Pato walked towards the two of them stiffly, and fell to the ground within two steps, but even so, he did not stop moving in the direction of Schliemann. He began to crawl forward using his hands and feet.
Schliemann sighed and reached out to Anthony, who quickly gave the pendant back to him.
"gun."
When the crew members, attracted by the sound of gunfire, rushed into the second-floor cargo hold with their weapons, what they saw was Pato's huddled body.
The body turned and twisted like a dead insect.
Half an hour later, the crew released Pato's body on the deck.
The airbag dragging Pato slowly rose up and gradually moved away. After patting each other on the shoulders, the crew members returned to their jobs.
Schliemann leaned against the railing with a bottle of wine. He squinted and looked at the withered yellow sun. The black spots gathered together, as if he was looking at Schliemann.
He shook his head and looked ahead. Looking around, the emerald green color met the sky on the horizon, forming an infinite line.
This is the blue sea, vast and wide, a sea of giant trees. Under these countless dense tree canopies, it is a place that even the supreme sun cannot touch.
The place is cold and damp, full of vicious curses and maddening whispers, evil spirits roiling in the mire, and evil spirits wandering in the mist.
Human beings can only live on those empty islands hundreds of meters above the blue sea.
Schliemann closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead. Every time he looked at the blue sea, some kind of whisper would echo in his mind. He couldn't tell whether it was recalling the terrifying experience when he first came to this world, or whether it was true at this time. Really heard things.
"captain?"
Schliemann opened his eyes and found Anthony leaning on the railing next to him, staring at him.
"You don't have to be upset. The crew all know what happened to Pato's death. No one blames you."
Schliemann said nothing. He saw something he had never seen in Anthony's evasive eyes.
It was a concealed regret.
"Captain, after I go back this time, I don't plan to do it again."
Schliemann took a sip of wine and handed the bottle to Anthony.
"Why?"
The smell of alcohol came out of Anthony's mouth along with the sigh, and he stretched out his finger to point to Pato, who was almost invisible.
"I don't want to sacrifice my body to the supreme sun like him, nor do I want to fall into the terrifying blue sea like most people who run spaceships.
I want to be buried in a cemetery and have children come to see me during holidays. "
Schliemann sighed again. Anthony was not only an experienced first mate to Schliemann, but also his savior when he first came to this world.
It was he who discovered Schliemann riding on the tree canopy, and lowered the flying ship to a height within the reach of the rope despite the whispers of the blue sea that could drive people crazy.
"If you are worried about this special cargo, then we will not take on similar jobs in the future."
Anthony shook his head firmly and looked at Schliemann with the wisdom and gentleness that an old man should have.
"No, Schliemann, I have been running flying ships for decades. It is considered a big deal to have twenty air islands on other captains' charts, but on your chart, seven are marked in detail. Seventeen sky island directions.
Look, it's not that I can't appreciate the joy of exploration, it's just that I'm too old and I'll trip you up!
I bet that in the near future, people will erect a statue of you, right next to the statues of gods in the temple! "
Schliemann smiled bitterly. He was not exploring for the development of mankind as Anthony said.
The reason why he keeps exploring is to find a place called the Land of Return, the legendary island in the sky that connects the two worlds.
In his world, waiting for him are his close friends who share weal and woe and his elderly parents.
Antony's determination to withdraw from exploration was as firm as Schliemann's determination to find a place to return. His efforts to stay seemed feeble, and he could only let himself lose this powerful arm.
Three days later, the Crescent will arrive at the mainland island of Valance.
Schliemann stood on the bridge holding a wooden box that was wrapped three layers inside and three layers outside, looking at the gray rock wall that slowly appeared on the horizon where the blue sea and the sky met.
At first there was only a point, but as the distance got closer, the point slowly turned into a line, and then it formed a long gray horizontal line between the blue sea and the sky.
The airport terminal is very lively, with merchants coming to buy out goods, craftsmen repairing flying ships, and beautiful women ogling young men in twos and threes.
After shooting out the rope, the Crescent slowly entered the berth. Helmsman Pound carefully controlled it. The airbags on both sides of the flying ship hissed as he adjusted the height of the Crescent.
After docking at the port, First Officer Anthony stood on the deck, dealing with the tax collector skillfully. Captain Hilpeter gathered the crew and prepared to arrange the unloading work for a while. Helmsman Pound stood in his control area with a cigarette in his mouth, ready at any time. Adjust the buoyancy of the flying boat to match the crew's unloading of cargo.
Schliemann strode out of the bridge, followed closely by mechanic Connie.
"Fill the air tank with compressed plume gas. Plume gas is the key to the lift of a flying ship. Don't use cheap stuff that's full of impurities.
Check the air bag and steam engine, and the problem of the auxiliary lift should be taken care of. Not long after setting off from Oak Island, the thing kept squeaking..."
The thin Connie recorded the captain's requirements one by one. Seeing that the captain was about to jump onto the pier, he reached out and took the captain's arm.
