Cosmic Ruler

Chapter 61 Villages

Jake looked at Dio, who had a guilty smile on his face, and asked, "Is something the matter?"

"Well..." Dio nodded and proceeded to explain his circumstances.

"Hmm, I guess Vampires are undead too," Mark remarked.

"Why don't you tell her that?" Jimmy asked.

"She brings me tea every day. I can't even say no to her smiling face," Dio said, pointing at Mina, who was approaching with snacks, still wearing her bright smile.

Jake and the others nodded in understanding.

"So, what do you usually do with your tea?" Emily inquired.

"Pyrion drinks it," Dio said, pointing at the Shadow Elf standing beside the tree and enjoying his tea.

Jake and the others looked at the Shadow Elf. He had grey skin and white hair, and while he might have looked creepy to some, his handsome face softened his appearance.

"I didn't sense him," Jake remarked, astonished for a different reason.

"Well, Shadow Elves are natural-born Assassins, and this guy is legendary grade," Nexus explained.

Jake nodded, realizing the danger they posed, but also understanding that his Akashic Eyes would become stronger with increased level, improving his perception.

Shifting his focus, Jake let go of his concerns and turned his attention to the muffins that Mina had brought for them.

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As they continued their tour, they reached Emily's village, which resembled a treehouse suspended in the middle of an endless forest.

"It's like a treehouse," Jake commented.

"Elves are good at this kind of stuff," Emily explained.

"Not just good, they are the best," Dio added, noting that if one didn't look over the edge, they wouldn't even realize they were walking on a platform built mid-air.

Emily then began introducing her village to everyone, showcasing her special building, the Holy Knight Hall, where various elves could be seen training inside.

"Why not me?" Jimmy thought sadly, feeling a twinge of envy.

Emily then led them to her heroes' place, where two elves, a Mage and a Healer, resided.

"She is Michelle, and he is Ryul," Emily said as she introduced her heroes to everyone, and they all greeted them in return.

Emily then led them to a special place which was some distance away from her village.

"Where are we going exactly?" Jake asked.

"It wouldn't be a secret if I told you," Emily smiled mysteriously in response.

After ten minutes, the group reached a picturesque lake.

"It's a beautiful lake," Mark remarked, but none of them found anything particularly interesting about it.

Emily looked at them mischievously and then pulled out a seashell, lightly blowing into it.

Jake and the others watched in curiosity as Emily blew into the shell. Suddenly, there was movement in the water.

They all turned their gaze toward the disturbance, and soon a mermaid emerged from the water. However, they quickly averted their eyes as she was naked.

"Lyla, how many times have I told you to wear clothes?" Emily scolded gently.

Lyla rolled her eyes and then attached two shells to her chest as she replied, "You didn't tell me you were going to bring males."

Emily shook her head and then told her friends they could turn back.

Jake and the others looked back and saw an emerald-haired girl with two shells as clothing and a big emerald fish tail instead of legs.

"She's a mermaid," Jake remarked.

"Yes, I wanted to introduce her to all of you," Emily nodded.

"Hello," Lyla greeted them, and from her demeanor, Jake and the others understood she was a tomboy.

"How did you get acquainted with her?" Mark asked, recalling that mermaids were not typically a friendly race; they considered all other species, except for marine life forms, as inferior.

"I rescued her from getting fried," Emily laughed and said, recounting the events to her friends.

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"Phew, finally the newbie test is over," Emily sighed in relief as she and her villagers successfully defended their village from the last beast horde.

"These Sword Tail monkeys were surely disgusting opponents," Emily grumbled as she kicked the face of the Monkey boss.

The Sword Tail monkeys' favorite tactic was to gut their victims alive, making them one of Celestaria's must-kill species.

"Now that the test is over, I can scout the area calmly," Emily thought to herself as she motioned for her heroes to take care of everything and leaped from tree to tree.

"Oh, there's a lake some distance from here," Emily exclaimed as she caught sight of it and headed towards it.

As she approached the lake, she heard a cry for help. Pausing, she tried to pinpoint the location and then swiftly moved towards it, determined to assist whoever was in need.

"Nah, it's definitely a quest," Emily mumbled to herself as she moved towards the source of the cry. One of the other ways to gain villagers is to rescue them from monsters or bandits, and now Emily found herself facing such a scenario.

As she reached the source, she saw five goblins barbecuing a mermaid, while she cried out for help.

"What a sight," Emily thought as she shot arrows towards the goblins, swiftly dispatching them.

