;
-Phone ASCII breaks, can't see
Cheisi looked at the chat filled with ASCII art and said,
"It's fine to be amazed together, but I'm temp-banning for spamming."
Once the chat calmed, Cheisi started moving.
She'd reached a hidden area—time for some farming.