Luminara.

Hans did not have to wait for long.

Before much time had passed, a light and graceful figure appeared before him.

Helen came skipping over, lively and cheerful, like a happy little deer.

"Brother, have you been waiting for a long time?"

Hans looked at his younger sister, his eyes filled with doting affection.

"Not really. It hasn’t been that long."

In truth, Hans did have plans today.

His regular hunting party had already agreed to go monster farming together.

But his little sister had said she wanted to visit the Aerial Realm and broaden her horizons. As her older brother, how could he possibly refuse?

So he could only let the brothers in his party wait a little longer.

"Brother, why does Luminara look like it’s covered in spikes?"

"Oh, right, brother, what’s that thing floating in the sky?"

"And brother, what’s that iron lump over there?"

Helen looked exactly like someone who had just entered a grand city for the first time. Her big eyes darted everywhere, and everything she saw felt new and fascinating.

Hans smiled.

There was quite an age gap between the siblings, and he had always spoiled his little sister almost like a daughter.

He raised his hand and pointed toward Luminara.

At this moment, the entire city of Luminara had nearly been armed to the teeth.

Countless cannon barrels bristled from the city walls like the raised quills of a hedgehog, mounted there in a rough and intimidating fashion.

"Those are the barrels of the Elemental Arcane Cannons," Hans said.

"That’s not right!"

Helen frowned.

"The Elemental Arcane Cannons I’ve seen don’t have barrels at all."

The first-generation Elemental Arcane Cannons indeed did not have barrels.

Hans patiently explained, "These are the third-generation Elemental Arcane Cannons personally developed by Guildmaster Faustus. Their power is astonishing. They can instantly kill even high legendary-grade experts with a single shot, and even peak legendary-grade beings would have a hard time escaping serious injury."

"By the gods! Lord Faustus is forever divine!"

Helen’s eyes lit up like stars.

In the hearts of the players, the name Faustus carried a weight no one else could match.

He was a living legend, a traveler who stood at the very summit of the world.

Hans smiled faintly and continued, "The ship floating in the sky is called a Skyborne Dreadnought. It’s said that its main cannon is even more terrifying than the Elemental Arcane Cannon. If it fires a single shot, even a peak legendary-grade expert wouldn’t be able to withstand it."

"That’s incredible!"

Helen praised from the bottom of her heart.

Hans then pointed not far away.

There, a fully armored steel chariot was currently patrolling.

"That’s also a war-type Arcane Machinery developed by Guildmaster Faustus—the Arcane War Chariot. Its defense is comparable to that of a legendary-grade powerhouse, and its attack power is just as formidable. It can slay a high legendary-grade enemy in a single strike."

"Oh my gods!"

Helen’s eyes widened, and she kept muttering Faustus’s name under her breath.

Hans chuckled.

"But compared to the treasures inside the Aerial Realm, these things aren’t much at all."

Suddenly, he stretched out his hand and showed her the black bracer on his wrist.

"Guess what this is?"

He lifted his chin, his face full of smug pride.

Helen blinked, and a faint smile appeared at the corner of her lips.

"Brother, you don’t actually think your little sister came from the countryside, do you? That’s obviously Arcane Armor."

Hans puffed out his chest and declared loudly, "This is Arcane Armor Model III!"

He carefully observed his sister’s expression, hoping to harvest even the tiniest bit of satisfaction from her shock.

Unfortunately, all he saw in Helen’s eyes was confusion.

That look clearly said: It’s all Arcane Armor, isn’t it? What’s the difference?

Hans almost wanted to cry.

The difference was huge!

"You really beat me, little sis. You need to learn more," he sighed, then patiently explained, "This is Guildmaster Faustus’s latest masterpiece. It can raise the wearer’s combat strength to high legendary-grade."

High legendary-grade was the realm of true powerhouses.

This piece of equipment did not only symbolize Strength; it also displayed the owner’s wealth and authority.

