Chapter Thirty-Seven: A History of World Exploration

Sun Li had been in the other world for a year. Though he had established his foundations in the southern continent, a land barely developed and teeming with beastmen, his position still paled in comparison to the mainstream human world of this realm. Sun Li planned to use the global lull, as nations licked their wounds from war, to travel through the heart of humanity. He sought, on one hand, to probe the true strength of each nation, and on the other, to find allies. If the opportunity arose to rekindle war on the Europa continent, so much the better—Sun Li had heard that the northern continent’s Gold Province was a land blessed with gold mines everywhere.

Should the great powers of Europa become mired in conflict, Sun Li could gather his forces and seize the entire southern continent as a colony, using it as a springboard to advance into Gold Province. If he managed to secure Gold Province, even just the Mexico region of the Gold Province continent, its gold mines would be enough to double his army. With the powerful support of the imperial system, wealth and gold would translate into formidable military strength, enabling him to wage war and devour the Gold Province continent piece by piece. Once he possessed this land of endless gold, it would be time for the Great Song Empire to plant its flag across the world.

Thus, this journey to Europa was of utmost importance—so much so that Sun Li had to go in person. He possessed great personal strength and, as a sovereign, enjoyed full authority to act. He could respond swiftly to the political changes in Europa, avoiding the pitfalls of delayed communication between continents and missing critical opportunities.

With Song now on track, Sun Li handed administrative affairs to Zhuge Liang and military matters to Ryan, with Robin assisting. With his absolutely loyal subordinates overseeing Song, Sun Li felt fully confident in his stronghold.

A month before departure, Sun Li sent hundreds of Jin Yiwei system spies ahead to Gold Province. He took only twenty Jin Yi bodyguards with him, for, at his level of martial prowess—equal to a grand knight—his own safety was hardly a concern. Sun Li planned to begin in Gold Province, probing the land and establishing an intelligence network with the Jin Yiwei. The Gestapo would also personally pave the way for their master. Though personal safety was not a worry, it would be best not to be discovered by the English Empire or the Franconia Empire in Gold Province—otherwise, his plans would become far more difficult to execute.

Gold Province was the only newly discovered continent found independently by humans; all other continents—the Eastern and Southern—had been discovered over five centuries ago by the Dwarf Empire that once unified Europa.

Back then, the Dwarf Kingdom, ahead of all races, entered the age of firearms first. With advanced weaponry, they routed the cold arms coalition of other races. The Dwarf emperor of that era was wise—he recognized the population disparity between dwarves and other races. Though victory was theirs for the moment, to truly annihilate the others would plunge them into the sea of people’s war. Over time, other races would learn the secrets of firearms through conflict, and the dwarves, becoming everyone’s enemy, would face extinction.

So the clever Dwarf emperor demanded only tribute and submission from the other races. Apart from the wealthy coastal areas, the other races’ own lands remained untouched. Unsurprisingly, this policy caused all races to willingly kneel before the Dwarf Empire. As long as their race endured, no one wished to confront the dazzling might of the Dwarves.

The great Dwarf king, supported by all races, was crowned emperor of the Europa continent. Upon ascending the throne, he designated the year of the empire’s founding as the first year of the continental calendar, unified the written language, established a common tongue, standardized measurements, and made immense contributions to Europa’s civilization.

The Dwarf emperor not only codified internal regulations, but also sent out oceanic fleets to explore new lands. Indeed, every founding emperor is driven by the urge to expand territory. He was never satisfied with mere dominion over Europa; upon becoming emperor, he dreamed of ruling the world.

His exploration fleets did not disappoint. With advanced navigation, years of voyages revealed the beastman-infested barren continent and the Eastern continent, still in the age of cold arms but rich in tea and silk. During their explorations, they discovered the world was round.

The Dwarf emperor named the sea between Europa and the beastman continent the Atlantic; the sea between the Eastern continent and Europa became the Eastern Ocean; and the vast expanse between the beastman continent and the Eastern continent, larger than both the Atlantic and Eastern Ocean combined, he called the Endless Sea.

Faced with the prosperous Eastern continent, rich in silk and tea, the Dwarf emperor ignored the primitive and barren beastman continent—now known as the southern continent. Enraptured by the Eastern continent’s wealth, greed overtook him. Driven by ambition, he marshaled the entire Dwarf Empire’s might, assembling an unprecedented fleet and nearly all elite legions, personally leading hundreds of thousands on an expedition to the East.

While the races of Europa awaited the triumphant return of their Dwarf emperor, a year later, a few battered warships appeared on Europa’s eastern shore. News spread quickly: the Dwarf emperor and his vast army had been utterly destroyed in their eastern campaign.

This news shocked every race on Europa, and severely shook the foundations of the Dwarf Empire. With its main force lost, the subjugated races united to overthrow the Dwarf Empire that had pressed upon them for years. The new Dwarf king, realizing the empire’s decline was irreversible, led his people back to their ancestral homeland—the Red region in northern Europa—clinging to survival with what remained.

Unsurprisingly, after the Dwarves withdrew from the continent’s center, the races waged decades of ethnic wars across Europa. Some races perished; those that survived absorbed the technological advances of the Dwarves and grew stronger. In the brutal wars, only the Elven Empire, founded by high elves and centaurs in alliance, the Red Kingdom established by dwarves in the Red region, and the human forces occupying the richest lands of Europa remained.

Humans were the greatest victors after the Dwarf Empire’s decline. They not only assimilated the Dwarves’ technological essence, leaping from the age of knights to the age of firearms, but also seized two-thirds of Europa’s territory.

After the ethnic wars subsided, the most powerful human state, the Madrid Empire, began expanding, swallowing dozens of small nations under the Light God’s dominion and achieving high unification of human power. Unfortunately, the Light God’s nation feared the Madrid Empire growing too strong and threatening its rule, thus curbing Madrid’s expansion. The ambitious founding emperor of Madrid dared not defy the Light Church and reluctantly turned his attention elsewhere.