Chapter 1453 - Nomad Island (Patreon)

Jake was truly reminded once again that while the ninety-third universe was newly integrated, and even if Venus was considered part of his universe, the Minor World had existed for far longer and had an extensive history.

The island was clearly not something new and appeared to have been a base used by the Nomads for many, many years. It was a bit weird for the Nomads to have an island like this, but from how he understood things, few actually lived there for long periods at a time, but traveled between islands, somewhat akin to merchants. Which made sense, as the Nomads more or less had a monopoly on the merchant industry within Venus, being the only faction capable of trading with both the Venusians and Arachnecs at the same time.

That’s also why working with them for this ceremony was a good move. Neither of the two factions wanted to make the Nomads their enemies. They needed them to get resources they couldn’t otherwise acquire, especially ones found in the sea Jake was currently flying over.

Sense of the Malefic Viper was practically going crazy as he detected so many valuable natural treasures hidden in its depths. The Nomads were experts at extracting these treasures, which was one of the reasons an island like this existed in the first place.

Seeing as it served as a permanent hub for Nomads to stop by, it was far from barren and filled with construction of different kinds. A lot of the structures were similar to the tents used by the Venusians, with some even being identical, likely sourced from the frogs.

Others were made of stone or plants, while a few were even created primarily from the parts of beasts. There was even a large circular hall that looked to be made from leather and the massive ribcage of what Jake assumed had once been a whale-like creature.

In the center of this settlement was a large square that looked like it hadn’t been there just a week ago, having probably been cleared with the upcoming ceremony in mind. A stage had been constructed, and a potent formation had been created beneath it, made to work with the ritual Jake planned on pulling off.

“How long has this settlement existed?” Jake asked the Chieftain, having momentarily forgotten to remain aloof and elitist as he got too curious.

“It was here long before my time,” she answered apologetically for not having a clear answer. “I don’t believe anyone knows. It has been used by different races for many years, perhaps back to one of the first generations of Nomads.”

“I take it that its main purpose is to serve as a base while exploring the depths of the sea?” he asked, continuing to try to learn more about this world and how it worked.

“Precisely,” she answered with a nod. “Many of the creatures within the sea never leave it, so the island is safe. What’s more, it’s recognized as the domain of the Great Sea Serpent, so few dare even approach it. There are some powerful A-grades who occasionally get close, but they rarely intend to cause trouble.”

Jake nodded, finding it rather obvious that A-grades from the sea had to get close at times. With Pulse, he detected at least four beasts that, together with his other senses, he identified as A-grades, with far more B-grades around. They were mostly scaled beasts or fishlike creatures. Okay, fish technically also counted as scaled beasts, considering fish had scales, but usually they weren’t included when one spoke of scalekin, as fish scales and reptilian scales were very different.

Anyway, these sea creatures really had no reason to fight unless they wanted to get natural treasures, and even then, it would often make more sense to just concede and go elsewhere if the competition was too strong. The sea itself was a massive treasure in its own right, allowing these powerful beasts to become what they were today.

“I take it the environment is also a bonus,” Jake said, the Nomads no doubt also enjoying the benefits of being this close to the ocean. The mana in the atmosphere was far denser and stronger here than most other places, and as they floated closer and prepared to land on the island, he also detected that they’d passed through a set of barriers. Most of them were for detection or defense, but some also served to take advantage of the energy given off by the sea, refining it for those on the island.

“It certainly is,” the Chieftain nodded with a smile, looking more than happy to have some small talk. “The island is protected by different Tribes on a rotation, and rarely does the Chieftain complain when they are stationed here. I at least felt a little reluctant when my last shift ended a few millennia ago, and based on the progress of the current tribe leader here, I doubt he would have anything against staying here longer either.”

Jake slowly nodded, having already detected several powerful A-grades present on the island below, including a few roughly rivaling that of the Chieftain.

“How many tribes have shown up?” Jake asked, having already surmised that these powerful Nomads had to be tribe leaders, and given their power, definitely elites. It would also only make sense for them to show up in force.

“Seven of the nine tribes are here, with the other two sadly unable to arrive in time,” she said apologetically. “However, know that we all stand united. While we don’t usually move together and sometimes often compete, in this matter, there is no infighting or disagreement.”

“Do all the tribes recognize the Great Sea Serpent as an authority figure?”

