And the combat over the Eteliria Sky Sea, due to having one more axis than Earth, required even greater accuracy for aiming adjustments, making the hit rate of long-distance ship-to-ship fire almost imaginable.
It was more like trying one's luck.
However, as the absolutely disadvantaged party, Fang Hong did not want to let the opponent endlessly gamble. For those gambling, the chance of hitting was a fraction of a percent, but for them, it was either zero or one hundred percent. He couldn't afford for the Seven Seas Traveler to be randomly hit by a shot, it would break his heart.
He turned back and said to the others:
"Hide under those roots."
...
The captain of the Short-Tailed Sturgeon ship put down the telescope in his hand.
At the same time, the sailor on the lookout above reached the same conclusion, shouting:
"They are heading under the giant tree!"
"Captain, should we continue firing?"
The captain nodded, having roughly calculated that before the opponent entered those labyrinth-like roots and branches, his ship could fire about three more rounds.
"Switch to chain shot," he said, turning back.
Though chain shot was even less accurate, a couple of hits from a regular shell might not incapacitate them, but a chain shot was different. During the time they replaced sails, it would be enough to catch up.
Hitting the mast would be akin to hitting the jackpot.
As he spoke, a bright flash sparked on the Wind Porpoise Ship not far away.
He raised his telescope again to look at the shape of the cannon flame and couldn't help but curse under his breath: "That old guy." The other side not only thought of the same tactic but also acted faster than he did.
But just at that moment, within the narrow view of the telescope, he suddenly saw a commotion on the Wind Porpoise Ship.
"Something's coming!"
Before he could figure out what was happening, he heard his deputy let out an extremely shocked shout.
He instinctively lowered his telescope and turned around, seeing above the five vertically aligned ships, a faint shadow was plummeting down straight from over the port. That shadow seemed able to control its fall direction, landing precisely on the aftmost Bikini People Ship.
At least a thousand people on the port witnessed this scene.
The shadow paused on the Bikini People Ship, then darted towards the other ships, traversing a few hulls before reaching the main mast of the Short-Tailed Sturgeon.
The captain looked up at the figure, only then realizing it was a black-haired youth.
The youth stood at the mast top, lowered his head, and addressed them: "Guys, lend me a hand."
...
The chain shot fired from the Wind Porpoise Ship did not hit the Seven Seas Traveler.
The wind under the sky port was fierce, the crosswind already having blown those chain shots off to who knows where.
Yet, the strong air currents could not disperse the year-round fog lingering beneath Luyuan.
The Seven Seas Traveler was less than a chain away from the giant tree's roots.
At this moment above the sky sea, no sign of the Flying Dragon Knights or Griffon Knights could be seen. At this altitude, the Wind Element was so dense that small creatures would be buoyantly lifted — except for humans, who have little elemental affinity in their bodies.
The Guy Generator of the Seven Seas Traveler had also stopped absorbing Wind Elements and switched to release mode, forming an elemental air zone to prevent individuals with Wind Element adaptation on the ship from floating up.
Only a few ships from Tarn Port were still trailing behind at a distance.
But it was precisely at this moment that Fang Hong noticed the actions of those ships became a bit peculiar.
They suddenly, and strangely in unison, ceased fire, then scattered away.
One of the airships even slowly approached the Giant Tree Tarn.
"They're forcing us to keep descending," Luo Hao understood their intent, "Below is the Wind Elemental Layer, and past the Elemental Layer is the Abyssal Sea..."
"The roots of Tarn lead to Luyuan Sky Strait, during the Battle of Bain, Imperials once launched a surprise attack on Orlenze from below the land ridge through here, and the Osiris Blot remains from that battle," he said, "Afterward, the Orlenze people sealed the lower Luyuan with a large ritual array spell, it should be a dead end in front of us..."
"A large ritual array?" Ai Xiaoxiao asked curiously.
Xiangzi had been injured in the previous combat, blood pouring down an arm. She and Tang Xin wrapped it up after a quick treatment.
The boy remained silent, face cold.
However, Ai Xiaoxiao's operation technique was so peculiar that sometimes he would break out in a cold sweat, grimacing.
Luo Hao watched painfully, withdrew respectfully two steps, answering: "A kind of spell similar to the Puzzle Lock Barrier, in short, not something we can break."
Everyone couldn't help but turn their gaze toward Fang Hong.
Fang Hong was silent for a moment, then said: "Then we'll pass through the Wind Elemental Layer and continue descending to the Abyssal Sea—"
"To the Abyssal Sea?" Parker nearly slipped his hand and fell from the mast, he hung there exclaiming exaggeratedly: "Have you all gone mad?"
Perhaps because this proposal was indeed quite reckless, everyone looked at him with a bit of surprise, and for a moment, besides the Papalarians, no one else spoke.
Not to mention crossing the Wind Elemental Layer itself was full of unknown dangers, and below the Elemental Layer was akin to the calm zone of the stratosphere.
There, Wind Elements could not persist, the Guy Generator was ineffective, a forbidden zone for sky sea creatures and airships.
Only one material could anchor in this space, it was the world where Anchor Stone formed.