Myriad Rivers to the Sea

Li Yu left the quiet village behind as the morning sun cast a warm golden hue over the rolling hills. Elder Krawl and the local farmers waved goodbye from the edge of the valley and they wished him safe travels on his journey east. He returned their gestures with a polite nod and stepped onto the main dirt path leading deeper into the central continent.

Hiding in the first layer of the void felt unnecessary when the local residents posed no threat and welcomed him so warmly. The landscape unfolded before him in a display of pristine natural beauty. Clear rivers wound through lush green meadows and ancient trees provided generous shade along the winding path.

The sheer abundance of resources continued to puzzle his mind. He spotted clusters of high grade spirit herbs growing casually near the roots of ancient trees as he walked. The glowing plants pulsed with rich essence and remained untouched by the local wildlife or passing travelers. It felt as though the dragon kin living here lacked the basic greed and ambition that drove cultivators in the outside world. They lived in a garden of endless treasures but chose to farm in comparison, simple vegetables instead.

Li Yu walked for two days before encountering another settlement. The dirt path widened into a paved road made from smooth cobblestones and led him toward a town nestled near the base of a tall green hill. The architecture here showed a bit more refinement than the simple wooden homes of Elder Krawl's village. The buildings were constructed from polished white stone and sturdy timber with broad tiled roofs that caught the bright sunlight.

Despite the upgraded infrastructure, the town still lacked the sprawling defensive walls or towering martial pavilions found in typical cultivation centers. There were no armed guards patrolling the perimeter and no defensive arrays humming beneath the cobblestones. The dragon kin residents walked through the open streets with the same relaxed demeanor he had witnessed in the farming valley.

He strolled into a bustling open air market located in the center of the town. A few children pointed at his smooth skin while the adults offered respectful nods as he passed their stalls. The population here possessed more pronounced draconic features compared to the isolated villagers. Many bore bright crimson or deep sapphire scales along their arms and sharp curved horns protruded from their foreheads. Their thick reptilian tails dragged lightly across the stone paths as they went about their daily tasks.

Li Yu stopped near a merchant stall displaying a collection of rare spiritual roots and lotus petals. The merchant was a stout dragon kin with yellow scales and he smiled brightly as Li Yu approached.

"Welcome, traveler," the merchant greeted him with a cheerful tone. "I am Baelor. I see you eyeing the sun core roots. I gathered them fresh from the eastern ridge just this morning. Would you like to trade for some?"

Li Yu picked up one of the roots and inspected the dense fire Qi swirling within the fibrous texture. "They are of excellent quality, Baelor. What are you asking for in return? I only have a few spirit stones on me."

Baelor tilted his head and let out a hearty laugh. "Spirit stones? We have no use for shiny rocks in this town, my friend. The energy is already thick enough in the air. I am looking for practical goods. Perhaps you have some woven cloth or a sturdy iron carving knife? My old knife broke last week and I need a new one to prepare my meals."

The request surprised Li Yu for a brief moment. A merchant selling cultivation resources was willing to trade them for a simple kitchen utensil instead. The lack of martial ambition was staggering to Li Yu but would explain why their levels were relatively lower in such a rich environment. Li Yu reached into his spatial ring and pulled out a finely crafted steel dagger he had looted from others long ago. It was a weapon with no spiritual properties but it possessed a sharp edge and was high quality.

He handed the dagger to Baelor and the merchant's eyes lit up with genuine delight. Baelor tested the edge against his thumb and eagerly pushed a large bundle of the sun core roots toward Li Yu.

"This is a wonderful blade, traveler," Baelor beamed while sliding the dagger into his belt. "Please take the roots and enjoy your stay in our town. We rarely see humans walking through the market so you are a most welcome sight."

Li Yu stored the roots in his spatial ring and thanked the merchant before continuing his walk through the square. He observed the other stalls and noted the same pattern everywhere. The locals traded natural treasures for basic comforts, fine clothing or simple tools. They possessed no alchemy industry to refine the herbs into pills and they lacked any blacksmiths forging weapons of war for some reason. They simply ate the raw herbs for an energy boost and lived their peaceful lives.

