Chapter 31: Entering the Aging New Map
The Storm Islands, an older map of Sun City, is said to have existed since the city's construction. Over the years, this map has endured countless trials and is finally approaching its end.
Though it hasn't yet been sent to the Boneyard Desert, the map has started limiting the number and levels of players that can enter.
Originally, it could accommodate nearly a million players at once, with the maximum level reaching Lv4. Now, it can only hold 300 players simultaneously, with the maximum level being Lv0.
Perhaps before long, players from Sun City will no longer see this map.
But just before the Storm Islands disappear, a group of ten players arrives at the map's entrance, led by two women, with the rest being men.
This group was Leon and his party, with Leon and Victor bringing up the rear.
Arriving at the map's entrance, one of the women in the group directly addressed the map's guard, saying, "We're going to the Storm Islands. Here are our tickets."
If Lynn gave off the impression of sharp metal, then this girl, barely 1.4 meters tall, with a face like a big little girl, seemed more like a flame.
Though she wasn't tall, her figure was far from lacking. The two things on her chest didn't resemble those of a little girl but more like bouncing basketballs. Her long red hair bounced up and down as she walked, as if aflame.
This was none other than the woman Victor referred to as Lady Ember, one of the three of the Magic Combat sisters from Sun City High School. She was a 42952nd-claas student with an affinity for fire-based magic and martial arts.
She was also the key figure in this mission. According to what they heard on the way, Lady Ember's family had existed since the founding of Sun City, and the Storm Islands was one of their more active maps.
Years ago, one of Lady Ember's ancestors left a seed somewhere on the Storm Islands, intending for it to become a family legacy. However, for some reason, the seed was lost.
Over the years, her family had been searching for a way to retrieve the seed but had never succeeded. Now that the Storm Islands were nearing their end, Lady Ember had been tasked with finding the seed.
This was their last chance, so Lady Ember was required to retrieve the seed at all costs. However, due to the player restrictions on the Storm Islands, both in terms of numbers and levels, she could only bring ten Lv0 players onto the map.
Because of this requirement, Lady Ember had been very strict in selecting her team. Aside from requiring friend recommendations to verify their character, another important criterion was dual proficiency in magic and martial arts.
Leon didn't care much about what Lady Ember was thinking. At this moment, he was curiously examining the entrance to the Storm Islands.
He had heard of the Storm Islands before but had never entered, as it was always packed with people. He had never had the opportunity to check it out.
To Leon's surprise, the entrance to the Storm Islands was actually a massive iron airship.
Except for the four large balloons tied to the top by thin ropes, the airship looked much like a Western-style sailboat, with nothing modern about it. In fact, it appeared quite worn out.
After boarding the airship, Lady Ember and Lynn skillfully retrieved something resembling parachute packs from the cabin and strapped them onto their backs.
Neither Leon nor Victor knew what was going on until the others also pulled out parachute packs, prompting them to rush into the cabin.
After putting on the parachutes, Leon dared not act recklessly. He and Victor carefully stayed among the group, observing how the others moved.
By this time, the airship had entered the clouds, and gusts of wind, along with bolts of lightning, struck the ship, shaking it violently.
After about an hour, a loud voice called from the ship, "We've arrived. We're about to land. Those with faith, please pray. Those without, hold onto something sturdy."
Before Leon could react, the airship shook violently, plummeting as though it had lost control.
Neither Leon nor Victor had any idea what was happening and were thrown toward the bow. Fortunately, they reacted quickly and grabbed onto a nearby mast, preventing themselves from being thrown overboard.
Even so, Leon experienced something unimaginable—falling from thousands of meters in the air. Just as they were about to hit the ground, the airship suddenly halted, hovering in place.
Looking down, Leon saw that the airship was less than three meters from the ground, suspended with its nose pointing downward.
With a series of creaking sounds, the airship slowly righted itself and gently landed on the ground.
Lady Ember and Lynn seemed to be familiar with all of this. As soon as the airship stabilized, they jumped off from both sides of the ship.
After Leon, Victor, and the others jumped down, they finally let out a sigh of relief and surveyed their surroundings.
They realized they had arrived in a desolate wasteland. The surroundings were a dull gray, and the sun hung low in the western sky, neither rising nor setting, casting a somber atmosphere.
There were no large cities near the airship's landing site, only a small bird's nest where about a dozen flying beasts, with boar heads and bat wings, were resting.
Seeing the airship land, a person ran out from the nest. This person didn't look quite human, appearing much thinner than normal, with an oddly gray-blue complexion. His eyes were entirely white, resembling those of a corpse long dead.
However, Leon didn't sense any dark energy from him, but rather, a strong vitality pulsing from his heart.
After reaching the airship, the man quickly began speaking. It was evident he was familiar with the airship's crew.
After a brief conversation with the captain, the man turned to Lady Ember and said, "The outpost you're heading to was destroyed today. The remaining flight routes will cost extra, and the route to the Needlespire Base has been cut off. It's impossible to travel to the northern half.
"The southern half is also quite dangerous. Regular pig-headed winged beasts won't do. You'll need battle-ready winged beasts to get there."