Chapter 147: Sky Giants

“Your Highness! I thought you had slipped away from class, and here you are with… Hmm? these small people?”

The figure that rapidly approached us was a fully armed giant wearing golden shining armor and carrying a long spear as long as his own body. His face was hidden by a helmet, but judging from the fact that he was called “Old Man,” it was clear he was an old man. His voice had the distinctive, deep timbre typical of someone old.

The giant seemed wary as he looked at us. Alright, it was time to communicate! I had to convey with all my might that we harbored no ill intentions.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Giant Sir. My name is Isam, a humble mage. We were on our journey through the sky when we came across this young boy. We stopped him to have a conversation.”

The giant, who had been on guard, seemed to relax a bit after hearing what I had to say. Had he understood that we meant no harm?

“Mage Isam, there’s no need for concern. His Highness probably couldn’t contain his curiosity and approached you, right?”

“Y-you found out…!?”

Hey, young one! If only you had kept quiet, you might have been able to bluff your way through this! It seemed he wasn’t good at lying.

So, the young boy was referred to as “Your Highness”. This meant he was undoubtedly from a noble lineage within the giant community, likely from a royal or chieftain’s family.

“Ah, what a relief. It’s fortunate that Sir Isam is a reasonable person. But your Highness, what would we have done if the one you met had attacked you without any discussion?”

“Uh… Sorry Old Man…”

“It’s a good thing to sincerely apologize, Your Highness.”

Upon saying this, the old giant dismounted from his sheep and, while floating, he approached the young boy before gently patting his head. Um…I don’t know If I had the right to say this but how was he floating with such a huge body? He was as big as a humanoid robot from a specific anime!

“Oh, I’ve been late in introducing myself! I serve the great Titus Lord (Sky Giant King) as one of the Titus (Sky Giants). My name is Carolus. And this young man here is His Highness Lysandros, the son of the Titus Lord.”

“A Titus…?”

“Oh, Sir Isam, are you not familiar with our race of Titus? By the way, you mentioned you were traveling. Where are you headed?”

“We plan to go to the southern part of Luxresia continent, but why do you ask?”

“Well, as an apology for any trouble his highness may have caused, I thought I might escort you all there.”

“Really? Are you serious?”

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“Wow, so there are such races even on the ground!”

We, of course, accepted Carolus’s offer. It would be a waste not to take the opportunity to ride on a super-dreadnought-sized giant sheep, and this might just lead to another event. Engaging actively with NPCs is undoubtedly encouraged in this game.

During the journey, Carolus had asked us to entertain Lysandros with tales of our adventures and descriptions of the towns on the ground as a kind of payment for the ride. This was Lysandros’s lesson. It seemed he had originally slipped out of a classroom lesson, so Carolus had plotted this as a way for him to learn in a more enjoyable and engaging manner.

“Actually, I find the kingdom of the Titus race more intriguing.”

Through our conversation with Carolus and Lysandros, we learned a great deal from them. First, the Titus was a race of giants living in the sky. Adult males reach around twenty meters in height, while adult females are about eighteen meters tall. I didn’t notice it at first, but the hair on their heads is shaped like feathers, and it seemed this was true for their other body hair as well. Moreover, as a race, they possessed the skill of [Flight], which they had used to float just before.

Next, about the sheep we were riding: it turned out to be a monster known as a cloud sheep. These creatures live in the sky and have a symbiotic relationship with the Titus race as their friends. Among them, the Ancient Cloud Sheep Emperor, who has lived since ancient times, was extraordinarily large.

Indeed, what Iris had seen were the legs of the Ancient Cloud Sheep Kaiser. And what we had mistaken for cumulonimbus clouds was actually the body of the Ancient Cloud Sheep Kaiser!

Moreover, the Titus had built their kingdom atop the Ancient Cloud Sheep Kaiser. Beings as large as buildings were living on a creature larger than mountains. This was a huge story in every sense of the word.

