Chapter 1264: Persuasion

“Your Majesty — Mr. Sander Flyingbird has returned from the Swirling Sea. It seems — there was trouble. Significant trouble.”

Roland set down his pen.

The industrial expansion meeting had run long, and he’d been trying to reclaim the afternoon with the drawings still spread across his desk. Sander Flyingbird was Thunder’s alias — and Thunder, with the best sailors from the Fjords at his back, had left half a year ago for a journey that should have taken at least a year. Half that time had been eaten by the crossing alone.

“Where is he?”

“The castle hall, Your Majesty. He says immediately.”

“Send him in. And ask the kitchen for tea.”

“At once.” Sean vanished from the doorway.

Nightingale materialized beside the window. “Should we tell Lightning?”

“He made it back. Let’s hear what happened first.” Roland stood and straightened his jacket. He looked out at the afternoon sky and let himself wonder, briefly, whether the Bloody Moon had reached the Swirling Sea.

Thunder came in fast — no fake mustache, the ornamental feathers on his coat knocked askew and half missing, the studied theatricality of Sander Flyingbird stripped down to a man who’d been running on bad sleep for weeks. Lightning would have recognized him on the spot. But he was whole, and that was what mattered.

“Your Majesty.” He pressed his hand to his chest. “I didn’t expect to come back.”

Roland poured him a glass of Chaos Drinks and pushed it across the desk. “Tell me. You had the best sailors the Fjords ever produced and a reinforced hull. Storms and tsunamis don’t stop men like that.”

“No. Storms have signs.” Thunder drank. “Thousands of Sea Ghosts don’t.”

The account came out in the flattest voice Roland had heard from a man of Thunder’s temperament — which meant the man was keeping himself together through sheer effort. The swarm had appeared without warning, the sea beginning to boil around the fleet’s hulls. Ships that fell behind were dragged down. And behind the Sea Ghosts came something worse: vast vessels of living flesh — rib-cages the size of houses, organ-walls pulsing with independent movement, capable of ejecting acid across several kilometers. Iron, wood, rope — all of it dissolved on contact.

“The Sky-sea Realm,” Roland said.

Thunder looked up. “Your Majesty?”

“What the demons call that civilization.” He described what he had seen through the God’s Relics — the rib-ship configurations, the dual-environment movement. Thunder listened and then nodded slowly, the pieces of his nightmare assembling into something with a name.

“So we sailed into their territory.”

“Possibly. Or the Bloody Moon activated them, pushed their range outward. Either way.” Roland spread his hands. “How did you get out?”

“We didn’t shake them off.” Thunder’s mouth curved into something that wasn’t quite a smile. “We’d lost half the fleet by the time we reached the Sealine. Most of the surviving sailors were barely functional — hadn’t slept in days, running on nothing. Only the Snow Wind still had strength; she never needed sail adjustments, never needed course corrections. She kept moving when the others couldn’t.”

He set down his glass.

“Then a monster came out of the water and attacked another monster. Larger than anything we’d seen — auxiliary limbs, tentacles, half a kilometer of fury. It tore the other apart in minutes. And all the Sea Ghosts stopped. The whole pursuit just… stopped. As though they’d been commanded elsewhere. That was our window, and we crossed the Sealine before it closed.”

Roland let the silence sit. “You named her well. The Snow Wind.”

“What does the name have to do with it?”

“Nothing. Never mind.” He leaned back. “So. What now?”

For the first time, Thunder looked tired all the way through. “Honestly? Most of the sailors won’t go east again. I can’t blame them. You can survive a storm by knowing weather — you can’t prepare for something that has no pattern. The Fjords people who’ve lived their whole lives on the ocean, who’ve never been afraid of it — they go pale when they look east now. The sea that was their protection has become a threat.”

Roland nodded. He’d expected something like this. An adventure required the possibility of survival through skill. When skill became irrelevant, it wasn’t adventure anymore.

“The big Chambers of Commerce asked me to pass something along,” Thunder continued. “They want to purchase land in Graycastle. High price. They’re thinking about refuge.”

