The train floated unsteadily through the valley, moving like a clumsy, giant bird.
Not only was its speed excruciatingly slow, but the carriages also swayed violently from side to side, emitting a grating, tooth-aching screech.
Fortunately, the sound was quickly absorbed by the magic formations on the train's surface.
Lin Gui let out a sigh.
To shake this much, it seemed Mage Betty still had a long way to go with her Levitation spell.
Feeling dizzy from the constant swaying, Theia had a sudden burst of inspiration and dragged over a few wooden crates to wedge into the corner of the carriage.
She plopped onto the floor and pressed her feet firmly against the crates.
This was her attempt to resist the violent rocking.
Seeing this, Lin Gui rummaged through their supplies and pulled out several sturdy hemp ropes.
He quickly secured himself and Eve, anchoring their bodies to the carriage wall.
Eve quietly cooperated with his actions, her short, ginkgo-colored hair swaying gently with the movement of the carriage.
Swaying and lurching along, the train gradually approached the second wall of Twilight Fortress.
Through the narrow window, they could see Rhode leading his soldiers in a fierce battle against the remaining demons.
Swords flashed as demon limbs flew through the air, their dark blood splattering across the scarred stone wall.
Just as Theia was watching intently, the train suddenly veered onto a remote side path.
The route from Twilight Fortress to the Silent Sea did not share the same direction as the main defensive line.
This fortress had been built primarily to defend against the demons from a branch of the Dark Tide ten years ago.
The threat they guarded against consisted of dark-red-skinned horned demons.
They had been driven out of the Giant's Canyon by even more powerful demons.
To survive, they had been forced to migrate south and invade the Carter Royal Capital in search of a new habitat.
In other words, the very demons that caused such a massive headache for the Carter Royal Capital...
...were actually just weaklings that had lost a territorial dispute.
Once the train entered the winding detour, the silhouette of the fortress was quickly swallowed by layers of mountains.
Theia couldn't resist opening the window, sticking her head out to gaze at the steep cliffs along the way.
“When will we reach the Silent Sea?”
Her voice drifted a little in the wind.
Lin Gui unfolded his crumpled map, and the paper immediately whipped violently in the howling wind rushing into the carriage.
Eve silently reached out, using her slender fingers to gently press down on the edge of the map.
The route displayed on the system's light screen was as concise as ever:
Route: Carter Royal Capital → Twilight Fortress → Silent Sea (Forbidden Zone) → Blackwater Port → Shield City.
In reality, however...
To get from Twilight Fortress to the Silent Sea, they first had to pass through a dense woodland known as the Umbral Forest.
Then, they had to bypass the Broken Blade Mountains.
The straight-line distance was at least forty kilometers, comparable to the length of the Withered Rift.
But unlike the relatively fixed path through the rift due to its topography...
the North Wind caravan had to carefully navigate around the territories of all Epic Rank demons.
This made the actual journey exceptionally winding and long.
Since he hadn't been able to purchase a detailed Golden Route map, Lin Gui couldn't estimate the exact time either.
He could only make an estimate based on their current speed.
“At least half a month, at most a month.”
Thud!
The train lurched violently without warning, as if dodging some obstacle.
Taken off guard, Theia lost her balance and her forehead slammed hard against the cold metal wall.
“Ow, that hurts!”
She rubbed her rapidly reddening forehead, grimacing as she complained:
“This crappy train shakes way too much...”
“By the way, Lin Gui, why are we traveling with the caravan?”
“Didn't we always travel on our own before?”
“With the Shroud of the Gloomy Night, wouldn't it be much faster and safer than hitching a ride on this piece of junk?”
“At the very least, we wouldn't be slamming into walls like we did on our little wooden raft.”
Lin Gui let out a helpless sigh.
“If we were on land, it would indeed be more convenient, safer, and more comfortable to travel alone.”
“But Theia, don't forget that we have to cross an entire inland sea this time.”
“In the middle of the vast ocean, there's nowhere for me to stop, rest, and recover my mana.”
