Trash Prince and Ice Queen 10th Re - Life-Chapter 161: Crossing the Black Ocean

Two days later, at the front line which had now become a peace post between the two kingdoms, Ard, Eva, Luca, Thorena, Elmer, Grethia, and all of Ard’s friends along with his fiancé set sail using Murmic’s large, sturdy zeppelin. As the aircraft departed, they all waved down to where Vogir, Murmic, Hardim, and Kresus stood seeing them off. After passing over high hills that looked like mountains with steep cliffs—appearing almost like a wall separating the land from the coastline—they could all see the dark, terrifying-looking sea with high waves crashing against the rocks.

Ard kept watching the condition of the ocean below while wearing his fur jacket, as the low-temperature wind currents made everything feel cold and damp. He also turned to see Eva and the others sitting by the deck railing, wrapped in their jackets and blankets. Then he turned to look at Luca.

"Hey, Luca, how did you get down here? You’re supposed to be on the surface, aren’t you?" Ard asked.

"Hmm... there is a path for me over in that area; when I exit, I’ll be right near the merman kingdom in the west," Luca answered while pointing toward the west.

"Huh... what kind of path do you mean? Like a trench or something?" Ard asked.

"Yep, exactly. And if I go up, everything will shake because I’ll instantly become huge once I’m out, hehe," Luca answered with a smile.

"So, if you want to pass through that trench, you have to shrink yourself?" Ard asked.

"That’s right, but this ship is still smaller than my body, anyway," Luca said while tapping the deck railing where she stood.

"Hmm... in that case, when we want to return to the surface, can you help us?" Ard asked.

"I can’t. To get back up, I have to dive into a trench that’s like a tube and fight the upward current. You guys would run out of breath before reaching the surface, though for me, it’s no big deal," Luca said with a shrug.

"Hmm... I see," Ard murmured, lost in thought.

"But I know an exit on the western continent, and it seems closer if you want to cross over to the northern continent. To get out on the northern continent is actually possible too, but the northern path has been buried, which is why so many dwarves are trapped on the surface," Luca said.

"Wait... what do you mean the path to the surface from the northern continent is closed?" Ard asked in shock.

"That’s right, ever since a thousand years ago... surely you remember what happened a thousand years ago on the northern continent?" Luca asked, staring at Ard with a serious face.

"Huh?" Ard muttered, lost in thought.

Ard immediately began thinking hard, trying to recall what had happened during his time as Azroth. Everything seemed hazy, but then he remembered destroying a kingdom on the northern continent—the one that would later be rebuilt as the Kingdom of Ateras. He also remembered obliterating many ancient ruins and hills across the northern lands, turning the continent into a vast grassland. This had caused the barbarian tribes inhabiting the ruins to scatter and form separate, isolated villages. However, it all remained a blur in Ard’s mind because, at that time, he was being controlled by Malekh.

"So... that’s it. It happened because of me," Ard murmured to himself.

"Hmm... but back then you had become a demon and weren’t conscious... so it wasn’t really your fault either," Luca replied.

Ard stayed silent for a moment. He turned to look at the black ocean that continued to surge with its waves, and now it was joined by small whirlpools that appeared and disappeared like a glitch. Then Ard turned back to look at Luca.

"In that case, how do we get out onto the surface of the western continent?" Ard asked.

"The continent we’re heading toward now is truly massive—like a combination of the southern, central, and western continents. It’s a bit of a long journey, but there’s a cave that can take you to the surface. I’m willing to show you the way," Luca answered.

"The distance is fine, as long as it isn’t dangerous," Ard said.

"Don’t worry. The ones living on the western continent now are the remaining demons, like vampires, orcs, and beastfolk," Luca replied.

"And the mermen in the sea?" Ard asked.

"Something like that," Luca answered with a nod. "But the important thing is reaching the opposite continent first. Over there, there’s a civilization of dwarves and giants who don’t fight; they live side-by-side. You’ll be shocked when you see it because they’re quite advanced. That’s also why I haven’t let anyone cross over—to protect them," Luca added.

"Oh, really?" Ard asked.

"Yep. Just you wait, you’re going to be surprised," Luca answered with a wide grin.

