Chapter 116: City in the Sky
Chapter 116: City in the Sky
In the nations of the Starry Realm, civilizations originating from the Milky Way galaxy are often referred to as extraterrestrial races, with other terms such as "aliens", "foreign species", or "foreign tribes" also being used.
Here, the word "star" refers to the Starry Realm.
"Halt, alien!" came a commanding shout.
Not wanting to appear guilty, Ji Xinghuo slowed down Silver Winged Pegasus and hovered in mid-air. He looked towards the female winged humanoid who had issued the order. She had vibrant red feathers, a petite and delicate figure, and was only a little over 1.5 meters tall, appearing quite young.
Most winged humanoids lived in a matriarchal society and did not practice marriage.
Each family was centered around a female winged humanoid, who served as the bond for all family members, usually consisting of a mother and her numerous children.
Female winged humanoids possessed superior flight abilities compared to their male counterparts, maturing earlier and faster. As a result, they could easily dominate males of the same age and held most of the power, generally enjoying a higher social status than males.
This female winged humanoid was evidently the leader of the entire squad.
Upon seeing Ji Xinghuo come to a stop, they approached to within a hundred meters before dispersing and forming a three-dimensional formation.
However, they did not display any signs of aggression.
Somewhat relieved, Ji Xinghuo turned to the leading female winged humanoid and said, "Good afternoon, children of the sky."
A hint of surprise flashed in the female winged humanoid's eyes. "You can speak our language?"
"My command of your language is average, please excuse me," Ji Xinghuo replied humbly. "It's already an honor for me to be understood by you."
The winged humanoids wore proud expressions on their faces.
"Hehe..."
The female winged humanoid laughed. "You speak quite well, although there are still some flaws." She sized up Ji Xinghuo. "Earthling, where are you headed?"
She had already recognized Ji Xinghuo's race.
Located just over two thousand kilometers from Olympia, the residents of Bloodthorn City naturally knew about the extraterrestrial races in the two stargate prohibited zones near their homeland.
Earthlings were a type of human, bearing a strong resemblance to many Starry Realm humanoids in appearance. However, Ji Xinghuo's attire and equipment revealed his origins, especially the compound bow on his back, which was starkly different from the type commonly used by Starry Realm humanoids. This was a product of alien manufacturing technology.
"I'm headed to Cloud City," Ji Xinghuo replied truthfully.
"Oh?" The female winged humanoid's eyes lit up. "Are you going to attend the Queen's Longevity Celebration?"
Ji Xinghuo's heart stirred.
Longevity Celebration?
He immediately understood a few things.
The average lifespan of ordinary winged humanoids was around 40 years, with one year being equivalent to 1.85 Earth years. Since a year in the Starry Realm had two seasons, that equated to two Earth years. Thus, a winged humanoid living to 40 years of age was roughly equivalent to an Earthling reaching the age of 74, which wasn't considered an exceptionally long life.
With each evolution of life, their lifespan increased.
When a winged humanoid lived to be a hundred years old, it was called a "Hundred Year Longevity". If they reached two hundred years, it was called a "Dragon Longevity". And for those who made it to five hundred years, it was known as a "Longevity in Prime", second only to the "Eternal Longevity" of a thousand years.
To attain the Eternal Longevity was the ultimate pursuit of all winged humanoids, a life without regrets.
Eternal Longevity was equivalent to 1850 Earth years.
Meanwhile, Longevity in Prime was only half of that, or 925 Earth years.
Ji Xinghuo recalled from his history lessons that the highest ruler of the Celestial Feather King Court, Queen Ayaki, had already been over four hundred years old when the stargates first opened. Upon careful calculation, she would now be exactly five hundred years old, equivalent to 925 Earth years.
Such an important birthday, being the queen, would undoubtedly be celebrated on a grand scale.
This was the so-called "Longevity Celebration"!
The person who was suspected of carrying a fragment of the Myriad Phenomena Star Pupil had likely come to Cloud City to attend Queen Ayaki's Longevity Celebration.
"Yes," Ji Xinghuo replied quickly, nodding. "I heard that Cloud City will be hosting numerous celebratory events in honor of the Queen's longevity, inviting all tribes to pay their respects. I want to broaden my horizons and add to the festivities, wishing the Queen a long and healthy life!"
Wishing the Queen a long and healthy life was the greatest blessing among the winged humanoids, akin to wishing someone a long and prosperous reign on Earth.
Hearing Ji Xinghuo's words, the winged humanoids lowered their guards.
"That's thoughtful of you," the female winged humanoid said in a softened tone, a hint of regret in her eyes. "I also want to go to Cloud City, but duty calls, and I cannot leave."
"As long as you pray for the Queen's well-being, you are participating in the Longevity Celebration even if you're not physically in Cloud City," Ji Xinghuo said with a smile.
His major in college had been the language of the winged humanoids, so he was quite familiar with their customs and festivals.
"You're right about that," the female winged humanoid agreed with a nod. "Earthling, then I won't hold you up any longer. You may be on your way."
"May the winds protect you," Ji Xinghuo said, performing a gentle hand gesture with his right hand as a salute.
"May the winds protect you," the winged humanoids replied in unison.
As Ji Xinghuo was about to take his leave, the female winged humanoid suddenly said, "Wait."
She took out a processed feather from her waist pouch, infused it with starlight, causing it to glow with a faint bloody light, and then sent forth a gust of wind that blew towards Ji Xinghuo.
"This is the Bloodthorn City Guard's token, the Bloodthorn Plume. If you encounter any of my tribesmen on your journey, show this to them, and they will not hinder you. However, it is only effective for ten days."
