Arc 9The Road to Laputa

Mu En built the Erdtree Network, expanded the Alliance’s technology and influence, and set out with Dola to find Laputa. After crossing the Dragon’s Nest, the expedition reached the ruined city and discovered its failing robots and giant gardener guardian.

  • Mu En discovered that golden apples made people Blessed, then created the Erdtree Network so they could communicate through a shared mental space.
  • Asbel and Pejite’s craftsmen tested new engine designs, recruited workers under improved conditions, and began developing advanced machinery for the Erdtree Alliance.
  • Mu En created an Erdtree Avatar, rewarded Dola and Muska with golden apples, sent missionaries to industrial cities, and prepared to search for Laputa.
  • Mu En brought the evolved Fallingstar Beast, whom he named Niuniu, aboard Dola’s Goliath and ordered the crew to follow Sheeta’s Volucite beam toward Laputa.
  • The Goliath rescued Simon and Scarlett’s damaged O’Hara airship, and Mu En recognized Scarlett before identifying the Dragon’s Nest as Laputa.
  • Mu En shielded the Goliath as Dola piloted it through the Dragon’s Nest, and the ship emerged beside Laputa, where the expedition began exploring and cataloging the ruins.
  • Mu En found signs that Laputa was deteriorating from the bottom up as its Volucite energy dwindled, then flew Pazu and Sheeta to the sky garden.
  • Mu En discovered more than fifty broken robots near a black stone monument, and a giant gardener robot arrived to place flowers on them.
Chapters 203–228 Vol. 3 Read

Ch. 203The Blessed Golden Apple Reappears

Mu En questioned Master Kabo about Dorok’s plans and cloning technology, then experimented with using golden mycelium to create a mobile plant body. The experiment killed several plants but produced a golden apple that Mu En recognized as a Blessed Fruit.

  • Mu En learned from Master Kabo that Dorok would continue its invasion and that other masters would come seeking credit.
  • Master Kabo explained that human cloning was nearly impossible and that the Chosen Ones in the Holy Mausoleum of Shuwa controlled Dorok’s advanced biotechnology.
  • Mu En spread golden mycelium into nearby plants to test whether he could create a living wooden avatar.
  • The mycelium drained most of the plants of their vitality, leaving their outlines behind as the plants turned to ash.
  • The blade of grass survived, grew, and produced a golden apple that Mu En recognized as a Blessed Fruit.

Ch. 204Bestow Blessings First, Win Them Over Later

Mu En discovered that golden apples made from his golden threads could permanently grant blessings, creating a way to spread his power beyond the Erdtree. He planned to use the Blessed Link to build a shared mental space for the Blessed and turned to the Stone Platform to begin.

  • Mu En traced the golden threads into kiwi plants and confirmed that their golden apples transformed people into Blessed.
  • Mito brought twenty Valley of the Wind residents to the Erdtree, where they ate the apples and received blessings.
  • Mu En realized the apples could be stored and sold, allowing him to attract the powerful and extend his influence without relying on preaching.
  • Mu En planned a shared mental space where the Blessed could exchange information and encounter the Valley of the Wind’s way of life.
  • Mu En focused on the Stone Platform as the foundation for building the first version of the mental space.

Ch. 205From Now On, You're the Network Administrator

Mu En built a spiritual server for the Blessed, creating private login spaces, a public space, and a system for calls that could also transmit images and thoughts. After the Blessed began using it, he offered Master Kabo the job of network administrator.

  • Mu En formed a golden sphere from the Blessed's soul links and Golden Runes to serve as the Erdtree Network's server.
  • Mu En divided the spiritual space into a central server core, private Login Spaces, and a Public Space.
  • Mu En created an automatic calling system that let the Blessed connect and share images through their spiritual links.
  • Nausicaä tested the system by calling Mito, and the Blessed soon used it to chat with one another.
  • Mu En asked Master Kabo to become his network administrator.

Ch. 206The Invasion of Black Technology

Asbel welcomed Gol and the Valley of the Wind’s craftsmen to his workshop to examine Mu En’s cache of aircraft plans and advanced materials. The plans promised to transform aviation in the nations of the Sea of Corruption, but Asbel’s engineers doubted they could be real.

  • Asbel gathered senior craftsmen and workers at his workshop, where his enclosed-cockpit fighter was nearly complete.
  • Gol arrived with a huge box of blueprints and manuals from the Valley of the Wind.
  • Asbel opened the catalog and found plans for electroactive material, an ornithopter, and a high-speed reconnaissance jet.
  • The craftsmen questioned the plans’ authenticity, especially because their world had never developed its own flight engines.
  • The chapter explained that ancient engines had kept the nations of the Sea of Corruption from advancing their aviation technology.

