Round 44: Magic Ship

Klaus, the red dragon who had originally planned to take a short rest, also raised his head slightly, watching with interest the “strange object” flying toward them from afar along the snow-capped mountain ridges in the bitter cold wind.
Although the battle against the white dragon group had been fierce, it wasn’t enough to tire Klaus, a veteran warrior with sharp tactics. Human mages had used a super spell enhanced with their unique techniques to effectively bind him, but not to the extent that would make the red dragon fight to the death for them. In reality, Klaus wasn’t as arrogant and dismissive as he appeared; he tried to analyze how the spell working on him functioned and even decided to spare some time if necessary—human mages always had some clever ideas and tricks… fascinating, and quite useful.
In his eyes, the “strange object” approaching Ice Wind Fortress was no different.
The guards on the watchtowers certainly didn’t have the keen vision of red dragons, which surpassed even that of falcons, but they had the constant observation tool of “Eagle Eye Magic.”
Although the intruders weren’t coming from the northern glaciers, the guards remained highly alert—staring unblinkingly as it grew closer through the cold wind and snow, gradually becoming clearer.
Was that… a ship?
A ship flying in the air!
Delro and the others, upon receiving the guards’ reports, went to the tower at the top of the fortress to observe the strange vessel.
“What in the world is this?” Fiona asked, hand on her sword hilt. “It’s so strange!”
“Rare things are strange at first,” said Forty-Seven, resting his hand on the railing—though the gesture was utterly pointless. “It looks quite familiar, doesn’t it?”
“Ha,” Chloe snapped her fingers. “The guys on the ship are even signaling to ask to dock… I guess they want that red dragon to move?”
The top swordsman’s eyes truly were sharper than others’.
Soon, the “airship” docked near the top of the fortress. Klaus deliberately flew very close to the ship, creating a strong headwind, but the slightly flat, long hull was almost unaffected—not even the half-unfurled sails on the three tall masts moved. Those weren’t ordinary sails made of thick fabric; instead, they reflected a metallic glow, with even the red dragon’s silhouette passing over those smooth surfaces.
The hull was also covered in strangely shaped steel components interwoven with the original wooden structure, and magic crystals were embedded in the sides in a regular pattern… Forty-Seven was right—the entire ship, whether in its original form or after being modified into a metallic style, looked quite familiar.
“Is it the Hermit Crab?”
Sure enough, as Moriel finished speaking, Simon, wearing a fancy yet ridiculous hat and shiny sideburns, poked his head out from the ship’s side. “Hi, I’m Simon Havalian, captain of the magic airship Hermit Crab. May I ask who the great mage Delro is… Wow, aren’t this Mr. Forty-Seven and Mage Moriel? I’m so glad to see you here!”

Led by him, First Officer Rohl, Second Officer, and even the 26th-class sailors who should have followed Freys all climbed down the ladder one after another. Most of them glanced at Klaus in the distance, but their reactions were much better than those of ordinary people who would be terrified just by seeing a red dragon—after all, they had seen many dramatic scenes before.
“Not bad,” the Forty-Seven sized up the Hermit Crab. “It seems putting my ship in your hands was the right decision.”
“Yes, Lord Forty-Seven,” the Second Officer sneered at the right moment. “If not for sheer luck, your ship would already be sunk in the Great Swamp, serving as a shrine for the goblins.”
“Hey!” Simon, whose authority among the crew was declining, felt embarrassed and probably worried that the Forty-Seven might slap him. “What could I do? He’s a grand mage! In front of him, he can do whatever he wants to us!”
“A grand mage? Is he some old fool?” Though Moriel asked this, he was already pretty sure—few people, even in the peak of the Agus Empire, could transform the Hermit Crab into such a state.
“Yes, that’s right…” Simon also glanced back at the magnificent magic ship and was quite proud that it could capture everyone’s attention. “After leaving Deepstream City, we headed south, intending to trade some construct machinery in Vatan City. Unexpectedly, that grand mage suddenly appeared on board, claiming it was an ancient magic ship. After hearing it belonged to you, he used some kind of magic to drag us and the ship to the swamp, saying he wanted to completely renovate it… Honestly, at that time, I thought he would ignore your and Lord Forty-Seven’s reputations and seize the Hermit Crab by force!”
Simon was indeed good at telling stories, drawing everyone’s attention away from the magic ship and onto himself. “…And just like that, who would have thought that Grand Mage Kiskein and his assistant quickly transformed the Hermit Crab into what it is now! It’s truly amazing!”
Indeed, although the Agus Empire’s construct technology was already famous across the continent for creating many miraculous devices, such a huge and intricate construct ship still left people like Dale Rojinb in awe—true to its reputation.
“Oh, you must be Lord Dale Ro of Deepstream City!” Simon noticed the grand mage, took off his hat, and gave him a graceful noble bow. “It’s like this—Grand Mage Kiskein thought there might be big trouble in the north a few days ago, so he let us leave the swamp and sent us to Deepstream City to see if we could help… Then we heard from Mr. Freys that you went to Icewind Fortress, so we rushed here right away… It seems his prediction was correct—it’s really cold here!”
“I’ve heard of this Grand Mage Kiskein,” Rojinb said, clearly unimpressed by Simon’s slick appearance. “But why didn’t he send us a message?”

