Free Web NovelChapter 430: Chapter 427: Air Elemental Plane
As the Prime Minister continued speaking with Bart, he learned that Rorschach had established a Special Zone within the Bayern Kingdom, and that Lansite-Kempson had become a near-Free State.
The Empire had a thorn in its side like the Bayern Kingdom, and within Bayern was a "little Bayern." Otto was reminded of a handicraft from the Northern Lands called a Matryoshka Doll.
Bart went on to explain that the Special Zone supposedly had no diplomatic or military authority, only autonomy in commerce and administration... The Prime Minister just thought, ’Yeah, right,’ and nodded along. He knew without a doubt that with a Special Zone like this, it was only a matter of time before it armed itself.
But if Rorschach hadn’t created all this, the Bayern Kingdom would have remained a weakling dominated by Guilds, completely at the Empire’s beck and call. So, just as the Empire now had to compromise with Bayern, the Ludwig Clan, whether they liked it or not, had to hold their noses and allow the Special Zone to continue developing.
Judging by King Albert’s confidence, he had probably overlooked this issue entirely, mistaking the Special Zone’s power for his own.
’Heh.’ The Prime Minister sneered inwardly at the thought.
And yet, where was the person who had created all this? How dare he leave the incredibly busy Empire Prime Minister waiting on the sidelines.
「...」
Rorschach stood before a large, shattered gas tank at the coking plant, the same place an Air Elemental Spirit had escaped from. The accident site was littered not only with fragments of sheet metal, but also scorch marks and the smell of sulfur. An explosion had clearly occurred.
Normally, the exhaust gas from incinerating waste residue and worthless bleed-off gas would be collected and discharged into the Air Elemental Plane. Somehow, an Elemental Creature had charged out of the teleportation port, causing the explosion.
Fortunately, a buffer tank had been installed before the discharge point, and fortunately, the exhaust pipeline hadn’t been mixed with any flammable or explosive gases. The accident analysis conjectured that the Elemental Creature itself was the source of the explosion.
It was common knowledge that the atmospheric pressure in the upper layers of the Air Elemental Plane was lower than in the Prime Material World, whereas the pressure inside the buffer tank was even higher when collecting gas. The Elemental Creature had clearly been unable to adapt to the environment. After struggling violently inside the tank for a moment, its body was compressed, leading to its death. The energy within it was squeezed to a critical limit before being released in an instant.
"This report is so detailed. It’s like they saw it happen with their own eyes." Rorschach finished reading the accident analysis with suspicion. The incident had occurred at night, yet the author seemed to have witnessed everything, possessing a crystal-clear view of the events inside the tank. The report had been rushed out overnight by Hanna and existed only as a manuscript. Furthermore, the handwriting and literary, reportage-like style suggested it was the work of a certain Mr. Martin, who wished to remain anonymous.
’Sigh. What a simp.’
"It’s just speculation. I... and Martin also consulted data on creatures from the Air Elemental Plane to list the possible intruders from last night."
They were likely small- to medium-sized creatures. Rorschach didn’t look too closely. The ancient records were all extremely abstract, with descriptions and illustrations on par with the *Classic of Mountains and Seas* from his past life—a bestiary that might as well have been a guide to exotic cuisine. ’Hm... then again, maybe they really do look like that.’
That was why he planned to see for himself what had happened on the other side of the Teleportation Gate.
"Are you really going?" Caroline was the first to object. "Something abnormal happened. Going to the Air Elemental Plane now is just asking for trouble."
"If we don’t figure out what happened on the other side, the hidden danger will always be there, unless we close the exhaust vent and find another way to dispose of the waste," Rorschach said, taking the matter very seriously. "The factory has more than one exhaust port, and so does the Alchemy Department in the Tower of Stars. If a large-scale accident occurs, the consequences will be unimaginable."
"Then change it!"
"The pollution would be too great. Even if we made the changes, we’d have to wait until Master Humboldt leaves..." If they were to discharge toxic waste gas directly, there was no guarantee the Master wouldn’t fly into a rage and start smiting people.
Joking aside, Rorschach explained seriously, "Right now, we’re venting the toxins into the Air Elemental Plane. With our current technology, there are many poisons in the directly vented gas that we can’t remove. They would threaten the ordinary people living and working in and around the factory. But if we shut down operations, what about all the workers who depend on the factory for their livelihoods? What about the clients waiting for their products?"
But the most important reason was that Rorschach had recently grown tired of the endless trivial matters he was tangled in. He wanted to get away for a while. The Air Elemental Plane, completely off the Main Plane, was certainly far enough.
Hearing Rorschach’s "well-reasoned" excuse, Caroline relented. "Fine. But we absolutely must take proper precautions. I’m going with you."
"Even if you weren’t willing, I’d insist that you come." As a master of the Space System, Caroline was the go-to person for planar travel. Rorschach had originally wanted to bring Humboldt Great Mage along, but the Natural System was ineffective in the extreme environment of the Air Elemental Plane. After Humboldt politely declined, Rorschach didn’t press the issue.
Humboldt wasn’t worried. He advised Rorschach that the powerful and dangerous creatures of the Air Elemental Plane resided in the lower layers. As long as they didn’t lose their coordinates or descend, most areas would be a "safe zone" for them, given their strength.
To ensure their return, Caroline created two Summoning Scrolls, with the targets being herself and Rorschach. If someone tried to summon them, they would feel it even on another plane, like a magical safety line tugging them back. The one being summoned could then use the summons to pinpoint the Caster’s location and use the Teleportation Technique to return to their home world.
Caroline handed the scrolls to Hanna, instructing her to activate the Summoning Skill in two hours if they hadn’t returned. This meant she had limited their exploration time to two hours.
Rorschach didn’t mind. He had just learned a Second Ring Spell, Underwater Breathing. According to the records of his predecessors, the oxygen concentration in the Air Elemental Plane gradually increased from top to bottom. The upper layer they were heading to was a region with thin, trace amounts of oxygen. Using Underwater Breathing there was just like using it in water; the Magic would enrich the surrounding oxygen for the recipient.
Then there was an Elemental Resistance Scroll to withstand the abnormal temperatures and potential gales...
With everything ready, Caroline added a Magic Circuit to the damaged "exhaust port," building upon the gaseous Teleportation Array to construct a Teleportation Gate large enough for people to pass through.
The portal opened, and the wind beside them immediately began to howl as the air from the Prime Material Plane was sucked into the low-pressure Air Elemental Plane.
This time, passing through the Teleportation Gate, he plunged headfirst into a dazzling white light. When Rorschach’s vision returned, the Air Elemental Plane unfolded before his eyes.
Overhead was a pure white sky, like a cloudy day in the Main World. But here the clouds were endless and immense. In the distance, they looked like colossal pillars that connected the heavens and the earth.
"Don’t look down..." Caroline’s trembling voice came from beside him. She had seen that there was nothing beneath her feet but roiling clouds. It seemed the light from the sky wasn’t enough to illuminate the lower layers of the Elemental Plane. The very bottom was murky and bottomless, a swirl of surging air masses, predominantly orange, mixed with green and hints of dark brown.
Even with the Floating Skill keeping them stable in the upper layer, a single glance down was enough to cause dizziness and make one’s legs go weak.
What shocked them even more was that they seemed to have arrived on a battlefield!
Humanoid creatures with grayish-blue skin and draped in animal hides were either riding transparent, pliant mounts that looked like they were made of contained air, or were gathered on floating rafts supported by hide pontoons. The two sides were locked in a massive brawl, shouting at each other and attacking with slingshots and spears.
When one of the mounts was stabbed and the spearhead was pulled out, the creature deflated, sending both rider and "steed" plummeting into the endless depths below, leaving only a fading trail of screams.
Before Rorschach could even cast Mirror Flower Water Moon to conceal himself and Caroline, the natives spotted them. They froze first, and the fighting came to a halt.
It’s unclear who started it, but the small, gray-blue-skinned people lowered their weapons and began to shout and worship Rorschach and Caroline.
