Chapter 1380: Wings of the Phoenix
The body was clean from every angle.
Not merely smooth — the contours flowed with a logic that made the older biplanes look assembled by argument. The paint caught the afternoon light and threw it back so clearly that Tilly could see the faces of the people standing nearest, stretched across the orange-red surface. The pilot’s canopy rode toward the rear of the fuselage, a polished glass bubble elevated at the back so the pilot’s sightline cleared the nose by a significant margin. The low-front, high-rear profile and the glass cover’s sweep into the rudder gave the whole airframe a quality of completion — as though every piece had been designed with the others already in mind.
But no one’s eye stayed on the canopy for long.
The nose had no propeller.
No flat engine, no spinning shaft. The nose tapered to a cone, clean as a blade, as though it had been made to cut into weather. The body was painted in deep orange-red from nose to tail, with a few lines of white running the full length, and somehow the combination made it look less like a machine and more like a living thing caught mid-motion.
Even someone who had never seen an aircraft before would have understood, looking at it, that this was made to go fast.
Tilly fell in love with it immediately, and quietly, and the feeling did not require her permission.
But without a propeller — how does it fly?
That question ran through every mind around her. No one asked it aloud. They waited.
The second crate was opened.
Inside: wings and tail assembly. One pair of wings, where the Fire of Heaven had two. Beneath each wing, two symmetrical mounting ports, obviously intended for components not yet present.
The third crate held the engines.
Two of them, but calling them engines felt insufficient. They were integrated assemblies the size of substantial equipment blocks, designed to be installed and replaced as complete units. Tilly inspected the surface — the same orange-red paint as the fuselage, a row of access hatches along the top, and at the bottom, weapons already fitted: black and unambiguous, their function visible at a glance.
Her mind assembled the shape.
The fuselage carries no engine of its own — the propulsion moves outboard. The wings sit lower on the body, reducing drag. With one engine under each wing, the total thrust more than doubles what the Fire of Heaven provides. The propeller is gone entirely.
Her hands were restless. She needed to be inside it.
“Oh right.” Molly fished a letter from her pocket. “This came with the delivery. The envelope says it can only be opened by you personally.”
Tilly took it and broke the seal.
Dearest Sister.
This is the present I promised. I truly hope it pleases you.
The detailed specifications and operating parameters are written in the manual inside the cockpit — though I expect you’ll go straight to flying it before you read a single page.
If it had arrived already assembled, this letter would have been placed in the cockpit as well. That’s why I sent it this way, in pieces. While the ground crew is putting it together, you’ll have time to read the manual.
After all, the structure is completely different from the Fire of Heaven. Even for an Extraordinary, a thorough understanding before the first flight has no disadvantages.
Tilly’s lips bent sideways. Am I that transparent?
“What does His Majesty say? Can I see?” Molly tilted toward her.
Tilly turned and blocked the letter with her shoulder. “It’s nothing. Nothing you need to read.”
“But—”
“Would you like a Chaos Drink?”
“Yes!”
“Take one from my office.”
Molly sprinted away before the sentence finished. Tilly released a breath and returned to the letter.
Also — the name.
I originally considered reusing the name Unicorn, but that felt inadequate for a plane this red, for something meant to rule the sky. So I’ve given it a new one.
A word she didn’t recognize. Something Roland had invented, she assumed — a word from wherever he came from.
She sounded it out quietly.
“Phoenix…”
Where I’m from, a Phoenix is a divine bird associated with fire, which suits the color. But more importantly — legend says the Phoenix is immortal. After four thousand six hundred days it transforms into a golden egg. After another four thousand six hundred days it hatches back into itself, reborn.
That’s what I want to say with this.
Whatever enemies you face, I want you to come home. Alive and whole.
Like a Phoenix.
I’ll bring Ashes back to you. So you need to keep your end of the promise.
We agreed, didn’t we?
She didn’t know exactly when her eyes started to sting. She blinked, and blinked again, and held the warmth in her chest at arm’s length through sheer effort until it settled into something she could carry.
“A Phoenix is immortal, huh.” Her voice was too low for anyone to hear. “Not a bad name, Brother. I’ll accept it.”
“Your Highness?” A guard nearby looked uncertain.
