Chapter 109 Enemy of the Sirens, Epic-Grade Set
Because the heat was isolated, even after a month, the ice within the Absolute Cube still hadn't melted.
The Sea Serpent Dragon lay weakly on the ice, seemingly in a state of frozen slumber, as if its life activities were shut down, minimizing its consumption to sustain life.
"Deep hibernation?"
"With this method, it truly can survive for a long time within the near-vacuum of the Absolute Cube."
Naruto stood with one foot on the parapet, leaning over to look down, frowning.
From a normal person's perspective, he originally thought the vacuum seal was powerful enough.
It could even starve an opponent to death.
But now, it seemed he was still too naive.
Not to mention other flying dragon species, which could endure for a month by relying on their vast and profound life essence.
According to the Sea Serpent Dragon's extreme cold hibernation method, coupled with its life force and magic power far surpassing ordinary flying dragon species, it wouldn't die for at least a hundred years.
Even a mere mutated dragon species was like this.
Trying to trap and kill the Silver Dragon Mother using the Absolute Cube was basically a pipe dream.
"It doesn't matter. If the Absolute Cube method doesn't work, then I'll face it head-on."
"I want to see how strong the top combat power of the Goblin Slayer World truly is!"
Naruto's eyes gleamed, his blood boiling.
For the Goblin Slayer World, which had severe polarization, dragons were undoubtedly the strongest life forms standing at the apex.
Their strength was definitely not inferior to the Sixteen Demon Generals of the Underworld.
They might even rank among the top!
Logically speaking, even if he leveled up dozens of times, he couldn't be a dragon's opponent.
A dragon that had lived for a thousand years was incomparable to a flying dragon that had lived for a hundred years.
However, Naruto himself was not bound by common sense!
He was going to undertake a dragon-slaying mission at level 29.
"Before we set off, let's resolve the last hidden danger in the Wind Capital."
Naruto formed hand signs, releasing the Absolute Cube.
This Sea Serpent Dragon might have had some awakening condition set; once triggered, it would automatically revive from deep hibernation.
When the Absolute Cube's spatial barrier disappeared, the fresh air of the Goblin Slayer World, mixed with elements and salty sea breeze, rushed into this cold and silent "vacuum." The colossal beast hibernating on the ice immediately awoke.
"Roar!!"
The Sea Serpent Dragon raised its head high, roaring to the sky, venting the towering rage accumulated from a month of being trapped.
For it, after hibernating, a month was but a blink of an eye.
Even so, the humiliation of being locked in a cage still burned it like hellfire every moment.
It wanted revenge!
Revenge on Naruto, revenge on the Wind Capital!
"Despicable human!!"
The Sea Serpent Dragon roared, its wing-like gills trembling violently. It opened its gaping maw, preparing to unleash a freezing cold current.
At this moment, on the towering city wall, "poof, poof, poof" white mist rose, and Shadow Clones identical to Naruto stood packed together.
"Do your heads outnumber my Shadow Clones?"
A hundred Shadow Clones moved their fingers rapidly, completing hand signs instantly. They aimed at the Sea Serpent Dragon in front of the cliff and simultaneously opened their mouths to exhale.
"Roar, roar, roar, roar—"
This scene was even more spectacular than the Sarutobi clan working together to cast Fire Release.
On the city wall, a fiery sea surged, overwhelming everything, directly stunning the Sea Serpent Dragon.
"Human!"
The Sea Serpent Dragon roared unwillingly, its three hideous serpent heads shook, spitting out freezing cold currents to counter the sea of fire sweeping from the city wall.
For a moment.
Heaven and Earth were forcibly divided into two worlds.
One red, one blue, a duality of ice and fire.
On the Sea Serpent Dragon's side, cold air invaded, and the surging sea surface quickly froze, with chilling frost climbing all the way up the cliff.
On the other side, fire blazed, heat waves assailed, and the city wall and exposed rocks glowed red.
However, this stalemate didn't last long at all.
Perhaps only a dozen seconds passed before the raging sea of fire irresistibly crushed forward, evaporating the three combined freezing cold currents, finally transforming into a giant fire dragon that swallowed the Sea Serpent Dragon whole, forming a fireball hundreds of meters in diameter above the sea.
"No—! You will be hated by 'us'! The vastness of the ocean will have no place for you!!"
