Chapter 883
Chapter 883
Anton, Paul, and Eric, followed by their elven guide, Mironor, began diving toward the depths of Lake Anormona. Thanks to Anton's Underwater Breathing spell, they could breathe as naturally as if they were on land. Anton noticed that both Paul and Eric were looking around in wonder, captivated by the breathtaking beauty that could only be found in a magical lake hidden deep within the island ruled by the elves.
The countless colorful fish swimming around them resembled precious gems and showed no fear of the visitors who had entered their sanctuary. Anton found himself mesmerized as he watched them glide gracefully through the water. Their long, flowing fins reminded him of the trailing gowns of elegant ladies attending a grand ball.
In fact, every fish looked like a noblewoman dressed in an ornate gown, as though they had abandoned a high-society gathering in favor of frolicking through a magnificent garden.
For a moment, Anton wished he had brought an underwater camera. Then he remembered that he could simply record everything with his Globe of Browser Sharing. Without hesitation, he summoned the globe and began recording the enchanting scenery beneath the magical lake.
He recalled swimming beneath the sea near New Drennor and wished he had thought of doing the same thing back then. He wondered how Earth's netizens would react if he uploaded footage of such breathtaking landscapes. Most likely, they would dismiss everything as incredibly advanced CGI and praise him for spending a fortune to produce such realistic visuals.
His thoughts then drifted to the war between the Human Allied Forces and the Undead Coalition. He wished he had recorded those battles as well. He was certain he could have sold the footage to one of the allied kingdoms for a considerable sum.
The best feature of the Globe of Browser Sharing was that Anton could make it invisible. Even if it recorded everything around him continuously, no one would notice it.
It did emit a faint amount of mana, but since Anton was a wizard—a Supreme Rank wizard at that—his constant release of mana was perfectly natural.
With that realization, Anton decided to keep his Globe of Browser Sharing recording at all times.
The three young men continued swimming through the depths with Mironor following behind them. They admired scenery that had never been witnessed by any human and was rarely seen even by elves. After several hours, they finally reached the deepest part of the lake, where they discovered a vast underwater cave.
Suddenly, the four of them sensed the movement of an enormous creature.
A water dragon emerged from the cave and gazed at them.
The Water Dragon was beautiful. That was the only way Anton could describe it.
It did not resemble a monster but a noble and majestic being. Its crystalline blue scales sparkled like polished gemstones, while its large, light-blue eyes regarded them with unmistakable kindness.
Anton immediately understood why Mironor had described the dragon as a benevolent guardian. Looking upon the colossal creature, he felt nothing but warmth and safety—a strange feeling considering he was facing a dragon in the depths of a lake.
If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
"Oh? I have visitors, and three of them are humans. This is unexpected," the water dragon spoke telepathically.
Anton swam ahead of the others and awkwardly bowed despite being underwater.
"Mighty Dragon, my name is Anton. These are my friends, Paul and Eric, and Mironor is our elven guide. I traded several magical items and a few portal scrolls to the elves, and in return they permitted me to visit some of the magical locations on the Island of Meronoma," Anton replied mentally.
He had no idea whether his thoughts would actually reach the dragon since he had not cast any telepathy spell, but judging by its reaction, they had.
"I see. How intriguing. My name is Xenorphonistarimaneorea. You may simply call me Xen. Tell me more about these magical items you traded."
Anton still had several of them in his inventory, so he presented Xen with a Tablet of Defensive Spells, a Tablet of Support Spells, one of every magical item he had created, and a Town Portal Scroll.
The dragon cast Telekinesis and gently gathered Anton's gifts.
"Thank you for your generosity, young wizard. As long as you remain within the territory under my protection on the Islands of Meronoma, you shall also have my protection."
After saying those words, Xen returned to his underwater cave.
Anton was more than satisfied with the outcome. He had no idea how vast the dragon's domain was, but he valued the goodwill he had earned from such a noble creature. Even if nothing ever came of it, he could proudly say that he had befriended a powerful water dragon.
When he turned toward his companions, he saw that they had heard the entire telepathic conversation. Mironor looked at him with open admiration, his expression filled with newfound respect.
Afterward, they continued exploring the lake's hidden wonders. About an hour later, the three young men began to feel hungry, so they swam back toward the surface. Once they emerged, they eagerly headed for the shore, washed off in the shower facilities, and left the lake in search of a restaurant.
Mironor led them to a restaurant owned by an elf. He explained that the chef was also an elf, so they could expect food every bit as delicious as the pastries they had enjoyed earlier.
The restaurant embodied the refined elegance of elven architecture, and its beauty was enough to take one's breath away. Unfortunately, Anton, Paul, and Eric were far too hungry to appreciate their surroundings. Their eyes remained fixed on the kitchen, eagerly waiting for the food to arrive. The moment the dishes were served, they devoured everything before them like starving beasts.
Mironor watched them with visible embarrassment, but the three humans paid him no mind. They continued eating and ordering more dishes until they were full.
"That was incredible!" Paul exclaimed.
"How would you know?" Mironor asked. "The food barely touched your tongue before it slid straight down your throat."
Anton, Paul, and Eric stared at their elven guide for a moment before bursting into laughter.
After lunch, Mironor brought them to a place called the Hall of Music and Orchids. It was an open-air amphitheater surrounded by fragrant orchids. What intrigued Anton most was Mironor's explanation that any artist could perform on the central stage whenever it was unoccupied.
Audience members could throw coins into the gap between the stage and the front-row seats. A magical enchantment hidden within the gap would collect the coins and deliver them directly to the performer.
Another enchantment amplified the performers' voices and music so that everyone in the audience could hear them clearly.
Since they were still digesting the large meal they had just eaten and were somewhat tired from their long swim, it was the perfect place to relax while enjoying the performances.
The performers were not limited to elves. There were halfling acrobats, dwarven drummers, dancers from the Serpent Race, and many others. Even so, most of the singers and musicians were elves, and every one of them displayed exceptional talent.
The seats were far from full. In fact, the audience was surprisingly small considering the enthusiasm and skill displayed by the performers.
During one of the intermissions, Mironor explained that the Hall of Music and Orchids was primarily used as a place where artists practiced their craft and received constructive criticism from fellow performers to refine their skills.