The old Roland — the one who’d been working with 300 gold royals and a crumbling Border Town — would have agreed before the sentence was finished. But paper currency had changed the arithmetic on “high price,” and the deeper question was simpler than money.

“If they want a kingdom within a kingdom, no,” Roland said.

Thunder shrugged. “I told them you’d say that.”

“But if they want to survive — Graycastle is open to them. That message you can take back.”

“I will.” Thunder rose, then settled again as Roland raised a hand.

“One more thing.” Roland let a moment pass. “You said you’d tell Lightning the truth after this expedition.”

Thunder went very still.

“It wasn’t the expedition you planned. But the Sky-sea Realm has half the ocean. Fjords merchants won’t be sailing east for years. And I need people who can command a fleet.” Roland propped his chin on his hand and watched the explorer’s face. “Lightning would want to know her father is alive. Stay — after you’ve handled your affairs.”

Thunder looked at the desk for a long time.

“I’ll think about it, Your Majesty.”

Chapter 1264 - Persuasion

Translator: Transn Editor: Transn … “Your Majesty, Your Majesty… Mr. Sander Flyingbird returned from the Swirling Sea! It seems… that they had big trouble!” Roland was mildly taken aback by this unexpected news. After the meeting regarding the industrial expansion, he returned to the office and was about to finish the rest of his drawings when the news interrupted his train of thought. Sander Flyingbird was Thunder’s alias. “Where’s he now?” Roland asked as he stood up abruptly. “In the castle hall. He said he would like to speak to you right now.” “Send him in!” Roland ordered and then added, “Also, ask the kitchen to make some more tea.” “As you command, Your Majesty,” Sean said as he quickly turned around and disappeared at the doorstep. Nightingale asked apprehensively, “Do we need to inform Lightning?” Roland shook his head and answered, “He should be OK, considering that he managed to get here. Let’s see what he’ll say first.” It had just been half a year since Thunder had set off, and the commute normally took around three months. Since the fleet had also lingered at the Shadow Islands for a while, the actual expedition was actually a lot shorter than Thunder had planned. Thunder had predicted that this expedition would have at least taken a year to a year and a half. He had even wanted to see what the end of the Swirling Sea looked like and confirm whether the land depicted in the ruins was truly buried deep down the ocean. Apparently, an overpowering and irresistible force had sabotaged the exploration plan that Thunder had prepared for so long. Roland could not help looking out of the window. Did it have anything to do with the Bloody Moon? Thunder, disguised as Sander, immediately entered the office under the guidance of the guard. Roland could tell that he was in a rush, for he had not even put on the fake mustache as he normally did, and the flamboyant ornamental feathers had pretty much fallen off. Had Lightning seen him right now, she would have probably recognized him. Nevertheless, he sustained no injuries, which was good enough for Roland. “Your Majesty, nice to see you,” Thunder said as he bowed. “I thought I wouldn’t be able to come back again.” Roland poured a glass of refreshing Chaos Drinks for him and said, “What happened? You took the best sailors at the Fjords with you this time, and I don’t think it was a storm or a tsunami that held you back.” “Storms and tsunamis have signs, but thousands of Sea Ghosts don’t,” Thunder said, still feeling a little shaken. “Plus, I encountered monsters even more horrible than Sea Ghosts…” Roland could resonate with his despair feeling. When numerous Sea Ghosts swarmed toward the fleet, and the seawater began to boil, any ships that failed to keep up would be dragged down to the bottom of the ocean immediately. In addition to the Sea Ghosts, there were also horrendous ships comprised of blood and flesh that could eject acids that traveled several kilometers. Anything that made in contact with the acid fluids would be instantly eroded, including iron and wood. It was almost impossible for the fleet to shake them off even if they had traveled at a full speed. “The Sky-sea Realm…”Roland said darkly. “Your Majesty, what’s that?” Thunder asked. “This is how the demons call this civilization,” Roland answered and told Thunder about the demons’ double plan. The description of these monsters that consisted of ribs, flesh and inner organs was consistent with what he had seen through the God’s Relics. They could float in water like a ship but could also dive to the bottom of the