Many found the decision to be outrageous.
The Order of the Bronze... the sea merchanting upstarts... lodging upon the eerie Vaes Leisi.
With some passing Ibbenese actually wondering if the inside of their bronze heads was not shaped right.
Out of all strange folks to ask that... it had to be the short and stout Ib.
Regardless, the Bronze Order was there to settle.
So what about creepily carved trees? Those were just no different to special wood in their opinion.
Haunted grottoes? No... there's no haunted grotto at all. Probably. In fact, one can rent it as a place to stay... as long as someone even dared to do so.
As for it being City of Ghosts? Sure, it was akin to a city of many ghastly spirits... but they were also here now in their bronze-themed attires, weren't they?
So, why not change it to the City of Bronze?
Or Vaes Braedazma, as their Young Bronze leader murmured it to be.
As for coming curses or attacks from the Iquefevron that others warned will happen... well... the Order members weren't too concerned about it.
For they knew that their young lord actually found the remnants of them eventually.
In a much more motivated manner than how he did when spotting the clans and tribes.
After finding these little folk of cloaking moss, grass, leaves, and tree barks... he then proceeded to pester them so relentlessly that the little fellows had to propose a pact.
So that he can no longer bother them... and they even magically swore to not bother the renovation being done at old Vaes Leisi in return.
Of course, the rest of the surrounding neighbors did not know of such a secretive pact... but the Ib and everyone else did shut their mouths when they noticed the Santa Ma-Rhea was on its way to becoming a multiple of three.
With more to come... especially when their self-proclaimed grandmaster shipwright found a substitute for weirwood. Unique lumber, he emphasized, to use on the Ma-Rheas ribs.
This new lumber source was courtesy of the reluctantly giving and accommodating Iquefevron. Since there's apparently a clause for them to do so in the secretive pact that was agreed upon.
So, the Order of the Bronze was here to stay for the long run... mayhaps to the anger of the braided khalasars, who were overly protective of wood walkers for some religious reasons.
Chances are that their decision to be averse to Vaes Leisi would end... and raids through the wooded forest will come.
----------
Then again, it had to be said that the Young Bronze's adventures hadn't actually stalled at the ghostly "pit stop" he designated.
As soon as Ifequevron matters and the new Santa Ma-Rheas' progress have become acceptable for him... he did continue eastward... using his prized "compass" to find a quick route to Leviathan Sound.
Just as he did with the other locations before them.
Not to procure some Leviathans that were mating there... but to just pass through it and find a natural harbor that'll allow him to get to the Howling Hills.
A place inhabited by bandits and worse... but they were nothing to him. As he was just curious if he could find some remains of the Jhogwin.
Literal stone giants that were said to have been felled indefinitely in some Battle of the Howling Hills.
Granted, that was a bust, so he simply pivoted... to the Plains of Jogos Nahai instead.
Beheading some "topheads" as he called them... then wondering if he could actually spin them like dreidels and trompos.
Of course, he had also looted some of their zorses... so that this inland trip of his was not too much of a waste.
The Order members were just frankly worried that he offended the nomadically fierce Jogos Nhai with such action...
Nonetheless, he actually seemed to look forward to it... for the Plains and the Grass Sea were what he considered "prime real estate".
Provided that he found a way to oust the local and primal inhabitants of these very vast lands.
-----------
And after offloading the return trip of the safely snake-milked zorses to the increasingly efficient and ever-tailgating Cogs and Junks... Santa Ma-Rhea Prima hastened to the next but most dreadful of locations.
The Thousand Islands. Yet claimed by the Ib charters to only be about three hundred.
Home to hairless and green-skinned locals... with women who file their teeth like the Sharp Tooths of the Moon Mountains.
A very hostile bunch... meaning that there's really not much sense in building a route to this area. Given that these green islanders shouldn't be open to trade of any sorts.
Then again, the Young Bronze had his reasonings as usual.
And this one involved fishing.
Yet from what they've heard... the fish of the area are horridly misshapen and better to not be put in mouths.
So, why fish them?
Alas... they should have known that their crazy leader had his eyes set on a very different catch.
After setting the Santa Ma-Rhea on a certain spot he directed it to be in... and under the hating gaze of islanders that dared not step on water... Ronan Royce actually unsheathed the Lamentation and dove straight down.
When he surfaced again after a while of bubbling waters... he had an ugly fish spiked to the Valyrian blade.
Only that it was no mere ugly fish among the other ugly fishes... for it was actually a head. A squamous fish head.
And judging by the actions of the agitated greenfolks that suddenly shifted to prostration. Coupled with the human-like body that floated up.
The Young Bronze has killed one of the gods they worshipped.
A literal Deep One, mayhaps the same as the Deep Ones of coastal legends.
And sure enough, there were others in these islands' waters... also killed by the same Young Bronze after he easily spotted where they were.
Naming them Deep Two, Deep Three, Deep Four, and so on and so forth.
With their beheaded bodies to be hanged upside down... for it was valuable for "science". With their blood much more so.
And yes... after he was fairly sure that there were no more Deep Ones and after scaring the local islanders silly with all the godslaying... he japingly renamed the Thousand Islands, 300!
For Sparta, apparently.
-------------
And at this point, even Willam can admit that he struggled to keep up... with this dash that Ronan had challenged himself to.
The grand "chunky" ship may be big, but it really is just as fast... even faster with the utility of the handy compass to perfectly complement it.
In no time, they had almost matched the Sea Snake's farthest reach. If not for the fact that it was decided that the Secret City of Nefer be the Bronze fleet's farthest point.
Whilst there, Ronan may have had too much fun torturing some torturers... and making necromancers wish they were dead.
Wherein it just made him consider Nefer and N'ghai as a more suitable and lively outpost to use in tackling the forest at the end of the world... as opposed to going through that by the sea.
It was the better approach to demon hunting some shapechangers apparently...
And sure enough, it really didn't take long for Ronan to partake in that as well.
After blitzingly "fishing" in that corrupted sea, he then trekked into this very dark forest.
Fearlessly exploring Mossovy and the horrors within.
Still, poor Willam could only follow along because he was also curious as well.