Sword of Dawnbreaker

Chapter 917 - 916: Three-Way Encounter

The sea is unbelievably vast.

Vaster than the White River, vaster than the Gorgon River, vaster than any river or lake on land.

Byron stood on the high platform of the ”Curiosity” front deck, letting the cold sea breeze hit his face, the salty scent of the sea water blowing into his nostrils, that infinitely extending body of water in his vision undulating in front of the ship’s bow, the sound of waves crashing, the wind, the mechanical sound of the ship, the calls of unknown seabirds, all surrounded him from all directions.

He turned back for a glance, seeing the sailors busy at their posts on the ship, with technical personnel checking the connection between the Magic Energy Wingboard and the deck machinery. That Naga ”Philosopher” with deep, melancholic eyes was observing distant weather conditions through some kind of magical device, and in the waves alongside the ship, there were a few beautiful and ghostly figures swimming back and forth.

Unexpectedly, he recalled his experiences from his years as a mercenary—things completely unrelated to the scene before him, yet they stirred a sense of nostalgia in this knight midway through life. He remembered those adventurous days in jungles and secret realms, and those companions who followed him across many strange lands, only to be laid to rest in foreign soil...

The sea breeze blew, and he squinted slightly, smiling as he spoke to the sea demon Viola standing next to him, ”I originally thought I was a middle-aged man seeking stability, but it turns out I still have a bit of an adventurous spirit in me.”

”Humans have always been full of adventure spirit—you may not be as tenacious as us sea demons, but your courage is even greater, which has surprised us for many years,” the Deep Sea Witch with blue long hair said earnestly, ”But perhaps it is precisely because of this adventurous spirit that your development speed is so fast and always full of uncertainties.”

Byron smiled slightly, looking towards the distant sea, speaking casually, ”Today we are merely taking the first step... circumnavigating the land through the safe coastal waters is far from challenging the ocean; at most, it is just testing the performance parameters of the Curiosity. To truly challenge the open ocean... we would at least have to approach that demarcation line.”

”I discussed the open sea exploration plan with the ’Philosopher,’” the sea demon Viola, serving as a technical consultant, nodded, ”Starting from the experiences of the Church of Storms, we believe that humanity’s open sea navigation should tackle two approaches—one is to conduct long-distance observation of the already formed ’Chaotic Turbulence’ and avoid them in advance, and the other is to ensure the ship’s survival and navigation capabilities should it be suddenly covered by a Chaotic Turbulence that appears out of thin air, and timely return to safe waters before breaking apart...”

Byron nodded seriously, ”Very reasonable—earlier, His Majesty sent a batch of materials to Northport, which also mentioned the importance of remotely discovering Chaotic Turbulences, and how to find ways to survive if caught in one. The former is actually more manageable, now that we’ve gained assistance from the Naga; their Church of Storms provides spell moulds, and the research departments over in the imperial capital have begun attempting to reverse-engineering the relevant spells into ship-compatible equipment. However, the latter is not easy...”

At this point, Byron shook his head, ”The Sons of the Storm rely on their own sensitivity to the ocean as transcendents, plus the added ’faith power’ to ensure safety, especially the latter, which allows them to find those narrow safe paths even when Chaotic Turbulences descend. Current magic guide technology cannot achieve this, and we are also not planning to establish a faith in the ocean and storms—although we all know it now points towards your race’s spirit, we strive to avoid incorporating theocratic powers into our military and scientific systems as a basic national policy.”

”I hope your Mage Technicians will come up with a solution, maybe thicker armor, stronger barriers, or higher speeds... these methods might help your human ships withstand the chaotic turbulences at sea,” Viola said calmly, ”Of course, we will also provide some ’sea demon-style’ technical ideas, but those ideas might not be suitable for you land-dwelling creatures...”

Byron recalled the scene of previously discussing ”how to handle emergencies in shipwreck incidents” with the sea demon technical experts, shaking his head incredulously, ”Just swim back if the ship breaks apart... that’s not something we can do.”

Viola shrugged expressionlessly—a gesture she recently learned from humans—then looked into the distance, ”We are already approaching the port.”

...

