Chapter 384 - 315: From Now On, You’re My Big Bro

Chapter 384: Chapter 315: From Now On, You’re My Big Bro

Pazani had been feeling for some time that things were a bit unfair. Why was it that other people’s coming-of-age trials were as simple as catching a few fish, hunting a Water Beast, or even just finding some rare aquatic plants? Yet when it came to his turn, it had taken so long and involved so many steps, with no end in sight.

Was it just because he was the king’s eldest son? But after the elders taught him the history of the Naga Race, he felt that not inheriting the throne wouldn’t be such a bad thing.

For millennia, they had been fleeced by every other Race in the world. Outside the forest, if anyone heard you were a Naga, a group of Adventurers would immediately swarm you. They’d try to tie you up, force you to reveal your clan’s location, and demand to know the formulas for Magic Materials. In the end, you would most likely be killed by some strange Mage who would then extract the various Magic Elements from your body. For a Race like the Naga, there was nothing to aspire to, even if one sat on the throne.

So, at some point, Pazani began to treat being a Prince and the throne as just a job. He held the conviction: ’I’ll give it my all when I’m on the clock, but don’t come looking for me after hours,’ and conscientiously "got through" each day.

But the coming-of-age trial dragged him back to reality. He had protested to the elders many times, "Why? Why is my trial so complicated? I quit!"

In the end, the elders had to coax Pazani into continuing by promising him "more vacation days" just to get him this far.

’Why? My father has other children. Is it just because of that ritual at the start of the trial? Because of some bullshit "will of nature"? If this "will" was worth anything, the Naga Race wouldn’t have spent millennia swimming around the world’s waters.’

’But thinking about it now, if not for this trial, I never would have met this incredibly interesting group of goblins. These guys actually live in such a vast underground Fortress. They can even raise livestock and grow things. More importantly, the food they eat is also excellent—so much more delicious than the Naga’s raw fish. Oh, and the Light Beer. Every time Pazani saw the Shui Yumo on the animal hide transform into a message for the Shire Race, the thought of that big barrel of Light Beer was what kept him going.’

’Light Beer is so much better than Ball Algae Wine. The only downside is that when you drink too much, you need to relieve yourself. But thankfully, I can use Water Magic to form the liquid into a ball and just toss it away.’

’Later, he discovered that this group of goblins was completely different from what the elders had described. They were worlds apart from the goblins Enslaved by the Feathered Serpent Evil God. At times, these guys seemed even more civilized than the Naga Race—like humans, only humans are far greedier.’

He reported all of this back to the elders in meticulous detail. At first, the elders were furious. The old men were so angry their fleshy barbels trembled. "Your Highness, if you really don’t want to continue the trial, you can just say so. There’s no need to make up such nonsense to fool a few old men." But when Pazani beat his chest and swore that there wasn’t a single bit of fantasy in his words, even invoking his father in a solemn oath, the elders fell silent.

First, with a single sweep of a tail, they sent Pazani flying out of the council hall. Then they closed the doors and conferred for a long time. Afterward, they amiably pulled Pazani back into the council hall. Every one of the old men had become exceptionally friendly. They offered nothing but encouragement, exhorting Pazani to complete his coming-of-age trial at all costs. They even proactively took out several of the clan’s items for him to bring to the Shire Race.

’How could this be? Their reactions are a complete reversal.’ Pazani was completely baffled at the time. Before, these elders looked at him like he was a grown man squatting in a corner playing with pee and mud—a look of disgust mixed with disappointment that he couldn’t live up to his potential. But now, their faces were wreathed in smiles, and they looked at him the way they would look at their own young daughters.

After this happened a few more times, Pazani understood. Perhaps this Shire Goblin Race really did have something that could help the Naga Race. He also stopped resisting his visits to the Goblin Race—after all, they had delicious Light Beer.

But today, that goblin who was only 1.3 meters tall had pulled another new trick out of his hat.

When a massive horde of Petrifying Lizards burst out of the bushes, Pazani was ready to bolt immediately. If it weren’t for that small shred of Naga Royal Family pride he still possessed, he’d probably be soaking in the underground river by now.

’Come on, that’s over eighty Petrifying Lizards! And on our side, we just have a bunch of goblins and Centaurs. How are we supposed to fight that?’

But after a series of explosions, the Petrifying Lizards’ Charge was halted. The addition of the Giant and the Centaurs immediately turned the battlefield into a one-sided affair. These animals, which only knew how to hunt by primitive instinct, could only swarm uselessly around the three-meter-tall Giant in its Bone Armor. Even the few Petrifying Lizards that charged toward the main group were shot down on the spot by the Centaurs’ Sword Rain. Pazani could even see that the scent of blood was driving the lizards to start tearing at each other.

’What kind of weapon is that?’ Pazani watched the laughing goblins as they continuously launched little black dots from black tubes. He felt that in the previous battle, even if he hadn’t used the Ice Array specially prepared by the elders, these goblins could have won easily.

Finally, when hundreds of goblins filled the sky, packed together as densely as a swarm of bees, Pazani witnessed a sight unlike any he had seen in his entire life.