The next day we left first thing in the morning after breakfast.
The weather is beautiful, not a cloud in the sky. Almost no wind.
"It's better than being driven by a strong wind," was Rhodes' line.
Rhodes said.
From the town of Lorion, we headed north along the border with the Kingdom of Klein. This is convenient because there are no high mountains in that area.
Once they enter the Kingdom of Klein, they will have a hard time climbing over mountains such as Mount Taikazo and Mount Tahoka, which are over 4,000 meters high.
In this area, the mountains are in the 2,000-meter range, so it is easier to climb.
However, the area beyond the mountain range is a special protected area where there are no houses, so travelers are on their own.
Rhodes chose this route because it was a calm day with no wind.
A coniferous forest similar to that of the taiga spread out below Jin and his group.
"You can see Lake Shilowa on your left," Rhodes explained.
Rhodes explained.
"And ......."
"Ah, the great isthmus of Pazdekst."
We could see the familiar terrain.
"The air currents are bad in this area, so we'll be flying low."
Rhodes said and lowered the altitude.
We were flying at a height of about 50 meters above the ground.
The area becomes a reddish-brown wasteland as the coniferous treetops become sparse.
We are almost at the Pazdekst isthmus. Beyond that point is the Nordic Commonwealth.
The route from the air, the route from the land, the route we've taken so many times.
"The view is the same."
Jin muttered to himself.
In the midday light, the continent of Gondor comes into view below.
However, the view there was different from what Jin remembered.
"There's a lot of greenery, isn't there?
Yes, the place that was a wasteland in his memory was covered with greenery. It was a field.
Yes, we grow a lot of cold hardy varieties. This area is topopo."
"Oh."
Rhodes said they also grow cold-hardy wheat and barley, buckwheat noodles, and an early variety of rice.
"That's good. So you are completely self-sufficient.
"Yes, that's what I mean. It's a great grandmother ......<> clan's Lorona-sama's achievement."
Rorona of the < clan is the mother of Zion and Istaris. She must be six hundred years old by now.
"Master Rorona is still alive. She says that her legs and back have weakened considerably recently, but she still checks on the fields every day.
"Indeed!
It was a joy to see Lorona again.
An orchard came into view below us.
"These are cold-resistant aprils and queries, aren't they?"
Greenhouses and greenhouses were also visible.
Thanks to Maggi Plastic, it's easier to build greenhouses. Now we can harvest vegetables all year round.
"That's good."
It seems that the food problem of the northerners has now been completely solved.
And the wind-powered blow floaters are losing altitude.
Two similar blow floaters approached us.
They are not assembled but solidly built.
<
Rhodes applies his wind magic and reveals his affiliation to the two aircraft that appear to be guards.
<
He waved his hand toward the gondolas, and the two security planes moved away from the gondolas.
"<> aren't we going down to the clan's settlement?"
Jin questioned, as the location did not seem to be the same as he remembered.
"No, we are going to Grandmother's."
"Oh, I see."
The former settlement of the was located almost directly north of the Pazdext isthmus, but the territory of the , to which Zion belongs, is closer to the coast.
Theon and his sister Istaris were the daughters of the clan leader, and one of them had to succeed him.
However, the elder sister Istaris chose to be with her follower Netros, and so Zion was supposed to be the son-in-law of the clan leader, Jin recalled the circumstances of that time.
The clan's Belialus was (should have been) Sion's son-in-law.
Hence, Rhodes, also of the clan, called Zion "grandmother.
"I am no longer a <, but a clan."
Rhodes said that he was embarrassed to say this, but he explained that he had been adopted as a candidate for clan leader because of his excellence.
He was welcomed even more so since he was originally of the <> clan.
"However, there is talk among the younger generation that it is time to stop creating barriers between ," he said.
"I see."
However, compared to the human race on the Laurentian continent, the northern peoples have a longer life span, so such changes will be slower. Rhodes laughed.
"We are about to land.
The altitude is now less than 20 meters and the surface of the earth is clearly visible. The speed is reduced to about 30 kilometers per hour, and the blower is ready to land.
The plane is headed for an open space that looks like an airport, where about three blow floaters are parked.
There, people who seemed to have heard of Rhodes' return were waving to him.
Rhodes landed the blower without a hitch.
The first person to come running to him was a woman who looked a little younger than Jin.
"Brother! You're back! We've been worried about you!
She had silver hair like Rhodes, but her eyes were a strong red. The color of his eyes reminded Jin of Archel.
"I'm home, Vita. I'm back, Vita. ...... I'm sorry to worry you. But your grandmother asked me to do it for her.
"That's true, but ...... you're back, that means you found her, right?"
"Yes, this is the man."
Rhodes introduced Jin to Vita.
"Jin-san, this is my sister, Vita.
"My name is Jin Nido. My name is Jin Nido, and I am very grateful to your brother for all his help.
When Jin greeted her, Vita blushed a little.
"Uh, ah, ah, I'm Vita of Vita......<! Oh, um, are you really Jin-san?"
Rhodes chuckled and clapped Vita on the shoulder.
"It's real. Let's go to ...... and visit your grandmother."
"Yes, yes."
Vita had come in the Golem car.
The car seats six, so Jin, Rhodes, Hanako, and Hope can ride in it.
The group left the airport with Vita driving.
We then headed for the clan leader's mansion.
It took about 10 minutes to arrive at the mansion, which was quite a splendid place.
An old woman was standing in front of the entrance.
She had shiny silver hair with a hint of white in it, light blue eyes, and white skin. Her back was straight and straight, showing no sign of aging.
"Jin! Is that you?
Zion ......?
Although he was old, he still had a trace of the old days, and Jin recognized Zion immediately.
"You were right," he said. ...... Welcome back, Jin."
Jin realized that the was referring to his return to Ars from another space.
In short, Jin was reunited with an acquaintance for the first time since he had set out to deal with the spatial vibration.
"I'm home, Zion."
Jin may be said to have returned to Ars in the true sense of the word at this time.
The sky of the Nordic Federation was blue and clear.