Chapter 1256: Wengfaluosī 3.3 (297)

Bai'e stepped onto the rainbow bridge, and immediately felt wind surge from all directions, steady and gentle, supporting their forms as they began to climb higher.

Moments later, a towering circular structure gradually emerged from the surging sea of clouds. From afar, it looked like a gigantic fortress forgotten in the sky, its layered walls tightening upward along a circular arc, solemn and desolate.

It's hard to imagine how the sky-dwellers of thousands of years ago could have built such a magnificent structure in the air… Unfortunately, since most of the main body is submerged in the cloud layer, Bai'e cannot see its full appearance.

The rainbow bridge supporting Bai'e landed precisely at the building's entrance, allowing the four to reach the ancient city smoothly.

"Riding the rainbow bridge is truly a wonderful experience." Bai'e looked down at the dust-covered stone path beneath his feet, "The Eye of Dawn and Dusk… the legendary sky fortress of Aigele—I never imagined I would one day set foot here."

Fengjin: "Our ancestors once built a magnificent civilization in the heavens, and the Eye of Dawn and Dusk beneath our feet is Aigele's homeland, the core of the cloud-city state. Surely the hero Saine'ersi stood here to declare war on Aigele, opening the first page of humanity's march toward fire…… We have come here to put an end to the journey she herself began."

Xing: "Do you believe the legend?"

Fengjin nodded: "All things wear down with the passage of time, legends included. But no matter whether it's true or false, what we must do will not change."

"According to historical records: the civilization that worshipped Aigele mastered advanced technology. Coupled with their advantageous location, the Sky City was the only force in the Golden War able to directly oppose Xuanfengcheng. But they were not united internally. Especially after the divine edict descended… the frequent civil wars stirred up by the Golden Descendants greatly weakened their strength, forcing them to hide in the clouds, far from the ground's battles."

Fengjin explained: "It is said that a split arose between the two main sky tribes, the Radiant Folk and the Rain Folk. Because they could no longer endure their kin's endless strife, Saine'ersi pointed her gun at the lofty Titans."

——

Pirate King.

"Hey, you guys, look quickly!"

Luffy excitedly raised his hand, pointing at the sky, watching Bai'e's group gradually reach the fortress in the heavens.

"How interesting—so this is where the sky-dwellers of a thousand years ago lived? It's completely different from the style of Sky Island." Robin examined the massive ancient building, which was hardly distinguishable from an "antique," with keen interest, "No one has set foot here for over a thousand years; judging by this, there probably aren't any monsters like the Black Tide."

"Hard to say." Zoro lowered the blade he was polishing, his sharp gaze sweeping over the brown fortress floating in the clouds, "The Black Tide could appear anywhere in Wengfaluosī, and we can't even be sure whether Aigele has been affected by it."

"Wait, the Black Tide shouldn't be able to infect the heavens, right?" Nami frowned, interrupting with hands on her hips, "If Black Tide monsters could fly to the sky, the Holy City would have already fallen."

"What if Aigele is holding back the Black Tide in the sky?" Zoro turned his head to look at her, "Just like Nicadoli?"

"This..."

"He's not wrong." Robin withdrew her gaze from the heavens, lightly touching her chin with her fingertip, thoughtful, "... Indeed, we cannot rule out this possibility. We initially thought the source of the Black Tide was the land, but in the journal from Stikokisia we learned that its source is also in the seabed. Land, sea, sky…… these are the three Titan pillars of Wengfaluosī; could it be that the Black Tide launched an attack simultaneously from the domains overseen by these three Titans?"

Nami was momentarily at a loss for words, her lips moving a few times, her brows furrowing tighter.

Robin paused, then continued: "Myth is often another expression of history; the truth of history often lies hidden beneath myth's splendid veneer. I even suspect that the original purpose of this fortress was to defend against the Black Tide from the sky, but for reasons we cannot yet know…… the sky-dwellers beautified and concealed this history through myth."

——

"Her combat power is that high?"

Fengjin said, resting her chin on her hand: "She led two winged beast companions to drive the enraged Titan into desperation, vanishing together at the edge of the sky; even if the legend contains exaggeration, Saine'ersi's feats are astonishing."

"But she failed to end Aigele and return the fire of the 'sky.' Some say she sealed the gods' wrath with her own body, imprisoning it deep within the Eye of Dawn and Dusk, forever sustaining Wengfaluosī's firmament."

Bai'e: "In other words, she fused with the Titan… In the past I would have dismissed it as a fable, but given the precedent set by Teacher Nakesha, it's not surprising. After a millennium, has that Titan, and the hero who coexisted with it, been overlooking the land from here all this time?"

The four passed through the doorway together; the passage was empty, with not a sound.

"Here, all is silent……"

"As time has flowed, the Eye of Dawn and Dusk has likely become a ruin."

Several people arrived at an open platform; they saw the sky here was utterly dim, to the point of not seeing one's hand before one's face. Bai'e raised a hand to stop Fengjin from stepping forward: "Something's off…… I can faintly sense the openness and vastness of this place, but right now there is only pitch black."

"What lies behind that darkness…?"

Fengjin guessed: "Perhaps… it is the Celestial Phenomenon Mural. In the custom of the sky city-state, it connects to Wengfaluosī's firmament, and the climate displayed by the mural will be reflected as real-world weather."

"Clear skies, gloom, ice and snow, thunderstorms… the mural will reflect Aigele's ever-changing mood. In peaceful times, the sky priests gather here, praying for the gods to send gentle warm winds to bless the world and bring a bountiful harvest."

——

Dragon Clan.

"Celestial Phenomenon Mural, is it similar to…… a weather forecast?"

"Indeed it is."

Su Enxi sat cross-legged on the sofa, answering vaguely, continuously emitting crisp "crack-crack" chewing sounds from her mouth.

"The technology of these sky folk is far superior to that of present-day Wengfaluosī, isn't it? They could even build something like this." Jiude Mayi stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, holding a cup of freshly brewed Darjeeling tea, her gaze drifting over the rain‑streaked glass to the sky, which appeared somewhat blurred through the curtain of rain.