NOVPUBKarl motioned for the others to fall back and let Remi and her bodyguard lead the way through the village.
A Naga Queen was much more important to these people than the rest of the group was, and separating themselves from Naga Royalty made them more approachable to the rest of the villagers.
Karl noted that the Naga shivered as they crossed from the muddy streets to the stone floors of the buildings, so that they didn't track mud onto the developed areas. So, as the rest of the group took the final step, he briefly pulsed [Eternal Lightning] over them, knocking the mud off their boots and pants.
The only one he didn't have to compensate for was Dana, who had been using [Swims Through Air] to walk on top of the water instead of standing in the mud.
Even if Remi said that it was better to let the swamp water touch you as a show of courtesy, she wasn't a big fan of walking around for an unknown amount of time with wet feet.
The Chief led Remi into a large building that looked like a Temple, with an enormous carving of a six - armed Naga woman at one end, while a group of servants led Karl and the others to the building next to it.
They weren't really separated, in Karl's mind. They were on separate sections of the stone floor, but the buildings had stone pillars holding up the slate roof, and no walls, so he could see what was going on just fine.
They were even a few steps higher than the spot where Remi and the Elders had gone. It had a thin layer of crystal clear water over the floor, while their spot was dry, with low tables designed either for Naga, or for sitting on the floor to eat.
Possibly both.
{Are any of you familiar with traditional Naga cuisine?} One of the servants asked quietly.
Everyone shook their heads.
"We from Demon lands." Karl offered as an explanation.
The Naga servant smiled and bobbed her head.
{If you like Demon cooking, you should like Naga cuisine. It also tends to be mildly spicy.}
A few seconds later, more servants came with platters of what appeared to be sushi rolls.
Most of them were slices of raw meat on rice, but there were cooked shrimp, vegetable rolls, and a bowl of stew placed in front of everyone.
{That dish is a spice paste. You can add it to your preference. The vegetable rolls cleanse the mouth between flavours. It is recommended to eat all of the one type at a time, then switch, unless you want to try a new flavour combination.} The servant explained quietly.
Karl glanced down at the lower platform, and saw that they all ate with their fingers, so at least he wouldn't have to learn a new type of utensil.
Lotus had other ideas, and brought out chopsticks for everyone, which seemed to confuse the Naga.
"To keep your fingers clean, so you don't move the flavour between bites." Lotus happily informed them.
That made the servants smile.
They rarely got visitors, but visitors who were enthusiastic about trying their food were even more rare. The Dwarves didn't understand the appeal of raw meat and fish, while the Orcs didn't understand the appeal of food served in small bites.
Every roll had two to three different textures, Karl noticed. They were excellent, with vibrant flavours so that the Naga could actually taste them, but he could tell that they were really designed to be swallowed whole, not chewed.
The amount of food was nearly overwhelming, and Karl could see the staff's amusement as the ladies began looking for polite ways to not try the new platter.
{You can just stop. It's fine, as the staff will eat all the leftovers from a formal dinner.} The servant Naga girl whispered.
The servers nodded happily, and Karl saw that they had a whole cart full of platters waiting. That was far more than his group could be expected to eat, so they had definitely prepared enough for themselves after the guests had eaten their fill.
Remi and the Chief's advisors chatted about issues in the swamps and surrounding grasslands. According to them, the largest issue was just the Anomaly to the north that was spawning Crocolisks, but according to Hawk, that one was a small one, with far fewer monsters than the anomaly to the Northwest in the grassland.
But the anomaly to the Northwest was spawning a form of Lion Monster, and those were unlikely to enter the swamps.
Remi and the Elders of the village finished their meal, and Remi passed them a few potions as a first meeting gift, and then motioned for everyone to join her on the walkway in front of the buildings.
{It has been a great pleasure to meet you all today. But as the morning light is burning, we should get going on to help the other villages with their Crocolisk issues.} She was saying as Karl joined them.
{Thank you for dining with us, Your Majesty. We look forward to the day when we see you again, and thank you for assisting with the Crocolisk infestation.}
Thor transformed back as they left the village, and Remi led the group north towards the location where Hawk had found a large group of Overlord Rank Crocolisks.
They were a ten-metre-long six-legged reptile, similar to the common crocodile on a massive scale. Hawk was curious about them, and their powerful water magic mixed with earth magic.
When he hurled fireballs at them, they turned the swamp around themselves into thick mud and simply sank out of sight.
It was infuriating.
Tian thought it was a valid tactic, though. Hiding under the ground when there was a flying, flaming attacker was a good idea. The fact that it was muddy ground was irrelevant to the little Stonefur Divine Fox.
After all, he could just use his [Stone Fur] ability and shake it all off him when he emerged.
