Pillars of Ita

Chapter 1267: Flying over the Clouds

The thundercloud storm was approaching so close that it was suffocating. The wind and rain outside were so strong that it was almost impossible to tell where was outside and where was inside. The clouds reached a height of six miles and were over two hundred miles wide. They were as dark as a cast iron wall, with crisscrossing electric grids flashing across the wall from time to time.

The temperature began to drop, the rain was freezing cold, and the only warmth was the orange light of the magic crystal lamp on the cabin wall. But people had no time to care about this, the steering wheel on the rudder was spinning, and it took almost two people to hold it firmly.

The Seven Seas Storm was shaking, trying almost hard to maintain a straight forward course, heading straight towards the direction of the dark clouds.

The vertical wind almost stretched every sail into a bow, and the mast made a creaking sound - Daryl was watching this scene with a stern face, and there was a rare seriousness in his eyes.

She didn't like Kukai.

Just like cats are naturally afraid of water, she also doesn't like the feeling of being unable to keep her feet on the ground and letting her fate drift with the tide.

In terms of experience on the sea, she probably had the least experience of the group. Before going to Oshu, her only sailing experience was the regular ship from Lotao to the Hill of the Giant Tree.

However, the scheduled ships only travel on fixed routes, in fixed months, during the calmest and mildest periods of the sky and sea, at slow speeds, and can hardly be called "adventures".

Although I witnessed the big storm in Hanrui later, I only experienced the beginning of the storm. After that, I stayed on the small island protected by Odysseus.

It was a very different experience than facing the raging storm on this new sea.

Catherine seemed to see the anxiety in Miss Cat's heart and said, "Don't worry too much."

She added: "Because it's not the most dangerous time yet."

"That doesn't make me feel any better, Lady Catherine." Daryl bared his fangs and gave the female pirate leader a displeased look.

The former laughed, took out a bottle of Zalfraki wine, uncorked it and took a sip, wiped his lips with his hand, and handed it over, "Want some?"

Daryl shook her head, declining the algae wine so fanatically adored by the sailors.

"You should learn to relax, Miss Cat." The rain flowed down the female pirate's red hair. She squinted her eyes and spoke to Miss Catman in a frivolous tone.

She glanced at the greatsword in Daryl's hand—there were no enemies or threats at the moment, but some people had to hold something tightly to be sure that they could control everything.

This is always the case for those who are new on the ship, but the rules of the sky and sea are not like this. The only certainty here is uncertainty itself. Above the ever-changing sea of ​​clouds, only those who enjoy it all are worthy of controlling it.

“Don’t call me Miss Kitty,” Taliel said coldly.

"Besides, the reason I don't drink it is because it's awful."

Zalfraki has a salty and astringent taste of wind, and many sailors use it to treat migraines, but this is just superstition.

Catherine smiled. Anyway, after the argument, Miss Catman finally relaxed a lot. She realized this herself, so she stopped talking to the female pirate leader.

The former just looked at the young man who was concentrating on his work on the podium with admiration.

And some people are born to tame the sea.

She narrowed her eyes slightly, as if she saw a familiar shadow in Fang He. He was born in the storm and was blessed by the sky sea, becoming its darling.

He experienced a youthful period, caught the favor of fate, and at a certain moment, was inspired, obtained the proof of overlord, and became the master of one side.

She followed that trail, step by step, just to find the answer to that question: what was her role in that fate? And who was her mother?

If the man was pursuing that goal at all costs, why would he keep her?

At this moment, someone knocked on the door gently, breaking the female pirate's thoughts. "Come in." She heard Fang He's voice, and then the door was pushed open, and Olivia in a cloak appeared outside.

The wide cloak set off the lady's slim figure. She took off the cloak and shook off the water on it - it was covered with hard feathers of birds, which had a hydrophobic layer. The people of the Bay used it to make raincoats.

Fang He knew who was coming without turning around. The only person who would knock on the door so politely on the Seven Seas Storm was Olivia.

He was holding up the binoculars in his hand and said, "It's not safe here, Miss Olivia."

"I know." Olivia turned her head in that direction and smiled at him when she heard the voice. "I'll check the situation for everyone. The sea conditions are very bad. Such a violent storm rarely forms on the Candlelight Sea."

