Ball of Nothing

Chapter 463 Engineering Solutions

Bob and Thomas woke up early and Zoe decided to make the party setting off today delicious lunches and snacks that Zero could bring along on his journey. Bob was told to transform into a lizard and Zero gave Thomas a hooded cloak.

"Gnomes are extinct, you’ve got to keep your identity a secret until we get to Rocket Mountain. Thankfully, we’re travelling by air so you only need to be careful once we reach the towns," Zero told the inventor who agreed.

"Won’t take me longer than a week to repair the Crafting Suit," he told Zero. "Also, are we really riding on a mythical horse?"

Zero nodded. "It’s the only one I could borrow on short notice. There isn’t a saddle so I practised a little last night enough to not fall off. Then again, just in case I do, I’m wearing this angel wing set. Here, tie this rope on your waist. In case you fall off, I can still fly to support both our weights."

Thomas looked at the flimsy rope and blinked. What was Zero thinking? Riding a pegasus that will fly several thousand meters into the air without a saddle was akin to suicide for him. The journey hasn’t started but already, Thomas was beginning to regret it.

"Actually," he said. "Could you give me five minutes? I’d forgotten to bring something from the lab."

Zero nodded. They were still early so there was still a little bit of time. "Don’t take too long," Zero told Thomas who agreed and dashed off as quickly as he could. Neither Zero nor Bob knew what the gnome needed but they decided to dip their legs into the Spring of Vitality pond while waiting for him. Zoe also took the opportunity to pack more snacks for them.

Fifteen minutes later, Thomas returned with a bunch of ropes and metal hoops. Zero raised his brow and Bob flicked his tongue.

"What’s all that for?" Zero couldn’t help but ask as Thomas walked around Pegasus and threw several ropes over the horse.

"Call it a last-minute invention but I think we need some insurance when riding a flying horse. I’m making a harness and some stirrups so that we won’t fall off when flying. Due to the wings, it isn’t convenient to fit a saddle."

The invention soon took shape and Zero was told to climb on top of Pegasus’ back while Thomas fitted the leather straps and the ropes around his thighs. The harness sat snuggly but firmly around Pegasus’ body and Thomas told Zero to try moving in the harness after putting his feet through the metal hoops at the side.

To Zero’s amazement, no matter how he moved, the ropes held his lower body firmly on Pegasus’ back. With this, he wouldn’t be falling off the horse’s back.

"This is brilliant!" he exclaimed in approval at the last-minute invention.

Thomas looked sheepish and proud at Zero’s praise. Bob watched as the gnome made a similar harness for himself behind Zero and scowled. The dragon tried to bite Thomas’ thumb and Zero got the hint.

"I think you should sit in front of me," Zero said.

In the terms and condition for solo travelling, Zero had to listen to Bob and Mii. Negotiation was possible but the final decision lied with Bob and Mii if it concerned Zero’s safety. This was definitely part of Zero’s safety so the doctor didn’t have any negotiation power. Thomas was afraid of the dragon and did as he was told. He didn’t want to lose any of his fingers or hands. For an engineer and technician, his hands were his livelihood.

After the rearrangement for sitting positions, it was finally time to leave. Bob tucked himself snugly in the front of Zero’s shirt and the boy strapped up behind Thomas who sat in front. Pegasus neighed and Zoe waved as it took to the skies and soon went out of sight as the sun started to rise.

Zero enjoyed the wind to his face but Thomas wasn’t. As they got higher, the air became colder. It took hearing the chattering of teeth from the gnome in front of him for Zero to realise that. Without enough mana, Zero wondered how he was able to help the gnome keep warm. There really were a lot of inconveniences when he couldn’t use magic and Zero finally understood that he had taken for granted the things he could do. He finally understood why his shifu often insisted on doing things manually instead of using magic to resolve everything.

He was overly reliant on mana and now, Zero found himself stuck in an awkward position without it.

Looking through his inventory, Zero searched for something that he could offer Thomas. After rummaging through the list of things he owned, Zero settled for some strong alcohol to offer Thomas. Zero felt slightly sorry for the gnome who would definitely suffer some form of hangover the next day but he really couldn’t fly at a lower altitude because he couldn’t afford to be spotted by anyone else. Without magic, Zero couldn’t use illusions to make them invisible. He could only rely on the minimap to tell him where he was heading.

"So sorry about that," Zero apologised and gave the alcohol to Thomas who accepted it gratefully. The spicy mead burned his throat as he drank but it worked quickly and warmed him up. Zero observed the gnome’s reaction to the drink and was happy to know that his lips weren’t blue anymore.

Thomas decided to save some of the mead for later as they continued on their journey. Pegasus didn’t slow or stop and Zero monitored how much distance they’d covered in just two hours. If they kept the pace up, they should reach Rocket Mountain in three days.

"We should probably stop somewhere outside of the capital’s boundaries and make the rest of our journey on foot," Zero told Bob who agreed with him.

Thomas listened to them talk and sipped on his spicy mead until he felt sleepy. Zero noticed that and told the gnome that he could sleep. They will stop for lunch later and Zero would try to put together some warm windbreaker after lunch. Pegasus needed to rest too and Bob helped Zero look for a suitable location for their breaks.

Uninterested in the location of the camp setups, Thomas continued to drink and tried his best not to fall asleep. Eventually, the discussion and boredom made the gnome snore as he flopped backwards right into Zero’s chest.

Bob yelped at the sudden weight on his tiny body and Zero laughed. The dragon hissed at Thomas and smacked the gnome’s balding head with his tail out of spite before relocating to nest at the back of Zero’s neck. Feeling warm, Bob soon fell asleep too, leaving only Zero to navigate the rest of their journey with Pegasus.