Never before in history was a human fleet sailing to an ancient and unknown country in the distant sea. The surging power brought by the magical machinery split the waves. The ancient race from the deep sea and the legendary Giant Dragon led the route together to protect the safety of the fleet. Almost everyone thought that such a scene would only appear in the stories of the bards.
Byron looked into the distance on the deck of the Winter. The cold wind carried the fishy smell of the sea. He did not know when, but he had completely gotten used to the smell and the sense of grandeur and shock when facing the boundless sea.
The sound of flapping wings suddenly came from the sky. Byron looked up instinctively and saw a black Giant Dragon approaching the deck of the Winter like a dark cloud falling from the sky. Before it completely landed, the huge figure had quickly turned into a human form in the chaotic light and shadow. It was a young man with short black hair, brown skin, black eyes, and a cheerful smile.
This was one of the 'escorts' sent by Tarlonde to protect the fleet and guide the route. His name was Makolul.
The black dragon in human form landed on the deck and walked briskly to Byron. At the same time, he said in a relaxed tone, "We are crossing the Everstormy sea. Our luck is good. The weather is very good all the way … The sea conditions are good too."
"This is the Everstormy sea? The big storm that scared the hell out of people? " Byron suddenly revealed a look of astonishment. He raised his head and looked at the sea that was slowly rising and falling in the breeze. Apart from the shadows of some islands and reefs that could be seen extremely far away, there was nothing else in this sea area. "I don't see anything …"
"Because the ancient power that once occupied this sea has completely dissipated, and the things that once stood here no longer exist." The black dragon young man shook his head gently. His relaxed and cheerful look was now a little solemn. "We are now at the ancient launch site. There was a fateful battle that changed everything here … But now, everything is in the past."
As he spoke, he lowered his head. His gaze seemed to penetrate through the layers of decks and cabins to see the scene in the deep sea. "But at the bottom of the sea, there are still some things left. They are ancient relics that have not been destroyed by the war. They represent the glory of Tarlonde in the past … Perhaps one day, we will be able to recreate those ancient technologies."
"For humans with short lifespans, that's a very long history." Byron shrugged. "If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I'm afraid I would never have thought that there are so many forgotten secrets in this world."
"I heard that you were once an adventurer." The black dragon youth laughed and looked at Byron curiously. "I also heard that you once explored ancient ruins when you were young, searching for lost history in the forgotten jungle. Is this true?"
Byron was slightly taken aback. His expression was a little strange as the corners of his mouth twitched. "Well … I was an adventurer. In our human society, adventurers and adventurers are different. Do you understand?"
"Is that so?" The black dragon youth was a little surprised. "I thought these two words had the same meaning … Sorry, I've never left Tarlonde before, so I don't know much about the vocabulary of the human world. What's the difference between these two professions? "
Byron thought about it seriously and began to explain the valuable experience he had summed up in his life to the escort in front of him. "Simply put, adventurers want money but not life. Adventurers want neither money nor life …"
The escort Mokelu suddenly showed a thoughtful look, and at the same time asked casually, "What about those who want money and life?"
"Those who want money and life are smart people." Byron immediately tidied up his bandit robe and messy hair and said solemnly, "Such people later became Admiral of the Navy."
…
The bow of the Ice Mary split the cold waves of the northern sea. The low roar of the machinery in the engine room was filtered by several layers of compartments and silencing runes, turning into a faint buzzing sound that came from the depths of the deck. An old man in a short black robe and a black bonnet leaned against the guardrail on the side of the ship, looking into the distance with excitement and anticipation. A thick parchment book floated beside him, and a feather pen that no one was holding was scribbling quickly, leaving lines of words and symbols on the blank pages of the parchment book.
Footsteps came from behind, and a young woman dressed as an adventurer passed by. After seeing the old man leaning against the guardrail, the lady in a hunting outfit and a weapon at her waist stopped curiously. "Old Man Modir … What are you doing?"