"Do you know this sea area?"

"I know a little bit," Olivia said. "Before coming here, I studied the hydrological conditions in this area."

Fang He nodded. That was perfect. He didn't trust the pirate leader. There were some truths and some lies in what Mara Isaac said. He must be hiding something from them.

It is normal that the two parties have different positions. Although Leila's magic indicates that the other party is not lying, the spells of the mind realm can only prove lies.

What is outside of lies is not included.

But he put down the telescope and glanced at Olivia. She came a little unexpectedly. As a passenger on the ship, she shouldn't be here.

It was strange, this was not like her. In his impression, Olivia would not deliberately get so close to him. The two of them had their own ideals, and although they talked about everything, they always tacitly maintained a certain restrained distance.

Daryl also keenly sensed something unusual, and squinted his eyes at Olivia, "You came here alone, your eyes?"

Olivia's empty eyes did not show much worry. She only smiled and said, "The magic device on my body can help me 'see' the surrounding environment. Although it is not as good as that of ordinary people, at least it does not affect my normal life."

"I've been to this place once before, and I still remember the way here."

“But this is in the storm,” Daryl said. “Aren’t you afraid?”

Olivia shook her head.

"When we were in Kapka, Ed told me that one day he would have his own sailboat, and he would ride it to brave the wind and waves and sail through the storms."

She smiled and said, "Although I can't see the 'appearance' of the storm, it always reminds me of your energetic look and tone at that time."

She looked at Fang He, "Ed, your wish has come true now. Coincidentally, I was also on this ship when you mentioned this."

Fang He couldn't help but be slightly stunned.

Daryl's hair stood on end. Alyssa had previously privately told her and Luo Hao to be careful of this girl. She didn't take it seriously at the time, but now she could sense a strong hint of danger:

This woman is not simple.

Miss Catman couldn't help but frown. If she didn't say these words sincerely, then what was her purpose?

Fang He did remember the days in Kapka.

It was those aspirations that made him embark on his future journey, but after going through everything, his state of mind was very different from that time. Although time did not smooth out his edges, it gave him a deeper meaning -

"We didn't really understand Kong Hai at that time," Fang He replied, "I later realized that traveling is not only about romance, but also about responsibility."

Olivia smiled, "But Ed is still on his way, isn't he?"

Fang He could not help but remain silent for a moment.

But Catherine shook her head at this time, "Kuhai is not as easy as it sounds. Most of the sailors who make a living on the sea are superstitious because they are insecure at any time."

"After all, they might be eaten by fish the next moment. Once you leave the land, you will put your fate in the hands of the gods, because their joy or anger may cost you your life."

As if to serve as a footnote to her words, a huge wave hit, causing the Seven Seas Storm to toss up and down, making it almost impossible for everyone to stand steadily.

Olivia held onto the wall and managed to stand firmly.

She shook her head. "There are always risks involved in the sky and sea. I confirmed that there is still a chance of resurrection before I left."

"Did Mara Isaac tell you our plan?" Fang He suddenly thought of something and asked.

Olivia nodded. "Actually, I guessed half of it when I saw you guys were keeping on course. I'm quite familiar with this area of ​​water. There are many secrets in the turbulent zone that even the local pirates may not know."

"That damn pirate!" Daryl cursed Mara Isaac angrily. Those guys were so careless with their words that she couldn't help but wonder if she should teach them a lesson.

But Fang He didn't mind.

As Olivia said, he didn't trust those pirates, so it was always a good thing to have someone familiar. Although he vaguely sensed that Olivia had another purpose, he felt that the purpose should not be to drag him to death.

Because that was neither necessary nor meaningful, the ship they were on was not the Seven Seas Traveler.

After Olivia finished speaking, she stood aside. Although she seemed to be quiet, the voice in her heart was talking to her: "You have aroused their suspicion."

"But at least I got close to him. Don't you want to know his secret?"

"I warned you not to play tricks."

"You want to get information from him, but you're worried that I'll deceive you. If you oppose everything, it will be difficult for us to move forward."

"Don't puff your lips, this is just a reminder."

