Chapter 831: Chapter 830: Flying to the Blue Sky

It certainly is a simple and straightforward name.

But many things in the Cecil Clan are like this—simple and straightforward, and behind this simplicity and directness lies either convenience and practicality or immense power.

Maji is starting to like this unique "Cecil Style" a bit.

"You can transform now," Rebecca stepped back to a safe distance, grinning as she said to Maji, "Don’t worry, the place is spacious, and I specifically reserved entry and takeoff space for you outside the workshop~"

Maji nodded and gently closed her eyes.

The power from her bloodline began to flow through her body, magic power reshaping her flesh and starting to break the boundaries of matter and elements. A curtain-like shimmer enveloped this Dragonborn’s body, and then the curtain expanded rapidly, enlarging to a range of more than ten meters in the blink of an eye, during which the outline of enormous dragon wings flashed by.

When the light faded, Maji, transformed into her black dragon form, appeared before everyone.

Even though they’d seen it more than once, Rebecca and her team of technicians were still amazed by the incredible transformation. The dragon’s power and mystery fascinated these technical workers greatly, and these white-robed researchers couldn’t help but gather around, once again exclaiming in unison at the power of the "dragon"—

"How on earth does it transform?" "Is such a massive body structure filled with magic power?" "The extra weight is a mystery..." "Where are the personal items from the human form kept..."

—Without a doubt, the researchers’ exclamations about the dragon were certainly professional in nature.

Maji shook her head from side to side, slightly helpless as she listened to the discussions around her—after becoming familiar with each other, these guys didn’t even bother to lower their voices when discussing such issues.

Recalling not long ago, she would have been terribly embarrassed by these discussions, even slightly offended, but after such a long time of interaction, she has long realized that this group around Rebecca was simply overly dedicated researchers, with no intent to offend her, just lacking in emotional intelligence—hence, they were all single.

May these overly curious guys remain single.

Maji muttered in her heart, her large, rigid, keratin-covered head lowering towards Rebecca: "How do I put this thing on?"

"You stand on that platform over there—see those red-marked blocks? Those are positioning points prepared for your limbs," Rebecca pointed to a spot not far away, "then spread your wings, leave the rest to us."

Following Rebecca’s instructions, Maji stepped onto the platform, steadied herself, then slowly spread her congenitally crippled wings.

She suddenly felt a bit nervous, her heart pounding in her chest, the sound of her heartbeat even reaching her ears.

The clanking sound of chains and rails moving accompanied the sound of her heartbeat, the collision and friction of metal following suit. The surrounding Mage Technicians and Mechanical Scholars continually operated the suspending machinery, and the pair of cold and imposing black steel wings drew closer, sticking to Maji’s wings with an icy touch.

Mechanical Scholars were already standing on the overhead beams, and as soon as the Wings of Steel were in place, they immediately moved the beams forward, beginning to fit each of the massive equipment’s lock clasps and frames into position with various tools, securing them one by one.

The sound of metal clashing and chains jingling echoed, calming Maji’s mind. Suddenly she felt as if she were a knight preparing to step onto the battlefield—these admirable technical personnel were using advanced machinery to arm a dragon, and for the dragon, this was her new armor. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

"Hey~~ Maji~~ This thing does weigh something! So we had to use many frames to ensure they stay fixed on you, mainly concentrated around the wing roots and back-belly area~~" Rebecca called loudly from below the platform, "Are there any uncomfortable places??"

"Very comfortable," Maji slightly lowered her head, her deep voice saying, "For a dragon, its burden is probably no different from you humans wearing a light leather armor. And I even have a suggestion—you could drill holes on some specific bone plates and scales at my scapula and wing tops, fix them directly with bolts. That might have a better effect."

Rebecca continued to shout, "Geez—you said something scary!!"

"But actually it doesn’t hurt at all, we have many keratin and exoskeletal structures that are insensitive, just like human nails."

Rebecca’s excited voice came from below: "Great! I’ll consider it next time!!"

"Wing equipment secured!" A Mechanical Scholar on the control platform shouted, interrupting the conversation between Rebecca and Maji, "Begin connecting back armor, chest armor, and auxiliary protective gear!"

More rails and bearings started turning, as custom-made black steel armor pieces for Maji began assembling onto her, with abdominal armor for bearing defensive shields, back armor for carrying backup power units, and collar armor laden with various testing instruments being installed one by one.

Maji watched these dazzling devices being attached to her one by one, understanding the purpose of some while having to guess the purpose of others, and some... she couldn’t even begin to guess what they were for. When a sharp-edged device gradually approached her jaw, she finally couldn’t help but ask, "Rebecca, what’s this thing being installed on my chin for? Why doesn’t it have any magic symbol structure?"

Rebecca glanced up, scratching her head: "Actually, I don’t know either... that was something the Ancestor Sir added after seeing my design, said it was a symbol of the black dragon..."

"Does the black dragon have such a symbol..." Maji muttered in confusion, and in her murmur, the black iron jaw cover had already been installed on her chin.

It might be a strangely shaped faceplate or perhaps an iron chin—Maji muttered to herself.

Then she tossed her doubts aside: If it’s an arrangement by His Majesty Gawain, then it must have its purpose. The wisdom and vision of that legendary hero are beyond ordinary comprehension. Someone like herself, who isn’t skilled at planning (a dragon), should just follow his directives.

As for now... she was ready to go.

"All locks in place, Wings of Steel mounted!" A Mechanical Scholar on the high platform shouted, "Test flight time!!"

Maji lifted her head, feeling her heart start pounding faster once more.

With an excited look on her face, Rebecca turned and called out, "Open the gate!!"

The magic-powered machinery drove heavy gears and levers, and the alloy gate of the workshop creaked open. Sunlight from the outside shone into this special "dragon armory workshop." Maji quickly calmed her mood, then stepped down from the platform, her heavy body clad in steel armor, walking towards the door.

