Glorious ancient civilizations, lost and hidden islands...
As De Leon spoke, the legend of the Fountain of Youth, the most widespread tale in the Sea of a Thousand Islands, gradually shed its mysterious veil before Renato and seemed a little less out of reach.
Renato could tell how meticulously De Leon had compiled his research.
Whether he asked about specific dates, documentary sources, or geographical coordinates, De Leon always offered a reasonable answer. More often than not, his evidence was not an isolated example, but the result of cross-checking historical records from several different sources, lending it considerable credibility.
Yet Renato understood one thing: if this information was so important, why would De Leon, a navigator committed to finding the Fountain of Youth, volunteer it to an outsider he had known for barely half a month?
They had fought together a few times, and Renato could more or less be counted as his benefactor, but he did not believe this veteran captain trusted him enough to discuss such vital intelligence over drinks as though it were an amusing anecdote.
After all, De Leon was far from the only person pursuing the legend of the Fountain of Youth. The first to arrive would gain everything, while latecomers would get nothing. In a sense, competition between captains on ocean-going expeditions was even fiercer than that between ordinary adventurers.
Sure enough, shortly after mentioning the island of Parinesia, De Leon changed tack. He offered practically no details about the route, instead drawing the conversation back from the distant Storm Sea to their immediate circumstances.
The captain settled back into his chair and leaned forward slightly, his tone candid. Clearly, this was not his first negotiation of this kind.
"Sir Renato, as a distinguished nobleman of the Borealia Empire who unexpectedly ended up here