It was not something one could buy simply by having money. One also needed an enormous amount of guild contribution points.

Basically, only the veteran brothers who had joined the guild in the very first batch had managed to save enough points to earn the right to purchase it.

Helen’s eyes instantly brightened.

She did not understand wealth or authority very well, but she understood what high legendary-grade meant.

"Brother, are you serious?"

Helen asked in astonishment.

"As long as you wear it, you can have high legendary-grade strength?"

"Of course!"

Hans replied proudly.

"Right now, I can kill a low legendary-grade BOSS with one punch. How about it? Your brother is pretty impressive, right? Hahahahaha!"

Helen was so envious that she immediately gave him a thumbs-up.

"Amazing, brother! You’re amazing!"

Then she looked at him with eager eyes.

"I wonder when I’ll be able to become as strong as you."

Hans raised an eyebrow.

"No rush. With your brother helping you level up, you’ll catch up very soon."

"Come on. Didn’t you want to see the Aerial Realm?"

Helen nodded vigorously.

"I heard people say that the Aerial Realm is a paradise for players."

"More or less."

Hans smiled.

He was one of the first players to set foot in the Aerial Realm. From the age of pioneering to the current era of Arcane Machinery, he had never fallen behind.

It was precisely because he had seized so many early advantages that he had been able to accumulate this fortune and buy the newest arcane equipment.

...

Aerial Realm.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

The figures of Hans and Helen appeared in this world.

"Wow..."

In that instant, Helen felt as if her eyes could barely take everything in.

This world...

It was too miraculous!

"Brother, am I dreaming?"

Helen murmured.

Hans smiled and shook his head.

"No. Everything you’re seeing is real."

"Guildmaster Faustus is truly too great. All of this was built by his own hands."

Helen nodded silently.

Within her field of vision, countless players were soaring through the skies.

Some piloted mechas.

Some wore battle armor.

Whether mechas or battle armor, all of them were equipment capable of flight.

The silhouettes in the sky were so densely packed that, by contrast, the ground below seemed especially empty.

"What is that...?"

Helen was deeply drawn to the city before her eyes.

Was that really a city?

Before her stood a vast, layered ring-shaped structure that covered hundreds of thousands of meters, woven together from countless steel skybridges.

Each ring layer was connected by innumerable aerial walkways.

Layer upon layer, stacked and interlocked, they formed a circular dream city with a fully three-dimensional structure.

Even more shocking was the fact that those skybridges were constantly moving and changing.

Every shifting bridge altered the shape of the ring layer it belonged to. One layer affected another, and the rings linked together in a continuous chain of movement.

The entire city seemed to have come alive.

It was breathing.

It was pulsing.

This was a living city, a city forever in transformation.

Inside the city, countless players wandered through its structures. Some had even come here specifically to experience this strange and novel architecture.

Their faces were filled with disbelief.

This was a miracle.

It was too magical!

Helen also saw colossal objects soaring in the depths of the sky, even mightier than the Skyborne Dreadnought.

With just one glance, she knew that those things were iron-blooded creations born for war.

Even from afar, the sight of them sent chills down her spine. They did not look like mere war machines, but ancient beasts preparing to choose their prey and devour it whole.

Helen was completely stunned.

She felt that Aetheria represented one level of civilization, while the Aerial Realm represented another civilization entirely.

Hans looked at his little sister’s dazed expression and shook his head.

The Aerial Realm had developed too quickly and too well.

Everything here was Guildmaster Faustus’s handiwork.

"To be able to live in the same era as Guildmaster Faustus is truly our honor," he said to his sister. "And these aren’t even the most shocking things yet. Your brother will take you to see something even more astonishing!"

"Something even more astonishing?"

Helen blinked.

What else could possibly be more shocking than everything before her eyes?

This place had countless players equipped with Arcane Machinery.

It had gigantic war machines.

It even had such a fantastical mobile fortress.

What could be even more astonishing than this?