Chapter 848: The Day Before Launch
Chapter 848: The Day Before Launch
Ever since Great Devil Abaddon died, the Red Dragon Clan's members became more proactive in the open. The young dragon elites no longer moved in stealth but flew freely in the open
sky.
At the same time, Kuvat and the others also interacted more frequently with human leaders as they discussed their plans for the future.
Much of their discussion involved opening new roads and trade routes between the united northern countries.
There were also talks of clearing a path through the Thousand Fog Mountains and opening the Red Dragon Clan to the public, allowing diplomatic and business visitations.
Nevertheless, the main purpose behind opening the Red Dragon Clan to the public was to borrow human power to transport rare minerals and resources from outside their circle of influence.
Meanwhile, with Sunpeak City being the core focus of development plans and red dragons flying about in the sky as they worked on the final phases of the Heavenreacher Project, the region also became a hot sightseeing attraction.
The top floors of every hotel in the city would be booked out so that people could observe the red dragons with a better view.
Some people were even willing to pay higher prices for already booked accommodation
rooms.
People would go to surprising lengths just to see true dragon.
Nevertheless, this was only limited to first-timers who had never seen a true dragon before. The locals were, more or less, used to the sight of them. At the very least, they wouldn't freeze in awe like they used to.
When Vaan and Belline arrived in Sunpeak City's airspace via spatial shift, he immediately scanned the city for Linetta's and Lillias's whereabouts.
In a short instant, he pinpointed their location.
It seemed they were attending the new Sunpeak Academy of Magic since they were still in their student years.
However, they seemed to have received the assistance of a red dragon to settle their registration and accommodations. Moreover, the red dragon was still watching over them in secret, like a bodyguard.
Nevertheless, this red dragon didn't seem to be one of the dragon elites from the first batch. It only had the strength of a Peak Rank 3 Being, but it was also very young-just past a hundred years of age.
Logically, it shouldn't be outside of the Red Dragon Clan with this level of strength.
However, he didn't see an issue either as long as it stayed in a place like the Sunpeak Region or had the supervision of a stronger dragon.
When Vaan suddenly kidnapped Linetta and Lillias from their magic theory class with spatial power, their sudden disappearance also caused the young dragon to panic.
'They're with me.'
'Ah, Supreme Leader.'
Vaan's timely message helped the young dragon calm down before he could go on a desperate search.
Meanwhile, Linetta and Lillias were surprised to find themselves in Vaan's arms when they were only listening to their lecture moments ago.
Although they were taken away abruptly, they were beyond ecstatic to see him.
"Vaan!" the two chirped pleasantly.
"Come, I will take you all to a nice place to train and accumulate your magic power," Vaan informed them.
However, before he could leave, he received a sudden request to stay from the Third Dragon Lord Sondrei.
'Please wait a moment, Supreme Leader!' Sondrei transmitted her request as she flew over to meet Vaan after sensing his presence in the vicinity.
"Lady Sondrei, what is the matter?" Vaan inquired.
"My Lord, the Heavenreacher Project was completed a few hours ago. We were waiting for your approval before we could begin its first official launch," Sondrei informed.
"Oh?" Vaan uttered with surprise before praising, "Well done. You have completed the project earlier than I anticipated. Everyone must have worked hard and overtime."
"That's right, my Lord. Everyone was getting excited as we neared the project's completion. Thus, we all put in the extra effort to finish it sooner and surprise you," Sondrei admitted.
"I see," Vaan smiled thoughtfully before mentioning, "I also have a surprise for everyone, but I'll leave that for later."
"For now, let's set the official launch date to tomorrow midday. Give Aeliana time to announce the news to the whole city so people will know when to look in the direction of the Red Goblin Mountain."
"As long as the other countries have their informants here, they will quickly learn about it as well," Vaan stated.
"Isn't that too soon, my Lord?" Sondrei asked before mentioning, "If we set too early, the news won't reach very far, and the impact of the launch will be affected."
"It doesn't matter. The official launch is only the first and not the last. We are only informing the world of our achievement, not hoping for them to watch a spectacle," Vaan calmly stated.