“It’s nothing.” She tucked the letter away. “Tell the ground crew to assemble the Phoenix as quickly as they can. I’m not in the mood to wait.”
Three days later the aircraft rolled out of the hangar and moved down the runway under its own power for the first time.
“So that’s the special aircraft you mentioned. It really does look impressive.”
Lightning’s voice came through the Sigil of Listening, bright and carrying the slight echo of altitude.
Tilly raised her gaze through the clear canopy and found the two Exploration Group members circling overhead in slow spirals. She had called Lightning and Maggie out for the maiden flight as a precaution — a new aircraft’s first time in the air was not a moment to be alone.
The interior had been worth waiting for. The moment she settled into the seat, something about the proportions and the layout had reached her — an attentiveness that the Fire of Heaven had never quite managed. The seat was firm but shaped for long hours, designed to prevent the low back from giving out across an extended mission. Every control input gave tactile feedback. The Sigil of Listening was integrated into a customized slot beside her hand, making communication in the air a matter of a moment rather than a fumbling interruption.
The Unicorn had been outstanding. This was different — it felt specific, like a plane that had been built knowing she would fly it.
“Shall we see who’s faster?” she said.
Lightning laughed — clear and unguarded. “No chance. The old Fire of Heaven couldn’t even catch me in my usual form, let alone you. Am I right, Maggie?”
“That’s right! It can’t touch me at all!”
“We won’t know until we try.” Tilly pressed the throttle. Both engines answered at once, the sound sharpening into something that wasn’t just loud but felt purposeful — the vibration carrying through the seat and into her spine in a way that the Fire of Heaven’s single-engine pull never had. The runway flowed backward faster than she was used to. She eased back on the stick.
The Phoenix lifted.
Where the Fire of Heaven climbed steadily and deliberately, this was different — a lightness that didn’t feel like weight leaving the ground so much as ground becoming irrelevant. The aircraft rose through the cold air with a kind of ease that she had only ever felt in her own body, under her own power.
The sky opened above her, bright and cold and enormous.
Tilly laughed, once, and pointed the nose upward.
Chapter 1380 - Wings of the Phoenix
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
It’s entire body was smooth from any angle. The contours looked extremely fluent and curved, and the bright and clean paint on its surface was even able to reflect human reflections.
The pilot cabin looked like a bulging bubble, enveloped by polished glass. It was obviously built in consideration for the drafts from high speed flights. Additionally, the cockpit was placed towards the rear, where the back of the bubble was elevated higher than the front. This feature was obviously beneficial from a single glance combined with the smooth body. The low front, high back feature distinctively elevated the pilot’s field of view, while the glass cover’s smooth and curved finish that was linked to the rudder made the airframe appear clean. Every installation meshed well together.
And the greatest difference of this plane was something that every student could never overlook—the nose of the plane did not have a propeller!
Without a flat engine, the head of the plane converged into the shape of a cone, as though it could cut through the clouds and winds. The majority of the airframe were painted orange-red that resembled a blazing flame, with a few streaks of white lines running from the head to the tail, giving the body a sense of artistic vitality.
Even those ignorant of aviation could sense the beauty and grace of the beast.
The moment Tilly landed her eyes on the new plane, she found herself falling deeply for it.
But… without propellers, how was a plane to fly?
This question ran through everyone’s mind.
It was only after the other two crates were opened did the answer come to them.
Encapsulated within the second crate were the wings and empennage. From the count, the plane only had a pair of wings unlike the Fire of Heaven’s bottom-top wings. Beneath the wings were symmetrical ports, obviously left for some other components.
The last crate contained two engines.
But they were too bulky to be considered just engines.
Compared to the Fire of Heaven, they resembled more of integrated components that could be replaced. After a careful inspection, Tilly noticed the same red color painted over its surface. There were many access hatches at the top, while the hole at the bottom were shockingly installed with black weapons.
After associating the ports on the wings, the appearance of the new plane gradually appeared in her mind.
The fuselage of the plane no longer assumes a mechanical system and the slender wings situated closer to the bottom of the plane decreases the resistance by a notch. With the two engines installed at the wings, the propulsion force provided to the plane doubles…
Tilly immediately became impatient, eager to experience the new plane for herself!
