Chapter 451: Return to the North

Because she was only five, Anna's fingers still retained a faint scent of Westden lavender.

By this point, Anna's identity was almost certainly confirmed.

One coincidence might be accidental, but when so many details align, it must be inevitable.

And in the final account of the contemporary Westden royal family, it clearly stated that the current queen had given birth to two daughters and one son, one after the other.

After hearing Gao De's words, Elsa fell into a long silence, as if unsure how to react.

Clap! Clap! Clap!

Sharp, sudden applause broke out.

Anna's tiny palms clapped vigorously; her big eyes blinked with admiration and excitement, "Brother is so smart!"

Elsa glanced down at the carefree Anna and felt a weary urge to pinch her brow.

Anna seemed to sense Elsa's thoughts, looked up, and comforted her sister, "Sister, Brother won't hurt us."

Though young, she knew she must not reveal her identity; yet she wasn't alarmed now that it had been exposed, because she knew Gao De meant them no harm—this was the instinct unique to children.

"And why do you dare claim I have no definite destination?" Elsa took a deep breath and spoke again.

But her posture clearly told Gao De he was right.

"Because you haven't even prepared funds for the most critical part—buying a ship—so it's unlikely you've properly arranged anything else." Gao De explained calmly.

"Some unexpected circumstances arose," Elsa tried to explain, opened her mouth, then realized this excuse sounded stubborn, and fell silent.

"Though the Harland two-masted sailboat is considered a small vessel, it is among the largest and most expensive of its kind. You lack sufficient funds, yet insist on purchasing a Harland two-masted sailboat instead of settling for something smaller—this proves the two-masted sailboat is precisely what meets your needs; anything smaller won't do."

Gao De continued: "What is the greatest difference between the Harland two-masted sailboat and other small vessels? It is ocean-crossing capability. The two-masted sailboat is a small vessel with relatively stable ocean-crossing ability."

"Princess Elsa, you intend to cross the ocean using a Harland two-masted sailboat and reach another continent."

"The Central Continent lies in the opposite direction and can be ruled out. Your target must be to sail from Lagos Port, head south along the Sword Sea, cross the Radiant Sea, and enter Terra Continent."

"Westden Kingdom's power is utterly insufficient to establish a fixed foothold on another continent."

"Therefore, you only have Terra Continent as a general destination, with no concrete plan for where to settle once you arrive."

"Terra Continent is an endless desert, and the Holy Empire's legions are advancing inland from its coastline, fully mobilized. Taking Anna there would be unsafe."

"That's none of your concern," Elsa smiled bitterly; though she gave no direct reply, her posture made it clear Gao De had hit every mark.

"If so, why not choose another place?" Gao De paid no mind to Elsa's harsh tone; he ruffled Anna's hair and offered his suggestion.

"You're willing to risk so much just to sail to Terra Continent, which means the Oufu Kingdom is determined to capture you both. Even if you evade Oufu Kingdom's pursuit by going to Terra Continent, there are still countless dangers—it's a completely unfamiliar land."

"You alone might manage, but you're carrying Anna."

"Noah Continent is vast, but where is there a place for us?" Elsa fell silent for a moment, then spoke slowly.

"Why not?" Gao De replied calmly. "Isn't there still one option?"

"Hm?"

"The North," Gao De laid his cards on the table outright. "Why not go to the North? The voyage is far shorter than heading to Terra Continent, yet the outcome is nearly identical."

Though the North lies on Noah Continent, its isolation makes it practically another continent.

"What's in the North? Only endless snowfields. If we go there, Anna and I will have to survive like savages."

"Clean water, sufficient food, warm shelter—none of these exist in the North. And the Eis people there are xenophobic. It's better to go to Terra Continent; at least there, money can solve most problems." Upon hearing Gao De's suggestion, Elsa's first reaction was disbelief; she shook her head vigorously.

"If all these problems could be solved, would you still insist on going to Terra Continent, or choose the North instead?" Gao De asked.

"Perhaps… the North?" Elsa thought carefully, uncertain.

"Then that's settled," Gao De smiled, satisfied. "Let's go to the North."

"What do you mean?" Elsa was confused.

"I have some connections in the North," Gao De considered, using a cautious phrasing. "Once you arrive, I'll arrange everything for you—shelter, food, water. Don't worry about xenophobia; people there respect me. They won't disrespect my guests."

"You have connections in the North?" This time Elsa was utterly stunned, even doubting whether she'd heard correctly.

What an unusual thing to say.

"If you don't believe me, can you use 【Realm of Honesty】? I'll cooperate with your verification." Gao De noticed Elsa's hesitation and spoke openly.

"I don't possess 【Realm of Honesty】," Elsa shook her head, then asked, "Why are you helping us?"

"We've never met before."

"Because of Anna," Gao De answered honestly.

"Because of Anna?" Elsa instinctively pulled Anna closer, eyeing Gao De suspiciously.

"Anna is a genius," Gao De said, exasperated by Elsa's reaction. "I want her to study runes with me."

"Anna is a genius?!" Elsa's eyes widened further.

Elsa's reaction made Gao De pause. After a moment, he asked, "You never noticed Anna's talent before?"

"She is indeed clever," Elsa carefully chose her words, a hint of confusion in her gaze. "But in learning, she's never shown anything outstanding."

"You mean she has talent in rune studies? But—"

Elsa thought again and confirmed: "I'm not even a mage myself. I've never studied rune studies."

"Hm?" Gao De frowned, staring at Anna, who sat quietly. After a long pause, he said slowly, "If Anna never studied runes, how did she memorize those symbols?"

