You became an emperor by letting me AFK.

The power of their mission energized them, making them even more confident than before they set off.

"Hurry up and cook."

The entire post station sprang into action, moving out all the ingredients at once to prepare them, while simultaneously releasing carrier pigeons to the capital.

A little while later, the team smelled the aroma as soon as they stepped into the post station.

To be honest, they eat better in terms of meat ratio than they did in Xiayi, often enjoying bear paws, monkey brains, deer antlers, and even tiger penis... But the seasonings will run out, and eating dry food isn't a good idea.

Without seasoning, it loses its soul.

The profound and extensive food culture of the Great Qian Dynasty is gone.

The weary group finally relaxed. Seeing fellow villagers together, tears welled in their eyes, and all that remained was a standard greeting:

Have you eaten?

"I'm starving! Eat more, I can eat a lot. Thank you in advance."

"Don't worry, eat as much as you like, it will be reimbursed."

Although the post station was small, it was still considered a frontier post and was built to military standards. The food was always very good; otherwise, how could one fight the enemy with malnutrition? Even in peacetime, they had stored up a lot of supplies, so taking some out now was no problem at all.

During the meal, the two exchanged some observations from their journey:

"You haven't seen it. The ocean is so vast, a sea of ​​blue, like the sky poured onto the ground, with waves constantly rolling back and forth. It's magnificent."

"The ends of the earth... the ends of the earth, that's what our myths describe, isn't it?"

"I'm still shaken. Thank goodness for the heavens' protection, otherwise it would have been too dangerous."

The innkeeper smiled and said:

"Heaven helps those who help themselves. Your courage has been rewarded by Heaven. This cup is a toast to those returning home."

The porcelain cups filled with fragrant rice wine clinked together, producing a crisp sound.

"The second cup is to those who have forever remained far away, our two comrades-in-arms. One day, the territory of the Great Qian will extend to the land where they rest in peace, and they will return home."

Cheers!

After a quick resupply, rest, and changing into horses at the post station, the reconnaissance team set off again.

The rest was much easier, because Daqian had paved a road that allowed carriages to move quickly and smoothly. Ordinary horses could ride on it with ease, speeding along at lightning speed.

Moreover, there's no need to worry too much about threats from birds and beasts, as the entire journey is on high speed.

Day 3 of traveling through the night.

They finally saw the flags of Xiayi in the distance.

According to estimates, the Cifu Basin covers an area of ​​20 square kilometers. The open Cuiwei City Pass leads to the vast plains of southern hills and forests, making this journey on horseback quite bumpy.

Only by traveling can one realize how vast the world is, and only by returning home can one appreciate the beauty of home. Now they can't wait any longer.

The checkpoints along the way allowed passage without hindrance, clearly indicating that they already knew the maritime reconnaissance team had returned triumphantly with their findings.

"Ah, is this Xiayi?"

However, when they arrived, it felt so unfamiliar, so drastically changed:

It is surrounded by a city wall, with a top surface reaching 14 meters, allowing soldiers and chariots to pass through comfortably. The wall is 16 meters high, and attacks from the crenellations can create crossfire coverage. Each blue brick is specially fired and laid with a slope, and a drainage ditch is installed every 60 meters, so it is safe even in torrential rain.

With thousands of crenellations and hundreds of watchtowers, even empty observation holes and arrow slits exude an invisible deterrent.

The main gate tower above the city gate looks like a giant overlooking visitors.

Still not satisfied.

The outer moat, like a jade belt, encircles the city wall. It is 25 meters wide and 12 meters deep, with a turbulent stream flowing alongside it, making it seem as solid as a rock.

Behind the 20-kilometer-long city wall, you can see the towering temples, bell towers, and drum towers.

I hardly recognize my hometown anymore.

The reconnaissance team was dumbfounded, just like everyone else who was seeing the new Xiayi city walls for the first time. Such a massive project required unimaginable resources and a high degree of organization.

They couldn't help but restrain their unruly behavior, and solemnly passed through the city gate, heading towards the temple from the main road.

The flow of traffic remained smooth, and everyone was quickly led to the main hall.

Feng Tianyin, who was in the main seat, took the initiative to stand up: "Congratulations on your triumphant return, you will be richly rewarded."

"Thank you, Tian'en."

Then the captain stepped forward and handed over a long map scroll. The others also unpacked their bags and took out their notes, drawings, and crop samples from along the way... a dazzling array of items, all here, their luggage was quite complete.

Reconnaissance doesn't end with just arriving; otherwise, they would have returned long ago. They should have stayed for at least a year and experienced all four seasons.

If the data is not recorded sufficiently, we will definitely have to make up for it later.

Further training would cost the soldiers their lives, and out of a sense of responsibility, they dared not be careless in the slightest.

"well done."

Feng Tianyin immediately scanned the area while praising it.

