Chapter 165: Floating in the Air.

Semele’s expression changed the moment she heard Edgar’s question.

Edgar noticed her reaction immediately.

He had expected her to make another strange joke or avoid the question with one of her usual cryptic answers, but this time she had actually been caught off guard.

"You seem surprised."

Semele slowly recovered her composure. "Perhaps I am."

She looked at Edgar for a few seconds before crossing her arms in front of her chest.

Edgar didn’t look away. "I’ve been thinking about it since I saw that statue in a cave."

Semele’s expression became slightly more curious. "And what exactly have you been thinking about?"

Edgar remained silent for a moment before answering. "I think you’re much older than you look."

Semele’s eyebrows immediately rose.

She placed one hand against her chest and looked at Edgar with an almost offended expression. "That’s not a very nice thing to say to a lady."

Edgar frowned. "I’m being serious."

"I know."

Semele’s lips curved into a small smile. "Then it makes it worse."

Edgar sighed but he expected it.

Semele always had a way of turning serious conversations into something that made him question whether she was actually listening to him.

"I don’t care about your appearance." Edgar’s expression became more serious. "I need to know more about you, Semele. You’ve helped my Fortress, you’ve fought against Nightmares, and you seem to know things about them that I don’t."

The smile on Semele’s face slowly faded.

Edgar continued. "I don’t expect you to tell me everything, but I need to know whether I can trust you."

The wind moved through the nearby trees, causing the leaves to rustle softly.

Semele looked at Edgar for a long time, she finally sighed. "You really have become troublesome."

"I’ll take that as a compliment."

"It wasn’t."

Semele walked toward the edge of the Fortress Wall and looked toward the distant forest.

For several seconds, she remained quiet.

She finally spoke."You can think of me as a guardian."

Edgar’s eyes narrowed. "A guardian?"

Semele nodded. "Yes."

"Who are you guarding?"

Semele turned her head toward him.

"You."

Edgar stared at her and for a moment, he didn’t know what to say.

"Me?"

Semele nodded again. "Who else would I be talking about?"

Edgar walked closer. "Why?"

"Because you are important."

"The world is changing, Edgar."

Her voice was quieter than usual.

"Things that have been sleeping for a very long time are beginning to move again, and the Nightmares are not the only creatures that will become active."

Edgar remembered the strange sounds coming from the Norwood Mountains.

His expression became even more serious. "You knew this was going to happen?"

"I suspected it."

"And that’s why you’re protecting me?"

She only smiled.

Edgar stared at her. He wanted to ask more questions, but Semele had already begun walking away.

"Wait."

She stopped.

Edgar looked at her back. "Are you going to tell me anything else?"

Semele glanced over her shoulder.

"Not today." She smiled. "Besides, if I told you everything now, where would be the fun?"

Semele continued walking.

Before disappearing around the corner, she looked back at him one final time.

"Just remember one thing, Edgar."

He waited.

"I am on your side."

Then she walked away.

Edgar remained on the wall for a while, watching the place where she had disappeared.

---

Several hours later, Edgar stood outside the Fortress.

Hundreds of Soul Guardians were lined up across the open field.

The sight was completely different from the army Edgar had possessed only a short while ago.

Human warriors stood in organized rows while dwarves carried enormous hammers and axes.

Elves stood farther behind them with bows in their hands, while the larger Giants and Orcs formed a second line behind the smaller soldiers.

The strange winged creatures remained above them, circling through the cloudy sky.

Every single one was connected to Edgar through the Soul Network.

Edgar could feel all of them.

Hundreds of minds had become part of his network.

He could see through their eyes and give commands without speaking.

"Move forward."

The entire army began marching.

THUD.

THUD.

THUD.

The ground shook beneath their footsteps.

Edgar watched them disappear into the forest before turning back toward the Fortress.

The army would patrol the surrounding territory and eliminate any Nightmares they encountered.

It was also a test.

Edgar wanted to understand how well the new Soul Guardians performed outside the walls.

After dealing with that, he suddenly remembered something else.

"The artisans."

He had been ignoring them for far too long.

