Witch, don't be so lazy

It was as if the sea was upside down on the sky, with dark vortices sweeping everything, violently pulling the sky into a distorted shape, rising and falling with the rhythm.

The outermost layer is a black tide, and deeper inside, some silver-white thunder emerges from time to time, like thousands of snakes partying.

Almost everyone would subconsciously hold their breath when seeing this scene.

Maybe at first you will be in awe and amazed at the wonders of nature, but when you realize that this is something made by the seniors in the Astronomical Academy, you will start to admire the power of high-level wizards.

An Ke was also stunned.

She was not only surprised by the rich heritage of the Tower Academy, but also because she felt that the scene in front of her looked familiar, as if she had seen something similar in a dream.

Don't get her wrong, she wasn't joking. It was indeed a dream, or perhaps it was the memory of the great hero Sutur.

There is a small island located at the boundary between black and white, and there are also extremely terrifying thunder and storms on it, but they are stagnant, like amber freezing time and space, allowing the impressive death giant to control it and use it to forge the cursed sword "Dragon Snake Fallen Head Hepermonk".

Anke felt that her sense of déjà vu was not wrong.

Because the dark gray zombie giant also said that the key to the kingdom of the dead and the Runestone are hidden in the "Sky Maze Lock", so Sutur or Anke himself should get the things and then go to the island leading to the underworld.

According to the introduction, the prototype of this "black and white tide" is the entrance to the "sky maze" above the city in the clouds, the so-called "eye of the storm".

Obviously, this is no coincidence.

But Anke didn't know what the connection was, whether there was any unique symbol or meaning. He could only vaguely guess that it was probably related to Rune and the legendary thunder god Peron.

Especially the latter, any god, no matter how great he is during his lifetime, will have a profound impact on the world after his death.

But the strange thing is, as one of the three ancient gods once worshipped by the elves, there is very little information about Perron, whether it is his former glory or the reason for his fall. At least Anke has never heard much about it.

On the other hand, Anko could at least infer that part of Rushaka, the god of the sea and cold currents, had inherited the power of frost from the elves, because the only high-ranking being in charge of frost power in later generations seemed to be Malchana, the "Witch of Winter", and his disappearance, if nothing unexpected happened, was probably related to the "fallen water god" Scylla.

Not to mention the "ancient giant snake" Veles. Due to the events of Sutur and Asda City, Anko knew that he died at the hands of the giants, and some details of the Fairy Tale Island were also revealed, such as the magic of "White Snake Scarlet Jade", which according to the fairy tale was created by the giants after witnessing the fall of the giant snake.

The only exception was Perron, the Lord of "Sky and Thunder", among the three gods. Anke had never heard of why he died, nor did he know what great deeds he had done. He only knew through Surtur that his legacy was hidden in the "Sky Maze" created by the giants.

It’s weird.

But Encore didn’t let his thoughts run wild for too long, mainly because the wind was too strong.

Although we are still a long way from the center of the storm, Assistant Professor Mullip also said that everyone only needs to pass through the black tide area, that is, pass the edge of the storm, and do not need to and cannot touch the core of the storm. He also specifically reminded us not to go to the white area casually, because any third-level wizard of the Astronomical School may be seriously injured if he enters there. In the history of the academy, nineteen teachers and students have unfortunately died there for various reasons.

But it was obvious that even without the teaching assistant's reminder, no one seemed to have the interest or the courage to commit suicide.

Because just by getting close, before officially entering the storm area, most of the students had already started complaining and were staggering.

Although every student who can enter the Tower Academy is definitely a genius in the North, even if their areas of expertise are not related to flying, through knowledge crystals and teachings, they can successfully drive a vehicle to take off, or even directly take the Pendgar flight license exam, and maybe pass it in one go.

However, once the intensity is up, it's a different story.

Stronger winds, ever-changing wind directions. Just looking down, you can see the rugged mountains high in the sky, the different elements of the environment, and the sounds of animals rising and falling in the distance...

