Chapter 52
Chapter 52
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 52
Chapter Title: Subdomain: Birds
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Birds was a decent subdomain.
It was particularly advantageous for area exploration through one's own domain—what players commonly referred to as "scouting."
Moreover, the two blessings it offered, "Crow's Intelligence" and "Owl's Wisdom," were well-known for boosting intelligence.
'But granting blessings to characters who already have them would be a waste.'
Thus, the new blessings would apply to the next generation being born anew.
'For the Lizardmen, replace poison resistance with Crow's Intelligence. For humans, swap out vitality for Owl's Wisdom.'
Choi Seong-un then checked Solongos's subdomain next.
He'd confirmed that Solongos possessed the "Rock" subdomain, so he'd hoped for that, but the one that emerged was "Marsh."
'Marsh? ...Not useless, but its utility is low.'
It seemed like a minor subdomain Solongos had acquired through the monstrosity.
For Solongos, who had ruled over centaurs and roamed the plains, it probably held little value.
However, even subdomains that appeared worthless at first often found uses once the mid-game arrived and players' activity ranges expanded.
'Next...'
Seong-un first turned his gaze westward.
Through his swarms of locusts, he knew a massive battle had broken out in the central continent.
It wasn't clear if everyone had grasped the full picture, but five players had divided into three major factions for the fight.
They clashed along their shared borders, yet behind the scenes, they were steadily claiming the unoccupied lands across the continent.
'Some of them will probably head this way soon enough.'
But until then, he planned to leave them alone.
It was an ideal situation with them wearing each other down—if Seong-un intervened as an external force, they might unite against him in the worst case.
Seong-un looked toward the northern coast.
In the northern part of the peninsula, which Seong-un effectively dominated, the black-scaled Lizardmen had destroyed or driven out all the tribes, leaving no other races behind.
But Solongos and Im Chun-sik hadn't taken that approach.
Having subjugated or enslaved NPC tribes, clearing the northern coast would take some time.
'It's mostly goblin hordes anyway, so no real issue.'
Seong-un then turned to the east.
To the east lay modest mountain ranges, beyond which stretched the continent's eastern coast.
There were probably a few NPC tribes, but it wasn't suitable space for players to settle.
'Rather than crossing the mountains, they'd advance by sea, seizing coastlines with ships through merchants or adventurers. A few ancient ruins would pop up, but nothing critical right now.'
What mattered most in the early game was land area, after all.
As Earth's history demonstrated, once certain nations took root in a region, they tended to persist there until some cataclysmic event.
The "early game" in this world ended when rough borderlines were drawn just before conflicts escalated into larger wars.
After that, dramatic expansion without war became exceedingly difficult.
Finally, Seong-un gazed south.
The northern peninsula was now Seong-un's territory.
While Seong-un had been fighting in Autonomy, the plains, and along the northern coast through Rakrak, the sedentary black-scaled Lizardmen had been tilling and living off the land.
The south wasn't entirely uncharted wilderness either.
Though Seong-un's race wasn't there yet, his bug creations occupied it.
A handful of NPC tribes existed—low in civilization level, but conquering them without losses would require bringing Rakrak along.
'No need to worry about the east or west, but the north and south need handling simultaneously—and Rakrak can't be in two places at once.'
Pondering this, Seong-un found another solution.
"That's why team play is necessary."
Over the video chat, Eldar snapped fiercely.
"What was that?"
"Nothing."
"I've got a bad feeling..."
"You're imagining things."
Seong-un sent the elves north once more.
They'd only just begun adapting to their new settlement, so there was resistance, but they couldn't muster any real strength against the Lizardmen's spear tips.
Besides, many still hadn't forgotten their homeland, so the elves headed north without much fuss.
However, the area where the elves had settled was already being occupied by Lizardmen.
Some of the peninsula's northern sedentary folk had migrated there.
They had come seeking the fertile lands ordained by their god, and indeed, the elf villages lay along a river delta sheltered by two large mountains that blocked the cold winds, making the climate milder than the latitude suggested.
Unsurprisingly, friction arose between the Lizardmen and elves.
But the Lizardmen's god performed miracles and shielded them from disasters, while Eldar, the elves' god, offered no response.
The elves had no choice but to push further north.
In the end, they settled at the very edge of the northern coast.
Elves weren't particularly weak to cold, but it was still land with long winters.
The ogres had opted to exploit goblin slaves or develop their civilization to acquire tech from other races rather than advancing agriculture themselves, so they faced new land to clear.
Moreover, there were plenty of interlopers.
The former slave goblins resented these new settlers, and though few in number, rogue ogres who had lost their tribes wandered about.
These ogres were especially dangerous.
Even without their god, the blessings lingered, granting them continued high intelligence.
The elves raised prayers to their god, Eldar.
Why must they endure such suffering?
Unfortunately, Eldar had no answer to give.