“If you’d heard a bit more,” Moriel smiled, “you’d know it’s not surprising at all if Archmage Kiskain forgets something.”
“Hahaha, you really know him well, Mage Moriel.” Simon chuckled and rubbed his head; his tone revealed he still had lingering fears from his time with Kiskain. “By the way, Mr. Forty-Seven, Archmage Kiskain said this ship is only half-finished and needs your power to be completed… It will undergo a qualitative leap! Then, transporting soldiers or supplies won’t be a problem!”
“Is that so?” Forty-Seven kicked the ship hard, causing it to make a loud thud. “Great, now we have a means of transportation.”
“How does this thing work?” Forty-Seven stood in the cockpit of the Hermit Crab, facing a rectangular control panel—nothing new to Moriel.
“I think you just need to do the same as when you activated those old relics.”
Simon poked his head in from the door. “They’re all ready… Mr. Forty-Seven, won’t you reconsider?”
Upon hearing that the ship would be used to explore the glaciers in the far north, Simon’s pride vanished quickly. He considered himself a merchant, perhaps not always very conventional—but still, he wasn’t prepared to be an explorer in some “Beautiful New World.”
“Consider? Consider what?” Forty-Seven tapped the control panel nonchalantly, and sparks of magic spread rapidly along the intricate patterns. “Let’s set off! And as for the ship’s name… from today onward, it’s called ‘Retribution’!”
As Forty-Seven placed his hand on the control panel, the construct magic ship floating above the fortress trembled.
Blue-white electric flames burst from his palm, and the extraordinary energy made the control panel glow brilliantly from top to bottom, turning the rectangular panel into a translucent crystalline light source—almost instantly, the electricity spread to every Agus metal component. The magic crystals on the thick masts lit up one after another, and the partially open construct sails fully unfurled as they were saturated with energy. The hard metal sheets even seemed to billow in the wind like real sails under the power of magic…
Everyone on and off the ship was amazed at the sight.
Xinbu leaned on the ship’s railing. The flow of energy sent a tingling sensation like an electric shock through her palms, but with her abilities, she couldn’t even determine the nature of this energy, let alone try to capture it.
The entire ship was now fused with Forty-Seven—numerous construct components shifted, deformed, and reassembled, transforming the magic ship from within.
A strange new propulsion system at the rear of the ship suddenly ejected gusts of hot air. The ship, now named “Retribution” by Forty-Seven, shot forward abruptly. Its masts scraped against the mountain wall, sending clouds of dust and debris into the air, forcing those watching on the fortress platform to take cover and causing the passengers on board to lose their balance.
“Hey! Stop messing around!” Moriel swayed slightly, nearly falling. “Simon, take control!”

A moment later, the Retribution finally set off more steadily. Aside from Dailuo and Red Dragon Klaus, who stayed behind to guard the fortress and watch out for another attack by the monster horde, the strongest members—including Xinbu, Chloe, the two metal dragons, and the female paladins—all boarded the ship and headed north.

The Retribution quickly broke through the clouds and soared high into the snowless skies at full speed.

The cold wind grew fiercer. The moisture dissolved by the magic ship’s turbines in the air froze rapidly once it was separated from the heat, leaving a long trail behind the ship—all the sails were fully set, able to gather wind from any direction and provide immense lift to keep the Retribution aloft.

“I thought I’d seen enough in my lifetime,” Abazig said, standing by the porthole in the cockpit, squinting at the ice fog that kept forming and melting on the crystal window due to the ship’s heat. “I never imagined those guys from Agus could create something so amazing! It seems I really underestimated these neighbors… I must go back and take another look if I get the chance!”

“I doubt you’ll find anything valuable there now, esteemed Abazig,” Moriel said, stroking the slightly warm metal control panel. To completely transform a ship of this size using construct technology, Kiskain must have searched every nook and cranny of Agus’s territory. “Keep going north, Simon. I need to rest for a while…”

Before leaving, she warned Si Forty-Seven once again: “Don’t even think about piloting recklessly—we’re tens of thousands of feet in the air!”

Si Forty-Seven shrugged uselessly and glanced at the frost-covered bow.

Simon had no choice but to continue steering… He felt the urge to bite his fingernails again.

The Retribution pierced through thick mist and cold winds. There were no signs of the mountains or glaciers below, nor of the sun, moon, or stars above—it was as if they were moving through utter chaos.

“How much further?” Xinbu asked Moriel, who had just returned to the cockpit after resting and preparing spells.

“I think it’s almost there…” Moriel closed her eyes and sensed the surroundings. “Prepare to descend.”

Vast glaciers gradually became visible beneath them. An immeasurable expanse of hard ice stretched endlessly—some places cracked open, forming bottomless chasms like spiderwebs, while in other areas, black ice pushed against each other, creating peaks no less towering than the World Spine Mountains—all that appeared before the crew of the Retribution was an empty, desolate silence and wasteland.

“The environment here is already close to that of the Negative Energy Realm,” said Silver Dragon Dinisa, frowning. “Humans, no matter what you’re up against… the extreme cold alone is enough to crush you.”

