Three days later.
"Yeah!!!"
Amid excited cheers and everyone's attention, people gathered in front of the High Tower's square to watch the heavy balloon airship, carrying the Sun Energy reactor, start up at nearly full power. Its bellows let out a crushing "rumble" as it slowly rose into the sky.
The metal reactor, more than twenty meters tall, was simply too heavy.
Even with the heavy balloon airship running at full power, the time it took to rise from the ground to the sky was several times longer than usual. A height it once reached in just half a minute now took several minutes to attain. Once it reached the prescribed safe altitude, it headed toward the Wind Barrier, the cumbersome metal boiler suspended beneath its deck cabin.
"Hahahaha! We finally get two days off. I'm going to have a couple of good drinks! Hey, I heard the Night Bar recently brought in honey-flavored whiskey from some remote little Wind Eye Academy, and even took in two Elves fleeing disaster. Is that true? I've been wanting to go have a drink there for ages!"
The bearded man gazed at the departing airship and laughed heartily.
The few days off after completing their annual mission were the happiest days of the year for him.
In the wasteland era, time off was an extravagant luxury.
"Aren't you worried your wife will break your bones?"
The other man teased him, tossing two gold coins and a handful of silver coins in his hand.
"My Amy's getting married. This can be her dowry! I'm grateful to the dean for remembering. When we fled here more than ten years ago, Amy had only just been born. Back then... I never thought she'd survive."
By the end, the man's hearty smile had given way to an