Sword of Dawnbreaker

Chapter 1147: Chapter 1146: The Fleet Heading North

A human fleet that had never existed before sailed into the distant sea towards an ancient unknown realm. The surging power brought by magic-powered machines broke through the waves, and ancient races from the deep sea, along with the legendary dragons, led the course and protected the safety of the fleet—a scene that almost everyone believed would only appear in the stories of bards.

Byron Kirk stood on the deck of the Winter, gazing into the distance. The cold wind carried the smell of the ocean. At some point, he became accustomed to this scent, used to the feeling of grandeur and awe that arose when facing the boundless sea directly.

A sudden sound of wings flapping came from high above. Byron instinctively looked up and saw a black dragon approaching the deck of the Winter like a cloud falling from the sky. Before completely landing, the huge figure had already quickly transformed into a human shape amidst chaotic light and shadow—a young man with short black hair, brown skin, black eyes, and a cheerful smile.

This was one of the "escorts" sent by Talronde to protect the fleet and guide the course, named Molculur.

The dragon, transformed into human form, landed on the deck and walked briskly to Byron’s side, casually saying, "We are crossing the Eternal Storm Region. Lucky for us, the weather has been great along the way... the sea conditions too."

"So this is the Eternal Storm Region? That gigantic storm they mentioned that could scare people to death?" Byron suddenly looked surprised, raising his head to survey the gently undulating sea in the light wind. Except for the distant silhouettes of some islands and reefs, there was nothing here. "I see nothing..."

"Because the ancient power that once occupied this sea region has completely dissipated, and the things that stood here are no longer existent," the black dragon youth gently shook his head, feeling somewhat solemn despite his usual cheerful demeanor. "Our current position is an ancient launch site. A fateful battle once changed everything here... but now, it’s all in the past."

Saying this, he looked down as if his gaze could penetrate layers of deck and cabin, seeing the scenery of the distant deep sea: "But at the bottom of the sea, there are still remnants. Those are the ancient ruins not destroyed by war, representing the former glory of Talronde... Perhaps someday, we will rediscover those ancient technologies."

"To humans with short lifespans, that is indeed a very distant history," Byron shrugged. "If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I would never have thought that so many secrets still hidden in this world have been forgotten."

"I heard you were an adventurer," the black dragon youth laughed, looking curiously at Byron. "I also heard that when you were young, you explored ancient ruins and searched for lost history in forgotten forests. Is that true?"

Byron hesitated slightly, his expression somewhat quirky as he tugged at the corner of his mouth: "Well... I was an adventurer. In human society, adventurers and adventurers are different, you understand?"

"Is that so?" The black dragon youth was immediately surprised, "I always thought these two words meant the same... Sorry, I’ve never left Talronde before, so I’m not very familiar with human vocabulary. What’s the difference between the two professions?"

Byron thought seriously and began to explain his valuable experience accumulated over his lifetime to the escort before him: "In simple terms, an adventurer wants money without caring about life, while an adventurer neither wants money nor cares about life..."

The escort Molculur instantly showed a thoughtful expression and casually asked: "What about those who want both money and life?"

"Those who want both are smart people," Byron immediately straightened his pirate-like navy cloak and messy hair, speaking seriously, "Such people later became the Marshal of the Navy."

...

The bow of the Iceborne Mary cut through the cold, fragmented waves of the northern sea. The low rumble of the machines in the engine room, filtered through several layers of partitions and silencing magic symbols, turned into an indistinct humming from deep within the deck. An elderly man in a black short magic robe, wearing a black soft cap, leaned against the railing at the edge of the ship, looking into the distance with a gaze full of excited anticipation. A heavy parchment book floated beside him, and a quill, held by no one, quickly scribbled on the blank pages of the parchment book, leaving lines of text and symbols continuously.

Footsteps sounded from behind, as a young lady dressed as an adventurer passed by. After seeing the old man leaning against the railing, this lady, dressed in hunting attire and with weapons at her waist, curiously stopped: "Mr. Modir... What are you doing?"