“Fufufu. Your Highness, the world is indeed vast. The same is true for us the Sky Giants.”

“Yeah! Hey, hey! Tell me more!”

“Alright, alright! That reminds me of a time not too long ago…”

Jigoro, Iris, and I took turns sharing various stories. Iris and I were one thing, but Jigoro was not good with formal speech and spoke roughly. However, the two Titus didn’t seem to mind his way of speaking at all. This seemed to be because the Titus people were generally easygoing by nature.

However, it seemed that many among them went beyond being easygoing to being lazy or acting selfishly. Meticulous individuals like Carolus were rare, and it appeared they faced their own set of challenges. One could easily sympathize with the hardships he was enduring.

According to Carolus, besides the Titus (Sky Giants), there were other giant races like the Gigades (Earth Giants), the Oceas (Sea Giants), the Jotunn (Frost Giants), and the Typhon (Lava Giants). Each had different personalities; some races were entirely composed of solemn and earnest giants, while others were entirely belligerent. Therefore, it was best to do some background research before making contact with them. We were lucky that the first giants we encountered were the generous Titus.

“…and that’s how it is. One day, I’ll definitely beat them.”

“Wow! I wonder who’s stronger, this great Tengu or my father? What do you think, old man?”

“Hmm, I’m not sure. But the great Tengu of the Heavenly Spirit Island is renowned as one of the strongest demons; he is famous enough to be well-known to us. At the very least, if they fought with all their might, even our king would not win easily.”

“He’s as strong as my father!? Amazing!”

Lysandros’s eyes widened in surprise. I wasn’t sure whether giants were considered monsters, but it seemed that those with titles like “King” or “Emperor” were the strongest among them.

“Oh? My friends, your destination is coming into view.”

Oooh! The cloud sheep we were riding on was incredibly fast! The one Lysandros was riding, which was even faster than Karl’s flying speed, turned out to be just a youngster. The one Carolus was riding, even while carrying Lysandros and his sheep, and the three of us dashed like the wind.

This must surely be due to its size. Sheep aren’t typically known for having long legs, but its sheer size was overwhelming. With each step, it seemed to cover nearly a hundred meters. Moving at such a pace, it might have been as fast as an airplane. If that was the case, why weren’t we feeling any wind pressure?

There must be some secret to it, but pondering it now wouldn’t help. What mattered was that our destination was now just ahead.

“Eeh, just when we were getting along so well…”

“Your Highness, you shouldn’t be so willful. These people have their own goals to pursue.”

“Hmm… Ah! Then take this!”

Lysandros was calmed down by Carolus, but as if he had an idea, he grabbed his own hair and pulled out several strands at once. He then handed each one of them out to us. His hair strands, in the form of feathers, were large in proportion to his size. The feather given to me was about as long as I was tall. I was intrigued by it so I decided to use [Appraisal] on it.

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Titus Head Feather – Quality: Superior, Rarity: S (Special)

Feather from the head of a Titus who lives in the sky

White is a noble color for Sky Giants, signifying royalty.

Can be spun into an exceptionally rare fiber.

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Aha, so this is called a ‘Head Feather’. And it can be processed into fiber. It seems to hold high value as an item, but since it was given as a symbol of friendship, I shall not alter it. It would be disrespectful and far too wasteful!

“The old man is wearing a helmet, so you might not realize it, but white feathers like these are exclusive to royalty like me and my father! Come visit our country someday! If you show them this, I’m sure we’ll be able to meet again! Then you can tell me more stories about the outside world!”

“Understood. When that time comes, I’ll bring the other members along. It’s a promise.”

“Yeah!”

Lysandros beamed with an innocent smile. Mufufufufufu! Doesn’t this mean we can now visit the land of the Titus? There are so many enticing places to choose from for our coming adventures; it’s almost overwhelming!

