The raft landed slowly on the open ground inside the fortress.
They were immediately stopped by a squad of fully armored warriors.
Betty stepped forward and showed the North Wind caravan badge.
After inspecting it, the guards waved them through.
Under Betty's guidance, Lin Gui steered the raft.
They entered the interior of the massive fortress that stood proudly northwest of the Royal Capital.
Inside the fortress, the atmosphere was heavy enough to feel suffocating.
Fully armed warriors and mercenaries with solemn expressions could be seen everywhere.
Organized adventure groups gathered in their respective areas, conversing in low voices.
Equipment prepared for the war was piled high like mountains.
Gleaming alchemical cannons, barrels of oil, heavy war chariots, steel barricades...
The entire fortress felt like a fully drawn bow, filled with an oppressive tension.
Led by Betty, Lin Gui's group arrived at the North Wind caravan's encampment.
Before they even drew close, they spotted a colossal vehicle.
It was a massive train composed of ten carriages.
But it was not a traditional train.
Instead, it consisted of massive, connected steel carriages with no wheels.
The connections between the carriages were wrapped in thick rubber to absorb shock and reduce noise.
Many complex magic circles were drawn on the steel hulls, shimmering with faint light.
Lin Gui recognized this vehicle; it was designed specifically for large transport teams and was known as a “Wheelless Train.”
Its advantages were high stealth and a massive interior space that could be used for both storage and living quarters.
At this moment, the door of the first carriage was wide open.
The figures of the North Wind caravan members could be seen moving around inside.
Seeing Lin Gui and the others arrive, the people inside walked out one after another.
The Vice Leader of the North Wind caravan was a hale and hearty old man named Aubrey.
He stepped forward to warmly welcome them, an apologetic look on his face.
“Mage Lin Gui, you've finally arrived.”
“The caravan had to change its schedule on short notice, and we failed to notify you in time. I am truly sorry.”
Lin Gui also exchanged polite pleasantries with him smoothly.
Both sides introduced themselves to each other.
The caravan's roster was quite diverse.
Besides Freya, Betty, the scout Alvin, and the assassin Dulu, whom Lin Gui had already met, there was also a male priest named Silas, an exceptionally burly barbarian warrior from the far north named Barton, two taciturn beastkin brothers carrying totems, Grom and Magrom, an academic wearing glasses and cradling a thick book named Eli, and a cold-tempered female elven ranger carrying a longbow named Laisa.
Laisa had green hair, and her pretty face was painted with red and green stripes.
She was clearly a Forest Elf.
When she saw the Forest Elf Laisa, Theia's body instantly stiffened.
She subconsciously shrank behind Lin Gui, trying to avoid the other's gaze.
Lin Gui immediately noticed Theia's abnormality.
Clearly, Theia knew this Forest Elf and did not want to be recognized by her.
His mind whirring, Lin Gui casually made up a fake name, “Vera,” for Theia during the introductions.
When introducing the Saintess Eve, he also used the alias “Emily.”
With the introductions over, Lin Gui got straight to the point.
“When do we set off?”
“We might have to wait a bit, half a day at most.”
Vice Leader Aubrey explained the current situation to him.
Twilight Fortress was the only passage leading northwest from the Royal Capital.
To get to Shield City, starting from here was the most time-saving route.
If they took a detour through Eagle Fortress, it would take at least an extra month.
However, the current situation was that the front defensive line of Twilight Fortress had been breached by demons after the guarding Duke Sam was assassinated.
And now, the Carter Royal Capital's army was struggling to hold the second line of defense.
Thus, they couldn't leave for the time being.
The situation seemed extremely dire.
Yet, everyone in the North Wind caravan seemed very relaxed.
“By the time the demons breach the second line of defense and make it here...”
“...the Leader will handle everything.”
Aubrey smiled, his expression appearing somewhat out of place in the solemn atmosphere.
“By then, we can set off.”
“So, there's no need to wait too long, Mage Lin Gui.”
His gaze drifted toward Freya, who was standing on the distant fortress wall.
Lin Gui followed his gaze and nodded.
“Fair enough. Can you tell us about the arrangements for us?”
“Where will my companions and I stay, and where should we put our belongings?”
“What are the arrangements for our journey?”
