Komatsu's Love Defense

We passed through the clouds, our vision gradually became clearer, and the huge vine was getting closer and closer. As the distance continued to get closer, I could clearly feel the powerful and surging vitality it exuded.

The plane slowly lowered its altitude and finally landed smoothly on a huge leaf. This leaf stretched out from a thick vine, and its width and thickness were beyond imagination. The surface of the leaf was covered with delicate and exquisite textures, like a work of art carved by nature.

When the plane's tires gently touched the edge of the leaf, only a very slight sound was made, and it soon stopped steadily.

A Lu couldn't hold back his anxiety and quickly opened the cabin door. Suddenly, a fresh and pleasant air with a faint scent of grass and trees came towards him, making people feel relaxed and happy.

I followed Alu's footsteps and stepped out of the plane and into this mysterious land. What appeared before my eyes was the long and winding vine, which was like a majestic dragon, winding between heaven and earth, extending towards the unknown distance until it disappeared at the end of my sight.

The skin of the vine has a smooth and bright texture, and some tiny vines and emerald green leaves are attached to its surface. They are intertwined and entangled with each other, forming a scene full of vitality and vigor.

Alu's eyes were gleaming with irrepressible excitement, and he couldn't wait to explore this magical world: "From here, tens of thousands of meters above sea level is the entrance to the [Vegetable Sky]. As long as we can climb up here, it is said that we can find ozone grass. Let's climb it now!"

I looked at the vines in the air in surprise, turned my head to look at A Lu, and asked in confusion: "Do you have to climb it by your own strength?"

Ah Lu nodded, with a firm look on his face: "That's right!"

After saying that, A Lu stepped onto the vine without hesitation and began to climb up steadily. I hurried to follow, carefully stepping on the bumps and gaps on the vine, trying my best to keep my balance.

As we climbed higher, the view became wider and wider. I could see the forest below and the mountains in the distance, and I sped up.

However, A'lu was much faster than me. He was always walking in front of me and looked very relaxed on the vines.

The wind was howling and the vines were swaying constantly, and every sway made my heart beat faster.

I struggled to grab the shaking vines in the air, holding on tightly, with each finger deeply embedded in its texture, for fear that my hand would be blown away by the strong wind if I loosened it. However, even if I tried my best, the speed of climbing inevitably slowed down.

I couldn't help but feel anxious, and shouted loudly: "Mr. A Lu, wait for me!"

Ah Lu turned around and hurriedly urged me: "You are too slow, stand up and walk!"

I lay on the vines and shook my head helplessly, feeling distressed. "I can't do this kind of thing. Besides, the wind gets stronger the higher I climb. The vines are still shaking, and I can't stand still at all."

“Ohhh…”

At this moment, a strange bird cry suddenly sounded in my ears. I turned around and saw a bird that looked like an owl, but had a human face and a body that looked like a water bird called a chicken-waisted eagle. Its head was snow-white, its face was like a human's, and it had three legs.

(Note: The inspiration for the pseudo-Lupin bird image comes from the strange beast human-faced owl in the Classic of Mountains and Seas.

An image in ancient Chinese mythology, the name of a strange bird in legend. It looks like an owl with a human face, a pheasant body and a dog tail. The appearance of its tail is a sign of drought. This theory first appeared in the Qin Dynasty.

The strange bird had a terrifying human face, staring at me with a faint light in its eyes. Saliva kept flowing out of its open mouth.

This sudden situation startled me, and my body trembled involuntarily: "Strange... strange bird, it's a strange bird!"

When Alu saw the scene, he immediately comforted me and said, "Don't be afraid, they are just fake Lupins with a capture level of only 2. Although they look extremely ferocious and violent, they are actually very docile and obedient birds."

Seeing that the group of strange birds with human-like faces did not attack me, I felt a little relieved. At the same time, I couldn't help but mutter: "The appearance of these birds is really scary..."

In this way, A Lu and I climbed the vines one after the other, heading towards an unknown destination.

A Lu and I climbed up the vines one after the other. The vines twisted and turned, stretching across the endless void.

I had to be careful with every step I took, holding on to the vines with both hands and searching for a stable foothold with my feet.

As Alu and I continued to climb, the air around us gradually became thinner. Every breath seemed to exhaust all the strength in my body, and the oxygen I inhaled was scarce and precious. From time to time, cold air mixed with wind came from all directions, making me shiver.

After a hard climb, we finally found a huge and wide leaf that could serve as a temporary resting place. Alu sat down on the edge of the leaf and reached for the water bottle hanging around his waist.

Ah Lu unscrewed the lid of the kettle, tilted his head back, and let the cool, sweet water flow down his throat into his stomach: "Wow... you've climbed so high!"

I sat on the other side of the leaf, propped my hands on the ground, and gasped for breath: "Yeah...it feels a little cold around me."

After drinking the water, A Lu took out some compression bags from his backpack: "The temperature on the ground is nearly 30 degrees Celsius, and the perceived temperature here is about 23 degrees Celsius. The altitude is about 1000 meters..."

I tried my best to calm my breathing and gradually adapt myself to the thin air at high altitude. I glanced at the vines below and said, "It's about the same height as the barbecue restaurant where I ate at the Food Tower yesterday."

A Lu skillfully tore open the wrapping paper, brought the rice ball to his mouth, and chewed it slowly, "Even though the height is the same, the sense of horror is completely different."

"You must try to eat as much as possible to replenish your energy. The higher you go in the sky, the lower the temperature will be, and your physical strength will disappear." A Lu talked while eating, chewing busily, and occasionally stopping to drink a sip of water to relieve the dryness in his mouth.

I picked up a piece of bread, took a bite, and responded to A Lu: "I know..."

I ate the bread in my hand silently, trying to replenish my energy. I had expected that this would be a harsh journey, but I also had to be able to overcome all difficulties and reach my destination [Castle in the Sky].