sea. “Are you saying that we invaded their territory?” “Possibly, but this can also be attributed to the appearance of the Bloody Moon. There’s a possibility that these monsters become more active than usual and start to expand their territory,” Roland said. “Then what happened? How did the fleet escape?” “In fact, we didn’t shake them off. The monsters started to attack each other,” Thunder said with a bitter smile. “Attack… each other?” “That’s right. They pursued us relentlessly as though they were never going to stop. By the time we reached the Sealine, we had lost half of our ships. Most of the survived sailors were on the verge of a breakdown after sailing day and night. Only the ‘Snow Wind’ you created still had strength to move further, as we didn’t need to adjust her sail or change her direction.” “So, just when everyone was desperate and about to give up, a huge monster suddenly leaped out of the water and attacked another monster. It looked like that the two monsters were biting each other. Although they were both monsters, the first one was much stronger than the second one. It soon ripped the other apart with his auxiliary limbs and tentacles that sprouted from its body. Then, all the Sea Ghosts and monsters stopped chasing us, as though they were spellbound. We thus got a chance to cross the Sealine and return to the Fjords.” Roland heaved a sigh and was also pretty shaken by the horrid story. “You were very lucky. It seemed that I got the right name for the ship.” “What does it have anything to do with the ship’s name?” “No, nothing,” Roland said while waving his hand. “So, what’s your plan next?” Thunder, for the first time, looked a little weary. He said, “To be honest, many people are now too scared to have another undertaking. I don’t really care much about the loss of the ships, but the sailors at the Fjords, who have been sailing for their whole life, go livid in fear when they look toward the east. I believe that nobody wants to sail out to the Shadow Waters again in a long time.” Roland fell silent. This was not totally unexpected. Like Thunder had said, one could predict storms and tsunamis and find a way to get away with them, but nobody would like to struggle to survive an irresistible force, as such a trip could no longer be called an adventure. “Those big Chambers of Commerce asked me to deliver a message to you. They wish to buy a land at a high price in Graycastle where they can take refuge in the future,” Thunder sighed. “After all, nobody knows whether the monsters will come back or not. The ocean is a natural barrier for a lot of Fjords people.However, if our enemies could roam the sea, then the whole Fjords Island would be in a very dangerous position with literally nothing to defend itself.” It was such a rapid change. Just one to two years ago, Roland had planned to use the Fjords Islands as the last retreat in case they were defeated in the war. Now, it appeared that the situation had reversed. Had Roland still lived in Border Town with only an asset of 300 gold royals, he would have immediately given his consent. But now, as transactions were all carried out in the new paper currencies, the so-called “high price” became no longer attractive. “What do you think?” “If they plan to found a kingdom within a kingdom, then forget about it,” Thunder replied while shrugging. “You won’t allow “islands” like that in Graycastle.” Roland smiled. Thunder was indeed the most outstanding explorer in the Fjords. “If they only want to survive rather than gaining power, then Graycastle will always be open to them.” “I’ll take your message to them, Your Majesty.” “You must be exhausted after this expedition. I have some afternoon tea. Please take a shower first and then tell me about your adventure. It’ll take a few days to repair the ‘Snow Wind’. You can stay here to recuperate and then head back to the Fjords.” “Thank you,” Thunder said while placing his hand on his chest. When Thunder was about to withdraw, Roland suddenly asked, “By the way, are you still planning… not to tell Lightning?” “I …” Thunder was at a loss for words for a second. “You said you’d reveal your true identity to her after this expedition. Although the trip wasn’t very successful, the Sky-sea Realm has indeed taken over half of the ocean. Fjords people are in a panic. It’s likely that you won’t go on a trip in a long time,” Roland said as he propped up his chin. “And I need people to fight the demons. I think Lightnings would like to see her father still alive. So, how about just staying here after you’ve taken care of your matters?” Thunder lowered his head. After a moment of silence, he replied, “I’ll think about it, Your Majesty.”