“Oh right.” Molly fished out a letter from her pocket. “This came together with His Majesty’s delivery. The envelope indicated clearly that it must be handed and opened by you personally.”
Tilly took the letter and opened it.
“Dearest Sister.”
“This is the present that I have promised, I truly hope that it is to your satisfaction.”
“Detailed introductions and specific parameters have been written in the manual left in the cockpit, but I reckon that you’ll most probably get straight to flying it without carefully reading the manual first.”
“If it was already built up and sent over to you, this letter would had been placed at the back of the plane as well—This is the reason why I sent it over like this to the Kingdom of Dawn. While the workers are assembling it, you have the time to read through the manual.”
“After all, it possesses a completely different structure from the Fire of Heaven. Even though you’re an Extraordinary, there’s no disadvantages to having a comprehensive understanding of the plane.”
What… Tilly’s lips curled upwards awkwardly. Am I that readable?
“What did His Majesty say? I want to read it too…” Molly leaned in towards her.
Tilly immediately turned and used her body to block Molly’s view, “Ahem, it’s nothing, you don’t have to see it.”
“What—”
“Want to have a Chaos Drink?”
“Yes!”
“Take it from my office.”
Molly excitedly sprinted away the moment Tilly pointed towards her office.
Tilly heaved a sigh of relief, then returned back to the letter.
“Also, it’s about the name of this plane.”
“I initially had the intention of re-using the name ‘Unicorn,’ but I felt it fell short of the striking red color of as overlord of the sky, so I might as well give it a new name.”
It was a noun Tilly had never encountered before. Without a doubt, it was something Roland came up with.
Tilly attempted reading it out.
“Phoenix…”
“Where I’m from, a Phoenix is a type of divine bird related to fire, which happens to match the color of the plane. But most importantly, legend has it that a Phoenix is immortal, transforming into a golden egg after 4600 days, and taking another 4600 days to hatch out of the egg to obtain new life.”
“That is also what I wish to convey—regardless of what enemies you face, I hope that you can return home, alive and safe.”
“Just like a phoenix.”
“I will bring Ashes back for you, so you need to keep your promise.”
“We’ve agreed on it, right?”
For some reason, Tilly suddenly felt her eyes turn sour and swollen.
She blinked a couple of times, resisted the surging warmth from her heart, and took a deep breath.
“A Phoenix is immortal, huh…” She muttered at a volume only audible to herself, “Not a bad name. I will accept this present, Brother.”
“… Your Highness?” a guard asked in puzzlement.
“It’s nothing.” Tilly waved her hand. “Inform ground service to fix up the Phoenix at quickly as possible. I can’t wait to have a test flight with it.”
…
Three days later, the fully assembled plane left its hangar and slowly slid down the runway.
“Oh? So this is the special aircraft you mentioned? It looks really good.”
Lightning’s voice came out from the Sigil of Listening.
Tilly raised her head. Through the clear glass, she noticed the two Exploration Group members spiraling in the air. As it was the maiden flight for the Phoenix, she had specially called for Lightning and Maggie in any case of an accident.
It had to be said that the plane’s interior design was far more outstanding than its exterior.
The moment Tilly sat in the cockpit, she even had the baffling feeling that the plane was not just a pure fighter plane. For example, her seat was extremely firm but soft to prevent pain and soreness of the lower back for long flights; the various tension bars and buttons were equipped with control feedback for added efficiency; and the customized Sigil of Listening slot, allowed the pilot to easily use the Sigil of Listening to talk with others even in battle.
Compared to the Unicorn, It felt even more of a plane specially designed for her.
“Shall we compete to see who is faster?” Tilly chuckled and replied.
“Forget that, the old Fire of Heaven can not even catch up with Maggie’s petrel form, much less me.” Lightning’s words contained an undisguised smugness. “Am I right?”
“That’s right, it can’t even compare to me!”
“How will we know if we don’t try?” Tilly stepped on the accelerator, causing the rumbling from both engines to amplify. Compared to the gradual build up of speed on the Fire of Heaven, the Phoenix’s body felt so light and graceful, as though it was weightless. The surrounding landscape flew backwards rapidly as she gently pulled the center stick and the plane immediately raised upwards, whistling into the sky.