Chapter 356: Take to the Skies, Floating Fortress |
When Chen Yu learned the news that Anvil had become an Extraordinary Craftsman, it was already two days later.
His gel clone had just ridden Little Ka back from Winterhold. While still in mid-air, he saw the complete form of the Floating Fortress in the shipyard.
The upper part was a conical dome, with a massive weapon mounted at the center of the dome.
The Demon Crusher.
The exposed cannon barrel was four meters long, its caliber large enough to stuff a cow inside. The barrel was densely engraved with runes, from the muzzle all the way to the breech.
Chen Yu rode Little Ka down slowly.
The wind fanned by the dragon's wings made the flags at the construction site flap loudly. The artisans looked up, saw the Slime King on the black dragon's back, and one by one stopped their work, saluting and cheering.
Anvil was standing on the platform beneath the fortress, hands on his hips, looking up admiring his masterpiece.
Hearing the commotion, he turned his head, saw Chen Yu, his eyes lighting up as he happily went to greet him.
Chen Yu hopped down from Little Ka's back, landing in front of Anvil. He tilted his head up and blinked his eyes—though tilting his head or not made little difference, Anvil was much taller than him.
"I heard you became an Extraordinary Craftsman?" he asked, his voice filled with curiosity.
Anvil was taken aback, then a look of embarrassment appeared on his face. He scratched his head, like a simple, honest old dwarf.
"This... hehe..." he stammered, but soon, the dwarf's nature took over. "Your Majesty, you have no idea, the scene back then..."
He began to boast.
He spoke with animated expressions, gesticulating wildly, his spittle nearly spraying onto Chen Yu's face.
Chen Yu listened quietly, his gel body swaying slightly as if nodding.
Just as he was speaking, Selene and Ferendil walked out of the fortress.
The two Elf Great Sages were conversing, their expressions relaxed, smiles at the corners of their mouths.
Judging by their demeanor, this inspection should have found no major issues. It wasn't until one Sage reminded them that they noticed Chen Yu had returned.
Selene smiled and performed an elegant Elf salute. Ferendil also saluted, his movements slower but more solemn.
"We greet Your Majesty."
Chen Yu had long known about Ferendil's arrival; in fact, he had personally approved this Great Sage's entry application. But right now, he was more curious about something else.
"How is the Floating Fortress now?" he asked, looking at the behemoth before him.
Selene followed his gaze, the outline of the fortress reflected in her eyes.
"Currently in excellent condition, even far better than I anticipated. Perhaps it's due to the support of the Extraordinary Craftsman skill. Not only were the damaged parts repaired, but the coordination between the fortress's Arcane Arts and Mana has been elevated by an entire level."
She paused, then added, "Arcane Energy and Mana are in operation. The entire fortress is pre-activated, only awaiting the test flight. Since Your Majesty is here, you might as well witness this moment with us."
Saying this, she bent down, picked up the runes, and placed them on her own shoulder.
Her shoulders were slender, carrying a natural, faint fragrance. Chen Yu squatted there, his field of view wide open, perfect for seeing the entire construction site.
Not long after, Samuel returned as well.
This Archmage had clearly also received news of the Floating Fortress's imminent test flight and hurried back.
After all the inspecting artisans had walked out of the fortress, only some core personnel who had studied the operation manual remained inside.
They stood in the control room—a circular room located at the front of the fortress. The walls were semi-transparent magic crystal, offering an open view that overlooked the entire front.
In the center of the control room was a main seat, designed quite specially—a hovering platform engraved with dense mental link runes.
The original design was for a mage operator to sit there, using mental power to control the entire fortress's flight and weapon systems.
But the awkward part was, the Slime Kingdom currently hadn't cultivated any mages capable of piloting a Floating Fortress.
It could only be temporarily mastered by an Elf Sage.
At this moment, that young Elf was sitting on the main seat, eyes closed, hands pressed on the runes on the armrests, a slight sweat on his forehead, clearly somewhat nervous.
A moment later, Anvil's sturdy figure ran in, then ran out of the fortress again, trotting all the way to Chen Yu.
