Three days later, the moment for the skylark to set sail finally arrived.
All supplies were firmly secured within the cabins, ensuring they wouldn't shift even during violent turbulence.
The main sail, tail sail, wings, winch system... all facilities had undergone one final inspection.
Before departing, Sammy called Kailo aside.
"After we leave, the swordfish will be in your hands. Keep the remaining brothers in check and try to stay low-key on the island; don't cause trouble. Most importantly—before we return, it's best not to be targeted by the Marines. Most of the Executives are away now, so if something really happens, the pressure on you will be immense."
Kailo nodded and said, "I understand, Boss. Rest assured, I'll keep everyone in line and ensure the swordfish remains safe and sound."
Sammy patted his shoulder and said no more.
The skylark was slowly steered out of the harbor, rounded the cape, and arrived at the western side of Liashida Island.
This was a completely different world from the Serene Harbor.
The never-ending, violent westerlies howled continuously, whipping up seawater to crash against the cliffs, shattering into a sky full of white foam.
"This wind... it's too much!"
Aldo gripped the ship's railing tightly, feeling like even breathing was a struggle.
"We need to borrow its power," Old Barry said, protected by Sammy at his side. "Only this kind of wind can push the ship through the resistance and onto the High-speed Skyway!"
The skylark gradually adjusted its direction; directly ahead of the bow was the vertical cliff on the western side of Liashida Island.
"Now's the time!" Old Barry's voice was exceptionally loud, filled with excitement that had been suppressed for decades.
"Hans! Leon! Full sails! Adjust the wing membrane angle to the maximum lift position! Aim for the cliff, full speed ahead!"
"Understood!"
Hans and Leon glanced at each other, took a deep breath, and pushed the control levers simultaneously.
The skylark's slender, streamlined hull shuddered slightly; the main sail was instantly filled by the westerlies, and the tail sail adjusted its angle to provide initial thrust.
This vessel born for the sky instantly surged to an incredible speed, turning into an arrow shot from a bow as it charged toward that cliff!
The fierce westerlies were no longer resistance but had become the most powerful boost.
The cliff rapidly grew larger in their field of vision, the oppressive feeling of death rushing toward them.
"We're going to crash! We're going to crash!!"
"Hold steady!! Now—pull the lever! Press down the trailing edge of the wing membrane! Lift the bow!!"
Veins popped on Hans's forehead as he used all his strength to push the main control lever.
Leon stared intently at the angle scale of the side wings, making fine adjustments.
"Hold on!!" Sammy shouted sharply. "Everyone, hold tight! We're taking off!!"
Just an instant before the bow was about to hit the rock face, the skylark's hull shuddered slightly. Using the terrifying forward speed and the angle adjustment, it actually broke free from the sea surface at the critical moment!
The bow suddenly rose high, and in a posture that almost defied common sense, it began to sprint upward against the steep rock face!
Except for Hans and Leon, who were secured in their pilot seats by seatbelts, everyone else gripped the cabin wall handrails tightly.
Sammy shielded Old Barry in his arms with one hand and tightly gripped the strap of the main mast's base with the other.
"Boom—!!"
The sound of waves crashing suddenly receded, and their field of vision rapidly rose.
The outline of the island shrank drastically beneath them; the harbor, windmills, and town became insignificant specks.
Everyone felt a powerful force pinning them against the deck or cabin walls, as if their blood were flowing backward.
"We... we're flying!!!" Leon stared ahead, his voice trembling uncontrollably.
"Don't relax! We're on the High-speed Skyway!" Old Barry, though pale from the turbulence, still stared intently ahead.
"Hans! Leon! Keep the direction steady; you must not deviate from this wind path!"
"This is too much! I can't see the road at all!"
Aldo tried hard to open his eyes wide, but before him, there were no reference points except for the rapidly flowing blurred scenery and the increasingly thin azure.
"Go by feel!" Old Barry shouted. "Piloting a heaven-ascending boat is seventy percent wind power and thirty percent the helmsman's intuition! Trust the ship, feel the wind! This is the hardest step in the climb!"
