Chapter 706: Obtaining the Levitation Ore
Chapter 706: Obtaining the Levitation Ore
"Oh, so you're here to see the mine." Upon realizing that Ryan and the others were just a group of well-dressed young people, the elderly man, who looked like a Dwarf, put down his raised hoe and visibly relaxed. "You can call me Borm. Not many people know that this mine is special. How did you, as outsiders, find out about it?"
"Because we met Baru yesterday. He told us that there's a Flight Stone mine at the bottom of the valley", Liam explained to the elderly man, recalling that this old man should know Baru.
Sure enough, the Dwarf-like Borm smiled and stroked his beard. "Oh, it's that little Baru. I remember telling those kids stories about the depths of this place a long time ago. No wonder he told you about it. By the way, young man, what's that noise coming from you? I hear something buzzing."
"From me? Oh." Liam pulled out a small golden plate from his pocket. It was identical to the one he had given to Baru, but this one was not lying quietly; it was buzzing and vibrating incessantly. "This indicates that Baru must have encountered some danger, triggering the defense I set up on this golden plate."
Liam lightly pressed a rune on the golden plate and said, "Baru, what's your situation? Why did the defense magic on the pendant I gave you activate?"
"Just now, pirates found us. They chased us, and we ran. When we reached the Railway, we were pursued by an armored train. Hilda and I nearly got shot, but the golden pendant you gave us created a protective layer around us, blocking the bullets and shrapnel, and helped us land safely. Unfortunately, the levitation stone pendant Hilda was wearing had its chain broken by shrapnel and fell. It might have been picked up by the army", Baru's voice came through the golden plate.
"As long as you're safe, that's what matters", Liam reassured him. "Can you tell us where you are now?"
"We... we're at the bottom of the valley, in the mine. It's the one surrounded by abandoned factories", Hilda's voice came from the golden plate. "By the way, I noticed a fresh set of footprints on the ground, as if someone had just walked by."
"That must be ours. Didn't I say we were going to see the Flight Stone mine? We came down through the Sky Pit near the abandoned factory ruins", Liam explained. "Alright, stay there. I'll come and get you."
With that, Liam stood up and used Apparition to appear at the bottom of the Sky Pit. Baru and Hilda had just lit a small oil lamp and were looking around when Liam suddenly materialized in the air, startling them.
"We wizards have our own way of traveling", Liam said with a shrug, extending his hands. "Alright, hold my hands. We'll be back with everyone soon. We already found the Flight Stone mine and met an elderly man with a beard. He said his name is Borm and knows you, Baru."
"It's Grandpa Borm", Baru said, his face lighting up with recognition. He then stepped forward and, along with Hilda, took Liam's hands. "He often tells us stories, but why is he down here now?"
"We'll find out when we meet him", Liam replied. He then Apparated with the two children. After a moment of intense pressure, they appeared in the mine where the Flight Stone had been extracted.
"Ugh—" As soon as they arrived, the two children bent over, letting go of Liam's hands and gagging. Hermione, who had just prepared two cups of hot tea, walked over and handed them to the children, who were starting to recover and straighten up.
"Have some hot tea." Hermione handed a cup to each of them. "First-time side-along Apparition is usually like this. You'll get used to it after a few more times."
A few minutes later, they were drinking tea and chatting by the fireplace, discussing Sky City and the Flight Stones. When Borm extinguished the fire, they saw a breathtaking sight they hadn't expected.
"This is simply stunning", Hermione said, clasping her hands together and gazing at the cave. The Flight Stone ore, emitting a soft blue glow, was scattered throughout the cave, creating a beautiful scene that resembled a starlit sky once the light source was extinguished.
"Right, let me show you a piece of stone." Borm picked up a stone from the ground and used a small pickaxe to break it open. Sure enough, the cross-section of the stone revealed blue light similar to tree rings. However, as some light specks dispersed into the air, the light on the stone's surface gradually faded and eventually became indistinguishable from ordinary rock.
"I mentioned earlier that the stones in this area contain Flight Stone components. These components change and disappear once they come into contact with air", Borm explained. He then picked up another stone and repeated the process. This time, Liam suddenly released a pink light from his hand, which enveloped the light specks in the air and condensed them into a tiny, half-sesame-sized Flight Stone crystal in his palm.
"This is...?" Borm looked at the minuscule yet brightly glowing translucent crystal in Liam's hand with a look of astonishment. "I've heard before that only the people of Laputa have the technology to create such crystals, which is why they can build floating islands."
Ryan and the others then learned about the existence of Laputa from Borm, along with a cautionary note. The old man warned them that such magical items could bring both good fortune and misfortune.
In the following moments, Liam summoned the Rose Madonna to analyze the Flight Stone components in the surrounding area. Through this analysis, he discovered that Flight Stones could transform all surrounding energy and create a levitation field, while also providing a stable energy source. However, to understand the specific usage of this energy in the shortest time, they needed to visit Laputa.
After sorting things out, Ryan and the others followed Borm out of the mine through an exit at the top of the mountain. Before leaving, he and Hermione worked together to collect enough Flight Stone components from the mine, though Liam did not melt them into a single crystal.
Liam's current technique for creating flight crystals was derived from the one Hilda wore. He was concerned that the methods for making large and small crystals might differ. Although he could obtain enough ore through material transformation, it required a significant amount of magical power, which he didn't want to waste.
After bidding farewell to Grandpa Borm, they Apparated away, avoiding the surveillance of planes in the sky and people on the ground, and returned to their tents to discuss their next move.
"Before we fell, I hurriedly cast a spell for help, and the pendant emitted a beam of light pointing in a certain direction", Hilda said. "Then the military opened fire, and the explosion's shrapnel destroyed my pendant. I'm worried that the army might be heading for Laputa, the floating city."
"Why would your pendant point to Laputa's existence?" Baru asked curiously. "And why would the military capture a simple shepherdess like you?"
"Because... because I have another name. I am called Laputa. Doe Yelu Uru Laputa", Hilda took a deep breath, as if making a decision. "I believe I might be a descendant of Laputa's former rulers."
(End of Chapter)
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