All of this puts students under a lot of pressure.

I don't know if it was simply because they exceeded their ability threshold or if psychological factors caused their operations to become distorted. In short, many students began to sway back and forth. It was normal to have slicked-back hair in strong winds, but those who were a little worse swayed like tumblers or kites whose strings were about to break.

Especially those that are non-humanoid and have no previous flying experience.

For example, gurgling.

It chose a bubble-shaped flying vehicle, but the vehicle was round at first. Due to external pressure and operational problems, it has now become a long strip, like... a piece of snot floating in the wind.

The most impressive thing was a certain undead student huddled in a coffin-shaped vehicle, because everyone saw with their own eyes that with the tremors and shaking, seven or eight bones on the outer layer of the vehicle fell off one after another, and the coffin lid on top was also eager to fall.

If it weren't for the fact that the skeleton student had a resolute look like an ace air force officer visible through the transparent hole, and the fact that the assistant instructor had no intention of stopping him, based on his first-level strength and poor flying condition, someone would have probably advised him not to try, so as to avoid a crash halfway.

Encore fared better.

Because she cast a "sprint spell" on herself, which slightly attracted some wind, and she could also use telekinesis magic to assist, it was still relatively easy at the moment.

Of course, there is no way to compare with the most powerful ones.

Apart from the inhuman student who was born with wings, the ones who looked the most relaxed were Nagy Touré and Thomas Barrowmont.

The former was originally standing on a half-water boat at low altitude, but now it has turned into crystal ice with white debris swirling around it.

The latter did not change. Although the performance form was the control of airflow to fly, the effect obtained by the golden magic was not much different from that after the astronomical school cast the spell. It really opened An Ke's eyes. It was worthy of the power of krypton gold.

To some extent, this can be considered a type of magic that replicates skills.

The form of expression is quite similar to the lamb's replica treasure and Feiman's fairy tale book. Could this be some kind of convergence of the chaos school?

Apart from the above, what Anke cares about most is Mlulu.

The harpy girl looked pretty average, with a good stereotype, on the level of "the harpies of Dorendel must be the darlings of the sky."

There was only one thing that Anke was concerned about.

That is, she always felt that Mulu had a very special temperament. It could be said that she was super familiar and called everyone sisters as soon as they met, or she had a sense of nonchalantness of "I am invincible when I play badly, the worst that can happen is I will kowtow to you", or she had a kind of confidence of "being at ease".

Could it be that he has completely mastered the relevant abilities, so everything in the flying class seems like child's play...

Well, not quite. His attitude towards other things and other people seems similar. I don’t know if it’s his natural personality or if there’s some other reason.

Perhaps noticing the pause in her gaze, Mululu, who had been staring straight ahead, turned her head slightly.

"Sister, what's up? Do you think my poses are like those of a celebrity? Or do you think I'm a new generation photo-taking master?"

As she spoke, she lifted her short chestnut hair, raised the photo stone in her waist bag, and struck a strange pose like something out of a fashion magazine.

It's a pity that the North doesn't have the same joke as JOJO standing with his head looking up at the sky at a 45-degree angle, so Miss Encore can only suppress her urge to complain.

"...Well, I'm just wondering why you've been staring at the center of the black and white tide storm. I thought the harpies of Dorendel wouldn't look down on it. After all, compared to the others, you seem the most likely to have seen the real thing."

An Ke pursed her lips and changed the subject very smoothly.

"Not everyone can go to the Cloud City, but if it were you, there must be another way, right? You can see the real 'Eye of the Storm' and 'Sky Mystery Lock'."

Although it is nominally a neutral organization and claims to welcome all living beings to visit the Cloud City, it is actually a very difficult place to reach.

After all, as the name suggests, this is a city floating high in the sky. There are not many ways to get there, and in order to avoid excessive interference from other forces, it is very difficult to obtain the corresponding permission.

