Whoooosh...
The Death Storm's raging sands sounded like a sinister laugh from the depths of a nightmare, filling people with unease from the bottom of their hearts and an inexplicable shiver.
Even with visibility reduced to less than a meter, the world outside the Energy Shield was a hazy yellow. Soldiers still had to stand guard, prepared for danger that could arise at any moment.
What sort of danger?
In the Death Desert, it was everywhere.
"It'll be dark in half an hourglass."
The airship's helmsman took a sip of tea and murmured in a low voice.
"Mm."
The first mate rubbed his dry eyes and stepped down from the lookout scope, letting the second mate take his place.
The lookout scope was the latest magical device, purchased by Fladick Heavy Machinery from the distant Wind Eye Academy. It increased a balloon airship's visibility tenfold in the Death Storm. The moment the product was released, it caught the attention of the Fladick Academy. Despite its steep price, they installed one aboard every heavy balloon airship.
The academy that had invented the storm scope had once been an insignificant place, rarely visited by anyone. Now Fladick had even established dedicated balloon airship routes to it, and it had grown increasingly important.
One of the rules aboard balloon airships:
Except in critical situations, the first and second mates almost never told anyone what they had seen. Their expressions remained calm, as though nothing had happened.
Click.
After checking the time, the first mate snapped his pocket watch shut and said, "I'll notify the captain."
Nightfall—a serious matter!
In the Radiation Wasteland era, night was a dangerous time even within the Wind Eye Academies. The danger was far greater for balloon airships that had left the protection of the academies and were traveling