Chapter 1362: Breaking Through the Waves

The ancient space station’s airlock slid open silently. Just as Gawain had said, all the internal locks on this section had been disengaged. Cassandra stepped cautiously into a room directly connected to the main hall, her eyes scanning the surroundings.

Bright lights illuminated this long-unvisited chamber. The dominant colors were silver-white, pale gray, and touches of blue ornamentation. She judged this to be some kind of monitoring or control room. Along the walls, numerous holographic projectors emitted a faint, dim glow. In the center stood a pillar-like device topped with a slanted surface embedded with what looked like crystal panels—though their function was completely inscrutable.

Opposite the door was an unusually wide window, made of high-strength transparent polymer. Beyond the glass lay a dim, shadowy expanse—not the void of space.

Inside this colossal, staggering space station, Asalina often felt disoriented. She couldn’t make sense of the layout or the relative positions of the rooms within the station, which made every step more cautious than the last.

But Cassandra seemed unaffected by such confusion. She eagerly explored every corner, poking at anything that caught her interest. After Gawain Cecil’s assurances of safety, the sea witch’s curiosity had been unleashed to full throttle—and now was no exception. She strode past Asalina, who was inspecting the central device, and pressed her face almost against the wide window at the far end, then let out an exaggerated gasp. “Wow—come look at this!”

Asalina approached, peering out the window. At first, she saw only a murky space dotted with faint glimmers of light. Then her eyes shifted, pupils narrowing into golden slits as she focused—and nearly gasped herself.

Outside was a stretch of “land.” Strictly speaking, it was land abandoned for untold centuries. Beyond the polymer window, vast rolling plains and gentle slopes stretched out, resembling a natural terrestrial landscape. Man-made canals meandered through the plains, accompanied by structures resembling bridges and docks. Sparse, withered plant remains lay scattered in patches illuminated by faint lights—evidence that this land had once flourished.

Asalina inhaled softly, her gaze drifting further. At the horizon, a dark barrier rose abruptly—the station’s hull wall. This confirmed the land was not on a planet’s surface but enclosed within a massive artificial space structure.

“…Your Majesty Gawain, we’ve found something extraordinary…” she said instinctively, but received no immediate reply. “Your Majesty? Are you there?”

“…Yes, I’m here,” Gawain’s voice finally came through. “Sorry, I was deep in thought. What have you discovered?”

“A…” Asalina began, struggling to find words to describe what she saw—something outside her knowledge base. Fortunately, Cassandra jumped in: “We’ve found an ecological module, enormous in scale, with artificial land and rivers. Judging by the ruins, it once housed a complete ecosystem—but it’s been offline for many years. We also spotted dried but unrotted plant remains. I suspect the module has depressurized and is now exposed to vacuum.”

“An ecological module of that size?” Gawain sounded surprised, then fell silent for a few seconds, as if pondering. “It might be a ‘primal reference copy’ built in space to monitor a planet’s surface ecosystem… Most of these space facilities serve monitoring purposes. I see your location. That module isn’t in the damaged zone of the station. The depressurization likely isn’t due to hull breach but may be a safety system that vented the air after the station malfunctioned.”

“Truly… magnificent,” Asalina murmured, eyes fixed on the window. “Can you reboot that area?”

“I should be able to find the control interface here, but I don’t recommend you explore the ecological module just yet. Repressurizing and warming it will take a long time, and after so many years offline, there could be unknown dangers inside,” Gawain said, scanning the logs for that section. “Are you interested in that dormant ecosystem? There’s probably nothing left in there now.”

“Just curious,” Asalina replied. “It might contain ecological samples from our planet 1.8 million years ago. Though they no longer exist, opportunities to get this close to ancient history are rare.”

“There will be chances,” Gawain said. “I’ve already taken control of the orbital elevator you used to arrive here. Its permissions have been dormant for many years.” He shared a sudden idea. “Once the situation stabilizes, I plan to bring more sea witches and dragons up here.”

“More people?” Asalina blinked, then slowly caught on. “You mean… a large-scale restoration of the space station?”

“Two people alone can’t restore a megastructure orbiting a planet—even just to basic operation,” Gawain said slowly. “Sea witches aren’t bound by the Ascenders’ certification rules and don’t fear divine calamities. Dragons have earned the right to defy gravity by their own strength. Now that we’ve opened the gateway to the skies, this could be a great opportunity for our planet. We shouldn’t waste it.”

“It sounds like you have grand plans,” Asalina said, seeming to understand. She looked out the high-strength polymer window at the darkened ecological module, already imagining a future day when dragons and sea witches would explore, study, and repair this space facility. Just hours ago, such a thought had never crossed her mind. A strange thrill of participating in history surged within her, and she licked her lips unconsciously. “But as you said, only sea witches and dragons can enter the station right now. Humans… most of your subjects can’t leave the planet. I don’t know how to put this, but… you understand what I mean, don’t you?”

“I do,” Gawain was silent for two seconds, then answered in a low voice. “But before we consider that, we all live on the same planet. Among the intelligent species here, sea witches and dragons now have the right to take the first step. Then they should take it. The Sky Station will open its doors to you, and I believe humans and other intelligent species will follow soon.”

