Achoo—
Leon rubbed his nose, but still could not hold back the sneeze.
Just as Leon began to feel his breathing grow uncomfortable, a visible force field enveloped him.
"Below us is Saibaloki City, Yirong Kingdom's second-largest city. The growing pains behind its prosperity are air pollution." Angel's voice reached Leon's ears.
Within the Purification Field, Leon finally felt much more at ease.
As Angel spoke, Leon noticed that as they flew above the city, they could clearly see a thick layer of smog. Aside from mechanical steam, the several towering smokestacks within the city were also responsible for it.
Fortunately, the pollution only covered the city itself. Once they left the urban area, things improved considerably.
"While gaining convenient transportation and living, the price paid is polluted air?" Leon frowned, unsure whether such an exchange was worthwhile.
In Angel's eyes, however, Leon's worries were unnecessary.
"Though ordinary people may lack the vision to see far ahead, discovering problems and then solving them is itself the driving force behind humanity's progress," Angel said. "The problem of pollution has now emerged. The growing pains will pass, and the problem will eventually be resolved."
Angel viewed the matter so optimistically not merely because this "problem" was not difficult to solve, but because Sky Mechanical City stood behind Yirong Kingdom.
Even if ordinary people could not discover and solve the problem, the people of Sky Mechanical City would never simply stand by and watch.
Leon listened, only half understanding.
Angel offered no explanation. Once Leon spent some time in Sky Mechanical City, he would understand on his own.
After all, Yirong Kingdom was one of the few mortal nations on the Prosperous Continent influenced from behind the scenes by a wizard organization.
The Gondola flew on for some time. It was Leon's first