The old man in outdated clothes disappeared on the platform like a shadow that dissipated in the sun, but the coin in his palm still had residual warmth, and the young man blinked, and it took a few seconds for him to finally react from his shock.

He subconsciously rubbed the coin in his hand before stuffing it into his pocket, as the cost of a directions consultation, the income was already quite high, even more in terms of purchasing power than the days when he sold "information" to adventurers in the streets and alleys of the town—the young man couldn't help but smack his lips at the thought of this.

Adventurers, "intelligence", directions, a reward of a coin...... When you think about it, it's a bit of a return to the old days.

He pursed the corners of his lips, moving his legs and feet, which were a little sore from wandering on the platform for too long, and walked in the direction of the exit, which was already very sparse with the flow of people, and not far from him, a freight train with a much rougher shape than a regular passenger train was parked next to the freight platform, and the large sliding door on one side of the carriage had slid open to the side, and the stevedores who were ready to go stepped forward under the direction of the foreman to transfer the full load of materials in the carriage to the trailer.

The bearded foreman stood next to the loading and unloading area, directing the work while looking at the uniform crates, the emblem of the Community Union could be clearly seen on the seal on one side of the wooden box.

In the area of the North Harbor Wharf, Duke Victoria of the North was standing on a platform, the drizzle was blowing towards the platform under the breeze, but before approaching, it was changed by an invisible force, leaving only the cold wind around the Duchess, she raised her head and looked at the slightly undulating sea outside the pier, a dim and hazy sky light shrouded the sea, so that the distant scenery was all hidden in the thin sea mist, in the face of this force that belonged to nature, even the keen vision of the transcendent was useless, But she still looked out there, as if she could see something through the hazy fog and skylight.

It was the direction of what had once been the eternal storm — just a year ago, there had been a miraculous storm that had not dissipated for millions of years, blocking prying eyes, and on a clear day, people on the continent could even see the wall of clouds rising from below sea level and spreading high into the sky, as if supporting the entire sky.

But now, the storm that was once considered an irreversible force of nature has completely dissipated, and the mysterious realm behind the storm has opened its doors to the mortals of Loren - even Victoria Wild, the "Grand Duke of Ice and Snow", can't help but feel a little tempted to sigh at the wonder of fate.

"The last batch of supplies for today has been unloaded on the platform," a middle-aged man's voice suddenly came from the side, causing Victoria to retract her gaze towards the sea, "This batch of supplies came from the mossy forest, and counting the batches that arrived yesterday and the day before yesterday, they have already exceeded the expected target—all that remains is to transport them to Tallund." ”

Victoria turned her head and saw Byron standing beside him with a messy head of hair, the Imperial Marshal with a pleasant smile on his face, looking at the sea outside the harbor with an admiring gaze, a very dignified officer's coat draped behind him, but he wore it with the air of a bandit.

"The weather isn't good," the duchess turned her head and nodded lightly at the gloomy sky in the distance, "In my experience, there may be a storm waiting for you tomorrow." ”

"But our Kraken navigators are committed to ensuring that the weather will clear tomorrow," Byron shrugged, "and the Naga say the same." ”

“…… Those creatures of the deep don't have the same understanding of 'good weather' as we on land," the Duchess couldn't help but frown, "especially the Krakens. ”

"Then we can make a bet, I trust my navigator, and you trust your experience," Byron laughed, "How about a pound?" ”

"Not interested," Victoria said casually, "I never bet with anyone." ”

Byron shrugged his shoulders in amusement, and turned his gaze to the dock not far away—in the long dock that stretched along the coast, a total of six of the most advanced cargo magic mechanical ships floated smoothly on the surface of the sea like small mountains, and the hidden cargo compartments under the decks of four of them were now open, and under the operation of a series of mechanical devices, a huge amount of grain was transferred from the huge wagons on the dock to the cabin, and another loading and unloading team was busy beside the remaining two ships. Transfer a large number of sealed wooden crates to the stacking area on deck.

