Tai'an City lay at the northernmost edge of Huaiyuan Prefecture, facing the Lan Clan's Riverward City of the Jin-Yun Kingdom across the river. After the outbreak of the Holy War, all of Tai'an City had become Huaiyuan Hall's northernmost military stronghold. Nearly all troops leaving Huaiyuan Hall had to pass through Tai'an City, and the airship forces were no exception. Tai'an City was now Huaiyuan Hall's airship base. Airship No. 086, which Zhang Tie and the others had taken, landed at a busy large-scale airship landing field outside the city.
It was noon when the airship landed, the sun hanging high overhead. Zhang Tie waited until all the wounded aboard had been carried off before stepping down from Airship No. 086. The wounded bid Figo farewell one by one. When Ximan left, the airship captain even gave him a box of chess pieces from his personal collection. Thanks to those two, the airship crew had softened their gazes toward Zhang Tie as well.
"Kid, remember what you said—go back to the First War Zone and kill wing demons! If you're a man, don't chicken out!"
As Zhang Tie walked out of the airship, he turned his head and saw the burly airship sergeant he had exchanged a few words with days ago leaning his head over the deck's safety railing, waving his fist and shouting at him.
Zhang Tie smiled and waved back at him.
The moment he rounded the airship's lower hatch, Zhang Tie froze.
"Guoguo..." His mother was the first to rush over. She threw her arms around Zhang Tie, and tears immediately came spilling down. She held him and cried for half a minute before finally letting go, then inspected him from head to toe as though checking for damage. She even had him turn around for