Hans's back was already soaked with cold sweat. Although he had heard the old man explain the concept of the High-speed Skyway repeatedly during training, actually being in it, piloting a ship upward through a void...
The panic of losing all visual references almost overwhelmed Hans.
He could only stare intently at the instruments before him and the empty path ahead, trying to catch traces of the road from the wind speed, the ship's tremors, and the feedback from the control lever.
"Should I go left a bit?"
Hans muttered to himself, as if sensing that the wind pressure on the right was slightly stronger.
At this moment when his nerves were strained to the limit, a gentle male voice abruptly sounded in his ear, strangely drowning out all the wind and roaring.
"No, just keep it like this."
The voice came so suddenly that Hans shuddered, and as if possessed, he stopped his fingers from moving the control lever.
"Okay."
He responded in a low voice subconsciously.
Strangely enough, after this brief instruction, the churning anxiety and panic in Hans's heart were actually smoothed over a bit.
He began to focus more on adjusting his breathing and following that feeling.
"Clouds! There are clouds ahead!" Fitch shouted through the observation window.
Directly ahead, a vast and thick layer of clouds appeared, and in the center of the clouds, there was a huge hole torn open by the violent airflow.
"It's a gap opened by the skyway!" Old Barry's voice carried excitement. "We're on the right track now, go through it!"
The skylark plunged headlong into the vast white cloud hole.
In an instant, the surroundings were enveloped in milky white fog, with only the sound of the wind remaining.
A few seconds later, they broke through the clouds, and the view before them suddenly opened up to an even clearer high altitude.
However, just as everyone was about to breathe a sigh of relief, the upward thrust began to noticeably weaken at this moment.
The ship's speed slowed down, and it even began to experience some turbulence.
"What's happening?!"
"Not enough power?!"
"Did we deviate from the skyway?!"
"Mama, I'm going to fall—!!"
Thud.
A dull and soft impact was felt from the bottom of the ship, accompanied by a strange swaying.
The skylark... had stopped.
Inside the cabin, there was dead silence, save for everyone's heavy breathing.
"Did we... land?"
Hiriluk asked softly and uncertainly.
Aldo was the first to react, letting go of the handrail and rushing toward the cabin door.
"Let's go out and see!"
Everyone stumbled onto the deck and was immediately struck speechless by the sight before them.
White.
A boundless sea of pure white clouds stretched to the end of their vision.
They were moored steadily atop this layer of clouds.
Above them was a sky so azure it seemed almost unreal, with sunlight spilling down unimpeded, illuminating this deserted yet magnificently pure white world.
After a brief silence, ecstatic cheers erupted like a volcano!
Several Crew Members who had been huddled together previously were on the deck, letting out meaningless shouts at the magnificent Sea of Clouds all around.
"Waaaaah—!!!"
The entire process, from the sprint to the landing, had actually lasted only a few minutes, yet it felt as long as having gone through a cycle of life and death.
"We... we succeeded. Hahaha..."
Inside the cockpit, a massive sense of exhaustion and lingering fear washed over Hans, followed immediately by uncontrollable joy.
He slowly loosened his fingers from the control lever, only to find them still trembling slightly and uncontrollably.
Hans looked at Leon beside him and saw that his face was also pale.
"Not bad, Leon,"
Hans managed to give Leon a thumbs-up. "As expected of an Executive, you've got guts! When the ship took off, I was scared to death, but you actually managed to observe and command without flinching. If you hadn't reminded me to maintain the direction, I might have really messed up the adjustments."
Leon was wiping cold sweat from his forehead with his sleeve; hearing this, he froze and turned his head in confusion.
"Huh? But I... I didn't say anything? I was terrified too in that situation; just staring at the instruments and the front took all my energy. How could I have had the mind to command?"
Hans's hand stopped in mid-air. "Then that voice just now..."
He looked at Leon's confused face and could only shake his head in bewilderment. "Alright... maybe I was too nervous and misheard."