Greatest Legacy of the Magus Universe-Chapter 1629: Floating Palace

As the giant behemoth tore through the clouds and descended toward the city, all of Acryon seemed to come alive.

From the bustling streets of the Outer City to the elegant avenues of the Inner City beneath the Hanging Gardens of Acryon, people rushed outside and stared skyward in stunned disbelief.

Their faces were filled with a mixture of awe, shock, and fear as the massive silhouette grew larger and larger against the fading light of the evening sky.

Across the capital city, conversations fell silent. Merchants, nobles, Magi, and common folk alike stood frozen, their eyes fixed upon the approaching colossus.

Even within the royal palace, people poured out into the courtyards to witness the spectacle. Courtiers, guards, and attendants gathered beneath the open sky, craning their necks to see the enormous shape descending from the heavens.

High above them, Lucian Acadia stepped onto the balcony adjoining his royal chambers. He gazed calmly at the approaching behemoth, a glimmer of intrigue flashing across his golden eyes.

"Fascinating," he murmured in quiet admiration.

The giant "thing" descending from the clouds slowly revealed its true form.

It was not a creature.

It was a ship!

A colossal skyfaring vessel drifted through the parting clouds, its immense frame gliding with majesty. The hull was long and elegant, carved from dark wood that gleamed in the dying light of the sun.

But what truly commanded the attention were its sails.

Instead of ordinary white canvas, enormous crimson sails unfurled along the ship like the petals of a gigantic flower. They curved outward in layered formations. The sails caught the wind high above the city, slowing the ship’s descent while also guiding it with strange precision.

Suspended beneath the ship’s central mast was something even more extraordinary...

A tree!

Once upon a time, it must have been truly magnificent. Its trunk was thick and ancient, its bark etched with natural patterns that looked like living runes.

But now it was only a shadow of its former self...

The tree had lost all of its leaves. The wood had grown pale and cracked with age, and yet faint currents of mana still pulsed through its trunk.

Though it had become little more than a husk, the ancient tree still fulfilled its purpose. Mana flowed from its branches and into the roots, feeding the magic that ran throughout the ship.

The vessel seemed to move in harmony with the tree’s lingering power, as if the dying organism still served as the heart of the entire flying construct.

Massive rigging lines stretched between the masts, swaying as the ship slowly descended. The red sails fluttered dramatically, casting enormous shadows over the city below.

From the streets, the people of the city stared upward in stunned silence.

The skyship looked less like a vessel and more like a floating palace, an ancient relic of impossible craftsmanship drifting down from the heavens!

It slowly descended onto the skyport outside Acryon’s towering walls. Its crimson sails billowed as powerful winds swept across the landing platform.

With a deep, heavy thud, the vessel settled onto the stone docks, the ancient leafless tree at its center creaking softly as the magic sustaining the ship finally calmed.

A few moments later, a figure stepped onto the bow.

Dressed in dark robes and wearing a black, pointed hat, the Dark King stood at the front of the ship, his cape whipping in the wind.

Then his wild laughter rang across the skyport.

***

Outside the city walls, Skyport had turned into a spectacle.

Crowds gathered around the enormous skyship from every direction, their voices filled with excitement and disbelief.

Citizens, merchants, and travelers pressed against the barriers, craning their necks to catch a better glimpse of the colossal vessel that had descended from the heavens. The bards and storytellers would speak of this grand and beautiful ship for ages to come.

City guards formed tight lines around the docking platform, doing their best to keep the growing crowd at bay. Spears were held across the barricade as officers roared orders, trying to maintain some semblance of order amid chaos.

But even they themselves could not hide their curiosity. Many of them glanced repeatedly toward the ship, unable to resist stealing looks at the magnificent construct.

It was truly one of a kind on Tron. Every other flying ship in the Empire’s possession simply paled in comparison.

Meanwhile, several soldiers of the Dark King’s army had already boarded the vessel. They moved cautiously along the deck, running their hands across the ornate railings and studying the ancient runes carved into the hull. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

Some silently stared in awe at the towering, leafless tree standing at the heart of the ship, while others examined the massive crimson sails that fluttered above them.

For many of them, this was the first time they had seen a flying ship. And yet, the man who had brought this marvel to Acryon was nowhere near the skyport anymore.

By the time the crowds began surrounding the vessel, Adam was already back inside the royal palace.

Within the quiet halls of the imperial residence, he now stood alongside Lucian and Old Ani, who looked at the flying ship from afar.

"She’s a beauty, isn’t she?" Adam displayed a brilliant grin.

"That she is." Lucian nodded.

Old Ani couldn’t help but squint as she asked, "That tree... just what kind of tree is it? To be able to act as a natural fuel source... Incredible!"

Adam shook his head lightly.

"To be precise, it isn’t a fuel source," he said. "It’s more like a... converter. The tree absorbs the ambient mana in the air and transforms it into energy that powers the ship."

He paused briefly before continuing, "Even in Myrrandor, uh... I mean, the place Magus Mathias brought this ship from, magical trees like this aren’t common."

"The tree and the ship are essentially one," Adam continued. "The entire vessel was built around it. The tree gathers mana from the surroundings and circulates it through the runic network carved into the hull."

He gestured lightly with his hand.

"But the ship has been stored away for thousands of years. During that time, the tree slowly withered. That’s why all of its leaves have long since fallen."

Adam couldn’t help but shrug helplessly.

"For now, it can only sustain the ship’s flight. Most of the vessel’s other functions remain dormant. So until the tree recovers... the ship is little more than a flying transport."