“That’s why those paladin girls are still praying,” Moriel glanced back at the rear cabin. “We’ll likely enter its domain soon, and it will only be worse than now. I hope their methods will work…”

A thunderous roar came from deep within the earth—even inside the sealed cabin of the Retribution, the sound mercilessly pierced the eardrums, shook the heart, and made the soul tremble involuntarily.

It was the sound of the earth’s crust cracking apart.

A massive flying creature swept past the Retribution—a white dragon, far larger than those surrounding the Ice Wind Fortress.
“Hmm… should we consider how to deal with this situation?” Simon gripped the steering wheel tightly. “I think climbing up and circling around here might be a good idea…”
“No,” Shi Siqi firmly dismissed his idea. “I’m sure the entrance is nearby!”
He placed his hand on the square-column control panel, and as bright sparks flashed, the Retribution began to further assemble itself. “What’s there to fear? Just a bunch of flying lizards!”
Fortunately, the two metal dragons were magnanimous enough not to take offense at his careless words.
As the Retribution moved forward, they saw more and more white dragons. The swarm circled among the uneven ice peaks, seemingly unconcerned by the magical ship approaching, yet also seemingly following it stealthily—following the Retribution all the way into a vast canyon.
The canyon itself was a majestic and awe-inspiring wonder. Ice cliffs that seemed to reach the heavens stretched out like two black lines drawn across the ground by gods, intersecting in the distant horizon. Below, a freezing cold air surged up from the abyss, so intense it could freeze anything solid. Even the Retribution, which had been considered a large ship before its transformation, floated on top of it like a tiny speck of dust.
The ice walls were covered with bizarrely shaped cracks, jagged and fierce. The white dragons flew in and out of these cracks and holes. The grayish cold light shone on the continuous ice peaks but couldn’t reach the dark depths below—occasionally, something rolled down—ice or rocks?
“Oh, my experience tells me things don’t look good,” Abazig said, touching his needle-hard yellow beard. “We need to develop a thorough plan…”
“A plan?” Shi Siqi sent a burst of electric fire from the control panel, like a powerful heartbeat. “Let’s move at full speed! It’s right ahead!”
“He’s right!” Moriel supported the control panel. “Hold on tight, everyone!”
As the Retribution accelerated suddenly, all its thrusters emitted long plumes of flames, and its sails glowed brightly. As if on some command, the swarm of white dragons took off and charged at the magical ship.
Cold dragon breaths hit the Retribution one after another, forming ice layers on its moving machinery, only to melt away under the heat generated by its operation. These massive white dragons seemed to lack the wisdom expected of ancient dragons; after exhaling, they rushed forward to destroy the ship with their claws and tails—
On the speeding Retribution, roars echoed from both sides. Under Shi Siqi’s control, the mounted cannons extending from the ship’s sides dealt significant damage to the dragon swarm. It was unclear what Shi Siqi used as ammunition, but the flames ejected from the steel cannons formed an impenetrable wall of destruction. The white dragons approaching from both sides were blasted, their scales flying in all directions and their huge wings torn into tattered pieces.
One white dragon grabbed the Retribution’s mast and tore at its metal sails, causing the ship to sway violently.

“Seeking death!” Forty-Seven wanted to fly out and teach it a lesson himself, but Moriel stopped him: “This ship still needs your energy!”
“Abazig and I will hold off the white dragons for you!” Dinisa turned and headed for the cabin door. “It’s also a way to fulfill the task that Mage Dailoro asked me to carry out!”
Suddenly, a circle of blood mist burst from the white dragon, which was trying to break the ship’s mast. The dragon let go of the Revenge and flew into the sky—but it lost its balance after just two flaps of its wings. Its scale armor, like small shields, trembled as dragon blood kept seeping out from the cracks, as if the white dragon were using its muscles and bones to crush its own blood vessels.
Dinisa circled above, watching the convulsing white dragon as it writhed in pain. By the time its roars faded completely, drowned out by the meaningless sounds of its struggling body, and it lost all vitality, falling into the depths of the chasm, its body had shrunk by almost half compared to before.
A chill enveloped the silver dragon, but for her, it was merely a breeze.
Dinisa spun gracefully like a dancer, causing the two white dragons charging at her—one from ahead and one from behind—to almost collide. The silver dragon’s elegant body stretched out and disappeared in a flash of magical light—but the deadly spell energy continued to build as she chanted. Soon, a breath that could paralyze even the strongest creatures, along with a spell that weakened resistance, shot out from thin air, rendering the three white dragons unable to fly and causing them to fall helplessly like stones.
Abazig surrounded himself with a ring of lightning and a shield of blue flames. He wasn’t averse to close combat; on the contrary, even white dragons that seemed larger and stronger than him would struggle to hold out long under the experienced Yellow Brass Dragon Claws.
Through telepathy, his voice echoed in the minds of everyone on the Revenge: “It’s up to you now, humans!”
“Let’s keep moving forward!” Pulling his attention away from the battle behind them, Moriel urged Forty-Seven to steer the Revenge deeper into the vast and dark chasm.