Chapter 48: The Troublesome Dragon
South of the Imperial Capital, near the Desert Wasteland.
Scorching winds swept across the sparse vegetation of the wasteland, causing the already withered yellow grass to curl up. In the distance, a river shimmered like a silver ribbon under the sunlight, flowing far away, passing through several small towns before disappearing into the horizon.
The horizon was an endless expanse of desert—the Silent Sands that separated the central region of the Empire from the southern fortress zone. Due to the blockage of the mountains, the moist air from the south could not reach this small plain. Coupled with changes in the underground water veins, what had been a fertile plain thousands of years ago had become the silent wasteland of today.
Above the wasteland, a massive steel construct glided steadily across the sky, casting a long, narrow shadow on the ground.
On the deck of the *Gale*, Joshua stood at the very front of the ship, silently gazing into the distance. The oncoming strong wind blew at the warrior's clothes and hair, sending them fluttering backward. The wind also whipped the flags on both sides of the giant ship, making them crackle loudly.
On those flags, the emblem of a five-star ring surrounding a sun and a hand holding a sword was so conspicuous that it drew everyone's attention.
"A single airship. That Emperor really knows how to make a grand gesture."
He murmured softly, feeling the hot wind flowing past him. Recalling the scene from not long ago, Joshua couldn't help but chuckle wryly: "Israel Diamond. Such boldness is indeed the spirit of an emperor."
Of course, everyone knew that no one would casually gift a brand-new airship to someone else. The warrior wasn't foolish; he naturally understood the Emperor's intentions.
According to Master Nostradamus, the Far Sea Holy Mountain had sought aid from the Empire, hoping to borrow the power of Order from Joshua alone to break through certain regions sealed by evil forces. But if the Empire hadn't agreed, that would have been one thing. Since it had agreed, there was absolutely no way they would truly send only him.
However, dispatching an army across half the world to fight dragons and beasts in the distant Far South was the worst possible choice, both practically and in terms of morale. Even the most elite troops of the five major legions might not be able to help. So Israel came up with a good idea.
Send out the experimental airship *Gale*.
For the archmages of the Eastern Plains, floating magic towers, floating islands, and even floating cities were nothing new. After all, the Mana Core was originally born in their laboratories. But an airship was a different matter entirely. It required not just pure buoyancy, but stable and sustained propulsion.
Any archmage could easily make a massive object hover in the air after some preparation. But making a massive object fly through the air was an entirely different problem. Compared to floating islands, which couldn't move or moved very slowly, an airship's Mana Core had to be miniaturized and stabilized. Moreover, to facilitate mass production and popularization in the future, the materials used had to be as inexpensive as possible.
Before the *Gale*, the Empire had designed many models of airships and built quite a few small airships. However, due to incomplete power systems, most of them were sealed away. It was only today, after long experiments and calculations, that the mages had finally finished debugging the *Gale*.
Sending this experimental airship to aid the Church of the Seven Gods meant that even the most critical person on the continent couldn't say the Empire was indifferent to this matter. Moreover, with the power of this ship, it would certainly help the Church resist the Mad Dragons. At the same time, it could collect combat data and showcase the Empire's technological strength before other nations—a move that killed multiple birds with one stone.
As for why he so readily gave this ship to himself, Joshua thought that Israel probably believed the ship would inevitably fall in battle against the Mad Dragons. But as long as data could be collected, the Empire, eager to continue improving its technology, wouldn't lose out. After all, according to agreements between major powers, the wreckage of the ship would certainly be returned to the Empire. And given the warrior's personality, he definitely wouldn't want such things.
"But whatever."
Standing on the deck of the *Gale*, feeling the fierce wind brought by the airship's rapid flight, Joshua looked down at the clouds below. He laughed heartily, too lazy to dwell on meaningless things.
Regardless, this steel giant now belonged to him! In his past life, his war band had its own floating fortress, but that was built with joint funds from all members. Now, the *Gale* was entirely his alone!
Owning an airship all by himself—what a luxurious thing!
