Chapter 186: To Boldly Go
“Do you really have to go?” Mom asks, trying to convince me to stay. “Can’t you just go there with your clones?”
“I can, but what if I need to be there? This is to restore my anima, and that means if I do find a way, I have to be there. It’s not safe for me to fly there on my own; this is the safest method to go there,” I explain.
It is the day of departure, and most have now been made aware of the existence of the Lunaleyan lands. People from all over the Nexus have been chosen to go, and it will probably be months before we return. I will be acting as the ship’s scout, looking for danger all around us as we travel, including what’s above and below us.
“I promise to stay in the Airship,” I reassure my family, “I can explore with my clones, and don’t look at me like that Yafel, Yafe, I can still play with you while I am gone; I’ll leave a few clones here.”
The twins look on the verge of crying, not wanting me to go. I pat them on the head before bending down to give them a hug and purr.
“Doesn’t operating a clone so far away drain your mana?” Dad asks.
“Yes, but slowly, especially since I got my second Class, and I can always recharge from the airship.”
Considering its mana production now, it will always be producing a surplus which is also a problem that I overlooked. I was so focused on trying to make the airship produce as much mana as possible to keep up with its demand I overlooked the fact that excess mana will need a place to go; otherwise, it will ruin the mana batteries at best and at worse ruin the entire power system. Fortunately, when the ship became a magic item, it can reverse its mana drawing ability and release excess mana, but it has to be done manually.
I am sure there will be more things that can be improved, things I never thought to consider, things I don't even know will be problems, but that is just how it is with pioneering technology.
Supplies are loaded onto the airship and placed on the lifts to lower them into storage. Tools, equipment, and personal belongings are carried in as people claim rooms and workshops for themselves, writing their names on a nameplate on their door. I have already claimed my room in a convenient location and moved my stuff in.
I spend what little time I have left with my family before the final boarding call came. I give them a goodbye hug and then teleport to the deck of the airship. That’s when I noticed another small oversight. The Entylamo can go mach speeds, which means that anyone on the deck will be subject to incredible winds and may be blown off.
There are ways around this, a wind resisting spell, for example. But an enchantment on the airship would be best. To be fair, I never intended it to go so fast except for emergency cases, but with its improvements, the Entylamo can spare regular use. Speaking of wind resistance, I should have enchanted the entire airship to resist air drag, but I guess it’s too late for that now?
Can I modify magic items? Perhaps it’s not too late. I don’t think the changes will automatically change to be incorporated into the magic item functions; it will have to wait for a tier upgrade for that, but with most of the mana consumption freed up, the airship can afford some upgrades.
It will take time to implement the enchantments, at least a day’s work, but if we don’t want people to fly off during sudden speed changes or traveling at high speeds, then these will need to be done. I’ll have to inform the captain about the risks soon.
What else does the airship need? A public announcement system? If the captain has to run away from a monster, she’ll need to warn people to brace for the sudden change until I can enchant the airship to make it safe.
But will these changes risk me depleting my anima even more? I can’t risk it. We can make do with spells for now. I inform the captain of the problems and tell her that I’ll need to renew the spells every few hours. I can easily draw mana from one of the batteries, so it isn’t going to be an issue.
Once everyone have boarded, the Entylamo undocks from the village pier floating a safe distance away before unfurling its side sails and lifting up in the air. The crowd of watchers cheer and wave as the flying ship departs for the Lunaleyan lands. I see my parents and the twins waving from the end of the docks watching as we fly farther and farther away until they can no longer see us.
After the magical item transformation, the normal cruising speed is around four hundred kilometers per hour, meaning it will take just under a day to travel the nearly nine thousand kilometer distance, and with my safety spells, we reach cruising speed without any discomfort.
Most people are crowded on the deck, taking turns to see the ground zoom by. If anyone fell, it would be the end of them if they can’t fly or at least fall slowly by skill or by spell.
Traveling so fast has brought up a new oversight that I never considered, although there is nothing I can do to fix it but warn the captain. Some scouts may not be able to see far enough to warn the crew about monsters in time, so in the case where I am not performing any scouting duties, the Airship may have to travel at slower speeds.
In any case, there is nothing ahead of us; most leviathans are hundreds of kilometers apart, and I assume most monsters are too, but that won’t always be the case, and I suspect once we get to land where there is a lot more monster density the chances of encountering monsters is a lot higher.
This doesn’t mean we can take just any airship; the normal ones are much slower. The slower an airship goes, the more time over the ocean it is, which means there’s a greater chance to run into a powerful monster. By making the trek in one day as opposed to a week or more, the chances of encountering any monsters are a lot lower.
