When the Giant Dragon ascended at a very dangerous angle and swept through the clouds, Gwen did not even feel the slightest bump or the strong wind at high altitude.
This would undoubtedly be an extremely rare travel experience, and he would not miss any detail of the journey. He noticed that Melita seemed to be shrouded in a layer of almost transparent shield during the flight. If it were not for the disturbance caused by the external air flow and clouds, he would not have even noticed the existence of the shield. The strong wind and temperature changes at high altitude could not penetrate the shield. Its effect was somewhat similar to the combination of the Breeze Shield and the Wind Elemental Blessing, but the effect was obviously much better than the latter two.
After asking, he confirmed that this layer of protection was not only for the comfort of the "passengers" but also a necessary auxiliary measure for Melita during the flight.
"I wonder if Margie has a similar 'protective talent' when she flies." After crossing the clouds and entering a bright airspace, Gwen's mind slightly diverged. "The flying height and speed of the Dragons seem to be much higher than that of the Dragonborn, even if they are equipped with the Wings of Steel …"
"Don't think about these brain-burning things at a time like this. Aren't you tired?" Hu Po stood at the side and casually muttered. Then, he revealed a slightly excited expression. "Sigh, speaking of which, it's like a dream! I actually have the experience of riding on the back of a dragon in my life … How many bards dare not to brag about it casually in their stories! That's only the treatment of the hero at the end of the story … "
"When we get back, you can brag about this in the pub for half a year, right?" Gwen looked a little helplessly at the half-elf who had begun to get carried away. "Be careful. If you fall from here, it won't just be a matter of a few continuous Shadowstep."
Amber did not seem to have any restraint and was getting more and more carried away. "Half a year is not enough. I can brag about it until the Requiem Festival three years later …"
"Don't worry, you won't fall." A low female voice came from the front. Melita tilted her head slightly and said to the "passengers" on her back. "I've done the protection on the edge of the back scales."
Gwen looked at Melita's neck and saw the beautiful scales covered and the horny protrusions at the side of the blue dragon's head. They looked majestic, shining under the sun.
"It seems that we are treated much better than Modiel Werde 600 years ago." He could not help but laugh. "He was carried by your claw all the way across the Arctic Ocean."
"It's a pity that I don't remember." In this boring flight mission, Melita was obviously in the mood to chat. "But that's normal. You are the guests invited by the gods. The adventurer 600 years ago was an uninvited guest in the territory of the Dragons. There's a big difference."
As she spoke, the blue dragon lady paused and shook her head with a little regret. "But … if I have another chance, and I meet the adventurer again, I really want to have a good chat with him. Maybe we can become friends. I'm also willing to carry him on my back to those interesting places. We can even go on an adventure together … Ten years, or a hundred years. Humans don't live for long. This is a very short contract for the Dragons, but I think it should be very exciting.
"After all, from the travelogue, the adventurer seemed to be a very interesting guy."
Gwen did not speak for a while. He just looked into the distance. He saw the clouds drifting under the wings of the Giant Dragon, like layers of mountains. There were gaps and wide gaps in the clouds. When Melita flew past those places, he saw the land far below and the outline of the coast in the distance.
The human cities were dotted between the mountains and lakes, shining like jewels under the sun.
It was really a beautiful world, worthy of an adventurer's life to explore.
"Yes, he was indeed a very interesting guy. I quite admire him." He sighed and broke the silence. Then he was a little curious. "You just said that you will sign a hundred-year contract with Modiel to go on an adventure with him. Are you serious? Will the Dragons really do this kind of thing? Just like in the stories of the bards? "
"… Actually, it's not that easy. The Dragons have to go through a very strict application and licensing process to leave Tarlonde for a long time," Melita said. "But this kind of thing does happen, it's just rare. Many of the stories of the bards are not completely fabricated. After all … bards are the favorite profession of the Dragons when they travel in the human world, and we are very good at dramatizing facts into stories. "
"Bards … Some bards like to make things up." Gwen pursed his lips subconsciously. Somehow, the name 'Mr. C the Bard' popped up in his mind. He quickly shook his head and threw some inappropriate associations out of his mind.
Then he looked back at the large equipment installed on Melita's back. They were still working well. Although they were high in the sky, they were still within the static magic boundary. These special magic network terminals and non-directional crystal arrays could still clearly receive signals from the high-power hubs on the surface. The recording devices in these equipment should have properly recorded the signal strength and interference changes during Melita's climb and flight.
Frankly speaking, the value of these things in Gwen's mind was no less than his trip to Tarlonde. These precious data could not be obtained under normal circumstances, especially after they left the land and entered the sea. The data collected by these equipment was beyond the current technological level of the Empire.
So Gwen cherished this opportunity very much. After all, although he was very close to Melita, he could not ask a Giant Dragon to carry several tons of experimental equipment all day long to collect data for the humans. In this regard, he, who always valued 'profit', also knew the limits.
"Will we stop to rest in between?" Amber asked casually.
"Actually, I can fly all the way to Tarlonde without stopping. But this trip is not that urgent," Melita replied. "We will rest a few times near the coastline and several islands in the northern sea. You can come down and do some exercise. After all, you are creatures that can't fly. This kind of long-distance flight is a big burden for people who are new to it."
