Ch.377The Road to Cecilia Continent (2)

“How’s the status?”

“Not bad. Only minor damage to the main systems. However, the external armor and turrets have suffered severe damage, so proper maintenance will be needed at the next continent. Having damaged equipment exposed over the sea isn’t a good thing.”

Viktor nodded at the maintenance worker’s report.

The corrosiveness of salt-laden moisture could be described as something that eats away at iron. Since they were airborne, they didn’t need to worry about seawater getting in, but high altitudes came with their own set of threats.

A prime example was the condensation that occurs when passing through clouds. With the low temperatures, water vapor would freeze upon contact, and as it broke off, it would further expand the damage to components. Simply put, it was “freezing damage.”

Yet lowering their altitude wasn’t a good option either. If they did that, they might fail to detect enemies early and risk being ambushed. Moreover, the Sky Warden was a heavy battleship, so changing altitude took time. They couldn’t afford to lower their altitude, even if it meant accepting some additional damage.

If they lowered their altitude, they would inevitably face the extreme humidity of the sea, whether they liked it or not. The maintenance crew simply wasn’t equipped to handle that.

“Going outside for repairs is… impossible, I assume.”

“At this altitude, yes. The wind speed and pressure would blow someone away in an instant.”

When the maintenance chief said this, Viktor thought that perhaps he could do it, given his ability to fly and resist wind, but he soon shook his head. While he possessed considerable knowledge, it was knowledge as a ruler, not the expertise needed for maintaining war machinery.

The image of the Sun God struggling against cold winds while trying to replace armor plates made him smile involuntarily. Viktor composed his facial muscles and asked the maintenance chief:

“What about the internal damage?”

“Most of the damage is to the turrets and power conduits. Fortunately, the power conduits can be replaced with spare parts, but the turrets will take time.”

“Is the damage severe?”

The maintenance chief nodded and continued his explanation.

“The CLWS battery systems are especially damaged. Power transmission systems, hydraulic rotation components, ammunition loading mechanisms, and gun barrels—nothing is intact. To properly work on them, we’d need to handle hundreds of kilograms of metal while wearing cold-weather gear. It will probably take a good two weeks before all the turrets are operational again.”

“Two weeks, huh.”

Since a week was ten days, that meant a full twenty days. It seemed the damage to the smaller CLWS, which couldn’t be heavily armored, was unavoidable.

Well, if they were made larger, they’d be secondary guns or main batteries, not CLWS anymore.

“What about casualties?”

“We have 600 casualties. 104 dead, and the rest are receiving treatment in the infirmary.”

“104 people…”

Considering the intensity of the battle, it was a relatively small number of casualties, but given the nature of the recent combat, the casualties were primarily anti-aircraft gunners who had been operating the CLWS turrets. Surrounded by flammable materials and shrapnel, it would inevitably take a long time for them to fully recover.

Even the Sun’s blessing couldn’t protect against high pressure and shrapnel wounds…

*

“Sigh…”

To clear his head, Viktor was flipping through the pages of a book while drinking a Blue Hole cocktail that citizens had given him earlier.

[Famous Sites of the Cecilia Continent.]

Since Simon had been dispatched to the infirmary to comfort the wounded, Viktor found it awkward to ask about famous places. So he began learning about them from a book brought by assistant librarians from the library.

[Site of Great Achievement: Lorentia City]

-Lorentia City was designated as a famous site during the Imperial Era for the invention of revolutionary artificial organs, now known as “augmentations.” The philosophical debate among Imperial philosophers about the possibility of replacing 100% of the body—from limbs and internal organs to all bodily parts—with factory-produced artificial organs lasted for nearly 30 years. Eventually, augmentations were officially approved, and today the city is considered a holy site for adventurers seeking quick and easy power enhancement, as well as for the elderly and patients seeking increased lifespan or disease treatment.

