Chapter 801: Records of the Distant Sea Expedition

That feeling of being utterly trapped.

For a moment, Gawain said nothing.

But he could roughly understand what Selina meant—he could grasp the mindset of those priests seven hundred years ago who had barely survived the cataclysm, struggling under the shadows of madness and mutation, their mental pillars shattered, unable even to return to civilized society.

It was like his own final moments before crossing over, as the plane slowly broke apart; like being trapped in the sky for countless years, seen only from a satellite’s perspective in this world. In such circumstances, anyone, given even the faintest glimmer of hope—no matter how uncertain, with no promises or proof—would involuntarily be moved, just as a drowning person instinctively grasps at a passing straw.

All the more so for those priests and cultists back then, who were suffering both spiritual and soul corruption, their judgment and willpower already at rock bottom.

To them, Gawain Cecil’s return from the Ancestor’s Peak, claiming to have found a way out and offering help, was that last straw.

Feeling a surge of emotion that he swallowed into a silent sigh, Gawain nodded. “I can understand why you made that choice.”

At the same time, he guessed the truth behind Selina’s mention of Gawain Cecil’s sudden “insight” seven centuries ago—

It was clearly connected to the surveillance satellites in the sky!

Even without knowing exactly what Gawain Cecil discovered on the Ancestor’s Peak, he could now roughly deduce that it must have had something to do with the satellite array above.

Lost in thought, Gawain looked into Selina Gelphin’s eyes. “You went to sea with Gawain Cecil?”

“In a manner of speaking… yes,” Selina nodded. “As a spirit, I couldn’t truly sail with them, but I left a spiritual imprint on the storm priests in the group. This imprint protected their minds from divine corruption and allowed me to ‘see’ them. So, while I couldn’t act independently as a ‘person,’ I was still part of the expedition.”

So Selina had indeed taken part in the subsequent exploration!

Gawain felt his heart skip a beat. Maintaining a calm exterior, he asked in a low voice, “What exactly did you discover in the Endless Sea?”

Selina was silent for a moment, gathering her thoughts, then began slowly:

“At first, it was just a normal voyage. After leaving land behind, we entered an ocean ruled by storms and chaotic magic. But the storm priests used their remaining strength and deep knowledge of the sea to chart safe routes. We skirted storm clusters and magical turbulence, heading steadily east.

“Along the way, we passed several Typhon colonies. By then, the Storm Church had collapsed; only a few powerful priests serving the military retained their sanity. Regular sea routes were about to be cut off, and the Typhons were hastily evacuating…

“As we neared the outermost Typhon colony, Count Dyson, who ruled the island, sent a fast ship to try to dissuade us. He warned that massive storms were brewing in the far sea, the celestial signs were highly abnormal, and venturing out now was suicide. But we ignored him…

“We entered uncharted waters—seas no human had ever visited, with no maps, completely unknown. The storm priests could no longer provide navigation, only using their senses of storm and magic to help avoid danger. Gawain Cecil ordered us to keep heading east, and after passing through a region filled with cyclones and magical whirlpools, we turned south. It was his first voyage, but he seemed to already know exactly where we were going. His certainty greatly eased the crew’s anxiety.

“But on the thirty-second day, disaster struck.

“First, the storm priests aboard suddenly fell into nightmares. In confusion and delirium, some underwent terrible mutations, and some even deliberately jumped into the sea to be swallowed by the waves. Half the priests died. The few who barely kept their sanity became hysterical. Several of the stronger-willed storm priests said we were ‘sailing above the god’s nightmare,’ and that ‘the terrible power of the deep had sensed the desecrators’ arrival and would devour us all.’ They urged the ship to leave immediately, but when the sailors tried, they found the ocean had ‘imprisoned’ the ship in place. Mysterious waves surged in layers, blocking any attempt to escape.”

Sailing above the god’s nightmare…

Gawain repeated those words in his mind, vaguely realizing where the expedition had reached—

Above the corpse of the Storm Lord!

“That must have been the closest those storm worshippers ever came to their god…” Gawain shook his head with a complicated expression. “What happened next?”

Selina sensed from Gawain’s tone that he might know some secrets about the divine realms, but she didn’t press. Instead, she continued:

“We were attacked by the ocean’s power. The ship was badly damaged in the storm, but at the most desperate moment, an unexpected savior appeared.”

Gawain raised his eyelids. “Sea witches?”

“Yes,” Selina looked at him deeply and nodded. “They suddenly emerged from the waves and calmed the entire sea with a power we couldn’t understand…”

Gawain immediately understood why Selina had glanced at him meaningfully when mentioning the sea witches—because there was a sea witch living in Cecil City!

