After flying over the sea for a short while, a massive complex of buildings constructed against a steep coastline came clearly into view.
That was Blackwater Port.
It was completely different from the typical port crowded with masts.
The first thing that caught the eye was a towering steel wall stretching along the coastline.
The wall had a dark, metallic luster, covered with rivets and mottled from wind and rain erosion. On the battlements, the barrels of alchemical cannons gleamed coldly in the sunlight.
Their muzzles pointed in unison toward the outer sea, carrying a grim warning.
Guards clad in full armor, holding standard-issue muskets or spears, patrolled back and forth along the wall.
Their sharp eyes scanned the surface of the sea and the sky.
The entire port resembled a military fortress armed to the teeth rather than a trading hub.
As the train flew near the port, Freya dispelled the concealment magic with a wave of her hand.
The massive train appeared out of thin air over the sea, not far from the coast.
A soldier on duty on the wall was the first to notice this sudden apparition of a behemoth.
He instinctively raised his musket and barked:
“What is that?!”
But in the next second, he clearly saw the design of the train.
He spotted the eye-catching emblem of the North Wind caravan on the side of the carriages.
His vigilance instantly turned into sheer ecstasy!
He almost threw himself over the battlements, screaming down at the top of his lungs:
“It's North Wind!! It's the North Wind caravan!!”
“The North Wind caravan is here!!!”
This shout was like a stone cast into a calm lake, instantly stirring up a thousand ripples.
The originally orderly port erupted into a frenzy!
More people climbed onto the wall upon hearing the noise, scrambling to get a look.
“It really is North Wind!”
“They made it back! So fast?!”
Cheers and excited chatter intertwined, breaking the solemn atmosphere of the port.
The faces of many were filled with heartfelt joy and anticipation.
The arrival of the caravan meant supplies, news, and precious connections with the outside world.
However, amidst the ecstasy, some veterans and officials permanently stationed at the port showed expressions of suspicion and exchanged whispered remarks.
“Isn't this... a bit too fast?”
“It's a whole month earlier than expected...”
“Could they have found a new route through the Silent Sea?”
While this arrival speed, which far exceeded expectations, brought pleasant surprises.
It also quietly sowed a seed of unbelievable confusion in the minds of a few insiders.
As soon as the train touched down, the crowd that had been waiting in the open space of the port surged forward, surrounding the North Wind caravan and the train.
Amidst the clamor, Lin Gui looked around, frowning slightly.
He noticed that the people surrounding them were almost entirely human, with only the occasional member of other races, but the signature stocky figures of dwarves were nowhere to be seen.
“Why are they all humans?” he asked the scholar Eli in a low voice. “Where are the dwarves?”
The scholar pushed up his glasses, a trace of helplessness appearing on his face:
“Because most of the humans in Shield City, along with many from other races, were relocated here a few years ago.”
Lin Gui found it a bit strange. “That doesn't sound like the dwarves' style.”
“We don't know the exact reasons either,” the scholar shook his head. “Even Captain Freya, who has always been on good terms with the dwarves, is extremely tight-lipped about it.”
He lowered his voice:
“About six years ago, for some unknown reason, the dwarves of Shield City began to gradually relocate the humans and other non-dwarf races in the city to Blackwater Port.”
“And they are not allowed to set foot in Shield City ever again.”
Hearing this, Lin Gui and Theia were both startled.
This timing happened to coincide perfectly with when Copperhammer Stoneheart left Shield City.
Seeing their reaction, the scholar continued:
“I heard from the captain that your purpose in going to Shield City is to deliver a letter?”
“Once you reach the back gate of Shield City, just hand the letter to the dwarf guards on duty.”
“It's best... not to try to go inside.”
“Nowadays, the dwarves' attitude toward humans is... extremely terrible.”
Theia couldn't help but chime in, her tone laced with confusion:
“Isn't your North Wind caravan supposed to deliver the goods to Shield City in the end?”
The scholar smiled upon hearing this, though his smile carried a hint of complexity:
“We used to. But now, the dwarves won't let us in either.”
His gaze swept over Freya, who was organizing the crew to unload the cargo, and his busy companions around them.
“So, Blackwater Port is the final destination of our trip, and it is time for us to part ways.”
Just as he finished speaking, Freya and several other core members walked over one after another.
The female mage's ice-blue eyes swept over Lin Gui's trio, and she nodded slightly.
