Loris didn't care. She grabbed Milor by the ear and took off, while the other giants also cast Fly and prepared to head back together.
Seeing this, Solam knew better than to stop them. They had finally found hope of leaving the Spine of the World, only to see it slip away. It was only natural to feel disappointed, but he had no real reason to stop the giants from leaving.
At that moment, the young rascal Milor proved to be quite the loyal friend.
"Wait, wait! Sis, take Solam with us too. I promised I'd take him to find Dad!" Milor tugged at his sister's hand and called out.
Loris glanced over at Solam, then said to Milor, "Don't be ridiculous. Cloudtop City doesn't welcome outsiders, and you still haven't sorted out your own problems. You should worry about yourself instead of others."
"Come on, Solam saved my life. I promised I'd take him to the city, and I can't go back on my word. Didn't you teach me that Cloud Giants always repay their debts?" Milor stood his ground as he spoke to his sister.
The giants all stopped in midair and looked at Solam.
"Saved your life? Did you get into trouble?" Loris anxiously looked Milor over, afraid he might be hurt.
"Yeah. I ran into a White Dragon. If Solam hadn't been there, you wouldn't be seeing me now." Milor made what had happened sound far more dramatic than it really was.
Loris was alarmed by his words. The brat had actually run into a White Dragon? It was a miracle he'd made it back alive. Cloud Giants weren't afraid of dragons, but that only applied to adult giants. Milor might have been big and strong, but he wasn't even a hundred years old—he was still a child. (Cloud Giants usually lived for 800 years, the longest-lived branch of giants. They reached adulthood at 150.)
"Did you save my brother from the White Dragon?" Loris scrutinized Solam. She couldn't see how this fellow could have saved her brother from a White Dragon.
"Uh, no. I didn't see the White Dragon. I only saw him passed out over there, so I woke him up. I wouldn't call that saving his life." Solam felt it was better to tell the truth. For one thing, things hadn't been as dramatic as Milor had made them sound, and Solam couldn't bring himself to take credit he hadn't earned. Besides, these giants were so arrogant that they hadn't even planned to speak to him. He was still a little annoyed, so he had no intention of dealing with them any further.
Unexpectedly, his honesty won the giants' favor. At the very least, they decided he couldn't be a bad person, since he'd been so truthful. If he'd actually claimed credit, the other giants might have become suspicious. They weren't fools. They could tell that Solam wasn't a powerful warrior, and the magical energy around him was weak. He simply wasn't capable of facing a White Dragon.
"Come on, Solam, are you an idiot? You could've just admitted it! They wouldn't have known!" Milor was actually getting worried on Solam's behalf.
Hearing this, Solam felt both touched and amused. He hadn't known Milor for long, but he could tell the kid was a little goofy and genuinely kindhearted.
"I appreciate the thought, but it wasn't a big deal. You made it sound so serious that even I started to feel guilty. Besides, without your help, I would've just needed more time. I would've found my way out eventually. You should go back without worrying about me."
After speaking, Solam picked up the weapon he'd dropped, put it away, and went back to sit by the campfire.
Seeing this, Milor grew anxious and looked pleadingly at his sister. He didn't want to break his promise.
"What did you promise him?" Loris couldn't stand her brother's imploring look and asked helplessly.
"I promised Solam that Father would take him out of the Spine of the World," Milor hurriedly replied.
Loris thought it over. Solam had indeed helped Milor, and his request wasn't unreasonable. It was well within reason.
"We Cloud Giants don't go back on our word. Tris, take this man—Solam, right? Take him with us. We're all going back to Cloudtop City." Loris assigned a female giant warrior to take Solam along.
"Uh, then... thank you very much." Seeing that things had taken a turn for the better, Solam thought it over and didn't refuse. He did need a guide, after all.
"Hehe, little shorty, big sis will take you flying!" A female warrior clad in silver armor flew over to Solam, scooped him up in her arms, and soared into the sky. Then she joined the others as they headed for Cloudtop City.
Her face was hidden behind her visor, so Solam couldn't tell what she looked like. But with that sultry voice and the way her fitted armor showed off her voluptuous figure, she was bound to be a beautiful big sister.
Even though a hot big sister was holding Solam against her chest like a doll, he wasn't enjoying any perks. Damn, her breastplate was so hard it was digging into his back. Since he wasn't getting any perks out of it, Solam certainly didn't want to be carried around like this. It was too embarrassing.
"Um, big sis, I was thinking..." He didn't get to finish.
