The same words, spoken by Chu Mi, might have been nothing but a joke. He had only used them to deceive people.
But when Ding Jingshan said them, they meant something entirely different. He had truly fought for those words for many years, and upheld them for just as long.
Jiang Wang hesitated, then explained, "Island Master, between me and Granny Bizhu of the Sea Fishing Tower..."
Ding Jingshan raised a hand to stop him. "I don't care how Elder Bizhu died, and I don't care what grievances you had between you. I'm telling you these words neither to criticize you nor to make demands of you."
"You're a genius, Jiang Wang. There's no doubt about that."
Ding Jingshan continued, "I only hope you'll hear these words and remember them. Someday, you might pass them on to someone else."
This was a pure exchange between an old soldier and a new one: a warrior who had spent years fighting in the Lost Realm sharing his hopes for those who came after him, without any other motives mixed in.
Jiang Wang fell silent for a while, then said, "I think this mountain will have a name someday."
When the war between the Human Race and the Sea Race ended, and the Lost Realm became a place where some of the Human Race lived, this mountain would naturally be given a name. People were good at giving their homes names filled with all kinds of meaning.
Ding Jingshan smiled. "Go back. I have nothing else to say."
Jiang Wang bowed solemnly. He realized that the man sitting before him was a true hero, a pure guardian of the Sea Frontier. Perhaps he wasn't well-known in the Present World; perhaps hardly anyone even knew of him.
But that did nothing to diminish his