“Yes, though some more than others,” the Chieftain explained. “It depends where we operate. Some tribes rarely get close to the sea, but stay in the upper strata, while some like my tribe stay nearly exclusively in the lower layers. Of course, we have all united as hopeful Order of the Malefic Viper prospects.”

“Prospects?” Jake asked as they were about to dock at a large tower on the island that seemed to serve as a station for these kinds of airships. “You might not have officially joined the Order nor gotten a token, but you carry the Blessing of the Malefic One. In my eyes, you and, from the looks of it, many other Nomads are already more than worthy of being recognized as members.”

She stared at him for a few moments, looking stunned, and she didn’t even react when the ship fully docked. Several seconds passed before she got her bearings, looking quite flustered.

“We... I cannot possibly claim to be...”

“If I recognize you as a member, who would dare to claim otherwise?” Jake asked in a haughty tone, letting a bit of that Chosen aura flare to reinforce his words. At the same time, though, he couldn’t help but ask...

“Villy, just what have you done to make these poor snakes so utterly infatuated with the concept of joining the Order? And in such a short time?” he asked the snake god, who he knew was still observing everything that was happening.

“I just gave out some Blessings, allowed them to bask in my power, and let things spread from there using the Great Sea Serpent as a conduit to spread my influence. It’s you that’s weird for not having a bigger reaction when in the presence of a god. This is pretty normal when recruiting new people, even if it’s individuals who already knew about gods in the first place,” the Viper answered.

“Still, feels extreme,” Jake mentally muttered.

“Faith is an extreme emotion, and they are more than happy to embrace the Order of the Malefic Viper as their religion. Do also remember that you are talking to a snake here. I am not just a god, but they recognize me to be their Forefather. My Records permeate through every snake in the multiverse, and they know it. They cannot deny what I am to them, and are honored to be recognized by my greatness.”

“I guess,” he relented, having to recognize he was probably being the weird one. “Could have been a lot easier if you did something similar to make the Venusians and Arachnecs also recognize that greatness of yours.”

“Isn’t that what I’m doing right now by sending my Chosen?” Villy said with a chuckle, clearly enjoying what he was doing. “Look at it like this. Even if you don’t fully pull it off, there will be Nomads you can recruit. But I believe in you, especially with all the preparations you and the Nomads have made.”

Jake could only hope that was true, and as he looked at the Chromatic Miresnake Chieftain who was positively beaming at what Jake had said, he did agree that they at least had some allies in this Minor World. Seeing as many of the Nomads weren’t snake people, he couldn’t be sure everyone was on board with joining the Order, but if their leaders were excited at the prospect, hopefully it would trickle down to those beneath them.

“I... what does the Chosen wish to do now?” the Chieftain asked after regaining her bearings as she noticed Jake had started moving towards the small drawbridge that had connected to the airship after they’d docked.

“Let me go take a look at the ceremony site,” Jake said right as she appeared beside him, having moved faster than he could detect. It wasn’t teleportation, but to someone nearly two full grades below her, it may as well have been.

“Certainly!” she said with a nervous smile. “I have been told that preparations are well underway, and things are ready for you when you get there. The Great Sea Serpent will also arrive within the day, bringing with him the artifact.”

Jake was about to ask which artifact she was talking about, but stopped himself to preserve his image. It definitely sounded as if Jake should already know what this artifact was, or perhaps it was just an item everyone on Venus knew about. Either way, Jake chose not to ask as he simply nodded.

“Let us proceed to the site, and I’ll confirm matters myself.”

He had already somewhat scanned the place with Pulse, but it was a lot easier when he was actually there and could physically touch the magic circles. It wasn’t that Jake doubted the skills of the Nomads, as going by the formations protecting the island, they were far beyond him in skill. Expectedly so, given it was definitely powerful A-grades that had made them.

Between that, the airships, many buildings, and the variety of products offered by the Nomads, it was easy to see that compared to the Venusians and Arachnecs, they had far more variety among their ranks. They had far more races among them who specialized in different things, and in a world where no enlightened beings existed but everyone was a monster, creatures specializing in creation were considered very rare.