"As long as they come to this city, they will see the Heavenreacher launching people into the sea of stars every day. Its consistent launch will generate a far greater impact than a single- -day launch."
"That's why we don't need to delay our plans to send people to the sea of stars," Vaan said. Although he could take many people to the sea of stars with his spatial power, the impact wouldn't be the same as people reaching it through a technological construct.
After all, entering the sea of stars with the Heavenreacher would give them the sense of breaking out of Pangea's shackles on their own.
It was an indescribable and hard-to-replicate feeling.
"They say the Freedom Federation is the most technologically advanced country in the world, but we will be the first to reach for the stars with technology..." Vaan smiled thoughtfully. No doubt, the Heavenreacher Project would draw many people to the north.
The Freedom Federation had already been the center of attention for countless years. It was time to turn Pangea's attention their way.
"Go now," Vaan urged.
"Understood, my Lord. I will have it done immediately," Sondrei assured before departing to
carry out the task.
Shortly after, Vaan took Marchioness Belline and her two daughters to the moon colony with a
single spatial leap.
...
Meanwhile, rumors of the Heavenreacher's official launch date spread quickly through Sunpeak City. Even before the official announcement was made, hundreds of people had
already caught wind of it.
Bars and taverns have always been the hotspots for gossip.
"Hey, have you heard about the Heavenreacher's launch date?" a man casually started a conversation with random men after getting his drink.
"You mean that tall magic tower on top of the Red Goblin Mountain? I don't think I have. What does it even do?" a plumber asked.
"Huh? Are you new around here? No, do you live under a rock or something? Even if you were new around here, you would have at least heard about it from someone else already. After all,
everyone has been talking about it!"
"Heard what?" the ignorant plumber asked.
"The Heavenreacher is sending people into the heavens! And its official launch will be tomorrow at midday!" the man said exasperatedly, incredulous that people still didn't know when information about it was practically flying around all day.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
"I see... Sending people into the heavens, huh?" the plumber uttered with amazement before asking, "Are they accepting applications to join the launch? Or do they already have a list?" "That... I'm not too sure. I've only heard there's a strict requirement for people who want to enter the sea of stars. They might loosen the requirement as they improve the cabin over
time."
"However, if you are not even a loyal citizen of this country with notable contributions, they will not even consider you," the man stated.
"Huh?" the plumber blinked before saying, "Entering the sea of stars sounds like such a breathtaking experience. I'm sure many wealthy and influential people from other countries would be willing to pay for it. If they don't accept outsiders, how will they make money out of
it?"
"I don't think money was the reason for building the Heavenreacher..."
"I suppose not..."
It didn't take long before the gossiping men in the bar quickly realized the main purpose
behind the Heavenreacher's construction.
Given the city's daily influx of visitors, there wasn't a need to start a business using the Heavenreacher as the selling point. After all, the dragon attraction alone was already raking in crazy profits for all the local businesses.
'What an ambitious plan - Using the Heavenreacher to increase the country's population...' a hooded witch silently thought as she sat by herself at a corner table.
Although she could be easily seen, no one seemed to bother her.
Perhaps due to the way she was dressed or the vibe she emanated, everyone subconsciously
wished to avoid the trouble they could get themselves into-just by striking up a normal
conversation with her.
Nevertheless, one moment, the hooded witch was there; another moment, she disappeared. Only her empty mug was left on the table.
A few moments later, the seemingly uncaring men in the bar glanced at the emptied corner.
"That was probably a spy from another country, right? Should we inform the authorities about that suspicious person?" a burly construction worker suggested in a whisper. However, the other guy cracked a smile and said, "Lord Vaan and Lady Aeliana know how important this city is better than anyone else."
"If they really wanted to root out all the foreign spies in this city, they only needed to offer
out a reward for any information on them, and the masses would flush them all out
immediately."
"Lord Vaan and Lady Aeliana have the wealth to make that happen," the burly construction worker confidently stated.
"That's true..." another construction worker nodded and said, "It must be frightening to be a
spy for another country. If it were me, I would just give up and become a good citizen here."
The other men in the bar couldn't help but agree. Anyone who had seen Lady Aeliana's violence would also agree with them.