The sky stretched out endlessly, its vast blue expanse boundless. In the midst of the sky's silence, a large island floated motionlessly, as if held by an unseen force.
This island was immense, nearly the size of Java in Indonesia, its shape resembling land lifted high into the sky. From below, the island's terrain was clearly visible, revealing its rough and rocky underside.
One striking feature of the island was a transparent, dome-like shield covering its upper part, protecting it from external elements. This shield glistened under the sunlight, reflecting light like crystal.
The large island was not a single mass. At its center lay the main island, the largest part, surrounded by thousands of smaller islands scattered around it. In the sky surrounding the island, many flying boats bustled about, coming and going endlessly, carrying passengers and goods from various places.
To the north of the main island was the Gatekeeper Island, tasked with guarding the entrance to the large island. This island measured 1000 by 100 meters, floating motionlessly like a fortress in the sky. On it stood several houses and fearsome, advanced defense towers equipped with the latest technology to ensure security.
"Good morning, Mr. Tera. We would like to conduct a routine inspection," said a man with a stern face. A large sword hung on his back, giving the impression that he was a seasoned warrior.
"Badge..." Mr. Tera responded curtly. The old man in the gray robe scrutinized everyone who approached with sharp eyes.
The stern-faced man respectfully handed over his gold badge. As a commander of the Gold-tier guards, he felt a bit of pride. However, in front of the gatekeeper of one of the four main gates of the World Trade Alliance island, he could only bow, suppressing his usual arrogance.
His duty as a Gold-tier commander was to ensure the area within a 10-kilometer radius of the island was safe from danger. Monster islands could appear at any time, so without routine patrols, foreign monsters could threaten the smaller islands and the survivor flying boats.
Mr. Tera examined the gold badge carefully, then looked at the guard team members behind the stern-faced man. Seeing nothing amiss, he nodded and said, "Report back before 6 PM."
"Yes, sir..." replied the stern-faced man.
He then turned and walked toward the flying boat docked near the island, followed by a hundred team members. The boat was 200 meters long, armed with 200 cannons, and equipped with lightning towers and automated bow turrets inside. Its design was impressive, showcasing the strength and sophistication of their defense technology.
After all the team members boarded, the flying boat slowly lifted off the ground and began to float, heading towards the area they needed to secure. Inside the boat, the team members checked their equipment, ensuring everything was ready for the mission. They knew that although this task was routine, danger could come at any time from unexpected directions.
The sky above the main island remained calm, but tension lingered among the guards. They understood that their responsibility was not only to protect the large island and the thousands of smaller islands around it but also to maintain the strength and safety of the alliance established here from external threats.
A week had passed since the first event in the Divine Sky realm. The main alliance island had been operating regularly, and everyone was beginning to adapt to their new lives.
The life and habits they once had on Earth were starting to form again. Schools, colleges, hospitals, entertainment centers, television, flying boats, and various other technologies were emerging. The primary energy source was no longer electricity but more efficient energy crystals.
System panels like regional chat and market were still in use as usual. However, unlike at the start of their transition, the pace of messages was no longer as rapid. The market feature was still widely used, but valuable items rarely appeared. Within an hour of posting a valuable item, the seller might be eliminated before the item could be sold.
While everyone was going about their daily lives, Lein, along with Nita and three other alliance members, had just finished destroying a monster island.
On top of the monster island lay many corpses of wide-handed gorillas, each over two meters tall. Among them was one wide-handed gorilla, ten meters tall, with muscles rippling all over its arms. Yes, it was a Commander-Tier gorilla.
"Brother Lein, this is the 46th island we have destroyed. Not a single one has dropped a silver badge," said an elderly man named Haikal, gazing at a black book floating in front of him.
The book emitted a dark aura, and staring at it too long could make an ordinary person fall asleep or even lose their memory.
"Yes... I suspect the silver badges are not dropped by monsters but might be obtained by completing certain missions!" Laras, standing nearby with a large cross on her back, spoke up.
Hearing their speculation, Lein nodded lightly. They had been searching for six days and had also inquired with other alliances in regional #2344. No one had any useful information.
"Alright, since there are no results, let's continue searching for a little while longer. If we still find nothing, we'll have to wait for the system to provide a clue," said Lein.
Everyone nodded in agreement. They then extracted all the gorilla corpses and took over the island. Once everything was done, they returned to their own island and continued their hunt for the silver badges.