Tyr’s existence was no secret, and had been public knowledge even before the Sleepers were largely expelled from the empire. Selina clearly knew about the alliance between Cecil and the sea witches, an alliance that could be traced back to the “Outsiders.” Seven hundred years ago, when Gawain Cecil and others went to sea and encountered danger, it was the sea witches who came to their aid. And it seemed that Cecil’s purpose in going out was to strike some kind of deal with the “Outsiders”…

All these clues seemed to fit together.

But only Gawain knew there was actually no connection—the sea witches acted on their own whims. Who knew what they were thinking back then? The sea witch in his territory had simply gotten lost on her way home, with no ancient pact involved…

Explaining all this would be complicated, so he didn’t interrupt Selina and listened as she went on:

“The sea witches saved the expedition and treated some of the crew. They said strange things—that we had disturbed their feeding, and even disturbed their food…

“Despite communication barriers, Gawain Cecil negotiated with them. He explained the expedition’s purpose, conveyed peaceful intentions, and described a… peculiar ancient ruin.

“He spoke of a tower, enormous, as if connecting sky and earth, standing since ancient times.

“The crew found it unbelievable, unable to imagine such a thing existing. But the sea witches seemed excited by the description—they knew of the tower and had dealings with it, and were somewhat wary.

“After negotiations, a few bold sea witches agreed to guide us. They said they couldn’t take us directly beneath the tower but could lead us nearby, in the right direction.

“Our ship underwent temporary repairs, then set sail again, heading southeast under the sea witches’ guidance.

“With their help, the waves became our allies. We sailed swiftly and soon reached a… continent’s edge.”

Gawain had been quietly listening, but now his eyes widened. “A continent? You said ‘continent’ just now?!”

“Yes. A continent, not an island. I’m certain. We saw a very long coastline and strange birds flying in from the land.”

A new continent! A land Gawain had never heard of! Deep in the Endless Sea, southeast of the Loren continent!

He couldn’t help but sketch in his mind the rough layout of the planet’s land and seas based on all the information he had gathered. Including what Selina had just revealed, he pictured four landmasses—

The Loren continent, home to humans and many other intelligent races, mostly north of the equator;

Talrond, possibly directly north of Loren, ruled by dragons;

Eio, east of Loren, ruled by sea witches, according to Tyr;

And now, the new continent Selina mentioned, reached by sailing east then south into the Endless Sea, southeast of Loren.

Once again, he realized how narrow and isolated the land humans inhabited truly was, and his desire to explore the oceans flared anew.

Just from what was known, there were already three landmasses humans had never set foot on. He was genuinely curious if there were even more unknown realms in this world…

Suppressing his excitement about the new continent, Gawain asked, “Did you explore that new land? What’s there?”

Selina’s answer was a cold splash of water. “I don’t know. Only Gawain Cecil ventured inland. The rest of the sailors and priests stayed on the shore.”

Gawain frowned. “Why?”

“There are guardians on the land—ancient ones, operating since long ago,” Selina said slowly. “There are also guardians in the surrounding seas, but those are easier to deal with. As long as you don’t provoke them, they won’t attack. But the ones on land… they are extremely hostile.

“The crew and priests were elite among mortals, even including high-level supernaturals. But against those guardians, mortal strength was still too weak. Moreover, their numbers seemed far greater than our team’s. The entire new continent was under their control. Their origin was unknown, and they seemed endless. The expedition simply couldn’t penetrate the land.

“Strangely, though, those guardians did not attack Gawain Cecil.”

Gawain frowned. “They didn’t attack Gawain Cecil?”

After so long identifying himself as “Gawain Cecil,” he found it oddly awkward to hear the name spoken aloud today…

Selina confirmed again, “Yes. That was confirmed after our first contact with the guardians on the continent.

“They attacked anyone who entered their watchful range—except Gawain Cecil.

“Some expedition members asked about this, but he said he didn’t know the exact reason.”

“So in the end, only Gawain Cecil went deep into the new continent. Judging by the results, he must have found what he was looking for…” Gawain furrowed his brow, pondering. “Interesting… so all those crucial memories were erased…”

As he spoke, he looked at Selina Gelphin.

“If I’m not mistaken, you probably don’t know what happened to him after he left the group and ventured inland alone, because that information is… dangerous.”

“Someone in the group asked him, but he didn’t say a word,” Selena replied, confirming Gawain’s account from the side. “I can only tell you what I know:

“Before he left, he told the others to wait in the safe zone along the coast for two weeks. If he didn’t return by then, no one was to wait any longer—they had to leave the continent immediately.

“He came back on the twenty-first day, exhausted but excited. It was clear he had achieved his goal.

“He told everyone that he had made a soul bargain—this deal would grant him a single ‘chance.’ But at the time, he didn’t reveal any more details about the transaction to anyone.”

Gawain looked intently at Selena. “But you know more than that. You know about me—this ‘extradimensional wanderer.’”

“Yes,” she said, “because he confided part of it to me alone.”

(End of chapter)