This Beast-Tamer is a Little Strange

Chapter 882: Chapter 882: Nāga

Kain’s brow furrowed. “Nāga…?”

Through Bea’s connection, the meaning unfolded. Not necessarily a creature. More like a blend between a deity and a symbol. The people of the Azure Serpent Kingdom revered Nāgas as divine beings—guardians of balance and water, bringers of rain, and arbiters of justice. They could take any form: serpent, spirit, man, or woman. Sometimes both.

Perhaps that was why the nation had a very tolerant attitude towards ’fluidity’—boundaries and positions in society weren’t so rigid. With the exception of a few hereditary noble household titles that would be nearly impossible to achieve, there wasn’t much resistance to commoners moving up in social status and getting high positions in society. Moreover, there were more opportunities for mingling between members of different social statuses. Marriages between commoners and the rich, while still not too common, were met with less resistance than in other countries and cultures.

And this ’fluid’ mindset went even further to other aspects of life, making lines blurred even between genders.

One shocking passing thought drifted through Bea’s thought field—a young merchant mentally complaining that the temple dancers were “too pretty for anyone’s peace of mind,” followed by his sheepish admission that he wasn’t even sure which ones were really women anymore… and he didn’t really care.

Seeing Kain’s shocked expression, Serena shot him a curious glance. “What?”

“Nothing,” he said quickly. “Just… cultural differences.”

“From the look on your face,” she said dryly, “I doubt it’s just that.”

Bea’s soft chuckle echoed in his mind. ’It feels more free here,’

Kain smiled faintly at that. It was true. Compared to the rigid, hierarchical nature of the Rising Sun Kingdom and the Wuxing Sect, this place breathed freedom. The people moved like the water they served—graceful, shifting, untamed.

Ahead, the city opened into a broad square dominated by a vast temple carved from white stone. Twin serpents of polished jade wound up its sides, their eyes set with blue gems that seemed almost alive.

Takeru explained, “The Azure Serpent Temple. Despite the distance between cities in the Azure Serpent Kingdom, one could reach any of them within minutes using the power of Nāga… or at least that’s what I’ve heard from my aunt when I was a kid.”

Unlike the expensive teleportation circles used in the Celestial Empire that required immense spiritual energy and could only be activated by the wealthy and powerful, here anyone could travel between cities for less than what Kain once paid for train tickets back home. That was because it wasn’t teleportation in the traditional sense—space attribute energy wasn’t involved. Instead, vast interconnected whirlpools connected the major cities, allowing one to reach another in minutes. It wasn’t uncommon for someone to live in one city while working in another on the opposite side of the kingdom.

The revelation surprised Kain. A faint superiority he hadn’t realized he carried—born from his Celestial Empire upbringing—was quietly crushed.

He’d always regarded the empire as the pinnacle of civilization: more powerful and technologically advanced than their neighbours on the same continent, and even the countries he’d visited so far on the Eastern Continent. Here, though, this simple yet elegant transport network surpassed anything he’d seen back home.

He couldn’t deny, perhaps due to the education he’d received since transmigrating at a young age, that he still thought of himself as a citizen of the Celestial Empire. And he took pride in that fact.

Tradition ran deep in the Eastern Continent, and resistance to change was the norm. Aside from communication devices, technological advancement lagged behind the Empire’s relentless pursuit of combining technology and spiritual power. In many ways, his life in the Celestial Empire had felt similar to his first life on Earth—research labs, factories, even televisions. People are constantly trying to merge spiritual power and science.

Which made it stranger that something as simple as the discovery of microorganisms had been absent—or rather, suppressed. Kain, after the revelations from Airalai, now suspected it was because microorganisms were drawing the Abyss, and knowledge of them had been deliberately hidden.

But still, he’d always thought of the Empire as superior to other countries.

But this transportation system here was humbling.

After paying a small temple offering, the group entered the whirlpool gate beneath the temple. The water spun gently, drawing them in like a mother’s embrace. It wasn’t the violent tearing sensation of teleportation—it felt soft, almost maternal, as if a vast hand of water was carrying them. And indeed, the locals described the transport as being carried by “Naga Mother’s Hand.”

When the light cleared, they stood in the capital.

Night had fallen and the city lights reflected off the canals like stars caught in water.

They decided to approach the palace in the morning to find Takeru’s aunt and instead headed toward a nearby hotel. On the way, a tall, graceful woman approached them—her skin the color of rich bronze, her long dark hair gleaming like silk, and her eyes sparkling with mischief.

“You must’ve come from far away,” she said with a smile at Takeru, her voice slightly husky and musical. “You look tired. He—” she gestured at Kain “—has his lover to restore his energy,” her gaze flicked teasingly toward Serena, “but you—” her eyes landed on Takeru “—look lonely.”

Kain and Serena both froze, exchanging a startled glance, faint color rising to their faces. Serena opened her mouth to correct her, but Takeru waved them off smoothly.

Although he’d awakened now, some of his habits as the once-frivolous ’useless’ prince remained. He’d vowed to give up drinking and some of his other vices, but abstinence was another matter.

He sighed dramatically. “Lonely, huh? Maybe a little.”

The woman laughed softly and slipped her arm through his. “Then let me fix that.”

Kain’s eyes narrowed subtly. His spiritual senses swept over her—barely any spiritual power, no space ring, no hidden weapons or poisons. Completely ordinary and unlikely to assassinate Takeru.

He watched as Takeru led her toward the hotel with a grin. Serena exhaled sharply beside him.

“Should we stop him?” she asked quietly.

Kain smirked. “Nah. Let him enjoy himself. He’ll… figure it out.”

She frowned. “Figure what out?”

Kain only smiled faintly, hands in his pockets as he walked toward their rooms. “You’ll see in the morning.”

Takeru would be in for a big (and bulging) surprise…