Ch. 207Pulse Engine

Gol demonstrated a handmade pulsejet engine to Pejite’s skeptical craftsmen and offered them access to its blueprints and the chance to earn a supernatural blessing by contributing to the Erdtree Alliance. Inspired by the technology and Asbel’s new power, the craftsmen embraced the project, and Asbel announced they would abandon the old gunship and build an ornithopter prototype.

  • Gol and the Valley of the Wind craftsmen secured the Ceramic Steel engine prototype in the factory and fired it up, astonishing the Pejite engineers with its powerful thrust.
  • A Pejite craftsman recognized the device as a pulsejet engine and read its operating principles from the blueprints.
  • Gol offered Pejite’s craftsmen the designs and promised them a reward like his if they helped develop technology for the Erdtree Alliance.
  • Asbel ate the golden fruit, gained immense strength, and demonstrated his new power by lifting a three-hundred-kilogram blueprint chest.
  • The Pejite craftsmen eagerly studied the engine and blueprints, while Asbel declared the old gunship obsolete and ordered the team to start over on an ornithopter prototype.

Ch. 208Pejite Under Reconstruction

Asbel began rebuilding Pejite’s industry by recruiting workers and establishing a modern industrial park to develop an ancient-engine ornithopter. The chapter left his new laboratory equipped and ready for production.

  • Asbel chose to replace the ornithopter’s propulsion system with ancient engine cores after the pulse engine proved inefficient and fuel-hungry.
  • Haideng drafted a recruitment notice, and Mu En persuaded him to improve wages, hours, benefits, and opportunities for workers to become Blessed.
  • Workers flocked to apply after the revised notice promised better conditions, medical care, education for their children, and the chance to gain supernatural power.
  • Asbel directed the rebuilding of Pejite’s northern industrial district into a large, modern industrial park.
  • Workers and Blessed Warriors installed advanced machinery and generators in Asbel’s new laboratory factory.

Ch. 209Mechanical Genius Asbel

Asbel successfully created electroactive fiber and began redesigning a combat ornithopter for Mu En’s preparations for war. As Pejite’s factories worked through the night, a disguised observer showed interest in the secret technology and vanished into the darkness.

  • Asbel and his engineers produced the first electroactive fiber after testing formulas and refining raw materials.
  • Asbel rejected Dola’s ornithopter design and began planning a larger war machine with Mu En’s support.
  • Asbel worked long hours to solve the ornithopter’s materials, power, flight control, weapons, and protection systems while Pejite prepared factories for production.
  • Workers leaving the industrial laboratory discussed their bonuses and speculated about the secret parts they were making.
  • A blond young man fell behind the workers, remarked on technology that should not belong to the era, and disappeared into the darkness.

Ch. 210Progress in the Castle in the Sky World

Mu En created a second mental space in the Castle in the Sky world and summoned Dola and Muska to test it and report on their preparations. With the Goliath repaired and a thousand missionaries selected, he told them the plan could begin and called them to the tree for a gift.

  • Mu En built a second mental space and improved it so users could experience realistic senses and reshape its surroundings within limits.
  • Dola and Muska tested the space, changing it into places from their memories before Mu En restored the room and summoned them to discuss business.
  • Muska reported that the Goliath was repaired, General Muoro’s death had been accepted as an accident, and Colonel Simon controlled the fortress.
  • Dola reported that she had selected one thousand missionaries, including three hundred soldiers and seven hundred townspeople, while about two hundred prisoners remained defiant.
  • Mu En approved their preparations, declared that the plan could begin, and told Dola and Muska to come to the tree for a gift.

Ch. 211Erdtree Avatar

Mu En created an Erdtree Avatar from the Erdtree’s roots and Golden Runes, then transformed it into a refined body for himself. Dola and Muska knelt before his new form as he told them to rise.

  • Dola and Muska arrived beneath the Erdtree and watched golden roots gather as the tree poured energy into them.
  • Mu En formed the roots into a headless, four-meter Erdtree Avatar, which Dola and Muska struggled to praise.
  • Mu En infused the Avatar with golden mycelium and began reshaping its clumsy body as it walked.
  • The Avatar’s body turned translucent and golden before its shell shattered, revealing Mu En’s elegant new form.
  • Dola and Muska knelt before Mu En, who spoke through his new body and told them to rise.