“No,” Olivia shook her head gently. “I should be the one to remind you that we are just partners. If you really can control everything, why are you so suspicious?”

"Humph."

The voice hummed softly and then fell silent, obviously agreeing with this statement.

Olivia looked straight in the direction of Fang He with empty eyes, her calm expression still showing scrutiny. Occasionally, she would still recall that time.

But Fang He no longer cared about her.

The Seven Seas Storm had approached the thunderstorm cloud. The wall of cloud was almost in sight, and the flashing lightning in it made the air produce a smell similar to ozone.

Everyone looked up at the spectacular scenery, even Taliel lost his words for a moment, the ship shook violently, and the unpredictable crosswind made the Seven Seas Storm like a leaf floating on the sea.

"Port side 33° cuts into the edge of the cold front!" The observer's shout almost broke through the wind and rain at the same moment. "I'll go out and take a look."

Catherine said something, picked up her Zalfraki wine and pushed the door open.

While Fang He was watching, a piece of ice crystal was spreading and frosting along the cables above, and the hull made a teeth-grinding sound.

Someone nervously said:

"The hull is under pressure!"

The next moment, the red teak bulkhead of the Seven Seas Storm began to creak under the heavy weight, and the copper pipes hanging on the bulkhead shook like sieves.

Daryl and Olivia both swayed slightly.

Only Fang He was rooted to the windowsill as if his feet had grown roots. He could still observe the airflow conditions above the entire sky and sea, and naturally would not be affected by the unexpected situation.

His eyes fell on the cracked frost on the barometer surface - the mercury column above was falling at a speed of several inches per minute. He looked up and his eyes seemed to penetrate the ceiling and see the unpredictable thunderstorm clouds there -

In the rotating clouds, there are crisscrossing lightning.

"Beware of the downburst!"

Fang Plover approached the copper megaphone and shouted loudly:

The sound was like ice chips falling into a frozen copper pipe. Outside, the forest was responding with a voice praising the forest. "Keep the mizzen sail in the wind! Pasha, take your men and use fire to clear the frozen pulleys!"

"Okay, okay!"

When the first downburst hit the decompression fins on the bottom of the ship, the entire ship seemed to be slammed into the abyss by an invisible giant hand.

An ice shell as thick as a finger instantly condensed in the middle of the mainmast. In the magic engine room, the buzzing of the gyroscope suddenly increased, as if it was emitting a dying scream.

Luo Yu, who was guarding here, immediately pulled down the throttle, "All magic engines are overloaded!"

"Readings: 5500, 6000, 6700..."

"7000μT."

Different readings were reported in different places.

Fang He glanced at the elemental turbulence display and saw that the blue ripples representing the concentration of wind elements were flashing wildly - the reading of 7000μT had already exceeded the safety threshold by three times.

All showed varying degrees of signs of ether intoxication, with pins and needles-like pains in their temples.

"Jet off the ballast!"

"Correct course and cut into the thunderstorm cloud at a high angle of attack!"

Fang He turned around suddenly and turned the brass layered steering wheel. The lower decompression wing immediately tore through the clouds, and the hull trembled violently at the intersection of the cold and warm air masses.

In the storm, Forest Praise was holding the rope net tightly with one hand and holding the cable with the other hand, watching Ian and Pasha lead a team of people to climb up from the deck, and hurriedly taking out the alchemical flamethrower from under the canvas.

Everyone worked together and ran in different directions - the next moment a bright yellow flame passed through the rain curtain, like a long tongue of fire, and began to melt the ice on the pulley.

The cargo hanging on both sides of the ship was cut by a knife and fell into the lightning and thunder, causing the hull to suddenly loosen.

The sailors immediately pushed the capstan, the mast suddenly turned to one side, the sails of the Silk of Wind were tightened again, and the ship shook violently - the bow of the Seven Seas Storm began to rise.

Like an arrow shot from a giant crossbow, it climbed up along the 45-degree tilted clouds.

Everyone held on to the ropes around them. The cargo rolled all over the tilted deck. From time to time, something fell into the clouds below. Outside the ship's side was no longer a dark rain curtain, but a storm filled with blue and white static sparks.

