Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
“Maybe we are the first three who have set foot in the Arctic!”
“Maybe not. But probably the first three who have set foot in the Arctic in recorded history!”
“So, we three made history again?”
Frank, Alva, and Wilbert stood on the sky fortress. The white alchemy sky fortress floated in the air, protected by the shield around it. The trio stood on the deck and leaned on the railing, chatting in high spirits.
After the Magic Crystal War, the last words of the Pope of the Church of the Dark Night had been an unpleasant warning to them. They knew that the last step to becoming true gods would not be easy.
They remembered the words of the mystery man that had appeared in front of them. The words of the unpredictable, mythical man had turned out to be true after all.
“The Arctic! A divine artifact left by the creator and hidden at the end of the world. It is for the God of Civilization!”
His words had stirred the trio greatly back then. And even after all these years, the tame, mystic tone of the mystery man was still engraved in their memories.
“Divine artifacts, what kind of objects are they?”
“Like the legendary Sword of the King, the Mask of Faross, the alchemy doll Archimonde, Death Sickle, or the Book of Truth?”
“It’s a divine artifact left by the creator. It’s got to be different!”
“But who is the creator?”
Full of doubts and questions, the trio went on their journey to the Arctic to find the last piece and the key to becoming true gods.
The gigantic sky fortress swam freely in the ocean of clouds like a huge whale. Its streamlined body cut through the clouds, covered in bright sunlight.
The sky fortress journeyed north. The clouds were getting thinner. Cracked glaciers floated on the sea’s surface, sometimes as giant icebergs. Further north, the entire ocean turned into a gigantic ice mirror. This was the legendary Sea of Death.
Here, lurking in the shadows, were giant monsters. It was said that the children of the ancient God of the Sea, Sakun, lived here. After many centuries, those creatures who had Sakun’s blood running through their veins had turned into horrific giant sea monsters. The children of god hid in the deep sea. This was their territory.
Icebergs, sea monsters, children of the God of the Sea, and even fearsome legendary magical beasts existed here. It was almost impossible for anyone to pass the Sea of Death and make it to the Arctic.
As for the bleak Arctic, nothing was there apart from danger, cold, and ice. No one wished to be there except for lunatic adventurers. And, most of them were now in the stomachs of magical beasts beneath the sea.
It was impossible to reach the Arctic by ship. Even the sturdiest alchemy ship could not withstand the unexpected accidents and damages that happened there. Later, adventurers had attempted to travel through the air to the Arctic. However, the closer they got to the Arctic, the closer to the bitwall they came. Elemental storms and space wrinkles occurred at an abnormal rate here. Without shields and protection, a single element wave could destroy them.
Most adventurers lost their lives before they ever set foot on land in the Arctic. Of course, maybe some did land on the Arctic and never returned, which was even more regrettable.
The giant whale in its luminous bubble continued to travel north. At last, they saw the northernmost land in the world.
It was the winter season in the Arctic and most of the days were dark. When the three half-gods set foot in the Arctic, rolling mountains with snowcapped peaks appeared right before their eyes. In the distance, endless darkness prevailed. Blizzards roared in the darkness. Normal creatures could never survive in such an extreme environment.
“The Arctic, the northernmost land in the world. A legendary land even more mysterious than the Island of Dragons!”
“We are finally here!”
The soldiers and crew members on the Alva sky fortress burst into cheers. Many crew members pressed their faces against the circular windows, looking down on the world below, exploring the legendary place with their eyes.
In this land of death, many magical beasts had adapted to live in the icy world. Even several white dragon dens were hidden deep under the snow. But Frank looked down and exclaimed, “A person? Look! Someone is down there! How’s that possible? Maybe it’s an adventurer who is trapped here in his exploration!”
The trio was surprised to discover white figures moving below them. Using mind power, they found out that it was a human-like, three-meter-tall, giant monster covered in white hair. It was a common creature of the Arctic. It was not a magical beast but had some intelligence. It was later named “the Yeti” by those who landed on the Arctic.
The further they went, the more signs of unusual creatures they discovered. The sky turned dark to bright. Dark and light alternated frequently here. If one stood in the center of the land, one foot would be in heaven, and the other in hell.
The further they went, the more the entire world turned into complete darkness without a single ray of light. Elemental storms raged in the darkness, shaking the shield of the level six sky fortress. The shield squeaked as if it was going to crumble and disassemble any time.
“Turn on the searchlights. Send out airships. Search for land below!” The eyes of the white whale lit up. The lights cut deep into the darkness. Two beams of light swept over the land of Arctic.
“Remember to keep the magic transceiver on at all times. Maintain communication and report your location constantly!”
As Frank’s order was passed on, the soldiers and small airships on the Alva sky fortress set off. They left the Alva sky fortress through a tunnel that opened at the bottom of the shield and flew at a low altitude. It was suicidal to fly high without a shield here.
They spread out like a net to explore the Arctic. Nevertheless, it was not easy to find a legendary divine artifact on the endless icy land. Especially when they had no idea where the divine artifact was hidden, or what the divine artifact looked like.
“It is a continent, just like the Alen continent, Yala continent, and the Swirl continent! Can we find it on such a vast land, in the dark, and in such a harsh environment?” Alva asked as he adjusted his glasses.
Wilbert seemed to trust the mysterious man and said, “That man said that as we enter the Arctic, we will find it. I believe he meant it. That divine artifact must have some sort of special trait so that we can find it easily.”
Frank said, “We have come this far. We just need a bit more time. It’s a divine artifact left by the creator. It’s worth spending as much time looking as possible!”
However, more than half a month passed, and they had not found anything yet. The search party encountered many difficulties in the darkness where monsters and danger lurked. Just when they started to reconsider the mission, a message arrived from far away through the magic transceiver.
“Beep beep beep… rizzz rizzz rizzz … Report! Report! We have found the target! We have found the target! We are deep in the north, coordinate… we were hit by elemental storms. Three airships went down. We entered an unusual space. We found an absolute miracle, a miracle left by god! I see the end of the world and a city that exists at the end of the world!”
The gigantic Alva sky fortress immediately turned around, headed to the deep north. Cutting through fierce elemental storms and space wrinkles, the entire sky fortress was stretched, compressed, and distorted. It was bizarre in the extreme.
However, when they arrived at their destination, they immediately saw a grand illusory city standing in the strange beaming lights. Figures walked around the city. There were huge city walls, bell towers, churches, and soldiers holding spears.
Following the light, they saw an endless illusory wall. No, it was not a wall, but an amalgamation of countless space wrinkles. Not one knew how thick it was. Then again, the thickness wasn’t the right concept to apply to this mysterious thing.
“Is this the end of the sky?” Frank exclaimed, his mouth hanging wide open.
Alva noticed the city below and said, “Oh my god! The city at the end of the sky? What is this? Were all of these created by the divine artifact?”