Dragon!!
Gawain's gaze froze instantly, lingering for a long time on the heavily written words. Through the slight tremor at the edges of the handwriting, he could almost see the violent turmoil in Modir Wilde's heart as he left those letters behind.
Then he looked up at the map hanging not far from the desk. The full expanse of the Loren Continent had been precisely marked on it, but the vast ocean beyond Loren Continent and the possible New Continent lay beyond his satellite surveillance range, leaving only symbolic outlines and rough directional markings:
Deep in the endless ocean southwest of the Loren Continent lay the "Tower of Heaven" from ancient elven legends. Its existence had already been confirmed through ground scans by Firmament Station;
Across the ocean southeast of the Loren Continent, at an unknown distance, lay the "New Continent" discovered seven hundred years ago by the ocean-going expedition led by Gawain Cecil. Parts of that continent's coastline had also been confirmed through Firmament Station;
In the far eastern seas of the Loren Continent, beyond the storms and ocean currents, lay the Aio Continent ruled by the sirens, as well as their capital, Antavien.
North of the Loren Continent, beyond the Coastal Peninsula of the Holy Dragon Duchy, came the Eternal Storm, which humanity had directly observed. Beyond the Eternal Storm lay the Dragon Country, Tarlonnd, which currently existed only in indirect records.
That Dragon Country lay in the Far North Realm, perhaps even near the North Pole. Its surrounding sea surface was likely dotted with countless icebergs, which matched the details Modir Wilde had mentioned in his notes...
"He actually crossed the Eternal Storm by sheer accident... and drifted near Tarlonnd..." Gawain could not help muttering. "Is that lucky or unlucky...?"
Muttering to himself, he lowered his head