The Sea Serpent Dragon let out an extremely unwilling roar, its body completely engulfed by the giant fireball.
[Detected the curse of the Sea Serpent Dragon "Draken"]
[Curse converted to title]
[Congratulations, Host, you have obtained the rare title "Enemy of the Sirens"]
[Enemy of the Sirens: Equipping this title will attract the hatred of all sirens and sea monsters within a ten-kilometer radius, with no positive benefits]
Naruto was speechless.
Only a fool would wear a title that only grants negative buffs.
"However, it's good for leveling up, but unfortunately, my teammates would curse me to death."
Naruto thought for a moment and decided against equipping [Enemy of the Sirens] on the Wind Capital Ship.
"Is that a super-large Fire-style magic?"
The Crown Prince, Foreign Swordsman, Insectoid Monk, and other Golden-level Adventurers, who were supervising and assisting workers in transporting supplies at the port, all looked at the distant giant fireball in unison, completely shocked.
"Hey, hey, Doria, that wasn't your doing, was it?" the half-elf archer asked in utter shock.
"This is too exaggerated."
Doria, who was holding an ancient magic book and gnawing on it, first paused, then shook her head: "It wasn't me. I only know super-large Wind-style magic, and I'm still learning it."
Heather leaned on her Fire Crystal Spear, her beautiful eyes shining brightly, and replied: "Aside from [Shinigami Naruto], who else could it be?"
On the city wall, the garrison soldiers all leaned over to look down.
They saw the spherical crater evaporated by the giant fireball below the cliff, and could even see the seabed.
A colossal creature was also burnt to a crisp, lying horizontally on the seabed.
The surrounding seawater began to rush back in, submerging the seabed and filling the void, forming a giant whirlpool.
Naruto used the Apperceiving God's Rune of Wisdom to learn Sage Doria's Wind-style magic in just a few glances.
Magic power was replaced by Chakra, and chanting by hand seals. Now he could also walk on wind, which made up for the early problem of not being able to fly.
In the Fire Shadow World, flight was a relatively special ability.
It either required Earth Release: Light-Weight Rock Technique, or a "flying device," like Deidara's clay creations, Konan's Dance of the Shikigami, a Susanoo with wings in its perfect form, or relying on flying summoning beasts. There were also cases like Jugo, who grew massive wings in his Cursed Seal state to fly.
The most advanced and free way to fly was through Six Paths Power.
No hand seals, no extra consumption, just a constant, god-like state.
Conversely, the Wind Release Ninjutsu, which should logically be the domain where flying Ninjutsu would most likely be born, was a blank slate.
Therefore, flying in the Fire Shadow World was not easy; it either required specific Bloodline Limit or secret Ninjutsu, or relied on powerful summoning beasts or top-tier power levels, or special technological equipment.
Pure flight, not relying on external forces, was basically a privilege of the "gods" or those close to the "gods."
However, what did the Fire Shadow World have to do with the Goblin Slayer Continent?
Naruto had developed Wind Release Ninjutsu that allowed him to float and fly.
Logically speaking, Wind Release Ninjutsu could indeed achieve flight or levitation.
Boruto once enveloped himself in Wind Release: Gale Palm to increase his speed.
With further development, adding Chakra shape transformation, it might be possible to fly by wrapping oneself in wind.
Naruto, surrounded by a swirling wind that reduced its "sharpness," arrived above the giant whirlpool in front of the cliff. He formed hand signs, similar to the Water Prison Jutsu, to envelop the Sea Serpent Dragon's corpse, then used wind to lift it and transport it back to the Wind Capital.
As usual, the Wind Capital's craftsmen would dissect it, and Naruto would take all of the Dragon Blood from the heart.
The remaining materials would either be exchanged for gold coins or kept to forge equipment.
Including the Dragon Blood from this Sea Serpent Dragon, Naruto had already accumulated a large amount of Dragon Blood.
If he added the giant-dragon-grade Dragon Blood from the Silver Dragon Mother, he was confident he could heal the Black Dragon King's Black Dragon's Heart.
At that time—
It would be equivalent to possessing a summoning beast comparable to the Nine-Tailed, and conceptually immortal and indestructible.
It's just that the summoning beast's self-awareness was too strong, and the Blood Contract's binding power was still insufficient.
Naruto was still working on this point.
