The Witch Hunter System
chapter-854

"Either way, everyone will have to address Lord Vaan as such in the future, whether they like it or not," Palace Mistress Celestia suddenly added.

Everyone was immediately startled by her alarming statement.

"What do you mean by that, Palace Mistress?" Second Fairy Ella Eversnow quickly asked with astonishment.

Although she could already guess the meaning, she still wanted to hear a clear explanation from the Palace Mistress.

"Exactly what you are already thinking, Ella," Palace Mistress Celestia replied before telling everyone, "You have all seen what is happening in Lord Vaan's domain - That is where our future lies."

"No, to be more precise, our future lies up there, in the heavens," Palace Mistress Celestia directed everyone's attention to the moon.

"You want to bring everyone in the Pure Moon Palace to the north and swear our allegiance to Lord Vaan, Palace Mistress? Are we really going to leave all of this behind?" First Fairy Iris Eversnow uttered in shock before arguing, "But this is our home!"

"Home?" Palace Mistress Celestia calmly glanced at Fairy Iris before asking her, "Can you really call this place our home, Iris? Think about the life you have lived before joining the Pure Moon Palace."

"Outside the Divine Serpent Empire, Darkans are ostracized, discriminated, or oppressed, while inside the Divine Serpent Empire, everyone who isn't Darkan faces the same fate."

"Wherever human society exists, hierarchies and comparisons will also exist, and the minority groups will always be subjected to unfair disadvantages to make the majority group feel more self-important and superior. Such is human nature."

"However, you and your sisters, who are neither fully Darkan nor fully Lunaran, are treated even worse than dogs by the Darkan supremacists. They see you all as a stain on their 'noble' bloodline and treat you like filth."

"When the Pure Moon Palace was founded, it was meant to be a sanctuary for all the bearers of the Lunaran bloodlines who have suffered injustice in the empire, and it still is. Nothing more, nothing less."

"That is why this place is no home; it is a refuge. Don't forget that. A true home should be one where we can feel comfortable outside without worrying about public scrutiny and unprovoked maltreatment."

"I can certainly tell you that the Divine Serpent Empire is not that kind of home," Palace Mistress Celestia stated.

"But Lord Vaan's domain is, Palace Mistress?" Fairy Iris rebutted.

"That, I do not know," Palace Mistress Celestia shook her head and said, "However, I do believe this is an opportunity we cannot miss."

"As Lord Vaan had said, those who join later will not enjoy the same privilege as those who join earlier. As such, we must be decisive and act quickly. Otherwise, our chances of visiting the moon will be delayed. Of course, I won't force everyone to follow me."

"However, you all must know that I won't be changing my mind, and without me around, the Pure Moon Palace here will lose its deterring force and might even attract troublemakers," Palace Mistress Celestia stated.

She was one of the few Transcendent Witches who was only known within the Divine Serpent Empire and not outside of it.

However, unlike true Transcendent Witches, she could only use Ice Magic.

She didn't have access to such versatile magic as other witches due to her difference in cultivation method and singular focus on Ice Magic.

Even the Nine Moon Fairies all managed to become Half-step Transcendent Witches for the same reason. Only by focusing on a solitary path would cultivation bottlenecks be looser to

overcome.

Nevertheless, after Palace Mistress Celestia spoke, the Nine Moon Fairies in the ice room contemplated in silence.

"Is it so important to visit the moon that we have to make such a big gamble, Palace Mistress? No one actually knows if Lord Vaan's people have actually reached the moon and built a base on it. For all we know, it could be one big lie," Fairy Sue mentioned.

"Perhaps," Palace Mistress Celestia didn't deny the possibility and said, "That is why I am willing to wait and see if the Heavenreacher can truly send people beyond the sky. If they succeed in that venture, then that is all the proof I need to bet on their future."

"You asked what is so important about the moon, Sue? It seems you haven't been taking our Lunaran history lessons seriously. It is said that our Lunaran ancestors originated from the moon. That is why we Lunarans are called people of the moon."

"There must have been a point in time when all Lunarans lived on the moon before some unforeseen disaster struck and forced them to flee to Pangea. However, if the history of our people is true, then there should already be a city or colony on the moon."

"It wouldn't be difficult for Lord Vaan's people to create a habitable living space in a short time with that as the base since most of the work would already be done."

"Furthermore, don't forget what we practice is called the Divine Moon Arts. If we could return to our ancestral home and practice it, the effects would definitely be much greater," Palace Mistress Celestia stated.

After the Nine Moon Fairies heard that, they were immediately astonished. That single statement alone was enough to tempt all of them.

