Witch, Fireball and the Evil God of Steam

The other shore started running behind the motorcycle.

This action didn't last long before it turned into walking. She originally thought her physical fitness had surpassed ordinary people after advancing to a Saint, but looking back, she found that Rowena had also caught up; her electric wheelchair was moving forward at a steady speed, similar to the speed it usually took her to go shopping for groceries.

The other shore also noticed that it wasn't just Rowena; even the old man in a hand-cranked wheelchair they happened to pass by had caught up, and Ethan was politely chatting with the old man.

"Hey, what are you doing?"

The other shore's eyelids twitched violently a few times. If Ethan weren't the one on the motorcycle, she would definitely have pulled him down by now — is he taking it easy?

Ethan responded with an unquestionable tone, "Testing the motorcycle."

"Why is your speed slower than Rowena's when she's grocery shopping?"

"Haven't you heard the saying? 'Unsafe driving, tears from loved ones.' Today, Ethan decided to set an example and educate the people of the capital on the importance of safe driving. "This is a populated area; we must slow down and drive carefully. You all must follow this in the future."

He could proudly say that when he used to ride his motorcycle to work, he never once ran a red light, and day after day, year after year, he abided by traffic rules, being undoubtedly one of the safest motorcycle riders around.

After witnessing the electrifying spectacle of the wheelchair race, Ethan reminded Ave that it might be time to put the drafting of the Empire's Transportation Act on the agenda.

The other shore's vision went dark.

On second thought, they had indeed never seen Ethan racing.

Ethan was an excellent inventor but a lousy racer; the other shore saw in him the same elderly temperament as the old man in the hand-cranked wheelchair.

How could such a health-conscious old man test the performance of a motorcycle?

Even Rowena, who was equally focused on maintaining her health, couldn't stand it anymore; in the realm of racing, Rowena was undoubtedly a "technical expert," having been an outstanding magic broom driver back in the Astrology Guild.

The other shore spent the entire journey organizing her words, trying to awaken the passionate spirit within Ethan. She was also prepared with a backup plan; if she couldn't awaken it, she would have Ethan get off, and she would test it herself.

The group painfully left the city, leisurely exiting the town, with Ethan's excessively slow driving speed attracting a crowd of interested capital residents behind them.

Just as the other shore was about to negotiate with Ethan with the line, "Don't disappoint everyone," to exchange for the first testing right, an onlooker who couldn't stand it any longer stepped out before her.

"Get down."

The arms wrapped around Ethan's waist loosened.

Despite not understanding the situation, Ethan did as he was told.

Lindong moved to the front, familiarizing herself with the controls. It wasn't difficult for someone who had once handled a magic broom.

Ethan wasn't particularly attached to the first-tier testing rights. Just as he prepared to retreat into the crowd of onlookers, Lindong pointed to the back seat and, in an undisputable tone, said, "Hop on."

The casual glance she cast was like that of a true Ghost Fire Girl.

"This... seems strange."

In Ethan's stereotyped view, the motorcycle's back seat should usually be occupied by a girl.

"Stop being so fussy, hold my waist, and make sure you don't fall off later."

This gave Ethan an oddly familiar déjà vu.

Encountering the Senior Sister Ghost Fire after school, she patted the rear seat of her motorcycle and said to him, "Hop on, I'll take you for a ride."

...

After the brief interlude, the motorcycle test got back on track.

Ethan, the researcher of witches, was forced to acquire new information, for instance, realizing how soft a witch's waist was, and the strands of hair occasionally brushing his face carried a sweet cherry scent.

The engine roared again, and a powerful wind gusted from the exhaust, propelling the motorcycle forward.

The shadows of the roadside trees shifted incessantly. Moments later, Ethan felt a lightness about him, a sense of weightlessness rushing at him, prompting him to tighten his grip around Lindong's waist instinctively. Feeling the weight from behind her, Lindong turned her head slightly, a flush of red appearing on her cheeks, and the upward curve at the corner of her mouth became increasingly harder to suppress.

"It's okay to hold on a bit closer,"

She reminded Ethan.

The exclamations from the crowd were left far behind.

The onlookers were mentally prepared, but as the motorcycle lifted off the ground and soared into the sky, they couldn't help but cry out in surprise.

Since the decline of the Golden Era, they had once again conquered the sky.

Its speed was much quicker than an airship, like a meteor streaking across the sky.

Even residents who knew nothing about science or technology understood they were witnessing history at this moment.

A new era is about to dawn.

.........

Meanwhile, upon the back of a half-dragon, a tall man stood facing the wind.

He wore the silver armor that signified the highest honor from the Neseriel Sanctuary, with three distinct scars across his right eye, remnants of an encounter with a magical beast.

Now, the very magical beast that once clawed his eyes had grown and been tamed into his most loyal steed.

They were getting closer to the capital.

The man's expression was gloomy.

It had been hundreds of years since he last returned to his homeland, and everything was quite distant from what he remembered.

Previously, matters of the Empire were handled by Turzan, but now that Turzan is dead, he left behind a mess. During the man's journey back, he found out that the internal affairs of the Empire were in chaos, with Henry VI deceased, and no new crown prince yet enthroned. Rather, the newly established cabinet replaced the Council of Seven, becoming the new supreme authority.