The drizzle was still blowing, but a thin layer of energy shields rose from the dock area, enveloping the entire loading and unloading area in a shield, and those shield generators glowed a pale blue glow at the top of the reinforced concrete protective wall, which would ensure good dry and windless conditions as long as they were in operation.

At another pier farther away from the cargo ship, the majestic mechanical battleship "Winter" watched the scene like a silent giant, with its lofty magic wings and imposing turrets standing proudly, and two smaller, fresh-decked frigates moored next to the main ship, and the replenishment operation was in full swing.

In this increasingly busy Beigang wharf, a large number of ships loading and unloading, supply operations almost around the clock, especially after the summer, the huge economic stimulus brought by the mainland route so that all businessmen who have a little ability to participate in this feast, the continuous operation of Beigang has become a real city that never sleeps, and the loading and unloading yard on the wharf is about to become accustomed to many people.

But the six cargo ships that are being loaded at this moment are extremely special, even special enough for the Grand Duke of the North and the Supreme Commander of the Imperial Navy to personally come and supervise them, for a simple reason: these ships will truly break the "barrier" that has blocked the mortals of Loren for hundreds of years, and they will carry a mission of great significance, one that can even be said to have laid the cornerstone of the Community Alliance—they will sail to Talrond.

This is a more challenging task than opening a circumcontinental route – they have to challenge the high sea after crossing the "Offshore Calm Line", a dangerous sea area that is traditionally "violent, disorderly, and unchallengeable".

"I can't believe that we are really going to challenge the ...... of the far sea," after a long silence, Duchess Victoria finally couldn't help but say, "And the first challenge is on such a large scale, and the target is the once legendary 'hometown of dragons'...... If someone had mentioned this kind of thing to me a few years back in time, I would definitely have released the 'mentally retarded identification technique' on him as soon as possible. ”

"And this spell?" Byron's train of thought was clearly not on the same plane as the Duchess, "What good can such a strange-sounding spell be?" ”

"Yes, and they are very useful spells," Duke Victoria glanced at the Admiral beside her, "It is necessary for the big family to identify the intellectual potential of the heir as early as possible to avoid wasting huge cultivation resources, this kind of spell is specially used to select the heirs of nobles under the age of six, in the old days, almost all large families above the earl level would use this method to review their heirs." ”

“…… Magic is a handy thing," Byron pouted, "but it doesn't sound like a sentimental thing. ”

"It is indeed ruthless, and this practice of concentrating all resources on at least a few elites and abandoning the vast majority of 'ordinary children' is contrary to His Majesty's concept of 'education without class' and 'talent reserve'," Victoria said with a blank face, "but you have to admit that there are times when this effective screening method still has its place." ”

Byron shrugged, quickly losing interest in the subject, and returned his attention to the upcoming voyage, and after a moment of thought, said: "Your Majesty attaches great importance to this voyage, not only as a demonstration of the strength of the alliance and the 'new order,' but also a test of the series of efforts we have made so far in the North Harbor. To be honest, I wasn't worried about the voyage itself, but I wasn't too worried about the North Harbor - it wasn't the same as our previous mission off the coast of Typhon, where communication between the entire fleet and the land would be cut off when we were far from land. ”

"You can trust me," said the Duchess in a deep voice, "there has never been a snowflake in this land that is beyond the control of the Wilder family. ”

Byron was silent for a moment and nodded lightly: "...... Then I'm relieved. ”

Then, he looked at the sea again, and on the weather-beaten face of this "mercenary knight", a look of seriousness and anticipation gradually emerged.

He knew that he was going to take on the riskiest challenge he would have faced in half his life—far more than when he led his companions to explore ancient ruins and monster lairs, and in the old days, his voyage would have been considered suicidal, but with the addition of Naga Technicians and Siren Navigators and the ocean-going technology they brought, it was now possible, and more importantly, they would be escorted by a group of dragons. What was once a suicidal voyage could now be a feat that will go down in history.

If the companions who used to venture together were still there...... Will they toast themselves to this epic adventure?

Thinking about it, Byron couldn't help but look forward to the distant Talrond.

