The sky was yet to brighten, the light over the sea was hazy, and the massive ships were bathed in the damp and cold mist hovering above the waters, with the distant sound of the sailors striking the clappers echoing through.
In the captain's cabin of the "Dragon Roar," Nedru quietly smoked the tobacco sold by the Golden Empire, the thick white smoke swirling around.
On the cabin wall behind him hung a painting of a giant dragon roaring amidst clouds over the sea, vividly colored and lifelike, a masterpiece carefully crafted by a master painter.
Industries connected to the Golden Empire, or the civilized realms with ties, are more or less being influenced by its culture. The worship and cultural research surrounding giant dragons has even begun to flourish among the pirates at sea.
However, Nedru is not blindly worshipping those dragons; it's merely an expression of goodwill towards the Empire, bought from a great painter due to his long-standing dealings with the Golden Empire.
