The Ultimate Steampunk Romance, the Mobile City Flying Through the Air!

Chapter 22: The Ultimate Steampunk Romance, A Mobile City Soaring Through the Skies! (5.6K)

This mobile city floated above the thick clouds, its chimneys spewing grayish-white smoke, the roar of its propellers echoing for a long time amidst the sea of clouds.

Li Ye was instantly stunned.

"Can mobile cities actually fly in the sky?"

He quickly rushed to the watchtower and picked up his telescope.

The exterior of this mobile city was covered in thick, massive city canvases. These canvases were colorful and quite fairy-tale like, gathered together to form a hot air balloon shape.

Through the gaps in the canvases, Li Ye got a clear view of its internal structure.

Its main body was composed of layered metal platforms and riveted armor plates, with large and small steam pipes winding through them, supplying high-pressure steam.

Dozens of giant gas bags were suspended from the bottom of the city, while a massive propeller was installed at the tail. Its flanks featured striking giant mechanical fins, which allowed the city to maintain balance amidst storms and air currents.

Its carriers were hot air balloons of various sizes, as well as some small airships.

Li Ye narrowed his eyes, trying his best to see.

What intrigued him the most was how the residents of this mobile city lived.

As the telescope slowly moved, he saw what he was looking for.

This mobile city was divided into over a dozen levels from bottom to top. The reason for its greater number of levels compared to ordinary Level 1 mobile cities was that, floating in the air, there was no constraint on city height.

Its level distribution was also the complete opposite of a Level 1 city.

The upper levels were the boiler and power zone, the middle levels were the living quarters, and the lower levels were the noble districts.

Li Ye could see the giant steam reactors in the upper levels operating, with mechanics and apprentices busily working there.

The streets in the middle levels were constructed from interwoven iron grids and riveted steel plates, with roads of various sizes crisscrossing. Along each road were gear-driven elevators and conveyor belts. The city's residents bustled back and forth on the streets, busy with their own affairs. Some residents leaned casually against the railings, waving at the people on the ground.

The noble district in the lower levels was small, only about half the size of a football field.

Its layout was unexpected for Li Ye; there was only an old, quaintly decorated small house, with a patch of grass beside it, and a wooden fence around the perimeter.

This mobile city just drifted slowly, under the admiring gaze of everyone in the fortress.

As Li Ye watched, the corners of his mouth couldn't help but curl up.

"This is wonderful," he couldn't help but sigh.

The sky, forever the romance humanity yearns to touch.

From Chang'e flying to the moon, the Greek gods residing on Mount Olympus in mythology, to Van Gogh's "Starry Night" burning the night sky with swirling brushstrokes, and then to scientific technologies like hot air balloons, airplanes, and rockets...

Humanity has always, in various ways, clumsily yet persistently, tried to reach the sky.

Li Ye put away his telescope and closed his eyes, beginning to ponder life in this airborne mobile city.

Waking up in the morning, pushing open the window would reveal a flowing sea of clouds.

The morning breeze, carrying thin mist, would surge in. The rising sun would cast the silhouette of the giant propeller onto the wall of clouds, projecting a beautiful reflection.

And beneath his feet would be the flowing earth, with mountains, lakes, plains, and towns all in full view.

Workers in the boiler district would chat as they shoveled coal, occasionally waving to brush off black dust and debris from their bodies. Residents would open their windows, letting in the air mixed with coal smoke and morning dew. They would put on goggles and hoods and head out. On the interwoven skywalks, children would happily run, holding onto the railings.

Ever since he had transmigrated, Li Ye had been on edge every day just to survive. But now, his mood had quietly relaxed considerably.

In a post-apocalyptic wasteland where order had collapsed and survival was the highest priority, living in a flying mobile city must feel absolutely amazing!

He suddenly thought that it wouldn't be bad if the Tomorrow could become a flying mobile city.

But he could only sigh in longing.

Transforming a mobile city into an airborne flying mode was incredibly difficult. It not only required collecting a series of aerial flight accessories but also a complete overhaul of the entire mobile city.

Both resources and manpower were needed in great amounts.

It was rare for one in a hundred cities to possess an aerial city, which explained its scarcity.

It was precisely because of this that when an aerial mobile city appeared before everyone's eyes, they would find it as beautiful as a fairy tale.

At this very moment, everyone in the entire fortress had stopped their work and was looking up at this aerial city.

