Chapter 627 (2/2)

Very quickly, Drake lost himself in the details of the fear, and the worst of it faded away. His hands stopped trembling and his breath came more easily. They likely traveled like that for a few hours when Kairon clicked his tongue.

“We are lucky,” Kairon announced. “The city has moved South for the fruit harvest. Look, friend, and witness beauty.”

Drake looked. He didn’t see beauty. To him, it looked like several sadistic twelve-year-olds were given all the materials in the world and were asked to build heaven. Instead, they built something that looked like a cross between a giant ropes course and a homemade treehouse made with recycled wood.

The thing truly was seemingly thrown together by hundreds of different people who were not working towards any common theme. There was a clear location where other hot air balloons were docking, but other than that it was all plank bridges and ropes between different spires of wood and tarp.

From Drake’s vantage point, there were 6 of these “spires” that were clustered in a group. Rising up from each was thick cables, and above there were absolutely enormous balloons, hanging above them like a fat and close moon. These balloons seemed to be sealed, so Drake surmised some sort of Skill kept them all afloat.

There were some smaller clusters of wood and rope, and these seemed to resemble floating apartment buildings more than anything else. They circled around the six main spires like bees, with thin ropes stretching to connect them to each other.

At least, Drake thought with disgust, there were several layers of nets hanging underneath the six main spires. But the ancillary buildings were floating above nothing. A fall from there-

“You are speechless; I was too on my first arrival.” Kairon said proudly. “But like all things, you grow used to it. Come, I will show you my home. In exchange, I only ask you tell me stories of these other Zones, haha. It is strange to think our narrow world is expanding once more…”

Heedless of Drake’s pale face, Kairon continued to chatter idly, an abrupt switch from his earlier recalcitrance. It seemed that his love for this city was so real that it could make the man ignore the danger of such a floating city. What if something was lit on fire? What if someone cut the ropes holding one of the spires up? Wouldn’t it drag the rest down? How much extra weight could the city handle?

What was WRONG with these people?

Very quickly, they approached one of the main spires, which did ease Drake’s worries somewhat. The docks were located near the top of the spire, spreading out like branches of a tree in zigzag patterns. As soon as they were close, Kairon hopped off of the basket with surprising spryness and began tying the balloon to the nearby posts. The wood creaked dangerously.

Drake winced.

“Ah, before I forget… watch your step. My family is well enough off, but we must dock in the older sections.“ Kairon said apologetically. “Some of the wood here is beginning to rot from exposure to the elements. Watch your step.”

All of the blood drained out of his face. With extreme care, Drake leaned over the side of the rope basket and looked down. Beneath him, there were planks of wood, as would be seen on a normal dock. But below that, there was a 10-meter drop and there was a bulge of buildings and wooden enclosures. Ropes crisscrossed, seemingly at random. But if Drake looked to the side…

He saw the top of a cloud. A chilly wind brushed at his feet. The sun was setting in the West, casting a wave of warm color across the cloudscape beneath them. Truly, it was breathtaking. In the same way that death was.

Breathing out slowly, Drake stood and put his foot on the rickety looking boards of the dock. He shifted his weight slowly, and then pulled his second foot out and put it onto the dock.

The board broke underneath him with a gleeful crack.