……

In the lobby on the first floor of the "Far North Exploration and Pioneer Group Registration Office", which is nicknamed the "Adventurers' Guild" by business travelers, near the center of Beigang City, the windows that were once bustling are gradually deserted because the time is approaching evening.

The jingle bell rang suddenly, and the girl who was sitting drowsy behind the registration window suddenly woke up and looked in the direction of the gate with a surprised look.

An old man in a short black robe, a black soft hat on his head, and a white beard stood there, and after looking left and right in the hall for a moment, he strode towards it.

The short black robes were no longer very popular in this era, after all, even the old mages had the concept of pursuing fashion, and now various "modern gowns" lined with rune layers and magic threads are quickly replacing the gloomy and inconvenient mage robes of the past, with the same spell-casting support and modern beauty - but for the registrars who have been dealing with adventurers a lot lately, this old-looking outfit is actually not uncommon. Their usefulness and durability are tested, and adventurers are more accustomed to using the gear they're used to rather than risking their lives on "fashionables".

But adventurers of this age are not so common.

There was a trace of doubt in her heart, but the girl behind the registration window immediately became energetic, and showed a formulaic smile after the old mage approached: "Hello, how can I help you?" ”

"Sign up to be an adventurer on your way to Talrond," the old mage said, his attitude was very easy-going, not like those of the traditional mages who were also old, with a sense of arrogance that could not be faded away from the accumulation of a lifetime, "It's called the Far North Exploration and Pioneer Group, right?" ”

"You want to register as an ......" The girl was stunned for a moment, and her eyes under the short red hair couldn't help but sweep over the old mage twice, "Are you sure you want to register as an adventurer?" If you want to join a study tour as a scholar, you can go next door......"

"It's an adventurer, I'm not old and confused," the old mage waved his hand, and then glanced at the "Adventurer's Instructions" hanging next to the registration window with some suspicion, "What?" Questions? Could it be that you also set an upper age limit for registration? I can read the promotional materials carefully when I came, there should be no restrictions on them......"

"This ...... We do not have an upper age limit. The girl was a little stunned, and said subconsciously, and at the same time suddenly felt in her heart that this kind of rule that does not limit the upper age limit for registration seems to be a loophole - but then again, under normal circumstances, are there really adventurers who are already seventy or eighty and still run out to take on the mission?!

"It's easy to say if there is no limit," the old mage didn't know what the young girl was muttering in her heart, and with a happy look on his face, he put his hand in front of the window, "Give me a registration form, little girl." ”

"This ...... Okay," the girl nodded dizzily, reached out and took a blank form from the side, and began to explain as if with professional inertia, "Please fill in your age, place of birth, occupation, adventure time, and whether you have a team relationship here, sign your first and last name here, and finally trace this rune here to leave your mark......"

"Okay, okay, I know, this set is actually not much different from the previous adventurer's guild."

The old mage waved his hand impatiently without waiting for the girl to finish, picked up the form and glanced at it quickly, then took the pen in front of the window and prepared to fill it out, but soon he frowned, and muttered as the tip of the pen swiped across the paper: "Age here...... I can't remember, I don't remember where I was born, but the profession is fine, adventure time? Fill in the centuries line......"

The girl behind the window couldn't help but shake the corners of her mouth while listening to the old mage's muttering, and she couldn't help but start to suspect that the old man in front of her was not actually an adventurer who came to register, but ran out of the house because of Alzheimer's disease, and she was still seriously received just now - maybe it would be more appropriate to call security guards at this time?

"If you don't remember, then leave it empty," said the girl, thinking about calling the security guard, as she followed the old man's words, to take care of the other person's emotions and prevent the poor old man from getting excited, "You must know how to fill in the last name, right?" ”

The girl's idea was simple: if she had an accurate name, she might be able to help the old man find his family.

Hearing the registrar's words, the old mage frowned slightly, thought about it very seriously, and wrote while muttering: "I really can't remember the surname, although I am sure that I should have a surname, the first name...... Well, Modir, signed, is that okay? ”