"Costate..."

"I think I quite like animals like the moose?"

Sitting steadily on the back of the moose, Ronald spoke cheerfully of his fondness for this ride, reaching out to pat the moose's head in front of him.

Slurp—

This intelligent animal seemed to sense Ronald's friendliness, sticking out its tongue to lick his fingers just right.

In reality.

This was already the sixth day since the expedition team had left Waterfall City.

And they had thoroughly left the radiation range of the civilized world.

Looking around now, even if they gazed to the horizon, it was difficult to see any signs of human activity, only the vast land and the cold wind accompanying them.

"Sir, are you planning to keep such a moose as a pet?"

"Frankly, the weather in Kurpis is not suitable for this animal's long-term survival. If you insist—then we need to bring in a professional Caster to permanently alter Kurpis' natural environment to achieve your pet-keeping goal."

For Ronald's sentiment.

Costate, who sat straight behind him, also serving as a backrest, offered his precise and realistic opinion.

"I never said I wanted to keep it to such an extent!" Upon hearing the maid's suggestion, Ronald, who had a slight idea, immediately changed his mind, "I'm just a bit... I just like this animal a lot."

"It's like... how to say it? Just like some people like cats, like dogs, but once they actually start keeping them, when faced with various trivial troubles brought by pets, people immediately develop a sense of weariness."

Upon Ronald's explanation, Costate immediately misunderstood, even sounding a bit tense:

"Sir, you can rest assured with me!"

"My self-discipline can handle all the physiological challenges without adding any degree of trouble to your daily life!"

"..."

"That's not what I meant!"

Ronald and Costate whispered their conversation on the back of the rearmost moose.

And all of this.

Did not affect the expedition team members who were still on the road ahead.

That evening, after crossing a stream called the Elson River by Yavik, the group of seven set up camp on the spot when Giovanni noticed the atmosphere in the team seemed a bit low, so he stood up, pointed at the towering mountain ahead about to be engulfed in darkness, and said:

"Comrades, this is the giant we are going to conquer!"

"Although the distant age of geographical discoveries is long behind us, it is precisely because the world's map is now clearly imprinted in our minds that everyone better understands which places are challenging!"

"Look, this is the North Pole of the world, and it's right in front of us."

"This is a place every explorer wishes to challenge but no one has ever succeeded..."

At this point.

Giovanni's tone slightly softened.

Ronald, somewhat interested, seized the opportunity without hesitation to speak:

"Mr. Giovanni, I actually have a question too."

"Please go ahead."

Giovanni nodded with a smile at Ronald, his attitude very positive.

Only then did Ronald continue:

"The great changes in the world two months ago were witnessed by everyone. Now, the world we live in, even the sun above us no longer moves along its original trajectory, and some obvious changes have already penetrated every aspect of life."

"So in this situation, what kind of view does the special group of explorers have on the current world?"

The question Ronald posed at this moment was very realistic.

Based on his experience traveling to Waterfall City with Laleye, due to the world's partitioning, a journey that used to take only a few days in a straight line suddenly changed to needing to transfer to North Quik and took more time to reach.

For explorers, this situation is even more exaggerated.

This could very well mean that many places which originally required risking life to explore suddenly became accessible to most people; or that some places that people could visit anytime are now suddenly cut off by an impassable chasm, making entry impossible for the time being.

Ronald could guess some things that might happen to people because of this.

But he was still very curious—

For these ordinary people who have courage, what specific changes did this bring?

"This, ah..."

Hearing Ronald's inquiry, Giovanni's expression indeed changed instantly.

To them, this was a massive change with unlimited impact.

Even a friend Giovanni once knew gave up his job due to geographical changes, returning to his hometown to run a small shop.

Over the past month, whenever Giovanni thought of the news his friend mentioned in letters.

He couldn't help but feel emotional.

However, Giovanni didn't lose heart because of this; he quickly adjusted his mood and gave Ronald a big thumbs up:

"Ronald, you've actually asked a very good question!"

"The world has undergone such enormous changes now, with new phenomena emerging daily that refresh people's understanding of the world, displayed in newspapers for everyone to see."

"Indeed, some of my colleagues have chosen to give up this interesting but dangerous job."

"But..."

At this point, Giovanni's tone paused.

He adjusted himself, then continued with an immensely firm attitude:

"But for those with courage in their hearts, the pursuit of the unknown never stops! Even if some choose to give up, explorers still eager to uncover the world's true face will keep emerging endlessly!"

"This is a feeling nurtured in every person's heart."

"Even if one day, humans have set foot in every corner of the land beneath us, this innate feeling will still wait for the next opportunity to erupt!"

Saying this, Giovanni clenched his fist.

He said no more, instead turning to gaze at the mountain to the north.

By now, night had fully descended.

The towering mountain, which should have dimmed, was instead lit up by the starry sky, reclaiming its original appearance with a unique beauty illuminated by starlight, like a granite slab standing on the vast plain reflected by the starry sky.

Staring at the scene before him.

Giovanni's fingers gestured slightly, as if seeing through this scene to the colder and more distant North Pole:

"Here, right here."

"The end of the world... our goal..."

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