Chapter 281

Takumi adjusted the plane beneath him.

At the same time, his clothes began to change.

Helmet, flight suit.

A major transformation occurred immediately.

After completing these adjustments, Takumi let the plane take off.

Suddenly, he stepped on the accelerator to the maximum.

A loud 'Boom' echoed.

In an instant, the aircraft vanished from sight.

Simultaneously, a sonic boom trailed behind the plane.

The deafening roar was even more intense than when the previous pilot had flown.

The entire city could hear the noise.

Many people looked up at the fighter jet soaring through the sky, stunned.

Even the warlocks were in shock.

"How fast is this plane?"

Takumi piloted the plane away from Guiliyuan and headed straight for the snowy mountains.

He planned to conduct various tests and perform aerial maneuvers in the sky.

Before long, Takumi reached the peak of the snow-covered mountains.

He executed several difficult aerial stunts above the icy terrain.

However, as he ascended, he was surprised.

The aircraft had a maximum altitude limitation—it couldn't reach the peak of the mountain.

Takumi felt slightly disappointed.

Perhaps the temperature was affecting performance. He noticed a significant drop in the plane's efficiency at this altitude.

Rather than overthink it, Takumi decided to descend.

He redirected his flight path toward Mondstadt.

Meanwhile, a young girl with short blue hair gazed at the aircraft above, bewildered.

"What is that?"

"What did Liyue create this time?"

She was astonished at the sight of the plane.

Watching it head towards Mondstadt, she made up her mind to return as well.

Unaware of this, Takumi flew into Mondstadt's territory.

A certain alcoholic noticed immediately.

"Oh? Is that Takumi?"

"What is this thing? It flies through the sky like that?"

Just waking up from a hangover, Venti was lounging atop the Windrise tree.

Sensing the approaching aircraft, his curiosity piqued.

"What fun new gadget has Takumi invented?"

With a mischievous grin, Venti decided—Mondstadt was boring at the moment.

He would head to Liyue to play.

Rumors said it was much livelier there.

With that thought, Venti immediately left.

He would go to Liyue and tease Zhongli for fun.

Meanwhile, Takumi flew from the snowy mountains to Dawn Winery.

Then, he slowly returned to the alchemy workshop.

At that moment, people looked up at the aircraft overhead.

Takumi landed smoothly.

After touching down, he inspected the aircraft's condition.

The energy was nearly depleted.

In other words, this plane had a limited range.

It could only last for a single round trip.

Thinking about this, Takumi jumped out of the plane and headed to the energy cabin.

Upon opening the compartment, he found that the elemental crystals inside had lost their luster.

"The energy supply is still inadequate."

"Ordinary people wouldn't be able to fly far with this."

"This plane is best piloted by someone with a Vision."

"At most, the energy cabin can serve as a backup."

Takumi explained these observations to the gathered warlocks.

After listening, they exchanged glances.

"Does this mean the plane is impractical?"

Vision holders were rare.

Takumi closed the energy capsule and continued:

"We'll need a better energy source."

"For now, it's fine for short-range combat."

"For longer distances, a pilot with a Vision is required."

Takumi finalized his assessment of the aircraft.

It wouldn't even make it as far as Inazuma before running out of energy.

Perhaps a system to recharge elemental crystals mid-flight could be developed.

That would extend flight duration.

Hearing Takumi's conclusion, the warlocks exchanged glances again.

"Then, Lord Takumi, should we continue producing these planes?"

One of the warlocks asked hesitantly.

Takumi shook his head.

"No, not for now."

"There's no point in mass production."

"If we produce something, it should be large-scale aircraft."

"Ones that can travel long distances."

"However, there's no need at the moment."

"Inazuma is still under lockdown. Even if we built it, it wouldn't be useful."

"Focus on other research."

Takumi made a firm decision.

For now, aircraft weren't a priority.

Traveling to Mondstadt? That could still be done by other means.

If there was demand in the future, they could revisit it.

Besides, airports and infrastructure would be required.

It was unnecessary at this stage.

If the need arose for international travel, they could explore high-speed rail instead.

Hearing that Takumi had halted production, the warlocks felt a bit disappointed.

But they said nothing.

After all, several issues still needed to be resolved.

If those problems weren't addressed, the fighter jets might remain experimental forever.

"Next, let's study larger aircraft."

"Ones that can carry hundreds of passengers."

"You've already built fighter jets."

"You should have no trouble designing passenger planes next."

Hearing Takumi's new directive, one warlock raised another question.

"Lord Takumi, what about the Ruin Guard parts?"

"Should we continue acquiring them?"

Takumi raised an eyebrow.

"Of course, you should conduct your own research."

"We've dismantled plenty already. Study them alongside the alchemy workshop."

"If we keep buying, who's going to afford it?"

"The samples are already with you."

"You should be reverse-engineering them!"

"How many Ruin Guards do you think we can afford to keep tearing apart?"

Takumi sighed, shaking his head.

Did they really need to ask?

Of course, they should conduct independent research.

If they relied solely on buying materials, they would soon go bankrupt.

Hearing Takumi's answer, the warlocks nodded in agreement.

"Understood!"

"Then we'll start with the anti-gravity device."

"Once we've mastered the key components, making anything that flies will be easy."

Excited, many warlocks began discussing their next steps.

Seeing their enthusiasm, Takumi decided not to interfere further.

After offering a few more words of advice, he left the workshop.