Chapter 646: Snake-haired Gorgon

The story of the siren Is was neither legendary nor filled with extraordinary encounters from her travels across the continent—at least nothing worthy of being recorded in *Dragons Battling in the Wilderness*.

Most crucially, she had never ventured into the highest noble circles in the Kingdom of the Eagle, so the information she knew was quite limited.

Yet her experiences were not completely worthless.

For instance, she had once learned to play the piano from Czerny the Windmill. Czerny, a renowned pianist from the Kingdom of Steel Ridge, had traveled through the Kingdom of the Eagle and encountered Is, sharing how his famed composition *Euryale at the Water’s Edge* was created.

It was an autumn dusk when Czerny, journeying through various lands for inspiration, arrived at the border between the Kingdom of Steel Ridge and the Blastfurnace Kingdom. He stopped in a rural village of a frontier town, unpacking his piano and preparing to tune it for practice.

Suddenly, a deer darted out of the woods,

charging straight toward him. But with the river nearby, the deer found itself cornered and attempted to leap into the water to escape.

Then, a steel-tipped spear flew from afar, piercing the deer’s skull in an instant. Moments later, Czerny saw a green-haired siren with serpentine locks emerge from the forest—her lowered eyelids, slender figure, snow-white skin, and vivid red lips

making him fall hopelessly in love.

Yet as the siren dragged the dead deer away, she met his eyes briefly. In that instant, he froze, unable to move even his eyes, and could only watch helplessly as her figure vanished into the woods. He drifted in a daze, unaware of time passing.

When he awoke, he had been rescued by his servants and local villagers, lying in a bed.

From the villagers’ accounts, he learned that this siren was named Euryale, one of three Gorgon sisters said to dwell in that wildwood.

The eldest, Stheno, had dark green hair and strength enough to kill a mighty magical beast with a single punch. Euryale, the second sister, had pale green hair and could leap as high as a sky knight in flight. The youngest, Medusa, had crimson hair and could command snakes.

All three sisters possessed petrifying gazes—anyone who met their gaze would turn to stone. If the stone was shattered, the person would die; if left intact, they would revert to flesh after a few days.

Normally, the Gorgon sisters kept to their own territories.

Some nobles had attempted to venture into that wildwood

to capture the three stunningly alluring Gorgons, but they either disappeared in the woods or returned empty-handed, never even catching a glimpse of the sisters. Czerny, too, was entranced by Euryale’s beauty and settled in the area,

hoping to see her again. But after many fruitless days, he poured his yearning into notes, composing *Euryale by the Sea*.

"Are Gorgons truly real?" Liszt asked, skeptical.

While vampires and liches undoubtedly existed, the idea of Gorgons who could petrify with a glance felt unreal—their power seemed too overwhelming. And with their stunning allure, despite their eerie hair, many thrill-seeking knights would still chase after them.

Is shook her head. "I once asked Master Czerny the same. He told me the world stretches far beyond our sight, and no one can claim everything they desire."

"So, no one has seen the Gorgon sisters since?"

"I don’t know. I never paid them much attention. Perhaps, like sirens, they witnessed humanity’s complexity and returned to their homeland, living quiet lives."

In any case,

Is had many more tales like that of the Gorgon sisters.

There were minotaurs roaming the Blastfurnace Kingdom and the Barren Stone Plains, bellowing in rage to drive off intruders with their bull-like horns. In the western primal forests of the Rose Duchy, giant ogres wielding clubs lived like savages, drinking blood.

Some claimed to have seen harpies—winged creatures that flew like eagles—in the mountains of the Kingdom of the Eagle. The daughter of a certain duke once encountered a unicorn in the woods and, with its aid, fled her wedding, vanishing without a trace.

In an unnamed castle under the full moon, howls often echoed—rumor had it the lord was a werewolf who transformed into a silver wolf.

Is even met a knight who seemed to ride on thin air, with nothing beneath him. Upon inquiry, she learned his steed was a thestral, only seen by those who’d stared death in the face.

...

Old folks love to tell stories.

The old sea siren, Is, was no different. At first, she only spoke when Liszt asked, but by midnight, it was mostly her talking nonstop.

Some were fun, some were boring, but Acheronides listened attentively.

Liszt, however, had already begun to lose focus.

Before his eyes, smoke slowly swirled: "Quest complete. Reward: Sea Siren Is."

Then the smoke twisted and reshaped into new serpent tongue script: "Quest: The sea siren can point the way, but she’s too worn out to swim the seas anymore. You’ll have to face the dangers lurking below on your own. Take down the last of the Undead Yuchou and uncover the Yuchou Temple. Reward: Mysterious jewelry."

"Huh, mysterious jewelry as a reward?" Liszt mused silently. "Bet it’s just another pearl from some clam."

In this world, gemstones, crystals, and jade were all distinct terms, referring to three types of special stones.

Gemstones and crystals come from dragons, while jade is formed by the earth's condensed magic power.

Jewelry meant anything you could wear—gemstones and crystals could be crafted into jewelry, intact jade could be fashioned into jewelry, and pearls, coral, amber, and the like could also be made into jewelry. Gold, silver, mithril, orichalcum, and similar metals could likewise be used for jewelry—all of these were classified as jewelry.

He already had a Black Clam that produced black pearls, a pink conch that yielded pink pearls, and a golden-lipped clam that bore Golden Pearl. He wondered what kind of shellfish and pearl he would receive this time.

"I hope it's not a pearl oyster that produces white pearls. The Grand Duke’s Blue Dragon Lake is crawling with pearl oysters—they’re a dime a dozen."

Thinking this, he dozed off on the sampan amid Is’s rambling tales. When he woke again, it was already dawn the next day.

He rubbed his eyes and saw Is tossing fruit to Rainbow Whale Rosi by the distant reef. Rosi was a sweetheart to everyone, though Liszt sometimes worried she might be lured away by someone. On another reef, Acheronides sat atop a seashell, flipping through a book.

When she saw Liszt was up, Acheronides swam right over. "Brother, you're awake!"

"You guys didn’t sleep?" He vaguely remembered Is still telling stories and Acheronides still listening intently when he fell asleep, yet upon waking, both sea sirens were still full of energy.

"Sea sirens barely sleep, bro."

Of course, Liszt knew this—he was just still a bit groggy from waking up. Soon after, he washed up by the reef and enjoyed a hearty meal.

Then he went to bid Is farewell. "Is, your stories were fascinating. Once Acheronides and I uncover the Yuchou Temple, I hope we can chat happily again."

"Nodding off mid-talk ain’t a good chat."

"Haha."

Liszt gave an awkward wave, understanding that Is wasn't actually refusing. With that, he set off with Acheronides in the direction she had pointed, heading first to excavate the Yuchou Temple and complete the quest for the reward.