She then landed near the mermaid and rescued her. The moment the mermaid was free, she hugged Emily tightly.

"Wahhhh, I thought I would be roasted! Wahhhhh!" she cried, still shaken from her ordeal.

Emily gently rubbed her back, her mind racing with thoughts about the peculiar behavior of this mermaid.

In her mind, Emily expected a different reaction:

"Uhhh? A human saved me!"

"Disgusting! Inferior species! Who told you to save me?"

"Arghh? Just kill me!"

"I'm pretty sure this was the normal response of mermaids who were saved by humans, but here," Emily thought, looking at the emerald-haired girl who was now sleeping peacefully.

"Maybe she's still a kid and is not tainted by the common views of her species," Emily considered, noting her size. Although she was bigger than Emily by twice, adult mermaids were giants compared to humans.

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"Then she gave me her shell, and thus we've been friends ever since," Emily said.

Jake and the others nodded in agreement, and Jake replied, "That is truly a heaven-sent luck, or I'm not sure if anyone can become friends with the prideful species of mermaids."

The others nodded in support of Jake's observation.

"Hey, I can hear you all... Why are you also nodding?" Lyla said, pointing at Emily, who was nodding along with Jake's words.

Emily embarrassingly smiled in response.

"Of course, she will support me. She is my girlfriend," Jake smirked.

"Hah? She's my girlfriend," Lyla snorted.

"How?" Jake asked, knowing Emily didn't swing that way.

"Because we're both girls, so she's my girlfriend," Lyla clarified, pointing at herself and then at Emily.

".....Yes?" Jake looked at her weirdly and said.

"She's a brat," Jake mumbled, and the others nodded in agreement.

Emily shook her head and said, "She's only 10."

Hearing this, the others looked at Lyla, especially at her chest, and collectively said, "You're lying."

A visible vein throbbed on Emily's forehead, and then...

BANG, BANG, BANG, BANG.

"Humph, leave them. Tell me what you brought for me," Emily said after rendering them unconscious with her 'fist of love' technique.

Lyla looked at the four unconscious friends and then at Emily, gulping nervously. Hastily, she showed Emily the various jewels she had brought from her kingdom.

"Wow, they're so beautiful," Emily exclaimed, looking at the jewels and smiling happily.

"Why do you seem nervous?" Emily asked Lyla.

"M-me, nervous? I am not," Lyla stammered. "Oh! My mother told me to come home faster today, so I'll be going. Bye-bye!" she said hastily, diving back into the lake.

"why she seemed scared" Emily thought and turned back and said to others, " Just how long, are you all going to sleep there?"

Jake and others stood up listening to her and replied, " it was peaceful, I felt sleepy"

"It was comfortable"

"So soothing"

"Soft grass and serene environment, so refreshing"

"Whose village is next?" Emily asked, not minding their weird behaviors.

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"Another cave," Jake remarked as they reached Jimmy's village.

"Dragons are supposed to live in caves filled with gold," Jimmy laughed.

Jake and the others shook their heads.

"Why are you sighing too? You're also an edgelord," Jake pointed at Dio and teased, prompting laughter from the group.

Dio chuckled as well, and then the tour of Jimmy's village began.

"Hmm, there are mostly Dragonborns and Dwarfs here," Mark observed, noting the predominant species.

"Underground species are less," Jimmy shrugged, gesturing towards a specific building.

"That's the Grey Dwarves' Dwelling. If any of you want equipment, just tell me. My Dwarves are the best at making equipment," Jimmy offered.

The others nodded, intrigued, and continued their tour of Jimmy's village.

"Although it's not a special building, it's better," Jimmy smiled as he led them into a tavern created and run by Dwarves.

As Jimmy entered, silence descended, and then he took a deep breath and announced, "I'm back, b*ches!"

"What?"

"Who are you calling a...?"

"B*stard, take my hammer!"

Jake and the others looked around the lively tavern and couldn't help but smile. "It seems fun," Jake remarked.

The others nodded in agreement, enjoying the lively atmosphere. Suddenly, a dwarf spotted them and made his way over.

"A modern Blood-sucking leech, a long-eared b*stard, a glowing insect, and an ancient blood-sucking leech. The Lord sure has a weird choice of friends," the dwarf commented, stroking his beard.

Jake and the others' lips twitched at their nicknames, and then Jake grabbed the drunken dwarf by the collar and tossed him out of the tavern.