Safe City Ch.112

Chapter 112: Aerial Gymnastics Routine

Cheng Qisheng wished she could give Lilith the position of Minister of the Floating City Department right then and there.

But first, she needed to get this new believer, who was hopelessly addicted to research, to go to sleep.

Counting the three days and three nights she had spent reading, plus the two days and two nights she had spent calculating the amount of nuclear crystals required, Lilith had gone a full five days and five nights without sleep.

Although she clung reluctantly to one corner of the floating device, insisting, “I’m fine. I have the Staying-Awake Spell. I can keep going,” the Blue Sea people had actually believed her at first. After all, they didn’t know much about magic, so they assumed the Staying-Awake Spell really was that powerful.

But now, looking at the two enormous dark circles beneath Lilith’s eyes and watching her yawn three times every time she said a single sentence…

This Staying-Awake Spell looked less like magic and more like coffee with a longer duration.

Lilith refused to leave. Although she had spent two days and two nights calculating the number of nuclear crystals needed, she didn’t feel tired at all. In fact, she was incredibly excited.

They were talking about modifying a giant floating device!

Even in a world of magic, this would be an incredibly fascinating major project. Countless magic students would fight tooth and nail for the chance to work on something like this.

And now, Lilith had it all to herself!

How could that not be wonderful?!

With two huge dark circles under her eyes, Lilith pleaded,

“Please, I’m really fine. Just let me stay here. I already have a plan in my head.”

She even tried to bargain with the staff members who had come to persuade her to go to sleep.

“This is absolutely amazing! Just let me modify five magic runes first. No, three! I promise I’ll go to sleep after I finish three! I promise!”

The Blue Sea staff cruelly refused.

“No, Lilith. Your heart rate has been climbing this entire time. If you don’t sleep now, you’re going to die suddenly from exhaustion.”

Lilith: “No way. I feel great!”

Cheng Qisheng: That’s because your sympathetic nervous system is in a state of extreme overactivation.

Lilith was already a believer, so Cheng Qisheng could sense her excitement and happiness. She could also sense the thoughts racing through Lilith’s mind. At this moment, they were like galloping horses charging across a grassland, constantly surging forward with no way of stopping.

There was also a force pushing them along from behind—Cheng Qisheng guessed it was magic power. An ordinary person would never be able to withstand thinking at such a speed, but Lilith’s brain continued operating at full speed, constantly stimulating its reward center.

Lilith might not have been unaware that she needed to rest, but her constantly racing mind truly wouldn’t let her stop.

—Was this the legendary the more you study, the more excited you get constitution?

Could the strongest talent in your magic world, Ultimate Affinity, actually be nothing more than a naturally gifted super-student constitution?

Cheng Qisheng ran her mental power along the faith chain belonging to Lilith, giving it a couple of strokes from top to bottom, much like petting a cat.

A blessing aimed at the mind: Divine Protection.

Lilith, who had been brimming with energy just moments ago, suddenly felt a wave of warmth wash over her. She realized that this was the divine care of her god.

In an instant, it was as though she were soaking in a hot spring. The sensation was so comfortable that her tightly wound, overstimulated nerves unconsciously relaxed. Her vision began to blur, and she couldn’t help feeling sleepy.

Through the faith chain, Cheng Qisheng could feel Lilith gradually relaxing, but many things weighing on her mind were still trying to drag her back into wakefulness.

It felt like a tug-of-war.

As though there were a voice deep inside Lilith shouting:

‘Don’t rest. You still have so much to do. You can’t stop.’

This time, it clearly had nothing to do with magic power. It was a psychological issue.

Obviously, a twenty-two-year-old who had taken on the responsibility of an entire nation in a post-apocalyptic world was unlikely to be completely mentally healthy.

Anyone would be under tremendous pressure in her position.

Even though she had already decided to join Blue Sea, this young woman clearly still hadn’t learned what it felt like to truly relax.

The great Creator God of Blue Sea thought for a moment and decided to cosplay as a psychologist.

As she gently ran her mental power through Lilith’s hair, she softly murmured,

“Go back to the happiest moment of your life, Lilith.”

—In a daze, Lilith followed this oracle, which seemed to shimmer with light, back to her childhood.

Humans generally don’t retain memories from infancy. Very few people can remember anything from before the age of two.

When Lilith was two years old, her father, the king of Lilith, was replaced. So by the time she was old enough to form lasting memories, the images she remembered were always of her father looking at her coldly, her mother suffering bouts of madness, her older brothers and sisters locked in bitter struggles, ministers occasionally coming to the palace with heavy sighs, and new officials whispering among themselves.

To be honest, these weren’t exactly pleasant memories.

The only reason she was willing to take on the burden of Lilith was because she had been raised by the people of Lilith. The people who remained were like family to her.

As for her actual family, she didn’t really feel much of anything when she thought of them.

After all, whenever she remembered them, the strongest images were of herself being coldly rejected by her father as a little girl, her mother being taken away during one of her episodes, and herself secretly crying alone in grievance.

There had never been anything good in her memories.

Even after the adults took her and fled Lilith, their lives consisted of terrifying sea monsters, towering waves, frequent bouts of hunger, and pirates who appeared and disappeared without warning.