Arachnecs and Venusians did have some who specialized in crafting, but they were still rather limited, perhaps in part due to their constant war between the two factions. The frog people always had to be ready for a fight, which made far fewer of them become creators due to how monster crafters tended to appear, with the generally lower power level of the Arachnecs' hyper-specialized variants not helping them.

As with everyone else, monsters evolved depending on who they were and their Path. A monster wanting to create and craft while actively doing so had a chance to evolve into special variants that were better at just that. Of course, given most monsters were solitary, being good at crafting rather than fighting was often just a good way to get yourself killed, but for a monster part of the Nomads, that wasn’t really a problem.

In cases like theirs, the line between enlightened and monster was very thin. Both were civilized, had a society, rules, and a system to support those who were weaker at fighting. People had the freedom to specialize, which included those who wanted to focus solely on creation. The Venusians and Arachnecs were the same, and Jake had seen plenty of hyper-specialized undead spiders when he visited their Nest.

As he was escorted through the island city, he made sure to observe more of these monster crafters primarily to sate his own curiosity. Unlike enlightened with professions, they did tend to be a bit cruder in their craftsmanship, and they often had fewer skills, making those they had more generalized. Rather than getting something like Brew Potion and Concoct Poison, they would instead get Cultivate Liquid... okay, that was a bad example, but it still got the sentiment across.

Unsurprisingly, a Chieftain respectfully leading a B-grade garnered quite a lot of attention, especially given that Jake didn’t look like any known race of the Minor World, making it pretty damn obvious who he was. Fortunately, the onlookers were keeping their distance and only looked, though Jake did feel Identify being used on him roughly a thousand times by the time they reached the central square. None of them had worked, of course, which had hopefully only served to reinforce the current vibe he was going for.

In the square, Jake quickly scanned the magic circle before turning to the Chieftain and speaking casually. “I’ll take things from here. In the meantime, would you do me a favor and invite those onlookers onto the island rather than having them remain hidden? Well, besides the Bog Lord, who remains way too far away.”

Jake still had no idea how that Bog Lord even observed him in the first place, making him guess it was some kind of scrying magic that worked over immense distances.

“Are you sure?” she asked doubtfully. “We shall of course invite them here when the ceremony begins, but to do it now...”

“What is meant to happen here isn’t just an event for the Nomads, but the entire Minor World. It’s for Venus and its future. If all goes well, the races of Venus will all be working under one banner for the foreseeable future, so no reason to treat them as outsiders or threats,” Jake said in a relaxed tone, even if he knew it would be a little risky in case anyone tried to do anything. Especially with the Great Sea Serpent not at the island yet.

However, at the same time, wasn’t it equally risky to have them remain hidden? If they wanted to make a move, Jake wouldn’t be able to defend himself anyway, and if they were already on the island, they would at least be easier to keep track of. Plus, they should be less inclined to try anything, as some doubt should be sown in their minds about why Jake was so confident as to invite them closer.

“I understand that, but they are still ignorant and may act foolishly in their ignorance,” the Chieftain said, looking really doubtful. “If they were to attack you or cause any harm...”

“This entire world would cease to exist before a single A-grade in this place would ever see the outside world,” Jake answered. “Something I hope they have already realized and that I believe has been communicated to them. Hence why they have kept their distance thus far.”

One reason why Jake was at least a little confident none of them wished him harm was that during all this time of being observed, he’d not once detected even the slightest trace of hostility from anyone. His relative weakness surely was one reason for this, but the intense curiosity he felt made him think it wasn’t just that.

He also had to remember that it had been more than a year since he was last in the Minor World. A lot could change during that time. The factions had had time to think about things, communicate with one another, and ruminate on their previous choices. Plus, the Venusians and Arachnecs must have seen the changes in the Nomads, and recently the Great Sea Serpent had stopped acting as if he was hiding Jake and had shown himself. The creatures recognized as at the apex of the Minor World were all considered roughly equal, yet now, as far as Jake knew, the serpent had likely surpassed the other two in such a short time.

It all pointed to Jake’s claims of a higher power being very much true, and hopefully that had softened the Venusians and Arachnecs somewhat and made them realize that their best bet was to make friends with Jake. Well, not that he wanted friends. Friends would be nice, but soldiers were what he truly needed.

And as the Chieftain was finally convinced to go invite the hidden onlookers and began working on his ritual circle, he hoped that at the end of this horrible endeavor he would have just that.