"Oh my! Here? I don't mind, but there are so many people around. Isn't that a little inappropriate?"
Hey, what was with this big sister? Was it really okay to start making jokes like that as soon as she opened her mouth?
"I mean..." Solam still didn't get to finish.
"Oh my! Don't be so impatient. Once we're back in the city, come to my place. Then you can do whatever you want." She leaned close to Solam's ear to whisper the last two sentences. He had to admit, the female giant's words made his imagination run wild—but Solam knew full well that his little body couldn't handle an invitation like that.
"Big sis, can we have a normal conversation? Is there any point in talking like this?" Solam protested. Damn, she'd gotten him all worked up, but she wasn't going to help him cool off. She'd gotten him fired up, but who was supposed to put out the fire? That wasn't fair.
After two lifetimes, he wasn't afraid of talking dirty with anyone.
"Hehe, am I the sort of person who'd leave you hanging? I'll take responsibility." For some reason, the woman's laughter reminded Solam of those women from his past-life TV dramas, waving handkerchiefs in a brothel and calling out, "Come on in and have some fun, sir!" The whole scene practically appeared before his eyes.
"Forget it. With my little toothpick, you'd probably accidentally snap it in half and leave me unable to have children."
"Hahaha! A little toothpick! Hahaha!" When Tris, the female giant, heard Solam's words, she almost laughed herself breathless, doubling over and shaking in midair.
Solam was terrified. They were flying hundreds of feet above the ground. If they accidentally fell, it would be the end of them.
Before Solam could say anything, a giant warrior flying ahead turned around. It was Kermit, the uncle who had first stopped Loris.
"Tris, can't you be a little more proper? That kind of talk is very inappropriate for a lady, you know?" It seemed that Kermit wasn't pleased with Tris's behavior either.
"Fine, fine. I'll try to keep that in mind," Tris said casually. Even Solam could hear how insincere she was.
"Sigh... The other members of the clan already have plenty of complaints about your behavior. Don't make everyone dislike you. Whatever—just watch yourself." With that, Kermit shook his head and flew ahead.
Once Kermit had flown away, Tris stuck her tongue out at his back. "Hmph, old stick-in-the-mud. He has no sense of fun."
Then she glanced at Solam and hugged him even tighter. "You humans are much more fun."
"Holy crap, don't squeeze me so tight! I can't breathe." The giants' strength was no joke. Tris was squeezing him so hard he felt like she was about to snap him in half.
"Hehe, sorry, sorry. It's not every day I meet someone I get along with. I got a little excited." She quickly eased the strength in her arms.
"Phew, I almost got squeezed to death." Solam could finally breathe again. "Also, I'm not human. I'm a half-orc."
"You're not human? You're a half-orc?"
Solam had no choice but to repeat the same explanation he'd given Milor.
"Oh, wow, I've never heard of that before."
After chatting on and off with Tris for about half an hour, they arrived at Cloudtop City. The sight left Solam stunned. He hadn't expected the city to look like this.
They flew straight up along the mountainside beneath the peak Milor had pointed out earlier, rising at tremendous speed. When they passed through the clouds, Solam saw a city perched atop the mountain, above the clouds.
The city looked a little like ancient Rome from his past life. Magnificent palaces, glittering with gold and splendor, filled the entire city. Some buildings were even built directly on the clouds, and countless trees and flowers dotted the landscape. Though it was already night, the light pouring from the buildings turned the city into a place where night never fell. Under the moonlight, the whole city looked breathtakingly beautiful.
They soon reached a structure resembling a city gate, a little like the Arc de Triomphe from his past life. It was at least fifty meters tall and a hundred meters wide, with a gate thirty meters high. The surface was carved with all kinds of reliefs, likely depicting the deeds of heroes. The gate stood wide open, and its two doors gleamed silver, covered in intricate carvings as well.
As soon as they landed, several giant warriors guarding the gate came over to greet them.
"Thank goodness you're back so quickly. Otherwise, we really couldn't have kept it hidden." A middle-aged giant in silver armor approached. He wore many sparkling jewels, and his silver hair and beard were impeccably groomed. His refined, imposing face bore a faint resemblance to Milor and Loris.
"Did Mother find out?" Loris asked the middle-aged giant.
"No, but it won't be long now. She hasn't seen her precious son all day. She just asked me about him, in fact. I barely managed to fool her. If you hadn't come back soon, the truth would've come out." As he spoke, the middle-aged giant glared at Milor.
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