"Your Majesty, the fortress personnel are ready. The Gray Gravel Crystals and magic crystals have been fully loaded into the combustion chamber. We await your command to begin the test flight."
Selene also nodded slightly.
Everyone's gaze focused on Chen Yu.
Slime Artisans, dwarf artisans, human artisans, Elf Sages, Archmage Samuel... hundreds of pairs of eyes, carrying nervousness, apprehension, and also expectation.
Chen Yu could feel the weight of these gazes.
He recalled everything over these past months—from the Floating Fortress design, to the shipyard construction start, to the artisans working day and night...
Every step had been difficult.
Every step soaked in sweat.
And now, they stood here, at the threshold of a miracle.
Chen Yu took a deep breath, his gel belly gurgling with bubbles.
Although slimes didn't need to breathe, this action helped him calm down. He squatted on Selene's shoulder, his eyes sweeping over every face, then looking up at the fortress in the air.
"Begin the test flight," he said.
The command was simple, but it was quickly answered.
Inside the control room.
"Activate environmental monitoring."
A Slime Artisan leaned over the console, its gel hand pressing on several crystal buttons.
The magic crystals on the walls lit up, displaying various data—wind direction, wind speed, mana concentration, air pressure, temperature...
"Wind direction northwest, wind speed level three, suitable for takeoff."
"Mana concentration stable, no abnormal fluctuations."
"Air pressure normal."
"Temperature... wait, temperature is rising? No, it's the fortress's own mana, normal."
With each data point reported, the atmosphere in the control room grew more tense.
Outside the fortress, the artisans began releasing the fixing chains.
These thick chains were originally at the fortress's base. Now, as the winches turned, they slowly loosened. The sound of iron chains grinding was ear-piercingly grating.
"Fixed anchors disengaged," reported the slime at the console.
The young Elf Sage closed his eyes, his hands pressing on the armrests again. The mental link runes lit up, a pale blue light spreading along the patterns, quickly covering the entire main seat platform.
He began the countdown.
"Ten."
The voice was transmitted outside the fortress through amplification magic, reaching the ears of everyone below.
"Nine."
Anvil clenched his fist.
"Eight."
Selene's shoulders tensed slightly.
"Seven."
Ferendil looked up, closing his eyes in blessing.
"Six."
Samuel held his breath.
"Five."
Chen Yu's eyes didn't blink.
"Four."
Inside the control room, more sweat beaded on the Elf Sage's forehead.
"Three."
Combustion chamber activated.
Gray Gravel Crystals and magic crystals mixed, beginning to burn under the catalysis of the magic formation, releasing vast amounts of Arcane Energy and mana. The energy flowed through pipes into the power room, where giant gears began to turn, emitting a low, deep rumble.
"Two."
The combustion chamber continued distributing Arcane Energy and mana to various levitation chambers.
The levitation chambers were located at the fortress's base—twelve compartments engraved with levitation magic formations. Now the formations lit up, a pale golden light shining through the observation windows of the compartments, like twelve opening eyes.
"One."
Magic formations activated.
Formations emerged from the fortress's outer shell, cyan patterns spreading like vines, quickly covering the entire lower half.
These wind forces appearing out of thin air were mainly used to provide lift, stabilize posture, and assist in turning for the Floating Fortress.
"Zero."
Liftoff.
The shipyard construction site shook.
As if the earth itself was breathing, the fixing chains completely loosened, falling to the ground with a loud "clang-clatter."
The Floating Fortress began to rise.
At first very slowly, so slow it was almost imperceptible.
Only by careful observation could one see the gap between the fortress's base and the ground gradually widening—one centimeter, two centimeters, five centimeters...
Then, the speed increased.
The light from the levitation formations grew brighter, the cyan magical patterns began to rotate, stirring up air currents, forming a visible whirlwind around the fortress.
The whirlwind swept up dust and debris from the construction site, swirling in the air like a small sandstorm.
The fortress trembled unsteadily, like a child just learning to walk, swaying, struggling, but always rising.
One meter.
Two meters.
Five meters.
Ten meters...
An artisan couldn't help but exclaim, "It's flying! It's taking off!"
The voice was like a fuse, igniting long-suppressed emotions. Everyone was excited.
