"This isn't too bad."

"Compared to climbing up in the air, jumping down is much simpler."

After the voice-over ended, Catherine immediately shared her thoughts, her gaze moving away from the ruins of Hamono City.

It's not that she wasn't interested in the city.

But weighing the importance of getting down versus observing the city inside the Dust Beast, she realized the former was undoubtedly more crucial.

Ronald also expressed his views,

"If we're going down, we need to plan our route in advance."

"The height differences in these places are significant; it's easy to jump down but hard to climb back up. If we choose the wrong direction, we might get trapped there."

This is indeed a pragmatic issue and a demanding challenge.

The suspended bridges throughout the space vary in length and thickness, which is distinguishable up close.

However, once viewed from afar…

The bridges without distinct patterns or special carvings become mere lines intersecting in the sky. Even discerning their proximity and elevation becomes a challenging task.

Especially since Ronald and Catherine lack extraordinary perception now.

Observing with ordinary human-level vision makes this hardly a simple task. Sometimes getting the route wrong means previous efforts go in vain.

It's a mentally and physically exhausting endeavor.

Soon, Catherine realized this wasn't her forte, so she decisively delegated the task to her companion:

"Ronald, this is making me dizzy. You continue, and I'll take a break."

Ronald turned to see, and indeed, Catherine wasn't kidding!

Because under the influence of the Labyrinth Picture Book, the Astronomy Tower Master's eyes had turned into spirals, seemingly on the brink of fainting.

Could he handle the task that neither of them managed?

Ronald didn't have any hero complex; his judgment was immediate—he definitely couldn't either.

The only way now was to find another method to solve the maze of this space.

Otherwise, they'd exhaust themselves in this observational phase.

Ronald shifted his gaze away from the suspended bridges, searching for other possible solutions.

Yet, the monotonous space offered no extra hints or details.

Minutes later, Ronald had to accept the reality of his fruitless efforts. He wanted to continue searching for something in this space, but there was simply no way forward.

Meanwhile, after resting for a while, Catherine got up from the ground:

"Well, any results?"

"If not, relay the results to me, and we'll take turns. Now it's your break."

Taking turns…

A flash of inspiration crossed Ronald's mind, and he immediately grasped it.

"Catherine, it's practically a tale of the Arabian Nights to think we can observe and pass through such a complex structure all at once. Perhaps we should try a different approach."

"Too difficult to pass all at once?" Just deducing from Ronald's statement, Catherine understood the man's thought process, "So you plan to divide this maze into segments, descending bit by bit?"

"Ronald, I must remind you, this decision is very risky!"

Catherine's reminder was something both knew from the start.

Descending in stages in such a constructed maze poses a risk of getting trapped should they jump incorrectly, ending on an isolated suspended island neither accessible above nor below.

"Didn't you just say we should be brave?"

Ronald teased Catherine before revealing his plan to tackle the issue:

"Don't worry, I've come prepared."

"As we descend, we take each stage approximately fifty meters at a time, thereby lessening the observational burden, and allowing route exploration over a broader range to stay relatively accurate."

After outlining his plan, Ronald switched his tone:

"I know this isn't a foolproof strategy, but given our current situation, we don't have a better choice."

This time, Catherine did not object.

The Tower Master of Astrology instead patted Ronald on the back and said simply:

"Since it's decided, let's get started!"

Ronald appeared momentarily surprised but quickly nodded in agreement:

"Alright."

Subsequently, the pair began operating according to Ronald's plan.

The fifty-meter intervals turned out to be cleverly chosen, just as Ronald anticipated, ensuring route selection accuracy during the descent, while not making observation excessively difficult.

Jumping to the next suspended bridge, then proceeding on a straight path to the next spatial intercrossing point, before jumping again.

And so, they repeated the process.

Considering safety as a priority, the rapid descent through the maze felt less like a challenge, and more like a game.

The first fifty meters, a hundred meters, a hundred and fifty meters…

Ronald and Catherine resembled video game characters from the FC era, steadily and safely descending bit by bit.

However, a well-organized plan inevitably encountered new trials.

When they descended to the three hundred meters mark, they didn't continue pressing forward in search of pathways, instead frowning deeply.

"Ronald, the suspended bridges below are narrowing," Catherine pointed out the situation.

"Every visible suspended bridge is narrowing; it's not that we chose the wrong path." Ronald also made a judgment.

The situation was exactly as they discussed.

The bridges before three hundred meters were wide enough for trucks to run on, and narrow enough for people to lie on and rest. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

But from that point downward, such conditions gradually vanished.

The maximum width of bridges barely reached two meters, with some narrowing to only about a meter.

Jumping down directly in such a place.

Lose your balance and tumble, and you'd likely fall.

Catherine shrugged, her face transitioning from helplessness to a playful grin, seemingly unafraid of the challenge.

"Great, another layer of safety considerations."

"Can't this thing be a bit simpler, let us catch a break?"

"We're here to seal the Dust Beast; it's only reasonable for it to resist." Ronald viewed it fairly optimistically, refocusing immediately, "In essence, we have to be more cautious now. While considering routes during our descent, we must also prioritize safety."

Their cautious actions paid off, and they did not slip and fall here.

Another one hundred and fifty meters later.

The remnants of Hamono below were already significantly closer; they could even see a suspended bridge connecting directly to a tree at the city's edge.

But in such an exhilarating moment,

Ronald and Catherine did not continue forward, halting instead where they were.