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As we traveled further to the south the coast slide to the east, forcing us into a course nearly fully south-east in direction. The fullness of time saw an end to the ice clad shores of beyond the wall and at last to a great bay. The captain used a numenera device and declared that we would continue directly eastward across the bay rather than follow its natural curve to the north. When I pressed him for his reason he pointed out that moving northward would likely mean seeing more icebound shores and little chance to replenish the ship's stores.
We made good time, covering an estimated seven hundred miles over seas in a few short days thanks to a strong wind at our backs. At last the long-eye called land in sight, and sure enough the curve of the horizon soon bore the uneven ridge of land.
We approached in the early morning, the sun was still hidden behind the mountainous terrain, but the sky was aglow in shades of yellow and orange. The shore was unlike anything I had seen before or have seen since. Enormous masses of blue-green material sparkled in the pre-dawn light. At first it seemed some strange colour of ice, but we were able to disembark onto the nearest island for further study.
A small outcropping, the island was less than a hundred paces from leewards to windward, it seemed nearly entirely made of the strange material. We quickly determined it was not ice, for it would not melt under the heat of hand or fire. I harnessed the concentrated light of the now visible sun to create a beam that I had thus far had success at cutting all materials with. The substance took the heat slowly and cutting a sample proved a longer task than I expected, but soon we had a lump the size of three fists. It was still hot, and soft from the heat, but we were able to load it into a gravity field and bring it back to the ship.
While the crew made shore, and scouted for water and supplies I set to studying the material. It took hours, but by the time the sun was at noon I was certain, it was stronglass. Just the small island's worth of material would make the captain and crew rich beyond reasoning back in the Steadfast, that the island was but the smallest fraction of what was to be found on the shore boggled my mind and set the crew to dreaming of fortune and glory.
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