For example, if you want to get a pass based on your achievements in the three major skills, you must be at least at the master level; otherwise, you must be an adventurer with a gold badge, or have impressive expertise in other fields.

Of course, you can also get by using connections, as long as the connections are strong enough.

Apart from anything else, the Dorendel family definitely meets this "hard" standard because they share the same surname as the famous Eagle King, one of the five legends of the Cloud City.

"Don't talk nonsense. Why do outsiders always have similar ideas? It's just like how many people think the crowned flower fairy is really a flower fairy."

Mulu covered her forehead, couldn't help but sigh, and then seriously corrected,

"Although our connection with the Condor King is almost universally known, it is precisely because of this that we sometimes have to keep our distance."

After a moment's hesitation, she added, "Besides, the giant city floating in the clouds hasn't seemed so detached from the mortal world lately. Even though its relationship with the Northern Tower is acceptable, and the Phoenix Kingdom is our ally, we may not be happy to see them form an alliance."

An Ke was not really an ordinary kid, and he immediately understood the meaning.

As everyone knows, the ties between Cloud City and Phoenix Kingdom have become increasingly close in recent years. Although the former claims to be neutral, its actions have already shown a clear tendency.

After all, the so-called neutrality is actually similar to a contract. Many contracts are signed only to be torn up, and many neutralities are just for the purpose of taking sides better.

But precisely because of this, the Dorendel family has to avoid suspicion. It can even be said that when this branch of the harpy people chose to stay in the north and continue to this day, they are destined to always pay attention to borders and political sensitivities.

So when something like this is mentioned, even the carefree Mlulu will correct the mistake seriously.

"……I see."

Anko blinked.

"Right? So don't think the 'Black and White Tide' was just a random creation. After all, Cloud City will be wary of us. This is something our seniors at the academy put a lot of effort into, spending almost a hundred years to finally create."

Mululu flapped her wings. "I heard that during the long construction process, Cloud City was very unhappy. Because the tower was so closely connected to them at the time, they couldn't get angry. However, they did secretly interfere, causing the completion time to be repeatedly delayed."

The City in the Clouds and the Northern Tower did have a deep connection.

There was no way around it. Ms. Adela became famous in the Cloud City and almost became the next city lord. His Majesty Kumo, the "Guardian of the Earth", and Her Majesty Sesinica, the "Sage of Flowers", were both legends and grandmasters of the Cloud City. It would be strange if they didn't have a deep connection.

It's just that as time goes by, many things are different. It has nothing to do with emotions, and positions always change with interests.

The two girls' chat didn't last long. After walking for a distance, the leading Mrip stopped.

He turned around, looked back at the students, and said loudly:

"Classmates, we have now completed part of our flight practice. We will soon enter the Kuroshio region. Does anyone want to quit?"

As soon as he finished speaking, a student raised his hand to ask a question.

“Is there any penalty for quitting?”

"Of course not. If I had to say it, it might affect my final grade, but if I'm only aiming for a 'good' grade and don't plan on continuing my studies in the flight classroom, it shouldn't matter at all, right?"

Mrip smiled.

"Teacher, if we enter the Black Tide, can you protect our safety? For example, if we fall, will you catch us immediately? And how will you get us out then?"

Another student asked.

"Oh, this is too difficult for me. I'm just an ordinary third-level cultivator. I have to take care of the safety of dozens of students in the mighty black tide and even send you out. Isn't that a bit too much?"

Mrip shrugged his wings and spread them out, like a man spreading his hands and making a sensational speech.

"Besides, since this is practice and testing, there are always risks involved. Crashing is a good opportunity to hone your flying skills. Learning how to make an emergency and safe landing is actually more important than taking off."

As soon as these words came out.

Although the surrounding environment was extremely noisy, everyone felt unusually quiet, and their hearts had reached a high level of harmony between man and nature - their fingers became cool, and countless northern dialects surged, perfectly blending into the environment.

