The holographic projection displayed the last twenty navigation routes of the fleet dispatched by the guild. These routes looked like tangled lines sprawling across the Sea of Miracles, appearing as nothing more than random voyages circling the sea.
However, the situation changed completely in the area specifically marked by Ada. No matter how chaotic or twisted the routes appeared, once the fleet reached this region, it always entered the same area with precision.
"Betty mentioned before that after their cadets arrive at the Sea of Miracles, they must go to this area to complete the assessment. In other words, the so-called destination is here."
It was no coincidence that the guild's fleet frequently traveled to this sea area.
"Is the guild still in contact with the Empire?"
No one could be certain. Although the intelligence Ada uncovered showed that the guild had not been in touch with the Empire for a long time, it was possible they had been searching for something.
For example, the legacy the Empire left behind in this world.
"If this place is actually a training ground, a facility... then is the guild looking for the control room?"
Hill's words made a lot of sense. Everyone had overlooked this possibility. Ethan had been treating this place as a world, and his perspective had not yet shifted, so he missed this point.
Logan and the others were in the same situation, while Mordred hadn't considered it at all. Their worldviews hadn't changed much either.
Ada might have thought of it, but she didn't say anything. If Hill hadn't mentioned it, she would have brought it up herself.
"If anyone in this world knows the truth, it must be the guild. After losing contact with the Empire for so long, it's not surprising they would covet control of this place."
With that, things became clearer.
The Empire seemed to have abandoned this training ground without explanation. Perhaps some urgent event occurred, leaving Betty, who sent a distress signal, waiting for rescue that never came.
"Judging from the information we have now, this situation is clearly in our favor."
If the Empire had abandoned this place, then Ethan's actions would not be restrained by them. The guild alone posed no real threat to their group.
The meeting ended there. Ethan then had Ada talk to Betty for a while, revealing some of the information they had collected.
As Ethan expected, when he went out to the deck under the pretense of getting some air, Betty came to find him.
Her expression was awkward. Although she was still young and inexperienced, she was not a fool.
On the contrary, being admitted into the Imperial Military Academy was proof of her excellence, since not just anyone could enter that academy.
After Ada revealed a little information to her, she realized she had unknowingly revealed much more to the so-called locals on the ship. They had pieced together what she leaked, summarizing and analyzing it until they uncovered even more intelligence about the guild.
From this perspective, Betty was still only at the level of a cadet and not yet a true military professional.
Once she realized this, she understood that hiding the truth was pointless. Since these people had saved her and treated her kindly, she finally decided to tell Ethan everything she knew.
"You made the right choice."
"I don't know if it's right or not, but I feel more at ease this way."
She had been struggling over whether to speak or not. Now that she had decided, the weight in her heart lifted.
"Before we set out, some senior students gave us advice: in moments of crisis, we could rely on help from 'locals' to get out of danger, and even use their strength to complete the assessment."
Betty paused, then clarified, "I didn't want to use you. I only wanted you to take me to the island. After that, I planned to get a boat myself and head to the destination."
Ethan nodded. He had already guessed this, and he also suspected that the final outcome for any locals who helped cadets was grim.
Betty's next words confirmed this. Even if some locals showed noble character, they never received kindness or gratitude, nor were they granted freedom as promised. Instead, they were purged without hesitation.
To the managers of the training ground, these locals were tools. If a tool discovered things it should not or tried to break free, destruction was its only fate.
From Betty's words, it was clear that many cadets over the years had used locals in similar ways. Unlike them, Betty's conscience had made her struggle. She had repeatedly mentioned to Ada that she would leave and go on alone, subtly hinting that they should not take her all the way to the destination. This revealed her kind nature.
"These are no longer the issues... The real problem is that your country seems to have abandoned this training ground. That is why your distress signal has gone unanswered for more than eight hundred years, during which this place slowly developed its own technology."
Ethan pointed to a ship in the distance, a vessel somewhere between an ironclad and a sailing ship. It likely belonged to a weak adventurer in this sea area.
With his sharp vision, he saw that the ship was not entirely metal and still relied on sails, which meant the owner could not afford a pure magic stone propulsion system. It also implied the absence of a core-grade magic stone as a permanent power source.
Back when they were near Miracle Island, Ethan had seen many ships like these. Most looked like hybrids between the age of sail and the early ironclad era. Occasionally, there were warships resembling pre-dreadnought designs, belonging to stronger adventurers.
In comparison, the Prinz Eugen was a colossal behemoth. Even without knowing its firepower or defenses, its massive size alone deterred others. To power such a huge steel battleship required a powerful magic core, which also meant devastating firepower.
In this sea, that was common sense.
Ethan had kept the Prinz Eugen's radar scanning to avoid detection. Apart from using stealth frequently near Miracle Island, they now simply changed course to avoid adventurers.
After sailing further, Ethan and the others prepared to head into the outer waters of the Ring Sea. He believed this area was less frequented and would give him a chance to observe the world's edge.
Betty also glanced at the distant ship. During this time, she had seen many vessels. Even without boarding them, she could tell the Prinz Eugen was from a completely different era.
The Prinz Eugen was at least a hundred years more advanced. It would take several technological revolutions for the locals to catch up. If they had gone from sailing ships to ironclad-level ships in eight hundred years, they might need another eight hundred to build a warship like this.
This left Betty curious. Why was Ethan's group so different? Were they scouts from another advanced civilization?
With such doubts, she and Ethan casually discussed the Empire and the training ground. Ethan learned that the Empire spanned vast territories, with similar training grounds scattered throughout. While some were indeed abandoned, it was rare for one to be left behind so suddenly and carelessly.
According to Betty, such training grounds held advanced technology. Even if abandoned, the Empire would normally remove or destroy those technologies, not simply leave them behind.
This led to a simple conclusion: something had happened to the Empire.
That was good news for Ethan. If something had indeed occurred, no one would be monitoring them.
Ethan was pleased, but Betty felt uneasy.
Her future was uncertain. What would happen if she reached the destination only to find no teachers, no examiners, nothing?
"Don't worry. I can send you back then."
Betty gave him a forced smile, taking his words as mere comfort.
"Even if your technology far surpasses what's here, interstellar travel... is not that simple."
She had wanted to explain the countless difficulties of interstellar travel, but in the end, she could only summarize it in that one sentence. She wasn't sure he would understand if she said too much.
Unless Ethan truly was a scout from another civilization, here to investigate and collect intelligence about the Empire.
If that were the case, then he would surely possess interstellar capabilities. But then, would she become a guide for these invaders? A traitor to the Empire?
(To be continued.)
***
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