A tall dragon kin man stepped out from a central building and walked toward the market square. The man wore elegant robes woven from silver thread and possessed dark sapphire scales that shimmered in the sunlight. Li Yu swept his divine sense over the approaching figure and noted a stable cultivation base at the Half King realm. This made him the strongest expert in the town and a significant step up from the village elders.

"Greetings, traveler," the sapphire scaled man said while offering a polite bow. "I am Mayor Gorath and I oversee this town. I sensed your aura entering our borders and wanted to welcome you personally. We do not see many outsiders walking these paths and a human guest is a rare event indeed."

"Greetings, Mayor Gorath," Li Yu returned the bow and smiled warmly. "My name is Li Yu. I am a wandering cultivator exploring the lands and trying to find my way back home. I hope my presence does not disrupt the peace of your market."

"You bring no disruption at all," Gorath chuckled and gestured toward the paved road leading up the hill. "We are honored to host a guest from afar. Would you care to walk with me? I was just heading toward the gardens to inspect the new spring blossoms. It is always refreshing to hear news from a traveler while taking a stroll."

Li Yu agreed and fell into step beside the mayor here. They walked away from the bustling market and headed up a gentle incline bordered by blooming cherry trees. The mayor did not carry a weapon and his posture lacked the rigid tension of a seasoned warrior. He walked with the relaxed grace of a scholar and was enjoying a pleasant afternoon.

"Your town is quite beautiful, Gorath," Li Yu noted as they passed a series of ornate stone fountains. "But I could not help but notice you have no defensive walls or protective arrays surrounding the perimeter. Are you not worried about beasts or bandits attacking your people?"

Gorath laughed a deep rumbling sound that echoed through the garden path. "Walls? Why would we build walls, Li Yu? They only serve to block the cool evening breeze and obscure our view of the rolling hills. The beasts in our region are gentle herbivores that pose no threat and we have no bandits because everyone already has what they need. The earth provides endless bounty so there is no reason to steal from a neighbor."

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Li Yu nodded slowly while processing the utopian mindset. "That is a fortunate way to live. But what about threats from the outside? I came from the outer continents and I must admit the people there view the Dragon Core with a great deal of fear. They tell stories of harsh rulers and closed borders."

Gorath stopped walking and leaned against a stone railing overlooking the town below. A look of pity crossed his reptilian features.

"The poor souls of the outer lands," Gorath sighed and shook his head in dismay. "It seems they are as ignorant as they are violent. The lore passed down by our ancestors paints a very grim picture of the world beyond the ocean. We are taught that the outer continents are chaotic wastelands filled with endless war and suffering. Our records state that the outer races fight like rabid beasts over everything. We have no desire to go there and are too afraid to do so."

The mayor turned his slit yellow eyes toward Li Yu and spoke with a gentle earnestness. "We believe the ocean acts as a necessary barrier to keep their madness away from our peaceful shores. We have no desire to conquer them or rule them because their lands offer nothing of value to us. We stay here in the center where the energy is pure and the earth provides everything we need. Cultivating too fast or fighting for resources only leads to a corrupted soul so we prefer our gentle lives."

Li Yu listened to the explanation and felt a deep sense of irony wash over him once more. The outer races terrified their citizens with stories of invincible dragon tyrants while the dragon kin terrified their own people with tales of barbaric outer wastelands. Both sides remained locked in their respective territories due to a carefully constructed narrative of fear and misinformation.

"Do your people ever cross the ocean to see the truth for themselves?" Li Yu pressed further while watching a group of children play near the fountains. "Surely some curious souls wish to explore the outer continents to verify these ancient records."

"A few adventurous youths mention it from time to time," Gorath admitted with a dismissive wave of his scaled hand. "But the elders quickly discourage such foolish thoughts. Why would anyone risk their life traveling to a land of endless slaughter when they can cultivate safely at home? The Great Churning of the ancient era ruined those lands and left the inhabitants cursed with endless greed. Those who seek true martial power eventually travel toward the capital. The nobles there hold the deepest cultivation records and guide the progression of our race."

"The capital…" Li Yu repeated the word and gauged the mayor's reaction. "I plan to travel there next. What can you tell me about the ruling city?"

Gorath rubbed his chin and looked toward the eastern horizon. "I have only visited the capital once during my youth, Li Yu. It is a place of grand architecture and immense authority. However, the nobles are quite strict regarding their laws and traditions. They prefer order and they do not mingle with the common townsfolk very often. A human walking into their city might draw unwanted attention so I advise you to tread carefully when you arrive."

