TOWL 07

Chapter 7

I was thoroughly benefiting from a world where dragons, mermaids, and dwarves existed.

Even though I was in a 15-year-old body, no one thought it was suspicious that I was wandering around the black market.

They probably just assumed I was some dwarf or a minor race.

“Make sure everyone smells this scent. It will make any lady feel desire. It’s a rare item in the Glory Kingdom—sold out everywhere.”

Otherwise, there was no way they would be pushing adult products on me like this.

The merchants kept recommending ingredients said to boost stamina or pheromone perfumes that attract the opposite sex.

I ignored their suggestions and walked along the artificial stream.

Going a bit deeper in, I found a place where magical beasts were being traded. There were all kinds—rabbit-like beasts grazing in an open field, and pink dolphin-like creatures swimming in an artificial river.

So pretty. I seriously considered raising one of the dolphin beasts for a moment, but gave up since I wasn’t confident I could take care of it.

Still a little disappointed, I watched the creatures by the riverside for a long while.

‘This place is actually kind of nice…’

Unlike what I expected, the black market was bright and colorful. It almost felt like a place where dreams and hope could bloom.

Going further in, I found a huge bookstore. One entire wall was a bookshelf, with zigzagging stairs in front of it.

“Oh, you’re looking for geography books. This way, please.”

The librarian led me up to the third-floor landing. He said the entire third-floor landing was geography books.

I looked up at the towering shelves. Hundreds of books were neatly organized by country.

“As you go up each floor, the price increases. Third-floor books are 10 gold, fourth-floor are 20 gold, and so on.”

I nodded.

Fortunately, the Belliana Empire language was used as the common language, so I could read the classification labels easily.

I slowly climbed the stairs, scanning the names of countries on the signs.

Maré Kingdom, Glory Kingdom, Kylion Empire, Belliana Empire.

Was it just my imagination? The higher I went, the more powerful the countries seemed to be.

Right now, it was six years before Helena’s ascension, when the Belliana Empire was more powerful than the Kylion Empire. Though it would soon be destroyed by them.

I tried to ignore Belliana’s future and pulled out a book.

‘A book about the southern region.’

I pulled out around ten volumes, and all of them were about the south. What? Why are there so many books about the south?

They all had one thing in common: the southern region was described as a wealthy, relaxed place where people spent up to five hours on meals.

Should I travel south first?

I grabbed a few more books and went up another floor. My eyes narrowed as I read the classification board.

Atlantis Empire.

That place… isn’t it the underwater kingdom?

I was already familiar with Atlantis because merfolk traders often tried to sell things while praising its legends.

But… it must be ridiculously rich.

The books in the Atlantis section were surprisingly made of gold. All twenty volumes on the shelf shimmered.

I pulled one out and opened it. Thin golden pages fluttered as I turned them. The engraved text was incredibly detailed.

Even more shocking—it was just an animal, no, a magical beast encyclopedia.

What a waste of gold…

Turning the pages, I saw an illustration of a whale, with a short description below.

A sacred magical beast that brings an eternal light to the Atlantis Empire.

Its name was “Mamel,” meaning “Light of the Sea.”

Wait… Mamel?

I felt like I’d seen that in the southern travel guide earlier. It said they occasionally appear along the southern coast.

Was the “Mamel” described as a sea aurora the same “Mamel”?

“Do you understand the Atlantis language?”

A strange voice spoke.

I looked up to see the librarian staring at me with surprised eyes.

“This book? It’s written in the common language.”

“What? That can’t be.”

The librarian asked permission and came closer, inspecting the book. His brows immediately furrowed.

“This is not the common language. This is Atlantis Empire language.”

“But it says ‘Mamel’ here…”

I stopped mid-sentence.

The letters looked similar, but on closer inspection, they were different from Belliana’s script.

Some characters were completely different.

And yet… I could still understand it smoothly, just like I did with Belliana’s language.

What…? Does Laila also know Atlantis language? How? Atlantis is an underwater nation…

“How do you know the Atlantis language? Even merfolk traders can’t translate it…”

“Ah—no, I must have been mistaken. The letters just looked similar to the common language…”

The librarian still looked unconvinced.