“…I will convey your wishes to Duke Balogur and the leaders of Talrond,” Asalina said solemnly, withdrawing her gaze from the window. “I believe they will be eager to help repair this station… if we can truly be of assistance.”

“I’ll discuss this with the Queen once the situation on the Loren Continent settles,” Cassandra added immediately. “We have many excellent space engineers. Though their technology might not be fully compatible, they understand the basics of large space facilities. With your guidance, they should quickly figure out this station’s workings…”

Hearing Cassandra and Asalina’s responses, Gawain exhaled softly, as if a long-standing dilemma had suddenly been illuminated by sunlight. He felt a rare ease.

The damage to the Sky Station was less severe than he’d feared. But fully restoring this advanced ancient relic was unlikely. Even at its peak, the Talrond civilization couldn’t match the Ascenders’ technology. As outsiders, sea witches would need a long time to study and master the Ascenders’ legacy. Still, at least now there was hope. Cassandra and Asalina’s accidental exploration had granted him greater access, allowing him to control the orbital elevator and reboot parts of the station—making it possible for more sea witches and dragons to enter.

He needed more help. Facing a megastructure encircling a planet, two people were far from enough. Their efforts to inspect and activate the current modules were already remarkable.

As for only sea witches and dragons being able to enter the station—humans and elves trapped by the Mindsteel Seal unable to pass certification—Gawain wasn’t overly concerned. Given the current situation, having anyone to help repair the station was a blessing. He had no luxury to be picky. Honestly, if this went well, sea witches and dragons would forge stronger ties and alliances with him and the Cecil Empire—a long-term benefit.

Meanwhile, Cassandra and Asalina continued exploring the station’s “transit module.” They activated every device they could, recording vast amounts of useful data to send to Gawain. The ancient facility, dormant for three millennia, slowly stirred to life.

More system logs opened to Gawain’s access. The long-silent database began running again. He immersed himself in searching and reviewing the data, time slipping by unnoticed.

Outside, night gradually blanketed the land and sea. Brilliant stars shimmered above the clear night sky, their reflections dancing on the ocean’s surface. The imposing hull of the Wintertide hovered near the “Giant Tower” platform, while a dozen or so main warships loomed in silhouette farther out. The starry reflections on the water blurred the boundary between sea and sky, making the fleet appear to float in a sea of stars—a rare and breathtaking sight on land or most normal waters.

Yet for Byron, standing in the temporary camp on the “Iron Island,” the majestic seascape did nothing to calm his restless mind.

Shortly after Asalina and Cassandra entered the silver alloy “pillar,” contact was lost. Now, a full day had passed since they ascended to the tower’s upper levels. Night had fallen, but there was still no sign of movement inside, nor any response from their comms.

The purpose of that silver alloy pillar was obvious—it was an elevator to the tower’s upper reaches. But what lay at the top of this seemingly endless tower?

Was there danger? Rogue ancient machinery? Hostile guardians? Or perhaps a gateway to some otherworldly realm beyond mortal sight?

Byron had never imagined that after a lifetime of blood and storms, he would feel such unease. Not even during the Crystal Cluster War had he felt this way.

A figure passed right in front of him—a sea witch with flowing blue mid-length hair. Byron immediately called out, “Lady Viola, have you still been unable to get in touch with Lady Cassandra?”

“No contact,” the blue-haired sea witch named Viola stopped in her tracks. “But I can confirm she’s alive and well, in a very safe place. Please don’t worry—you’ve already asked me six times.”

Byron shrugged. “Not being able to reach them just leaves me uneasy. I can’t show that in front of the regular soldiers, so I have to bother you instead. Sorry about that.”

“That’s no trouble,” Viola said, eyeing him up and down. “But honestly, I don’t think you need to be so worried. Cassandra is an experienced explorer, and Lady Asarena is a powerful dragonborn. They’re investigating an ancient ruin that stretches so deep beneath the sea you can’t even see the bottom. They’re capable of protecting themselves, but they do need time to complete their mission. Besides, haven’t we already confirmed that this tower means no harm to its ‘visitors’?”

“…Alright, maybe I’m just being paranoid,” Byron sighed. “But—”

Before he could finish, Viola suddenly looked up toward the sea. Her expression shifted instantly to one of surprise and confusion, making Byron tense up. “What is it, Lady Viola?”

“I sense…” Viola’s eyes widened as she stared toward the west coast. “Our kin? So many of them… Strange, why would they be coming from that direction?”

“Your kin are coming?” Byron blinked, then turned to look westward over the sea. But under the calm night sky, the deep blue water only reflected the stars. Even with his enhanced vision, all he could see was the vast ocean—no sign of any sea witches.

Then, just as he was about to look away, the distant sea suddenly shimmered. A massive wave, frothing with white foam, rose up without warning on the horizon and began rushing toward the steel island at an incredible speed.

Within the churning waves, countless figures appeared—beautiful women with shimmering fish tails leaping through the surf. The peaceful sea was shattered; the starlight on the water fractured with each crashing wave, scattering like tiny stars across the sea witches’ gleaming scales. It was as if a shower of stardust was breaking through the night, riding the waves toward them.

Byron finally blurted out in astonishment, “Well, I’ll be damned—there really are some after all!”

(End of chapter)