Chapter 1236 - Rise of the Beasts? (1/2)

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation  Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

As the kingdom of the mortals rose and fell into chaos, and a thicker force of dark vortex swallowed the whole continent, the lands that drifted freely away from the main continent could no longer remain peaceful. The dark side of Carnos was affecting every land floating in the void. The twisting force and negative magic energy were spreading out from the depths of the world, invading the material world, layer after layer. The world was now twisting a lot faster than any of the tides of Chaos recorded in history. The changes that took place in Collow had become apparent to the extent that even the local villagers noticed it, not to mention the scholars of the sanctum who had been guarding the land of the Order and monitoring the chaotic boundaries for thousands of years, protecting the order.

A group of investigators from the Theocracy set off a few days ago. As they were now crossing the dark realm of Chaos, the scenery at the southern end of the Ansu Continent was reflected in the eyes of the high-ranking monk, Calaxus.

The Ansu Continent and the Kingdom of Fimbulvinter were two separate continents that faced each other and floated in the void. Aside from the darkness and chaos that separated them, there were only pieces of islands drifting in between the mainlands. There were only two ways to travel from one continent to another since ancient times. One was the expensive teleportation—highly efficient and safe but costly and not always available. When the interference from the Chaos was terrible, the teleporting service must be shut down. Two was a variety of flying tools: wind boat of the elves, the magic-powered ship of the humans, and the domesticated blue monster magic whales trained by the orcs and trolls. These vehicles were the product of the wisdom of the people in Collow. Navigating in the Sea of Carnos was extremely dangerous, and Chaos attack was common, but these means of transportation were still indispensable. Without them, the darkness would have swallowed the mortals, who would most likely fight alone on their continents.

Calaxus stood on the upper deck of the Hammer of Order, watching as the energy exhaust from the magic-powered warships blew apart the clouds on both sides. He was thinking about the connection between the mainlands, the process of civilization, and technological sustenance. Cold wind past the cheeks of this high-ranking monk, his gray curly hair and the gold-edged white robe were fluttering in the air, producing a whistling sound behind him.

Calaxus did not notice all that as he was deep in his thoughts. The continental cliffs in the distance formed a vague shadow in his unfocused eyes as it drew closer. The monk was enjoying the moment of meditation like this. Back in Theocracy, few people understood his quirky ideas, even the most brilliant scholars just concentrated on the immediate crisis, or in memorizing the ancient books. Few would seriously think about the future of this world, or worry about the declining state of Collow.

This often made him feel that the clouds over the world were getting thicker and thicker.

A shudder came from under the feet, and the Sacred Hammer began to slow down. This great battleship was making creaking sound from the inside, and a layer of magic runes appeared around the sleek white hull. The magic-paneled wings on both sides of the hull slowly open as to increase the efficiency of capturing the free magic in the air. In the rear half of the hull, two parallel-arranged magic furnaces released a large amount of waste heat, leaving behind two dark-red trails in the clouds. The magic-powered battleship could capture a vast amount of free magic energy when sailing at high speed in the Sea of Carnos, but once it decelerated, the efficiency of the magic system in the ship would drop to the minimal, and this would be the biggest trial for the ship.

Calaxus looked back and saw that the shipbound furnace installation had fired up. The forces of Chaos were ravaging the Ansu Continent. The ship had to activate the Light of Order before it reached the continent.

The high-ranking monk let out a deep sigh.

“Venerable one, why are you sighing?” A follower, draped in a blue-rimmed white robe asked respectfully in a whisper beside him.

“This is the most powerful magic-powered battleship of the sanctum, or even of the entire Collow.” Calaxus’ reply was inexplicable.

“Yes, it is the pride of the sanctum,” the follower said with a proud-looking face. “It is above all the other combat strengths of Collow.”

Calaxus faintly said, “Two hundred years ago, this ship was also the most powerful magic-powered warship; and it also was, three hundred years ago. Five hundred years ago, the Sacred Hammer had not been commissioned yet, but the most powerful battleship at that time was at the same class as it was. Going further back in time a thousand years ago, the most powerful mortal weapon of Collow was the Sky Fortress of the Zelorand Assembly. One fortress could accommodate six Sacred Hammers.”

The follower looked stunned and did not know how to reply to be respectful enough. At last, he bowed his head, “Your knowledge is extensive.”

The monk looked at the follower humbly. He knew that this follower had only a shadow knowledge and he should not expect the follower to understand what he said. The monk let out a sigh and then continued to enjoy the view outside.

The Sacred Hammer began to rise. Far ahead was the floating islands in the south of Ansu Continent where rocks were floating in the air, and flying beasts from the floating islands emerged out of the clouds. So the ship should avoid this height to reduce unnecessary risks.