The Floating Fortress continued to rise.
Twenty meters, thirty meters, fifty meters... until it completely left the shipyard, ascending into the vast sky.
It hovered in the air for a moment, then began to move clumsily—forward, left, right, even attempting a small turn.
The movements were unskilled, flying crookedly, like a drunken bird.
But they succeeded.
The Floating Fortress, liftoff successful.
Below, earth-shaking cheers erupted once more.
Slime Artisans excitedly bounced with "splat-splat" sounds, dwarf artisans waved their hammers, human artisans took off their hats and threw them into the air.
Artisans on the fortress also poked their heads out of observation windows, waving to their companions below. Though the distance was great and faces unclear, that joy could be felt even across a hundred meters of sky.
"We succeeded! We succeeded!"
"The Floating Fortress! Our Floating Fortress!"
"Long live His Majesty! Long live the Slime Kingdom!"
Cheers swept through the entire construction site like a tidal wave, even reaching the distant mushroom town.
Townsfolk ran out of their houses, looking up at the behemoth in the sky, their jaws dropping in astonishment, then joining in the cheers.
"This is our victory." Chen Yu's voice wasn't loud, but it was transmitted to every citizen's mind through the Gel Network.
Instantly triggering another wave of cheers.
Anvil let out a sigh of relief, his body, which had been tense all along, finally relaxing.
Selene also showed a long-absent smile.
Yes, they had succeeded.
As long as it could take off, the remaining minor issues could be resolved bit by bit in subsequent adjustments.
Gazing at the fortress in the air, watching its figure slowly moving under the blue sky and white clouds, Selene couldn't help but feel complex emotions welling up in her heart.
She remembered the scene when she decided to leave the Elf Kingdom and come to the Slime Kingdom.
Teacher Ferendil had opposed it, the Sages didn't understand, even she herself had doubted whether this decision was correct.
But now, looking at this miracle soaring in the sky, she suddenly felt that her initial decision seemed right.
This fortress was not only a miracle of the Slime Kingdom, but also her ideal—the union of nature and magic, coexistence of creation and protection.
It was like a bird, finally breaking free from the shackles of the ground, carrying her ideal, soaring into the free sky.
The liveliness at the shipyard construction site lasted a long time.
It wasn't until the fortress completed basic tests and slowly descended back into the shipyard that the artisans gradually calmed down, though the excitement on their faces remained hard to conceal.
It was then that Anvil remembered something.
"Your Majesty, this fortress still doesn't have a name."
Chen Yu blinked. "Do you have any ideas?"
Hearing this, the artisans lowered their heads, discussing animatedly.
Some artisans said it should be called "Sky Slime," others thought it should be something like "Kingdom's Pride."
Other artisans also chimed in—dwarves suggested "Copperfire's Hammer" or "Big Hat," humans suggested "Hope," while the Elves leaned towards more elegant names like "Wings of the Firmament."
A blob of Slime Artisan bounced up, saying, "Slime Throne, to display the King's majesty!"
Anvil's eyes lit up, nodding. "That's a good one."
Selene looked at Chen Yu. "What does Your Majesty think?"
Chen Yu thought for a moment, his gel body swaying.
"Slime Throne..." he repeated, then shook his head. "No."
Everyone was stunned.
Anvil scratched his head. "Why not? That name is great."
Chen Yu put his hands on his hips. "Because I'll have a better throne in the future. Save that name for later. Compared to Slime Throne..."
He paused, his eyes sweeping over everyone present.
"I think 'Sky Oath' is more fitting."
The scene fell silent.
"Sky Oath?" Anvil chewed on the words.
Chen Yu swayed his gel happily. "Exactly. This fortress is our common oath sworn under the same sky, representing the united will of all races in the Slime Kingdom working together."
"Under this oath, we will stand shoulder to shoulder as a city, drive back the demons, and protect our home."
He looked at Selene. "What do you think?"
This Elf Great Sage smiled.
"I think it's good."
Although this name wasn't as regal as "Throne" nor as elegant, it deeply touched her heart.
Only at this moment did she feel she had truly integrated into this land, completely trusting this Slime King.
