Redd's eyes moved slightly. "Gallows Island... I remember it was one of the larger islands, with fresh water resources, and pirates often occupied it in the past.
When you get close to it, let King Ghidorah focus on sensing that area."
He paused, "Also, are there any precise records or legends about Children of the Forest or First Men's activities in this archipelago?"
Especially with 'water', 'hammer' or 'earth fire'?"
Mysaria thought for a moment, "Citadel has very few records, most of which are vague and considered a barbaric place.
But some of Braavos's ancient chart notes and adventurer's handbooks mentioned that there are caves on some islands deep in Stepstones.
There are strange murals and symbols, in a different style than the known Children of the Forest or First Men art, older and more abstract.
There are also legends from sailors that on certain stormy nights, a dull echo like a giant hammer hitting the seabed can be heard from the depths of the archipelago, which is called the 'Sigh of the Poseidon' or the 'Ancient Wrath'."
"Ancient murals... Poseidon's sigh..." Redd kept these fragments of information in mind.
It seems that Stepstones is not only a geographical hub and pirate lair, but may also contain secrets.
The fleet continued to move forward, gradually approaching Gray Gallows Island.
It is an island with rugged terrain and a towering stone peak in the center. Its eerie appearance is indeed worthy of its name.
At this moment, the head in the center of King Ghidorah, which was hovering in the sky, suddenly turned towards the direction of Gray Gallows Island, and let out a short and low neighing sound.
The other two heads immediately turned in the same direction, with six eyes fixed on a hidden bay surrounded by steep cliffs on the east side of the island.
Redd immediately sensed the information transmitted by King Ghidorah - there was a strong and abnormal "heat source" and "life energy" reaction there,
It is similar to the remaining breath of the previous steam dragon, but it is more concentrated and... "active".
"Prince Daemon, Corlys Earl," Redd turned around and said to the two people on the other two boats not far away (temporarily gathered for discussion through the small boat),
"King Ghidorah has discovered something, the target may be in the bay east of Gray Gallows Island ahead.
It is recommended that the fleet slow down and send out elite boats and air power to conduct reconnaissance first."
Upon hearing this, Daemon immediately became excited and drove "Caraxes" to lower its altitude and look in the direction indicated by King Ghidorah.
Corlys's heart suddenly sank, Gray Gallows Island...Tormund did occasionally establish temporary strongholds there in the past, but it was mostly used as a transit station.
Did he not escape far away, but instead hid here? Or is the steam dragon's lair nearby?
He forced himself to calm down. "In that case, as Lord Redd said, investigate carefully. I will send two captains to go ahead. Daemon, your dragon... don't rush in hastily."
Daemon snorted, without agreeing or objecting. He just let "Caraxes" hover around the outside of the bay, and he also increased his vigilance.
Soon, several flexible long ships carrying the elite warriors of the Driftmark and Dragon King fleets carefully separated from the main fleet and sailed towards the entrance of the bay that was shrouded in the shadow of the cliff and seemed particularly silent.
King Ghidorah in the sky, three pairs of eyes are like six searchlights, tightly focused on the depths of the bay.
Redd could feel that King Ghidorah not only sensed the heat source and life energy, but also seemed to detect a trace of... a familiar yet unfamiliar "dragon" breath.
And some kind of more obscure and ancient "pulsation" hidden deep under the seabed or rock formations.
The secret of Stepstones seems to be about to be revealed in the shadow of Gray Gallows Island.
And this bandit suppression and tracking, originally for political purposes, is irreversibly sliding into an unknown and possibly more dangerous realm.
On the east side of Gray Gallows Island, hidden in the depths of the bay under the vertical cliffs, the light is dim.
The sea water here shows a peculiar dark green color. Near the rock wall, the water temperature rises significantly.
Tiny bubbles emerge from the gaps in the underwater rocks from time to time, carrying a faint smell of sulfur.
The entrance to a huge underwater cave is half submerged in the water, and it is so deep that it is unknown where it leads.
Tormund is currently on a relatively dry and slightly higher platform in the cave.
Next to him was the steam dragon that saved him from danger - or, as he knew, it should be called a "sea dragon".
This giant beast folded its wings, and its huge body almost filled the space behind the platform.
The thick armor-like scales glowed with a dull, metallic sheen like the deep sea, illuminated by the faint light (from some glowing moss or minerals) deep in the cave.
Its thick and short neck is leaning against Tormund, its broad head is bowed, and its huge mouth is slightly open.
Inside, there are vaguely visible organs with complex structures that look like boiler pipes, emitting a faint smell of heat and sulfur.
It seemed a little tired, but its dark yellow vertical pupils were still watching the direction of the cave entrance vigilantly.
Tormund stroked the cold and rough scales of the sea dragon, feeling full of worry and a trace of regret.
Exposed... This sea dragon that he had hidden for many years as his final trump card and true partner was finally exposed to the eyes of Targaryen and that Dongfang Dragon King.
"You shouldn't have been allowed to come out..." Tormund whispered to Hai Long, who responded with a low purr, like a steam leak.
"But at that time... there was no choice. Daemon that madman..."
He thought of the ships and men that were instantly reduced to ashes in Dragonfire, and a trace of pain and anger flashed in his eyes.
Although they were just a bunch of people making up the numbers, they were still human lives. The cruelty of Daemon far exceeded his expectations.
What's even more troublesome is the follow-up. There must be huge pressure on brother Corlys.
Daemon will never give up. That Dongfang Dragon King Redd doesn't seem to be easy to deal with either. His three-headed dragon King Ghidorah brings a sense of oppression to Tormund that is even stronger than that of Hailong. They will definitely come after him.
"The mermaid is right..." Tormund recalled that adventure many years ago.
After a storm, his boat crashed and he fell into the water. When he was about to die, he was saved by a group of strange sea creatures.
The leader was a creature that looked like a legendary mermaid but was even more ancient and mysterious, and could communicate with him telepathically.
From her, he learned many secrets about the world's oceans, ancient wars, sunken civilizations, and...
Some surviving variants of the ancient Old Dragon family that have adapted to the deep sea or special environments.
His sea dragon, with the help of the "ocean guide", found and established contact with it in an ancient lair near an undersea volcano.
The other party warned him to try not to expose the existence of the sea dragon until the land forces (especially those families with the fire dragon as their symbol) were strong enough and greedy.