Chapter 21: North of the Sky

Orlando lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling.

North of the Sky.

Four words.

One direction.

That was it.

“Riddler.”

He cursed at the air.

God of Love didn’t bother him.

Probably sleeping, or watching his misery.

He chewed over those four words again and again.

Sky.

Literally meant the sky.

North of it.

North of the sky.

But what was north of the sky?

More sky?

If Sky was a place name, then it should at least be on the ground, not actually hanging in the sky.

Ruins couldn’t be built on clouds.

Unless they could fly.

Orlando temporarily suppressed the thought of “floating ruins” in his mind and started recalling everything related to “Sky.”

The documents of the Eldron Empire never mentioned that word.

He hadn’t read many ancient texts of the Wuling Cloud Dynasty either.

The Federation’s tech archives were even less likely to have it—those people only cared about how to shoot rockets into space, not what ruins were up there.

The Angel Tribe.

That word suddenly surfaced from the depths of his memory.

Those winged creatures lived on floating islands above the sea of clouds.

Holy Radiance City was built on seven floating islands.

If there was anyone who would build something in the sky, the Angel Tribe came first, and no one dared to claim second.

And there was a more direct reason he thought so.

Hui.

Last night in the alley, when Hui healed that silver-haired little girl, he used the Angel Tribe’s Holy Light.

Golden light, rising from his palms, exactly as the legends described.

He sat up from the bed.

Hui should know something.

…

……

…………

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“Sorry, sir.”

“It seems I cannot answer your question.”

“But you showed you could use the Angel’s—”

Orlando’s words were cut off as Hui raised a hand.

“Sir.”

Hui’s tone was still gentle, but his speech was a little faster than usual.

“My Holy Light spell is the most basic healing magic. Even someone without talent can learn it. Holy Light is just a name that contains ‘Holy Light,’ but it has nothing to do with the Angel Tribe.”

Orlando opened his mouth.

Then he suddenly realized.

Holy Light is just a name.

When he grew up in the Eldron Empire, he had seen church members use healing magic.

Those priests in white robes placed their hands on the wounded, palms glowing white, wounds slowly closing.

Everyone called it “Holy Light.”

But that was a completely different thing from the Angel Tribe’s Holy Light.

The Angel Tribe’s Holy Light was golden, a power with a sacred attribute flowing from their light wings, not even on the same level as ordinary healing magic.

But he had been labeled a “magicless cripple” since age six.

Two years ago, when he was in the Royal Dragon-Slaying Corps, he was an anomaly who couldn’t use any magic at all.

His comrades could all at least throw a fireball or cast a healing spell.

Only he got by with a dragon-slaying gun and his mechanical talent.

His knowledge of magic was probably about the same as a Federation worker’s knowledge of aristocratic etiquette.

What’s more, the Dragon Tribe had always looked down on the Angel Tribe.

The Silver Dragon Queen never mentioned the Angel Tribe, and even when she did occasionally, her tone was like she was talking about a group of “self-important things living above the clouds.”

The Dragon Tribe simply couldn’t be bothered to distinguish the Angel Tribe’s Holy Light from ordinary healing magic—in their eyes, both were insignificant tricks.

So if even Hui didn’t know, was he going to have to run all over the continent?

“However.”

Hui’s voice pulled him back.

“I do know something about Sky.”

Orlando sat up straight.

Hui pushed his cup aside and folded his hands on the table.

The afternoon light from the window reflected in his heterochromatic pupils, making his golden eye look deeper than usual.

“Sky was once a barrier meticulously crafted by the Angel Tribe to protect the Holy City.”

“Originally, the source of this barrier was on the outer continent. Later, the Angel Tribe relocated the source into Holy Radiance City.”

Orlando’s eyes lit up.

“So the original source is the ruins then.”

“You could put it that way, sir.”

Hui nodded slightly.

Orlando leaned back in his chair and let out a long breath.

North of the Sky.

It wasn’t the literal “north of the sky.”

Sky was the name of a barrier.

Its source—or rather, its original source—was a ruin.

That ruin was on the continent.

The source had moved, but the ruins should still be there.

What Victoria meant by “North of the Sky” was the location of the ruins relative to the source of the Sky barrier, or the other way around.

He just needed to find where the Sky barrier once stood, then go north.

Or directly find the coordinates of the ruins.

Either way, at least he wouldn’t be running around the whole continent like a headless chicken.

“That’s good.”

He said.

Hui looked at him, his heterochromatic pupils reflecting the relieved expression on Orlando’s face.

“Sir is interested in Sky?”

“A personal matter.”

Orlando stood up and pushed his chair back under the table.

“Thanks, Mr. Hui.”

“You’re welcome.”