"Can’t you tell? Observing and recording," Modir spoke without turning his head. "Note down everything interesting encountered on the journey and record them accurately and promptly—that’s the basic quality of an adventurer."

"Is that so... Unfortunately, I’m just an adventurer and can’t quite understand the pursuits of an ’adventurer’ like you," the young lady waved her hand. "Anyway, just don’t jump into the sea chasing sharks or suddenly fly into the sky racing dragons... although everyone aboard now knows you’re a powerful spellcaster, consider those fragile nerves of the ordinary crew who aren’t trained imperial soldiers like those on the Winter."

"Ah... oh, yes, you’re right, Miss Lora," Modir finally turned away from the scenery outside the railing, belatedly patting his head. "Rest assured, I now invisibly cast spells in advance when I do such things."

The young adventurer named Lora twitched at the corner of her mouth—after spending time on a sea voyage, the adventurers aboard the Iceborne Mary had gotten familiar with one another. Although not achieving the comradeship forged by surviving death on a battlefield, by ’industry habit,’ they were somewhat considered teammates in a large adventure team. Her respect and wariness towards the powerful Mage named Modir before her gradually changed to familiarity. To be fair, this old Mage seemed to have some memory issues but was actually quite easy to get along with. He was powerful but lacked the arrogance and coldness of the old-school Mage. But sometimes... his style was genuinely nerve-wracking for those around.

As a self-proclaimed great adventurer (at least that’s how he described himself), Modir did many impromptu things along this trip, such as suddenly jumping off the ship sensing something in the deep sea, or flying up into the sky to be side by side with dragons for escorting. If not for personal confirmation, Lora would almost suspect the old man’s main purpose for joining the adventure group was to die en route...

After giving rise to some disrespectful thoughts towards the elder, Lora quickly collected her wandering mind and then curiously looked at the floating parchment book beside the old Mage. As a reasonably well-off seasoned hunter, she had read some books before the Empire started promoting universal education and considered herself ’learned’ among the burly adventurers. But as her eyes scanned the dense text and symbols on the pages, a rising wave of puzzlement emerged from her heart—had the books she read in the first twenty years of her life all been false?

"These things you are recording..." The young female hunter rubbed her eyes. "Why can’t I understand a single word?"

"Aha, this is indeed not easy to understand... I am organizing the changes in the magic-pervasive environment at sea throughout the voyage and the patterns of disturbances between chaotic turbulence and the upper atmosphere," Modir immediately laughed, the corner of his eyes sparkling, "I’m not just recording randomly, you know there’s a team of scholars accompanying the ship? They are entrusted with the responsibility of recording meteorological and magic data from the distant sea to accumulate material for the Empire’s ocean exploration project. I talked with one of the scholars a few days ago, and they very much need these records from me—so at this moment, I’m essentially even serving the Empire..."

Lola gave a somewhat surprised look at the old mage: "I didn’t realize it; you have quite a... what’s that trendy phrase? Oh, a strong sense of civic duty for the Empire."

"Is that so? Maybe so," the old mage scratched his white hair, somewhat uncertain, "I feel like I should do something for this country... some kind of... obligation? I seem to have an obligation to do something..."

The old man’s eyes suddenly appeared a bit confused, as if his fragile memory system had suddenly fallen into a dead loop. Something completely forgotten yet leaving faint traces in his instincts troubled him. Lola had seen this odd state in the old mage more than once, so she immediately spoke, intentionally raising her voice a bit: "Old man, you’ve been recording so much every day for so many years, even without sorting and revising, all this must already be an astonishing work, right?"

Interrupted by the female hunter, Modir seemed to wake up instantly, shaking his head with a smile: "Calling it a work might be a bit of an exaggeration; I’m not someone adept at writing tomes... but indeed, I have recorded a lot in my lifetime. Do you see this thick book? I’ve already filled it..."

