-1503- The center of the world of humanity

As the crucial hub for humanity, the residence of Her Holiness the Pope, and the headquarters of the Floating City Alliance, the floating city Vebel is located far from the threat of Armored Beetles compared to other floating cities around the world. It serves as the last line of defense for safeguarding the future of humanity.

Thus, it is extremely rare for Armored Beetles to appear around Vebel, and even if they do, they are swiftly eliminated, ensuring that this remains one of the safest places for humans.

The shuttle carrying Rozen and others gradually slowed down as they entered the airspace of Vebel.

People began to gather on the deck in groups, gazing toward Vebel.

"Wow...!"

The next moment, similar expressions of awe began to spread.

What appeared before them was the largest floating city anyone had ever seen.

The size of this floating city was several times that of an ordinary floating city.

Within the city, luxurious and magnificent buildings towered, including skyscrapers, surrounding a majestic palace in the center, with roads stretching outwards.

Around the city, large floating rocks, connected by chains, hovered in the air. Each was different in size, and the scenery within them varied as well—some were almost entirely covered in forests, others had mountains and flowing water, and they were no smaller than Mistgun, forming a spectacular sight.

"So that's Vebel?"

Yuri murmured in a voice full of admiration, her expression reflecting her amazement.

"No wonder, it's truly humanity's last stronghold, the headquarters of the Floating City Alliance."

Kanata nodded in awe.

"Her Holiness the Pope also resides here, making this the very center of humanity."

Mena gazed at the enormous floating city.

"We've never been to Vebel before, right? Only Rozen has been here?"

Chloe remarked, drawing everyone's attention to the only one who remained unfazed.

"I was only invited here once during my third year of the preparatory course after achieving a major victory on the front lines."

Facing everyone's gazes, Rozen shrugged and began explaining to them.

"Do you see that palace in the center of the city?"

Rozen pointed to the majestic palace.

"That's the palace where His Holiness the Pope is rumored to live—Noesis Palace."

That is the heart of Vebel, and the sacred ground for humanity. Tomorrow evening, Rozen and the representatives of the various academy floating cities attending the Sky Wizards Martial Arts Festival will gather there for a pre-tournament banquet to meet the powerful individuals from around the world.

"Those large floating rocks surrounding Vebel are also part of Vebel. They are artificial floating islands designed for various production facilities, ready to support other floating cities when needed. They primarily contain food and energy production plants, and some even recreate environments like rainforests for environmental research. There are thirteen in total, each no smaller than a floating city like Mistgun, and they are of great importance to Vebel."

Rozen, having been here before, introduced various famous landmarks of Vebel to the group.

"There's also a central library here, which has collected books from floating cities worldwide over the past 400 years. It contains publications from all the floating cities in the world, making it the highest-level library globally. It even houses countless valuable information and data, including books on magic, Alchemist Division techniques, and medical science, as well as tactical and strategic guides for Sky Wizards. The collection is incredibly extensive."

Hearing this, both Kanata and Chloe came to a sudden realization.

"Knowing you, Rozen, you probably spent your entire time in Vebel buried in that library, right?"

Chloe rolled her eyes.

"I heard that many members of the council tried to recruit you and invited you to Vebel, but you refused all their visits. I wondered why back then, and now I see it was because you wanted to avoid interruptions and immerse yourself in that library."

Kanata burst into laughter.

Rozen could only laugh awkwardly.

Indeed, growing up together, Kanata and Chloe could easily see through Rozen's actions in Vebel.

At that time, Rozen had indeed been completely absorbed by the library, spending all his time there, ignoring any visitors, and reading through its vast collection.

Even Zeth had visited Rozen then, only to be turned away because Rozen was so engrossed in the library's treasures. After finishing all the books, Rozen left Vebel and returned to Mistgun.

Thanks to that, Rozen accumulated a massive amount of knowledge, enabling him to single-handedly construct a mana reactor in less than a year.

So, Rozen's most familiar place in Vebel was the central library, while he barely explored the rest of the city.

"That's just like you, Senpai."

Yuri smiled warmly.

"Could it be that you were influenced back then, and that's when you started thinking about leaving the front lines?"

Mena raised her doubts.

"You're overthinking it." Rozen sighed, "I switched to the Alchemist Division because of my own decision, although the books in that central library did give me some inspiration."

Saying this, Rozen picked up his luggage.

"Alright, the shuttle is about to land. Let's get ready to disembark."

Upon hearing this, Kanata, Chloe, Yuri, and Mena all grabbed their luggage and left the deck with Rozen.

Not long after, the shuttle arrived at Vebel's landing platform.

After completing the entry procedures into Vebel, they headed toward their accommodation.

During the Sky Wizards Martial Arts Festival, the representatives from around the world were already assigned residences by Vebel.

Tomorrow evening, a pre-tournament banquet will be held in Noesis Palace by the council to welcome the participants of the festival.

Until then, the participants had free time.

With that in mind, Rozen and the others planned to check into their hotel first, then explore the surroundings and get familiar with the environment.

Elis and Cris had quietly slipped away after landing, disappearing to some unknown place.

Led by Noel, the representatives of Falcion cast unfriendly glances at Rozen and his group before vanishing as well.

Rozen's group walked along the streets toward the city center.

Suddenly...

"Hey, something doesn't feel quite right here."

Kanata frowned as he voiced his thoughts, causing the group's expressions to tighten.