Ji Xinghuo caught the feather and expressed his gratitude. "May I ask for your name?"
"I'm called Qianling," she replied.
"Thank you, Qianling, for the guard's token. This will be of great help to me," Ji Xinghuo said sincerely.
After bidding farewell once more, Ji Xinghuo urged Silver Winged Pegasus onwards, continuing their flight northwest.
It wasn't until the winged humanoids were out of sight that he breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, his deep understanding of the winged humanoids had defused the crisis.
The winged humanoids of the Celestial Feather King Court generally held unfriendly attitudes towards outsiders in the Thousand Peak Abyssal Wood.
They considered themselves masters and behaved arrogantly.
If he had shown even a hint of disrespect, it might have sparked a conflict. With his strength, he was confident he could take down these eight winged humanoids, but it would undoubtedly attract pursuit from Bloodthorn City.
The Silver Winged Pegasus couldn't conceal its tracks, and its speed was inferior to that of the winged humanoids, making it impossible to shake them off.
More importantly, it would waste a lot of time.
Now, with the Bloodthorn Plume, he could avoid a lot of trouble ahead.
That day, Ji Xinghuo flew another two thousand kilometers and set up camp in the latter half of the night.
For several consecutive days, Ji Xinghuo soared over boundless forests and towering mountains, doing his best to avoid the suspended cities and tribes along the way to prevent conflicts and battles. When it was impossible to detour, and he encountered winged humanoids from the Celestial Feather King Court, he would take out the Bloodthorn Plume, and just as Qianling had said, the winged humanoids did not bother him further.
Six days later.
With only about two hundred kilometers left of the twelve-thousand-kilometer journey, as Ji Xinghuo drew closer to Cloud City, he slowed down.
In the final thousand kilometers, his Myriad Phenomena Star Pupil interface remained constantly active.
He kept a close eye on the arrow's movements.
Now, the arrow had expanded to five times its original size, and the sensation it gave him was extremely clear.
Ji Xinghuo could even pinpoint the other party's location directly.
Although it had been previously confirmed that the other party couldn't sense the existence of the Myriad Phenomena Star Pupil and that the connection was one-way, Ji Xinghuo couldn't guarantee that unexpected things wouldn't happen when he got too close.
His biggest fear was that the other party would also become aware of this connection.
Silver Winged Pegasus continued to fly forward.
The distance gradually shortened.
When they were about five hundred kilometers away, Ji Xinghuo had the flying horse descend, waiting quietly for several hours to confirm that the other party wasn't moving before continuing on his way.
He stopped to observe every hundred kilometers.
Three hundred kilometers.
Two hundred.
One hundred.
In the last fifty kilometers, Ji Xinghuo gazed ahead and could vaguely make out a magnificent suspended city high in the sky.
Cloud City!
The arrow pointed directly to a location within the city in the sky. Ji Xinghuo gazed at it for a long time, but there was still no movement from the other party.
Winged humanoids flew back and forth in the sky, and on the ground, there were also many winged humanoid towns.
Not all winged humanoids lived in the suspended cities. Only those who had undergone two life evolutions or were born into noble families were qualified to enter the suspended cities. Most winged humanoids lived on the ground, with numerous towns and tree houses in the forests.
The closer he got to Cloud City, the denser the winged humanoid settlements became.
Eventually, beneath Cloud City, a massive city with a population of over twenty million formed, known as Lower Cloud City.
Lower Cloud City had no walls and occupied an area of over a thousand square kilometers.
Broad avenues stretched out from the city, reaching out in all directions, and most of the travelers on these roads were races without flight capabilities.
There were barbarians, Redstone people, highlanders, forest rangers, headhunters, and many other races of strange shapes.
The various human subspecies were the most numerous.
Ji Xinghuo had changed out of his ceramic steel armor and compound bow, donning a set of simple leather armor to conceal his extraterrestrial features. He had the Silver Winged Pegasus descend in altitude as they flew.
Cloud City loomed larger and larger in his field of vision, revealing its entirety.
Even though Ji Xinghuo had long heard of this unique city in the sky, he was still awe-struck when he saw it with his own eyes.
Dozens of suspended mountains were connected and fixed with thick chains, forming a massive floating island with a diameter of over twenty kilometers. It hovered more than five kilometers above the ground, blocking out the sun, casting a vast shadow on the land below. From a distance, it resembled a mirage, yet it was very real.
This city floating in the clouds featured exquisite buildings that stretched as far as the eye could see, lush with greenery. From the ground, one could only glimpse a fraction of its splendor.
Even so, it was a breathtaking sight.
"Truly a city in the sky!"
Ji Xinghuo exclaimed in admiration.
He watched as patrol squads of winged humanoids took off from Cloud City, circling the sky above. As far as he could see, there were at least tens of thousands of winged humanoids protecting the airspace around Cloud City, with a defensive perimeter of over ten kilometers.
These winged humanoids were the Royal Guard Army.
They were an elite force selected from among the winged humanoids, reportedly numbering over a million, all at least third-stage winged humanoids, and they took orders only from Queen Ayaki.
Ji Xinghuo looked up at the city in the sky, feeling a sense of helplessness.
The arrow on his Myriad Phenomena Star Pupil interface pointed directly to a location within the city in the sky, and the distance between them was less than thirty kilometers. He could constantly sense the guidance from the arrow.
However, seeing this situation, he wondered how he could possibly enter the city in the sky.
"One step at a time," Ji Xinghuo muttered.
He had the Silver Winged Pegasus land on the ground, and like an ordinary Stellar Realm human, he rode along the avenue into Lower Cloud City.
(End of Chapter)
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