“And from this shore to the opposite side, the straight-line distance is over three hundred kilometers.”
“Not to mention we have to pass through that bizarre forbidden sea.”
Theia clutched her head and pointed at Eve, who was sitting quietly to the side.
“Can't the Saintess restore your mana for you?”
“Once she fills you up, she can rest and recover, and then top you off again when you run out.”
The method Theia suggested was actually exactly how the North Wind caravan planned to cross the inland sea.
Lin Gui shook his head helplessly.
“When I agreed to join the North Wind, I didn't expect so many things to happen afterward.”
“The Saintess joining us was a complete accident.”
“I was originally trying to hide from the Holy Church of Light, which is why I sent you to the mine to lay low.”
“Who would have thought the Saintess herself would show up at our door?”
“And besides... don't I need to sleep?”
Of course, there was also the matter of their agreement.
Lin Gui had successfully opened his post office using the North Wind caravan's reputation.
Naturally, he had to repay them with his own Levitation spell.
It was just that Mage Betty's skill with Levitation was far worse than he had imagined.
Setting aside the lack of stability, this speed...
By the time they reached Shield City, it would probably be nearly two months later...
And time was exactly what he lacked most right now.
The long-term commission to escort Theia to Avalon had a time limit of four months.
Over a month had already passed.
It seemed like plenty of time, but the journey was vast, and he didn't even know Avalon's exact location yet.
Beside him...
Hearing Lin Gui mention her, Eve let out a soft smile.
A hint of mystery flashed in her disguised, deep brown eyes.
“Perhaps this is simply the work of fate.”
At the mention of fate, Theia couldn't help but blink.
She recalled the intriguing title Eve had used back in the mine.
She had been wanting to ask about it, but with Lin Gui around, it wasn't convenient to bring up.
She could only keep the question buried in her heart for now.
Time passed slowly amidst the constant swaying.
Theia leaned against the window, watching the monotonous scenery for a while.
Finding it incredibly boring, she finally closed the window.
The train was rocking too frequently, leaving her with no desire to even read her novels.
She was terrified she might throw up right in front of Lin Gui.
Once Theia shut the window...
darkness instantly swallowed the sealed carriage, with only a few faint beams of light filtering through the cracks.
Lin Gui casually snapped his fingers, and several soft spheres of light materialized out of thin air, dispersing the darkness.
Eve's eyes widened slightly, a look of surprise crossing her face.
This was the first time she had witnessed Lin Gui cast light magic with her own eyes.
And the spell he cast was one she was all too familiar with—Glimmer.
Chantless casting once again...
Levitation, Shroud of the Gloomy Night, and now Glimmer...
A flash of astonishment crossed Eve's eyes, and then the corners of her lips curled up in an involuntary smile.
She suddenly spoke in a soft voice that sounded remarkably clear in the dim carriage:
“Mr. Lin Gui, what kind of girls do you like?”
She tilted her head slightly, her hair shimmering with a soft luster under the illumination of the light spheres.
“What do you think of... someone like me?”
Before Lin Gui could even react, Theia leaped up.
“What in the world?! You've only known each other for a few days!”
“Have you already fallen for Lin Gui?!”
Before her words could fully land, suddenly—
Boom!
The train violently slammed into something and began to roll and tumble in a dizzying spin.
Lin Gui and Eve were held firmly in place by their makeshift safety ropes.
Although they spun along with the carriage, they were at least unhurt.
Theia, however, was not so fortunate. She was tossed around like clothes inside a washing machine, helplessly slamming against the carriage walls.
When the train finally stopped rolling, the entire carriage lay upside down on the ground.
Suspended upside down in midair by their ropes, Lin Gui and Eve only felt slightly lightheaded.
Theia, on the other hand, lay slumped against the carriage ceiling, her forehead scraped open.
Blood trickled down her cheek, leaving her completely disoriented.
Bang!
The upward-facing metal door was suddenly yanked open from the outside.
The beastkin Grom's anxious roar echoed inside:
“Get out, quick! The demons have spotted us!”
Rate on N.U.
