Under the guidance of Asalena's message, the imperial expeditionary fleet, led by Cold Winter, began to move toward the sea covered by clouds. As the sunlight grew brighter and brighter, the aftermath caused by the chaotic turbulence gradually subsided, and the clouds that shrouded the sea gradually dissipated as time went by. In the thinning clouds, the "pillar" that seemed to connect heaven and earth gradually emerged.
Byron stood on an observation platform at the bow of the Cold Winter, overlooking the vast ocean in the distance. In his sight, the "tower" that had penetrated the clouds and disappeared at the end of the sky was becoming clearer and clearer. As the fog on the sea dissipated, it was like a pillar to heaven that descended in front of the mortals in myths and legends. It was suffocating and majestic as it pressed down on the Cold Winter with its majestic momentum.
The sound of giant wings flapping in the air came from the sky. The red Giant Dragon in mechanical armor flew from the direction of the tower, hovering above the Winter and gradually lowering its altitude. Finally, with a loud bang, Asalena, who had turned into a human in mid-air, landed on the 'landing pad' not far away. The dragonkin lady tidied her slightly messy red hair and walked briskly to Byron. "See, this thing …"
"It must have been left behind by the Voyager. The style is very obvious. This is not something that the civilization on our planet can build," Byron said in a low voice, his eyes fixed on the sea in the distance. "The emissaries of Tarlonde said that the Voyager had left three 'towers' on this planet. One of them is at the north pole, and the other two are at the equator, on the sea and on a continent. His Majesty also mentioned these towers. Now it seems that the tower in front of us is the one on the equator."
He paused for a moment and said with a sigh, "This is a feat that has never been done before in human history … How far off course have we deviated?"
"It looks very different from the tower near the Tarlonde continent." Asalena frowned as she looked into the distance and said thoughtfully, "Although the tower in Tarlonde is very tall, at least you can see the top. If you are brave enough, you can even fly to the top. But this thing … I tried to fly up for a long time, but I still couldn't see the top of the tower until I reached the maximum height that the steel wings could support. It's as if the tower has penetrated the sky."
Byron did not say anything. He just frowned as he looked at the tower in the distance. The Winter was still moving in that direction, but the tower still looked far away. Its scale was so far beyond human understanding that even now, he could not see the entire base of the tower. Nearly two-thirds of the 'Steel Island' was still below sea level.
But as the fleet continued to approach the sea where the tower was located, he noticed that the surrounding environment had begun to change.
The waves became finer and gentler than other places, the color of the sea began to lighten, and the wind on the sea was weakening. These changes became more and more obvious as the Cold Winter continued to move forward. By the time he could almost see the whole picture of the "Steel Island" under the tower, the whole sea was as calm as the small pond behind his house.
This was an unimaginable environment in the unpredictable sea, but here … it was likely that the sea had been in this state for the past hundred thousand years.
"What's the closest you got to it?" Byron turned his head and looked at Asalena. "You didn't land on the island or come into contact with the tower, right?"
"I'm not a brute like you." The red-haired Dragon Mark Witch immediately shook her head and said, "I just flew around a few times, and I haven't entered the range of the island recently. But according to my observation, there should be something 'alive' on the tower and the island under the tower. I saw moving mechanical structures and some lights, and there seemed to be something moving in the shallow water at the edge of the island. "
"… It's normal that the Voyager's things are still running," Byron muttered, stroking his chin. "In the legend of the Silver Elves, the ancient elves fled from their ancestral land and crossed the endless ocean to the Lolun Continent. They hid in a giant tower on the sea to avoid storms. They were 'cursed' because they recklessly entered the 'forbidden zone' of the tower and divided into a large number of elven subspecies. His Majesty mentioned these legends to me. He believed that the tower the elves encountered was the tower left by the Voyager. Now it seems … it's most likely the tower in front of us."
"Then we have to be even more careful. This tower is very likely to react to the creatures that enter it. The division and degeneration of the ancient elves sounds like some kind of violent genetic change," Asalena said solemnly. As a Dragon Mark Witch, she had the responsibility of "preserving knowledge and passing down memory" in the Duchy of Holy Dragon. Before she became a combat and diplomatic personnel, she was first a scholar who stored a lot of knowledge in her head. "It is said that the towers left by the Voyager on the surface of the planet have different functions. Tarlonde's tower is a 'mother factory.' The tower in front of us may be related to the planet's ecology …"
The tower was finally close.
The towering tower supported the sky and the sea. It was not until they reached the base of the tower that the officers and soldiers of the fleet realized how huge it was. It was larger than Tarlonde's tower, and its structure was more complex. The tower's base was also larger. The tower's shadow cast on the sea could even cover the entire fleet. Under this huge shadow, even the Cold Winter looked like a sampan.
"What do you think? Do you want to go up and explore? " Asalena glanced at Byron next to her. "It's not easy to find this thing. We can't just go around it, right? But it may be risky. It's better to be cautious … "
"I'm used to risks. Nothing is smooth on the way." Byron shrugged. "We need to collect some information. But you're right. We have to be careful. After all, this is something left by the Voyager …"
"Then send a small boat to go over first? I noticed that there are some extended structures on the edge of the steel island that can be used as docks. It's just enough to dock the mechanical boats. I'll send a few dragon warriors to support the exploration team from the air. "
Byron thought for a moment. Just as he was about to nod, a voice suddenly came from behind him. "Wait, let's go and have a look first."
Byron turned his head and saw the siren navigator, Ms. Kassandra, with a tear mole at the corner of her eye, waving her long snake tail. She was followed by two other sirens. Noticing Byron's gaze, the 'deep-sea ally' who had been working with the imperial fleet since the beginning of the North Harbor smiled. "We can start exploring from below the sea, and then land on the island to check the environment. If we encounter any danger, we can also retreat directly into the sea. It's much more convenient than you humans running."
