Ch.222Towards the Sky. Peledias (1)

Three days later, we finally arrived in the skies above Peredias.

Peredias had an extremely deformed appearance; viewed from above, the areas that could function as a city were very limited, and the rest of the space was filled with facilities for parking, repairing, assembling, and launching spacecraft.

We stared blankly at the spacecraft taking off, witnessing the city’s landscape that showed not just obsession but madness.

KUOOOOO!!!

The spacecraft soaring into the sky displayed a magnificently imposing figure, with vibrations so strong they could be felt even inside our airship.

It didn’t take long for one to become tens, tens to become hundreds, and hundreds to transform into thousands. We all rested briefly on the clouds in the sky, watching the white sharks advancing upward toward the sun and stars.

Those who cherish the blueness of the sky will soon leave the radiance of the sun behind, entering a world where only darkness and cold are the sole laws.

And in that world, they will explore, communicate with, and gaze upon the only shining stars, perhaps even looking down upon the sun itself.

“Is this the pinnacle of human civilization… Truly a glorious sight.”

Since the days of crawling on Earth’s soil, humanity has longed to touch the sky.

Piling up soil, gravel, sand, and stone to build taller structures to look down upon the world, creating cities with skyscrapers that pierce the heavens, reaching ever higher.

And finally, 1957 years after the birth of the first prophet, the people of the Tundra sent humanity’s creation toward a place beyond the sky for the first time.

The first words transmitted by that tiny satellite named “Companion,” made with technology so primitive and crude by today’s standards, were merely electronic beeps.

Beep… beep… beep… beep…

Just months after those simple electronic sounds encircled the round earth, humanity’s other companion, a dog, once again entered orbit. That dog’s name was recorded in history as Laika.

And in the plains country that opposed the Tundra, they finally succeeded in landing a human on Earth’s satellite, the Moon, in 1969, twelve years after the Tundra’s success.

On that place both closest to and farthest from Earth, insignificant humanity succeeded in leaving an indelible mark on this world.

Although humanity was banished to these 13 continents as punishment from the evil gods, the desire to venture into the unknown never died.

Above the sky lies space.

Then what lies beyond space?

What awaits us in those distant places where even starlight cannot reach?

To discover this, humanity continues to soar skyward today.

Those without wings continue to struggle.

Hoping that today’s struggle will take them farther than yesterday’s.

“How many have looked down upon you? How many have faced death trying to reach you?”

[Countless. I remember all the orbits of humanity that pass by me, all the souls that burn up approaching me.]

How do the immortals view the falling of mortals?

Buried in cold, burning in heat, collapsing from hunger, breaking down mentally, and finally meeting their predetermined doom—those trapped in the cycle of mortality can only worship transcendent beings to forget their fears.

Just as a frightened child clings to mother and father, entrusting oneself to a superior being is human nature.

And that superior being need not necessarily be a god.

Scientists worship science, engineers worship technology, and warriors worship strength as their faith and goal. Thus, even as humanity breaks and crumbles, it can rise again from the ground toward the sky.

And someday, perhaps humanity will reach a time when it can survive without the sacrifice of individuals.

With that thought, I connected to Peredias’s immigration control.

*

“Welcome to Peredias, everyone. One of the world’s 52 wonders that has drawn a great line in aerospace history! We hope you have a wonderful experience.”

The civil servant managing entry welcomed us with a very familiar tone.

Judging by his wrinkled, friendly face, he must have been working in this field for at least ten years.

“My airship is damaged. The frame has suffered serious damage… Do you know where I can get it repaired?”

“Hmm… I’m sorry, but that’s a bit difficult for me to answer. If I recommend a specific company as a civil servant, I could be accused of corruption…”

“Sigh… Then what should I do…?”

“If you look around this area, repair shops are everywhere. In a place that assembles spacecraft weighing hundreds of thousands of tons, fixing an airship would be done in the blink of an eye.”

“Hmm…”

I nodded vaguely, then called the officers under the brigade commander and ordered them to find companies that could repair our airship.

I planned to compare the companies they found and choose the one with the best service at the most reasonable price.

“Brigade Commander. I leave the control of the troops to you. Make sure they return within three hours this time as well.”

“Understood, my lord.”

“And we’ll need to replenish our forces… Discuss this with the staff and get my approval later.”

“Yes! I’ll select some useful ones!”

“Good. I’m looking forward to it.”

With that, I left the control of the soldiers to the brigade commander and went down to the lower part of the mooring tower.

The officers accompanied me on the way down, as they also needed to search for repair companies around the city.

Soon after we arrived on the ground from the elevator, the officers saluted me and disappeared toward the city center, while we decided to enjoy refreshments at a nearby café.

*

The place we entered was a high-class café with a terrace, and when the waiters recognized my status, they quickly offered us seats on the terrace.

Impressed by the exemplary attitude of those in the service industry, I commended their behavior and ordered the most expensive refreshment menu for seven people. Within minutes, the staff served us warm tea and sweet pastries.

“I hope we find a repair shop quickly. I couldn’t sleep all night because of the creaking sounds.”

Lucia muttered while putting a pastry into her mouth first. The crunching sound was a bit annoying, but I could still understand her.

“I’m in the same boat. I didn’t hear the creaking, but I did hear the sound of metal twisting.”

As Simon also expressed his discomfort, I finally turned my gaze to the dwarf brothers.

“What about you two?”

I asked the dwarf brothers.

“Well, we drank alcohol before sleeping.”

“When you’re drunk, you’re not afraid!”

Saying that, the dwarves poured brandy into their warm tea, making it lukewarm, and then downed it in one gulp.

How can they love alcohol so much!

“Anyway… once we’ve finished our refreshments, we’ll go to Peredias’s Aerospace Museum. I heard we can see the first spacecraft ever launched there.”

“Ugh. Museums don’t taste good with alcohol.”

“Then don’t drink…”

I sighed and took a sip of tea.

The art of enjoying tea and pastries lies in balancing the slightly bitter aftertaste of tea with sweet meringue cookies, but I had to enjoy refreshments with these uncultured beings who didn’t know this and just mixed alcohol into their tea. My situation was truly pathetic.

Tea should only be mixed with milk and sugar cubes to maintain its proper taste, and they didn’t even know that!

Well, what can I do? Without them, I would have become yeti’s fist meat rather than a knight, so I have to be understanding. A true knight does not repay past favors with enmity.

Of course, there are limits to past favors, and if these four alcoholics cause trouble, I might be freed from that obligation… but unfortunately, when they get drunk enough to make a scene, they just lie down and sleep—they have very docile drinking habits.

That was so annoying that I wanted to crack their heads open, but I couldn’t just break the heads of innocent elves and dwarves.

“Drink moderately. There’s a limit to replacing livers and kidneys. How many doctors do you think would be willing to arrange surgeries for alcohol lovers like you?”

“Probably a lot?”

“…”

I needed to refute that, but I couldn’t.

Damn, I should have realized sooner that ever since humanity chose body modification over natural growth, people like me couldn’t win these arguments.

“I’m looking for some people. A blonde, blue-eyed knight, twin elves, an elderly sage, and dwarf brothers forming a party.”

“Those people are enjoying refreshments on the terrace.”

“Hmm. Thank you.”

At that moment, an officer in military uniform came up the stairs from the lower floor and saluted me.