**[Airship *Gale*]**
**[Super-large Composite Spell Construct, Quality: Transcendent]**
**[Average Outer Armor Hardness: 72. Abilities: Hover, Mana Propulsion, Mana Shield, Physical Damage Reduction, High-level Elemental Immunity, Corrosion Immunity, Mana Surge, *Gale* Charge (Self-destruct)]**
**[Attached Spells and External Constructs: Five Large Mana Focus Cannons, Forty Standard Alchemical Cannons, Nine Acceleration Arrays, Twelve Hover Arrays, Targeted Teleportation Tether, Core Meltdown (Self-destruct)]**
**[Description: This is a large airship jointly developed by the Imperial Royal Mage Association and the Sky-Piercing White Tower. It is 167 meters long and has good maneuverability. Compared to other airships still in the experimental stage, the *Gale* is relatively inexpensive, but its combat capability is more than adequate, and its power output is far superior. The only flaw is its dual Mana Core structure, which causes certain deficiencies in the energy cycle. It cannot operate at full load for extended periods, or it may automatically activate abilities like '*Gale* Charge' or 'Core Meltdown.']**
**[Wait, I haven't finished adjusting the energy system for this thing... What? That's an advantage?]**
**[—By a designer who wishes to remain anonymous]**
"Thump, thump, thump"
Just as Joshua was still enjoying the strong wind on the deck, hurried footsteps came from behind him.
Knowing who it was, Joshua turned around and looked behind him. Sure enough, the silver-haired girl appeared before his eyes.
After the *Gale* was teleported from the Empire's secret laboratory, located somewhere unknown, to Fort Aden, Nostradamus also sent Ying, Lin, and Black over. Since everyone present was decisive and swift, the old mage, after discussing the *Gale* with the warrior and Israel, promptly sent Joshua and his group onto the airship for immediate departure.
As a special model of airship, the *Gale* had the ability to respond to teleportation. Strictly speaking, this airship couldn't actually teleport. It could only be 'targeted and tethered' by a qualifying large teleportation array, much like a summoned object. Moreover, this tethering ability had range limitations.
The area around the Imperial Capital had arrays that restricted teleportation. Only the three major fortresses were unaffected. However, the three fortresses couldn't connect to the next teleportation point. Therefore, the *Gale* had to move as far away from the Imperial Capital as possible before responding to the teleportation array at the Empire's southern fortress. It would then pass through the many kingdoms of the Western Mountains and the border fortresses of the Far South before finally reaching the Far Sea Holy Mountain. This journey, though not long due to teleportation, was very cumbersome.
The silver-haired girl, who seemed to have been running, reached Joshua's side. In a slightly unsteady tone, she said, "Master, the *Gale* has left the Imperial Capital's teleportation zone and is preparing for teleportation. The Captain would like you to return to the ship's interior."
"Alright, I'll be right there."
Nodding, the warrior noticed that Ying's expression looked terrible, as if she were unwell. Raising an eyebrow, he asked with some surprise and concern, "What's wrong, Ying? You don't look well... Are you seasick?"
"No, I'm not seasick..." The Divine Mechanism girl frowned slightly, hesitating for a moment. Then she pouted and said with a headache, "But... Black is seasick."
Hearing this, Ying looked a bit annoyed. She tugged at the warrior's clothes and frowned, saying, "At first, Black was very quiet in the cargo hold, not moving at all. My younger brother thought it liked it there. But when I went to talk to Black, I found out it had completely passed out!"
"...Neither Ground Dragons nor Sea Dragons are likely to have experienced flight. Black might be the first Sea Dragon to ever reach the sky."
Quickly finding the reason, Joshua silently patted the silver-haired girl's head. He wasn't sure whether to laugh or be serious. "This journey is indeed quite a torment for Black. But Ying, why do you look so terrible? Did Black throw up?"
"No, it didn't. But while unconscious, it subconsciously licked me!" First shaking her head, Ying denied the warrior's guess. Then she complained discontentedly, "But after it passed out, it started radiating heat. The area near the cargo hold is completely inaccessible now."
"Wait, the cargo hold?"
Hearing that word, Joshua suddenly felt something was off. He turned and stared at the silver-haired girl, who was flustered by his gaze. "What... what's wrong, Master..."
"Tell me... Did you forget to give the Shape-Shifting Pendant to Black?"
This time, it was the warrior's turn to get a headache. "When we boarded the ship, I gave the Shape-Shifting Pendant to you and Lin. Black is so big; to move freely, it would have to shrink... And now it's still in the cargo hold..."
Shaking his head, Joshua didn't know what to say. The silver-haired girl's face quickly turned red. Clearly, she had indeed forgotten to give the Shape-Shifting Pendant to Black.
But even so, the warrior couldn't blame Ying, because he himself had forgotten. He had no standing to do so. It was just unfortunate for Black—seasick and unable to move freely, stuck in the cramped cargo hold.
"Forget it." Sighing, Joshua could only make this decision: "I'll go check on it."
(To be continued...)