As the Holy Light Hammer slowly flew high overhead, the old demon ape Grugrugu clung tightly to the rope in his hands. He struggled to suppress the trembling of his muscles while keeping an eye on the vines and bamboo poles above him.
He dared swear it before the entire forest, before every one of his ancestors, and before anything else he could name that he had never imagined he might one day truly fly into the sky!
This strange contraption called a "hot-air balloon"—this huge, heavy thing assembled from Blue Demon Whale hide, vines, wood, and bamboo poles—had actually taken flight! Just as the pack leader had said, it had flown!
He vaguely remembered that the pack leader had said something else, too. Something about how the hot-air balloon had turned out better than expected, and how the finished product should really be called an airship. Something about forming a fleet, as well... In any case, the pack leader's words were always filled with wisdom, packed with fresh ideas that were impossible to fathom. Grugrugu had always considered himself the wisest one in his tribe, but ever since the pack leader arrived, he no longer dared mention that title. Especially now, after flying into the sky in a basket suspended beneath a balloon, he no longer dared doubt a single word the pack leader said.
The cold wind blew through the gaps between the wicker panels and into the passenger cabin. Grugrugu heard some of the structures on the hot-air balloon—or rather, airship—creaking and groaning. The sounds made his hair stand on end, and he kept feeling that the whole giant thing might fall apart at any moment. Still, he tried not to show too much cowardice, because he was not alone in the passenger cabin. Many young demon