Li Yu thanked the mayor for the warning and spent another hour walking through the gardens. They discussed simple topics like the changing weather and the best methods for growing spirit flowers. Gorath was a pleasant host who possessed genuine kindness but his knowledge of the world was strictly limited to the borders of his own peaceful town.

When the afternoon began to fade, Li Yu politely declined an offer to join a local feast and resumed his journey. He wanted to cover more ground and preferred the quiet solitude of the open road to gather his thoughts.

Over the next several days, Li Yu encountered a string of similar settlements scattered across the vibrant landscape. He passed through small farming villages where the strongest elders hovered at the Soul Formation stage. He visited a few more towns governed by Half King mayors who welcomed him with open arms and offered him warm meals in exchange for simple stories.

He met a female dragon kin named Sylas who ran a small roadside inn. She possessed a stable Soul Formation aura but she used her fire Qi solely to heat the stone ovens for baking sweet bread. She traded him a dozen fresh loaves for a wooden carving he had made during a rest stop. When he asked her about the outer continents she repeated the exact same lore Gorath had shared. She believed the outside world was a toxic wasteland filled with savage creatures and she felt a deep pity for anyone born across the ocean.

The pattern remained incredibly consistent across every settlement he visited. The dragon kin were universally polite and hospitable. They tended their crops and traded goods without any sign of internal strife or martial ambition. There was never any fighting and towns or villages did not try to expand at all. They lived in harmony with the rich environment and showed no desire to exploit the natural treasures growing just outside their doors.

They knew even less about the outer continents than the outer continents knew about them. The mutual ignorance or misinformation was staggering to witness firsthand. The Moth people and the Axolotls lived in constant terror of Dragon Core while the dragon kin lived in quiet fear of the outer wastelands. It was a flawless system of isolation maintained by generations of carefully curated legends and hidden violence.

Li Yu walked along a wide dirt path and pondered the strange reality unfolding around him. He had traveled for many days through the territory of the most feared race in the realm and he had not encountered a single large city or military fortress. There were no sprawling metropolises filled with millions of cultivators competing for resources. The population was spread thin across small villages and quiet towns that blended seamlessly into the natural landscape. It preserved the peace of the continent but it was quite a strange sight to see for someone like Li Yu who often saw the land being extorted to its maximum.

'This continent is somewhat like a gilded cage,' Li Yu thought as he observed a herd of scaled deer grazing near a sparkling lake. 'It is a carefully managed preserve where the subjects are kept comfortable and docile. By preventing the formation of large cities, the rulers prevent the centralization of knowledge and perhaps rebellion? The commoners remain weak because they have no real reason to grow strong. They have almost everything they need already.'

He knew the tranquil facade hid a darker truth, it must he thought. The execution squad led by Vaxx proved that the central authority possessed lethal enforcers capable of projecting power across the ocean. Someone was actively monitoring the borders and slaughtering intruders to maintain the illusion of an unreachable paradise. The rulers in the capital were intentionally keeping their own citizens insulated while projecting an image of invincible tyranny to the outside world.

‘The common dragon kin were essentially living as pampered pets. They had no idea their leaders were murdering wandering travelers or hoarding the true martial heritage of their race. They were blind to the grand design shaping their peaceful lives and they lacked the drive to seek the truth.’ Li Yu thought to himself.

Li Yu set up camp near a rushing waterfall as the evening shadows stretched across the grass. He gathered some dry wood and ignited a small fire to boil a pot of fragrant tea while still trying to figure out what was going on here. He pulled out the fresh bread he had traded for earlier and enjoyed a simple meal over the open flames. Li Yu sat on a smooth rock and watched the dancing fire while the sound of cascading water filled the quiet grove.

He had learned a great deal during his journey through the outer settlements but the core mystery remained unsolved. The answers he sought about his way home and the identity of the puppet master pulling the strings were hidden deep within the capital. He poured a cup of hot tea and looked toward the distant peaks illuminated by the moonlight.

Li Yu would reach the capital soon and he was ready to confront the hidden truth of Dragon Core. The gentle illusion could not hide its secrets forever and Li Yu intended to tear down the veil surrounding this strange realm. He needed to in order to leave this place.