While Gwen listened to Melita's answer, some ideas about long-term hovering aircraft and long-distance air routes came to his mind. He subconsciously deduced the application of the Empire's anti-gravity aircraft and thought about the possibility of establishing a long-distance air route from the edge of the wasteland to the Silver Empire. His thoughts wandered for a while before he gradually stopped.
Then he noticed Veronica sitting not far away, resting.
The 'Saintess Princess' had hardly spoken since Melita took off. Although she always gave people a sense of quiet and tranquility, her silence was unusual.
She sat there quietly with her hands folded on her knees. She seemed to be in a daze as she stared blankly ahead. The platinum scepter that never left her side was not by her side. Gawain knew that Veronica had given the scepter to Leit for safekeeping before they set off, so he did not question it. However, he could not help but feel a little concerned about Veronica's quietness throughout the journey.
"Are you feeling unwell?" Gwen walked over and asked casually. "I feel like you haven't spoken much on the way."
Hao Ren did not know if it was an illusion, but he felt that Veronica seemed to be a little slow before she looked up and replied in a calm tone, "Thank you for your concern. I'm fine."
Gwen frowned subconsciously. At this moment, Veronica gave people a feeling that something was not right. He thought carefully and vaguely figured out what was wrong: compared to usual, Veronica was less agile at this moment. Although Gawain had always felt that this Saintess Princess was so perfect that she didn't resemble a human and was as delicate as a doll, it was only a vague feeling. But now … he truly felt some kind of mechanical rigidity from her, and even the emotional fluctuations that a human should have were nowhere to be found.
He frowned and looked at her up and down again. "Are you really okay?"
Veronica looked up and stared at Gwen for a long time with her crystal-like beautiful but inorganic eyes. Then she nodded and said, "Ah, it seems that I have overlooked some details … Don't worry, I'm all right. My physical function and thinking ability are fine. But you should feel something strange … Don't worry, it's normal.
"I will be weakened when I'm far away from the Lolun Continent."
Weakened when she's far away from the Lolun Continent?
Gwen immediately noticed the message in Veronica's words. His face became slightly serious, and there was a hint of doubt in his eyes. But before he asked, Veronica had already smiled and said lightly, "This is just the price of surviving until now."
"… I see." Gwen stared at her for a few more seconds before his expression softened. He nodded slightly and said, "If you don't want to tell me in detail, I won't ask. But one day, I still hope you can satisfy my curiosity. As for now … you just have to make sure that this' price 'will not affect our mission. "
Veronica looked at Gwen with a smile on her face as if the smile had temporarily solidified. She nodded and said in her usual calm manner, "Of course, I have already calculated it before we set off."
…
Turbid clouds surged up and down like some kind of disgusting, semi-gelatinous quagmire covering the sky and pressing down on the earth. The whole world seemed to be oppressed by the low-hanging clouds. But what was more oppressive than the sky was the dead and severely polluted earth.
The former hinterland of the Empire had been contaminated by magic energy and turned into a wasteland. The black, hardened earth was endless. The folds and radial cracks formed by the ancient shock waves spread out from the center point. Looking down from the sky, it looked like a ferocious giant eye covered with blood vessels. In the center of this giant eye was a huge crater, and at the bottom of the crater was a cone-shaped structure formed by molten crystal pillars.
After seven centuries, the Deep Blue Well was still operating. There was incredible energy surging in the remaining reactor tower. A huge blue light column rose into the sky and went straight into the clouds. At the intersection of the light column and the clouds, lightning flashed continuously.
Around the crater of the Deep Blue Well, there were now many things that did not exist before. There were small fortresses built with some kind of black polymer, small sentry towers that looked like a mixture of plants and stones, weird and wriggling woods, and figures moving between the woods, fortresses, and sentry towers.
Those figures were a few patrol squads. They were all wearing the ancient Gondor mage uniforms. Regardless of gender, they had perfect body proportions and exquisite looks as if they were man-made. They were patrolling the area around the capital, just like they did seven hundred years ago.
However, the patrol squads did not seem to notice the new fortresses and sentry towers around the crater. They bypassed the obstacles and changed the patrol route that had already been set.
In fact … they looked as if they were patrolling the area to protect these fortresses.
In the area of the black fortresses at the edge of the crater, a large number of plants, vines, and gray substances that looked like aggregates of mycelium covered the ground and the surrounding buildings. With a rustling sound, a patch of plants at the front of the fortress suddenly wriggled to the sides, and several twisted creatures that looked like a mixture of humans and trees, with dry skin and a large number of branches, crawled out of the underground tunnel.
The leader of these twisted creatures moved his roots and stepped to the edge of the crater. An old face appeared on his dry, wrinkled bark. The pale yellow eyes inlaid on the face stared at the bottom of the crater. The shining 'crystal pillar hill' and the blue light spewing out of the crystal were reflected in the eyes, and the latter showed even more greed and yearning.
"The Deep Blue Well … we are just one step away …" The leader muttered.
The leader of the treants muttered to himself as he shook his branches. The vines at the edge of the fortress received the order, rising high and extending into the crater. But just as the vines crossed the border, the 'crystal pillar hill' at the bottom of the crater reacted instantly. As a few bright flashes of light flashed, the vines that crossed the border were directly burned into gas by the scorching plasma beam.
"Damn it! This damned tomb, this damned coffin, and these damned gravekeepers! It's been seven hundred years, can't these damned things just die?! "
The leader of the treants, the current Grand Priest of the All Things Will Die Cult, cursed at once.
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