Ice was a wondrous thing. Its indentations and protrusions bent light, affecting an observer's view of a target. But Magallan had been mistaken. She had thought it was refraction, when it was actually gravity at work.
Not much force had been applied, so no black hole had formed.
It was merely a basic application of gravity. For the Herrscher of Rime, bending light was as natural as breathing.
Magallan was not an isolated case.
Far more people had come to explore the Pole than anyone had imagined. City lights blazed, engines roared. No one had explored the polar region before because that bitterly cold land held no value. Now, rumors had spread. Though they were only rumors, that was enough to make the region valuable to Sami and Ursus, and so the explorers came.
From that perspective, Yae Sakura felt as though she had become something like the Pirate King, ushering in the Age of Great Voyages with a single dying declaration.
It was a warning of sorts.
After entering the polar region, with the bloody lessons of two city-states before them, the explorers all adhered to the principle of keeping a low profile.
"Run the engines at minimum power. Everyone, gather near the engine room to keep warm. Do everything possible to blend the fortress into the ice and snow. Remember the Scar of Ursus!"
The Scar of Ursus.
It referred to that city-state split in two, still standing upon the wasteland. It had blossomed like a flower, an open wound upon the Empire.
That incident had thoroughly become a historical event. A god had passed through the world, cleaving straight through the entire city-state like a hot knife through butter. Soldiers fled like chicks, and human lives had seemed so insignificant.
Yes, human lives had always been insignificant,