"Celestia… call that damn cloud from Wukong again," Leonar said wearily, rubbing his temples.
"I can't."
Leonar frowned.
"What?"
"The Cloud is resting," Celestia explained with a shrug. "I promised it I wouldn't call until, uh… twelve hours later. Yes, twelve hours."
Leonar closed his eyes again.
Had he heard that right?
"You're telling me you promised a cloud some rest?" he asked incredulously.
Celestia smiled amusedly.
"Of course. Divine things get tired too, you know."
"It's a cloud! It doesn't have muscles or anything that needs rest!" protested Leonar.
"That's prejudiced."
Leonar took a deep breath, feeling his patience cracking, and exhaled slowly, forcing himself to remain composed.
"Fine. If you can't use that cloud, then use one of your many so-called blessings to get me out of here without causing any trouble."
Celestia rested a finger on her chin, thinking.
"Mm… let's see… We could use Perseus' Boots."
Leonar raised an eyebrow.
"Boots? What boots?"
"Perseus' Boots," Celestia repeated with a mischievous smile. "They're a divine artifact. They'll let you walk on air as if you were stepping on invisible stairs."
Leonar folded his arms and sighed.
Right now, he just wanted to check into a hotel and get some rest.
"And do these boots come with any kind of trick?"
Celestia exhaled.
"You complain too much. Just say if you want them or not."
Leonar gritted his jaw, but in the end, he extended his hand in resignation.
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"Give them to me."
Celestia snapped her fingers and, in an instant, a golden flash appeared before Leonar. The light condensed and gradually took shape—a pair of dark brown leather boots floated in the air. They were slim, adorned with golden spiral decorations along their surface and small winged details on the sides. They had no laces or fastenings.
'Hope they’re my size…' Leonar thought.
He took the boots in both hands and noticed they were surprisingly light, as if they had no weight at all. The leather felt soft to the touch, yet exuded a sense of durability.
"And do these things really work?" Leonar asked skeptically, turning the boots over in his hands and inspecting them closely.
"Why do you always doubt divine gifts?" Celestia said, folding her arms. "Just put them on and you'll see for yourself."
Leonar sighed and, with no other option, bent down to remove his shoes, carelessly tossing them aside on the rooftop. Then he slipped his feet into Perseus' Boots and, instantly, felt a slight vibration running through his legs. It wasn’t uncomfortable, but it was definitely strange—as if a warm energy were spreading from his feet to his knees.
"Now, just walk," Celestia instructed with a playful smile.
Leonar blinked.
"What?"
"Imagine you're descending stairs. Just step on the air."
Leonar glanced to one side, then at the vast drop from the skyscraper, and then to the other side. It was undeniably odd conversing with someone inside his head.
"Are you pulling my leg…?"
Celestia shook her head.
"No."
Even though Leonar knew he could ask her to control his body again to fix her mistake…
I'm trusting you less and less!
Leonar gritted his teeth and cautiously stepped forward, extending his foot into the void. To his surprise, he didn’t fall. Something invisible supported his foot, as if there were indeed a step beneath it.
"What the hell…?"
Celestia clapped softly.
"See! I told you it worked!"
Leonar lifted his other foot and stepped again into the air. Once more, he felt that invisible resistance—as if he were stepping on something solid, though his eyes could see nothing.
"This is… damn weird," Leonar murmured, leaning slightly to look down. All he saw was the endless void of the city stretching out hundreds of meters below him.
"Just keep walking," Celestia said proudly.
Leonar swallowed hard, but, tired and desperate to get down, he began his descent. At first, his movements were clumsy, but gradually he got the hang of it. The sensation was strange, almost like walking down a normal staircase—only without seeing any steps.
"By the way," Celestia added suddenly.
Leonar frowned.
"What?"
"If you stay still for more than three minutes, the boots lose their effect and you'll fall."
Leonar stopped dead in his tracks, a chill running down his spine.
"Why didn't you tell me that before?!"
Celestia shrugged.
"I forgot."
Leonar clicked his tongue and clenched his fists.
"When I get down from here, I swear I'll teach you a lesson."
Celestia giggled.
"First, worry about getting down without falling."
Leonar exhaled heavily and continued his descent, keeping up a steady pace so the effect wouldn’t vanish. As he went down, the feeling of walking on air became more natural, yet it remained a surreal experience.
"Ah, almost forgot," Celestia added in a carefree tone.
Leonar was already fearing the worst.
"Now what?"
"Normal people can’t see you while you’re wearing the boots."
Leonar gave her a sidelong glance.
"Oh, finally, something good."
Celestia grinned from ear to ear.
"I love seeing your reactions."
Leonar closed his eyes for a second and murmured something to himself before continuing his descent, silently vowing that once his feet hit the ground, he’d find a way to make Celestia regret every time she’d bothered him.