As she spoke, she looked back at the two sirens she brought with her with a proud look on her face. "And anyway, we won't die easily …"
Byron subconsciously added the second half of the sentence. "… So we're going to die?"
"Almost the same." Kassandra put her hands on her waist and did not feel that there was anything wrong with the conversation. "We sirens are a race that is very good at exploration. The main reason for our talent in exploration is that we are not afraid of death, and we are not afraid of death.
Byron pondered for a moment and was convinced on the spot.
A moment later, with a few splashes, Kassandra and the two sirens, who were said to have "rich experience in foreign exploration and death," jumped into the sea. With a few ripples that quickly disappeared on the surface of the water, the three ladies, who were as agile as fish, quickly disappeared from everyone's sight.
The scene of the shallow water near the giant tower was transmitted back to the control center of the Cold Winter through the magic net terminal carried by Kassandra.
In the image sent back, Byron saw that they first crossed a sloping seabed that was full of pebbles and fine black sand. On the seabed, some agile small creatures could be seen fleeing in all directions due to the intruders. Then, there was a 'boundary ridge' that was obviously man-made. The flat seabed came to an abrupt stop before the boundary line. On the other side of the boundary line was an astonishingly large, crisscrossing alloy structure, as well as giant pipes and columns that were buried deep in the canyon and had probably been nailed deep into the earth's crust.
Under the sea, the base of the giant tower had a far more exaggerated 'basic structure' than the part exposed above the sea.
The image continued for a while, and then it began to move diagonally upward. The sunlight from the sea penetrated the thin seawater and moved around the three siren explorers like a floating aurora. They found a sloping alloy ramp that went deep into the sea like a conveyor pipe. Then the image flashed, and Kassandra floated to the surface, climbed up the steel island, and began to move in the direction of the tower.
"We have landed on the island, General Byron," the siren lady's voice came from outside the image. "Many of the facilities here are still in operation. We just saw moving lights and mechanical structures, and in some areas, we can hear the humming sound from the buildings. But other than that, it is very 'peaceful.' There are no dangerous ancient guards and traps. To be honest, this is much safer than the tower we found on the continent south of our hometown."
The sirens had explored the southern waters of Antaverne in ancient times and found a primitive continent full of dangerous ancient machines. On that continent stood the third 'tower' left by the voyager on this planet. It was also the tower that Gwen Cecil climbed seven hundred years ago. Byron more or less knew about it, so he did not have any special reaction. He just asked seriously, "Are there any signs of life on the island?"
"Yes. Although the whole 'island' is made of alloy, there are still many signs of life in the humid area near the coast. There are silted algae and small creatures living in the crevices. Oh, I also saw a seabird! There may be other natural islands nearby. Otherwise, the seabird could not fly so far. This is probably its temporary resting place. "
Byron breathed a sigh of relief. With these signs of life, it meant that the area around the tower was not a 'dead zone.' At least, ordinary creatures could survive for a long time outside the tower.
After all, the sirens were a special race. These deep-sea salted fishes could not be compared to ordinary creatures in the material world. No matter how lively they were around the tower, Byron did not dare to use them as a reference.
Kassandra led two of her subordinates and continued to move in the direction of the tower. The strong sunlight of the equator shone on the three sirens. In the image sent back by the magic net terminal, Byron and Ashalena saw the scales on the tails of the two sirens were glowing in the strong sunlight. There was a faint steam around them.
"Will they be dried out?" Ashalena suddenly said, a little worried. "I see smoke coming out of their heads."
"Don't worry, Lady Ashalena." Kassandra's voice immediately came from the communicator. "In addition to exploration and death, my sisters and I also have a lot of experience in drying out. We know how to avoid drying out in the strong sunlight. If worse comes to worst, we have a lot of experience in condensation and rainfall."
Byron and Ashalena were speechless.
What kind of weird experience did these deep-sea salted fishes have?
After a long exploration journey, Kassandra and her two sisters finally came to the junction between the tower and the base. An alloy ring-like structure connected the tower to the steel island below. Around and above the ring-like structure, there were a large number of ancillary connecting corridors, ramps, and structures suspected to be entrances.
"Now we have come to the main part of the tower," Kassandra said to the portable magic net terminal hanging on her chest. At the same time, she stepped forward and knocked on the huge alloy ring. Due to its amazing size, the side of the ring was like a towering arc-shaped metal wall to Kassandra. "So far, no danger has been found."
The siren lady's words came to an abrupt halt. She stared dumbfoundedly at the spot where her finger had tapped. Layers of light blue halos were rapidly spreading on the silver-white metal!
"Deep sea! This thing is glowing! "
…
At the same time, in Cecil City, Gwen, who had just finished his work, was about to take a break in the reclining chair in the study when a sudden voice in his mind made him jump out of the chair.
"Detected that local intelligent creature is in contact with the lower structure of the orbital elevator of the space station. Preprocessing process initiated. Security protocol 766. Detection — elemental life, abnormal sequence, mild and harmless.
"Proceeding to process B-5-32. System is temporarily silent, waiting for further contact."
Gwen jumped from the reclining chair to the ground. He stood there, stunned. There was only one sentence in his mind.
What the hell?
He stood there for a few seconds and finally realized where the voice in his mind came from. It was the guard system of Firmament Station!
The next second, Gwen quickly returned to the reclining chair and found a comfortable position to lie down. Then, he quickly focused his mind and connected to the monitoring system of Firmament Station. After a little adjustment and adaptation, he began to move his "sight" to the orbital elevator that connected the space station to the surface of the planet.
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