I Got a Gallery in the Wild - Chapter 748

Somehow, I ended up entering the farm owner’s house.

The farm owner said he still had things to ask, and that he wasn’t hostile toward me.

It seemed to be because I spoke English fluently, and since I also needed information, I readily accepted.

Jjorureuk—

[Drink up.]

"Ah. Thanks."

It was when I sat down on a chair inside the house, which was shabbier than expected.

The farmer Mimic I saw earlier, Matthew, placed a teacup down and poured tea into it.

Just like the poor-looking house, the teacup and most of the other miscellaneous tools were worn and old.

’Didn’t they say a dragon’s lair is filled with all kinds of gold and silver treasures?’

Whether it was a dragon from the Mythological Era or one from outside the Forest of the Four Seasons, this was one of their unchanging traits.

The species itself loved gold and silver, so they tended to collect all kinds of treasures.

Because of that, if you could properly raid a dragon’s lair, making a fortune overnight was no mere dream.

Of course, that came with the prerequisite that the dragon had to be away, or you had to defeat it yourself.

"It’s been a long time since an intelligent being visited my lair. Especially one who speaks the language of the invaders."

It was when I took a sip of the tea, which tasted as if it had been brewed from corn.

The farm owner, boasting a massive build, sat across from me and spoke in his characteristic husky voice.

I thought dragons usually spoke via telepathy like Vanir, but this person was a bit different.

"You spoke through telepathy earlier, but now you’re speaking in English?"

"Whether I liked it or not, I had no choice but to learn."

The farm owner replied, placing a pump-action shotgun on one side of the table.

I only realized it now, but the size of that pump-action shotgun was practically like a rocket.

It only looked relatively small because a giant well over two meters tall was holding it; in reality, it was absolutely massive.

"So, what brings you here?"

"Aren’t the questions from earlier finished? I’d like to ask some questions too."

"Do you even know who I am to be talking like that?"

The farm owner said intimidatingly, putting down his straw hat.

However, he wasn’t actually threatening me; it was closer to a ’let’s hear what you have to say’ attitude.

"Roughly. You’re a... dragon, right? And one who fought against the gods, at that."

"That’s right. But I didn’t really fight. I was a pacifist."

"...."

There is no one more dangerous than someone who calls themselves a pacifist.

Just as the saying goes, ’if you want peace, prepare for war,’ one must possess powerful strength to find peace.

Just like how he blew away that giant eagle in a single shot earlier, it was certain that he possessed a dangerous power.

’In the first place, he’s a dragon from the Mythological Era, so it would be stranger if he weren’t dangerous.’

Meanwhile, the farm owner pulled a cigar out of thin air and put it in his mouth.

Then, he lightly snapped his fingers to light it. He really looked like a farm owner you’d see in some rural backwater of the United States.

"Judging by your reaction, it seems you’ve met my kind... Can you tell me who you met, and where?"

"Before that, please introduce yourself first."

"Bold, aren’t we? Fine. This is a twist of fate, so I’ll gladly tell you."

Exhaling the dry cigar smoke, the farm owner continued.

"My name is Gerdi. The Golden Dragon. Have you ever heard of me?"

"I’ve never heard of such a name, other than the Tyrant Dragon King Lazar."

"Kulluk! Kulluk!"

When I calmly mentioned the Tyrant Dragon King, the Golden Dragon, Gerdi, coughed dryly.

It was absolutely not because the cigar was harsh; he was just so shocked that the entire cigar slipped right into his mouth.

After a moment, he shoved his hand down his throat and pulled the cigar out himself.

If he were human, it would have been an impossible act, but since he was a dragon, such bizarre behavior seemed possible.

"Kollok... Did I hear wrong? The Tyrant Dragon King Lazar? How do you know that name?"

"Before that, you’re not going to hurt me, right?"

"Almost no one liked that thug-like bastard. When I heard he got beaten by the invaders’ Sovereign, I thought it served him right."

"I see."

"But how do you know him? No, wait. Come to think of it, you look a bit like the Sovereign..."

Gerdi narrowed his eyes and glared at me sharply.

Vanir was trapped in the Forest of the Four Seasons at the very end of the Mythological Era, right after the war ended.

Therefore, she had no chance to see the Chief God’s face, whereas Gerdi was different.

"What did the Sovereign look like?"

So, I did my best to change the subject.

Since he even had the ability to discern true intentions, I had to watch my words.

"Hmm... First of all, he didn’t look as goofy as you. He had a sense of gravity, and there was a reason why the invaders followed him."

ㄴHeavenly Demon) The divine dragon has no eye for people. To say he lacks gravity, what nonsense.

ㄴSword Matstar) I agree. Grylls-nim is really serious when he needs to be.

ㄴDon’t Abandon the Hero) That’s why they lost!

ㄴPassing Dwarf) Are you guys blind? Looking at what that bastard has done so far, what do you mean gravity?;;

ㄴSmart Demon) That’s just how it is when you’re wearing rose-colored glasses.

I smiled bitterly at the comment about looking goofy. Maybe that was actually better.

Because the moment my identity was revealed, there was no telling how he would react.

’In the first place, I don’t even think of myself as the Chief God.’

Part of it was because my memories weren’t intact, but I also struggled with whether I should place memories and experiences on the same plane.

Although they seemed similar, they were strictly different things.This story is hosted at novelрing.com.

Since waking up in the Forest of the Four Seasons, my memories were being painted over by the experiences I saw and heard.

If I had remembered from the very beginning, it might be different, but with so many fragments mixed up here and there, finding my identity as the Chief God was practically close to impossible.

I just passed it off as, ’Ah, so that kind of thing happened~’

"Even if you were the Sovereign, I have no intention of being hostile toward you. The one I hate isn’t the Sovereign, but the God of Magic."

"What did Aragon do?"

"He betrayed us."

Betrayal.

With that single word, he made it clear what kind of sin Aragon had committed.

I would have to hear the details to know for sure, but if I pried too much, I might arouse suspicion.

"Do you even remember how we fought?"

Or was it? Was he already suspicious enough?

It sounded like a question asked under the assumption that I was indeed the Sovereign, the Chief God.

You could tell by the question asking if I ’remembered’ rather than if I ’knew.’

"Of course I don’t. How would I know?"

"Seeing how truly dimwitted you are, you might not be the Sovereign... I don’t know. But seeing how you were on guard when I pulled out the shotgun earlier, you seem to know the invaders’ culture well."

"Wouldn’t anyone find it threatening if you pointed something that big at them?"

Even someone who knew nothing about guns would find it incredibly threatening.

Whether they knew of the existence of guns didn’t matter. Just look at the Republic of Korea, where firearms are strictly prohibited.

If you pointed a gun there, they would just think it was a toy gun and brush it off, not believing it was a real gun.

On the other hand, places like the United States or South America are different. If you point anything resembling a gun, they immediately raise both hands high.

’There were even people who raised their hands the moment a thermometer was pointed at them.’

Here, too, public safety is broken in many places, so carrying weapons is mostly legal.

Therefore, even if they didn’t know what a gun was, if someone threatened them openly like Gerdi, they would have no choice but to raise their hands.

"Besides, I’ve lived in the Forest of the Four Seasons for a long time. I know what a gun is."

"Seup... I don’t know. Anyway, if you don’t remember, I’ll give you a rough idea."

"How kind of you. Do you have any conditions in return?"

"Nothing like that. As long as you’re not on that bastard God of Magic’s side, it’s fine."

Just what kind of atrocities did Aragon commit to make him so hostile?

Although they once fought over hegemony of the world, there must be something more to make him hate him that much.

"Huu... Let’s see... Where should I start explaining..."

"Kollok! Kollok!"

I waved my hand at the acrid cigar smoke.

Lucas was a drunkard, but this dragon is a heavy smoker, which makes things difficult.

Regardless, Gerdi thought for a long time, then glanced at me and asked.

"You’re really not the Sovereign, right?"

"I can’t say I am, so I’ll say I’m not."

"And you have absolutely no idea how we fought?"

"I know that a dragon called the Tyrant Dragon King was split in half. Though that was a memory shown to me by a Dragon Heart."

"That’s a bit of a shame. If you were truly the invaders’ Sovereign, I thought you might be able to free us."

Gerdi put another cigar in his mouth, looking complicated.

To reiterate, he was already smoking a cigar, but he pulled out yet another one and smoked it.

It was a spectacular scene in many ways, and I momentarily lost my words, but I quickly snapped out of it.

’First, let’s ventilate the room...’

If this kept up, I felt like I would suffocate. Just as I was about to open the door.

[Huu.]

"...."

I couldn’t help but experience culture shock at the sight of even the Mimics holding cigars in their mouths.

I didn’t know what on earth they had learned from their master, but were they even copying his smoking?

Anyway, opening the doors and windows to ventilate made it bearable.

Afterward, I returned to my seat and listened to Gerdi.

"Where should I start organizing... Ah, right. Have you met any other of my kind besides that bastard Lazar?"

"I met a dragon named Vanir, who was said to have been born right after the war ended."

"Vanir? Ah, Rhodos’s daughter?"

Naturally, I didn’t know who that was. Didn’t Vanir say she had gone independent?

Moreover, dragons have such long lifespans that individualism is rampant unless something major happens.

I then explained how I met Vanir, how I grew close to her daughter Tyranno, and so on.

As I explained this process, Gerdi let out a dry laugh and said.

"What a peculiar story. It’s a miracle you didn’t die."

"Now, please tell me your story."

"My story... There’s nothing to it other than that I stayed a step away from the war."

"So I can understand it as: not all dragons fought in the war against the gods, right?"

"Correct. Though even that was only a minority."

Even if it was a minority, considering the individual military power of dragons, it must have been a massive decision.

Although the Chief God was ridiculously strong, numbers have always been important in war since ancient times.

Furthermore, dragons rule over all monsters and are practically close to gods.

"Why didn’t you participate in the war? Was there a specific reason?"

"Quite a few of our kind were more interested in freedom than domination."

The moment I heard the word ’freedom,’ one thing came to mind. Amusement.

Dragons are inherently powerful beings and creatures with extremely long lifespans.

Therefore, it’s natural for them to get bored with life, and they tend to relieve this through a culture called ’Amusement.’

Just like what Vanir showed, transforming into a human form to enjoy various aspects of life.Read this novel at novеlping.com for the best experience.

"Human culture had so many fascinating things that even we couldn’t dare to imagine. The invaders’ culture was the same."

"Simply put, you didn’t participate in the war to enjoy cultural life more. Is that what you mean?"

"Exactly. But that fucking bastard God of Magic..."

Pudeuk!

As if getting angry just thinking about it, Gerdi snapped the cigars in his mouth.

I could understand him doing that since he was angry.

Kkulkkok—

But I couldn’t understand him swallowing the remaining cigar debris in his mouth.

Since his species was different, it could be possible, but it was shocking nonetheless.

"Huu... If nothing else, that bastard Sovereign shouldn’t have died. Once that one person disappeared, they became invaders in the truest sense."

"But the Goddess of War was still there."

"They were a group that relied far too heavily on just one human, so would that be enough? One big head disappeared, and they became two heads."

Harsh criticism followed. Indeed, it was also the cause of the civil war.

In effect, the Chief God had been holding it up all by himself.

"That bastard God of Magic threatened us. He said if we didn’t cooperate, we would never be able to leave the forest."

"I don’t think you would have cooperated easily."

"Of course not. But we lost. He had even analyzed our kind’s abilities."

"...."

Aragon is the God of Magic. And magic is a power closely related to science.

If he had thoroughly analyzed the dragons’ abilities, utilizing them in reverse wouldn’t have been difficult.

"That’s why we ended up in this state. I barely managed to escape."

"Can’t you go outside the Forest of the Four Seasons?"

"We can leave. But the moment we do, we’ll catch that bastard Aragon’s eye and be captured immediately. He carved an imprint on us."

Gerdi rolled up his sleeve and showed his muscular forearm.

There was some geometric pattern engraved there, looking almost like an electrical circuit.

That must be the ’imprint’ he spoke of. I nodded.

There was a reason why the dragons didn’t come out even though the Forest of the Four Seasons was partially opened.

With their abilities, they would have noticed that something was wrong with the Forest of the Four Seasons, so it was strange that they remained quiet.

’Wait. Then he would also know that I went outside?’

There were more than one or two strange things.

Of course, it could be because of the difference between a dragon and my existence.

But the fact that it was quiet despite being summoned by the Rose of Sharon was unsettling.

’Is something masking my existence?’

The World Tree located at my house might have helped.

I couldn’t be sure yet, but there was no harm in making a hypothesis.

Above all, if they couldn’t leave because of that imprint... wouldn’t Vanir be able to?

...While I was thinking about that, Gerdi asked a question, so I put my thoughts aside for a moment.

"Now. My story ends here. You don’t have anything else to ask, right?"

"Why do you farm?"

"I do it because it’s fun. Besides, using the artifacts left behind by the invaders here and there makes it even more fun."

So you were a great senior.

A case of someone who, like me, couldn’t leave the Forest of the Four Seasons and decided to settle down completely.

If so, there was a high probability that there were other dragons besides Gerdi. Didn’t Vanir say something similar just now?

’The problem is that they likely fell victim to Aragon...’

This was a matter to look into slowly.

What was important right now was the way to return to my house.

"Is there a World Tree nearby? I need to find a World Tree to return to my house."

"That damn tree? There is indeed one nearby."

"Where is it..."

"If you want to know, help me with my work. The Mimic I had before reached the end of its lifespan, so I’m short-handed."

"Yes. Well... what kind of work is it?"

I wondered what kind of work there could be on a farm.

Afterward, Gerdi stood up, and I followed behind him.

The Mimics following along in a line was quite cute, but the situation that unfolded next was not cute at all.

"Now. Your job is to clean and inspect all of these tractors and trucks."

"...Me, all by myself? What about the Mimics?"

"They don’t know how to clean. They only know how to drive."

"...."

"I’ll roast some corn for you, so could you please not look at me with those eyes?"

It was an event that made me indirectly feel Lackey’s pain.

Well, still, as I worked hard, the progress went smoothly.

Time passed, and I finished all the work, and the dark evening approached.

Departing at this hour would be a suicidal act, so I decided to stay the night.

"Ah. Right. If you meet another of my kind besides me, say this."

"Say what?"

"Aragon is a son of a bitch."

"...."

"I heard that’s a famous ideological verification method among you invaders?"

Do you perhaps use the Gallery too?

I couldn’t help but be deeply suspicious.

’Just how much cultural life did you enjoy?’