During the Eclipse Era, Lorentia City was able to safely defend itself by replacing its defense forces with mechanized infantry. It functioned as a commercial neutral zone by selling war materials such as unmanned soldiers, drones, and heavy weapons that applied augmentation know-how. In the current Extinction Era, Lorentia City binds approximately 1.3 billion citizens with 100% employment rates to produce enormous quantities of augmentations for sale, and in return for their hard labor, citizens enjoy the benefits of extensive mechanization and automation, including AI sex dolls and household drones.-

[Historical Site: Meteor Crater]

-The Meteor Crater is an excavation site where numerous archaeologists continue to dig, camping out. While the crater itself holds little value, the artifacts from the Age of Stars buried beneath it are of tremendous historical significance. Humans once built civilization on the surface of a massive sphere called a “planet,” but eventually fell to the 13 continents due to divine punishment born from human malice. For some reason, a large number of artifacts from the former Earth fell into the Meteor Crater, forming a massive deposit.

Most are artifacts from the planet “Earth,” but approximately one in 20,000 are from planets called “Mars” or “Venus.” Analysis of the appearance and material composition of these artifacts suggests that Mars and Venus had environments vastly different from Earth. Currently, 30 million archaeologists work at the Meteor Crater, using graduate students as their hands and feet, and have excavated to a depth of 12 kilometers. Due to the low pressure, extreme cold, and various potential hazards that might emerge from the artifacts, excavators often travel with multiple adventurers as escorts.-

[Religious Site: Mount Dikere]

-This is where a small community was established by those with faiths outside the Four Great Gods or the Two Moons Doctrine. During the Imperial Era, religions around the world rapidly declined in the face of the Two Moons faith. As Imperial rule reached its peak, those with different beliefs fled to the rugged Mount Dikere to escape intense persecution, establishing a self-sufficient life while blocking outside intervention. Whether the Imperial government confirmed their movement and community building remains undiscovered, but analysis of ancient documents found by adventurers reveals terms like “Imperial administrator,” “Imperial government decree,” and “tribute to the Imperial family,” suggesting that despite their closed nature, they maintained periodic contact with the Imperial government.

Because various faiths gathered at Mount Dikere, they divided their living areas into several zones to minimize conflict. Evidence collected so far indicates that a total of 117 different faiths resided within Mount Dikere until the Eclipse Era. Ancient documents discovered 32 years after the collapse of the Imperial government mention “evacuation plans,” “escape routes,” and plans for food, medicine, and the elderly, strongly suggesting that these people either escaped from Mount Dikere or attempted to do so. However, despite searching the entire Cecilia Continent, their destination remains a mystery.-

[Most Beautiful Site: Neriden Gorge]

-The Neriden Gorge was once the site of fierce battles between Imperial forces and rebels during the Eclipse Era. Countless destructive weapons, including satellite weapons and antimatter weapons, were deployed during the two-year battle, transforming what was once a beautiful flower valley into a gorge. The Imperial forces eventually won, but records indicate they had to retreat due to the overwhelming numbers of rebels that continued to pour in. Toward the end of the Eclipse Era, a group of wandering refugees joined with locals who had been unable to evacuate and formed a small village.

The refugees removed the vitrified surface to grow crops and raise livestock, while the locals created recycled goods from parts and scrap metal salvaged from destroyed weapons or traded with nearby settlements for necessary supplies. This division of labor established a foundation for stable development, and by the first year of the Extinction Era, it had become the most populous and bustling commercial center in the area.

One event led to Neriden Gorge being designated as a famous site: residents discovered photographic records of the past Neriden Valley full of flowers while excavating deeply buried debris. Following this discovery, gardening became popular among Neriden residents, who believed flowers could be grown even in a gorge. This served as a catalyst and breakthrough for Neriden Gorge, which had exhausted its excavation potential after thousands of years of digging.

After efforts to “restore its past beauty,” around the year 600 of the Extinction Era, Neriden Gorge officially gained famous site status with the nickname “Flower Gorge.” Among pilgrims, it is widely respected as an exemplar of humanity overcoming its own evil deeds and purifying the world through good works.-

*

“Hmm… I’d really like to visit these places.”

While it’s said that seeing is believing, reading descriptions can also spark curiosity.

Viktor returned to the captain’s quarters and lay down, doing his best to suppress the desire to view these famous sites through satellite imagery.