Chapter 775: Gazing Toward the Sea

What was it that finally opened the stubborn gates of the Duchy of the Holy Dragon?

Gawain was genuinely curious.

The Duchy of the Holy Dragon lay at the far northern edge of the continent. Half of its territory was covered by ice-bound, towering mountains, with little fertile land to speak of. The living conditions were harsh beyond measure for ordinary humans. Yet, despite being a small duchy with such a brutal environment, it was a realm that even the mighty Ansu Empire once regarded with deep caution. In fact, half of the Northern Mountain Corps was established precisely to keep watch over that icy mountain kingdom. There had to be a reason for this.

The people of the Holy Dragon Duchy called themselves Dragonborn, and the higher nobility claimed pure dragon bloodline. Outsiders were skeptical—after all, the duchy rarely interacted with other nations, and no one had ever witnessed a Dragonborn unleash true draconic power. But one thing was certain: these people were no ordinary humans. Though they looked human, their children could run barefoot through the subzero northern mountains, chasing magical beasts without breaking a sweat. That was far beyond normal human endurance.

Now, Gawain had confirmation from Maggie herself: the Dragonborn’s claim was true. At least the upper class were indeed dragons—albeit dragons with genetic defects, weaker than typical dragons but dragons nonetheless.

A nation founded by Dragonborn, no matter how small, was bound to be formidable.

Beyond their combat prowess, the duchy’s mountains concealed the continent’s richest deposits of magical metal ore. The few ingots that made their way out were prized commodities among the northern realms.

A country that was both militarily strong and rich in strategic resources, and still neutral, naturally attracted the attention of its neighbors. Even during the Ansu era, the northern nobility represented by Victoria Wilde had long sought to establish stable, clear ties with the duchy—but to no avail.

The Dragonborn seemed uninterested in the outside world. Beyond maintaining minimal trade, they refused to establish diplomatic relations or send envoys.

“Perhaps it was our magical constructs that piqued their interest,” Victoria speculated in response to Gawain’s musings, “or maybe news of the empire’s shifting situation reached the ears of that Dragonblood Duke. It’s also possible that the Cecile merchants who have been active in the north over the past six months changed the Dragonborn’s perception of us…”

“How so?”

“The Dragonborn have always respected warriors who can brave the mountains and the bitter cold. Anyone who meets that standard—even ordinary human merchants—are treated with great honor. Such warriors were rare in the past, but ever since frost resistance potions dropped to one gold pound per half ton wholesale, every Cecile merchant operating in the north qualifies as a ‘warrior’…”

Gawain chuckled dryly. “That counts?”

Victoria’s tone was matter-of-fact. “The Dragonborn don’t care whether outsiders brave the cold and mountains through gear or potions. To them, external aids are part of strength. Anyone who walks into the mountains against the cold wind is their friend.”

“…Looks like I’ll have to ask Maggie to tell me more about the Holy Dragon Duchy sometime,” Gawain said with a smile.

Of course, he didn’t truly believe that a bunch of potion-guzzling, song-singing merchants racing across the ice plains in carts had single-handedly opened the duchy’s gates. Victoria herself had spoken of it half-jokingly. But regardless, the fact that this isolated land, so deeply tied to dragons, had opened its doors to Cecile was cause for celebration.

The exiled Dragonborn, despite their superior abilities, must have struggled to survive in the frozen mountains. Magical industry’s inventions undoubtedly improved their quality of life. Surely the Dragonblood Duke wouldn’t reject magical networks and machinery—if he didn’t, that made things easier.

Once again, the Cecile people were about to help an ally build railways…

As Gawain’s mood lightened, his thoughts drifted northward, recalling plans he had been formulating.

“In previous correspondence, I mentioned building a northern coastline, establishing ports, and exploring the seas,” he said to Victoria. “What are your thoughts on this?”

Victoria’s pale eyes were as calm as ice and snow. After a moment’s reflection, she replied, “Some northern nobles worry about the huge investment, uncertain returns, and dangers of the sea, but they no longer hold real power, so their concerns can be set aside.

“I understand your idea of establishing ports. From the perspective of building the ‘Cecile Settlement Zone,’ current land transportation is limited. The Ogure tribe’s territory is rugged, road construction takes ages, and the western and southern parts of the continent are blocked by forests and mountains, with few continuous rivers. Relying solely on the trade gateway bordering the Mosswood and the Western Frontier limits trade volume severely. If we can build ports on the northern coast and restart the northern circumnavigation route, it would greatly alleviate these issues.

“The initial investment will be huge, but the potential returns are unimaginable.

“During the Ansu era, local lords near the northern mountain ridge couldn’t undertake such projects. But now, the empire can mobilize resources nationwide. Building the northern coast, establishing ports, and restarting the northern circumnavigation route are all feasible.”

Victoria Wilde, usually reserved, spoke with clear enthusiasm on these matters. Listening to her well-organized explanation, Gawain’s expression grew satisfied.

Just as he had suspected, Victoria had vision.

