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Chapter 16: (END)
Chapter 16: (END)
The name of the sacred mountain that sat in the centre of the Antarctic continent was Mt. Dragonends, according to the legends of the Children of the Mountain.
Mt. Dragonends elevation was 11200 metres above sea level. It was far above the second highest mountain in the world, Mt. Everest, which was 8848 metres, exceeding it by 2352 metres and was the mountain that held the highest peak in the world.
However, like how Everest had another name, Chomolungma, Mt. Dragonends also held another title.
That was the Mountain Range of Madness.
Mt. Dragonends had a clear line that differentiated it from all other mountains, and was certainly a crazy mountain.
First, the fact that the dwarves that should have loved the heat and hated the cold, would loiter around the base of the mountain which was enclosed in permafrost while holding dragon crystals tightly instead of hot-water bottles, was strange. Only government agents from each country were allowed to trade and come into contact with the legendary races, and at the base of this mountain, they were as common as weeds.
On top of that, the Dragosauruses that were completely extinct on all other continents created herds in the snow-laden mountains and were wandering around. It seems that they used penguins, earless seals, and various kinds of birds as food.
The dwarves who tamed the Dragosauruses, who shouldve been extinct in the South Pole, used them as mounts, generating a scene that was so strange, it felt like you could go crazy just from seeing it.
It was not just the dwarves. The other Children of the Mountain, in other words, the mermaids, werewolves, harpies, and elves, were there too.
When the mermaids found the ships exploring the Antarctic as they toured its coastal waters, they would without fail, amuse themselves. There were even times when they would board the ship. One mermaid stayed on one of the US investigative ships for so long, they went all the way to the west coast of the US, and eventually ended up living there, becoming employed as a member of the coast guard. It did not make any sense at all.
The pack of werewolves that lived in Mt. Dragonends region was the largest pack on Earth, exceeding ten thousand in number. The pack in the North Pole had 500 werewolves, while the pack on Everest was just under 100, so it was quite apparent that it was far more numerous.
The harpies also made a nest on Mt. Dragonends, creating a gigantic flock. The harpies rode the wind, travelling and living all around the world without making any settlements. Since they were constantly on the move, it was impossible to get a precise number, but their numbers likely exceeded thirty thousand. Many of the harpies had survived through the era of pioneering in the West on the North American continent, and mimicked the gunmen from that time, threatening the Antarctic exploration parties and chilling their hearts.
The fact that even the elves who shouldnt have been able to survive if there wasnt a forest lived there was completely incomprehensible. However, after the exploration team was led by the elves into the underground world of the Antarctic, while they were able to understand how the elves could survive, their brains rejected that comprehension. In the underground of the Antarctic that was covered in a thick layer of ice, magma provided a source of light and heat, creating an underground world overflowing with greenery to spread out. The day that this fact was announced to the world together with pictures, it could be said that the number of sci-fi novels that were torn up and thrown away were enough to make up a whole library.
The underground world made human history look like a sand castle in comparison, with its enormous compilation of data.
Treasures offered to Mt. Dragonends by the Children of the Mountain over time existed, with the oldest one being from around 4.6 billion years ago. There were living witnesses to that history. The history of Earth that humanity had spent investigating for a few hundred years, identifying fossils and digging up stratums of earth step by step, was easily spoken about lightheartedly by them reminiscing about the past, overturning everything.
Mt. Dragonends was a mountain that destroyed humanitys common sense.
And then in the end, humanity managed to set foot on the moon sooner than they were able to reach the worlds highest peak.
The top third of Mt. Dragonends could not be climbed without an oxygen mask. Geographically inexplicable strong winds became blizzards that constantly raged on, preventing mountaineers from conquering it.
However, miraculously, if you declared midway through that you were giving up, the blizzard would stop instantly, and one of the Children of the Mountain who had heard a [Divine Message] would soon come to help you. They would come running faster than any mountain rescue team. The ones who died would only be those who made faulty judgements, refusing to back off.
Now then.
In 2003 AD, there were exploration parties that sought to climb to the peak of Mt. Dragonends, which was said to be [A place on Earth that was farther than the Moon].
During the 20th century, humanity was not able to reach the peak of Mt. Dragonends. These exploration parties burned with ambition, seeking to complete the first biggest exploit of the 21st century known to the world. Already, several teams had challenged the peak and been defeated.
However, on the eighth campaign of Americas Hilary team, things were completely different compared to all the other campaigns until then. The Hilary team was a skillful exploration party, and had grasped a route to climb Mt. Dragonends, and did maintenance on it up until their seventh campaign. They trained themselves to be able to avoid the intense weather changes that seemed to happen on a whim.
The Hilary teams physical condition was perfect, and while a number of them gave up midway, not a single person died, and they crawled up to a point where they could see the summit.
The Hilary team passed the line of ice statues, of those that had exceeded their limits and died, which stood before the summit. It was thanks to the state of the art mountain climbing equipment they possessed, their well-trained bodies, knowledge, and luck.
After passing the ominous line of ice statues, the Hilary team suppressed their straying thoughts, taking a whole night before they could completely get over it.
And on the next day, a female dwarf carrying a splendid hammer suddenly appeared, and followed after them with unsteady steps.
They thought that she had come to pick up someone who had declared they were giving up, but it seemed that wasnt the case. This was an incident that had never happened in all the previous records of mountain expeditions.
She simply named herself Sahela, and would at times tilt her ear towards empty space and say something in the dwarven language.
Speaking towards empty space was a peculiarity of the [Children of the Mountain] who lived on Mt. Dragonends. According to the people themselves, they were listening to the voice of the mountain, but no matter what tools humanity utilized, they could not observe that [voice].
While curious about the mysterious dwarf that followed behind them, the Hilary team pushed themselves forward, squeezing out every last bit of energy as they advanced forward, and on the noon of that day, they managed to pierce a flag with stars and stripes on the summit of Mt. Dragonends.
The Hilary team shed tears while hugging each other happily. The sea of clouds that could be seen from the tallest place in the world had an incredible beauty to it.
Sahela will lend this to you. Kneel. You, take this.
The head of the Hilary team, Roderick Hilary, who was trembling with deep joy, was told that by Sahela in broken English as she presented to him her own hammer.
Roderick breathed in and turned around to his team members. The team members were surprised, but excitement at the wonder of what exactly was happening sparkled in their eyes as they nodded.
Roderick kneeled as he was told and received the hammer. The hammer was incredibly heavy, and Sahela shook as though she wanted it back, but she reluctantly allowed Rodericks hand to seize it.
When she did so, Roderick heard a voice in his ears.
Though rather than his ears, perhaps it was his brain, or his soul, or even his heart within which this mysterious voice sounded directly.
(Hey humanity, congratulations. I decided since way back that the first one Id talk to would be whomever reached my summit first. Its been 4.6 billion years since I last talked to a Homo sapien. Well, why dont you sit and we can talk. Please listen. The story of Mt. Dragonends (my) life is a long, long one)
***
Translator Comments:
Well, with this the series is over. Thanks to everyone who read this far! I certainly did enjoy reading/translating about this crazy alternate universe with all five races and Mt. Dragonends. I hope all of you enjoyed it too!
For the time being, I wont be picking up any other series, and am gonna try focusing on CSWH. Admittedly, Mt. Dragonends really captured my interest so I havent been working that much on CSWH lately and havent really been able to make a proper backlog for it. Hopefully Ill be able to remedy that. Teehee~
Stay safe everyone, and I hope youll continue reading my translations in the future as well!
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