"Ascend fourteen."
"Half sails."
The Seven Seas Traveler was swaying as it rose from the Cloud Sea.
After sailing beneath the Abyssal Sea for two days and nights, they finally reached the edge of that passage. The elemental detector detected a continuous decrease in the Wind Element ahead, indicating the possibility of entering the Calm Wind Layer.
Though the passage was perpendicular to the Wind Elemental Layer, they could turn back or continue downward, hiding a bit longer in the Abyssal Sea. But Fang Hong believed that wasn't very meaningful. They had sailed south from Orlenze for four days, and even if their speed in the Wind Elemental Layer was slow, the two days beneath the Abyssal Sea were enough to escape Orlenze's search range.
Continuing to stay beneath the Abyssal Sea wouldn't make them safer; it would rather bring danger. The continual arrival of the Descendants of Flor and other guild members would cover the Sky Sea above with fleets searching for them and spies. If they could think of hiding under the Abyssal Sea, others wouldn't be fools either.
The pursuers might even come down here to hunt them. Orlenze might not have suitable ships and men for a time, but that doesn't mean the giant Descendants of Flor couldn't. They could always find large and sturdy enough airships, along with experienced captains and sailors who had been beneath the Abyssal Sea before.
Although this Abyssal Sea seems profound, it's essentially a closed pond sealed by the Calm Wind Layer. Once the hands of the Descendants of Flor enter, it would be like catching a turtle in a jar.
Their only chance would be to get as far away as possible from Orlenze before others react; no matter how large the Descendants of Flor are, they couldn't cover the Sky Sea with search fleets. In fact, not even Nogness could be covered unless they did nothing else.
As for larger scale possibilities, the Invokers couldn't do it, and neither could the Colin Ishurian Kingdom. The free Sky Sea is precisely because it is vast enough, thereby free enough.
Thus, Fang Hong decisively decided to let the Seven Seas Traveler pass through the Wind Elemental Layer again, returning to the offshore area of Orlenze.
During the two-day and night voyage, they never encountered the legendary island. It seemed it might have fallen into an even deeper layer of the Abyssal Sea, perhaps even passing through the Calm Wind Zone.
Yet it might have shattered into pieces due to its own mass during its descent, naturally collapsing, leaving nothing behind.
Fang Hong felt just a slight disappointment, as that mysterious island left too many legends and stories, whether from the Battle of Bain or the past of the 'Morning Dawn Star.'
However, this disappointment felt like a foreseen one. The Colin People and the Imperials, even the Invokers, had certainly explored beneath here in the past. The lack of historical records speaks volumes.
They did not consider themselves the Chosen Ones who could discover something overlooked by others. Those chances are rare indeed.
The Seven Seas Traveler continued to slowly ascend, passing through layers of mist.
Land was clearly visible on the left side, appearing deceptively close but in truth still far away. It looked like a colossal, inverted mountain wall piercing the clouds, as if it were the spine of a giant, looming indistinctly.
"Confirm our position."
"We are southeast of Orlenze, Lord Captain, with winds from the southwest at seven knots. Sea conditions are good, visibility is average, with a cloud wall forming ahead."
Hilveld raised her head from the astrolabe, walked to the porthole, gazed outside, and softly replied, "The ship is currently heading east; we ought to be below the mouth of the Great Rift Canyon."
Fang Hong also glanced in that direction. Hanging over the fragmented land ridge were several bright light bands stretching thousands of meters long. They were waterfalls cascading from the edge of the land. Nogness is rich with rain, being the area with the most abundant Water System in the Colin Ishurian Kingdom.
Rivers have continuously eroded rocks, forming void canyons and rift valleys. The largest rift lies in the center of Nogness, exactly the one before their eyes—the Wall of the Sky Sea.
The vast, majestic cliffs seemed to be chiseled with axes and knives, plunging vertically beneath the clouds. They parted in the middle, standing on either side and gradually converging towards the center, winding and extending beyond the horizon.
The airship drifted over the center of the Great Rift, a mere speck of dust.
Tracing the rift northward, a gleaming long river winds its way, carving through the wild forests from the Crimson Mountain Range and Peinan Valley; its source waters come from the glistening Long Lake, witnessing the snow-covered Chongshan, the shining White Tower on the banks, and the fairies' exquisite dwellings among the Red Tree Forest.
Further north, howling cold winds melt into trickling streams from the eternally frozen Eldron Glacier, flowing across snowy grasslands. Tracing the Colin Ishurian's longest river, the streams arise amidst the pebbles, born from the footprints of Dwarf explorers chasing snow monsters.
Shimmering Galaxy—
Among those past memories, he recalled the beauty he had once seen—Holy Bow Peak's silver snowfall, the joyful serenity of the Fairy Residence, and the towering High Tower amid the dense forests, the shimmering lake waters, and the towns lining the shore.
Fang Hong gazed upon the gorge, his thoughts involuntarily drawn, leaving him momentarily silent.
Until, suddenly interrupted by the voice of Miss Natural Historian coming from the sound transmission tube, "Brother Ade, the detector detected a Wind Element reaction to our southwest."
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