Water Magician-Chapter 545: Southern River

Editor: Tseirp

“Well, that was a close one.”

“No kidding.”

“I don’t want to get Andalusia involved in a fight. Peace is the greatest thing in human life.”

Ryo and Abel were walking along the path by the Southern River, riding Andalusia and Feiwan.

“This all started because Abel forgot to bring his identification…”

“My bad! I’ve said it many times already… but Ryo, you didn’t notice until we were surrounded, either!”

“A-Are you blaming me now? You were too busy reading your book to notice anything yourself!”

A swordsman and a magician, blaming each other.

Both let out a small sigh and said:

“We should stop reading books while riding.”

“We must stay vigilant.”

And so, they made a firm decision.

Ten Minutes Later.

“These buns are delicious!”

“They’re filled with minced meat, and the juices are incredible.”

The two happily munched on something that seemed like meat buns, bought along the way.

They weren’t reading books!

They weren’t letting their guard down!

But, since they were traveling, they might as well enjoy the journey.

And one of the best parts of traveling was snacking!

The road from Nomon to Fenmu had absolutely nothing, but the road from Fenmu to Borhen had shops along the way.

It was probably because this road ran along the Southern River.

As expected of a great river, the Southern River had a width of over a kilometer everywhere.

As a result, many ships of various sizes traveled along it, and numerous shops had sprung up to cater to them.

The two were enjoying the benefits of those shops…

“Back on the road from Nomon, we were threatened with execution just for getting close…”

“Even on this road, it took over an hour past Fenmu before we saw any shops. Maybe ordinary people still aren’t allowed near Fenmu?”

“Not even being able to visit graves… that must be tough.”

Abel’s reasoning was met with Ryo’s common-sense response.

“Well, it’s not just royal graves—there are also many burial treasures. They can’t let grave robbers get anywhere near.”

“Ah, I see.”

Throughout history, kings and emperors had been buried with valuable treasures.

Sometimes, this was done to ensure the deceased could live comfortably in the afterlife… but to grave robbers, it was simply wasteful.

“They’re not using it anyway. So we might as well put it to good use!”

“How shamelessly bold of them!”

“Yeah… that’s one way to put it.”

Ryo fumed, while Abel let out a wry smile. freeweɓnovel.cѳm

After all, Abel was a king himself, and one day, he too would be buried with treasures.

“My golems will protect your grave forever, Abel!”

“O-Oh…thanks?”

Of course, Ryo had not yet built a golem capable of guarding a grave indefinitely.

But if he ever did… even after humanity perished, the golem would continue to guard the grave… it sounded like the beginning of a tragic story…

“I just came up with a better idea!”

“…Why do I feel like I shouldn’t ask?”

“If I modify Abel’s body so he doesn’t die, there’s no need for a grave at all!”

“Yeah, I definitely shouldn’t have asked…”

Naturally, Ryo did not have the technology to make Abel immortal.

“But there are many possible methods! I could turn Abel into a vampire, or extract his soul and place it into a golem. No worries—technology is advancing every day! By the time you’re about to die, I’m sure new techniques will have been developed!”

“Let me think about that for a moment…”

Thus, Mad Scientist Ryo was born!

“By the way, this was my first time feeling Ryo’s pressure… it’s impressive.”

“Pressure? Oh! Even King Roberto Pirlo praised me for it, but I didn’t realize it was that strong. The Dragon King next door in the Rondo Forest taught me. I guess it makes a difference when you learn directly from the real deal.”

Ryo answered happily.

The previous king, Roberto Pirlo, had ruled one of the nations within the Handal Union and had complimented Ryo’s pressure when they traveled to the Western Countries together.

The Dragon King, Ruwin, resided in Ryo’s domain, the Rondo Duchy. Ryo often brought him seasoned meat and rice.

To Ryo, it was just like sending a seasonal gift or an offering.

If he could receive training in exchange, it was a great deal.

“But Abel, don’t you give off pressure all the time?”

“All the time? Really?”

“Well… like during military parades and such.”

“Ah…yeah, I guess. That’s just part of my duties as king. But even compared to that, your pressure was overwhelming.”

“Haha, you’re making me blush.”

Being praised for his aura by King Abel himself made Ryo quite pleased.

During their time in Fenmu, Ryo had acted as the kingdom’s representative in his role as the highest-ranking duke. So, receiving direct recognition from the king was a great honor.

That evening, they arrived in Borhen.

“Captain Li Chu said that Borhen is a key hub for river transport along the Southern River, but wow, it’s big!”

“Yeah. A wide river makes a difference, huh?”

With a river at least a kilometer wide, even ocean-going ships might be able to sail inland with ease.

“This is exciting!”

“We should be able to find a good ship here.”

“No! That’s not what I meant!”

“Huh? But that’s why we came here…”

“No, no, no! What we’re looking for in Borhen… is delicious food!”

“Uh…yeah… just don’t eat too much.”

The two found a nice inn and enjoyed a good dinner.

The next morning.

“I-I’m fine, I can still travel…”

“You’re riding Andalusia, after all.”

“I definitely didn’t eat too much…”

“Yeah, you have zero credibility right now.”

Ryo was visibly struggling.

Of course, it was because he was too full.

Of course, it wasn’t because he overate at dinner.

Well, okay, he had eaten quite a lot for dinner, but that was nothing a night of sleep couldn’t fix.

That wasn’t the problem.

The real issue was… he had eaten too much breakfast.

“I never imagined there would be such delicious white rice…”

“Ah, rice, huh? Just like in the Rondo Forest, you really love rice, don’t you, Ryo?”

Yes! The inn’s breakfast had delicious white rice!

Not the slightly dry rice they had eaten in the southern part of the continent, but real ‘white rice’—exactly the kind that Japanese people picture when they hear the word!

Ryo didn’t dislike bread, of course, but he absolutely loved white rice.

Since they hadn’t stayed at an inn while passing through Fenmu, it had been a while since he last had rice…

“I let my guard down…”

“Already overeating so early in the morning…”

“This is because I trust in Abel and Andalusia. The rest is up to you…”

“Hey…”

Even while dealing with a useless water-attribute magician, Abel managed to secure a boat.

It was shaped like a cargo ship, but it had a retractable roof to provide shelter in case of rain.

Of course, there was enough space for both of their horses to board as well.

“Four days to the imperial capital, including meals. Four gold coins for two people and two horses.”

“That’s cheap. Is that really all it costs?”

“Until a week ago, there were a lot of passengers heading to the imperial capital. With the princess’s wedding, the place turned into a festival, and many people went there to make money. But now, the timing is so close to the wedding that there aren’t any passengers left.”

“Ah, so everyone who wanted to go has already left. Lucky for us, we don’t have to deal with the crowds!”

Both of them had a fair amount of money deposited in the bank.

They withdrew what they thought they’d need for their travels, carrying about twenty gold coins each.

Considering that, paying four gold coins for both of them, plus their horses, was indeed a bargain.

“Looks like there are other passengers besides us.”

“Yeah. Are they… soldiers?”

Ryo noticed about ten men and women who had already boarded, and Abel nodded in agreement.

Since it was a cargo ship, the deck was quite spacious.

It had only a single deck, with nothing but the cargo hold below.

Because the hold was filled with goods, passengers were expected to stay on the deck.

“Being under the sunlight feels much better than being in a cramped, dark space.”

“It would be rough if it were summer or winter, though.”

And so, the two surrendered themselves to the journey, watching the riverside scenery from the deck of the ship.

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