Lead-gray clouds hung above the canyon.
Six giant propellers churned the air, producing a continuous, muffled roar, like rolling thunder.
However, beyond this steel behemoth, there exists another, even more colossal "being".
Even from twenty kilometers away, the people on the airship could see it clearly through the observation window.
That giant golden tree.
It's just too tall and too big.
The trunk was thicker than anyone could imagine, and the top of its dense, golden canopy almost disappeared into the low-hanging clouds. Golden light poured down from the canopy, enveloping the entire Valley Town.
With just one glance, one could tell that this being represented life and abundance, a stark contrast to Goliath's cold and austere presence. "What... what is that thing...?"
Muska pressed his forehead almost against the cold, reinforced glass, his brown eyes fixed on the illogical giant tree in the distance.
As a member of a royal collateral branch who was well-versed in many ancient secrets, he had read numerous strange and unusual tales.
But the "tree" in front of him was completely beyond his comprehension.
"Stop playing dumb with me, Muska!"
Mouro's voice rang out behind him, filled with undisguised sarcasm.
"With your Intelligence Department's ability to infiltrate every nook and cranny, how could you not know that such a conspicuous tree had suddenly grown next to Valley Town overnight?"
"What's the point of hiding things at a time like this?"
Muska glanced at the arrogant fat man, but ignored his provocation and simply snorted coldly.
He had completely grasped Mouro's logic, and arguing with this fool who was blinded by his own delusions was pointless.
It's nothing more than discovering the golden giant tree that wasn't in the intelligence beforehand, making this fat pig mistakenly believe that he was being deceived and schemed against.
In order to seize control and to implement its self-righteous sense of "safety," it went to great lengths to summon the Goliath.
But the problem is----
Muska frowned; he truly had no idea what the tree was.
Even in the precious notes and manuscripts that passed down family secrets, there was never any record of a golden giant tree.
That tree seemed to have stepped out of some other mythology.
With the Goliath engines running at full power, the air fortress had closed to within 15 kilometers, a distance well into the effective range of the ship's guns.
In theory, they could use a single salvo to turn half of the Railway Valley into a sea of fire right now.
But they cannot.
The goal of this trip is to seize the Volucite, for that "key," not to waste expensive cannonballs.
If the "key," that is, Sheeta and the Volucite on her body, were destroyed in the artillery fire, then the joke would be far too serious.
Aside from impulsive fools like Mouro, everyone on the Bridge with a modicum of sense understood this principle.
The ultimatum, then amplified through a high-powered hands-free speaker, swept across the skies. "Hand over Dola and her accomplices, or we will raze Valley Town to the ground!"
No one responded.
However, the observers on the Bridge made a discovery. "General! Colonel! Tiger Moth spotted, and—the target is standing on the deck!"
Using a high-powered telescope, the Tiger Moth could be clearly seen docked under the Erdtree.
On the side deck, the boy in the vest made a provocative face at the sky, while next to him was a black-haired girl in a blue dress with braids.
Just then, the propellers at the ends of the Tiger Moth's wings began to spin, and the bulky ship smoothly lifted off the ground.
"Report! The target vehicle is attempting to take off and escape!" the observer reported urgently.
"Trying to run?" Mouro grinned maliciously. "Shoot him down!"
"No! At this distance, only heavy artillery can be used. If we accidentally kill the target or damage her Volucite, all our efforts will be in vain!" Muska interrupted the order sharply.
He hadn't forgotten that to control Laputa, both the "key" and the "spell" were indispensable.
As a direct descendant of the royal family, Sheeta is the only one who knows the spell.
Mouro snorted angrily, "Then get closer and shoot it down with rapid-fire cannons and machine guns. Does that little girl think she can just run into the airbag and get shot?"
"No, that tree gives me a bad feeling; it's best not to get too close."
Muska's intuition told her that she couldn't go near that tree, absolutely not.
"This won't work, that won't work! Muska, what exactly do you want?" Mouro was completely infuriated by Muska's inexplicable orders.
"If it weren't for your noble status and the Queen's influence, I'd throw you off the deck right now to feed the birds!"
The officers on the Bridge were trembling with fear, their eyes darting back and forth between the two leaders. The atmosphere was extremely tense. Just then, the observer urgently reported again, "General, the target ship is accelerating its ascent!"
Mouro's attention was immediately drawn to the Tiger Moth, which was clearly visible through the porthole as it sped away.
In fact, the two could have easily reached a consensus to wait for the Tiger Moth to fly further away before circumventing the giant tree to pursue it.
But Mouro's patience had long since run out, and his reason had been completely devoured by greed.
"You think I'm going to just watch you get away? Get over there at full speed!"
The engine roar intensified suddenly, and the last five kilometers were gone in an instant.
Goliath entered the realm of the Erdtree.
As the airship continued to approach, strange things began to happen.
Instead of continuing its hasty escape, the Tiger Moth began to slow down.
Then it turned its nose around and slowly descended in the direction it had come from, as if it had given up resisting.
Mouro blinked his small eyes, then burst into deafening laughter. "Hahahaha! See that, Muska! These guys really know what's good for them!"
When the other officers and crew members on the Bridge saw their superior laughing, they all joined in with laughter, and the atmosphere on the Bridge relaxed.
"These clown air pirates have been jumping rope for ages, but in the end they still fall into our hands."
"After all, it's our kingdom's ultimate weapon; it scared them to death."
"It would be better to surrender sooner rather than later, to save everyone trouble!"
Amidst the optimistic clamor, Muska's unease did not subside; instead, it intensified.
This is very unusual.
surrender?
If Dola, who dared to refuse even the Queen's invitation to "legitimately plunder," were capable of surrendering, she should have surrendered years ago.
Just as Goliath was less than five kilometers from the treetops, entering the optimal firing range of the small naval guns.
All the laughter and chatter were instantly silenced.
Everyone on the Bridge, whether it was the arrogant Mouro, the uneasy Muska, or the officers and soldiers who had just been chatting and laughing, froze.
Because a majestic and sacred will descended.
It was as if millions of people were singing in unison, the sound proclaiming directly to the depths of everyone's soul:
[This is the territory Erdtree's Protection.]
[Ignorant and presumptuous ones, lay down your weapons.]
[Bow down now, and your disrespect will be forgiven.]