"Ahem, just kidding. Although this is my first time leading a class like this and I don't have much experience, students can rest assured. I guarantee that the risk of death is very low. It's probably similar to dying from meditation backlash, a completely low-probability event."

Perhaps sensing that the atmosphere was not right, Mrip immediately smiled and said something comforting.

But, no one is stupid.

Just because you won't die doesn't mean you won't be hurt. Many students just want to be an average student and get a Pandgar pilot's license. They don't have any high aspirations. If they endure the hardship without any hardship, they are crazy.

then.

Under An Ke's envious gaze, thirty-five of the original sixty-seven students ran in unison, directly exceeding half of the total.

Even Mulu wanted to run away because she found it troublesome, but before she could act, she was immediately met with Mlip's death stare, and he seemed to mouth the word "zero points", and she was forcibly controlled.

Except for the School of Astronomy and the Winged Ones, almost all the remaining ones are members of the Angry Tide Society and the Golden Society. Some people left both sides originally, but later on, maybe because of a rivalry or because they were promised some benefits by the society, some people who left even came back. It's simply outrageous.

An Ke also felt helpless, just like the harpy girl's sad face.

She currently has no interest in taking risks, and even less interest in participating in the confrontation between the two clubs. She is also indifferent to the prize feathers. After all, she already has them, and she can only exchange them for money, and the probability of getting them is also very small.

Taking risks for such a small profit, the profit and loss ratio is too low.

If she had to get an "excellent" grade, if she had to get the most credits, she guaranteed that she would be the one who turned around and ran the fastest.

Ugh.

We are already in another world, why are we still entangled in this thing? It makes me tearful.

After the students who were supposed to leave had left, Mrip led the students on their way while giving the necessary explanations:

"See? Every once in a while, there's a large-scale alternating current in the outer network area. Although it's unpredictable and there's no clear pattern, if you can grasp the flow, you can use it to quickly advance without being seriously harmed."

"This is also the key element of storm magic: 'change,' 'flow,' or 'oscillation.' Its powerful power is simply a natural derivative of this foundation. It has some similarities to water magic, but is lighter and extends closer to elements like 'sharp' and 'space.'"

This may also be the reason why students from the Angry Tide Society come to participate in flying classes in large numbers. In addition to making up for their weakness in flying, it also helps to learn by analogy in a sense.

"Here, one feather for each of you. Keep it. If you get lost in the Black Tide storm, we can use it to find each other's location. If you don't know where to go, come find me."

With a flap of its wings, a large number of feathers turned into black light and shot out, then flowed nimbly just before reaching the target, hanging in front of the students.

Reaching out and touching it, I immediately felt a wonderful feeling.

Like a lit up mini-map, the holder can sense the location of the remaining Black Feathers, and the largest and brightest core is locked on Mrip.

It's amazing.

These words and actions finally made the remaining students feel a little more at ease. Although this practical content was newly added, the teaching assistants had undoubtedly made multiple preparations in advance. They knew each other's positions, so even if they were unfortunately separated, they would be able to catch up with the main group and even wait for the main group to rescue them.

Only Mlulu pouted, looking as if she wanted to cry but had no tears.

An Ke noticed this detail keenly and became alert instantly. She lowered her voice and was about to ask what was going on.

But at this moment, a low humming sound began to appear.

At first glance, it feels like a low-frequency vibration coming from deep underground, but then you can find that the entire mountain range below, as well as the high sky, have turned into resonating drum skins. When the invisible strings are plucked, the terrifying rhythm is transmitted in the air.

Visible to the naked eye, a deep bruise appeared on the distant skyline. It slowly spread and expanded between heaven and earth, like a pool of ink spreading on dirty felt, and then revealed a hideous face.

It was an extremely brutal force, like the claws of a giant beast scraping across the earth, repeatedly carving the veins of the mountains.

What a ghost.