After all, if the Divine Moon Arts truly worked best on the moon, their transcendence would be much simpler to achieve.

Ultimately, the Nine Moon Fairies found themselves hoping the Heavenreacher launch would be a huge success.

...

...

Back in the Sunpeak Region, the time of launch arrived.

At the same time, Vaan had already finished his speech. Thus, he spared a few departing words before leaving the scene and allowing the people in Sunpeak City to focus on the

Heavenreacher in the distance.

Meanwhile, the security around the Red Goblin Mountain reached its peak. Dragons, battle witches, and warriors alike were all on high alert.

No one was permitted to enter the mountain, let alone come close to the Heavenreacher.

Even during normal times, few people were allowed to approach it.

"Cabin crew entered the Star Shuttle 1 - Checked."

"Zero-gravity system online - Checked."

"Magical energy at 100% - Checked."

"No irregularities detected - Checked."

"All system green - Checked."

"Cabin crew is seated, strapped, and ready for launch."

After going through all safety checks and risk assessments, the witch scholars working in the Heavenreacher eventually activated the launch sequence.

Large amounts of magical energy immediately gathered at the base of the Star Shuttle before erupting in a single instant. The Star Shuttle was instantly thrust into the zero-gravity sky by the propelling force of magical energy eruption.

Thanks to the two towering and sturdy rails that aligned the Star Shuttle, it was thrust

perfectly straight into the sky.

Although the Heavenreacher made primitive use of magical energy to launch the Star Shuttle, it was still in the early stages of its design. However, the framework for its future use could already be seen by the twin conductive rails that guided the Star Shuttle.

Indeed, the Heavenreacher wasn't just an orbital launcher but a future giant railgun that relied on electromagnetic energy to propel objects, whether for transport or as a projectile

weapon against outside threats.

Nevertheless, thanks to the magic barrier deployed within the Star Shuttle, none of the passengers and crew felt much of the g-force from the initial acceleration.

Furthermore, with the constant travel through zero-gravity space that followed, they couldn't even tell if they were moving while they were strapped to their seats.

They couldn't feel anything after the initial launch.

Countless people in Sunpeak City watched on as a black object soared into heaven with great

momentum.

If nothing unexpected happened, the Star Shuttle would continue hurling through space at a constant speed after breaking free from the planet.

However, that would undoubtedly result in a powerful collision with the space station that would destroy it—if they were aligned. Fortunately, the space station was already shifted out

of the trajectory path as a precautionary measure.

At the same time, the zero-gravity system also went offline, seemingly prematurely.

However, the return of gravity decelerated the Star Shuttle. Much of its velocity was lost by

the time it entered outer space.

Just when the people of Sunpeak City felt uncertain about the fate that awaited the crew and passengers of the Star Shuttle 1, a large screen projection suddenly appeared on the Heavenreacher for them to see.

The sudden projection was certainly a pleasant surprise for everyone as it allowed them to understand the situation beyond their atmosphere.

Nevertheless, they saw the Star Shuttle 1 being received by dragons in weird bubble helmets before getting guided into an enormous metal structure that floated outside the planet.

For the first time, the people of Sunpeak City and possibly the world saw the face of the space station that had been hidden in the darkness of outer space.

"W-What the hell is that enormous structure?! Has that always been out there? Why can't we

see it from here?"

"That must be the space colony that was mentioned earlier. I can't believe anyone or anything

could have built such a large structure..."

"Right? It has to be multiple times larger than the Heavenreacher!"

Countless people exclaimed and commented with excitement and anticipation as they

watched the scene unfold on the giant screen projection.

A few minutes later, Lord Astarot announced to the city that the Star Shuttle 1's crew and passengers had safely landed on the space colony.

In that instant, the entire city cheered in hot-blooded celebration and elation. Although they knew Heavenreacher's launch day was a big event, they didn't expect that watching it would be a far more exciting and thrilling experience than they had initially

imagined.

It was as if they had all been part of the momentous achievement and witnessed history being

made together.

...

After the breaking news spread like wildfire to the other countries, the rest of the world

trembled in shock.

The events that unfolded were way beyond anyone's imagination.

"Send people to investigate that floating fortress immediately! I want to know how long they

have been building that thing and how they did it!"

"How did they overcome every challenge and succeed? If our people could steal all that

knowledge, it would be even better! I want to know everything! Everything, you hear me?!" "But, my Lord! How are we even meant to send our people up there to learn about it?!"

"That's for you to figure out!"

The momentous reveal at Sunpeak City shook every world leader to the core and prompted them to launch desperate investigations.

Suddenly, it felt like a race between various countries to reach for the stars.

Those who could not keep up with the change would be left behind and become a part of

history.