Facing the sunlight, she squinted slightly, the clear and high blue sky sparkling in her view.

"Remember the control methods I told you about before?" Rebecca shouted from the ground, "They-are-all-the-same!! Most of the functions are just to complement the missing symbols on your wings, no need to get distracted managing them! On your first test flight, just pay attention to the force balance on the wings and the overall weight sensation!!"

"I will!"

"Alright then! Take off, Maji!!"

A gust of wind rose at the perfect moment, blowing against the hard scales and open wings of the black dragon. Feeling the airflow brushing against her body, Maji activated the magic capacitors installed at the base of her wings using her natural talent for controlling magic power.

The surging chaotic magic was immediately guided into the interior of the Wings of Steel, swiftly spreading along the edges of her native wings. Tiny streams of light rapidly extended over the surface of the extra metal framework, and one by one, the magic symbols on the surface of the metal components lit up, creating group resonance with Maji’s own deformed and incomplete wings—

The inherently missing Dragon Language Runes were instantly replenished, and a never-before-experienced feeling of mastering elements and the sky surged into Maji’s heart.

This sensation brought her memories back to the leap she took years ago at Dragon Leap Cliff—

She took two steps forward, yet her body almost fell due to an unprecedented sense of lightness, as chaotic air currents swirled around her, blowing her eyes shut.

Rebecca’s loud voice called out from behind: "Maji! Take it slowly! No-rush!! Step-by-step forward, then take off!!"

The black dragon took a deep breath, again adjusting her body’s balance, and summoned her magic power anew.

It wasn’t difficult at all—dragons have always been meant to soar in the blue sky, the ability to fly should be as simple as eating or drinking water for any dragon.

Maji stepped forward once more, spreading her wings, after a brief run-up she suddenly took to the air.

From childhood to adulthood, she had tried countless times like this and fallen just as many times.

This time, she did not fall.

The roaring wind blew in her face, which was then guided backwards by an invisible magical power field. Maji finally opened her eyes but only saw the earth beneath her feet moving backward, while magic gathered around her, propelling her higher into the sky.

This was an entirely different experience than riding Dragon Cavalry—it was even different from gliding off Dragon Leap Cliff or soaring using the storms summoned by Victoria.

It was the feeling of flying towards the blue sky with her own wings.

Maji suddenly felt like cheering, an impulse that contradicted her usual calm and steady demeanor, but...after all, there was no one else around here.

A low dragon roar came from the high sky, frightening many birds into flight from the nearby forest, fluttering chaotically in the air.

Rebecca looked up at the sky, suddenly laughing as she spoke to those around her, "She seems really happy!!"

...

Vast plains and woodlands continuously retreated in her sight, even the clouds seemed within reach. Wrapped in magic power, Maji spread her wings fully, and at the fringes of her inherently deformed and twisted wings, the flight auxiliary device crafted from magical alloy and steel framework gleamed brilliantly in the sunlight.

The Dragonborn would certainly be interested in these things, especially the young Dragonborn, particularly those friends she knew.

Maji thought with unwavering confidence, even...feeling that these things might impress those stubborn councilors and elders, might even impress the august Duke Balogar.

Perhaps Talronde’s "elite dragonkin" possessed more powerful abilities than these, perhaps the technology to fly into the sky did not impress the true Dragonkin at all, but for deformed Dragonborn, this was something that could change their fate.

Maji adjusted her flight posture, contemplating how to negotiate with her kin while attempting more features of the equipment, and began trying more challenging flight maneuvers.

Suddenly, she sensed something amiss.

Something seemed to have fallen off in the middle of the left wing, or maybe it was a rune meltdown. The sudden imbalance caused her to sway, and then she plummeted downward at high speed—

A thought flashed through Maji’s mind: new technology must undergo numerous failures.

The next second, she began to desperately adjust her balance, trying to regain her posture.

During her attempts with "Dragon Cavalry," she had crashed more than once. From the very start, she was mentally prepared for various problems in the prototype, and the present imbalance only startled her briefly. As a seasoned "test pilot," she was well-versed in "crashes."

After a few attempts to adjust balance, she realized she could no longer ascend; the only option seemed to be a gliding emergency landing.

Maji forced herself to calm down, beginning to hold her posture with all her might. She spread her wings, attempting to enter a gliding state, which was much more challenging than usual—the steel-forged "armor" was not a significant burden under normal circumstances, but during a forced landing, it was evidently troublesome. Carrying the unfamiliar weight, feeling the turbulent air streams, she exerted all her effort to prevent a vertical nosedive, and the town nearby and the White River not far away were already clearly visible.

Maji continuously adjusted the angle of her wings, steering herself away from the direction of the town, trying as much as possible to fall towards the river—

This way, at least, there would be no casualties...she herself shouldn’t suffer too severe injuries. Though crashing into the water at high speed also brought a frightening impact, it was better than falling onto hard ground. With the Dragonkin’s physique and deceleration along the way...it was an acceptable risk.

Maji swiftly weighed the options in her mind, and the next moment, the White River was upon her face...

Tiel sensed something was rapidly approaching in the air, as she was just preparing to dive into the water for an afternoon nap. She couldn’t resist poking her head out and looking towards the heavens.

A massive silhouette came crashing towards her.

The last thing Tiel saw was an indistinct iron jaw approaching at high speed.

"Whoops—*Kaboom*—"

Cecil Year 2, Revival Month, day 12.

The Prototype Steel Wings took to the skies.

Dragonborn test pilot Maji piloted the Wings of Steel for an hour flight, later forced to land in the White River due to mechanical failure.

Sea Demon Tiel was killed by the iron jaw falling from the sky (1/1).