That said, about seven hours in the flight, we did have to deviate around a massive flying monster that had lightning forking out with each beat of its wings.
People eventually went below deck once the novelty of the flight wore off, and once night fell, everyone except the pilot on duty went to the Lojyo room. The pilot will be relieved halfway through so she can attend.
Most people are unfamiliar with each other, coming from different villages, but that doesn’t stop them from forming groups and expressing their curiosities about what the Lunaleyan lands will be like.
I join the musician to play, and when it came time to share, I stepped up to explain what to expect when we arrive, which will be in the middle of the night; but I and the captain, didn’t tell anyone that, we want it to be a surprise.
Once the Lojyo comes to an end, everyone goes to bed; when we wake up in the morning, we will have already landed and docked at their port.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Governor, Vanu Runa Orlan is awakened by a knock at his bedroom door. He gets dressed and opens the door, where a messenger and his two guards stand.
“Governor Orlan,” the messenger says. “Sorry to wake you, but the Runalymo have just arrived! Ambassador Alysara says that they will meet you in the morning.”
Orlan will have to inform the other governors of their arrival. They have all been waiting for the Runalymo to arrive for three days now Alysara didn’t give an exact time on when they would arrive.
It is fortunate they arrived in the night, though; it gives him time to really prepare a grand reception for them.
Orlan worked through the rest of the night, ordering servants and guards to their positions. He has soft carpets rolled out on their dock.
Orlan takes this chance to study their ship, a large ship with ornate patterns decorated on it; what’s most odd, though, is that the main sail lies horizontally like a large cover. There are other sails and fans folded up to its sides and strange protrusions at the back.
He doesn’t know how the ship can sail properly, but the Runalymo must be doing something right if they managed to arrive safely.
The Ship isn’t without defenses. There are dozens of cannons, although they look unused, but the most impressive thing about the ship is that it is made entirely out of mana!
Orlan is fully familiar with Alysara’s work by now, but making such a large thing is impressive even for her.
Do they have others that can do what she does? Orlan ponders. It’s reasonable to assume so. Even if Alysara is a prodigy, it’s incomprehensible that she’d managed to master her skills without generations of knowledge before her. Perhaps Alysara didn’t make the entire ship and only did some of the work.
Shortly before morning, at the first hint of dawn, the other governors arrive in ones and twos, marveling at their strange ship.
“Impressive,” Governor and Grand Judge Sep Mora Torn Says. The old man strokes his long brown beard while studying their ship.
“I feel a very strong Bond presence,” Governor Van says, a little softly considering his normally loud demeanor. His sister nods, a little wary. “It feels like my own presence is… trembling, no… resonating with someone else.”
“I don’t feel anything. Are you sure?” Governor Yora Yoru Kara says, side-eyeing Van.
“We are sure,” Van replies, Ryn giving him a nod.
Before anyone else can say anything more, Orlan notices movement on the deck of the ship, and soon a gangplank is lowered, one with handrails and equally decorated as the ship.
The first to appear is a familiar beautiful young woman with long royal blue hair and three very long tails.
It feels different; however, there’s a slight presence of her Bond that Orlan can feel as if she hasn’t mastered her Bond yet. Behind her are more people, middle-aged and older; the Runalymo Elders.
She’s finally here in person!
Orlan does not let this chance go and [Analyzes] her but receives no information! It is a clone, but she is nearby, only hidden.
A total of twenty-five Elders join the Governors on the docks, all looking around almost like they’ve never been to a city before.
They are all dressed in thick warm clothes, almost like it’s winter, despite it being a summer morning, but that’s not the strangest thing; they are all voluptuous women. Alysara didn’t mention anything about a matriarchy; is it just a coincidence? Is it a cultural custom that only women meet with other people? There are many explanations, and he doesn’t know enough about the Runalymo.
“Welcome!” Orlan greets the Runalymo Elders. “I am Governor Vanu Runa Orlan, the leader of this city. Behind me are the Governors of other cities: Governors Sep Mora Torn, Yora Yoru Kara, Ora Ara Van, Hova Sera Polivan, and Kineto Lova Borala. We would like to show you our city and trade.”
Alysara translates his words to the Runalymo language the first time he hears Alysara’s native tongue. It is a similar sounding language, but since his ancestors came from their lands, that isn’t surprising.
“Thank you for your hospitality,” Alysara translates. “I am Guklaro; we would love to see your city and what you have to trade.”