Metal tower!
Gwen's pupils constricted when he saw the word. He suddenly looked up at the map hanging not far away. His eyes swept across the southwest, southeast, and north of the Lolun Continent. On the ocean in the southwest and the "new continent" in the southeast, there were rough diagrams of two towers. But near Tarlonde in the north, there was still a blank space.
There was a metal tower there! There was a third "tower" in this world!
Numerous questions suddenly popped up in Gawain's mind. 'What are these mysterious towers for?' Were they all the relics of the God-slaying Fleet? Were they still in operation today? In those pagodas … what was inside?
Suppressing the questions that kept popping up in his mind, he quickly turned his attention back to Modir's account. On the pages that had been weathered for six hundred years, the great adventurer with countless legendary experiences was writing down an incredible journey.
"… I was so shocked by what I saw that I was speechless for a long time. All the gods and all my ancestors in this world! That is definitely not something that humans can create, nor is it something that any known race in this world can create. Is that really a tower? Or is it a pillar used to penetrate the small planet under our feet?
"It is gigantic and stands on the sea. Its location should be on the west side of that mysterious continent (I'm not sure. My sense of direction has been very messed up recently). Its exterior is suffused with a metallic, light silver light. Under the illumination of the evening sun, the entire tower is filled with a kind of 'divine' magnificence. It seems to be made up of countless cylinders and geometric structures. Many connecting pipes and pillars can be seen on the complex shell. It seems to have stood here for millions of years, so the upper part of it is scarred and mottled. The bottom of it sits on a pedestal made of metal. The pedestal is so huge that it can even be regarded as a giant island. I can clearly see the grayish-white seawater sediments on its surface, and the huge scale of ice between the huge metal structure … "
As he read carefully, Gwen slowly turned to the next page. A sketch that was obviously drawn in a hurry came into view!
Modir Werde had left behind a hand-drawn sketch!
On the old paper that had turned yellow or even black, Gwen saw a tower with an absolutely strange style in the eyes of humans in this era. It stood on the sea as Modir said, and had a metal pedestal. There were many complex and exquisite external structures on its surface with unknown purposes.
Gawain's attention was instantly drawn to this hand-drawn drawing. He looked at it carefully several times until it was completely imprinted in his mind.
Frankly speaking, he could not glean any additional information from the sketch. Without the necessary technology and accumulation of knowledge, this precious sketch was just a drawing. But at least in terms of style, it was similar to some of the models that Gwen saw on the holographic miniatures of the Firmament Station. This could prove that it was indeed the legacy of the former "Godslaying Fleet." As for more details … Modiel Werde was, after all, just a human mage who had never been in contact with the facilities in space. The sketch he left behind might be generally accurate, but the details were not necessarily reliable. He only described the external structure of the tower with his powerful memory, and it was inevitable that there would be mistakes in it, so it was not very useful for reference.
Then Gwen continued reading:
"… I tried my best to remember what I saw in the air and described it. I don't know what value this sketch will have in the future. I just feel that I may not have a second chance to get close to the Giant Dragon Kingdom in my lifetime, and it will be difficult for other humans to have the same experience as me. So I want to record as much as possible, hoping that these things will be helpful to future generations.
"That dragon lady who called herself Melita placed me on the base of this giant tower, or rather, on this steel island. She pointed out a path for me, saying that it would lead me to certain open areas around the tower. Some of the abandoned buildings could provide shelter from the wind and the sun. However, she clearly did not intend to personally bring me to those shelters. Furthermore, from her attitude, I could clearly feel that she was nervous. It was as if she was doing something taboo, or there was something in the tower that she was afraid of.
"This made me very curious. I was very curious about what could make such a powerful Giant Dragon so afraid. So I asked, and the Giant Dragon's answer was thought-provoking.
"'Even the dragons want to come here, but God won't allow it. I've already taken a great risk by sending you here. If I take another step forward, the trouble I'll encounter won't be as simple as financial problems.' Those were her exact words.
"She mentioned a 'God,' so the Dragons obviously believe in some kind of God. And this God forbade Dragons from entering the Giant Dragon Kingdom in front of me … This is very interesting, because this tower is located near the Giant Dragon Kingdom. When I stand here and look into the distance, I can even faintly see the continent … A forbidden place at the door of the Giant Dragon Kingdom? I am getting more and more curious about dragons …
"Of course, the Giant Dragon refused to answer any more questions, and I could not force an answer out of her.
"Now, I am alone again. The Giant Dragon wants to return to the Dragon Kingdom. She said that she will find a way to apply for permission to go to the human world and then send me back. She said that she will take responsibility for destroying my 'ship.' To be honest, my impression of this lady has completely changed. Although she is a little reckless, ruined my plans, put me in danger, and was a little too concerned about her 'financial problems,' it does not affect the fact that she is a responsible and honest good person … a good dragon. It is obviously inappropriate to continue calling her an evil dragon.
"And most importantly, with the current situation, whether I can return to the human world smoothly … I am afraid that I can only rely on Miss Melita.
"Also, before the Giant Dragon left, she promised to send me some water and food as soon as possible … I am very much looking forward to it, especially the former. As a curious person, I am very curious about what Dragons usually eat. I don't expect them to be very sumptuous — as long as it is no longer fish. Of course, if possible, I hope there is some wine … "
Gwen flipped through the records on the page and could not help but laugh and mutter, "The sense of humor and optimism of this' great explorer 'is really quite impressive …"
In a short paragraph after that, Modir wrote about his small-scale exploration experience on the "Steel Island." He successfully found a shelter: On the base of the metal tower, there seemed to be many abandoned facilities. Their doors were open, and they were sturdy and intact. They were the best shelter from the wind and rain. Modir also specifically mentioned that these facilities seemed to have never been disturbed. They were filled with dazzling ancient devices, but each of them was beyond his understanding. He tried his best to sketch the shape and characteristics of some of the facilities, and these sketches … were extremely precious to Gwen.