"Can't you see? Observing and recording, "Modir said without looking back." Paying attention to all the interesting details I see on my journey and recording them accurately and timely is the basic quality of an adventurer. "
"Is that so … Unfortunately, I'm just an adventurer, and I can't quite understand what an adventurer like you is pursuing." The young woman waved her hand. "Anyway, as long as you don't suddenly jump into the sea to chase sharks or fly into the sky to race with the Giant Dragon … Although everyone on the ship has now determined that you are a powerful spellcaster, please think more about the crew and the mentally fragile ordinary people. They are not the well-trained imperial soldiers on the Cold Winter."
"Ah … Oh, oh yes, you're right, Miss Lola." Modir finally turned his head back from the scenery outside the ship and patted his head. "Don't worry, I'm now invisible in advance when I do such things."
The young female adventurer named Lola's mouth twitched. After a period of sea travel, the adventurers on the Ice Mary had become familiar with each other. Although they had not reached the level of camaraderie where they had gone through life-and-death battles together, according to the "industry practice," they were now teammates in a large adventure team. She had also gradually become familiar with the powerful mage named Modir in front of her from the initial awe and vigilance. To be fair, this old mage, who seemed to have some memory problems, was actually a very easy person to get along with. He was very powerful, but he did not have the arrogance and coldness of the old mage. But sometimes … the old man's style of doing things really made the people around him nervous.
As a great adventurer (at least that was what he called himself), Modir had done a lot of things as he pleased along the way. For example, when he sensed something in the deep sea, he would suddenly jump off the ship, and when he saw the Giant Dragon flying in the sky, he would suddenly fly up to the dragon's side. These actions had happened more than once. To be honest, if Lola had not confirmed it herself, she would have suspected that the old man's main purpose of joining the adventure team was to die halfway …
As some disrespectful thoughts flashed through his mind, Rolla quickly collected his wandering thoughts. After that, he curiously looked at the large parchment book that was floating beside the old mage. As a veteran hunter with good living conditions, she had read some books before the Empire promoted general education. She also thought that she was one of the "learned" among the rough adventurers. However, when her eyes swept across the densely packed words and symbols on the page, a feeling of doubt rose from the bottom of her heart. Were the books she had read for the past twenty years all fake?
"These things you've recorded …" The young huntress rubbed her eyes. "Why can't I understand a single word?"
"Aha, it's not easy to understand … I'm sorting out the changes in the magical environment at sea and the disturbance law between the chaotic turbulence and the upper atmosphere during the entire voyage." Modir suddenly laughed, the corner of his eyes glowing. "I'm not just casually recording. Do you know that there's a team of scholars on the ship? They are responsible for recording the weather and magical data of the distant sea, accumulating data for the Empire's ocean exploration project. I talked to one of them a few days ago, they need my records very much. So, I'm essentially serving the Empire at this time … "
Lola looked at the old mage with some surprise. "I didn't know that you're very … What's that fashionable saying again? Oh, you have a sense of responsibility as an Imperial citizen. "
"Is that so? Probably. "The old mage scratched his white hair and said with some uncertainty." I feel that I should do something for this country … some kind of … sense of obligation? I feel like I'm obligated to do something … "
The old man's eyes suddenly became a little confused. It was as if his fragile memory system had suddenly fallen into an endless loop. Something that he had completely forgotten but still left a subtle mark in his instincts had troubled him. It was not the first time that Zola had seen the old mage fall into such a strange state. She immediately opened her mouth and deliberately raised her voice. "Old man, you've been recording so many things every day and you've persisted in recording for so many years. Even if you don't organize and revise these things, I'm afraid that they're already an amazing work, right?"