The ship continued its journey across the ocean, casting spotlights forward and toward the water to stay on guard. A few hours later, they could see land far ahead of them. Ard, Eva, and the others stood at the bow of the ship, watching the coastline that still appeared as a black silhouette on the horizon. But as they drew closer, Ard and Eva suddenly noticed a vast, spreading array of lights. They immediately turned to look at each other, stunned by what they were seeing—it looked exactly like something from Earth.

When the ship finally reached the shore, Ard and Eva gasped in shock. Their eyes blinked repeatedly as if they couldn’t believe what they were seeing; their mouths hung open, their jaws dropping in speechless wonder. What lay before them was a metropolitan city that looked like a Victorian-era city on Earth, with incredibly massive buildings, intricate carvings, and domes topped with spires.

The architecture resembled rows of magnificent cathedrals from great Earth cities. The streets were crowded and appeared highly civilized, with streetlights illuminating the way, and most importantly, the city stretched endlessly from east to west. Ard and Eva even rubbed their eyes and turned to face one another.

"Ard... I’m not seeing things, am I? Did we go back to Earth?" Eva asked, bewildered.

"You’re definitely not seeing things. I see it too. This city... it’s like mid-1800s Chicago... give me a break," Ard answered, confused.

"It looks like... Berlin in the 1840s," Eva murmured, unable to tear her gaze away from the city in front of her.

"Hey... why are you guys just staring blankly?" asked Luca, who had suddenly appeared between the two of them.

"This... it doesn’t make sense, it really makes no sense... but for some reason, my heart is pounding just looking at this city," Ard said, completely ignoring Luca.

"Same... I feel the exact same way. Believe it or not, it’s all real right in front of us," added Eva, who also paid no attention to Luca.

The two of them looked down and could see countless giants and dwarves strolling the streets dressed in Earth’s Victorian-era clothing. Both men and women were out; some were riding bicycles and greeting each other with normal interactions despite being different races. They also saw dozens of zeppelin balloons floating through the air, some carrying stone or iron for building construction.

Below, the entire structure of a society was visible: police officers keeping order in the city, newsboys opening kiosks on the roadside with men in suits buying papers, office workers bustling in and out of buildings, construction crews restoring structures, and women walking along the sidewalks chatting away, regardless of their race.

"Okay, we really are back on Earth... it’s just that there are no humans here," Ard said.

"Yep, I’m sure too. I just hope there’s no war here," Eva added.

"Hey... don’t ignore me! Why did you two suddenly space out? Is this city like the place you came from? Bedryt once mentioned you were from another world," Luca said, pulling on Ard and Eva’s hands.

"Oh... sorry, Luca," Ard and Eva replied, turning to look at Luca standing between them.

Then, Elmer and Grethia stepped forward, approaching Ard and Eva—who were still mesmerized by the city—and Luca, who was still holding their hands.

"How are we supposed to find Lugerna in a city this massive? I never knew a city this big existed on the opposite continent," Elmer asked.

"Yeah, is Lugerna okay? Where should we even start looking for her?" Grethia added, looking around at the vast cityscape.

"You’re right, our goal in coming here is to find Lugerna and Githiess’s egg... do you know where we should start looking for both of them, Luca?" Ard asked.

"Do you have any clues?" Eva asked Luca.

"Don’t worry, I can detect the location of sister Githiess’s egg that the girl named Lugerna is carrying. I’ll go talk to the ship’s pilot for a moment," Luca answered.

Immediately, Luca ran and jumped down, heading into the cockpit to speak with the pilot, leaving Ard, Eva, Elmer, and Grethia behind as they tried to stop her. They shook their heads and turned back to look at the city now sprawling beneath them; shortly after, the zeppelin they were riding banked and headed toward the western side of the city.

Ard and Eva looked back and saw that Alicia, Milia, Pyria, Beatrice, Adeline, Rosalind, Mirea, Claudia, Geoffrey, Thorena, Ainsley, Irina, and Irwin also looked amazed by the city below, which was filled with tall buildings, massive pillars, and beautiful carvings that looked like luxury cathedrals or grand palaces.