The pilot cabin looked like a bulging bubble, enveloped by polished gla.s.s. It was obviously built in consideration for the drafts from high speed flights. Additionally, the c.o.c.kpit was placed towards the rear, where the back of the bubble was elevated higher than the front. This feature was obviously beneficial from a single glance combined with the smooth body. The low front, high back feature distinctively elevated the pilot's field of view, while the gla.s.s cover's smooth and curved finish that was linked to the rudder made the airframe appear clean. Every installation meshed well together.

And the greatest difference of this plane was something that every student could never overlook—the nose of the plane did not have a propeller!

Without a flat engine, the head of the plane converged into the shape of a cone, as though it could cut through the clouds and winds. The majority of the airframe were painted orange-red that resembled a blazing flame, with a few streaks of white lines running from the head to the tail, giving the body a sense of artistic vitality.

Even those ignorant of aviation could sense the beauty and grace of the beast.

The moment Tilly landed her eyes on the new plane, she found herself falling deeply for it.

But… without propellers, how was a plane to fly?

This question ran through everyone's mind.

It was only after the other two crates were opened did the answer come to them.

Encapsulated within the second crate were the wings and empennage. From the count, the plane only had a pair of wings unlike the Fire of Heaven's bottom-top wings. Beneath the wings were symmetrical ports, obviously left for some other components.

The last crate contained two engines.

But they were too bulky to be considered just engines.

Compared to the Fire of Heaven, they resembled more of integrated components that could be replaced. After a careful inspection, Tilly noticed the same red color painted over its surface. There were many access hatches at the top, while the hole at the bottom were shockingly installed with black weapons.

After a.s.sociating the ports on the wings, the appearance of the new plane gradually appeared in her mind.

The fuselage of the plane no longer a.s.sumes a mechanical system and the slender wings situated closer to the bottom of the plane decreases the resistance by a notch. With the two engines installed at the wings, the propulsion force provided to the plane doubles…

Tilly immediately became impatient, eager to experience the new plane for herself!

"Oh right." Molly fished out a letter from her pocket. "This came together with His Majesty's delivery. The envelope indicated clearly that it must be handed and opened by you personally."

Tilly took the letter and opened it.

"Dearest Sister."

"This is the present that I have promised, I truly hope that it is to your satisfaction."

"Detailed introductions and specific parameters have been written in the manual left in the c.o.c.kpit, but I reckon that you'll most probably get straight to flying it without carefully reading the manual first."

"If it was already built up and sent over to you, this letter would had been placed at the back of the plane as well—This is the reason why I sent it over like this to the Kingdom of Dawn. While the workers are a.s.sembling it, you have the time to read through the manual."

"After all, it possesses a completely different structure from the Fire of Heaven. Even though you're an Extraordinary, there's no disadvantages to having a comprehensive understanding of the plane."

What… Tilly's lips curled upwards awkwardly. Am I that readable?

"What did His Majesty say? I want to read it too…" Molly leaned in towards her.

Tilly immediately turned and used her body to block Molly's view, "Ahem, it's nothing, you don't have to see it."

"What—"

"Want to have a Chaos Drink?"

"Yes!"

"Take it from my office."

Molly excitedly sprinted away the moment Tilly pointed towards her office.

Tilly heaved a sigh of relief, then returned back to the letter.

"Also, it's about the name of this plane."

"I initially had the intention of re-using the name 'Unicorn,' but I felt it fell short of the striking red color of as overlord of the sky, so I might as well give it a new name."

It was a noun Tilly had never encountered before. Without a doubt, it was something Roland came up with.

Tilly attempted reading it out.

"Phoenix…"

"Where I'm from, a Phoenix is a type of divine bird related to fire, which happens to match the color of the plane. But most importantly, legend has it that a Phoenix is immortal, transforming into a golden egg after 4600 days, and taking another 4600 days to hatch out of the egg to obtain new life."

"That is also what I wish to convey—regardless of what enemies you face, I hope that you can return home, alive and safe."

"Just like a phoenix."

"I will bring Ashes back for you, so you need to keep your promise."

"We've agreed on it, right?"

For some reason, Tilly suddenly felt her eyes turn sour and swollen.

She blinked a couple of times, resisted the surging warmth from her heart, and took a deep breath.

"A Phoenix is immortal, huh…" She muttered at a volume only audible to herself, "Not a bad name. I will accept this present, Brother."

"… Your Highness?" a guard asked in puzzlement.

"It's nothing." Tilly waved her hand. "Inform ground service to fix up the Phoenix at quickly as possible. I can't wait to have a test flight with it."

…

Three days later, the fully a.s.sembled plane left its hangar and slowly slid down the runway.

"Oh? So this is the special aircraft you mentioned? It looks really good."

Lightning's voice came out from the Sigil of Listening.

Tilly raised her head. Through the clear gla.s.s, she noticed the two Exploration Group members spiraling in the air. As it was the maiden flight for the Phoenix, she had specially called for Lightning and Maggie in any case of an accident.

It had to be said that the plane's interior design was far more outstanding than its exterior.

The moment Tilly sat in the c.o.c.kpit, she even had the baffling feeling that the plane was not just a pure fighter plane. For example, her seat was extremely firm but soft to prevent pain and soreness of the lower back for long flights; the various tension bars and b.u.t.tons were equipped with control feedback for added efficiency; and the customized Sigil of Listening slot, allowed the pilot to easily use the Sigil of Listening to talk with others even in battle.

Compared to the Unicorn, It felt even more of a plane specially designed for her.

"Shall we compete to see who is faster?" Tilly chuckled and replied.

"Forget that, the old Fire of Heaven can not even catch up with Maggie's petrel form, much less me." Lightning's words contained an undisguised smugness. "Am I right?"

"That's right, it can't even compare to me!"

"How will we know if we don't try?" Tilly stepped on the accelerator, causing the rumbling from both engines to amplify. Compared to the gradual build up of speed on the Fire of Heaven, the Phoenix's body felt so light and graceful, as though it was weightless. The surrounding landscape flew backwards rapidly as she gently pulled the center stick and the plane immediately raised upwards, whistling into the sky.