After passing through the dense fog, everyone on the ship saw the full view of the Wind Elemental Layer.
It resembled an azure mirror, set below the Cloud Sea.
The commonly understood Wind Elemental Layer is actually divided into three layers: upper, middle, and lower. Although the elements in the upper and middle layers also gather a large amount of wind elements, they don't look much different from other layers of the Sky Sea.
But when it comes to the lower layer, an enormous amount of wind elements coalesce into substance, forming a sea-like shape, which is the Elemental Sea—the lower Wind Elemental Layer, or the True Elemental Layer.
What they were seeing here was indeed the Sea of Wind of the True Elemental Layer. However, it was still far away, just an optical illusion caused by the lack of reference points beneath the Land Ridge in the Sky Sea.
Raising their heads, the edge of the continent stretched above them into a straight line, like the edge of a massive inverted mountain range, majestic and imposing.
That place was the Land Ridge; it was thin at the edge of the Sky Land, but in the central region, the Land Ridge could dive deep by over a hundred kilometers, not only piercing the Wind Elemental Layer and Calm Wind Zone but even extending straight into the Abyssal Sea.
The feeling of the airship passing through the Wind Elemental Layer was special, like passing through something tangible, but the transformation between form and formlessness was quick, and soon those on the Seven Seas Traveler could no longer perceive any difference.
However, at this time, the Seven Seas Traveler began to shake violently; tables, chairs, beds, cabinets, and ornamental paintings on the walls all swayingly creaked. Beneath the mirror-like surface of the Elemental Layer lurked the wildness and freedom of the wind elements; it was a world filled with frenetic imagination, with eternal gales ruling everything like shifting ocean currents, sudden vortices, and shear winds common as breaths.
Few dare to challenge this forbidden zone for sailors, but Miss Tata was obviously an exception; being a Dragon Soul, she only needed to feel the flow of Wind Ether to predict the direction of shear winds, and her control of the Seven Seas Traveler was as precise as controlling her own body; what eluded the world in terms of challenges seemed typical to her.
Fang Hong made the right bet, but the challenge had only just begun.
The Wind Elemental Layer was twenty kilometers thick, taking a whole day and night to pass through, during which a lot of time was needed to hover in the air to absorb Magic Power, for the consumption of the Heart of Fairy. Fang Hong expected to reach the lower Wind Elemental Layer in forty-eight hours, during which the Seven Seas Traveler required no operation from them, leaving only those on duty in the Magic Guided Pilot Cabin.
He divided the crew into two emergency groups, rotating shifts, and the others should stay in their rooms, reading or resting, but no mandatory requirements were made.
At midnight, the Seven Seas Traveler entered the middle Elemental Layer, and the world outside was dark, starlight dimmed, the only sound inside was the howling wind, like the end of the world.
Hilveld drank water, lay on the bed for a while, got up to write a log, the Wind Lantern swayed, spreading its light all over the floor.
She donned her windcoat and walked out; the Captain's Room was quiet, Fang Hong was catching up on rest after rotating with others.
Several people were in the lower deck hallway, everyone couldn't sit still and came out to meet, the Big Catfolk were casually chatting with Bakins, the Bosun leaned against the ladder, upon seeing the daughter of their old captain coming down, promptly stood up to greet her.
Reed, who had turned into a tabby Big Cat, lay on the stairs, watched her jump down, turned his head and shook his tail as a greeting.
Miss Ship's Officer smiled slightly.
Ai Xiaoxiao's room door was open, Tang Xin was inside reading a book; it was a large two-inch-thick book with a golden cover, the Holy Scripture of Traviel Parish, a required course for every Priest Laila.
She saw Hilveld passing by the door, looked up and cast her gaze over.
The two exchanged a good morning, but Tang Xin became a bit shy again.
Hilveld smiled and walked over; outside, on the Air Combat Deck, several girls were gathered, sitting cross-legged on the ground, attentively listening to Luo Hao tell stories, this chubby man from the military had endless stories to tell.
Like the origin of the Rose Cross Army, how the Descendants of Flor and Rainbow Alliance emerged from the V.E.M. alliance, the Silver Weslan and Crusaders' disputes, and so on.
Beside the three girls was a small box of cookies, Parker sat behind them, stuffing his cheeks full.
Xiesta was fiddling with a Marigold, noticed the footsteps of her lady, turned around to look at her.
Luo Yu leaned against the door of the Magic Guided Pilot Cabin, carefully recording the engine readings with a pen.
By eight in the morning, at the time of sunrise on Colin Continent, but Light Ether struggled to reach the middle Elemental Layer, and outside was still gloomy.
At ten, Fang Hong forced everyone except the emergency duty group to go back to their rooms to rest.
After six more hours, it would be the biggest test for the Seven Seas Traveler since entering the Wind Elemental Layer.
At two in the afternoon, the ship's shaking intensified significantly, Miss Fairy reported encountering a storm outside, though storms were already commonplace at this height.
Fang Hong asked Tata to report the outside situation every fifteen minutes, and outside the Sky Sea was already pitch black, hands outstretched unable to see fingers. The barrier outside the ship rose up, the upper armor deck was forbidden from access, but looking out from the Captain's Room, the air currents outside seemed tangible.