The Skylark continued sailing across the endless sea of clouds.
In this vast white world, the concept of time gradually became blurred.
No one knew how long had passed when suddenly the lookout shouted from the bow.
"Captain! The clouds ahead… they look different!"
The resting crew immediately sprang to their feet and rushed toward the front of the ship.
"What do you see? Is that Aramuk Island?"
"Yes! I think we're almost there!"
"I can see a shape!"
"There are buildings on it! Houses built on clouds!"
"And… a dock! Yes, a dock! There are ships parked there!"
Sami quickly stepped to the front.
Far in the distance, the texture of the clouds seemed to change.
There were rising shapes and darker patches.
Faint geometric outlines hinted at structures.
"Brothers!"
Sami turned around.
"We're about to reach Sky Island!"
"Get ready!"
"OOOOOH!!!"
The anticipation that had been building for so long finally exploded.
Cheers echoed across the sea of clouds.
As the Skylark approached, the island became clearer.
It wasn't made of rock or soil like they had imagined.
Instead, it was a massive cloud formation.
And upon it stood countless buildings.
The Skylark slowly approached the dock area.
The cloud surface there looked unusually solid.
Its color was deeper than the cloud sea—almost a creamy white.
"Wait. Let me test it first."
One cautious sailor grabbed a long pole and poked the cloud surface.
The pole touched down.
It gave a springy resistance, completely different from the flowing cloud sea beneath the ship.
"It's elastic!"
"But solid too!"
"I think… we can actually walk on it!"
Sami stepped forward.
After a brief pause, he decisively stepped off the ship.
The sensation under his foot was strange.
Like stepping onto cotton.
The cloud sank slightly under his weight but held firm.
"Come on!"
"Let's disembark!"
"We're docked!"
"Let's explore this Sky Island!"
Everyone had been waiting for this moment.
They eagerly jumped down one after another.
Some bounced experimentally on the cloud ground.
Gasps of amazement filled the air.
They had just finished tying the mooring ropes when two Sky Island officials approached.
They wore light blue uniforms.
One carried a clipboard.
He spoke in a businesslike tone to Sami.
"Docking fee for foreign vessels: 20 million Extol."
"TWENTY MILLION?!"
Aldo, who was closest, immediately exploded.
"What the hell?!"
"You robbing us?!"
"Twenty million just to park a ship?!"
Although no one knew what Extol was exactly, the number alone sounded outrageous.
The crew erupted instantly.
Several hot-headed sailors began rolling up their sleeves.
The atmosphere turned tense.
The port official flinched.
Especially when he saw Aldo's massive build and terrifying spiked club.
He took a step back nervously.
"W-what are you doing?"
The other official suddenly realized something.
He glanced at their backs—no wings.
Then at the Skylark, clearly different from local vessels.
"Wait… wait!"
"You… you're from the Blue Sea, aren't you?!"
"Yeah!"
Aldo snorted.
"What, you charging extra because we're outsiders?"
The spiked club slammed against the ground.
"No! No! You misunderstand!"
The official waved his hands frantically.
"If we convert to Beli, the usual currency of the Blue Sea…"
"The exchange rate is about 1 Beli = 10,000 Extol."
"So 20 million Extol is actually just… 2000 Beli."
"…."
The rising anger instantly evaporated.
Aldo froze mid-pose.
The sailors who had been preparing to fight stood there awkwardly.
"…Huh?"
Aldo blinked.
"20 million… divided by ten thousand… equals…"
"…2000?"
"Oh!"
One sailor slapped his chest in relief.
"So it's only 2000 Beli!"
"I thought it was twenty million!"
The tension dissolved immediately.
Everyone burst into embarrassed laughter.
Aldo scratched his head.
"Man… you should've said that earlier."
"Got me all worked up."
Feiqi crossed his arms and glanced at the clipboard filled with huge numbers.
"What kind of place uses 20 million as a normal price?"
"This country's money sounds ridiculously inflated."
"Feels like paper money isn't worth much here."
"Alright, that's enough."
Sami cut off the chatter.
He took a small pouch of Beli and counted out 2000.
"Respect the local customs."
"Here's the docking fee."
The officials accepted the payment.
After confirming their expected stay and writing it down, they quickly left.
They clearly didn't want to interact too long with these intimidating visitors from the Blue Sea.
As soon as they were gone, the crew immediately started chatting again.
"Hey! Did you see their backs?"
"They actually have wings!"
"White ones! They look like real feathers!"
"So Sky Islanders aren't normal humans?"
"Are they angels?"
"Probably not."
"I remember the captain mentioning before—there are other races in this world too."
"Fish-Men, Minks, Giants…"
"Sky Islanders with wings are probably another race."
"And those ships look strange too."
"They're so small."
"Doesn't seem like they're built for long voyages."
"More like sightseeing boats."
"Maybe they just sail around nearby clouds."
Sami didn't join the discussion.
His gaze slowly swept across the strange dock, the unfamiliar architecture—
And finally stopped beside him.
Old Barry had disembarked as well, supported by Hiriluk.
He had finally stepped onto the land he had dreamed about his entire life.
But instead of looking around in wonder like the others—
He slowly walked aside.
Then…
He knelt down on the milky white cloud ground.
He buried his face deeply into the soft surface.
His shoulders trembled.
Sami walked over and crouched beside him.
He gently patted the old man's thin shoulder.
"Old man."
"How are you feeling?"
"Can you manage?"
"Do you need to rest a bit?"
Barry slowly lifted his head.
His face was covered in tears.
"I… reached Sky Island…"
His voice trembled.
"I really… made it…"
"Grandfather… Father…"
"Can you see this…?"
"The art of the Heaven Ascension Boat… it hasn't disappeared…"
Sami said nothing.
He simply squeezed the old craftsman's shoulder in silent comfort.
He understood what this moment meant to him.
After a while, Sami helped him stand.
Then smiled lightly and pointed toward the distant buildings.
"Alright, old man."
"Don't cry."
"Dreams coming true should be something to celebrate."
"Come on."
"Let's go take a look around Sky Island."
He glanced around at the orderly docks, the colorful architecture, and the winged figures passing by.
"…Doesn't seem as dangerous or mysterious as the rumors said."
"At least the way they charge docking fees looks exactly like the port officials back in the Blue Sea."
The crew burst into laughter.
The tension and unfamiliarity of arriving in Sky Island slowly faded—
Thanks to this small episode and Sami's relaxed attitude.
----------------◇ Bonus Chapter Reward◇-----------------------
Every 10 Reviews = 1 Bonus Chapter
◇ Every 100 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter
◇ You can read 60 chapters ahead on Patreon if you're interested:
patreon.com/Luna023
Your support helps the story grow and motivates faster updates.