Before boarding, a dozen attendants in silver-gray uniforms were already lined up waiting.
When they saw Annabelle, they neatly bowed and then respectfully bowed to Duke.
Duke stepped onto the gangway, feeling an almost imperceptible tremor underfoot.
He looked back, the Central Islands behind him had become very small, even the iconic silver-blue spire of the Six-Ring Tower looked like a fine needle stuck under the clouds.
Annabelle led him to the airship's upper deck, where there was a semicircular observation window, clouds brushing past, swift as cotton torn by the wind.
She personally poured Duke a glass of pale golden wine, then sat beside him, pointing to somewhere outside the window and said, "A few days flying north, and you'll see the edge of the Golden Continent. It's different from here. Even the sky is fiercer."
As she spoke, her tone was gentle, as if introducing her homeland to someone who had never been.