"Lord Naruto, aside from the Dragon Blood, I would like to purchase all of this Sea Serpent Dragon on behalf of the Royal Capital, if that's possible?"
The Crown Prince, clad in top-tier equipment, strode over.
Behind him followed a mysterious person completely shrouded in a purple cloak, edged with gold thread and studded with gems.
Naruto guessed it was likely the Royal Capital's Court Astrologer.
He would need him to find the location of Dragon Island through divination across the vast ocean.
Of course, by using Shadow Sneak, placing a Shadow Clone inside a flying dragon, and then releasing the flying dragon, he could also find the location of Dragon Island.
However—
The Sea Serpent Dragon was too violent; it angrily spat at Naruto as soon as it came out, and was burned to death by Naruto's hundred Shadow Clones.
"How much are you offering?"
Naruto, who had just put away the Sea Serpent Dragon's Dragon Blood and was about to leave, suddenly stopped.
"Fifteen thousand gold coins, what do you think, Your Excellency?" The Crown Prince smiled brightly, exuding an approachable aura.
"Fifteen thousand gold coins?"
"Hush, as expected of His Royal Highness, truly generous."
"With this money, I won't have to worry about food and drink for the rest of my life… no, for the rest of my life and the next!"
"Buying a mansion in the Royal Capital, then finding a maid, isn't that living a noble life?"
"Without the Dragon Blood, the price offered by His Royal Highness is indeed not low."
The surrounding craftsmen all gasped in admiration.
Naruto shook his head indifferently, replying: "I'm not short on money now."
"Not short on money—"
The Crown Prince frowned.
"That makes it difficult. I'm so poor, all I have left is money."
The Crown Prince pondered for a moment, then said grandly: "Lord Naruto, just say what you need. As long as I can do it, I will absolutely fulfill it." Naruto's gaze swept over the Crown Prince, and a "Discernment Eye" was thrown over, revealing pop-ups full of orange equipment.
Epic Set!
This was the foundation of the Human Kingdom!
"Good thing it's not a 'Legendary Set,' otherwise I'd be tempted to rob the rich to help the poor."
Naruto thought to himself.
He had already replaced the blue quality Goblin Slayer Set.
Over the past month, the dwarf artisans of the Wind Capital, in addition to being busy repairing the rotten and decayed Wind Capital Ship, also used the remaining dragon materials to painstakingly craft a set of Dragon Scale armor for Naruto—the Battle Armor of a Hundred Dragons.
Saying a hundred dragons might be an exaggeration, but it indeed incorporated dragon scales from known dragon species.
Like Black Dragons, Red Dragons, Silver Dragons, Gold Dragons, Blue Dragons, and so on.
While they all had high physical defense and magic resistance, each had its focus.
For example, among them, Black Dragons had the strongest recovery, and Gold Dragons had the highest physical defense.
Red Dragons had the highest fire resistance, and Blue Dragons had the highest ice resistance, etc.
Overall, the Battle Armor of a Hundred Dragons basically maximized resistances and came with extremely strong recovery capabilities; its quality, through the cooperation of numerous dwarf artisans, was forcefully elevated to Gold-Grade quality.
That's right, it was also an epic set.
Once placed in the item bar, even if Naruto stood still and allowed people to slash him with swords, he would not suffer the slightest damage!
"I heard the Royal Family possesses a wondrous item called a transfer mirror, and I want that," Naruto said.
He had already obtained one transfer mirror from the Dark People, so he wanted another to create a two-way teleportation channel.
"A transfer mirror?"
The Crown Prince raised his eyebrows, deep in thought.
A transfer mirror was naturally crucial to the Royal Family, even a trump card for ruling vast territories.
If a rebellion broke out anywhere, they only needed to activate the transfer mirror, allow the army stationed in the Royal Capital to pass through, and they could instantly reach the battlefield and quickly quell the conflict.
However, since a transfer mirror could not pass through another transfer mirror, the army teleported far away needed to march back to the Five Capitals on their own.
So, for the Royal Family, possessing one transfer mirror was already sufficient.
Naruto was different.
He could use one transfer mirror, put the other transfer mirror into his item bar, thereby circumventing the rule that a transfer mirror could not pass through another transfer mirror, easily achieving ultra-long-distance teleportation.
"You brat, don't push your luck too far, you don't know…"
The court guard beside the Crown Prince, seeing his master in a difficult position, immediately opened his mouth to reprimand him.