It wasn't as if he could admit he'd coveted Autonomy, incited an attack, and displeased Seong-un as a result.
Besides, after repelling Im Chun-sik and Solongos, it wasn't lingering resentment—Seong-un simply didn't want to expend his own tribe on clearing and pioneering the land, so he'd shipped the elves north.
In Eldar's view, if it came out that he was being coerced by another god, he'd lose all faith that day and end up as a mere statue.
But he couldn't completely ignore the prayers of his followers as their god.
Depending on Seong-un's next moves, Eldar issued a single oracle to his priest.
Lionar, the green-eyed elf selected as the new tribal chief and priest, received the oracle before the altar.
A precious being who would aid the elves was coming from the south.
Lionar spread the news to the elves.
Soon, an elf scouting party returned with word.
"A band of humans is approaching?"
Lionar recalled how his previous chief, Hasadian, had tried to attack a human tribe and led their group to ruin.
But he trusted his god's words.
'Hasadian was an arrogant fool. Surely the Dancing Shadow God wouldn't command such a reckless assault. He let his greed lead the warriors to their deaths. I won't repeat his mistakes.'
Despite their meager numbers, Lionar prepared a proper welcome for the human band.
Just as preparations finished, the mounted humans arrived.
Lionar immediately recognized the face of the one who dismounted first. They were acquaintances.
"Autonomy... Lord?"
"Oh, who was it again? No, definitely someone I met. I can recall... Give me a sec. Lionar. Lionar, right?"
"Yes, that's correct."
Lionar smiled awkwardly.
Hwickyeong remembered Lionar from their brief encounter at the market years ago.
Though the time had been short, both the reunion spot and their circumstances had changed dramatically.
"You've gotten thinner in the meantime? I'd ask if you're doing alright, but I've heard the rumors, so let's skip that. Oh, and for the record, I'm doing great. Lots of merchants wanted to come here, but with the trade routes blocked, they wrapped up deals in Autonomy and headed back. They took a hit, but... sorry, I've been rambling about myself too much?"
"No, please, come inside first."
"Sure thing. It's cold out here. Hold on, let me call my friend."
Hwickyeong turned back, and Lionar's gaze followed.
Now that he noticed, there was a cockatoo instead of a horse.
Dismounting from the cockatoo was, naturally, not a human but a Lizardman.
At the sight of its body covered in black scales, small cries of alarm rose among the elves, and Lionar hurriedly waved them down to settle them.
The Lizardman spoke.
"Sorry, elves, but I'll check this hut for any other assassins."
"Of course, Lizardman."
As the Lizardman entered the hut, he turned back.
"My name is Sairan Muel. Just call me Sairan."
"Very well, Sairan."
Lionar worried if this Lizardman named Sairan harbored ill will toward elves, given his sour expression.
But seeing his face relax in the hut's warmth, he realized it was just the cold.
Lionar watched Hwickyeong sip his tea.
Hwickyeong's horns had now fully grown, looking heavy even from the side, branching out in antler-like forks that seemed to prop up the sky itself.
Lionar opened his mouth cautiously.
"What brings you here?"
"Well, you know... Do elves believe in gods?"
He could feel Lionar's heart quicken at the mention of gods.
"Yes. We believe in the Dancing Shadow God. As for you, Sairan, and you, Hwickyeong—you believe in the Blue Insect God."
"Right. Truth be told, I don't know much about gods or faith, but sometimes... other people mention these things called oracles?"
"Oracles, you say?"
"Yeah. The gods don't spell it out exactly—they vaguely say to do something or that there's something over there, and when you check, there's valuables or whatever."
To Lionar, Hwickyeong seemed overly preoccupied with worldly matters, but there was still a bond as fellow recipients of oracles.
"So, you came all this way because of an oracle?"
"More or less?"
"The specifics...?"
"Oracles are open to interpretation, right? Might lead to misunderstandings, so let's skip the details."
"Ah, I see."
"Anyway, the key point is that our Blue Insect God helps the weak, the outcasts, the abandoned."
"Yeees..."
Lionar glanced around the hut, tempted to retort that this god had created their current mess.
It didn't seem like a wise choice.
And according to Hwickyeong, regardless of the god's true intentions, the human before him was offering aid.
"So, this help...?"
"Brought some weapons, farming tools, and grain seeds that grow well even in the cold."
The seeds in question came from Hwickyeong's pouch.
They were exactly what the elves desperately needed.
Had they come straight up from their original village, it might've been different, but right now, all they had were cold-weak seeds scavenged from the northern peninsula.
If luck held, they might harvest this autumn—but if not, those seeds wouldn't be the only things dying.
Lionar's face lit up at the sight.
"We are truly gra—"
"I'll give you a good price."
"...Pardon?"
To Lionar's stunned question, Hwickyeong replied clearly, word for word.
"You're elves in a tough spot, so I'll cut you a deal."