In the notes after that, Modir mentioned what happened after Melita returned from the Giant Dragon Kingdom:
"… A little later that day, the Giant Dragon returned to the Steel Island as promised. She landed on the edge of the island and still stubbornly refused to take a step forward. It seems that the so-called 'prohibition of the gods' had a very deep impact on her. She brought packed food and water. Judging from the size and weight, it was enough for me to consume for many days. However, I did not open the packages and eat in front of her. It was obviously inappropriate.
"The Giant Dragon told me that she still needed to work harder to get permission to go to the human world. Because of some … shift mechanism, her application did not seem to be very successful. I could only express my understanding and urge her to get it done as soon as possible. I have been away from the human world for too long. If this continues, I am afraid that the death of Duke Modir Werde will be announced to the whole country …
"After a brief conversation, the Giant Dragon prepared to leave again. This time, she said that she might be gone for many days, but she also promised that she would return before my supplies ran out. Before she left, she said that I could walk around the tower as I pleased. There was nothing dangerous here, but there was one thing that she reminded me very seriously.
"You must not take anything from the tower, especially the 'knowledge' here.
"Her serious attitude was unprecedented. It even scared me a little. I could not help but ask her the reason, especially the meaning of the second half of her sentence. 'How can you' carry 'something like' knowledge '?
"She did not explain in detail. She only said one sentence very seriously. 'The tower contains the legacy of the voyager. Although it has been sealed, the risk of it being leaked should still be avoided.'
"To be honest, her answer made me even more puzzled. I could clearly hear that the tower was not only a forbidden place for the Dragons, but also a place that they strictly guarded and isolated from the outside world. There was something in the tower … that thing was definitely not allowed to be leaked to outsiders. But if that was the case … why did the Giant Dragon bring me here and even specifically mention that I was allowed to walk around and explore as I pleased?
"This obvious contradiction made it difficult for me to suppress my curiosity. I could not help but voice out my doubts. I asked her why she brought me, an outsider, here if there was a secret in the tower that could not be leaked to outsiders. After bringing me here, she specifically told me many contradictory things.
"After I asked these questions, an incomprehensible scene happened. Miss Draconic, who was normal a second ago, suddenly widened her eyes. Then, she seemed to be in great pain. Then, she began to roar. At the same time, she kept mumbling some words that were hard to hear and hard to understand. I only heard a few scattered words. She mentioned something like 'tide reversal,' 'thought deflection,' 'leakage.'" That's all. Although I did not know what happened, I knew that all this was caused by my inappropriate question. I tried to remedy it, tried to appease the dragon before me, but it was to no avail.
"After a few minutes of confusion, she suddenly recovered … or at least, it seemed like she had recovered. Her eyes regained clarity, and she looked around. What was unsettling was that she ignored where I was the entire time. In the end, she suddenly soared into the sky and flew towards the blurry outline of the continent in the distance … She did not even look at me.
"It was as if she had completely forgotten what happened here, and had completely forgotten that she had brought me here! Even when I shouted behind her and threw Arcane Missiles into the sky, she did not even look back!
"… Did she really recover?
"A great sense of uneasiness welled up in my heart. I woke up from my anticipation of going home and realized that I was still in a dangerous and strange environment. This place … is strange. This tower, these dragons that live in the extreme north, this ocean, this side of the Eternal Storm … Something is strange!"
Gwen slowly came to a stop. His brows furrowed little by little. Just like Modiel Werde six hundred years ago, countless questions popped up in his mind. There was even a faint sense of uneasiness. From the written record, he was absolutely certain that Melita's state at that time was indeed abnormal. He could not help but associate that state with her reaction when he asked her about the secrets of the gods. But after careful comparison, he felt that it was not completely the same — the "symptoms" recorded by Modiel were obviously more serious and dangerous!
Modiel's record also mentioned that Melita mumbled words like "tide reversal" at that time. This kind of mumbling in a state of mental disorder … was extremely abnormal!
Gwen frowned. His fingers subconsciously tapped on the table. He was as confused as Modiel.
That giant tower near Tarlonde … What was inside?
It was obviously full of strangeness. This strangeness … What was the connection with the "tide reversal" and the "tide reversal battle" of the ancient times?
With this difficult to ignore question, he continued reading. And in the latter part of the record, Modiel's bizarre experience continued:
"… I was very worried about the situation of the Giant Dragon, but I was powerless. My flying spell could not catch up with a Giant Dragon flapping its wings. She did not stop at all and had already left at full speed. I could only watch from afar in the direction where she disappeared, hoping that nothing would happen to her.
"I brought the supplies left behind by the other party back to the shelter I found on the 'island.' In this temporary residence, I could at least get away from the disturbing sound of the tide and the cold wind, and get some quiet time to think.
"I opened up the food and water, and their appearance … was somewhat unexpected. I had never seen anything like this before. At first, I was not even sure if they were food or not. From the size, they seemed to be prepared for humans. The suspected food was sealed in small metal boxes. The boxes were sealed very well with no gaps. The surface was printed with colorful patterns, and the water was contained in bottles. The bottles looked like soft 'crystals,' but they were abnormally tough.
"This exquisite and strange packing method … It was an eye-opener. It seemed that I had to find a way to open these boxes and bottles to get the food and water inside. Fortunately, it was not difficult. If I did not consider maintaining the integrity of the boxes, a sharp ice blade would do the job.
"I opened up one of the food. It was seasoned fish …
"Alright, this is not the time to complain. Fish it is, at least … they were seasoned.
"That's all for today's notes. I think … I need to think about my future while I eat."
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