Broken logged back in, and as expected, he found himself right where he left off—inside the underwater prison cell.
His first instinct was to check outside, but the situation hadn't changed.
The guards were still nowhere in sight, and the other prisoners were still there.
And just like before, so of them were glaring at him, their expressions filled with hostility. A few even started banging on their cell bars, their strange aquatic features twisting in anger as they locked eyes with him.
Broken exhaled.
Seriously, what was their problem?
For a mont, he considered pulling out his bow and shooting them down just to see if they dropped anything useful.
Might as well get so loot out of this situation, right?
But after a second, he chuckled and shook his head, dismissing the thought.
Instead, he pulled out the Abyssal Naga Egg once again.
As soon as it appeared, the egg glowed faintly, its deep blue surface pulsing as it hungrily absorbed his Mana.
This had been his routine for two days straight—just feeding the egg and waiting.
And it was boring as hell.
But finally, when the progress bar hit 5%, a notification popped up.
[Abyssal Naga Egg requires Mana from an Aquatic Female Noble to continue hatching.]
He froze.
"…What?"
He re-read the ssage.
Then sighed loudly, rubbing his forehead.
"Of course. Of COURSE it needs sothing weird."
It wasn't the first ti an egg had special requirents, but why did they always have to be so specific?
How the hell was he supposed to get Mana from an aquatic noblewoman?
His original plan of hatching the egg slowly in prison was now completely ruined.
The only way forward was to find soone who fit the criteria.
Which ant…
He needed to et the rulers of this place.
And sohow convince one of them to supply Mana for him.
"…Well. That's gonna be fun."
Broken leaned back against the cold stone wall of his cell and decided to call on Gaia.
"Gaia," he said, his voice low. "Can you scout outside for ?"
The spirit materialized beside him, crossing her arms with an unimpressed expression. "That's stupid."
Broken raised an eyebrow. "Wow. Thanks."
Gaia sighed. "I can't move too far from you. You know that."
"Tch." Broken exhaled through his nose.
"What about one of the Beasts?" he asked, shifting his plan.
"No water-based creatures among them," Gaia said flatly.
Great.
His summons were completely useless in this situation.
Still frustrated, he called on Pawpaw.
With a small puff of black mist, the demon cat appeared, stretching lazily before flicking his tail. His glowing red eyes scanned the prison surroundings, his ears twitching in curiosity.
Then, out of nowhere, Pawpaw simply said:
"I want to visit the Queen."
And then—
He vanished.
Broken stared blankly at the spot where Pawpaw had been.
"…Are you kidding ?"
Of all the tis for Pawpaw to act cryptic and dramatic, it had to be now?
"That little bastard is perfectly suited for this environnt," Broken muttered to himself. "And he just leaves like that?"
With no other options, he pulled up his Golem Creation panel.
If none of his current summons were useful, then he'd just have to make sothing that was.
His fingers hovered over the interface as he thought through the design.
A stealth-based, underwater golem—
Essentially a water-adapted version of Zepy, the Flying Golem.
But the problem was movent chanics.
His Aego Golem Ship used a water turbine system, but that would be way too loud and make the golem easily detectable.
What about a fish-like design? With fins and a tail for propulsion?
He frowned. The Golem System didn't really have chanics that perfectly simulated organic movent, so there was no guarantee it would work efficiently.
If he experinted and failed, he'd waste materials—which he didn't have infinite of right now.
His fingers tapped against his knee.
He needed a solution.
Did he just risk it and try sothing experintal?
Or did he keep thinking until he ca up with a better idea?
Broken was still deep in thought, his mind occupied with designing an underwater golem, when suddenly—
A group of rfolk guards appeared in front of his cell.
At least a dozen of them.
His instincts flared for a split second—had he been caught doing sothing suspicious?
But no—he had already stored the egg away.
One of the guards stepped forward. "You are to be summoned to the palace."
Wait. What?
The palace?
For what?
Was this finally his judgnt?
Or was this sothing else?