Oh no, maybe I got a bit too excited. In any case, this meant we had added one more destination to our list. A kingdom of giants living atop a sheep that was floating in the sky… it sounded like something out of a fairy tale.

“I don’t mind if you drop us off here now. I truly appreciate you bringing us this far.” I said.

“Thanks, giant grandpa and prince!” Jogoro said.

“Thank you very much. And Mr. Sheep thank you as well.” Iris added.

“Grrrrrr…”

Even as we exchanged these words, Carolus’s cloud sheep continued to move forward. Thanks to this, we had reached a location where even my flying speed would be sufficient to arrive quickly. So, we expressed our gratitude and bid farewell to them. Jigoro was making an American-style farewell gesture, and Iris was petting the cloud sheep as if reluctant to part… Maybe Iris likes sheep? If so, she might be happy to see wool.

“No, no. We are the ones who should thank you for sharing such valuable stories with His Highness. I look forward to the day we can meet again.”

“Yeah! See you again!”

After getting down from the cloud sheep, we returned to our original formation and flew back into the sky before gradually descending towards our destination.

“Byebyeee! You absolutely, absolutely have to visit uuuus!”

The voice of Lysandros echoed from behind us. Although our time together was brief, we felt a sense of longing as we parted ways from our two companions who had made the journey enjoyable. With this sentiment, we continued on our way forward.

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“I can see it now. That’s our destination, the city-state of Bigdareio.”

The southern part of the Luxresia continent is a land of dry wilderness and deserts. The city-state of Bigdareio centered around an oasis in the wilderness near the desert, is a nation composed mainly of Orcs. It is a nation of noble warriors, quite contrary to the common greedy and vile image associated with Orcs.

While there is no disparity among different races, it’s true that the stronger one is, the more respect they garner from others. At the same time, the strong have a duty to protect their companions, and even travelers who are just staying must fight and hunt the threatening monsters of Bigdareio if they are strong.

This applies to players as well; to stay for a long period, one must hunt countless monsters. Unlike the relaxed setting of Birdy Perch, this place doesn’t allow for leisure. However, the situation is different for those in production jobs. Here, if one earnestly engages in production and pays the appropriate stay fees, a long-term stay becomes possible.

“It… it’s so hooot…” Iris said.

“Reallyyy? I find it rather good.” Jigoro remarked.

The southern part of the Luxresia continent was hot during the day and cold at night. For Iris, who had the [Fire Weakness], it might have been a harsh environment. Her tentacles seemed to be wilting, perhaps from the strain. On the other hand, Jigoro, who had [Fire Resistance], seemed to be faring well in such an environment. It was quite possible to be afflicted with status ailments due to the surrounding environment. They would need to research this more later.

“If it’s too tough, just say so… Hm? What’s that… Is someone fighting a monster?”

As I contemplated throwing a weakened waterball at Iris to help her, I noticed a battle unfolding ahead. One side was a group of giant worm-like monsters, while the other consisted of heavily armed warriors.

Their faces were not visible, but they were most likely warriors from Bigdareio, given our current location. I could only guess from a distance, but it seemed that the warriors were at a disadvantage. The monsters were not only larger but also outnumbered them.

“Hey, hey. We’re not going to just ignore this, right, brother?”

“Of course not. It’s the right thing to do, both from a humane and financial point of view.”

I had already informed Eiji and Usaji that we were on our way. Still, we also understood that being outsiders arriving on top of a dragon, it wouldn’t be strange if we were attacked by the ones living here. Therefore, we planned to help the warriors as a way to enter Bigdareio smoothly, also acting on the spirit of helping monsters instead of normal humans.

“Heeeh… Are we going into battle right away?” Iris exclaimed.

“No need to push yourself. Just throwing items is enough as support.” I replied.

“Okay…”

“Let’s go, Karl!”

“Guoooooon!!”

Iris who nodded her head weakly yet emphatically was a little uneasy, but in order to help the struggling warriors, we quickly took flight towards the battlefield.