"People of the Wind—let us swear in our own name: we must never allow Mǎfēngkǎ to revive again!"
"The time has come for us to use the Feng zhi Chuan—the Ship of Wind!"
Beside a massive pit that had been abandoned for who-knows-how-many years, the Elder of the Wind Village stood on a tall jutting boulder. He spread both arms wide and spoke loudly to the villagers gathered below.
Every villager down there wore the same expression—solemn, resolute, and full of righteous intent.
They hadn't noticed it clearly before.
But now Doraemon, Nobita, and the others finally realized—despite how small the Wind Village appeared, it actually housed quite a number of people. Just a glance showed easily over a hundred villagers.
Strictly speaking, this place existed outside the world—a secluded paradise closed off for many years.
Yet without contact with the outside world, they had still managed to grow so strongly. It truly was remarkable.
As the Elder's voice echoed high above from atop the boulder…
The villagers below each lifted a zhuǎnfēnglún—a spinning wind wheel—and began channeling their power.
Fat Tiger and the others still had no idea what kind of important ceremony was happening around this pit, but that didn't stop them from feeling awed by the sight.
Unlike Doraemon and Nobita who were curiously looking everywhere, Lin Feng had been staring at the rocky cave surrounded by the villagers from the very beginning.
Right now the cave was pitch-black; nothing inside could be seen.
But in the next second, the ground in the area began to tremble faintly.
"What—what's going on? What happened…?"
"Is this an earthquake…!?"
Suneo and Nobita—those two small-hearted cowards—panicked the moment anything stirred.
Shhh—!
As the shaking grew stronger, the rocky pit before them suddenly erupted with wild winds. Huge clouds of dust were blown upward in a rising swirl of air.
"Th-that is—!?"
Under their shocked gazes, a colossal warship slowly rose from the enormous pit and hovered in midair.
But what shocked them even more—its mast held not a sail, but an enormous spinning zhuǎnfēnglún.
Staring at the giant rotating wind wheel hanging like a propeller, Lin Feng and the others couldn't help but picture a helicopter rotor blade spinning in their minds.
Truly—the Dao is simplicity itself, returning to the basics.
At the end of science… perhaps really lies mysticism.
Otherwise, how could such a massive warship fly into the air without any power source, in complete defiance of gravity?
"It's huge… so magnificent."
"It really looks like Noah's Ark from the Bible…!"
Shizuka covered her mouth, stunned by the sight.
She had indeed read about something similar in books.
"So this is the Ship of Wind… Looks like those ancient legends might really be true after all…"
Even Doraemon couldn't help feeling shaken.
"Alright, everyone—board the Ship of Wind. Prepare to depart. It will take us wherever we wish to go."
"The long-standing grudge between us and the Lán Tribe… shall finally be settled."
With the Elder's command, the Ship of Wind ascended further and slowly glided out of the valley.
The villagers had clearly prepared thoroughly for this day; everyone looked eager and determined.
Half an hour later, the Ship of Wind left the inland region completely and sailed into the skies above the ocean.
Just as Lin Feng had expected—though the ship relied mainly on wind for flight, it was equipped with tail wings and side sails to adjust direction and airflow. Only the main sail on the mast was absent.
Standing at the front deck, gazing over the vast ocean in the distance, Lin Feng couldn't help but feel moved.
Flying with the wind was indeed far faster than traveling by sea.
Probably just like how airplanes were faster than ships.
At this pace, it wouldn't be long before they reached the island the Elder had mentioned—Dragon's Jaw Island.
All they could hope now was that they would smoothly locate the Seal Sword and the last remaining Mǎfēngkǎ Pearl.
"Fwoosh! Fwoosh!"
If one had to name the happiest person on this journey, it was undoubtedly Fengzi.
From the moment they took off, she had been circling the Ship of Wind like a tiny wind spirit—darting, dancing, soaring through clouds, completely delighted by the freedom of the sky.
The heat rising from the ocean created steady updrafts, and in such an environment, to Fengzi—who was literally a small typhoon—this felt like returning home. Comforting. Joyful.
"Lin Feng, look—Fengzi is having so much fun."
Shizuka approached Lin Feng and looked up at Fengzi weaving freely through clouds beside the ship, smiling warmly.
"Mm. Fengzi is a child of the typhoon. The environment out here must feel very natural to her."
Lin Feng nodded with a smile.
"But it's strange—Kuro doesn't seem interested in going to play with Fengzi."
Shizuka glanced at Kuro, who floated quietly near Lin Feng, looking puzzled.
According to the Elder, whether it was Fengzi, Kuro, or the yet unseen Mǎfēngkǎ Pearl sealed by the Sword of Sealing—
All of them were once parts of the wind monster Mǎfēngkǎ. They were all children of the typhoon.
Yet Kuro's personality was the complete opposite of lively Fengzi.
If Fengzi was a cute, innocent, playful child… then Kuro was like a calm, proud, solitary adult.
The contrast in their personalities was simply too stark.
"Don't worry about it too much. Maybe that's just how he is."
Lin Feng smiled faintly. He had his own suspicions.
Perhaps when the leader of the Wind People, Noa Zhen, sealed the wind monster Mǎfēngkǎ long ago… he had also split its emotions, nature, and power into three separate parts.
"I see."
Shizuka looked at Kuro again and nodded in understanding.
With that personality, most people probably had no idea how to interact with him.
Perhaps the only one he would obediently listen to was Lin Feng.
Shizuka definitely preferred playing with lively, adorable Fengzi—the little typhoon who was always full of energy and joy.