The moist sea breeze penetrated Lin Lan's nostrils, and he blinked, realizing he was still standing on the shore of Seagull Town.
The sky had cleared.
Bright sunlight dispelled the clouds, transforming the gray sea surface into a shimmering vista.
Most importantly, this space had completely stabilized; the traces of 'collapse' had vanished, those alarming cracks seemed to have all sunk into past dreams.
[Dungeon settlement in progress...]
[Item Acquired: Historian's Notes Fragment (Gold)]
[Please note, the plot Dungeon Card 'Historian's Destiny' has been locked and cannot be explored again]
A system prompt rang in his ears, and Lin Lan instinctively glanced at the Dungeon Card displayed on the panel.
The originally blank card surface was now etched with crisscrossing overlapping cracks, and in the gaps of those dark cracks, remnants of 'Loya Star' could still be vaguely seen.
As for what he gained from this journey...
He opened his palm and found that the gift the old man gave him had changed — it was not a page but a scale.
A sparkling red Dragon Scale.
[Identifying the item you've picked up!]
[Item: Historian's Notes Fragment]
[Quality: Gold]
[Function: Bears a century of real history, preventing reality from collapsing into nothingness during that period]
[Description: People often see Giant Dragons as symbols of disaster, for whenever they appear, the apocalypse follows]
Lin Lan remained lost in thought for a long time.
In this card that leads to the past, he saw the choice of the Elf, witnessed the fate of the Giant Dragon, understood the duties they bore until the very moment civilization stepped into its collapse.
He might have uncovered an extremely frightening secret!
—The history of this world is not merely simple records but plays a crucial supporting role for civilization!
If history goes wrong, the reality related to it loses support and collapses downward, which is the essential reason for the Celestial Calamity 'reality collapse'.
My goodness! What a bizarre idealistic worldview!
Lin Lan's mouth twitched, soon realizing the difference between the past and the present.
He carefully sorted through the information he had gathered in his mind.
Firstly, in the past depicted by dreams, reality needed the support of history, and history required 'historians' to bear it. But history itself also had weight, accumulating on the historian's shoulders, becoming increasingly heavier with time, ultimately crushing the chronicler and leading to civilization's destruction in its collapse.
Simply put, the longer a civilization's lifespan, the shorter its duration.
And in today's era, according to the merchant Charles, the Celestial Calamity only occurs in the ocean and absolutely will not affect the land...
What exactly happened during this time?
Could the Elves have truly found a way to stabilize reality without needing historians?
Lin Lan slightly shook his head; the information he currently possessed was still too little to make an accurate judgment.
He glanced at the sea surface, and the figure of the red-robed historian involuntarily appeared in his mind.
The one bearing the duty of 'historical record keeper' turned out to be a mythical creature...
Lin Lan didn't even know the name of the Giant Dragon in the dungeon, only recalling his cunning smile and his dying request...
—Do not abandon them, do not abandon the future, do not abandon hope.
Me?
"Lord Roland!"
Just then, a servant's shout interrupted Lin Lan's thoughts. He turned back and saw a young man named Jay running toward him.
Jay was extremely frightened at this moment, but his loyalty ultimately overcame his reason.
How could he, as an attendant, allow Lord to venture into danger alone!
Clenching his teeth and gripping the iron sword tightly, he charged ahead first, disregarding the astonished looks of other attendants.
Jay tried not to recall the black monsters he had seen, and as he ran, he felt the unease lingering in his heart gradually fade away...
In his perspective, Lord Roland simply walked to the edge of the sea, slightly raised his hand, and the sun like a knight heeded the command, broke through the gray clouds, illuminating the entire sea surface.
The golden sunlight coated Lord Roland's body, under that noble and sacred radiance, the black monsters had already fled in panic.
This is the Lion Heart aristocracy...
Jay's steps gradually slowed; he wandered to Lord Roland's side, his mind blank, not even daring to look up at his face.
At this moment, he heard a gentle voice.
"Commendable courage."
Lin Lan discreetly tucked the scale into his pocket, patted the young attendant's shoulder, and said kindly: "The shore is already safe, call everyone else over."
"Yes!"
The attendant at once straightened up and then started running back with heavy breaths...
Looking at the figure's back, Lin Lan felt slightly relieved. Although most of the attendants under the original owner were useless, there were still some who could be nurtured.