Broken didn't respond, keeping his face unreadable.
As soon as the cell door was unlocked, they shackled his wrists again, securing him before leading him out of the prison.
As they passed through the rows of cells, the other prisoners erupted into shouts and protests.
So slamd their fists against the enchanted bars, their voices filled with frustration.
Why was he being taken away while they remained here?
Broken gave them a small, amused smirk, his voice a low murmur as he glanced back.
"Enjoy rotting here until you die."
The enraged shouting behind him only grew louder, but he ignored them as he was led out of the prison.
***
Once outside, they swam toward the massive do that covered the city.
The mont they passed through the barrier, Broken imdiately felt a change.
The water here was warr, unlike the naturally cold depths outside.
And more surprisingly—
The rfolk inside the do looked different.
Unlike the guards escorting him—who still had sharp, predatory features—many of the civilians had softer, more human-like appearances.
So had perfectly human faces, while others had only slight aquatic traits, such as faint scales along their skin or small fin-like structures along their arms and shoulders.
Their armor and clothing were also simpler, unlike the heavy, battle-ready gear of the warriors.
But what stood out the most—
The way they all stared at him.
The mont he entered the city streets, heads turned.
rfolk stopped mid-conversation, their gazes locking onto him as he passed. So whispered among themselves, while others openly gawked, as if they had never seen anything like him before.
Their eyes held a mix of curiosity, suspicion, and unease.
Broken kept his expression calm, but inwardly, he was analyzing everything.
It didn't make sense.
There was no way they had never seen humans before, right?
Not a single one?
Or… was it sothing else?
He continued walking, silently taking in the environnt around him.
The streets were paved with bioluminescent coral, glowing softly beneath their feet. The buildings, made of hardened sea-stone and crystal, stretched upward like elegant underwater towers.
So structures were built into the natural rock formations, blending into the ocean itself, while others floated slightly off the ground, supported by magical currents.
Large, manta-like creatures glided overhead, carrying cargo from one building to another. Schools of small, glowing fish weaved through the water, moving between the streets as if they were a natural part of the city's flow.
It was breathtaking—a civilization that had clearly thrived for centuries in secrecy.
And at the heart of it all—
The palace.
In the distance, standing atop an elevated coral plateau, was the royal palace of Azur'Nath.
It was massive.
The structure itself was crafted from a fusion of crystal and deep-sea obsidian, towering like a monunt to an ancient empire. Glowing energy veins ran along its surface, pulsing faintly in the water, while statues of great sea creatures lined the outer walls.
Surrounding the palace were smaller dod structures, possibly temples or administrative buildings.
Even from afar, its presence was undeniable.
As they swam closer, Broken exhaled slowly, his mind already racing ahead.
Whatever was waiting for him inside—
This was the real beginning of his stay in Azur'Nath.
Broken was led deeper into the palace, his movents restricted by the enchanted shackles around his wrists.
The further they went, the more heavily guarded the place beca.
Dozens of rfolk warriors stood at attention throughout the corridors, their eyes tracking his every movent.
But what caught his attention the most—
So of them looked different from the ones escorting him.
Unlike the battle-hardened guards who had captured him, these rfolk had stronger, more refined auras. Their features were more human-like, yet their presence felt far more dangerous.
Elite warriors? High-ranking officials?
Whatever they were, Broken had a feeling these were not ordinary soldiers.
Finally, he was brought into a massive hall—
The throne room of Azur'Nath.
The space was grand, lined with towering coral pillars that emitted a faint, mystical glow.
And most importantly—
There were even more warriors here.
Strong, armored rfolk lined the room, so gripping ornate tridents, others resting their hands on curved ceremonial swords.
Their gazes pierced into him as he was led forward.
Broken swallowed.
And at the far end of the hall, at the highest point—
A massive throne stood, carved from obsidian coral and glowing sea crystals.
But it was empty.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
Why bring him here if the ruler wasn't even present?
What was their real reason for summoning him?
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