Things became a little better once she grew older and was able to use magic.

But only a little.

Lilith could never completely let her guard down. She had to worry about the safety of every one of her people, and the responsibilities of being a king followed her everywhere.

But now, under the god’s blessing, Lilith suddenly remembered a scene from before she was two years old, back when she was still a baby.

—She seemed to be lying in a cradle, kicking her little legs.

Above her, a woman’s figure gradually emerged through the blur. She picked Lilith up, enveloping her in a warm embrace.

“Good girl, baby. Are you awake?”

Another tall figure walked over to the woman and gently took the baby’s tiny hand. He laughed heartily, though his voice was remarkably gentle.

“My little princess, today is your big day.”

She was too young to make out either of their faces. All she knew was that they held her securely in their arms.

The scene shifted.

A gentle breeze from outside brushed against her face.

After only a single gust, the tall man immediately raised a hand and shielded her cheek from the wind.

With one hand protecting her from the breeze and the other holding the baby, he proudly announced to everyone below:

“My people, I, Lilith, the current king, hereby announce that this is my youngest daughter, the princess of Lilith. I have named her Agape.”

“Here, I ask for your blessings.”

From the distant floating farmlands and the people below came wave after wave of cheers.

They celebrated the birth of Princess Agape and blessed her future.

—‘Ah… That’s right. My mom who raised me once told me that I was originally named Agape.’

Baby Lilith was held in her parents’ arms, while below her came the cheers and blessings of the people of Lilith.

The wind and scorching sun were kept away by her parents. She didn’t have to worry about anything. All she needed to do was slowly close her eyes.

Beside her, she could still hear her parents’ gentle voices.

“Agape, are you sleepy?”

A soft kiss landed carefully on the baby’s cheek.

“Oh~ Look at her. She’s so adorable.”

“Go to sleep, my darling. We love you~”

—The corners of Lilith’s mouth lifted slightly, and she drifted into a deep sleep.

“Hey! She’s out! She’s asleep!”

A Blue Sea staff member easily lifted the sleeping Lilith into their arms and whispered,

“Come on, come on, let’s hurry and get her back to her room. Oh my god, she’s so light. No wonder she looks so skinny—there’s barely any flesh on her bones.”

Another Blue Sea staff member expertly pulled out the stretcher they had prepared. Working together, they gently placed Lilith onto it. Then, flying on either side of her with their wings flapping, they headed back toward the Safe City.

At the same time, one of them chattered softly as they flew:

“She makes her living with her brain, not her muscles. She’s a technical specialist. If she fought you with magic, you might not even be able to beat her.”

“Honestly, the moment I see her casting a spell, I already get a headache.”

“Is that really spellcasting? She’s solving math problems.”

“Hahahaha, close enough, close enough. Hey, you know, management told us to help take care of Lilith. Does that make her our boss?”

“I think so. I heard they’re even going to set up a whole department specifically for her to research magic. By then, the two of us will count as veteran employees. If she develops any magic weapons or magic formations or something, maybe we’ll get first dibs. Hehehe.”

“Woohoo! Oh, right! Truly, our God protects us! Why are you looking at your phone while flying? Pay attention to flight safety!”

“I’m searching for what people who haven’t slept in a long time should eat when they wake up. I’ll bring some food over for our boss later. Obviously, she’s the type who gets so absorbed in work that she forgets to eat and sleep. As her assistants, shouldn’t we look after her a little?”

“Good point. Hey, hey, hey! Stop looking at your phone. You can check it again when we get back. Watch where you’re going! There’s a patrol drone ahead! Careful, or you’ll get points deducted from your flight record!”

Too late.

A drone had already flown over.

These patrol drones were all under Aether’s full control, and their enforcement was remarkably humane.

Its camera rotated up and down. After spotting Lilith sleeping soundly on the stretcher, it decided not to issue a verbal warning.

But on the wristwatch of the staff member who had been flying while looking at their phone, a text notification immediately popped up.

[Dear resident, at xx:xx, you violated Article 21 of the Flight Regulations approximately 900 meters above Gate D12. The violation was captured by a patrol drone. Penalty: 3 demerit points. (If you have any objections, you may appeal to the Flight Administration Bureau within 60 days.)]

[Blue Sea Flight Administration Bureau reminds you: There are countless roads, but safety comes first. If you don’t watch where you’re flying, your wings might break.]

The staff member who was just about to hide her phone: “……”

She silently put her phone away and surveyed the surrounding airspace, wondering whether she could successfully appeal by arguing that she had not yet fully entered the designated flight corridor.

The Flight Regulations were a recent addition.

The main reason was that many Blue Sea people had wings and flew up and down all over the place. Outside the city, things were relatively fine, but once they returned to the city, they felt like they were back home and relaxed. Once they relaxed, all sorts of fancy flying maneuvers started appearing.

Some people flew upside down. Others suddenly dove straight down at high speed. Some flew while eating, while others flew while exercising.

Those were relatively harmless.

The real danger was when two people weren’t watching where they were going and collided midair.

