I Forged the Myth of the Ancient Overlords
Chapter 811 - 811 810. Windless Belt

Chapter 811: 810. Windless Belt Chapter 811: 810. Windless Belt Spread out on a slightly moldy desktop was a map made from the leather of an unknown animal.

The parchment, in a dull yellow, outlined the shape of several islands in a small sea area, marking one of them. Besides that, there were small specks resembling dirt in a corner of the map, which upon closer examination appeared to form a constellation-like pattern.

Moreover, there were drawings of animals, seemingly marking dangers.

At first glance, it was identified as a treasure map.

In this era, sailing didn’t have the convenience of satellite navigation, and most of the time, not a single island was visible in the vast, endless ocean, so everyone relied on the stars for positioning.

Compared to islands and reefs that might deviate due to weather conditions, the stars were age-old and constant, the eternal map.

When the ship reached the correct location, the stars in the sky would appear in the arrangement shown on the map, making this method quite practical.

“According to this map, we still have about a week’s sail to the location of the treasure, and that part of the sea is off the main shipping routes, rarely traversed by other ships,”

said the navigator, checking his own sea charts.

Much of the vast ocean remained unexplored by humans, as ocean currents and monsoons influenced the mostly fixed shipping routes, developed through the blood and tears of lessons learned by predecessors. Beyond these routes, the waters were either rocky or had unstable currents, and possibly even sea monsters, which regular ships wouldn’t dare touch.

On Earth, during the age of maritime discoveries, ships also mostly sailed along the edges of continents, rarely crossing the oceans directly, and those who dared were recorded by history as great continental explorers.

These unknown waters had also become havens for pirates, many of whom would set up their lairs and bases off the beaten paths, navigable only by the pirates themselves. That’s why people like Captain Zhang Zheng would be inclined to seek out treasure.

“However, that area is the Windless Belt, very dangerous,”

This is where He Dao differed from Earth.

On Earth, the doldrums typically refer to the areas around the Equator and at about 30 degrees north and south latitude, where the geographic conditions create zones of calm winds—though they are not entirely windless most of the time.

On He Dao, however, the Windless Belt consisted of patches of areas.

Some were only as big as a city, while others were vast expanses. Within these areas, there wasn’t even a breeze, the air was absolutely still, and wind-powered ships that mistakenly entered these zones would lose propulsion and eventually meet their demise at sea.

Therefore, official sea charts would mostly mark the positions of the Windless Belts, directing ships to navigate around them to avoid accidental entry.

This particular treasure map marked a location deep within a vast Windless Belt, an area that was even considered the known sea’s very edge. Beyond it, not even the bravest adventurers had ventured.

Or rather, the adventurers who dared to enter this patch of the Windless Belt had all vanished without a trace, presumed dead.

“I knew it, there must be treasure in the Windless Belt!”

Zhang Zheng was not disheartened; instead, he became more excited.

“Ah Xiang, I told you there was treasure in the Windless Belt, and you didn’t believe me. Look at this treasure map!”

He spoke to his friend who had arrived late, still distracted by thoughts of the Barnacle Crab, and gave him a vigorous pat on the shoulder.

“But your treasure map is not at all like this one…”

Ah Xiang retorted.

“What’s different?”

Zhang Zheng pulled out the other treasure map from his chest and compared the two.

His version looked like the scribblings of a child, with neither the star markings nor the shipping route signs.

While the two treasure maps could not be said to be exactly alike, they were indeed very different.

“It looks quite similar!”

Zhang Zheng still insisted.

“This is something I spent a lot of money on from an information broker. How could it not be?”

“Listen, Zhang Zheng, even if this treasure map is real, why is it still here for us to find?”

Ah Xiang analyzed further.

“This might be a trap; that sea area is too deep for ordinary ships to venture into.”

“But doesn’t that mean that the treasure hasn’t been found yet?”

Zhang Zheng countered.

“If the treasure had been taken, the treasure map would surely have been destroyed!”

“Uh, this…”

Ah Xiang was at a loss for words.

“You do have a point.”

“And besides, we’ve made preparations for the Windless Belt this time!”

Zhang Zheng said enthusiastically, pointing at the drawings on the treasure map of strange creatures that didn’t resemble common marine life.

“Look at these monsters; they appear to be guardians of the treasure. You’re quite interested too, right? Maybe you can become the first to discover them, even name them!”

Hearing Zhang Zheng’s words, Ah Xiang began to waver.

He carefully examined the drawings of the monsters. Although briefly sketched, their shapes were precisely depicted.

One creature had many tentacles, like a giant squid, but beneath the tentacles, it had crab legs and pincers.

Another resembled a long snake, its head covered in bones, akin to a dragon.

A third looked like a sea urchin, covered in spines, yet in the middle of its body, it had an eye open, giving an eerie feeling.

These three monsters surrounded the island marked on the treasure map, seemingly guarding the treasure.

“Moreover, with the strong combat abilities of Miss Shia and her group, we don’t need to fear these monsters!”

Zhang Zheng persuaded further.

Meanwhile, Lu Ban and the others were not focused on the two disputing but on the creatures.

These monsters looked a bit like what Baobao had just sculpted out of clay, albeit meant to be an octopus, but their appearances were clearly not normal, obviously affected by Pollution.

He Dao currently had no filth, and the level of Pollution was not high, so the emergence of such cute-looking monsters must have been due to a leakage of Pollution.

Lu Ban’s task was to witness the budding of the Divine Sakura, which was planted to combat Pollution. Hence, wherever there was Pollution, there would be environments conducive to the growth of Divine Sakura.

Moreover, Lu Ban saw on the sea chart no places he recognized; he had reasons to suspect that He Dao had undergone significant changes before and after the Divine Sakura was planted, leading to different living areas for people.

So, regardless of the argument between the two men, Lu Ban and Shia were determined to check out the location marked on the treasure map.

If it came down to it, they would just get a pirate ship and sail there themselves.

As they pondered, they seemed to have reached a conclusion.