Chapter 573: Chapter 573: Boarding the Ship

Finally, after a deep humming sound as if all sounds were being gathered together, the massive body of the Cloud Whale ship stabilized and hovered about ten meters above the ground, perfectly docking with the gigantic metal gangway stretching out from the pier.

At the point of connection, there was a heavy metallic clamping sound and a hiss of pressure being released. Above the gangway, a soft light screen lit up, forming a stable boarding passage.

Behind several observation windows on the side of the ship, the vague silhouettes of crew members could be seen moving around.

The roaring of the engines gradually diminished to a deep standby hum, and the enormous wind pressure subsided.

On the pier, staff in uniform began to busy themselves, guiding passengers to queue orderly in preparation for boarding.

Duke adjusted his wizard robe, which had no wrinkles to begin with, and calmly merged into the stream of people waiting to board.

Stepping onto the boarding passage that emitted a gentle white glow, Duke felt an extremely subtle and stable sensation underfoot, and the passage itself seemed to have some sort of cushioning and stabilizing witch array.

Upon entering the interior of the airship, one immediately felt an environment of constant temperature and humidity, completely different from the external Harbor City. The air was fresh, with a faint hint of what seemed like a mixture of sandalwood and ozone scent, indicating processed recycled air.

The internal passageways were spacious, with sound-absorbing and soft carpets laid on the floor, and the walls were warm-toned wood paneling, fixed with wall lamps emitting a steady glow.

Occasionally, densely engraved rune lines could be seen on the walls, with energy flowing through them like blood, indicating the omnipresent power of witch arrays within this giant ship.

A dignified attendant in a standard uniform of the Seventh Spiral Commerce Association came forward. After verifying Duke’s ticket information, he respectfully escorted him to his reserved cabin.

Duke had purchased a single luxury cabin on the upper deck of the airship, not purely for enjoyment but to have an undisturbed environment where he could quietly practice and meditate during the long journey.

The cabin door silently slid open when his ID badge approached, and the internal space was somewhat more spacious than Duke had expected, about the size of a standard hotel room.

A soft and spacious bed was fixed by the window, with bed linens that appeared clean and comfortable.

A desk, a wardrobe, and a small sofa set made up the basic living area.

The most striking feature was the large oval porthole, made of thick yet transparent crystal glass, offering a view of the vast and boundless sea of clouds and the gradually shrinking landscape below.

Runes flickered along the edges of the porthole, seemingly serving the functions of enhancement, shading, and preventing spiritual power prying.

The attendant briefly introduced some of the cabin’s facilities, including a small communication magic array embedded in the wall for calling services, a temperature-controlled wine cabinet, and a private washroom equipped with basic cleaning witch arrays.

“Honorable guest, your cabin is equipped with a dedicated service servant from the Moai race of the Earth Element plane. They are known for their loyalty and physical strength. For any daily needs such as room arrangement, meal delivery, or message transmission, you can summon it through the communication magic array. It stands by in the corridor outside.” The attendant added with a smile before bowing and leaving.

After the attendant left, Duke’s heart thought issued a simple command through the communication magic array. Moments later, the cabin door slid open, and a figure quietly stepped inside.

It stood nearly two and a half meters tall, almost touching the top of the door frame, with an exceptionally burly and muscular figure.

Its skin appeared to be a dark gray, with a texture that seemed like polished granite, and joints bore markings resembling rock fissures.

Its head was large with coarse facial features, and its eyes were two spheres of gentle earthy yellow light without pupils, giving it a sturdy yet slightly odd appearance. It wore a specially tailored, somewhat tight-fitting white servant robe, revealing limbs like rock.

This was the Moai race, a humanoid creature from a high Earth Element plane.

They are naturally endowed with immense strength, strong defense, gentle demeanor, and high obedience, commonly tamed in the Wizard Plane as guardians, laborers, or servants.

The Moai servant before him slightly bowed its head and said in a voice deep and respectful like the rubbing of rocks, “Master, Stonehoof awaits your command.”

Its common language was somewhat stiff, but the meaning was clear.

Duke appraised it once and nodded, instructing it to retreat to the door and wait.

Concerning such inter-plane slave creatures, he felt neither much sympathy nor aversion; it was a commonplace phenomenon in the Wizard Plane, an inevitable product of the power and civilization stratification.

As long as they behaved themselves and fulfilled their duties, it was sufficient.

The Cloud Whale ship was essentially built specifically for wizards, with basic facilities inaccessible to ordinary people making entry very exclusive.

However, there were still quite a few ordinary people aboard the airship, most of whom were not eligible to reside in these upper-level areas and lived in some simpler, ordinary rooms below the deck instead.

Having settled his luggage, Duke decided to check out the public areas of the airship, especially the dining hall.

The dining hall was located on the mid-level of the airship, a large space with a high ceiling and an excellent view.

The dome was made of transparent reinforced crystal, allowing a direct view of the sky and the occasional passing cloud formations.

The walls were adorned with murals depicting various plane wonders, and the soft lighting created a comfortable ambiance.

The dining hall offered buffet-style meals, with long counters displaying an array of foods, not only featuring dishes from various parts of the Wizard Plane but also many delicacies cooked with ingredients unmistakably of other plane styles.

For instance, a fruit salad emitting a faint glow from the Emerald Forest Plane, or spicy steaks roasted from Fire Lizard meat, a specialty of the Lava Plane.

There was even a shellfish from the Tidal Plane, reminiscent of oysters but three times larger, which reportedly emitted the unique tidal sounds of its plane when eaten raw.

Wandering through the dining hall, replenishing drinks and clearing tables, apart from a few human waiters coordinating, were mostly various humanoid slave creatures.

Duke saw swift and agile Spirit Cat Race maidens with fuzzy ears and long tails, gracefully carrying trays among the tables and chairs, and he also noticed the Wave Race with blue-gray skin and webbed fingers, skilled in handling liquids and glassware.

There was even a silent, tall and lean Withered Wood Race, its skin akin to bark, deftly arranging floral decorations on the dining counters with vine-like flexible fingers.

These servants from different planes, like the airship itself, were a reflection of the power and conquest of Wizard Civilization.

Duke took some relatively normal Wizard Plane native foods and a cup of magic juice, then sat at a window seat, savoring the decently flavored meal while watching the rapidly passing sea of clouds and land outside the porthole.

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