Interrupted by the huntress, Modir seemed to have woken up instantly. He immediately smiled and shook his head. "It's probably a bit of an exaggeration to say that it's a work. I'm not a person who's good at writing books and biographies … But I've indeed recorded a lot of things in my life. Do you see this thick book? I've already filled it … "
His voice suddenly stopped halfway. The trance caused by memory loss seemed to appear again. The old mage frowned a little, as if he was talking to himself. "I've recorded a lot of things, I remember … There's a record book that I've lost. It seems that I've lost it many, many years ago … There were many great adventures recorded in it. I seem to have lost them …"
Looking at Modir in a trance again, Lola could not help but say loudly again, "Old man, you …"
"Ah, you don't have to be so loud, miss." Modir suddenly turned his head with a faint smile on his face. His eyes had regained their clarity, and he gently waved his hand. "Thank you for your concern. I'm actually fine. I've been like this for so many years … Maybe it's because I've lived for too long that my memory has some problems. Even my soul … seems to have some problems. But overall, everything's fine. At least I haven't fallen to the point where I need to be cared for by a junior like you. "
The old mage gently breathed a sigh of relief, as if he was calming the restless and empty memory. Lola looked into the old man's eyes, and after a long time, she said hesitantly, "I heard … you went to Tarlonde to find something?"
"Ah, yes, I once mentioned this to Mr. Azkar on the ship." Modir smiled gently. "I'm going to Tarlonde to find something … something very important to me."
"How could you have lost something in the country of the Giant Dragon?" Lola said in disbelief. "That's a country on the other side of the ocean that was blocked by the Eternal Storm in the past. Other than the Giant Dragon, no mortal creature can come and go freely …"
"I don't know. I don't remember anything." Modir shook his head and said slowly, "I don't know what I'm looking for, and I don't know where that 'thing' is. I just have a feeling that I've lost something very important in Tarlonde … I have to go and find it."
His voice was slow and firm, as if it carried a kind of persistence that came from the soul. The light of the giant sun shone down from the sky, and at this moment, the bright sunlight seemed to penetrate the old mage's body, making his whole body hazy and transparent. One could even vaguely see the vast sea behind him.
Lola's heart suddenly skipped a beat. She blinked hurriedly, but found that the scene just now had disappeared like an illusion. The old mage stood there, and his figure was real. He did not become hazy or illusory, and there was no sunlight penetrating his translucent body.
…
The continent of Tarlonde, on the broken coastline of the southeast coast, the newly built Binhai County was bathed in the light of the polar day.
The red dragon Carador stood on a small floating island outside the city, narrowing his eyes and watching the movements on the sea and the coast.
A circle of newly built walls protected the residential area in the safe zone of the coastline. The walls were built with a mixture of boulders and molten metal. Although they were far less exquisite and luxurious than the former palace walls and pavilions, they revealed a kind of rough beauty under the sun. And compared to the previous "shelter from the wind" that was completely hastily built out of ruins and garbage, these walls had at least gone through more serious planning and design and more orderly construction. Recently, there was more abundant labor and newly mined construction materials from the nearby islands, so the walls could at least be neat and sturdy. At least they were real city walls, not wind blocking slopes piled up with garbage.
At this time, the team responsible for hunting had already gone out to sea. The warriors responsible for cleaning up the wilderness around the town had yet to return. The dragons responsible for building houses and leveling the land were busy in the large open space at the edge of Binhai County. None of the members had time to waste, and none of their energy was wasted on unimportant things.
Carador withdrew his gaze from the town and suddenly had a more vivid understanding of the word "alive."
This was an experience that the Giant Dragon had never experienced. It was an unimaginable scene during the "cradle period." It was difficult, difficult, full of challenges and embarrassment, but …
Labor could change the environment, and hard work could ensure one's survival. The establishment and maintenance of Binhai County required the efforts of every member of the race. All individuals had value, and all hard work was meaningful.
This was indeed the feeling of "being alive." It was not so beautiful, nor so easy. It was not as romantic as imagined, and even a little painful, but … it was good to be alive.
(I recommend a book, I Just Want to Be Self-Reliant. It's an urban reality theme. After the protagonist is reborn, he is unwilling to be a second-generation demolition worker and chooses to be self-reliant. I usually don't recommend books on this theme, but recently I haven't recommended a book for a long time, so it's a sacrifice to the heavens.)
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