After confirming that the Ark would land on Aio, Hao Ren and Lawrence discussed the details of the process. In the end, they decided to open the Ark's dome immediately after landing. This was a transformation function built into the ship itself. Once the dome opened, the enclosed, oval shelter city would unfold into a flat continent. Only in this state could the life-support systems of the city inside the ship and a set of main power reactors at the ship's rear undergo a truly complete shutdown and overhaul.
These ships had only been barely repaired during their previous "patchwork repairs." Since they could not be shut down, the replacement components had accumulated unimaginable hidden dangers and chronic faults. In fact, the frequent malfunctions aboard the Throne Ark, such as its gravitic instability, had been caused by this accumulated wear. Therefore, opening the Ark's dome would be an indispensable part of the entire repair plan. Letting the residents of the Ark city see the real outside world would be unavoidable as well.
However, the social impact this would have on the entire Ark civilization was also obvious:
The Ark residents would see a real horizon and an open sky. They would see their own "world" transform into a flat continent, which would be an enormous shock to their worldview. Hao Ren still clearly remembered what had happened when the Erem Elves first arrived at their new home. Large numbers of elves had developed sky phobia after seeing the boundless sky for the first time, and even the knowledgeable archmages and technicians had been no exception. If even the Erem Elves, who still possessed their knowledge, had reacted that way, the Ark residents would be even less prepared. Generation after generation, they had faced an enclosed hundred-kilometer-long ship cabin. They had