She understood the difference between a feudal kingdom and a centralized empire, and grasped the significance of opening ports.

But her perspective had limits: she focused on the economic benefits of restarting the northern circumnavigation route, but failed to see that Gawain’s vision of “exploring the sea” was far broader.

That wasn’t her fault—it was the limitation of the times and the social environment. After seven centuries of humanity’s retreat from the sea, how many still realized how cramped this seemingly vast continent really was?

“Besides the northern circumnavigation route, what I truly care about… is the entire ocean,” Gawain said calmly. “Victoria, I mean the open sea.”

As expected, Victoria’s usually impassive face furrowed slightly.

“The open sea… is filled with storms and magical turbulence. Your Majesty, the Storm Church is no more,” she said. “Exploring the open sea and restarting coastal routes are two very different things.”

“I know. But we can’t stay cooped up on this narrow continent forever,” Gawain replied. “Far out in the ocean lies a much vaster world—sea monsters, dragons, powerful races you know well. They come and go freely between their realms and this continent, while we humans can’t even set foot beyond the shore. That’s unsettling.”

Is this continent… really that cramped?

Victoria was momentarily puzzled but agreed with the latter half of his statement.

Those ancient, powerful races moved freely in the human world, yet humans couldn’t step beyond the ocean. Knowing there might be a vast world beyond but only guessing from the shore was frustrating.

Of course, an empire—especially one still developing—couldn’t launch costly open-sea expeditions just to avoid feeling “frustrated.” Without clear benefits, even the emperor and the highest council’s prestige couldn’t justify risking the empire’s foundation. But limited exploration and technological accumulation were acceptable.

She understood Gawain’s meaning.

With that in mind, she carefully considered how the current Cecile Empire could explore the open sea.

After some thought, she said, “Your Majesty, if you want to explore the open sea, the northern coastline may not be the best ‘starting point’…”

Gawain frowned. “Why do you say that?”

“According to many records, beyond the northern coast, past the sea passage formed by the Violet Kingdom and the Holy Dragon Duchy, there exists a massive, permanent storm circle. It never weakens or shifts, and there are no safe routes through it. No man-made ship could break through its blockade…”

Gawain’s eyes widened in surprise. “There’s such a storm circle?”

Beyond the continent’s far north, beyond the Violet Kingdom and Holy Dragon Duchy’s “sea peninsula,” was a blind spot for his satellite lenses.

“Yes,” Victoria nodded. “Not only do ancient texts mention it, but on clear days when the magical environment is stable, looking out from the northern mountains toward the sea, you can sometimes see a hazy ‘cloud wall’ rolling on the ocean’s surface. That’s indirect proof of the storm circle’s existence.”

“A cloud wall visible to the naked eye from the northern lands?!” Gawain was genuinely shocked. “How big must that be?”

“If the ancient records are accurate, and the Wilde family’s centuries of observations and calculations are correct, its effective range is larger than the entire northern region, even bigger than the Violet Kingdom—enough to cover half of the Cecile Empire!”

Gawain was speechless.

After a moment of stunned silence, he muttered to himself, “How did something like that form…”

“No one knows. Current magical and meteorological theories can’t explain it. There are many folk tales about eternal ocean storms in the north, but they’re either contradictory nonsense or attributed to divine forces without evidence.”

“This storm circle is permanent?” Gawain asked again.

“Yes. The Wilde family hasn’t observed any weakening in over seven centuries.”

“Can we go around it?”

“Not from the due north—it completely blocks northern sea routes. If the northern circumnavigation route is successfully opened, it might be possible to start from the western straits, skirt the Violet Kingdom’s western coastal waters, and enter the open sea—but that’s very difficult.”

“Indeed, it’s no easy task,” Gawain sighed. “Not to mention the added distance, it’s uncertain whether the Violet Kingdom would allow our exploration ships to circle their coastal waters…”

As he spoke, another question formed in his mind:

The continent’s north… there’s this massive, unending storm structure. What else lies beyond it?

The dragons were rumored to have come from that direction…

Could the storm be related to the dragons? Or was it created by them to guard their gateway?

If so, exploring the sea from the north would be the worst choice.

Just then, Victoria spoke again: “Your Majesty, if the northern route is off the table, we do have another option…”

Gawain raised an eyebrow. “Another option?”

Victoria nodded slightly. “We don’t have only the northern coast as a sea outlet. At the northeastern corner of the eastern border, near the Holy Dragon Duchy’s border, at the edge of cliffs and highlands, there’s a small sea passage…”

The “Ice and Snow Duke” spoke slowly, and the satellite map in Gawain’s mind gradually shifted along with his words.

He spotted the harbor—the very one near the border of the Principality of Saint Dragon, which he had subconsciously overlooked before due to the lack of clear landmarks around it.

Suddenly, the image in his mind trembled.

Fragments of scattered, fleeting memories surfaced deep within his consciousness.

They were memories belonging to Gawain Cecil himself.

(End of chapter)