Ch. 212Onlookers and Participants

Mu En tested his newly created Erdtree Avatar and discovered that it gave him a powerful body, precise control, and the sensations of being alive again. After rewarding Dola and Muska with golden apples, he led them toward town, saying some plans needed to change.

  • Mu En tested the Erdtree Avatar's speed, strength, Incantations, and ability to restore damaged turf.
  • Mu En realized the avatar let him experience the world as a living creature and judged its combat power to be at Hero Level.
  • Dola congratulated Mu En, while Muska praised him; Mu En told them to call him “my lord” or “boss” instead of using grand titles.
  • Mu En formed golden apples and gave one each to Dola and Muska as rewards for their work.
  • Dola and Muska ate the apples, gained strength, and felt more satisfied with Mu En.
  • Mu En headed toward town with Dola and Muska and said some plans needed to change.

Ch. 213Changing the Plan, Setting Out for Laputa!

Mu En displayed his healing power in Valley Town and prepared missionaries to spread the Erdtree’s faith across the Northern Kingdom. He changed Muska’s plan by forbidding him from forcibly controlling new Blessed, then announced that they were setting out to find Laputa.

  • Mu En healed people in Valley Town, drawing a crowd and gaining more believers.
  • Mu En reassured Pazu and Sheeta in his tree-man form and told them to call him Mr. Tree.
  • Mu En instructed the missionaries to travel in small groups to eight industrial cities and gave them a Blessed Golden Apple that could create new Blessed.
  • Mu En told Muska he could recruit supporters but could not forcibly turn them into Blessed or control them, despite Muska’s concerns about betrayal.
  • Mu En acknowledged to himself that coercing Muska had violated his principles, then told the group to prepare to search for Laputa.

Ch. 214High-end, Full-Grown Fallingstar Beast

The Fallingstar Beast evolved into a Full-Grown Fallingstar Beast after absorbing energy from the Volucite veins and Erdtree roots. Mu En arrived to take it to the Castle in the Sky, then tested the strengthened Law of Gravity within himself.

  • The Fallingstar Beast absorbed purple energy and completed its first evolution, growing a giant eye that marked its mastery of the Law of Gravity.
  • The newly evolved beast celebrated its power and imagined becoming free of anyone’s control.
  • Mu En arrived, and the Fallingstar Beast recognized him, remembered its dependence on his energy, and lowered its head in submission.
  • Mu En explained that he had come to take the Fallingstar Beast to the Castle in the Sky because of its possible connection to Laputa and starry-sky creatures.
  • Mu En reached for the Law of Gravity within himself and formed a huge, deep-purple sphere of light in his hand.

Ch. 215How the Erdtree Could Grow Stronger

Mu En realized he could grow stronger by connecting with the rules of other worlds, though his newly acquired Gravity Sorcery remained limited. He learned that a large piece of Volucite could help the Fallingstar Beast evolve and promised to take it to one.

  • Mu En tested his Gravity Sorcery and concluded that contact with rules from different worlds could grant him new powers, though his gravity abilities were still rudimentary.
  • The Fallingstar Beast marveled that Mu En could use its species’ gravity magic better than it could.
  • Mu En asked when the Fallingstar Beast could evolve again, and it said eating Sheeta’s Volucite would let it evolve immediately.
  • Mu En refused to take Sheeta’s heirloom but said he knew where to find a piece of Volucite larger than the beast’s head.
  • The Fallingstar Beast eagerly agreed to follow Mu En to the Volucite, and Mu En anticipated that the trip to Laputa would bring greater rewards than expected.

Ch. 216B-Bodyguard?

Pazu and Sheeta boarded the Goliath for the expedition to Laputa, while Dola prepared to command the airship. Mu En arrived with the Fallingstar Beast and assigned it as Dola’s bodyguard before the expedition set out.

  • Pazu and Sheeta excitedly explored the Goliath while Dola watched over the ship and her crew.
  • Charles reported to Dola that the soldiers and supplies were aboard and the Goliath was ready to depart.
  • Mu En and the Fallingstar Beast crash-landed nearby after Mu En tried to make the creature fly using gravity.
  • Mu En introduced the Fallingstar Beast as Niuniu and appointed it Dola’s bodyguard, frightening her and the assembled soldiers.
  • Mu En watched Muska and Duffi’s group depart in a pulse jet and trucks, then ordered everyone to board the Goliath.

Ch. 217Goliath, Ahead Full!

