Translator: Cinder Translations
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"From another direction... what does that mean?"
Nathan and Edward both noticed the peculiar phrasing of the boy, Roskin.
"Unbelievable, is the world really like this?" Old Ode squinted his eyes and took a puff from his pipe.
He chuckled and said to the boy, "Haha, Roskin, why don't you explain it to our guests?"
Roskin' face was full of excitement, and his previous fear of Nathan and the others seemed to have completely disappeared.
"It's the Western Expeditionary Team! Do you know why they're called the Western Expeditionary Team? Because when they set out, they sailed westward into the deep sea!"
Oh, so it's a fleet, Nathan and Edward both thought to themselves.
Wait, sailing into the deep western sea?
Edward was confused: "Did they set off from the Northwest Bay and sail straight west?"
"Yes, yes!" Roskin answered immediately.
"But there's nothing but sea to the west!"
As a former pirate captain of the Northwest Bay, Edward knew very well what lay beyond a few scattered islands—the vast, endless ocean.
Nathan beside him also looked puzzled.
Roskin, a little anxious, continued, "Yes! Just the endless sea, but they came back from another direction! Uh... that's what the people are saying, it must be from the sailors themselves."
"Another direction?" Nathan asked, "You mean, they came back from the east?"
"Exactly!"
"How is that possible?" Nathan scoffed. "Oh, I see, they must've first gone south, then east, making a huge detour, then returned along the coastline of the continent."
"It was a big detour, but not the kind you're imagining, sir!"
Roskin suddenly raised his voice. "Cough, cough!" He cleared his throat.
"Their return means one thing—the world beneath our feet is round! They circled this sphere, and that's why they came back to the Northwest Bay from the east."
As Roskin spoke, he gestured with his hands, as though afraid the guests wouldn't understand.
Nathan paused for a moment, then suddenly burst out laughing.
"Hahaha! Hahaha!"
He laughed so hard he could barely catch his breath.
"You... what are you laughing at?"
Roskin frowned and glared at Nathan, looking displeased.
Nathan steadied himself by placing his hand on Edward's shoulder.
"Edward, listen to this! Does this silly kid know what he's talking about? He says... hahaha... he actually says the world beneath our feet is round... uh, what's wrong with you?"
Nathan stopped laughing because he saw that Edward's face was serious. "I was just saying..." Nathan still had a smile on his face, "You're not actually taking this fool's words seriously, are you?"
Hearing Nathan call him a fool made Roskin even angrier, puffing out his cheeks.
"Well... Nathan," Edward looked at his companion, "This kid... ah, your name's Roskin, right? What Roskin is saying might actually be true."
"What?" Nathan wiped the smile off his face, replaced by confusion, and waved his hand in front of Edward's face. "I don't remember you drinking today!"
"I'm serious." Edward said seriously. "You know, I've spent most of my life at sea, and I've always had a question—why is it that when ships come from afar, they first show the mast and then the hull? If the sea was flat, that shouldn't happen."
He shrugged. "But if the world—and the sea—is round, or a sphere, that would explain it."
"Ridiculous!" Hearing his companion say the same thing, Nathan became serious too and rebutted seriously, "Maybe it's just the waves that block the view!"
Edward shook his head. "But that's not the case when the sea is calm, without any ripples!"
Nathan furrowed his brow. "I've heard of the so-called round Earth theory, but I can disprove it with just one question—if the Earth really is spherical, wouldn't people standing on the other side fall into the sky? This so-called Western Expeditionary Team, since they made a detour, they must have gone to the other side, right? So why didn't this fleet fall off?"
"This..." Edward paused, unable to refute. In the end, all he could say was, "It must be the power of the Lord of Light at work?"
"Pfft!" Nathan scoffed at the idea of divine power explaining it.
"I think," he continued, "this so-called expeditionary team is just a group of name-seeking frauds, trying to make a big spectacle to leave their mark in history."
"Impossible!" Roskin shouted. "They were sent by Lord Grayman to explore the world! They can't be frauds!"
"Grayman? Haha, is he the lord of this place?" Nathan laughed. "If he believes the Earth is round, he's either the leader of these frauds or a fool."
"You..."
Roskin glared at him, about to argue with Nathan.
"Enough!" Old Ode patted Roskin on the shoulder, stopping him from continuing the argument with the guests.
The old man remained calm and said, "If the Western Expeditionary Team lied, it will be exposed. Once the news spreads, many adventurers will try to repeat their feat and see if they succeed. Not everyone will protect the lie once they return, right?"
Nathan glanced at Roskin, who was still glaring at him, and smiled, "Then let's wait and see!"
After confirming that Old Ode and the others were still unwilling to join the Arcane Order, Nathan and Edward said their farewells.
When they reached the street, nearly everyone was talking about the return of the Western Expeditionary Team, and many people were rushing towards the docks to welcome the great explorers.
"Tsk tsk tsk!" Nathan looked at the excited crowd and shook his head, sighing repeatedly. "Look at this, Edward. The common people are so foolish. A ridiculous lie like this can make them believe, they... need to be educated, to be enlightened by a more advanced and powerful force. Honestly, I've suddenly developed a sense of mission—could this be why fate made me a spellcaster?"
"While I agree with you," Edward said with an unhappy expression, "I'm still half skeptical about the round Earth theory. When will you fix that arrogant attitude of yours?"
"Haha!" Nathan laughed. "I meant no offense, really."
(End of the Chapter)
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