Chapter 708: Arrival at the Destination
Chapter 708: Arrival at the Destination
Just as Ryan and the others were speaking, an alarm suddenly blared inside the spaceship: "Warning, the ship's radar has detected a large-scale, intense air movement ahead. Please activate the energy shield or alter the course."
"Bring up the image", Liam instructed the spaceship's AI. As soon as he spoke, a 3D holographic image appeared before them. From the image, they could see a massive Wind Pillar stretching from the sea to the sky. According to the data displayed, the Wind Pillar was over 3,000 meters tall.
"Cloudspire, a Cloudspire as tall as a mountain", Hilda whispered, her eyes wide with amazement. "We're approaching it now. What should we do? Should we avoid it?"
"I think we need to go through it", Baru said after carefully examining the 3D projection. "This place is likely the Dragon's Lair, a giant storm that my father once described. He said that strong winds blow around Sky City. I believe this unprecedentedly massive storm contains the Sky City my father saw."
"How do we get through it? Just charge in?" Hilda asked, her voice tinged with worry. "With winds this strong, even the most advanced military flying warships would be torn to pieces."
"My father told me there's an entrance in this wind wall that allows safe passage. Otherwise, the dilapidated airship he rode back in wouldn't have made it back for him to tell me this story", Baru explained, then looked at Liam. "So, I think we need to circle around this Cloudspire to find that entrance."
"Actually, it doesn't have to be that complicated. Our ship is far superior to the flying ships of this world. A vessel capable of interstellar travel in the harsh conditions of space wouldn't fear these extreme atmospheric conditions", Liam said. He then gave the order, "Activate the energy shield and charge straight in."
"Understood, energy shield activated", the spaceship's AI responded. A transparent blue shield, like a bubble, enveloped the entire spaceship.
"Now, let's go in", Liam said to the others once the energy shield was up. The spaceship raced straight toward the massive Cloudspire and plunged into it.
As the spaceship entered the cloud layer, everything around them turned dark. The thick clouds blocked all light, making the interior of the Cloudspire as dark as a moonless night.
Additionally, the wind inside the clouds was several times stronger than outside. The intense air friction caused enormous, dragon-like lightning bolts to swirl and crackle around the spaceship. However, neither the razor-sharp winds nor the powerful lightning could penetrate the thin energy shield protecting the spaceship.
Thanks to the powerful engines, they broke through the thick wind wall and entered the calm interior of the Cloudspire in just a few seconds. After breaking through the cloud layer, they found themselves in a dimension with only a gentle breeze.
After breaking through the surrounding clouds, Liam led everyone to the front of the spaceship. The ship had been modified, with the lower level of the front section housing weapons and the control room, while the upper level served as the Great Hall and observation deck. On Liam's command, three walls of the Great Hall began displaying the outside scenery in real time, making them appear transparent.
"This is... incredible", everyone exclaimed in awe. The clouds that had enveloped the spaceship had now dispersed, revealing a magnificent Sky City in their view.
The lower half of the Sky City was a hemisphere, while the upper half consisted of three layers of walls, each higher than the last. In the center of the walls were white buildings, and atop them, a giant tree emerged, its lush branches and leaves covering all the structures.
"Unbelievable!" Liam marveled at the enormous tree canopy that almost covered the entire Sky City. "This tree clearly exceeds the limits this world can support. How is this even possible?"
"We'll figure out the reason once we get up there", Hermione said. "But for now, we need to find a place to dock. I noticed that many of the buildings here are severely weathered, and I'm worried our ship might damage them if we're not careful."
Hermione's concern was not unfounded. The bottom layer of Sky City's wall stood there like a halo, suggesting that the land below had likely eroded over time. In this condition, docking their spaceship could potentially cause damage to the city's structures.
After circling the entire Sky City, Ryan and the others activated the spaceship's anti-gravity system and hovered over a clearing on the upper level. As they stepped off the spaceship, a heavy footsteps approached from a distance.
"Get ready for combat." Liam and Hermione drew their wands and pointed them toward the source of the sound, gesturing for the two children to find a place to hide. "You two head back to the spaceship. It's safer there."
"Got it", Baru nodded and pulled Hilda back into the spaceship. As a marvel of ancient technology, Liam was concerned they might encounter some unknown defense systems, so it was best to keep non-combatants out of harm's way.
Soon, a robot covered in moss approached. After looking at them, the two red lights on its head flashed, and it walked off in another direction.
"It seems to be leading us", Liam and Hermione simultaneously thought of the robots from the anime that lived in harmony with nature. To be precise, this self-aware robot was no longer just a machine. It had evolved over a long period and gained its own soul, making it a construct life form.
At that moment, a purple streak of light flew out of the spaceship and spoke to Ryan and the others, "That big guy wants us to follow him and admire this beautiful city."
"You can understand what it's saying?" The two children, now reassured, ran out of the spaceship. Hilda, curious, asked the Rose Crystal floating in the air, "But I didn't hear any words."
"Of course I can", the Rose Crystal replied, lifting its head with pride. "Don't forget, in a way, we are the same kind of being. So, I know what it wants to tell us."
The group followed the robot along a path through a beautiful garden. On both sides of the path were elegant white marble buildings, though they were now in ruins due to the passage of time.
Despite the dilapidated structures, the garden was bursting with life, with lush plants growing abundantly. Adorable small animals scampered through the foliage.
"Wow, this is a city", Hilda exclaimed, drawn to a square pool by a group of round, otter-like creatures. Through the clear water, she saw a shocking sight.
"This must have been the atrium of the old Sky City", Liam observed the massive city hidden beneath the water's surface. "But later, either by chance or through the work of the robots, they converted it into a large reservoir to provide water for the entire Sky City's environmental system."
Finally, led by the robot, they climbed a massive staircase and passed through a deep archway, entering the buildings at the very top of Sky City.
(End of Chapter)
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