With the second whistle of the Curiosity, the large and advanced steelclad ship began to slow down and adjust its bow direction, gradually approaching the docks of White Feather Port like a massive beast.

Standing on the dock, Paladin Glintrock watched the massive beast draw closer bit by bit, his face gradually showing an expression of surprise and envy, and then his already slightly reddened nose became even redder, spreading into a smile as the metal decorations on the ends of his beard clanged with the grin. The temporary envoy from the Dwarf Kingdom to the west continent happily said to the companion beside him, ”Hah! I want one of these too—the ’Cecil Clan’ has some skills!”

”I’d like to know how this ship moves!” another dwarf shouted with a loud voice, ”If those Cecil Clan are willing to teach, I’ll send my nephew to their craftsman as an apprentice for twenty years!”

”Enough, your nephew has already been sent to others as an apprentice for various excuses at least a hundred times! If every time counted, he’d have to serve as an apprentice until five hundred years later—spare your nephew!”

”Quiet,” Paladin Glintrock immediately glared at the clansmen following behind him, ”We are standing here as representatives of Forge City, don’t embarrass ourselves in front of humans.”

The noisy dwarf representatives finally quieted down, and Lady Venna Baizhi standing beside them secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Dwarves, these natural irrepressibles living in the far west of the continent, are a race very adept at causing trouble. Although most of them like to stay by their ancient great forges working on their craft, quite a few of them have left their kingdom to run amok all over this world. And the tribal country of Augari which borders the Dwarf Kingdom has dealt with these guys the most, so Venna is well aware of the dwarves’ nature—their innate optimism and adventurous impulse make them dare to try anything. Even on such a serious and formal occasion, it’s hard to guarantee that these last-minute ’envoys’ won’t cause some trouble...

After all, dwarfs who proclaim themselves as ”Iron People” have always scorned the human world’s lengthy rituals.

She withdrew her attention and looked at the magic-guided ship now docked alongside the jetty and lowering multiple segments of stairs and gangplanks, taking a deep breath.

While the dwarves felt envy and excitement at the sight of this thing, she only felt a bit suffocated.

She seemed to suddenly understand Emperor Gawain Cecil and the magical mechanized legion he commanded, how they pacified a war and established an empire in such a short time, realizing one of the pillars of support for all these great undertakings.

She was somewhat grateful, grateful that during the most challenging period of the Cecil Empire’s civil strife, when it was at its most vulnerable, the various races of the Augari tribal country chose to offer help rather than exploit the situation, grateful that the gray elves of Moss Woods have always engaged with others commercially, avoiding conflicts with this neighboring human nation. But amidst the gratitude, she couldn’t help but feel uneasy.

In the end, however, she collected all the emotions that shouldn’t arise at this moment, temporarily set aside all thoughts, and, after slightly adjusting her facial muscles, revealed the most appropriate smile for the present occasion.

Byron walked down the gangplank and stepped onto the solid and sturdy wooden dock. Besides his adjutant and a few personal guards, he brought no one else along—the sea demon and Naga technical advisers remained on the ship or in the sea; they had no need to participate in this contact.

The chieftain of the gray elves approached, a faint smile on her face. Despite her small stature, akin to a human child, her features were those of a standard adult, exuding the composure and temperament befitting a ruler of her people. She extended her hand to Byron, her slightly hoarse voice rang out: ”Welcome to White Feather Port, General Byron—I’m very glad to see your journey went smoothly.”

Byron also extended his hand—two fingers, to ”shake” with Venna’s hand: ”Very pleased to meet you, Lady Venna Baizhi. Today is undoubtedly a day worth commemorating.”

Then he turned his head, looking at other representatives of another race who appeared alongside the gray elves. A dwarf wearing black armor with a gray beard walked toward him, resembling a moving barrel made of muscle and iron blocks. The dwarf extended his hand, speaking in a muffled voice: ”Paladin Glintrock from the Dwarf Kingdom greets you, human. I bring greetings from Forge City. Your ironworking skills are truly impressive.”

Byron was momentarily stunned but quickly understood the meaning: it was a compliment on the new experimental ship, ”Curiosity.”

He immediately laughed, extending his hand to shake the other’s: ”Greetings to you—before we set off, we received news that the dwarf representatives would also be present.”

