Douluo: Things You Live Long Enough to See

With Chengying's command, the neatly arranged sailors at the shore began boarding the ship one after another. All supplies necessary for the voyage had already been loaded; once the ship hit the water and unfurled its sails, they could set off at any moment.

"The wind is favorable! Prepare to ignite!" the first mate said, dabbing a bit of spit onto his palm and shouting toward the craftsmen on the ground.

His loud voice jolted the craftsmen by the river embankment to attention. One of them pulled a fire starter from a bamboo tube and blew it to life. After lighting the fuse, the crackling sound of ignition filled the air as he took off running at full speed.

Only a single embankment separated the drydock from the great river. Beneath that embankment lay several tons of powerful explosives—specially modified by Dugu Bo with soul power. A single blasting cap as thick as a thumb could blow open a pit in a mine. Anyone who had seen their destructive power would know that not running fast enough was asking for death.

With a deafening boom, the embankment collapsed. River water surged through, carrying debris from the explosion, crashing into the bottom of the ship with heavy thuds. As more water rushed in, it slowly filled the drydock pit. The ship's massive hull groaned and creaked under the shifting pressure, its enormous frame emitting a deep, resonant sound like a beast's low growl.

Waves splashed violently against the ship's hull. On the shore, every engineer, craftsman, and porter involved in building the warship clenched their fists in excitement.

When this hundred-meter-long miracle of a ship unfurled its sails and began to move—slowly but resolutely—everyone erupted in wild cheers for the great vessel they had created with their own hands.

The ship bore a name given to it by all present: The End of the World. Engraved atop the mast were the names of everyone who helped build her. Even if they never boarded, they believed their hopes and blessings would sail with the ship to the ends of the earth.

A loud steam whistle echoed from The End of the World, so powerful that it could be heard even in Heaven Dou City. Steam burst from the massive chimney on the deck, and on both sides of the ship, giant paddle wheels—like rotating ferris wheels—began to turn, propelling the vessel downriver.

This moment pushed the atmosphere to its peak. The rotating paddle wheels had an even greater visual impact than underwater propellers, making the warship feel truly alive.

People on the shore ran alongside the ship, cheering as they chased it. They waved and called out their farewells until their legs could no longer keep up with the warship gliding downstream. Panting and leaning on their knees, they waved one last time.

In Heaven Dou City, hearing the whistle, Emperor Xue Ye climbed the city walls and gazed at the massive ship on the river. He couldn't help but feel awe. No man could resist the stirrings of passion at such a sight—battleships and cannons are the true romance of men!

Who doesn't dream of being an admiral someday...

Ahem. In any case, watching The End of the World disappear into the distance, Xue Ye had only one thought in his mind: "I want one too!"

At the ship's bow, Chengying sat with Ice Emperor in his arms, giving a lesson to the three little ones and Chaotianxiang beneath the setting sun.

It wasn't a lesson about shipbuilding, or sailing, or even personal strength—those things were better experienced firsthand.

What he wanted to teach them was the meaning behind their voyage.

"Xiao Bing, help me condense three ice orbs—one large, transparent one, and two smaller opaque ones."

With a wave of her hand, Ice Emperor gathered water vapor from the air and shaped them exactly as described. She and Chengying had rehearsed this the day before. Curious, she had already asked him about the heliocentric theory. Though surprised, she found no flaws in it. So she now knew exactly how to arrange the three spheres.

The large orb was placed at the center, containing a soul power core that emitted light—an advanced illumination technique Chengying had never mastered. Apparently, not even Tang Chen, the most gifted among them, had learned it—though perhaps out of respect for their teacher.

The medium orb revolved around the large one while rotating on its tilted axis. The smallest orb orbited the medium one, always facing it with the same side.

Then Chengying began explaining heliocentrism from the beginning—why the sun rises in the east and sets in the west, the phases of the moon, the four seasons—and gradually built his case to a single conclusion:

"We are standing on a sphere."

Despite all the build-up, when he finally said it, the four students were still visibly shocked. Tang Chen's face stiffened. "So... we're not sailing to the end of the world. We're trying to circle the globe?"

"Not exactly," Chengying replied. "This is still just a theory. Unless we see it for ourselves, we can't be sure. But if we sail all the way around and return, then we'll have undeniable proof that we're on a sphere."

His words shook them—who would go this far for a hypothesis?

"Don't look at me like that," Chengying continued. "This world is vast. Far more than just the continent of Douluo. Have you ever wondered what lies beyond the sky?

If we live on a sphere, then we're just dust on its surface. What's beyond that? What are the other planets like?

So don't take the wars and squabbles of this continent too seriously. My true journey has always been to the stars and the sea."

Just then, the last light of the sunset faded. The night sky revealed a canopy of stars, igniting the imagination of the four young students.

They almost forgot about Chengying muttering behind them, yanking his hair and calling himself cringe for being so dramatic. Sure, the stars were his true goal—but yelling that out in front of students was just too embarrassing!

Under the starlit sky, The End of the World sailed steadily through the night. Even without sails, its massive paddle wheels provided more than enough power.

At this time, coal was still mainly used for winter heating and wasn't expensive. So Chengying had simply bought up all the coal mines near Heaven Dou City.

The coal stored in his spatial storage could keep the ship powered for a year. And speaking of which—storage rings, belts, bracelets… these were truly the black technology of Douluo Continent.

Without a full set of storage gear, trying to circumnavigate the globe with just this ship would've been suicide.

But with soul tools, it was different. Coal? Food? No problem. They took up no space, had no weight. Nothing could be more suited for ocean travel.

Chengying even packed over ten tons of soybeans to sprout later, just to prevent the crew from getting scurvy.

If Magellan's crew could see their conditions, they'd cry themselves to death in a corner.

Unfortunately, storage soul tool technology had been lost on the Douluo Continent...

But duct tape—ahem—there was definitely one place where it wasn't lost. As Chengying thought of a vital transfer station for their circumnavigation, his eyes narrowed in determination.