Colin could now see that the Frost Giant he’d spotted on deck was, in fact, sitting cross-legged on the first level of the hold. A few oversized Hand Axes, Javelins, and Shields were laid out beside him.
If not for the Giant sitting there, anyone would have mistaken the items for building materials; their size was simply preposterous.
Looking around, Colin could tell the ship was clearly a refitted cargo vessel.
The sides of the hold had been partitioned into individual cabins, with a common hall furnished with tables and chairs in the center.
The hold was just as noisy and bustling.
In a corner, a Mantis-man was playing chess with a giant crow.
The Mantis-man had four arms and a body covered in an insectoid, chitinous exoskeleton. Its complex mouthparts constantly made soft clicking sounds. The giant crow across from it was about as tall as a Halfling and, instead of wings, possessed a pair of sturdy arms.
Colin didn’t recognize the former, but he had seen the latter before.
It was a Tengu. They were said to be exceptionally skilled at mimicking the voices and handwriting of other creatures, and larger gangs often employed them.
Next to them, a few Centaurs were sitting on the floor, chatting and swishing their tails.
Farther away, a Catman was licking its paws, occasionally using its Dagger to help groom its claws. Its emerald pupils, dilated in the dim light, resembled black chestnuts.
Colin followed the first mate to the aisle by the long table.
Three Adventurers were staring over at them, sizing them up: a Half-Sheepman stroking his beard, a southerner with a Scimitar at his waist, and a hawkman.
The hawkman had a pair of pristine white wings folded behind his back. He crossed his feathered arms over his chest, his golden pupils blazing like the midday sun.
’Being stared at by three completely different pairs of eyes feels rather strange,’ Colin thought.
The group walked past the three Adventurers.
They hadn’t walked more than a few steps when the ship’s hull swayed slightly.
With a BANG, the wooden door ahead was thrown open, and an Ogre stumbled out, collapsing onto the floor.
The creature simply rolled over and went right back to snoring.
Following the first mate, they carefully skirted the Ogre and took a ladder down to the level below.
This level’s layout was similar to the one above.
But there were even more Adventurers gathered in twos and threes.
A Lionman with the head of a lion, a Hobgoblin maintaining his equipment in a corner, a Tiger Whale Person with black-and-white patterned skin...
’At this point, humans feel like the rare species here.’
Standing here, Colin even had the illusion that he wasn’t fully awake.
If someone told him they were all rare and exotic beasts being shipped to an exhibition in Thousand Masts City, he would believe it without a second thought.
"I don’t know why, but I feel much more at ease," Kase said suddenly from the side.
Meanwhile, Orelia stared at their surroundings, her eyes wide with curiosity.
"Everyone, there are only two cabins left, and they’re just back here." The first mate pointed to a wooden door leading to the rear of the hold. "You can leave your luggage with me. I’ll help you store it."
"That’s alright. Why don’t you take us to where the luggage goes first?"
"No, no, no, you should go see the rooms first."
Since the first mate was so insistent, Colin didn’t press the issue. But they did have quite a bit of luggage, so he told Kase and Orelia to help the man with their things while he went ahead to pick out their rooms.
After the others had carried the things away, Colin pushed open the wooden door leading to the rear of the hold.
Then he saw a... dragon.
Yes, a pale golden Giant Dragon was curled up in the rear of the hold.
This dragon was much smaller than the White Dragon he’d seen in Snow Deer Valley. If it stood up, it would probably only be about three meters tall.
Its wings were also different from the White Dragon’s—short, broad, and ribbed, not the typical leathery wings. The wing membrane and a dorsal fin extended together all the way to the tip of its tail.
’Could this be a Gold Dragon?’
’What a magnificent, beautiful creature!’
Colin marveled internally, observing the clearly defined muscles beneath its scales.
’No wonder the first mate didn’t want to come back here, and all the nearby cabins are empty. They’re probably scared of dealing with a dragon. They’re making a mountain out of a molehill. What’s the big deal about having a dragon for a neighbor?’
"Hello, human male."
The dragon’s snout opened, and a sonorous voice emerged, the tail end of each word tinged with a metallic hum.
"Hello, my teammates and I have been assigned the cabins here. We’ll likely be neighbors for a while," Colin said politely.
"That’s wonderful! I finally have neighbors," the dragon said. "Where are you from? Snow Deer Valley? Somewhere around the Supreme Forest? Or maybe Colvin or Moran in the south? I came from even further south than Moran. It’s all dry desert down there, nothing like this humidity. The damp air is making my scales itch. So, where are you from?"
’Has it been that long since this creature has had someone to talk to? Something’s wrong. Something is very, very wrong.’
Colin swallowed and said tentatively, "Thousand Masts City?"
"Thousand Masts City! The Pearl of the Northern Lands! The most civilized and open city in the world! That really is a fine place, human. My parents went there once, back when Thousand Masts City was caught up in constant fighting. They told me that if the first City Lord hadn’t openly decided to run the city as a democracy, the Northern Lands would probably have ended up with another powerful warlord. No, wait, maybe without Thousand Masts City to set an example..."
The verbal bombardment was starting to give Colin a headache.
If it were a human chattering in his ear, he could let the words go in one ear and out the other to save his energy. But this dragon’s voice was so piercing that he couldn’t tune it out even if he tried.
’Are Gold Dragons this talkative? I don’t think the books mentioned that.’
Colin took a closer look at the small dragon, which had stood up out of excitement.
Its forehead bore an angular bone plate rather than a crown of sharp horns, and long, sharp spines grew from its jaw instead of whiskers. A single dorsal fin ran from the back of its neck, between its wings, all the way to its tail—but Gold Dragons had two dorsal fins...
’Wait, this is a Brass Dragon!’
Colin felt a headache coming on.
Brass Dragons were the weakest of the Metal Dragons. They favored desert regions, were not aggressive, and were exceptionally fond of chatting with intelligent creatures. Moreover, they were stubbornly convinced that these "lesser" beings benefited from conversing with them.
Many stories about encounters with Brass Dragons started with a simple chat. This species was even known to force unwilling creatures into conversation.
This personality trait wasn’t dangerous, but it was quite annoying.
’So that’s why no one’s here,’ Colin realized. ’They were all afraid of getting trapped by this motormouth!’
He said, trying to find an out, "Well, I should probably go put my luggage away..."