The people involved were unlikely to be seriously hurt, but if their wings collided, they could still suffer varying degrees of damage. By now, there had already been one unfortunate person whose flight wings were wrecked, turning him from a member of the winged race into a wingless person.

The passerby he collided with, however, had perfectly intact wings. The “accident” had occurred outside the Safe City.

At the time, one of them had been practicing an aerial bicycle kick while the other had been flying along with his head down, knitting a sweater. Neither had been watching where they were going, so they were deemed roughly equally responsible.

But because one party’s flight wings had been damaged, they were still in the middle of a lawsuit.

One wanted the other party to pay for his flight wings, saying he was willing to make up the remaining cost with some of his own points.

The other would rather pay a larger amount in compensation than give up his flight wings.

With these “flight accidents” becoming increasingly frequent, the Flight Regulations had been introduced.

One of the rules stated that while flying, one had to keep their eyes on the path ahead. You couldn’t fly while watching a show, drawing, spinning freely, curling yourself into a ball, and so on and so forth.

Violators would have points deducted.

Once their points fell below a certain threshold, their flight wings would be revoked. The wings would then be forcibly sold to the Flight Department and distributed to the next person in line according to the waiting list.

However, the Flight Regulations were generally enforced only within the Safe City. Once residents left the Safe City, the outside world was vast and open, and patrol drones wouldn’t chase them around just to deduct points.

At present, Blue Sea residents’ attitude toward the Flight Regulations was basically:

They didn’t care much before getting a demerit. After getting one, they instantly transformed into law-abiding model citizens.

After all, nobody wanted to lose their flight wings!

—Once the patrol drone had deducted the points, it continued along its designated patrol route.

Through its camera, it could see a vast stretch of floating farmland slowly drifting over in the distance.

Actually, it wasn’t drifting over on its own. A group of Blue Sea people were standing underneath it, supporting the farmland as they flew toward the Safe City.

Yes, this was how Blue Sea moved its floating farmland.

Simple. Brutal. Just carry it over!

And it wasn’t just a matter of people carrying it. Some people flew far ahead with headsets hanging from their ears, responsible for giving directions and coordinating the positioning.

“Put your backs into it!! Harder!!”

“We’re here, we’re here!!! Move it a little to the left. Good, good, right there! Stop!”

The patrol drone flew past the slowly advancing floating farmland and turned its camera toward an area where buildings were under construction.

“Tower crane!! Not high enough! Raise it a little more!”

“Give me a hand. Lift this panel.”

“Lifting now! Everyone underneath, clear out!”

“Woohoo! I’m off work!”

The patrol drone flew past the worker who had clocked out early. After confirming that everyone else was working normally and there were no abnormalities, it rose higher and continued along its route.

Below, countless ships had gathered together. From a distance, the drone’s camera could scan large quantities of dried sea-monster meat being hoisted up and transported back to the Safe City.

It passed a pickled sea-monster tail and continued climbing higher.

Before long, it caught sight of another Blue Sea resident flying toward it from a distance, sometimes twisting their body, sometimes spinning in place, sometimes dancing in midair, looking for all the world like they were having some kind of fit.

The patrol drone silently hovered in place, its red camera fixed on the approaching figure.

The Blue Sea resident, who had been performing what looked like an aerial gymnastics routine all the way over, suddenly became perfectly well-behaved as she neared the Safe City’s patrol zone.

She flapped her wings and, with an utterly ordinary flying posture, joined the queue at the designated flight corridor to enter the city. Her entire body practically screamed the word “law-abiding.”

…

Meanwhile, Aether, who was watching melodramatic TV dramas while infinitely distributing processing power across every corner of Blue Sea Safe City, suddenly raised its jellyfish head.

“City Lord, should this situation result in a demerit?”

Cheng Qisheng was looking at the City Lords’ group chat.

Because the world quest still hadn’t registered as complete, the City Lords were still scouring the world for a local person named Alice.

Cheng Qisheng suspected that “taking Alice away” meant taking all the people of Lilith away, rather than merely taking Lilith herself.

Of course, it was also possible that it really did mean taking only Lilith.

But the meaning of “take away” was clearly to remove her from Green Billow Star, and Cheng Qisheng couldn’t exactly conduct an experiment to find out.

So the safest approach was to take all the people of Lilith with them.

Conveniently, that also happened to fulfill Lilith’s own request.

Better to take too many than leave even one behind.

Perfect.

Hearing Aether’s question, Cheng Qisheng glanced at the video Aether had projected onto the virtual screen.

This one was obviously one of the troublemakers.

Cheng Qisheng was amused by the resident’s seizure-like aerial antics.

“Leave them alone. They just like doing this. There aren’t many people flying outside the city, so it’s fine to let them have a little fun now and then. Just turn a blind eye.”

At least a winged troublemaker could play around with their wings when they got bored.

A wingless troublemaker, on the other hand, could genuinely end up grabbing a spear and going after sea monsters just to pass the time.

But right now, the Blue Sea residents scattered across the various regions probably weren’t very bored.

Because they had all received the divine oracle quest long ago:

Find the people of Lilith.

One by one, every last one of them.

No matter where they were.

No matter what they were doing.

Bring them all back to Blue Sea.

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