”Forge City is very interested in your ’Rebooting Route’ plan,” Paladin Glintrock boldly stated. ”To be honest, your large mining machinery is great stuff, but it’s a pity they can’t be transported to our place. We need to cross the entire tribal country of Augari, and a mountain ridge at the edge of our kingdom. But seeing this ship now, I feel we don’t need to carve through that mountain—seven hundred years ago, the Anzu briefly traded with us via ships, but unfortunately, it ceased just as it began to take off. When I return, I will suggest to the Forge City council to repair the West Coast port...”

Byron had to exert quite a bit of effort to finally extract his hand from the other’s grasp, deeply realizing the meaning of ”dwarven straightforwardness.”

What the other party mentioned was actually not part of his mission plan today—the main task today was to conduct the maiden voyage test of the Curiosity and to collect sea and coastal data of nearby areas. The meeting with representatives of the gray elves and dwarves at White Feather Port was more of a ceremonial contact to announce the successful maiden voyage of the Curiosity and the official resumption of the sea route from Northport to White Feather Port. As for further commercial plans and route development...that requires more professional people to slowly negotiate afterward.

He believed Lady Venna Baizhi also thought the same, but the dwarf envoy in front of him evidently did not think so. His thoughts had already expanded to specifically how to repair the West Coast port...

This gave him the feeling of facing Gawain or Rebecca—a person with incredible foresight, someone who dared to say anything...

But soon, a smile appeared on his face—dealing with such straightforward representatives wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. Frankly, he preferred such people; they were far more charming than those aristocrats and foreign ambassadors who needed to go around in circles just to say a sentence or needed to cite classics just to sneeze...

The representatives from the three parties at the port chatted briefly, each harboring different thoughts. Their entourage stood at their respective positions, and the atmosphere was harmonious and peaceful. The ”film crew” of the gray elves at White Feather Port and the Cecil officials who disembarked from the Curiosity recorded this scene using a Magic Web Terminal.

An image was sent to Moss Woods, another to the Northport hub.

...

”The Curiosity successfully completed its maiden voyage, arriving at White Feather Port on the border of the tribal country of Augari at 12:15 noon today. General Byron and the accompanying personnel of the ship met with the gray elf leader, Lady Venna Baizhi, and dwarf representatives at the port...

The successful maiden voyage of the Curiosity marks the opening of the sea route from Northport to the northwest coast of the tribal country of Augari. The Empire’s shipbuilding technology has laid the foundation, and we will take a longer step towards the ocean...

...Plans are to extend the route to the Dwarf Kingdom and further extend it to the south of the tribal country of Augari...

In the foreseeable future, we may establish further contact with the Silver Empire via the sea route...”

Victoria Wilder waved her hand to turn off the image playing on the Magic Web Terminal and stood up from the sofa.

”It truly is an optimistic forward-thinking idea... the distance between White Feather Port and the Silver Empire is still far,” the Duke of the North murmured to herself, ”but being optimistic is not wrong either. The progress of the Rebooting Route has been quite successful. At this rate, we can eventually connect with the elves by sea...”

The room was very quiet, Victoria raised her head to take a look.

A maid stood not far in the room, waiting diligently for the Duchess’s instructions. For the Duchess’s self-talk, the maid obviously neither understood nor knew how to respond, and possibly wasn’t even listening.

”Alas...if Maji were here, she’d at least engage in the conversation.” Victoria couldn’t help but sigh, her usually expressionless face showing a bit of helplessness.

Just then, a rhythmic knock on the door suddenly came.

Victoria sensed the presence outside the door, casually said: ”Come in.”

The study door opened, an elderly Mage dressed in a deep blue Starry Robe, his figure thin and lanky but still spirited, walked in and bowed respectfully to Victoria: ”Good day, Lady.”

”Victor,” Victoria nodded to her chief Mage, ”what’s going on?”

”The connection test of the hub core is completed,” the old Mage said, unable to suppress a bright and proud smile, ”the data is perfect, you can inspect it at any time.”

(Friendly recommendation for a book: ”Rebirth of the Genius Solo Mid Girl,” seems to be written by a fellow book friend. Emmmm... In short, a blessing for the sacrifice.)