Mu En boarded Goliath and learned about the battleship’s capabilities and weaknesses before taking command with Dola. The crew prepared to set out in search of Laputa.

  • Dola guided Mu En through Goliath and explained its crew requirements, armaments, and operating systems.
  • Mu En judged Goliath’s armor, speed, and cramped layout to be major weaknesses and considered repurposing it as a transport ship later.
  • Mu En entered the Bridge and sat in Mouro’s former command chair, prompting the crew to salute him as their divine leader.
  • Mu En ordered the crew to depart and find Laputa.
  • Dola took command and ordered Goliath to go ahead at full speed.

Ch. 218Above the Sea of Clouds

Sheeta activated the Levitation Stone Necklace with an ancient Laputan spell, and its beam revealed the direction to Laputa. Mu En ordered the Goliath east at high altitude, while a blue beam crossed paths with an airship belonging to the O'Hara Conglomerate.

  • Sheeta recited the Laputan spell, and the Volucite released a beam pointing beyond the horizon.
  • Mu En quieted the Volucite's surge and recognized that the beam indicated Laputa's direction.
  • Dola ordered the Goliath to fly east at full speed, climb to five thousand meters, and run silently.
  • The beam crossed the western Pacific and passed an O'Hara Conglomerate airship, where a blonde girl watched it and asked what it was.

Ch. 219The Conglomerate's Young Lady, Scarlett O'Hara

Scarlett O'Hara defied Simon and redirected the airship east to investigate a persistent blue beam, delaying the O'Hara Conglomerate's negotiations with the Northern United Kingdom. As the crew approached the light, the captain reported that fast-moving storm clouds lay ahead and the airship could not avoid them in time.

  • Simon taught Scarlett about the Northern United Kingdom's airship technology and control of global shipping routes.
  • Scarlett insisted the O'Hara airship continue east toward the blue beam instead of turning north for business negotiations.
  • Simon explained that the beam had appeared two days earlier and remained visible, prompting Scarlett to order the detour.
  • The captain warned Simon that storm clouds were approaching too quickly for the airship to escape.

Ch. 220What Kind of Decent Person Sends a Distress Signal to a Warship?

Dola taught Pazu and Sheeta about navigation aboard the Goliath as they traveled east over the ocean. When the warship received a distress signal, Dola suspected a pirate ambush and ordered the crew to prepare for an attack, though the battered airship kept signaling for help.

  • Dola showed Pazu and Sheeta their location and explained the routes and political regions ahead while Pazu took notes.
  • Dola advised Sheeta to study and learn to protect herself, embarrassing her with teasing about Pazu.
  • A radio operator reported that a damaged commercial airship ahead had sent a distress signal, and Dola ordered the Goliath's turrets loaded in case it was a trap.
  • Dola explained to Mu En that the route was unusual for merchants and warned that air pirates sometimes used distress calls to lure ships into ambushes.
  • The Goliath approached the damaged airship and searched the surrounding skies for attackers, but none appeared.
  • Pazu questioned Dola's certainty that the airship was bait, and she explained that merchants avoided military ships because their crews often charged exorbitant rescue fees.

Ch. 221Oh No, I've Become a Pirate

The Goliath Battleship rescued a damaged O'Hara Conglomerate airship, and Dola ordered its passengers and cargo aboard. Simon tried to explain the situation and secure rest for his group, but Dola refused and treated them as possible pirates, while Scarlett disappeared.

  • Dola learned that no other airships were nearby, identified the distress call as coming from an O'Hara Conglomerate airship, and chose to rescue it before deciding what to do.
  • The Goliath secured the damaged airship, and Simon warned Scarlett to pose as his niece and conceal her identity.
  • Simon and the other O'Hara Conglomerate passengers boarded the Goliath as its crew took their cargo for safekeeping.
  • Dola questioned Simon about the storm and his passengers, then refused his request for guest rooms until they were cleared of suspicion.
  • Simon began to mention his niece and discovered that Scarlett had disappeared.

Ch. 222Lady Scarlett's Adventure

Scarlett sneaked through the O'Hara Conglomerate airship, hoping to capture its captain, but encountered a Fallingstar Beast and then Mu En. She fainted when Mu En approached, leaving him wondering why she was so frightened.