“Indeed,” her cool voice rang out, carrying a trace of imperceptible fatigue. “It is time to part ways.”
Freya walked up to Lin Gui, her ice-blue eyes filled with unconcealed admiration.
“Little mage, this cooperation was highly pleasant.”
“We arrived a full thirty-four days ahead of schedule, and that is entirely thanks to you.”
She leaned in slightly, extending her hand to Lin Gui, and issued a formal invitation:
“Would you be interested in taking your companions and officially becoming a member of our North Wind?”
“For every transport, I can pay you a flat rate of seven million gold coins.”
“At the same time, this will also include a share of the caravan's profits.”
When this offer was made, even the scholar Eli beside them couldn't help but gasp.
A fixed reward of seven million gold coins plus profit sharing.
If Lin Gui joined, he would immediately become the third highest-paid person in the North Wind caravan.
Second only to Freya herself and the hard-working Deputy Captain Aubrey.
Yet, none of the surrounding North Wind members, including Aubrey himself.
showed any sign of dissatisfaction or objection.
The way they looked at Lin Gui was filled with anticipation, even eagerness.
A one-and-a-half-month journey shortened to less than two weeks!
If this mage, who could utilize Levitation to perfection, could join them.
Then their long eight-month journey from the northernmost city-states to this southwestern border.
Could perhaps be shortened by more than half!
The time saved would be enough for them to make an extra trip.
Compared to that massive potential revenue.
The reward of seven million gold coins seemed like nothing.
However, faced with an offer tempting enough to move anyone.
Lin Gui shook his head, as expected.
“I'm sorry, Captain Freya, but I currently have no intention of joining any faction.”
A chorus of disappointed sighs immediately erupted around them.
Betty's small face slumped, frustration practically written all over it.
Where am I going to find such an awesome Levitation teacher now?
Freya didn't seem too surprised by this outcome.
She merely sighed softly.
How could someone who could casually pull out a demi-artifact like the Staff of the Windwhisperer.
Be easily bound by gold coins?
After all, in all her years as a Legendary mage.
She didn't even own a demi-artifact staff of her own.
It wasn't that she couldn't get one, but the price was too high.
If she bought one, she would have worked all these years for nothing.
“In that case, Captain Freya,” Lin Gui's voice sounded again.
“Can I commission you to deliver something to Dawn City for me?”
These words caught the members of the North Wind caravan off guard.
Freya raised her eyebrows, the corners of her lips curling slightly with a hint of playfulness:
“Oh? Little mage, to mobilize a top-tier transport team led by a Legend...”
“Are you sure you can... afford the required price?”
Her smile, in the very next moment, when Lin Gui pulled out from his bag.
A few seemingly unremarkable, even somewhat rough stones.
Instantly froze on her face.
She was completely stunned.
“Barrier Stones?!” the scholar Eli cried out in shock from the side.
Lin Gui nodded calmly. “Yes, stones that can deploy a barrier covering a hundred-mile radius.”
“Is this enough?”
“Is this enough?” Freya repeated almost subconsciously, her voice trembling slightly with disbelief.
She carefully took the seemingly ordinary stones.
Her fingertips felt the immense and stable barrier power contained within them.
After double-checking, she raised her head, the shock in her eyes impossible to conceal.
Although these weren't strategic-grade Barrier Stones capable of enveloping an entire city-state.
Their value was still enough to make the upper echelons of countless city-states fight tooth and nail for them!
“What is it... that you want to send?” Her voice was still somewhat tight.
Lin Gui pulled the dusty glass bead from his pocket.
Along with the two letters explaining the situation that he had written on behalf of the merman's soul while crossing the Silent Abyss.
Freya took them in astonishment, her expression somewhat blank.
She had thought that for Lin Gui to pay such an immense price with Barrier Stones, whose worth couldn't even be measured in gold.
The items to be delivered must be incredibly precious or massive in quantity.
And the result... was just a bead and two letters?
She tried to sense the bead with her mana.
But found nothing special about it.
She raised her head to look at Lin Gui, unable to find her words for a long time.
Meeting her gaze, Lin Gui instructed calmly:
“Deliver the bead and the first letter to the headquarters of the City-State Alliance Council.”
“If... the people there won't accept it.”
He paused.
“Then deliver the bead and the second letter to the Dawn Grand Theater in Dawn City.”
“Into the hands of a mermaid songstress named Anya.”
“Specifically, the Voice of the Sea, Anya Siren.”
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