'These soul fracture stones. I wonder if they will work outside this place. If they do, then these people of Redaku can easily stomp the Shinobi world with their level of technology and weapons.' Izuna pockets the stone.
Hoshi and Kei eagerly stare at Izuna.
"Umm… is there something on my face?" Izuna asks them.
"Uh… No! No!" Both shake their head.
"Then what do you want from me?"
"Uh… Izuna-sama… if… perhaps if… there is no need to… but if possible…"
"Damn it! Speak your mind. Don't speak nonsense." Izuna gets irritated by their way of speech.
"Can we get a hold of the body parts of this giant eel monster?" Kei and Hoshi stare at him with puppy eyes.
Bleugh…
Izuna almost spits in disgust at the weird expression of these grown men.
"Will it kill you to behave normally? Also, stop with that weird glance. You two aren't little kids. As for the body parts of the eel, you can keep them. Not only this eel monster, but I have corpses of multiple sea monsters. I will give them to you… but you have to pay a suitable price." He negotiates with them.
"Of course, it will be our honor." The two immediately agree with Izuna.
"Well, that was quick! Aren't you guys a bit too impatient?" Izuna chuckles.
"Umm… Izuna-sama, since you aren't from this place, you don't know the true value of these monsters. There are multiple uses for the body parts of these monsters. Their horns, teeth, and skeleton serve as a memento and as a trophy to boost the honor and fame of a person who possesses them. Also, a skilled professional medicine maker can extract their liver to make a special tonic that can extend the lifespan of a person by a few years.
Not only that, some medicines can even heal a person to full health from the brink of death. Their flesh and blood also contain many medicinal properties. So, of course, the body parts of these monsters are a hot commodity."
"Hmm…" Izuna ignores their blabbering for the most part.
He didn't need any memento or trophy since he can hunt these monsters anytime he wants. As for the fame, well… the entire shinobi is aware of his abilities. So, there is no need for that. The medicinal properties to boost health and strengthen the body are also useless to him due to his regeneration and powerful chakra. As for the money earned from selling these parts, he doesn't care much about it. Since he is one of the richest, if not the richest person in the shinobi world with multiple companies under him.
What fascinates him the most is the medicine that can restore a person to full health from the brink of death.
'Perhaps that might help me with my problem!'
"Can you tell me more about this miraculous medicine with the ability to restore a person to full health?"
"Well… about that…" Hoshi has a hesitant expression on his face.
"Umm… we don't know about it since it is just a legend. But apparently, there is a secret facility located somewhere in the mountain range of Redaku where such a medicine is produced. We all think that this is just a conspiracy theory cooked by those researchers."
"So, there is such a facility in Redaku." Izuna is slightly surprised.
"How far is it from this place?" He enquires.
"That mountain range is in the vicinity of the capital city of Redaku. But I wouldn't recommend visiting the capital." Hoshi whispers in a hushed tone.
"Huh! Why?" Izuna raises an eyebrow.
"That place is filled with dangers. A power struggle is brewing in that place. The current king and his brother are fighting against each other. So, it's not a safe place to visit now. Since the city guards will imprison anyone for slightly suspicious movements. All of your property and assets will be confiscated.
The prisons of the capital city are horrendous. I heard that prisoners are treated even worse than animals. They are subjected to the harsh cold of polar ice caps with little to less protection. Their meals are minimal, and they are forced to do gruesome labor in the freezing cold." Hoshi explains everything in detail to Izuna.
"Life must be harsh for you people!" Izuna shakes his head.
'Looks like my initial assumption of this place was wrong. This place is also filled with people who lust over power and authority.'
"No… it's not that bad. We are currently in the remote parts of the Land of Redaku."
Kei pulls out a rough map of the Land of Redaku.
"Two different mountain ranges called the Redaku Mountain range and the Tataru mountain range divide the mainland of Redaku into three parts." Kei marks two circles on the contour lines on the map.
"Traveling from one region to another is a very ardent task and only a few people bear the unnecessary risk." Kei glances at Hoshi for a second.
Hoshi's face turns red in embarrassment.
"Aren't there any trade routes carved through these mountains?" Izuna questions him.
"There are a few trade routes, but they aren't safe." Kei shakes his head.
"The Redaku Mountain range is infested with a multitude of creatures, some of which are the descendants of the dragons. These creatures are very aggressive and the soul-fracture stones and mind-breaking stones have hardly any effect on them. So, despite the dangers in the sea, it is considered safe compared to traveling through the Redaku Mountain range."
"I see!" Izuna nods at his explanation.
"Now, for the second region or the central region. This is the most fertile land of Redaku. It's a vast piece of plane land sandwiched between two mountain ranges. The current capital of Redaku is located at this place."
Kei marks another place on the map.
"However, as Hoshi said earlier; this place is embroiled in its own conflicts and thus hardly has any time for us sea dwellers.
"Now for the third and the last region."
Kei marks a few more contour lines.
"This region is the coldest region of Redaku and is isolated from the rest of Redaku by the Tataru Mountain range. This area is the closest to the polar caps and thus is frozen for most time of the year. The hidden facilities Hoshi mentioned are located at this place. However, there are also several prison facilities located at this place. No sane person will step foot in this place." Kei shakes his place.
'Well, it looks like I will get the answers to all my questions at this place.' Izuna makes up his mind.
"Can I borrow this map from you?" Izuna requests Hoshi.
"Of course, Lord Izuna." Kei nods and transfers the map to Izuna.
"May I be blunt enough to ask for your plans, Lord Izuna?" Hoshi asks him with a forced smile.
"If you don't have any plans, they don't you join the Sea Lord festival with us." He quickly adds.
'Hmm… initially I planned to quickly find a cure for my body and leave this place. However, looking at this unexplored part of the world is making my adventurer blood boil. I will stick with them and take a look at their culture. Perhaps, in the future, I might even bring Ayaka to this place for a vacation.' Izuna ponders for a while before agreeing to their request.
"Alright, lead the way! I am also curious about the culture of Redaku and the story behind this sea lord." Izuna gestures to Hoshi.
"Oh, Lord Izuna is interested in the legend of the Sea Lord. Actually, we haven't seen the Sea Lord, but tales of the sea lord have been passed down for centuries.
Sea Lord is a powerful god with a fish's body. Back in the past, the land was haunted by the malevolent sea spirit Umibozu. This powerful evil spirit will regularly sink ships and flood lands. Chaos and terror were prevalent in the coastal town and cities of Redaku.
When all hopes were crushed, the Sea Lord made its appearance. It fought against the Umibozu in a battle that lasted decades. In the end, the Sea Lord won the battle and sealed the evil spirit Umibozu for good. After that incident, the Sea Lord never made another appearance. So, to pay our respect and tribute as a display of gratitude, the Sea Lord Festival is held every year. We offer our thanks to the Sea Lord for protecting the sailors during their harsh journey."
Kei points towards the symbol of a weird fish with a crown on its forehead.
"This is the symbol of the Sea Lord. It keeps us safe during our sea journey." He prays to the symbol. The rest of the sailor imitates his actions.
'Now that's quite a rich history!'
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A/N:- My new Naruto fan-fic, 'The Rogue Demon of the Shinobi World' is out.
Also, check out my pat reon www.pa treon.com/ForgottenLife to support my work and get a sneak peak at the latest chapters of both series in advance. Read upto 60+ chapters from both series combined in advance.