Climbing the Tower with Multidimensional Avatars - Chapter 115

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 115. The Tower – Airship (3)

The Officers’ Lounge, guided by Captain’s adjutant Lugin, was located close to the Helm.
Lee Su-young gazed out the window in admiration.
“Wow, it really is a ‘ship’ that flies through the sky.”
The lounge had large windows on all sides, offering a nearly complete view of the airship’s exterior.
In ancient history, airships had been massive hydrogen balloons with cabins attached, but the airship we were on now resembled a military warship—a true vessel in form.
I gazed out the window and extended my perception to understand how it could possibly fly through the heavens.
Indeed, this ship was just a ship.
The vessel itself possessed no special flight capabilities powered by magic.
Then, was the power source The Tower had commanded us to guard the very origin that kept this ship aloft?
Yet my perception couldn’t pinpoint the power source—something magical was concealing it.
“So we have to stay here for thirty hours?”
The lounge’s environment wasn’t bad at all.
There were sofas, various refreshments, and coffee available.
It was sufficient for a brief rest, but spending an entire day here seemed like it would be somewhat taxing.
Of course, compared to standing guard for all thirty hours before a power source whose appearance I couldn’t even fathom, this was paradise.
I leaned back against the sofa and asked.
“Since we have some free time, want to train?”
At my suggestion, Lee Su-young paused thoughtfully.
“Even though the lounge is a bit cramped, I think we could train in the cultivation method just fine, but shouldn’t that be done somewhere safe?”
“The Azure Wood Technique is remarkably stable—as long as we’re not under attack, it can withstand a fair amount of external impact.”
In a safe residence, perhaps, but while ascending The Tower, there were concerns about training safety.
However, this space was sufficiently secure, and the people here were accommodating.
At my response, Diana sat down and crossed her legs in meditation posture.
“Honestly, just sitting around feels like a waste of time.”
“Well, that’s true, but… okay, I’ll trust you and try training.”
Lee Su-young also sat beside Diana and crossed her legs, beginning her cultivation practice.
I used magic to block out sound around the two of them, creating an environment conducive to concentration.
I’d suggested the cultivation training because the breathing method circulates inner energy throughout the entire body, providing not only energy accumulation but also fatigue recovery.
While not as restorative as deep sleep, there were martial artists in the Galaxy Martial Arts World who forgent sleep entirely and relied solely on breathing meditation for rest.
From my perspective, even if nothing seemed amiss now, there was no way the thirty-hour journey to the airship’s destination would pass without incident.
Something was bound to go wrong.
I wanted them to rest sufficiently in preparation for that moment.
Of course, I couldn’t practice the cultivation method myself, so I decided to stand guard quietly beside them.
As the lounge fell silent, I addressed Lugin, who stood waiting motionlessly.
“Are you planning to keep standing there?”
If nothing happened, we’d be here for thirty hours—did she intend to remain on her feet the entire time?
“You don’t need to worry about me.”
“No, please sit down. It bothers me to see you standing all this time.”
At my words, Lugin bowed her head slightly and took a seat on the sofa.
I turned to Lugin with a question.
“By the way, how does this ship move? Ah, if it’s military classified information, you don’t have to tell me. I’m just curious about it.”
In response to my question, Lugin asked me back.
“Do climbers not have airships in your world?”
“We do have them, but not in this form. Our aircraft look different.”
I drew an airplane using the wand Diana had gifted me—the one that could draw in midair—and explained how thrust allowed metal objects to soar through the sky.
After hearing my explanation, she gazed at the wand with fascination and spoke.
“I’m not an engineer, so I don’t fully understand the detailed principles. However, I do know that the power source is what keeps this ship afloat.”
“So that power source must be magic?”
“Magic? Ah, you mean those mysterious forces climbers use.”
Does this world not have magic?
In response to my unspoken question, Lugin withdrew a small rectangular block the size of a finger from her pocket.
“Our world has no magic. However, most things use the expansive force of these ‘Steam Blocks.'”
The block she produced emitted no magical energy whatsoever.
“This is a block that stores a kind of expanding kinetic energy. For example, with firearms, you insert one of these blocks and load a bullet, and the powerful air expansion pushes the bullet out to fire it.”
Lugin gave me a rough explanation of how society functioned, and I realized this world was essentially a steampunk civilization.
Firearms didn’t use gunpowder but rather steam guns that fired bullets through Steam Blocks, and the primary means of transportation were steam-powered trains and steam-powered automobiles that used Steam Blocks.
Of course, not everything relied on Steam Blocks, but the fundamental energy that powered factories, generators, and most mechanical devices all derived from the expansive force and kinetic energy of steam.
“You seem quite interested in our world.”
“I’m naturally curious.”
“Then I should have some good books for you to read.”
Lugin asked me to wait a moment, then retrieved a history book from the bookshelf in the Officers’ Lounge.
“Please don’t worry and read comfortably.”
Lugin said with a smile, and I thanked her before slowly leafing through the book.
As befitted a book in a military facility, the contents focused primarily on military history, but I could grasp the general flow of this world’s history.
This world was currently, if I had to say, at the tail end of the Industrial Revolution.
Comparing it to Earth’s history, it seemed to be around the time of World War I or just before it.
But they could lift a ship like this into the sky with just steam?
Unless this “power source” they mentioned was some kind of room-temperature superconductor?