Everyone's hair stood on end. "Open the ship's shield!" Fang He's calm voice came from the megaphone again.

A light blue shield suddenly opened, and the next moment countless lightning bolts struck it, flashing blue and white.

"Engine overheated 33%."

"Shield remaining 60%."

"Ed," Luo Yu's voice was as steady as ever, "We can't hold on until we can enter the ascending channel."

The Seven Seas Storm is just an old merchant ship. Although its ship shield was upgraded during the renovation, the shield strength is almost zero and it can only cope with some low-intensity battles.

This certainly doesn't include flying straight through a thunderstorm cloud.

Although the shield can be forcibly recharged by overloading the engine, the ship's magic engine is already overheated, and adding more load may cause it to become paralyzed.

However, Fang He knew that there was actually another way. Most regular sailing ships would have a backup system. If the main system was overloaded and paralyzed, the backup system could still be used to support the system for a period of time.

But the backup system's load effect is even worse. If they can't find an upward channel, they won't have much time left.

But he didn't think for long:

"Luo Yu, don't be in a hurry."

"The main system will enter an overload state in one minute," Luo Yu said, "and the auxiliary system can only hold on for twenty seconds."

He looked back.

The magic engine beneath the cast iron casing began to glow a dangerous red light, and countless electric sparks burst out from under the casing.

"Shield remaining 40%."

"Shield remaining 20%."

"Shield remaining 12%."

The cast iron shell suddenly exploded into spider web cracks. Luo Yu reflexively turned his head to avoid the flying metal fragments, but the sharp fragments still left a bloody mark on his forehead.

He touched it with his hand and found his palm was covered with blood.

"Shield remaining... 3%..."

Luo Yu narrowed his eyes and tried his best to read the final number.

At the moment the shield disappeared, a bolt of lightning pierced through the dark blue light shield and hit a pirate in the chest, knocking him off the deck and rolling far into the thick fog.

Forest Lizan looked at this scene and couldn't help swallowing his saliva, and his throat moved.

The Seven Seas Storm let out a whine like a broken keel in the vertical wind shear, and the hull was suddenly thrown to the left, and everyone hit the bulkhead. Fang He's cheekbone was cut on the brass steering wheel, but the pain made him sober.

"Open the guide net and turn on the wing tip discharge device."

All sailboats sailing in the air and sea have static electricity protection protocols. Although only God knows how useful they will be in thunderstorms, this is the only method at the moment.

"Commander, the starboard decompression fin is stuck!"

Pasha's distorted voice came from the communication channel.

Everyone's heart fell to the bottom, and Daryl rushed forward and grabbed Fang He's hand.

Elisa had asked her to keep an eye on Fang Heron - even if everyone would die, she had to try her best to protect him before the Seven Seas Storm began to fall.

Even Olivia had a nervous look on her face at that moment.

The girl couldn't see what was happening, but she could smell the danger in the storm. The static electricity in the air made her hair flutter.

But only Fang He stared at the direction of the cloud top. A flash of light appeared in the gap between the clouds above, and his pupils shrank into a line - through the broken clouds, he finally saw the fleeting opportunity.

"Left full rudder!"

"Point the bow toward that indigo gap in the clouds!"

Fang He smelled a hint of warmth in the cold air.

They bet right - the warm and humid air flow above the occluded front is a natural updraft channel, which is an updraft well in the thunderstorm cloud.

"Retract all the decompression wings!"

Fang He's knuckles turned white on the steering wheel. The Seven Seas Storm was at the top of the cloud wall, but the main system was almost paralyzed, and the Guy generator could no longer provide them with enough power to rise.

When gravity caught the hull again, the whole ship began to dive along the slope of the cloud wall, and the southwest wind that filled the sail surface made a high-frequency tremor. The hull trembled violently, but they still had one chance.

That is overloading the main system.

Using the auxiliary engine to push the Seven Seas Storm into that ascent window, the whole process may cause irreversible damage to the Seven Seas Storm, but there is no time to worry about that at the moment.

"Luo Yu," Fang He finally ordered, "Actively overload the main engine and increase the output of the Guy generator to the maximum."

About half a second later, a calm response came from the copper tube:

"clear."

……