But before he could utter the words "life or death," Naruto's azure eyes swept over him, his gaze as cold as a blade, filled with sharp killing intent.
"What did you say?"
The court guard was like a cicada in winter, instantly stunned and unable to speak.
This was the oppressive aura Naruto had honed from grinding monsters and fighting on numerous battlefields; even without wearing the Shinigami title, he could still intimidate most people.
The Crown Prince reacted quickly, and with a "slap," he backhanded the court guard hard, leaving his cheek swollen and red,
and blood flowing from the corner of his mouth.
"Foolish fellow! How did you learn court etiquette?!"
"Arrogant and rude, presumptuous! Do you know who the young man before you is?"
"He is the youngest Gold-Grade Adventurer in the history of the Adventurers' Guild, who once single-handedly annihilated the Goblin army of the Great Snow Mountain, and even this Dragon disaster in the Wind Capital was quelled by him! He is Shinigami Naruto!"
The Crown Prince recounted Naruto's deeds as if they were household tales, each one a heroic ballad sung by bards, resounding throughout the Royal Capital and even the entire Human Kingdom.
"Even I hold Lord Naruto in awe and respect, how dare you be so rude?!"
"Shi—Shinigami Naruto!?"
With that reprimand, the arrogant court guard was instantly terrified, collapsing to the ground and repeatedly kowtowing to apologize to Naruto.
"Forget it, just be more careful in the future. Your Royal Highness is right; as a court guard, you must learn humility and etiquette, never be arrogant, and always remember that it is the court nobles who are powerful, not a mere guard like you."
"Moreover, there are some existences that even the Royal Family dare not provoke."
Naruto spoke calmly, not taking the dog-flattering court guard to heart at all.
The court guard's face was ashen; he hadn't expected his casual kick to hit the hardest iron plate in the Goblin Slayer World.
The implication was that even the Royal Family dared not provoke him, let alone a small fry like himself.
The Crown Prince said coldly, "You don't need to come tomorrow."
"A small court cannot accommodate you."
He waved his hand, dismissing the disheartened court guard, then looked back at Naruto, his face full of smiles.
"The Royal Palace treasury indeed has two transfer mirrors. Since Lord Naruto is interested in an exchange, I will not hesitate or be coy. I will exchange one transfer mirror for the complete Sea Serpent Dragon."
"No problem, it's a deal."
Naruto nodded with a smile.
With two transfer mirrors, he could now perform ultra-long-distance teleportation, saving an unknown amount of travel time.
Of course, the condition for using a transfer mirror was that the mirror itself had to have been to that location to mark it; it was not random teleportation to an un-targeted location.
As long as he took the transfer mirror to Green Moon once.
Next time, even without the Green Moon Altar, and even if the distance between the moon and the earth was extremely far, the transfer mirror could still activate teleportation.
Plus, with one transfer mirror stored in the system warehouse.
There was no need to worry about being unable to return due to one-way teleportation.
Naruto and the Crown Prince concluded their pleasant transaction, and a loud and prolonged orchestral sound emanated from the Wind Capital Ship docked in the harbor.
"Looks like it's time to depart."
"In that case, let's go."
The transfer mirror was far away in the Royal Capital, and he would need to go there in person to retrieve it.
Naruto wasn't afraid of the Crown Prince reneging on the deal. For now, he would join the other Gold-Grade adventurers and set sail to slay dragons.
"Whoosh whoosh whoosh~~"
The harbor echoed with a steamboat-like whistle.
The orchestra stood at the harbor, playing music to bid farewell to the Wind Capital Ship as it set sail, and to wish them a triumphant return.
"Go, Big Brother Naruto, and Sage Doria, you must kill the evil dragon."
"We will wait for your return~"
"With so many adventurers setting off together, they can definitely achieve the historic feat of annihilating the giant dragon."
On the shore.
The residents of the Wind Capital crowded together.
They waved goodbye to Naruto and everyone standing on the deck.
Naruto held onto the ship's railing with one hand and waved to everyone.
The Wind Capital Ship, clad in dragon scales like a monstrous dragon, set sail, the salty sea breeze billowing the dragon-wing canvas, creating even stronger propulsion that drove the entire ship forward rapidly.
