CHAPTER 1877: CHAPTER 1870: MUGALIYA AIRSHIP

"Uh..."

Yichuan Yu stared wide-eyed, holding her finger and watching her.

"He won’t understand if you say it like that," Tangmo said with a wry smile.

"He will understand in the future," Baiyue looked at her and said seriously, "We shouldn’t deceive them with lies just because they are young."

Tangmo was momentarily speechless at Baiyue’s response, opening his mouth but unable to say a word.

The transport plane produced a huge noise, returning along the predetermined course.

Although the engines had been fixed, the Ronisca Air Force transport planes were still primarily powered by propellers. When rotating, they produced such a loud noise that passengers and pilots needed to wear noise-canceling headphones to prevent hearing damage.

However, thanks to the reliance on anti-gravity engines for levitation, the flight of the transport plane was quite stable, and turbulence from airflows was rarely felt.

Despite using only propeller power, its speed was impressive, covering more than a hundred kilometers in just over half an hour, a speed unimaginable with a horse carriage.

After more than an hour of long-range flight, the fleet simultaneously ascended through thick clouds, and a gigantic vessel hovered above the clouds — the Helrandum-class second ship, Mukalia.

Unlike Helrandum, Mukalia underwent more thorough changes, its top turned into a full deck while multiple large-caliber gun turrets were visible rotating at the bottom.

This was the future development direction for the Ronisca Air Force — carrier operations above, battleship actions below.

Even in a hovering state, as the fleet approached the deck, many personnel could be seen moving about the deck. These were ground crew responsible for fighter takeoff and landing operations, wearing thick cold weather gear, hats, and sunglasses, working to guide aircraft.

As the fleet reached the deck’s airspace, two transport planes gradually decelerated, eventually hovering above, while nearby aircraft dispersed, beginning escort guard missions around the mother ship.

Evidently, the transport plane was in communication with the control tower personnel on the mother ship regarding landing procedures. The co-pilot’s communications officer was typing rapidly, notes filled with messages spewing from the communication device, covered in dense lettering.

With the propellers mostly stopped, the noise significantly reduced, allowing the Advance Team to listen to the communications between the officer and pilots.

The communication officer glanced at the notes occasionally, continued typing, and finally nodded with satisfaction, pointing below through the glass to tell the pilot, "Land on runway four."

"Received!"

The dwarf pilot replied, gently pushing the engine switch as the propeller began rotating, producing an irritating loud noise.

With the pilot’s skilled maneuvering, the transport plane adjusted direction and gently descended. On the deck, ground crew with yellow vests held command flags guiding the transport plane to land in the designated area.

Meanwhile, through reinforced glass, the Advance Team saw a team of dwarf marines approaching the upper deck via elevator, heading directly for the transport plane, seemingly preparing to receive the Advance Team.

The transport plane landed steadily on the deck, and ground crew hurriedly fixed the landing gear to the deck. After the pilot shut down all engines, he indicated that the Advance Team could open the cabin doors.

Upon receiving the command, Hu Daoke swiftly opened the cabin door, feeling a cold wave rush in, instantly dropping the cabin temperature by several degrees.

Outside, marine soldiers saluted the Advance Team and courteously handed over white down vest jackets, perfectly tailored for each person.

Donning the white vest and stepping off the transport plane, Mukalia hovered steadily, the transport plane still sensing slight air current fluctuations, while Mukalia remained solid as a mountain peak, instilling a sense of stability on its deck.

"Captain Luo’er, a long journey indeed," the leading dwarf marine soldier respectfully saluted Luo’er in Tasta language.

"It’s thanks to your assistance," Luo’er responded with a heartfelt salute.

"Ensuring the Advance Team’s safety is our mission," the marine soldier appeared thrilled, somewhat uncontrollably saying, "Your accommodations are ready; please follow us to your quarters. Additionally, the captain has long awaited your arrival at the bridge, looking forward to meeting Captain Luo’er."

"Yes, please lead the way," Luo’er nodded slightly.

"You’re welcome, right this way!"

The dwarf soldier indicated the marines to clear a path.

The rest of the Advance Team looked around curiously, watching as the transport plane carrying their belongings was directly towed to the elevator, slowly descending.

Gathering their belongings, the group descended as a convoy under the marines’ escort, arriving at the lower deck’s vast hangar.

The hangar housed even more personnel, including ground crew, small groups of pilots, and marines lined up for commands.

Various aircraft were stationed on both sides of the hangar, mainly fighters accompanied by some attack and transport planes. The hangar’s rear was open, allowing fighters to launch directly through the tail opening during emergencies.

Surrounded by marines, the group traversed the hangar, noticing all personnel, whether ground crew or pilots, upon seeing the Advance Team, stood at attention saluting Luo’er and others, requiring Luo’er to awkwardly return salutes while walking.

Passing through the embarrassing hangar, the group ascended the elevator, descending around two levels to reach the living quarters.

Though dwarves, the High-peak people designed their architecture grandly, with living quarters having ceilings over 2.8 meters high, preventing any sense of oppression.

The marines continued leading, while off-duty dwarf soldiers stopped chatting, staring at the Advance Team with curiosity. Numerous whispers were heard, mixed with suppressed cheering, likely because finding the Advance Team meant they could return.

Passing through the dormitory area, every encountered dwarf soldier stood at attention saluting, regardless of their current activities, as the Advance Team proceeded under the watchful eyes through crew dormitories to the officer quarters at the ship’s stern.

Undoubtedly officer quarters boasted superior overall environment and interior decor compared to crew dormitories.

The marines prepared three rooms for the Advance Team: one for males, one for females, and a larger room for Luo’er.

Not favoring such distinctions, Luo’er refrained from commenting due to being on their territory, opting instead to ask Tangmo to entrust the two children to him to balance his feelings.

Inside was much warmer compared to outside, heating liquid transported warmth through pipes, a thermometer hanging by the doorway showed a current temperature of 24 degrees Celsius.

From a primitive carriage into a technologically advanced warship cabin, everything felt surreal, as if Luo’er had returned from a lost world to human society, involuntarily breathing a sigh of relief.

After brief rest, Luo’er didn’t stay inside, leaving children with Tangmo, grooming himself before joining the waiting marine escort to the bridge.

Once again traversing the lengthy crew dormitories, through living quarters and dining areas, descending by elevator to finally arrive at the bridge command center located at the lower nose of the ship.

Ronisca’s warship bridges typically positioned at the nose’s lowest section, providing command personnel panoramic views facilitating artillery strikes.

Upon arriving at the bridge, a sturdy dwarf officer about 1.4 meters tall advanced eagerly.

Luo’er was most impressed by his large nose and dense black beard resembling Bismarck’s beneath it.

The officer wore a neat uniform and a white peaked cap with a strikingly vivid emblem. Moreover, his chest displayed several exaggerated military medals prominently.