This aerial city slowly reduced its speed, began to descend, and emitted two long and one short steam whistle sounds.

"This means they want to communicate! They want to rest at Roland Fortress!"

As he realized this, Li Ye instantly became excited.

Lin Wu, who was inspecting the Tomorrow, seemed to sense his thoughts and couldn't help but speak.

"Lord, this aerial city is very appealing, isn't it? Do you want to go up and visit?"

"Yes," Li Ye nodded, his eyes full of emotion. "Even if it's just for a few minutes, just to see the scenery on the ground while it's flying would be good."

"Really? Just thinking about it sounds amazing! May I go with you?"

"No, you need to continue working for me."

As Lin Wu disappointedly adjusted his glasses, Li Ye excitedly rubbed his hands and took the lifting platform back to the ground.

At this moment, the aerial city had arrived above Roland Fortress and was slowly beginning to land.

Its helmsman had carefully selected a landing spot and announced the landing operation via the intercom.

The aerial city gradually stopped its burner heating, opened its exhaust valves to about 50%-70%, and slowly descended towards Roland Fortress with the valves held open.

When it was forty to fifty meters from the ground, it briefly ignited its thrusters to slow the impact, hovering directly above Roland Fortress in a level, gondola-like orientation.

The people from the aerial city, riding in hot air balloons, slowly descended to the ground.

Li Ye took a closer look and realized they were all Westerners with blond hair and blue eyes.

Leading them was the aerial city lord's butler. He was in his fifties, with a rational and restrained expression, his back as straight as a ruler, and his brow perpetually furrowed, much like a stern homeroom teacher staring at students by the window in high school.

He then opened his notebook and addressed the crowd.

"Alright, as I planned, we will procure 2,000 units of iron ore, 1,000 units of coal, and 500 units of fuel from this fortress."

When he came to his senses, he found himself surrounded by people.

Almost everyone from the fortress had gathered there.

The butler then introduced himself.

This aerial city was named Adventure, a Level 1 city. His name was Gray, and he was the butler to the city's lord.

It came from the distant basin region.

According to him, Adventure was about 300 meters tall, with a diameter of roughly 700 meters, and its main structure was about 120 meters thick.

Its dozen or so floors had a total area of 12 square kilometers and could accommodate over 500 people.

Under normal circumstances, Adventure's flight altitude was between 300 and 1,500 meters, and it could ascend further in emergencies.

Its speed was generally 20-50 kilometers per hour, and it could fly continuously for 1-2 weeks.

However, everyone was completely uninterested in the data the butler was recounting.

"Sir, may we come up and visit?" a child asked, raising a hand.

"The lord would be most happy to invite everyone, especially the children."

Gray replied, his expression unchanging.

"However, I detest children, as they are always like runaway wind-up toys when they're noisy, often emitting unpleasant noises above 140 decibels."

"But Mr. Butler, you were also a child when you were young." a little girl timidly spoke up.

Gray slowly and firmly shook his head.

"No, I was calm and self-possessed from a young age, almost never making a fuss. Someone once commented that I was like a boring little adult because of it."

Before he could finish speaking, long queues instantly formed before him.

Seeing this, Gray smiled helplessly and added, "Lords of mobile cities have priority."

Li Ye immediately displayed his Lord's Bracelet.

At this moment, he was surprised to find two hands holding up Lord's Bracelets in the crowd.

They were none other than Li Jin and Lei Jian.

"You're still so childlike at your age?" he asked in surprise.

The two looked up at Adventure, exclaiming excitedly, "Of course! No matter how old a man is, he'll be thrilled to see this!"

Under the arrangement of Butler Gray, the three lords boarded Adventure via hot air balloon.

They arrived at the mid-level area of Adventure, first stepping into the core area of the mid-levels, "Rivet Plaza."

This was both a marketplace and a social hub.

Mechanics from repair shops hammered parts in front of stalls, sparks splashing onto the iron plate road surface with faint hisses.

The windows of the small pharmacy were filled with glass vials, their labels reading "Altitude Sickness Relief" and "Dizziness Tonic."

Street vendors hawked distinctive "Gear Kebabs," with chunks of meat skewered on small propeller shafts, rotating over residual heat to cook.

On window ledges, residents tended to cold-resistant steam-greenhouse plants, their roots entwined in metal mesh.

A few street performers played steam organs, their notes rising and falling with the low-altitude air currents.