Aubrey smiled. “Of course. But before that, would you mind testing your skills first?”
He pointed to the massive Wheelless Train.
“This big guy is loaded with nearly a hundred tons of cargo. It's not the same as your little raft.”
“This journey is dangerous. We need to confirm the limits of your abilities.”
Lin Gui nodded, saying no more.
He picked up his oak staff and pressed its tip against the cold steel plating of the train.
Focusing his mind, he began to gauge its mountain-like weight.
A hundred tons... This was his first time attempting to levitate something so heavy.
The massive increase in weight meant that the requirements for Levitation's precision and mana spiked exponentially.
The consumption, which originally belonged to Novice Magic, was now comparable to a Transcendent Rank spell.
Unlike in the past, where things would float with a single thought, Lin Gui's movements were exceptionally slow, and fine beads of sweat began to seep from his forehead.
The members of the North Wind caravan gathered around him, watching quietly.
Aubrey walked over to Betty's side and asked in a low voice,
“Little Betty, do you think he can do it?”
Facing her teammates' questioning gazes, Betty gave a soft snort, her tone confident.
“Don't worry, he's much stronger than me.”
As a fellow mage, she knew how difficult Levitation could be.
Lin Gui's previous one-second chant had already proven everything.
Now, the only question was whether his mana reserve was sufficient.
After all, even if he was only a High Rank mage...
Time passed bit by bit, yet both the train and Lin Gui remained completely still.
Some members of the North Wind caravan frowned, beginning to doubt him.
Just as some began to think this young mage was powerless to move the steel behemoth, Lin Gui slowly lowered his staff.
He turned his head, looked at Aubrey, and asked calmly, “Is this enough?”
Aubrey and the others looked puzzled and were about to ask.
However, the Forest Elf Laisa took the initiative, bending down to lie flat on the ground and tilting her head to look beneath the train.
Then, with a peculiar expression, she raised her head and said to everyone,
“It's floating. About a centimeter off the ground.”
Hearing this, the others quickly knelt down to check.
Sure enough, between the bottom of the massive Wheelless Train and the ground, a tiny gap, almost impossible to detect, had indeed appeared.
The crowd stood up, the way they looked at Lin Gui turning somewhat strange.
Aubrey cleared his throat and said to Lin Gui,
“Could you... make it go a bit higher? When crossing the Silent Sea, we need to be at least twenty meters above the surface.”
Lin Gui frowned slightly.
Maintaining the suspension of this hundred-ton weight was costing him nearly fifty points of mana per second.
Combined with the constraints of the buildings inside the fortress, it was quite strenuous to execute.
“Do you need help?” Saintess Eve's gentle voice came from behind him.
Lin Gui nodded.
Following that, an ethereal and solemn chant rang out.
The soft glow of 【Mana Restoration】 enveloped Lin Gui.
Feeling his mana rapidly replenishing, Lin Gui took a deep breath and said loudly,
“Step back!”
The crowd gathered around the train subconsciously retreated a few paces.
In the next instant, the silent steel train seemed to come alive.
Guided by Lin Gui's staff, it let out a low hum and climbed steadily upward.
Like a waking dragon, it spiraled up, soaring straight into the sky!
This shocking scene instantly drew almost all the eyes inside the fortress.
The originally heavy and oppressive atmosphere was shattered.
Soldiers, mercenaries, and adventurers flocked to the open ground, looking up at the colossal vehicle flying freely in the sky.
High upon the fortress walls, the Guardian Knight stared at the train moving nimbly through the sky.
He couldn't help but marvel to Freya beside him,
“Your caravan is truly a place of hidden dragons and crouching tigers! This is the first time I've witnessed such exquisite Levitation.”
“As expected of your brilliant apprentice, Lady Freya!”
Yet, Freya beside him knit her brows slightly.
Brilliant apprentice??
If Betty could do something of this caliber, she wouldn't be her apprentice—she would be her teacher.
Freya narrowed her eyes, her heart filled with shock.
This control range...
had already far exceeded the limit of Levitation determined by the City of a Thousand Towers.
Just how absurdly high was this kid's understanding and mastery of Levitation?
Lin Gui's unintentional display made Freya realize... that she might have accidentally recruited an extraordinary fellow.
Rate on N.U.
