How could one describe the speed of the train under the enhancement of Legendary Wind magic?
Just moments ago, Theia had peeked outside through a gap in the carriage's iron plating.
A kilometer away, a High-tier Hero Rank sky demon, startled by the train's roar, had just raised its head to see what was happening.
In the next split second, it was instantly smashed into pieces by the train.
Before its mangled limbs could even fall, they were swept into the violent airflow trailing behind the train.
They vanished completely, leaving not a single trace behind.
Once the train finished its acceleration phase, it entered a steady, high-speed cruise.
Lin Gui and the two girls were finally freed from being tied in place and could manage to move their bodies.
“This speed... is just too absurd!”
Theia rubbed her shoulders, which were sore from the rope, her face filled with shock.
She cautiously edged over to the window and peered outside through the gap.
The sea below retreated at breakneck speed, turning into a blurry stream of blue light.
An occasional reef would shoot past her field of vision like an arrow.
“I feel like the wind is going to steal my breath away!”
She turned to shout excitedly at Lin Gui, her silver hair still plastered to her cheeks by the inertia.
Eve gently untied the rope around her waist, her movements elegant yet slightly stiff.
She used the carriage wall for support as she slowly stood up, her dark brown eyes sparkling with wonder.
Her slender fingers lightly touched the window, feeling the faint vibrations of the glass.
The howling wind outside sounded like a stirring symphony, causing her to hold her breath in spite of herself.
Lin Gui was the last to untie his rope, his eyes exceptionally bright.
He was a mage who had cast Levitation countless times.
Because of this, he could appreciate the sheer absurdity of this speed better than anyone else.
“At this rate,” he calculated.
“We'll be able to cross the bay in just a few days instead of several weeks.”
And... he had a way to make it even faster.
With a slight nudge of Lin Gui's mind, Levitation quietly opened one of the wooden crates.
An exquisitely crafted staff slowly floated out of the box.
It was none other than the Staff of the Windwhisperer, a gift from Caleb.
Under the light, currents of air seemed to swirl inside the massive Wind-attribute magic crystal at the top of the staff.
Without hesitation, Lin Gui handed the staff to Freya outside the window.
“A demi-artifact!”
The moment Freya took the staff, she couldn't help but gasp in surprise.
“With this, you should be able to further boost the output efficiency of your Wind magic.”
Lin Gui explained loudly.
His shout was muffled by the howling gale under Freya's control.
Lin Gui himself did not possess many powerful offensive Wind spells.
This demi-artifact truly couldn't unleash its real potential in his hands.
Only a Legendary mage like Freya could make it shine as it was meant to.
Freya did not decline. She decisively swapped the grimoire in her hand for the Staff of the Windwhisperer.
The instant her hand closed around the staff, a change occurred.
“Buzz!”
The magic crystal at the top of the staff burst into a dazzling green light.
The ancient runes engraved along the shaft lit up one by one, as if breathed into life.
The mana fluctuations around Freya surged violently.
The Legendary magic circle behind her flared with brilliant light, its diameter expanding by a whole ring!
The already raging air currents intensified further, the howling wind nearly splitting their eardrums.
Under this new thrust, the train began to accelerate once more.
Meanwhile, a different scene was playing out inside the control cabin at the front of the train.
A faint glow of mana gathered at Betty's fingertips.
She was barely using Levitation to adjust the train's direction.
“No—don't—!”
Her tragic screams were completely drowned out by the roaring wind.
The biggest reason this young mage had always dreaded controlling the train over the sea was her teacher.
That was Freya, the Legendary mage who specialized in Wind and Ice magic.
To shorten the travel time, her teacher had experienced a sudden flash of inspiration and decided to use Legendary-rank magic to propel the train.
That was Legendary-rank magic!
It was a terrifying power capable of altering terrain and destroying city-states!
Yet here it was, being used just to accelerate a train!
Betty felt the completely out-of-control speed in despair.
She was only able to make minuscule directional corrections with her Levitation.
Her slender fingers gripped her staff with a death grip, her knuckles turning white from the exertion.
She had just breathed a sigh of relief when the speed stabilized.
She had thought she could finally exert some control over this steel behemoth.
But now—
“Why is it speeding up again?!”
She cried out with a sob, her entire body on the verge of collapsing.
The scenery rushing past the window had blurred into streaks of color.
She didn't even dare look at the despair-inducing number on the speedometer.
The faint light of Levitation trembled at her fingertips, barely keeping the train on its basic course.
At this moment, Betty finally understood all too well.
She understood what it meant to be a powerless mage on a runaway train.
And she was just a pitiful Transcendent mage.
She was forced to use her subpar Levitation to steer a train propelled by Legendary magic.
She was experiencing her own high-speed thriller over the vast sea.
The train continued its high-speed flight over the Reef Sea.
However, this high-speed flight did not last very long.
Sustaining a full-output Legendary spell was extremely taxing.
Even a Mid-tier Legendary mage like Freya could not do so for long.
At this point.
Fine beads of sweat lined her forehead, and her fingers holding the Staff of the Windwhisperer had turned slightly pale.
As the tempest behind the train gradually waned, the train's speed finally began to decrease.
This was in accordance with the North Wind caravan's usual practice.
At this point, Freya would normally freeze the sea below.
She would create a wide platform of ice to serve as a temporary outpost in this boundless ocean.
But this time, things were different.
The North Wind caravan now had a second mage who mastered Levitation.
Freya's mana was on the verge of running completely dry.
In the front control cabin, Betty and the supporting priests were also about to reach their limits.
Lin Gui and Eve stepped in to take over control of the train.
By now, the train's speed had dropped to a level where it was safe to move around on the roof.
They did so with Freya's silent approval.
Lin Gui rode his oak staff, carrying Theia and Eve as they flew gracefully out of the carriage.
The ocean breeze gently caressed their hair.
Flocks of seagulls circled in the azure sky.
Their snow-white wings shimmered like silver in the sunlight.
This scene should have been incredibly picturesque.
It remained so until Theia suddenly reached out and accurately snatched a passing seagull.
“We've got an extra dish for later!”
She proudly waved her prey, utterly ruining the romantic atmosphere of the moment.
Lin Gui shook his head helplessly and landed on the front carriage with the two girls.
He took over for Betty, who was already slumped on the floor, weeping tears of relief.
Beside them, the scholar Eli gave a bitter smile as he helped Betty up.
“Thank you for your hard work,” he comforted the still-shivering girl in a soft voice.
And so, the train began to travel at a steady pace.
It floated slowly across the vast ocean toward the Silent Sea.
In the distance, the outline of the Silent Sea was already faintly visible.
That sea, known as the forbidden zone, awaited their arrival.
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