He had been observing and listening to their arguments, and he had already made a calculation in his mind.
"Corlys Earl's caution is justified. The depths of Stepstones are indeed dangerous. We have limited supplies and should not fight for a long time."
Redd first confirmed Corlys's concerns, which made Corlys's face soften slightly, but Daemon glared over with dissatisfaction.
Redd changed the subject. "However, Prince Daemon's concerns are also extremely important.
A pirate leader who can tame and control an unknown dragon poses a much greater threat than ordinary pirates.
More importantly, the dragon itself... is extremely special."
He looked at the two of them with deep eyes. "I come from the East, I have seen many rare birds and animals, and I have also been with giant dragons.
But it was unheard of for a dragon like this to be able to breathe high-temperature steam and possess such thick protective scales.
Its appearance may mean that our understanding of the dragon clan, or even some ancient secrets of this world, is far from enough.
Allowing such an unknown force to wander outside may be a huge hidden danger for both the kingdom and us personally."
His words not only pointed out the threat, but also elevated the significance of exploration, elevating the simple pursuit of pirates to the level of exploring the unknown and eliminating potential huge threats.
Daemon immediately agreed, "Master Redd is right! We must find out the origin of that thing!"
Maybe... there are more dragons there, or Dragon Egg!"
There is a greedy light in his eyes. If he can master one or more steam dragons, his power will make a qualitative leap!
Corlys was anxious, but could no longer object directly.
Redd's words are well-founded, and Daemon is eyeing it.
He could only try to start from the practical difficulties. "Even if we want to chase, how to chase?"
Stepstones To the south, the sea area is wider and unfamiliar, and our supplies cannot support a long-term search.
Moreover, with that dragon here, we..."
"My fleet can share part of the supply problem." Redd said, "As for the dragon..." He raised his head and looked to the sky.
The figure of King Ghidorah is looming in the clouds, and its three heads are swinging slightly, as if they are tracking something.
"King Ghidorah has locked onto the remaining breath and direction when they left.
There are some connections between dragons that go beyond sight.
As long as they don't fly too far or consciously hide completely, we have the possibility of tracking them."
Hearing this, Daemon looked at King Ghidorah with more complex eyes, with fear and a hint of eagerness.
He turned to Corlys and spoke forcefully, "Father-in-law, you heard me. Master Redd has a way to track him.
Your Driftmark fleet is familiar with this sea area and can lead the way and provide support.
The three of us worked together to catch up to the edge of the Summer Sea and explore it. If nothing was found, it would not be too late to return.
This can not only show His Majesty our determination to eliminate evil, but also detect potential huge threats. There is no reason to refuse, both publicly and privately!"
He took the "public rather than private" stance very seriously, implying that if Corlys continued to object, it would be because he had a ghost in his heart and was unwilling to eliminate harm to the kingdom.
Corlys is in a dilemma.
Refusing to show that you are guilty and disregarding the overall situation; at the same time, you may really catch up with Tormund, causing unpredictable conflicts and even exposing more secrets.
The intervention of Redd and the tracking ability of King Ghidorah disrupted his plan to let Tormund fly away.
He looked at Daemon's aggressive eyes, and then at Redd's seemingly calm but unquestionable attitude, and knew that insisting on his opinion would only make him more passive.
He gritted his teeth and finally compromised. "... Since both of you think it is necessary, then... let's investigate."
However, a time limit and search scope must be set, and the search cannot be infinitely deep. Moreover, all actions must be cautious and focused on exploration to avoid unnecessary conflicts."
"Of course." Redd nodded, "We have three days to search southeast to the edge of the Summer Sea. If no clear findings are found, we will return immediately."
Daemon Although I felt that three days might not be enough, I also knew not to push too hard, so I hummed in agreement.
An agreement was reached, but the three of them had their own plans.
Corlys just hopes that Tormund has escaped far enough; Daemon is eager to find the lair or secret of the steam dragon;
Redd became very interested in the dragon itself and the meaning behind it.
Perhaps, this is not just part of the Westeros power game, but may touch upon the deeper secrets of this world.
The fleet set sail again, this time the goal was no longer "suppression of bandits", but "tracking".
The Driftmark fleet leads the way, followed closely by the Dragon King fleet. Two giant dragons circle in the sky to guide the way or serve as a warning.
A team with different intentions but not exactly the same goals sailed towards the southern sea where the fog is deeper and there are more legends.
The fog of Stepstones did not seem to have completely dissipated, but accompanied them to the edge of the unknown Summer Sea.
The fleet passed through the islands, like a steel python winding between the jagged rocks and islands.
On both sides are towering cliffs that have been eroded by waves and sea winds into various shapes. Many islands have sparse vegetation and grey-brown rocky surfaces, which appear desolate and precipitous.
Occasionally, you can see the remains of some broken watchtowers or simple piers, silently telling the traces of the activities of humans, pirates or earlier First Men.
Redd stood on the bow of the ship, scanning these silent islands.
The air is filled with the smell of sea salt, wet rocks and a faint hint of sulfur.
He recalled the legend about Stepstones - the broken Arm of Dorne, Children of the Forest's vast magic "Hammer of Sea Water".
In this world, myth, magic and reality are often entangled.
If the legend is somewhat true, then there may be some ancient, powerful energy field or geological anomaly remaining in this sea area.
This may explain why there are species like "Children of the Forest", and even... the appearance of the steam dragon Tormund.
"Hammer of the Sea..." he whispered to himself.
The power of magic that can shatter continental bridges is unimaginable.
Did the residual impact give rise to some special ecological environment or biological variation?
Are the thick armor and steam breath of the steam dragon related to submarine volcanoes, geothermal activity, or some kind of mineral/energy that has been changed by magic?
Mysaria came to him quietly and handed him a cup of hot drink.
"Master, the clipper exploring the way ahead reported that some abnormal... currents and temperature changes were found near Gray Gallows Island.
The water appears to be warmer than the surrounding area, with bubbles occasionally rising up, accompanied by a sulfur smell.
There are also relatively few fish species in the nearby waters."