"When I went to play with the big toys, they kept drawing them nearby. I watched enough and remembered," Anna said plainly.

"Have you never told your sister or your parents about this?"

Anna stuck out her tongue, blushing and blinking shyly. "If I told them, they'd make me study like Sister."

Gao De turned to Elsa.

"I learn quickly, so Father started assigning me many teachers and lessons from age four," Elsa replied, expressionless.

Not only a big genius, but a little one too—Gao De couldn't help smiling.

"And," Anna said honestly, "they all say I have no talent, and I'm far worse than Sister."

"?"

"Anna's mage talent is average. With royal resources, she's only just become a First-Class Mage Apprentice," Elsa explained, answering Gao De's puzzled look.

After all, this world is ultimately a mage's world. Mage ability is the most fundamental measure of talent.

Moreover, rune studies is one of the most rigidly hierarchical disciplines: a First-Rank Rune Master must be a First-Circle Mage—no exceptions.

Under such conditions, with average mage talent, Anna's future achievements in rune studies would be extremely limited.

From this perspective, saying Anna has average talent isn't wrong.

"What a waste!" Gao De exclaimed.

Still, he understood this judgment was logical and grounded in reality.

Within the current rune studies system, mage talent is an unavoidable threshold for rune masters.

If your mage talent is average, you can't become a high-level mage; if you can't become a high-level mage, you can't become a high-level rune master.

But Anna's most extraordinary talent in rune studies is calculation—her innate, unmatched sensitivity to runes and numbers.

This talent is currently too advanced to be useful.

Fortunately, Anna met him before it was too late.

"Are you serious?" Elsa was skeptical.

Gao De nodded. "None of you realized how extraordinary Anna's talent is."

"So you must go to the North," he said solemnly. "Because I'm the only one who can fully unlock Anna's potential in rune studies."

When Gao De finished, the room fell into long silence.

Elsa was deep in thought, struggling internally.

Honestly, she couldn't fully believe Gao De's claims about "connections in the North" or "Anna's extraordinary talent"—she suspected more than believed.

After all, to her, Gao De was a stranger.

But the problem was: if the latter were true, and she rejected his offer to take Anna to Terra Continent, wouldn't she be wasting Anna's extraordinary talent?

Even a slight possibility was enough for Elsa to refuse to jeopardize Anna's future.

Anna was her only remaining family—her little sister.

That single fact made Elsa waver, slowly tilting toward Gao De's proposal.

Gao De noticed Elsa's hesitation.

"Perhaps you should ask Anna's opinion. Though she's only five, such a vital decision deserves her voice, doesn't it?"

Elsa froze.

She looked down at Anna. "Anna, what do you think?"

"I trust Brother."

Elsa blinked. "You mean—"

"I trust Brother. I think going to the North is better!"

"Alright, I understand," Elsa closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"I accept your proposal," she opened her eyes again; the confusion was gone, replaced by resolve. She looked at Gao De. "How exactly do we get to the North?"

Gao De had already prepared. He took a parchment from his robe, spread it on the bed, leaned forward, and pointed with his right hand.

"This is the coastline of the Jin Quehua Dynasty and the North's coastline. You depart from Lagos Port."

Gao De pointed to the mark representing Lagos Port, his finger moving slowly and steadily. "After leaving Jianwan, sail north along the Sword Sea."

"After crossing the Ewenlaya Mountains," Gao De's finger paused briefly over the line marking the mountains, then continued forward, "keep sailing north along the coastline. Honestly, I don't know the exact length or conditions of this stretch—you'll need to chart it yourself and help me complete the coastline's outline."

"Until you see a bay like this—it's called Walar Bay," Gao De's finger pressed firmly on the area marked Walar Bay. "It's an extremely deep bay. If you sail along the coast, you won't miss it."

"Land at Walar Bay. Someone will meet you there."

"The ship will be provided by me."

"Is that acceptable?" Gao De asked.

"Alright." Having made her decision, Aisha no longer hesitated; she nodded, rolled up the parchment, and put it away.

"But I must take Anna with me first—she's too dangerous here. The Oufoga people tracked us to Lagos City, which means Kais the mage is already dead. The trackers are strong—at least third-circle mages."

She stood up, pulled up her hood, and added, "If you need to find us, go to the Hainong Orphanage in the city—that's where I'm staying now."

"No problem."

"Goodbye, brother!"

After seeing Aisha and Anna off, the room fell silent once more.

Despite the setbacks, things had gone smoothly enough, Gao De thought to himself.

The most important thing now was to raise the funds needed to purchase the Harland Shipyard.

He knew well that delays invite disaster; the Oufoga people were already searching Lagos City for Aisha. Even though he had secured the shipyard, no one could say what might happen if he waited longer.

Every additional day increased the danger—he had to act quickly.

Gao De immediately rose, gathering all the luggage he had prepared in advance.

After confirming nothing was left behind, he extended his right hand.

"Astral Transit," Gao De silently intoned in his mind.

The next instant, the back of his hand blazed with light.

The glow shifted from dim to brilliant, spreading rapidly into a complex, arcane silver rune—its lines twisted and fluid, brimming with infinite mystery.

Dreamlike, multicolored radiance poured forth like liquid mercury from the silver rune.

Gao De gazed quietly at this strange spectacle.

After roughly ten seconds,

the multicolored radiance ceased flowing from the silver rune.

Before Gao De appeared a portal, woven from countless tiny specks of light.

Within the portal, shifting lights and images flickered endlessly, as if connecting to another mysterious world.

This was the Astral Transit portal back to the Northern Lands.

Gao De took a deep breath and stepped into it.

(End of Chapter)