A biting sea breeze, carrying the salty, fishy scent of freedom, swept over him. Linde stood on the towering bulwark of the steel sky, looking down at the boundless, churning sea below.
The roar of the colossal ship breaking free from its seabed base still faintly echoed deep within its hull, proclaiming that a steel behemoth that had slumbered for millennia was being reborn, soaring through the raging skies beyond the comprehension of the continent of Tyre.
As far as the eye could see, there was only the surging sea, a mixture of deep blue and leaden gray, stretching all the way to the misty horizon where it met the twisted metal dome.
There wasn't a trace of land. This magnificent yet desolate scene involuntarily brought to mind the legends of mysterious intelligent races deep in the ocean, recorded by Orc scholars—those "sea creatures" even rarer than dragons, mentioned only in fleeting glimpses.
On this completely unfamiliar, forgotten ocean, those legends no longer seem so ethereal.
"This is...an unimaginable situation."
Lind muttered to himself, the sea breeze ruffling his black hair.
The initial awe and the exhilaration of controlling the giant ship subsided, replaced by more realistic and urgent concerns.
Through the connection between his deepest consciousness and the central core of the Steel Sky, he could clearly "perceive" the true state of this ancient creation.
It did indeed take flight, but that was more of a miracle than a testament to its capabilities.
The legacy of the Zedu civilization is both magnificent and fragile. Ten thousand years of silence and the devastating trauma of the "metal plague" have left this giant ship riddled with holes.
The massive flow of information clearly outlined the troubling situation in his mind:
Maintaining only the minimum energy output of the core is already the limit for driving the core system, and there are still many signs of melting that need to be repaired.
Only three of the main engines can operate at low power; the rest are offline or damaged. Some attitude engines are usable, but they cannot perform high-speed maneuvers or long-distance travel.
The life support system is completely offline.
The ship's internal air circulation, temperature regulation, and water circulation are all barely maintained by natural or residual energy, making it unable to support large-scale life activities.
The weapon systems were almost completely destroyed.
Those terrifying weapons described as capable of tearing through space are now nothing but cold wreckage and clogged energy pipes.
Navigation and detection are shown in gray.
Most fatally, it lost its pinpoint of its exact location in the world of Till (or rather, this plane of existence)! It was like a giant lost in a storm.
The external armor is severely corroded and damaged, and there are many collapses or energy leakage points in the internal passages and compartments, requiring urgent structural repair and material replenishment.
"The fact that they can fly is already proof of the incredible technology of the Zedu people."
Linde shook his head helplessly.
With a slight thought, he issued the highest priority order to the remaining Watchers aircraft group on board: Activate the basic self-repair protocol at all costs! Primary objective: Restore the core functions of the navigation and positioning system!
The mechs faithfully carried out their orders, swarming towards key areas such as the bridge and detection array compartments like worker ants.
Using the limited emergency supplies stored on board, they began clumsily repairing lines, replacing burnt-out nodes, and clearing blocked pipes.
Progress is frustratingly slow, but this is the only starting point.
Linde's gaze drifted to the rolling sea of clouds in the distance, but his thoughts had already flown back to Blackrock Territory.
The knowledge he inherited clearly told him:
The ruins beneath Blackrock Territory that served as nodes of the magic network were one of the several large "ports" built by the Zedo civilization for the Steel Sky!
These docks not only provide stable interfaces to the Magic Network energy, but are also important maintenance, resupply, and mooring bases.
That was the closest "home" and the place of hope for restoration that he knew of at the moment.
"I have to go back!" Lind made up his mind. The Steel Sky itself couldn't accurately locate and navigate to that harbor in a short time, but he could! He could continue through the portal that brought him there and return to the ruins he had come from.
He took one last deep look at this unfamiliar, turbulent sea, full of unknowns, then turned and strode toward the teleportation hall.
Linde took away a small "Watcher" mech (more like a portable data terminal and communication node) that he had authorized and that could maintain long-distance communication with the central core. Linde once again stepped into that deep blue space vortex.
After the familiar dizziness subsided, Linde landed steadily back in the core area of the Blackrock Territory underground ruins.
Before me stood the still-busy mech squadron.
Compared to the grandeur and decay of the steel sky, this harbor appears "small" and... equally desolate.
"Deconstruct!" The halo swept across silently.
> Objective: Zedo Civilization - Iron Sky Port G7 (Black Rock Node)
> Status: Low power operation (stable power supply to the Magic Network)
> Functions: Magic energy transfer, basic maintenance (mechs), short-range teleportation (to the Iron Sky)
> Damage assessment:
> External defense system: Completely destroyed/offline.
> Internal life support/habitation module: Severely damaged and unusable.
> Large-scale maintenance facilities: The core framework exists, but energy-powered and critical modules are lacking.
> Material reserves: Nearly depleted. Only a small amount of basic metal ingots and low-purity energy crystals remain.
Berth: Structure intact, but guidance system offline.
"As expected... apart from having enough energy, everything else is severely lacking."
Linde gave a wry smile.
This port is like a terminally ill patient whose heart is still beating weakly while all other organs have failed. Maintaining operation and basic mechanized maintenance is already at its limit, far from enough to support substantial repairs to a behemoth like the Steel Sky.
He stroked the cold metal wall, feeling the surging energy flowing within it, originating from the magic network.
A massive and arduous plan quickly took shape in his mind, its outline becoming incredibly clear—that is, to mobilize the entire Blackrock Territory to support and repair this ancient steel behemoth!
This is not just about mastering an ultimate weapon.
The Zedo technology represented by the Steel Sky is the key to breaking the existing world order and making Blackrock Territory truly invincible.
Compared to this, magic armor and crystal technology are like children's toys.
But how can we expect a group of people still living in the medieval agricultural and blacksmithing era to understand and participate in the repair of a spaceship?
The cognitive gap and challenges involved are even greater than crossing the endless sea before us.
"I hope my people... can accept the truth of this 'miracle'."
A hint of worry flashed in Linde's eyes, but more so a resolute determination to burn one's bridges.
He knew that this would be another major transformation for Blackrock Territory after war and expansion, a leap that could tear apart existing perceptions but also bring unlimited future possibilities.
Instead of returning to the castle immediately, he sent detailed instructions to the central core of the Steel Sky via his portable mech:
Continue to repair and prioritize ensuring the stable operation of existing engines to avoid the risk of crashing.
We concentrated our resources and spared no expense in repairing the navigation core and short-range detection array.
Resource scanning utilizes the repaired detection array to scan the ocean below and surrounding airspace, searching for any usable natural resources (high-purity mineral veins, special energy nodes, shipwrecks, etc.).
Remain silent and on standby, maintain a high altitude, and avoid any potential unknown threats (including the legendary sea creatures).
Do not proactively disclose information except in emergency situations.
Finally, it is time to wait for the summons. Once Bokou is ready, Linde will naturally summon him.
After doing all this, Linde took a deep breath, straightened his robes, and carefully hid the portable mech in the special space within the mage's sleeve.
He took one last look at the magic network node connecting the two worlds, turned around, and resolutely walked upwards along the passage cleared by the [Deconstruction Halo], heading towards the territory where he needed to persuade, mobilize, and lead them to embrace this steel star.
As he was once again bathed in the crisp yet vibrant winter air of Blackrock Territory, the outline of the castle came into view.
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