Chapter 474: THE DEBT TO PAY IN THE SOUTH

Across the sunlit plains of Nkara, hundreds of stonecutters, masons, and carpenters worked diligently to construct the Great Library of Memory.

Ancient scrolls of N'folu, historical manuscripts of Sekana, and botanical treatises from Takata were being transcribed onto durable parchment.

The foundation walls of New N'folu rose steadily from the desert floor, encircling fresh turquoise reservoirs fed by subterranean aqueducts.

The joint labor of southern spearmen, central architects, and western craftsmen turned the once-silent crater into a thriving symbol of continental rebirth.

Scholars from all five lands gathered in the shade of the rising colonnades, debating philosophy and astronomy without tribal rivalries.

The peaceful reconstruction of the ancestral oasis moved forward in flawless harmony, laying the foundation for a united realm.

Yet as the sun sank beneath western dunes, a quiet stillness settled over the southern capital of Azareen.

The bustling spice markets closed their shutters, and the evening breeze carried the gentle scent of ocean salt from the distant coast.

At midnight, a sharp tapping sound echoed against the high glass window of the Supreme Chief's private study.

Sagiri looked up from his administrative scrolls to see a sleek hunting falcon perched on the stone ledge, a carved bone token tied to its leg strap.

Sagiri untied the token, his dual-colored eyes narrowing as he examined the weathered fishbone emblem.

It bore the unmistakable mark of the Noraya sea hunters—a symbol belonging to Toli, the young boatman who had ferried Sagiri south after Tatani.

Years ago, Toli's father, Mawi, had been the greatest deep-sea hunter of the southern coast, famed for slaying the deadly Woka sea beast.

Mawi had carved ancestral protective runes into the creature's colossal tooth, promising that it would be passed to his son.

That peaceful life had ended in blood when brutal sea pirates raided their village, slaughtering Mawi and stealing the prized tooth from his neck.

Toli had survived the massacre as a hidden boy, carrying the burning memory of his father's stolen honor for years.

When Toli risked his life to ferry Sagiri through southern blockades, he extracted a solemn promise that the Supreme Chief would help settle the blood debt.

Sagiri felt the heavy fatigue in his bones, a constant reminder of the shortened lifespan ticking away inside his mortal frame.

Yet to a Keeper of N'folu, an oath sworn to a common citizen was as sacred as an imperial treaty.

Moreover, clearing the pirate fleet from maritime borders was essential to secure coastal trade routes for newly settled refugees.

Sagiri slipped into his dark traveling tunic, strapping the radiant master blade of Nokai across his back without lighting a single lamp.

The Five Relics within his blood hummed with quiet readiness, responding to his unwavering focus.

He did not wake Healer Lira, Master Koru, or his palace guards, wishing to spare them unnecessary worry over a private reckoning.

He walked quietly into the courtyard, where the colossal ancient desert beast Zaira stirred from the oasis shallows with instant loyalty.

Sagiri climbed onto the broad leather saddle behind her armored crest, gently patting her neck scales.

"We ride south to the sea, Zaira. Move like the night wind."

With a silent, powerful surge of her massive body, the ancient desert beast glided out of the palace gates into the moonlit sands.

The cool night air rushed past his face, whipping his dark cloak as Zaira moved with effortless speed across shimmering salt flats.

The journey across the vast wasteland took hours of rapid travel beneath a glittering canopy of stars.

The dry desert air gradually gave way to a salt-laden ocean breeze as the roar of tidal breakers echoed against coastal cliffs.

By the fourth hour of the night, Zaira descended rocky shale paths toward the deserted wooden docks of the old Noraya fishing cove.

A solitary lantern flickered at the end of a weathered pier, casting a pale yellow glow over a small wooden skiff rocking gently in the tide.

Standing beside the mooring post was Toli, now a hardened young sea hunter dressed in sealskin leathers and gripping a heavy iron harpoon.

The young boatman watched with wide, awe-struck eyes as the colossal shadow of the ancient desert beast Zaira emerged from coastal mist.

Zaira lowered her massive head onto the wooden planks of the pier, letting out a soft rumble as Sagiri stepped down.

Toli took a slow breath, his weathered face breaking into a dry smirk as he leaned against his harpoon.

"So... the mighty Supreme Chief of the South actually pays his debts to a humble boatman," Toli said, his voice rough from sea salt. The man had not changed one bit since the last time Sagiri saw him.

"A promise made in the dark must be honored in the light," Sagiri replied calmly, his dark cloak rustling in the ocean wind.

"The pirate lord Blood-Eye still wears my father's Woka tooth around his neck," Toli said, his grip tightening around the harpoon.

"His corsairs control the southern reefs, fortified inside an old sea bastion with three iron-plated war sloops."

"It is personal to you," Sagiri spoke with quiet authority. "But clearing bandits and protecting the innocent is my duty as Supreme Chief."

Toli looked at the young Keeper, seeing the unshakeable resolve resting within the tired warrior's gaze.

The young boatman bowed his head with profound respect, gesturing toward the dark waters of the bay.

"Very well," Toli said quietly, untying his skiff. "The pirate fortress sits three leagues past the reef. Let us settle the debt of Noraya together."

The ancient desert beast Zaira slipped smoothly into the ocean waters, her massive armored form gliding through swells like an ancient leviathan.

Toli watched in awe as the great desert beast cut through the tides with effortless grace, leaving trails of phosphorescent foam in her wake.

With Sagiri standing tall upon her crest and Toli guiding his skiff through moonlit waves, the hunt for sea raiders began beneath the starlit sky.

The peace of the southern coast would be secured before the rising of the dawn sun.