She combined topographic data, temperature changes, ocean humidity, monsoon circulation, and vegetation distribution to roughly sketch out a more complete map, because strictly speaking, the reconnaissance team only recorded a section of coastline, which still could not satisfy their curiosity about the entire ocean.

However, the gray-haired girl's calculations grew increasingly massive, and the code 010101 appeared in her eyes, her head tilted and steam rising from it.

Is it again?

Everyone cautiously stepped back; they had seen similar scenes several times before.

A moment later, Feng Tianyin waved her hand and said, "Give me water cooling."

Before she finished speaking, the guards brought over a large basin, and she buried her face in it. Immediately, a cloud of smoke billowed up, which restored her to her normal state.

"Interesting, what a pleasant surprise."

"What you are investigating is not the open sea, which is not directly connected to the ocean, but a Mediterranean-like area."

"In academic terms, it is Lu Jianhai."

"We are still in the north. On the other side of the sea, perhaps only a hundred kilometers away, lies the southern continent of this land."

Chapter 40: A Corner of the Map Mystery Unveiled

That's great!

Xia He, keeping a close eye on the map, beamed with joy.

At the start of the game, she chose the "realistic map geographical unit," and sure enough, there was a slight difference.

Compared to the Great Qian civilization, where the fog of war was only unlocked after the area was explored, players with a higher perspective could see much more.

Administrators need even more:

Overall, the terrain rises from east to west, and there is indeed a "glacial plateau" standing tall. The east-west flowing rivers and streams are neither flooded nor change course, making them relatively mild, with high navigability and abundant water resources.

With the Blessed Basin as the central coordinate, there are scattered city-states to the northwest.

To the south are hills and plains, and to the northeast are mountains and scattered plateaus—these seem to be roughly the same…

However, the newly emerging geographical unit elements disrupt the sense of familiarity.

Everything has changed.

A gentle intercontinental sea bisectes the continent, dividing it into north and south. While not as vast as the Mediterranean, it is similar to the Great Lakes region of North America, yet it is enough to alter the surrounding ecosystem.

Xia He places greater emphasis on the geostrategic landscape.

Clearly, this intercontinental sea will facilitate communication and development among the surrounding civilizations, and the fact that it has both land and sea advantages from the start makes it highly valuable.

She tapped on the keyboard and murmured, "Is it a combination of East Asian monster rooms and Mediterranean battle royale?"

That's tough.

As we entered the Classical Age, various civilizations began to develop navigation techniques.

If the terrain were entirely East Asian, exploring the oceans would be out of the question. After all, the vast open seas are fraught with danger, and countless lives could be lost without making a ripple. Considering cost-effectiveness, Xia He in this era would proactively relinquish some marine resources and continue to focus on developing inland resources.

Its advantage lies in being a medium-sized inland sea.

Nature has bestowed upon us a village for novice sailors, where we can try to communicate and exchange ideas with the surrounding civilizations and nurture ourselves by relying on the blue territory.

But the starting village is too crowded.

This inevitably leads to the emergence of a powerful civilization vying for supremacy, from the Central Plains to the open ocean. Each of them is exceptionally talented and possesses unique skills, making them the cream of the crop in the world of civilization, offering you a unique experience.

Xia He looked pleasantly surprised. Challenges are essential for developing skills, so why not take advantage of them?

She carefully dragged the map to the western side.

"...The intercontinental sea here is not over yet. There are still waters beneath the glacial plateau. Optimistically speaking, it may lead all the way to the Western Continent."

The fog of war on the map has not yet been fully unlocked, so it is too early to draw any conclusions.

If Xia He's conjecture is correct, then each of the eastern and western continents has two routes: a land route and an inland sea route, making communication convenient.

They can even engage in intense communication.

We can't think about the long term, because you can't get fat overnight. The clear map we have now is to guide future development, not to urge you to take any actual action. Haste makes waste, and patience brings peace.

The Great Qian civilization named this natural inland sea "Intercontinental Sea," which can be modified.

The mountain range whose current northeastern limit has been explored has been named "Cangshan" because it rises high by the sea, where the waters are cold, turbulent, and desolate.

The ocean outside Cangshan Mountain was named the East Canghai.

[Naming the Southern Blessed Plains...]

Xia He didn't plan to make any changes, except for the place names that were of great significance, which she left to them to decide themselves.

It is gratifying that the Great Qian civilization has almost grasped the surrounding geographical conditions, with a vision extending to a radius of 600 kilometers outside the capital, and even reaching thousands of kilometers in some areas.

The reconnaissance team members were incredibly dedicated; they were practically a bunch of superheroes.

Unveiling the Mystery of the Map.

Having recovered intelligence from all sides, Daqian can now make more detailed plans. Previously, Xia He had to consider the surrounding geopolitical situation when making some decisions, but now she can act more freely.

At the same time, a new notification appeared in the log: