It's been four days since the second cataclysm began.
Rackam spends every day drafting blueprints for airship upgrades, but he still can't figure something out.
"Crud, this is hopeless... No matter how you slice it, there's just not enough propulsion to make it work..." Rackam muttered while staring at the blueprint in his hands.
"Forcing our way through with sheer speed is just asking for trouble... And we lack the buoyancy to take it slow and steady... The Celestial Strait that leads there is at such a low altitude that buoyancy barely operates. The air turbulence inside defies all logic. The shearing winds and falling boulders hit like a comet, and one tiny misstep steering the ship could send us plummeting to the depths of the sky. There's also the space-time distortion."
There are so many problems he has to think of solutions for—maybe if he had more time, he could figure something out.
But right now, he has no time at all, and it's already been four days since he started trying to think of a solution.
"Rackam? I brought you something," a voice called out—it was Lyria, bringing food.
"Lyria? Oh, you're the other Lyria." Rackam turned and saw Lyria, wearing a different outfit from Lyria².
"Yeah, I'm the other Lyria. I came here to bring this for you," Lyria said, placing the food next to Rackam.
"Huh? What is this?"
"Oh, these are snacks from Rei's world. He sometimes makes them for us when we're bored or just hanging out," Lyria explained.
"I see, from Rei's world, huh? Well, don't mind if I do," Rackam said as he decided to eat the snacks.
The moment he took a bite, his eyes widened in surprise. The flavors burst across his tongue, combining sweetness with a delicate spiciness, a sensation that was entirely new. Each bite seemed to layer new depths of flavor—the softness of the pastry, the subtle crunch of some hidden ingredient, and the fragrant aroma that hit his nose, creating a delightful balance.
"This… this is amazing," Rackam mumbled, his mouth still full. "I've never tasted anything quite like this before."
Lyria smiled, clearly happy to see Rackam's reaction. "Right? It's like a magical explosion in your mouth!"
"Yeah, it's like a magical explosion in my mouth..." Rackam suddenly fell silent after saying that.
Lyria, noticing Rackam's sudden pause, looked confused. "What's wrong, Rackam?"
"That's it!! Magical explosion!!" Rackam suddenly shouted with excitement.
"Eek!?"
Rackam quickly grabbed both of Lyria's hands, swinging them up and down. "Thank you, Lyria! I finally found the solution!"
"I don't understand what you're talking about, but I'm happy if you figured it out!?"
Afterward, Lyria left, taking the empty plate with her, leaving Rackam to work seriously on his blueprint.
The next day, Rackam finished the blueprint and immediately informed everyone so they could start modifying the Grandcypher.
The entire day, with the help of the townspeople, they worked tirelessly on the Grandcypher, making upgrades. It didn't take long to upgrade the Grandcypher because of the overwhelming support, and now only one task remained.
Io and Rosetta were on a street corner, infusing magic into an auxiliary engine.
The idea came from Rackam. Using magic allowed the engine to serve as additional support, providing extra thrust.
"Gaah!" Io grunted, trying to channel her mana into the machine.
"Try to keep your cool, Io. This device is sensitive," Rosetta reminded her.
"Yeah, I know, but it's been so long, and this machine still isn't full!"
"Fufufu, I understand, but Rackam already told us this would need a lot of mana, and it's only the two of us here who can properly use mana."
Both of them continued pouring mana into the engine for quite some time.
The engine glowed with green and Yellow light from Io and Rosetta's mana, but despite their continuous efforts, the engine still wasn't filled, and Io started to look exhausted.
"Hahh... I'm so tiredddd," Io said, sitting down to rest beside the machine.
"I think we can stop for now and continue later," Rosetta suggested, noticing how tired Io had become.
"Hey, Io, Rosetta, I'm bringing drinks for both of you," came Orchid's voice as she entered the area.
"Ohhh, Orchid! Yes, I'm so thirsty, give it to me, please," Io quickly grabbed her drink and gulped it down.
"Here's one for you too, Rosetta," Orchid said with a smile.
"Thank you, Orchid. You know, it's really strange seeing you like this—our Orchid is so different from you," Rosetta remarked as she took her drink.
"Haha, yeah, I've heard about my other self from this world too. It's just too bad I haven't had the chance to meet her," Orchid said, scratching her cheek.
"We rarely meet her too since she's still on her journey."
The three of them began chatting, discussing various topics while enjoying the drinks Orchid had brought.
"So how's the progress with this engine?" Orchid asked them.
"Our mana still isn't enough! Like, I don't even know how long we've been doing this, but this machine just won't have enough!" Io complained to Orchid.
"I see. Is there something I can do to help?"
"You know how to use your mana, Orchid??" Io looked surprised when she heard that.
"No, I don't know how, but I still have mana from Rei from a year ago." Orchid closed her eyes, and when she opened them, they had turned a vibrant purple.
"Mana from Rei?? How can you have mana from him? Don't tell me you're also—"
Rosetta quickly covered Io's mouth before she could say anything strange. "Haha, I see. We'll be glad to have your help, Orchid."
Orchid looked confused by what they both meant but eventually stood up and faced the machine again.
First, Rosetta and Io channeled their mana into the machine while Orchid concentrated on using Rei's mana.
The mana she possessed was leftover mana she absorbed a year ago when Rei lost control on the airship in the Empire. Since she had never used it, the mana still resided within her body.
Over the year, her body had been continuously absorbing the mana, altering her body structure. She had grown taller and more mature, her figure more curved compared to her previously small frame. Now, she just like Lyria having grown quite rapidly.
Orchid's body began to emit a purple aura, signaling that Rei's mana was starting to leak out before she forced it back inside.
"I'm ready," she murmured, her eyes glowing a bright purple.
Then, she sent her mana into the machine, and a brilliant light enveloped the three of them.
The yellow and green hues that had previously emerged from the machine were quickly consumed by her purple light.
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They all continued working tirelessly to modify the Grandcypher as quickly as possible in order to help Rei and Lucifer in Canaan.
However, even with their efforts, it took another three days to finish upgrading the Grandcypher.
"Impressive... It doesn't look any different from the outside, but I can definitely tell it's been supercharged," Halluel said, gazing at the Grandcypher.
"I'm glad you can tell. I racked my brain trying to figure out how to make this work," Rackam replied, looking proud of his masterpiece.
"Ehehe, Rackam, you look like someone's just tickled you positively pink," Malluel teased him.
"Mmm. If I hadn't met Rei, I might've been interested in you~ I love men who can wax lyrical about their ideals..." Malluel added with a mischievous tone.
"Haha, I'm kinda relieved..." Rackam muttered. After months of knowing the twins, he had come to understand how much trouble Rei constantly dealt with because of them.
"Anyway, about what you said earlier. Were you two serious about acting as our searchlights?" Rackam asked, steering the conversation back to the task at hand.
"Mm-hm. We'll take the lead through the Celestial Strait. Mal and I will search for any sign of the supreme primarch's presence along the way," Halluel said, confidently patting her chest.
"Leave it to us! Sky maps and compasses won't help in there anyway... And we want to lend a hand," Malluel chimed in.
"Okay. It's going to be really tricky going through there, so I'm counting on you two," Rackam replied.
After their exchange, the three of them boarded the Grandcypher, where Gran and the others were already waiting, having finished loading all the necessary supplies.
Now, only one thing remained.
"Captain, preparations are complete. We're just waiting on your decision now," Rackam informed Gran.
Hearing this, Gran became serious, looking at everyone around him.
"Alright, if everyone's ready, let's set out for Canaan!" Gran called out to the crew with determination.
"Yeeaaah!!!" they all shouted in unison.