"Whoosh la la"
The dragon keel at the bow rode the wind and waves, quickly sailing towards the vast, boundless ocean.
Life on the ship was always tedious. Naruto mostly stayed in the cabin, either practicing Ninjutsu, Extracting Chakra, or leaving a Shadow Clone while his main body returned to the Fire Shadow World to train Hinata and Ino Yamanaka.
When night fell, a dark curtain enveloped the surroundings, dotted with brilliant stars, and only then did the court astrologer begin their divination.
After determining the direction, the court astrologer communicated with the captain and helmsman, adjusted the course, and after continuous corrections, headed towards Dragon Island.
As for any sea monsters along the way.
Perhaps because the Wind Capital Ship was forged from the dragon scales and bones of multiple flying dragons, it inherently possessed a powerful and inexplicable Dragon Race aura.
Low-level sea monsters would only steer clear, not daring to provoke or attack at all.
Encountering any strong winds or waves, the Wind Capital Ship was equally fearless.
It sailed steadily and peacefully for seven days and seven nights like this.
The turbulent sea surface, unusually, calmed down.
The sea became like stagnant water, the azure gradually deepening to black, and a layer of hazy mist slowly rose from the surface.
"Why did it suddenly get foggy?"
The Crown Prince turned his monocular telescope, attempting to gaze into the distance, but the lingering ghostly mist on the sea blocked his vision, making it impossible to see anything beyond a hundred meters.
As the Wind Capital Ship ventured deeper, even the ship itself became shrouded in mist, blurring people's vision.
The old helmsman replied with a grave expression, "This is probably the Ghost Sea, the sailor's nightmare passed down by the older generation."
"Ghost Sea?"
Doria, bored and standing on the deck enjoying the breeze, was startled.
Well-read as she was, she had naturally heard of the Ghost Sea.
"I heard that even during the most glorious age of navigation in the Wind Capital, sailors had to avoid the Ghost Sea, because it is a nightmare for navigation, a graveyard for ships."
"There are at least eight hundred, if not a thousand, ships that have been lost or sunk in the Ghost Sea."
Suddenly, Doria's shoulder was tapped.
The Sage trembled all over, clutching her staff and shaking.
"Hahahaha, Doria, are you such a coward?"
"You don't really believe there are ghosts in the Ghost Sea, do you?"
It was Gun Goddess Heather, standing behind Doria, laughing heartily at her prank.
Doria hugged herself, trembling as she said, "It's not that I believe, Heather, there really are ghosts in the Ghost Sea!"
"No, I need to find Naruto. I'm a little scared right now."
Doria yearned for Naruto's embrace again, wanting to return to the cabin to find him.
Since the Dragon disaster in the Wind Capital, Doria seemed to have developed post-traumatic stress. Whenever she was scared, she would unconsciously want to rely on Naruto.
"Cowardly Sage, the Ghost Sea is just a name given by sailors. There are no such things as gho—"
Before Heather could finish her sentence, the rapidly moving Wind Capital Ship violently shook as if it had hit a hidden reef, forcing it to a stop.
"What's going on?"
"Did we hit a rock mountain?"
Heather and the others were greatly alarmed.
Due to the sudden jolt, many people on the ship fell unexpectedly.
Given the speed and size of the Wind Capital Ship, a normal hidden reef would merely be crushed and passed over without affecting it at all. How could it be forced to stop?
Everyone looked forward, only to see the ghostly mist swirling, hazy and grey, vaguely revealing a pitch-black "wall," tall and massive, like a sheer cliff, appearing out of nowhere and blocking the path of the Wind Capital Ship.
The bow of the Wind Capital Ship had already cut deeply into the pitch-black "wall," making it impossible to pull out in a short time.
"Oh, Wind Spirits, please flap your wings and lend me the winds of the mortal world to dispel the mist before us."
Seeing the dire situation, Doria quickly waved her staff, conjuring a greenish magical wind that blew away the mist obscuring the ship's bow, allowing everyone to see the true nature of the obstruction.
It turned out—
That was not a pitch-black wall at all, but a ship's hull that had been rotten and decayed for a long time.
The hull looked dilapidated, its planks rotten, riddled with holes, covered in barnacles, and overgrown with seaweed. It seemed utterly fragile, yet an unknown mysterious force had managed to withstand the Wind Capital Ship, which was capable of riding the wind and waves!