His voice suddenly faltered halfway, that memory-lapse-induced trance seemed to reappear, and the old mage’s brows knitted, muttering as if to himself: "I’ve recorded many things; I remember... there was a record that I lost, apparently, many, many years ago... it documented numerous adventures that can be called great; it seems I lost them..."

Seeing Modir fall into a trance again, Lola couldn’t help but say loudly once more: "Old man, you..."

"Ah, no need to be so loud, girl," Modir suddenly turned his head, a faint smile on his face. His eyes had already cleared, and he lightly waved his hand, "Thank you for your concern; actually, I’m fine. I’ve been getting by like this for so many years... Perhaps I’ve lived too long; my memory has developed some issues, and even my soul... seems to have a little problem, but overall everything is fine, at least not to the point of needing concern from a junior like you."

The old mage softly breathed a sigh, as if trying to calm the restless and hollow memories, while Lola looked into the old man’s eyes and hesitantly said after a long pause: "I heard... you’re going to Talronde to retrieve something?"

"Ah, yes, I mentioned this to Mr. Azkar on the ship," Modir said with a gentle smile, "I’m going to Talronde to find something... something very important to me."

"How could you have lost something in the land of the dragons?" Lola said incredulously, "That was a realm long isolated on the other side of the ocean by the Eternal Storm, where no mortal creatures could come and go freely, except dragons."

"I don’t know; I can’t remember it all," Modir shook his head slowly and said, "I don’t know exactly what I’m looking for, nor do I know where that ’thing’ is exactly lost. It’s just a feeling that I’ve lost something very important in Talronde... I must go and find it."

His voice was slow yet firm, as if carrying a dedication stemming from the soul. The radiant light of the mighty sun poured down from the sky, and at this moment, the bright sunlight seemed to penetrate the old mage’s body, making his entire body appear hazy and translucent, revealing the vast sea view behind him faintly—

Lola’s heart suddenly skipped a beat, and she hurriedly blinked her eyes, only to find that the scene had already vanished like a hallucination. The old mage was standing there, solid and real, without becoming blurry or translucent, and no sunlight was passing through his semi-transparent silhouette.

...

On the Broken Shore of Talronde Continent’s southeast coast, the newly built Coastal Shire was basked in the radiance of the polar day.

Red Dragon Carladore stood on a small floating island outside the city, narrowing his eyes to observe the movements on the sea and along the coast.

A newly constructed wall encircled the residential area in the safe zone along the coastline. The wall was built from giant stones and molten metal, though far less exquisite and luxurious than the palatial structures of the past; it displayed a rugged aesthetic under the sunlight. Compared to the hastily piled "wind shelters" made entirely from ruins and trash, these walls at least underwent more serious planning and relatively regular construction. The recent, relatively adequate labor force and newly mined building materials from nearby islands ensured that the walls could at least be made with neatness and strength—they were genuine walls, not mere windbreak slopes piled from rubbish.

At this moment, the teams responsible for hunting had already gone out to sea, the warriors charged with clearing the wilderness around the town had not yet returned, and the dragons responsible for constructing buildings and leveling the land were busily working on the vast open fields at the outskirts of Coastal Shire. Not a single member’s time was wasted in idleness, and no energy was expended on trivial matters.

Carladore retracted his gaze from the town, suddenly gaining a more profound understanding of the term "living."

This is an experience that dragons have never undergone before, a state unimaginable during the "cradle period." It’s arduous, fraught with challenges and hardships, yet...

Labor can change the environment; effort can safeguard one’s survival. The establishment and maintenance of Coastal Shire require contributions from every member of the race. Every individual holds value, every effort bears significance.

This indeed is the feeling of being "alive." It’s not so beautiful, nor so easy, not as romantic as imagined, sometimes even painful, but... it’s good to be alive.

(Recommending a book, "I Just Want to Be Self-reliant," an urban reality-themed story wherein the protagonist, after reincarnation, refuses to be a good-for-nothing heir and chooses self-reliance. I rarely recommend such themes, but it’s been so long since I last recommended a book, so perhaps this serves as an appeasement.)