Not because he was so powerful, nor because he was so clever, but because she saw something more important in him.
The name was thus decided.
The Floating Fortress... no, now it should be called the Sky Oath. It wouldn't immediately rush to the battlefield; it still needed to undergo a day of emergency test flights and adjustments here to solve those minor issues and let the pilot gain more proficiency.
Tomorrow it would formally depart for the Royal Capital battlefield.
It's worth mentioning that, with Ferendil's agreement, the Forest Sage Council would participate in this battle alongside the Sky Oath.
Over a dozen Elf Sages, plus the two Great Sages Selene and Ferendil—this would be a force not to be underestimated.
Chen Yu originally wanted to leave directly to see how the war preparations were going.
But at this moment, Anvil shuffled over awkwardly.
Little Ka beside Chen Yu blinked its eyes, looking at him curiously.
"Your Majesty..." Anvil rubbed his hands, his expression somewhat embarrassed.
"What is it?" Chen Yu asked.
"That... I'd like to borrow Sir Little Ka for a bit, to prepare a surprise for you."
Chen Yu blinked. "What gift requires Little Ka?"
"Can't tell you," Anvil shook his head, his expression serious. "Otherwise it won't be a surprise."
Chen Yu stared at him for a few seconds, then looked at Little Ka. The black dragon tilted its head, making a "kaka" sound, as if saying, "I know nothing."
Alright.
Chen Yu thought, since Anvil brought it up at this time, he must have his reasons.
And... he was indeed a bit curious what surprise required Little Ka.
He finally said, "Fine, Little Ka is yours. Don't lose him."
"Don't worry, Your Majesty!" Anvil patted his chest. "I guarantee Sir Little Ka will be absolutely fine."
Chen Yu nodded, then rose on his sword.
"I'm leaving first."
With that, the sword vibrated slightly, then "whooshed" up into the sky, drawing a pale green trail in the air before disappearing into the distance.
Anvil watched for a long time before turning to look at Little Ka.
"Sir Little Ka, please wait here a moment. I'll go fetch something."
Little Ka nodded, lay down, placing its huge head on its front claws, trying its best to resemble a gentle, friendly big dog.
Anvil trotted all the way back to the mushroom town, rummaged in a hidden corner of a house for a while, and finally came out carrying a box.
The box wasn't large, but it was heavy, made of oak, with protective runes carved on the surface. Anvil carried it carefully, walking back to the construction site.
Little Ka lifted its head, staring at the box curiously.
"Kaka?"
"Good stuff," Anvil said mysteriously.
He squatted down in front of Little Ka, placed the box on the ground, and opened it. Inside was lined with red silk, and on the silk lay a fragment.
A golden fragment.
Not ordinary gold, but some older, more sacred metal.
The fragment's edges were jagged, as if broken off from some larger object, but the surface was still smooth, reflecting sunlight, emitting a warm glow.
A fragment of the Crown of Ignis.
Back when Chen Yu had devoured most of the crown, he finally remembered Anvil's request and left him a piece, which Anvil had carefully kept ever since.
With him becoming an Extraordinary Craftsman, a long-shelved idea finally had a chance to be realized.
Anvil carefully picked up the fragment, wrapped it in silk, and placed it into a leather pouch he carried.
He tied the pouch to his belt, making sure it wouldn't fall off, then turned to look at Little Ka, rubbing his hands.
"Sir Little Ka, may I ride on you?"
Little Ka nodded, even deliberately lowering its body, spreading its wings, and placing them on the ground to form a ramp.
Even so, the short Anvil still took a while to climb up.
He sat on the dragon's back, holding onto the base of Little Ka's neck where there were two protruding bone plates, perfect as handholds.
As the kingdom's first dwarf dragon rider, he was actually extremely excited right now.
"Sir Little Ka, let's go."
"Kaka?"
Little Ka tilted its head, its voice full of confusion, as if asking, "Where to?"
Anvil looked up, gazing into the distance, at the Slime Kingdom's territory, at those places familiar and unfamiliar to him.
He declared grandly, "We're going everywhere. We'll fly across the entire kingdom."
"This gift requires all the citizens to prepare together."