Schliemann turned and stared at Connie with a questioning look.
Connie pinched the hat with goggles in his hand, looking timid.
"Captain... I have an idea that can increase the speed of the Crescent in a short period of time.
It's just... I promise to control costs this time! "
Schliemann waved his hand. He always responded to this young man's requests for innovation.
"You're the best mechanic I've ever seen, Connie. Give yourself some confidence and go for it."
Although Schliemann looked encouraging, in his heart he had already begun to calculate.
Anthony needs to part with some of the money to enjoy his old age, and the Crescent needs to replenish compressed plumes and fuel, pay for the crew, supplies for the next voyage, and maintenance costs. Conina burns money, but it can be arranged every time. Useful little inventions, etc...
"It's the same in every world. It's really difficult to make a living without money."
As one of the busiest ports on the continent of Valance, Maple Leaf Town is far larger than other inland towns. It is even larger than some small uninhabited islands.
There are not only the locals from the mainland island of Valans, but also girls from the mainland island of Moanke with fair skin and golden hair, and even those Beticas with strict religious laws on the Andares mainland island. Wearing finger-thick iron chains demonstrates their firm faith in devoting their lives to the Lord.
Holding the box wrapped in sheets, Schliemann walked through the crowded market, bypassed the clanging blacksmith shop, and came to the majestic huge building of the Premus Church on Temple Street.
The door here is wide open, and the devout believers are prostrate on the ground. After murmuring in their mouths, they stand up, take two steps, and then prostrate themselves again.
A low, yet penetrating singing voice came from the hall.
Those sounds cause people's internal organs to tremble, making people truly feel a sense of awe from the inside out.
There are benches next to the pillars carved with numerous statues of gods in the hall. The benches are filled with believers. The believers put their hands together on their chests. As the chests rise and fall, their murmurs mix together. Waves of reverberation formed, echoing back and forth among the stone walls of the hall, like sad elegy.
Schliemann did not join the mass of the believers. He did not believe in any religion, whether it was the Primus religion that advocated light or anything else.
He came here just to deliver the pre-ordered goods.
Soon, his eyes fell on the church priest who was celebrating mass.
The priest was dressed in a coarse gray robe, holding an upside-down cross in his hand, and led the believers in prayer while chanting carefully.
Schliemann waited patiently until the ceremony was over and the crowd had subsided, and then he saw Priest Ullian waiting for him at the side door of the final hall.
Ullian stared at the package in Schliemann's arms for a long time, and finally raised his eyelids.
"You only brought back sacred objects? That means you didn't find a place to return?"
Schliemann shook his head and said: "No, the description of the Flame God Cult you gave does resemble the Land of Return, but it is not..."
"Well...then come with me."
The parish was very large. Schliemann followed Ulien out of the main hall, passed through the cloisters and stables, and finally stopped at a small house on the east side of the cemetery area.
Ullian knocked on the door gently, and a low question floated out.
"Lord Marius, Schliemann is here for a visit, and I think he has brought a holy object."
As Ulien spoke, he looked at the blue package in Schliemann's arms, his eyes filled with suspicion.
"Let him in."
Ullian took a step back and made a gesture of invitation to Schliemann. Schliemann exhaled and pushed the door open.
It was an extremely dark house, and the only source of light in the room was a flickering candle.
Bishop Marius sat behind a wooden round table, his entire face hidden in the shadow of his hood.
"It seems that you have successfully recaptured our sacred objects stolen by the Flame God Cult..."
Marius's voice was very strange, like the gurgling sound from the throat of a drowning man.
To Schliemann's ears, this sound was like a poisonous insect crawling up his back, making him instinctively feel dangerous.
"Master Bishop, where is my money?"
"Go ahead, Ullian will arrange everything."
Seeing that Schliemann refused to leave, Marius smiled, and the laughter seemed like a few bubbles emerging from the swamp.
"Do you want to watch me inspect the goods?"
Pato's fate was still fresh in his mind, and Schliemann had no choice but to resign.
After Schliemann left, Bishop Marius stood up.
He raised his left arm, and several slippery tentacles protruded from his sleeves. These tentacles ripped open the sheets on the box and completely wrapped the small wooden box with tentacle reliefs, as if believers were surrounding their gods. .
"Ulian! Give him the money."
After hearing the bishop's instructions, Ulien outside the house bowed, and then pulled Schliemann out of the cemetery.
Five thousand Andadir gold coins is not a small amount, and it is enough to cope with the financial crisis faced by Schliemann.
As he walked, he thought about it and wanted to use the money as much as possible on the hardware upgrade of the Crescent.
A scream ripped through the sky, followed by a strong earthquake from beneath his feet. Like passers-by, Schliemann crouched down and looked around.
"earthquake?"
Fortunately, the earthquake passed quickly, and people on the street began to whisper to each other, looking at a loss.
After experiencing the same confusion as the passers-by, Schliemann let go of the pendant in his pocket. He looked up and found another wriggling black spot on the dim sun.