  • Charles, Louis, Henri, and nearby soldiers opened crates in the cargo hold and feasted on the supplies.
  • Scarlett sneaked deeper into the hold with a revolver, intending to capture the captain and force the ship to release its people and supplies.
  • Scarlett lifted a curtain, found the Fallingstar Beast, struck its mandible with her pistol, and ran away.
  • Scarlett followed the signs toward the upper deck and searched the corridors for the ship's supposed archvillain.
  • Mu En turned toward Scarlett, who screamed and fainted as he approached.

Ch. 223Arrival at Laputa!

Scarlett O'Hara woke aboard the Goliath after encountering a rocky monster and a faceless golden figure, while Mu En recognized her and learned that the airship was nearing Laputa. The Goliath reached the Dragon's Nest, and Mu En declared that they had arrived at the legendary Castle in the Sky.

  • Scarlett woke in the Goliath's lounge and excitedly told Simon about the monster and golden figure she had seen.
  • Dola ordered Scarlett and Simon to remain in their cabin until the airship landed.
  • Mu En recognized Scarlett O'Hara St. Jones as the heiress of the O'Hara Conglomerate and recalled her role in Steamboy.
  • Dola reported that the Goliath had reached the Dragon's Nest, a vast and dangerous cloud formation.
  • Mu En identified the Dragon's Nest as Laputa and said they had arrived.

Ch. 225Forced Landing

Mu En ordered the Goliath to force its way through the Dragon's Nest, and his Shield of Immutability protected the airship from the storm's worst effects. The Goliath emerged above the clouds and found Laputa, where Dola ordered the crew to prepare for landing.

  • Mu En decided to stop waiting and ordered the Goliath to force its way into the Dragon's Nest.
  • Dola guided the Goliath through the deadly wind wall, damaging several propellers and parts of the ship.
  • Mu En covered the Goliath with the Shield of Immutability, protecting it from lightning, hail, and violent air currents.
  • The Goliath burst through the clouds and revealed the legendary city of Laputa.
  • Dola ordered all hands to prepare to land.

Ch. 226The Astonishing Civilization of Laputa

Mu En led Dola, the soldiers, Sheeta, and Pazu into Laputa and ordered a careful, documented excavation under threat of punishment for looting. He then explored the immense ruins with the two children, who wondered why the Laputans had abandoned their city.

  • Mu En marveled at Laputa's ancient buildings and advanced technology as he stepped onto the ruins.
  • Dola brought the exploration team ashore, and Mu En ordered them to catalog and protect every artifact, warning that anyone who stole or concealed anything would be shot.
  • The Fallingstar Beast arrived and stood guard, frightening the soldiers into working diligently.
  • Mu En walked through Laputa's Sanctuary with Pazu and Sheeta, explaining the city's former levels and vast scale.
  • Pazu asked why the Laputans had abandoned their city, and Mu En said the answer might lie somewhere in the ruins.
  • Sheeta looked over the home of her ancestors but felt no familiarity or nostalgia.

Ch. 227Ruins Exploration Guide

Mu En carried Pazu and Sheeta through Laputa with his gravity magic as they headed for the temple and its gardener. After discovering that the city’s damage came from dwindling Volucite energy, he hurried them upward to learn whether Laputa was truly deserted.

  • Mu En grew bored of exploring the lower rooms and used the Law of Gravity to carry Pazu and Sheeta through the corridors.
  • Mu En said they would visit the temple and look for Laputa’s gardener, though he was unsure whether anyone was still there.
  • Mu En flew outside along Laputa’s outer wall and inspected its passages while searching for clues to the city’s downfall.
  • After a stone brick fell from the wall, Mu En found similar damage along its lower sections and concluded that the city was deteriorating from the bottom up.
  • Mu En sensed that dwindling Volucite energy was causing Laputa to break apart, then hurried with Pazu and Sheeta toward the upper levels.

Ch. 228Who Destroyed Laputa?

Mu En, Pazu, and Sheeta explored Laputa’s overgrown palace and discovered dozens of destroyed robots gathered near a monument. Sheeta was overcome with grief, and a gardener robot appeared to place flowers on the fallen machines.

  • Mu En flew Pazu and Sheeta to Laputa’s sky garden, where they marveled at the ruins and a vast submerged section of the palace.
  • The three entered the abandoned palace and wondered why such an advanced civilization had vanished.
  • Mu En found more than fifty badly damaged robots near a black stone monument, with drag marks showing they had crawled toward it before collapsing.
  • Sheeta began to sob at the sight of the robots, and Pazu comforted her.
  • A giant gardener robot arrived and placed a white flower on each damaged robot, and Mu En recognized it as the guardian of the abandoned city.
Arc 9 of 10
Arc 9 of 10