The first wisps of burnt aroma puffed from the steam ovens of the bakery; the crust of the freshly baked bread was exceptionally crisp in the low-pressure environment, while the inside was as fluffy as down.

"This is wonderful," Lei Jian said, looking at the scenes with genuine emotion. "If only I could live here every day."

Li Jin nodded in agreement but still voiced his concern, "What if we encounter strong winds or heavy rain and thunderstorms?"

"Ahem, that's a rather mood-killing thing to say at a time like this. Don't spoil the atmosphere."

While the two chatted casually, Li Ye walked along the path towards a certain area.

What interested him most was the lower level, with its old small houses, grassland, and railings.

He soon reached the lower level and looked towards the old small house.

It looked like a normal wooden house, no matter how you looked at it.

With its pointed roof, chimney, and cream-colored exterior, it resembled a gingerbread house stuck together with candy.

The door of the little wooden house was open, and a glimpse of the interior could be seen.

In the photo frame above the living room fireplace, a young couple embraced in front of a small repair shop, the edges of the wooden frame worn smooth.

The faded floral sofa had indentations marking where two people had sat, and the left armrest bore fine scratches from a crochet hook, likely from someone knitting.

On the old, small refrigerator, yellowed recipe cards were stuck, displaying a series of warning-like phrases about healthy eating.

Two pairs of slippers were placed by the door, their plushness long since worn away.

One pair was scattered haphazardly, while the other was neatly placed to the side, as if still waiting for someone's return.

Li Ye watched all of this silently, absorbing the passage of time within the house.

Just as he hesitated whether to knock and notify the owner, a sound suddenly came from within the house.

"Huh?" Li Ye looked in the direction of the sound in surprise, seeing an elderly man frozen mid-action, secretly stuffing cake into his mouth.

The old man was likely in his eighties, his silver hair as messy as a dandelion, but his eyes were still bright like a child who had stolen candy.

"Oh, I thought it was Gray," he said, visibly relaxing. "Welcome, young stranger. Come in and sit down if you have time."

"I'm actually here."

Gray appeared silently behind Li Ye, almost making the old man stumble.

He moved like lightning, snatching the cake and returning it to the plate—it was hard to imagine a butler in his fifties moving so fast.

"Please give up on the idea of eating sweets. Your physical condition can hardly handle them anymore."

The old man clasped his hands behind his back, looking sheepish like a child who had made a mistake.

"This is Claude, the Lord of the Adventure," Gray introduced to Li Ye, who was sitting on the sofa.

He said this while clutching his forehead, a headache evident.

"He's eighty-seven years old, yet he still acts like a child who hasn't grown up, causing trouble every day."

"Don't always speak with that tone of weary adult, Gray. You're more than twenty years younger than me," Claude grumbled.

The old lord tried to sneak a taste of the cake's cream with his finger during a pause in Gray's speech, but the latter swiftly smacked his hand with a notepad.

"Ow! Be gentle!" he exclaimed angrily.

"You can't have any more sweets. If Madam were still here, she'd definitely be angry and hit you."

"Ellie wouldn't. She's a very gentle person," the old lord said, reluctantly withdrawing his hand. "I wish I could see her every day now, even if it meant getting hit."

Gray paused upon hearing this, a hint of gentleness appearing in his usually stern eyes.

Li Ye listened from the side, smiling quietly.

Claude then noticed the Lord's Bracelet on his hand.

"Oh, so you're a lord too," he said, rubbing his hands together and leaning closer. "How is your Mobile City? Have you had any memorable experiences?"

Just as Li Ye was about to answer, the old man suddenly smiled and gently patted his shoulder.

"Before you tell your story, why not listen to mine first?"

Claude was an orphan from a young age, growing up in a fortress.

A kind repair shop owner adopted him and trained him as a mechanic from childhood.

As Claude tentatively and nervously stepped into the repair shop, a little girl rushed out screaming playfully, accidentally hitting him in the face with a thick book she was holding.

That was the owner's daughter, Ellie, and the book in her hand was an adventure log of an aerial city written by a lord.

The two children of the same age met that day.

The repair shop always had endless work. Young Claude would squat in a corner, patiently repairing customers' belongings, while Ellie would always be around him, laughing and playing, occasionally getting in the way.

When the shop closed, they would read the adventure log by kerosene lamp, and in their free time, they would gaze out the window on rainy days, fantasizing about life in the aerial cities.

