"Isn't this an incredible feeling?" Orion's voice gained an edge of excitement as he spoke to Saria, who clung tightly to the side of the basket, shivering. Seeing her nervousness, Orion let out a small sigh. "Look, the basket is stable, you're the only one shaking."
Saria took his words to heart, realizing she might be overreacting. Perhaps she should give it a chance; after all, it couldn't be as dreadful as her instinct made it seem, right?
Nevertheless, when she finally mustered the courage to stand upright and gaze at the view below from their height in the sky, a surge of dizziness overcame her.
In an instant, she crouched down, clutching her knee with a wrinkled brow, her expression revealing her discomfort. "No need to worry, I might just stay like this until we're finished," she muttered nervously.
"Hmm, well, you're missing out," Orion retorted, understanding that adapting to flying on a hot air balloon might be a bit much for her at the moment.
He decided to let her adjust naturally. Perhaps, given some time, she would gather the courage to stand and appreciate the breathtaking view on her own.
Suddenly, his ears tingled as distant voices reverberated through the air.
Tilting his head down, Orion discerned that the villagers had begun their prayer and praise session for Naka, their voices reaching even to this height.
Looking downward through the wisps of clouds, Orion's attention was drawn to Stronghold Leader Drakar's voice. "If their voices can reach all the way up here, it demonstrates their enthusiasm, which in turn confirms the success of this plan," Stronghold Leader Drakar said. His eyes met Orion's, and he nodded approvingly.
"Although you may have used the name of Naka to deceive the village, I want you to take pride in the fact that not many could devise such a clever scheme while simultaneously constructing this contraption," Stronghold Leader Drakar continued, maintaining control over the multitude of hot air balloons through his gift. His gaze remained fixed on Orion as he added, "And believe me, there are currently none who could match your feat."
When Stronghold Leader Drakar finished speaking, his attention returned to the breathtaking scenery stretched out before him. Deep down, he was fully aware that despite their attempts to conceal it, some, if not all, of the key figures in the village harboured fears and concern concerning Orion's potential influence.
He was willing to bet a huge sum of his wealth that if Orion managed to survive long enough to create his first three containers, the path for him to become the next village chief would be nearly inevitable. Whether driven solely by his merits, given his significant contributions to the village, or bolstered by his undeniable strength, Orion's future appeared quite promising.
Nevertheless, thoughts and predictions, as fickle as they were, remained subject to change. Therefore, Stronghold Leader Drakar hoped that Orion could first survive this day, as there were many things he was prepared to do if his initial plan didn't work to ensure his route out of this village.
"Stronghold Leader Drakar, are you ready?" Orion's words effectively pushed Stronghold Leader Drakar's thoughts to the back of his mind. Orion already knew about what he was doing as he had already viewed it from another perspective; however, that doesn't change a thing for him.
After all, at the end of the day, the newborns were going to be returned to their families, and that was the only thing that mattered at the moment.
"Yes," Stronghold Leader Drakar replied with a firm nod. He could discern from the prolonged prayers and praises that the villagers had engaged in that the time was ripe to execute their plan. However, all that he was currently waiting for was Orion's signal, so that he could release the hot air balloons.
"Alright," Orion replied, his attention toggling between the volume of the sound and the scene of the gathering from his view up above. After a while, within minutes, Orion suddenly said, "Release it now." His words reverberated in the breeze, and Stronghold Leader Drakar quickly guided the hot air balloons toward the ground using his gift.
Orion watched the process with a sigh of relief escaping his lips, releasing the pent-up stress that he had been holding for a while. He muttered with a grin under his breath, "I was kind of hoping to see their surprised faces, though."
Meanwhile, down below, the crescendo of the villagers' voices continued to rise, intertwining with their passionate prayers. The Village Chief could only keep his gaze fixed on the sky, waiting to see if Orion's plan had indeed succeeded, and whether the children and the wealth they had prepared would begin to descend from the sky at any moment soon.
However, as moments stretched into hours and the gathering crept closer to its third hour, a flicker of concern swept through his body. Unconsciously, he turned his head slightly, noticing that even Stronghold Leader Zogar had his gaze fixed upwards, perhaps wondering why his brother had not yet arrived at the market square.
'That scheming rascal. Even though I was the first to strike a deal with Orion, he managed to be the first to fly in his invention,' Stronghold Leader Zogar mused. Although he had actively participated in ensuring the success of Orion's construction, he realized that if his brother hadn't returned to the village by now, it must mean he had seized the opportunity to test it himself.
Recalling the scope of his elder brother's gift, Stronghold Leader Zogar could only nod to the probability. In his place, he admitted, he'd have done the same without a second thought. Regret pricked him slightly as he lowered his head and shook it gently.
"You've outdone me this time, brother," he murmured, just as the crowd's mood shifted, morphing from the chorus of prayers and praises to a murmur of astonishment and gasps.
Casting a curious glance around, Stronghold Leader Zogar's throat tightened as his gaze swept over the crowd, whose eyes were all directed toward the sky. Some were even pointing upward with their fingers.