If it wasn’t that, I couldn’t make sense of it with my knowledge.
It wasn’t the 50th-century Galaxy Martial World, so something like that shouldn’t exist.
I wanted to see the power source directly, but I suppose that’s not possible.
With such thoughts, I continued reading.
The history book covered gunpowder weapons—or rather, steam weapons by this world’s standards.
Since it encompassed everything from the age of cold weapons before steam weapons through to modern times, it took considerable time to read.
Personally, it was completely different from Earth’s history, so reading it felt like perusing a setting guide for a new manga or novel—quite fascinating.
However, certain words scattered throughout the history book caught my attention.
“I’ve noticed that an event called the ‘Great Collapse’ is frequently mentioned in records from roughly seventy years ago, but there’s hardly any explanation of what it actually was, despite how often it comes up?”
“Ah, that’s because it was a tragic event on a global scale. It’s a massive historical event that can’t be omitted when explaining history, but precisely because it was such a tremendous tragedy, people tend to avoid discussing it in detail. Everyone already knows about it anyway, so there’s no need to elaborate.”
A tragic event?
“What kind of event was the Great Collapse….”
Weeee-woop-woop-!
My words were completely drowned out by the suddenly blaring alarm.
The two people concentrating on their cultivation technique remained focused thanks to my sound-blocking magic.
They’d been concentrating for quite a long time, but when one focuses on the flow of qi through cultivation, an hour can feel like ten minutes, so it wasn’t unusual.
Lugin’s expression grew serious at the alarm.
“What’s happening?”
“It’s an enemy air raid warning. Please wait here for a moment. I’ll go assess the situation right away.”
Lugin rushed out of the lounge without even waiting for my response.
Since the alarm continued blaring loudly, I had no choice but to stop the two from their training.
Once Lee Su-young and Diana gathered their inner energy and finished stretching, I dispelled the sound-blocking magic.
“What is that noise?”
At Diana’s question, I shrugged.
“It’s an air raid warning. Lugin went to find out what’s going on.”
Not long after, Lugin returned and explained the situation.
“A swarm of wyverns is heading toward our current location. The Captain wishes to see all of you.”
At those words, we willingly followed her to the helm.
The Captain was busily assessing the situation aboard the ship and issuing orders from the helm.
After raising his voice to give instructions for several minutes, the Captain noticed us and hesitated briefly before speaking.
“I’m ashamed to ask this of you, but I’d like to request your assistance.”
“Are you short on combat personnel?”
At my question, the Captain nodded with a grim expression.
“It’s embarrassing to admit, but yes.”
If this were a supply ship, they would have reduced the crew to make room for cargo.
If this were a war between nations, an escort unit would have accompanied the supply ship to guard against such attacks. But since the enemy was monsters rather than organized forces, and no one had anticipated any strategic maneuvering, the lack of preparation was unavoidable.
The Military is a monster that devours money just by existing.
So they inevitably scramble to cut costs however they can.
It’s a common occurrence.
“With our current personnel, we can’t handle both external and internal threats simultaneously.”
We’re short on people, wyverns are swarming outside, and gremlins are lurking inside. It was the worst possible scenario.
“We’d have to abandon one front, but if we do, we’ll be annihilated. Truly, I should offer prayers of gratitude to The Tower for sending you all. Without you, we’d have no choice but to wait for death.”
The Captain showed us a military map of the ship—classified information.
“I’d like you to protect the Engine Room.”
To deal with the incoming wyverns, the crew would need to constantly move ammunition and fire machine guns and cannons relentlessly.
The trained soldiers would move without tangling their paths, but if we got in the middle of it, we’d only be a hindrance.
On the other hand, protecting a single Engine Room didn’t require many people, and there was no risk of tangling paths and getting in the way.
Then Lee Su-young smiled faintly and spoke casually.
“We came here to do this kind of work in the first place, but being forced to rest and then trying to get back to it does dampen the motivation a bit.”
It was the Captain who had restricted our freedom by calling this a military facility and forced us to rest in the first place.
From his perspective, he was grateful to us for making him aware of the Gremlin’s existence, but I understood that having outsiders around in an isolated situation wouldn’t be welcome.
However, understanding something doesn’t mean we have to accept being treated like we’ll swallow whatever’s sweet and spit out whatever’s bitter.
We are neither the Captain’s subordinates, nor soldiers of this country, nor hired mercenaries.
At Lee Su-young’s words, the Captain let out a sigh.
“Is there something you want?”
To the Captain’s question, Lee Su-young spoke playfully.
“I’m not asking for much—just some compensation would be nice.”
“Would Credit suffice?”
“That works perfectly.”
With Lee Su-young’s agreement, I decided to indulge my own desires a bit as well.
“Credit is good, but I’m interested in technology that uses something called Steam Blocks, so I’d be fine receiving information and materials related to that instead.”
I messaged Lee Su-young and Diana through the Community chat, saying that if I received only information and materials, I’d distribute them as Credit to the three of us.
The two nodded slightly, showing no objection.
“Understood. It’s not a difficult request. I’ll procure it even with my own money. That is, if we all survive.”
“Now that’s motivation. Let’s make sure we all survive together.”
We followed Lugin’s guidance toward the Engine Room.

(To be continued in the next chapter)

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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