Exploration of the Lake Kingdom, The End of the Northern Voyage!

The March sky was clear, like nearshore waters, suffused with a distant pale blue yet carrying an endless depth. Bright daylight fell over the vast, boundless wilds, where grayish yellow and dark brown wove together. The narrow land between the seas suddenly opened wide here, stretching toward the north in both east and west, turning into an endless desert. A few emerald-green ranges rose here and there in the north, extending deep into the wasteland until they became brownish yellow at the far edge of the sky.

Chiwako stood on the coastal dunes, staring blankly at the vast world he had never seen before. He had never imagined that the north of this world could be so immense! After months at sea, the fleet had finally reached the ocean's end, this northern continent with no edge in sight!

"Priest Mekat, where are we now—what degree was it again?"

"Captain, we're between 31 and 32 degrees north of the North Star. From the Talsas River's outlet at 18 degrees north of the North Star, we've already sailed 13 or 14 degrees!"

Mekat widened his eyes and looked toward the northern wasteland, and the mountains at the far end of the sky. He could not hold back a cry of amazement.

"Main God! We've traveled northwest all the way, nearly five thousand li in four months! And according to the Seri songs, this vast northern continent may still stretch another five thousand li!"

"Main God bless us! Such vast land! If we can explore it, it will surely be a heaven-high achievement!"

Puapu's expression was excited. He gripped the Sun Amulet at his throat tightly and prayed in a low, trembling voice.

"Main God, ancestors!... The tribes of the north are so barbarous, yet they occupy such an endless continent! If the