More than a decade later, the repair shop owner passed away, and the adult Claude had become a capable and even renowned mechanic.

He inherited his adoptive father's shop and the responsibility of looking after Ellie.

She had also grown up, transforming from a playful little girl into a quiet young lady.

She no longer caused accidental trouble for Claude like before but diligently helped with the work.

On one occasion, as Claude was stretching to change a lightbulb in the shop, he suddenly stumbled. Ellie, who was nearby, quickly reached out to steady the lightbulb.

Their fingers suddenly touched the bulb, and as their eyes met, the sparks that flew might have been from electricity or something else.

There were no grand pronouncements, no earth-shattering declarations; the two young people fell in love in a perfectly ordinary way.

Running the shop, raising children, the couple supported each other and lived through more than ten years.

Through a chance accident, they lost their two children.

Claude managed to hold himself together, but Ellie was on the verge of collapse.

Claude felt heartbroken yet helpless as he watched his wife grow thinner and more haggard each day.

Until one day, while tidying the house, he stumbled upon the adventure log.

He found the childhood dream they both shared.

When Claude came before her, magically revealing a picture of a sky city from the adventure log, Ellie's eyes lit up for the first time in a long while.

The couple rallied, diligently operating and repairing their shop every day.

While Claude was busy at the shop, he saw Ellie return with an orphan she had found wandering in the fortress.

He was a little boy, raggedly dressed, but still holding his head high.

Claude brandished his wrench, intending to tease and scare him, but the little boy unexpectedly stepped on his foot, making him yelp.

However, even though Claude was a renowned mechanic and had worked diligently for over a decade, he still couldn't save enough money to buy a Mobile City, let alone transform it into a sky city.

The couple grew old, their hair turning white.

That night, looking at his dying wife and the adventure log in her hand, Claude looked at her, his eyes full of guilt.

But Ellie smiled and shook her head. She closed the adventure log and gently took his hand.

Her gentle eyes seemed to smile, as if she wanted to say something.

When Claude asked, a hint of slyness appeared in her eyes, and she chuckled and shook her head.

Claude sat dejectedly in front of the closed repair shop, unsure of what to do.

He heard movement beside him and looked up to see Gray handing him the adventure log.

This uninteresting little boy had long since become an uninteresting adult, his face still set in a stern expression even as he handed over the book.

Claude slowly opened the adventure log and found new content within.

It was a record of every moment of their lives together, meticulously documented by his wife over the decades.

From how they met, to knowing each other, supporting each other, and falling in love.

Unknowingly, Claude's eyes had already welled up with tears.

When he turned to the last page, a single sentence was written there.

"You are the greatest adventure of my life."

After a long while, Claude finally calmed his heart.

He closed the adventure log, straightened up with renewed resolve, and looked at Gray.

The two exchanged a glance and nodded gently.

The repair shop reopened, and the old man and the young man continued to work diligently.

Claude and Ellie's story gradually spread throughout the basin.

One day, as Claude was closing the shop, he saw several residents from the fortress approaching him.

Several units of Iron Ore, a wrench, a small metal plate...

One by one, they handed the items to him, who was at a loss.

In the following days, more and more people visited the repair shop.

Steam pipes, chimneys, mechanical parts... All sorts of items appeared in front of the shop, gradually piling up into a small mountain.

Bounty hunters, survivor convoys, Mobile City lords... With the collective effort of the entire basin, they managed to assemble a sky Mobile City over more than a decade.

Claude thus became its lord, and Gray became his steward.

He then named this sky Mobile City the Tomorrow, moved the small cabin where he and his wife had lived to the lower level, and set sail anew.

"That's wonderful."

Hearing this, Li Ye couldn't help but sigh with genuine emotion.

Claude carefully caressed the adventure log, his eyes full of nostalgia.

"As you can see, I will continue to adventure in this world until I can return to my Ellie."

With a rumble, the Tomorrow slowly started up, beginning its patrol around the fortress.

Li Ye stood by the railing, his hair disheveled by the breeze, his eyes shining with excitement.

Wild plains, lakes, mountains, forests...

At this moment, everything on the ground was within sight, a breathtaking panorama.

Claude was by his side, the old lord gripping the railing tightly, gazing at the scenery below with him.

"Hey, young man! My story is finished, what about yours?" he called out loudly.

Li Ye pondered for a moment, then smiled gently at the old lord.

"It's just beginning."