“That’s a shame. I thought I finally found someone who could tell me about these beautiful books.”

He gazed longingly at the golden books.

“They must contain the romantic history of a legendary empire.”

They looked like animal encyclopedias to me…

But I only smiled quietly, not wanting to break his illusion.

He went ahead and checked out the books for me.

I went downstairs and picked up a book from the Kylion Empire section. Again, I could read it fluently.

‘What the hell. I can read Kylion language too?’

A chill ran down my spine.

I then went back down and tried books from the Maré Kingdom and Glory Kingdom.

Nothing. I couldn’t understand a single sentence.

Okay, that’s normal.

Still… it was impressive.

Belliana Empire language, Kylion language, Atlantis language.

So at 14 years old, Laila could speak three languages. And she had never even been formally educated.

Seriously… this girl had beauty, magic talent, and intelligence.

Why did she have to die? What a waste of talent.

But who taught her Atlantis language?

From what the librarian said, almost no one on this continent could speak it.

The thought that Laila had a past I didn’t know about made me feel strangely unsettled.

…What exactly was Laila?

A sudden question flashed through my mind, but I quickly pushed it away.

‘Forget it. The past is the past. This is my second life—just focus on the future.’

It was a little uncomfortable, but I decided to bury Laila’s past.

Anyway, we now had a body with immense magical power, and a soul that knew the future of this world.

We could overcome anything.

Whatever problems came, I would deal with them when they actually appeared.

After sorting my thoughts, I finished purchasing the books from the librarian. I also bought a bag since the books were heavy.

Then I heard a commotion.

What?

I quickly bought the bag and went toward the sound. It was coming from the magical beast market.

A white vessel was floating down the artificial river. It was too small to be a merchant ship, too big to be a fishing boat—a private yacht.

The magical beasts in the river didn’t attack it. Instead, they moved aside as if making way.

Thanks to that, the ship drifted smoothly through the water. A pink dolphin-like beast leapt beside the white vessel.

This is insane. It’s so beautiful!

I want it. I want it!

Even though I had nowhere to keep a ship, I stomped my feet in excitement.

Then a thought suddenly struck me.

Wait… maybe I could build a ship too?

Whooshhh…

Sunlight shattered across the emerald sea. It was breathtaking.

A cool sea breeze passed through the warm sunlight.

I closed my eyes, letting my white hair brush against my cheeks.

Turns out, Laila’s body could even create a yacht.

Ha… incredible. My dream is being upgraded beyond expectations.

I used to dream of becoming a rich idle person, but this was far beyond that.

‘Thank you, God.’

Gratitude filled me.

A cold beer would be perfect right now.

“Let’s have one, then.”

I casually swirled my hand in the air, imagining it—and a chilled glass of ale appeared in my hand.

‘Thank you, Buddha.’

Now I was even feeling spiritual gratitude too.

I lay down on the sunbed, taking in the beautiful southern sea.

I was basking in the narcissism that came with this powerful body when I heard something strange.

Bang. Bang.

I sat up and looked down at the lower deck. A man was standing there, dripping wet as if he had swum through the sea.

He looked panicked, trying to open the cabin door.

A thief?

Seeing his torn clothes and wounded body, I felt a little sorry for him.

How desperate did he have to be to swim through a sea full of monsters?

Should I help him?

I quietly used magic to create a few gold coins inside the cabin and opened the door for him.

The man rushed inside without noticing anything strange.

But soon he came back out—empty-handed.

He stomped his feet and tried another cabin door.

Wasn’t he after gold?

Then four more men climbed onto the ship. As soon as they boarded, the first man turned pale.

They didn’t look like companions. The four burly men were dressed in silk clothing.

“You bastard! I told you to stay put.”

The four men rushed at the ragged man.

He couldn’t even resist as they kicked him repeatedly, venting their anger.

I think I understand what’s going on.

That ragged man… seems to be a runaway slave.