The sea breeze gradually softened; Lin Lan turned back to look at Charles' flagship.
It is said that Alliance people are born with a reverence for freedom, adventure, and romance. This ship naturally reflects the southern style, with its beautifully curved hull, flashy colors, and expensive-looking details...
The next moment, Lin Lan's gaze sharpened.
He saw a female statue carved at the ship's bow, her long hair draped over her shoulders, wearing a jeweled garland, with her hands stretched forward, and a pair of pointed ears exceptionally eye-catching.
Pointed ears...
Could the statue's prototype be the elf?
Lin Lan wasn't sure about the time gap between the dream world and the real world, but it seemed as if the Pioneers indeed continued on.
Yet, he sensed a trace of anomaly.
Having personally seen the magnificent scenery of Loya Star, if the elves indeed continued on, why was today's world still in such a backward state?
As he thought, the sound of brisk hoof beats approached from a distance.
Soon, the trembling attendants reluctantly arrived at the seaside, their hearts full of dread, but no one dared to defy the lord's orders.
Then, Lin Lan saw Charles cautiously poke his head out of the carriage, only to grip the handrail tightly with his hands, carefully dragging his toes across the ground, looking as ridiculous as could be.
Until he noticed the lord staring at him expressionlessly, Charles hardened his heart and stepped off the carriage.
Upon grounding, his face finally showed a relaxed expression.
"Incredible, the space is truly stabilized…"
Charles carefully sensed the surroundings, feeling increasingly bewildered and shocked: "Lord Roland, what... what exactly did you do?"
"Do I need to explain it to you?"
Lin Lan maintained his cool and aloof lord persona with an indifferent expression.
"Of course not! Of course not!"
Charles nodded repeatedly, at this moment, he didn't even have the courage to meet the side face of the person. He realized how deeply that figure facing the celestial calamity was carved into the depths of his mind.
Charles suddenly sensed a certain crisis.
He had observed beforehand that this young lord's attendants were a motley group, utterly unable to defeat the stout sailors high-priced by the merchant team, which was why he dared to approach directly for talks.
But now, his sailors suffered heavy casualties, most were scared out of their wits; the mysterious force displayed by the other side unnerved everyone's hearts.
In this unfamiliar land, the White Sail Merchant Team seemed to already be a defenseless fat sheep...
Charles' face turned a little pale.
Lin Lan naturally noticed the odd expression on his face.
"Relax, Charles."
He took a step forward to pat the other's stiff shoulder: "I won't seize your cargo."
"Our previous promise remains valid."
The young lord showed a sincere smile: "I will help you repair your ship and look forward to our next meeting."
Looking at that handsome face, Charles felt mixed emotions in his heart for a moment.
"Honestly, you are the most unique Lion Heart nobleman I've met, Lord Roland…"
At this moment, he finally dropped his pretense and smiled bitterly: "Beneath your youthful appearance hides a mature heart."
"I'll take that as a compliment, then."
Lin Lan responded casually, his expression growing solemn: "But I must remind you about one thing, Charles."
"I haven't solved the celestial calamity 'reality collapse', I merely delayed its steps temporarily."
Lin Lan pointed to the battered flagship: "If you continue carrying that special cargo, the calamity will still haunt you."
It was a lie.
Lin Lan knew the calamity wasn't chasing Charles. The true cause of such an unreasonable phenomenon as the 'shore calamity' was himself, holder of the 'Apocalypse Card Album'.
If Charles fell into other places, afraid this old fellow might really manage to repair the ship and smoothly deliver the cargo to the Royal City using the so-called 'witch's magic' afterward.
Ha-ha-ha, who would've guessed you'd fall into my hands...
As the bad news hit, Charles' face changed colors, clearly, he was really unwilling for his painstaking efforts to come to naught.
Seeing the opportunity, Lin Lan decisively proposed his idea.
"I have a suggestion, Charles."
Lin Lan smiled: "Since you temporarily cannot transport that cargo, why not leave it at my territory for safekeeping, how about it?"
"Safekeeping?" Charles paused.
"Exactly, I can take the risk of being watched by the calamity to help you keep it."
Lin Lan's tone was sincere: "Until you find a way to transport it again."
What did Charles say earlier about that cargo being a magical furnace capable of absorbing magic power to forge steel materials at will?
I must give it a try.