Edgar immediately headed toward the workshop district.

The artisans had been working on the hot air balloon project for a long time, and he had almost forgotten about it because of everything that had happened recently.

When Edgar arrived, several artisans immediately noticed him.

Their expressions changed. "My Lord."

One of them quickly approached.

"We’ve completed it."

Edgar looked behind him.

A massive hot air balloon stood in the open workshop yard.

The large balloon was connected to a wooden basket beneath it, while several thick ropes had been reinforced around the structure.

Edgar walked around it slowly and he examined the basket first.

The wood had been strengthened with metal supports, and the ropes were thick enough to hold considerable weight.

He then looked at the enormous balloon and the material appeared surprisingly durable.

"It looks good."

The artisans immediately looked relieved.

"You did a good job."

They smiled proudly.

They had spent countless hours working on the design, testing different materials and making changes whenever something failed.

Edgar continued examining it but after a few moments, he noticed something strange.

Edgar looked at the balloon again as he finally noticed there was no engine.

Though he suddenly remembered something. Solar Energy.

The balloon didn’t necessarily need a traditional engine.

Edgar could provide the energy himself.

He stepped toward the wooden basket. "I think I can solve that problem."

The artisans followed him with curious expressions.

Edgar climbed inside the basket and looked around.

There was enough space for several people.

He placed one hand against the center of the basket and slowly released a small amount of Solar Energy.

Golden light began flowing from his palm.

At first, nothing happened but the balloon above them began to tremble.

WHOOM.

The enormous fabric slowly expanded.

The artisans stared upward.

The balloon continued filling with hot air, its surface becoming tighter and tighter.

Edgar increased the amount of Solar Energy.

The air inside the balloon became hotter.

The basket suddenly moved.

"Wait!"

One of the artisans stepped backward.

The basket rose several inches from the ground.

The ropes stretched tightly.

The balloon was floating.

Edgar looked upward with a faint smile.

"So it works."

The artisans erupted into excited voices.

They had spent weeks working on the machine, only to discover that the missing engine had been unnecessary from the beginning.

Edgar was about to test how high it could rise when he suddenly thought of someone.

"Hera."

A Soul Guardian was immediately sent to find her.

It didn’t take long.

Hera arrived at the workshop and stared at the floating balloon with confusion.

"What is that?"

Edgar pointed toward the basket. "Get inside."

Hera looked at him. "Why?"

"I want to test it."

Her expression became suspicious. "Test what?"

"The balloon."

Hera looked upward again. "You want me to get inside that?"

Edgar nodded. "Yes."

Hera hesitated before eventually climbing into the basket.

Edgar then turned toward one of the stronger Soul Guardians.

"Hold the rope."

The guardian immediately grabbed the thick rope attached to the basket.

Edgar stepped inside as well.

Hera looked at him. "What are you doing?"

"Making it go higher."

Edgar grabbed the side of the basket.

He increased his physical strength and then released more Solar Energy into the balloon.

WHOOM!

The balloon suddenly rose and Hera’s eyes widened.

The basket lifted several metres into the air, and the ground quickly began moving farther away.

"Edgar!"

Hera grabbed the edge of the basket.

Edgar laughed softly. "Don’t worry."

The Soul Guardian below them held the rope firmly, preventing the balloon from drifting away.

The artisans stared upward in amazement as the balloon continued rising.

The Fortress became smaller beneath them.

The walls, towers, roads, and buildings slowly came into view from above.

Edgar looked across the landscape.

For the first time, he could see the entire Fortress from the sky.

His eyes slowly widened. "This could be useful."

Hera looked at him.

"For what?"

Edgar smiled.

"Scouting."

He looked toward the distant forest.

From this height, he could see places that would normally remain hidden behind trees and hills.

The balloon wasn’t simply a strange invention anymore.

It could become another part of his Fortress.

Edgar looked toward the horizon where the fog covered the distant mountains.

Hera slowly moved to the edge of the basket and looked down from the sky.

She slowly turned towards him and mumbled. "We are flying..."

Edgar smiled and repeated his words. "Told you I was from a world where people can fly."