On this eerie Earth's surface, even though the Narwhal could now fly, it dared not rise too high—God only knew what was up there.
They flew barely a few meters above the ground, almost skimming it. The crew took this chance to familiarize themselves with their new ship.
Piloting a Floating Airship was very different from captaining a ship; they still needed to practice and train. Fortunately, they hadn't encountered anything dangerous along the way—the barren Gobi Beach of the Earth's surface was as desolate as ever.
As they drew closer, layer upon layer of track marks and tire treads appeared on the ground, left by previous Exploration Ships. By the end, Charles didn't even need a map; he could guide them to their destination just by following those traces.
Along the way, Charles would occasionally run into returning exploration teams. From them, he learned that their exploration had already begun.
