Before they had been flying over the sea for long, a massive complex of buildings constructed along a steep coastline clearly came into view.
That was Blackwater Port.
It was a far cry from the usual image of a port filled with a forest of masts.
The first things to come into view were the towering steel city walls stretching along the coastline.
The walls possessed a dull metallic luster, covered in rivet marks and the mottled patches of weathering from wind and rain.
Atop the embrasures, the barrels of alchemical cannons glinted with a cold, hard light under the sun.
The muzzles were all pointed toward the outer sea, carrying a grim air of warning.
Guards in full armor, carrying standard-issue muskets or spears, patrolled back and forth along the walls.
Their sharp eyes scanned the sea surface and the sky.
The entire port resembled a military fortress armed to the teeth more than a trade hub.
As the train approached the port's range, Freya waved her hand to dispel the concealment magic.
The massive train appeared out of thin air above the sea not far from the coast.
A soldier on duty atop the wall was the first to notice this sudden behemoth.
He subconsciously raised his musket and shouted sternly:
"What is that?!"
But a second later, once he saw the train's design and the striking North Wind caravan insignia on the side of the carriages...
His vigilance instantly turned into ecstatic joy!
He practically threw himself against the embrasure, screaming at the top of his lungs toward the area below:
"It's North Wind!! It's the North Wind caravan!!"
"The North Wind caravan is here!!!"
This shout was like a pebble dropped into a calm pond, instantly stirring up a thousand waves.
The originally orderly port immediately boiled over with activity!
More people heard the sound and climbed the walls, competing to catch a glimpse.
"It really is North Wind!"
"They made it here! So fast?!"
Cheers and discussions intertwined, breaking the port's stern atmosphere.
The faces of many people overflowed with heartfelt joy and anticipation.
The caravan's arrival meant supplies, news, and precious contact with the outside world.
However, amidst the ecstasy, some old-timers and officials stationed at the port looked on with surprise and suspicion, exchanging views in low voices.
"This... isn't this arriving a bit too early?"
"They're a full month ahead of schedule..."
"Could they have found a new route through the Silent Sea?"
This arrival speed, which far exceeded expectations, brought surprises while also quietly planting a seed of incredible confusion in the hearts of a few insiders.
As soon as the train landed, the crowd that had been waiting on the port's open ground surged forward, surrounding the North Wind caravan and the train.
In the clamor, Lin Gui looked around, frowning slightly.
He noticed that the people surrounding them almost all had human faces. He occasionally saw a few members of other races, but he alone did not see the characteristic sturdy silhouettes of dwarves.
"Why are they all humans?" he asked the scholar Eli beside him 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 people of other races, were relocated here a few years ago."
Lin Gui felt it was somewhat strange. "That doesn't seem like the dwarves' style."
"We don't know the specific reason either," the scholar shook his head. "Even Captain Freya, who has always been on good terms with the dwarves, is tight-lipped about it."
He lowered his voice:
"About six years ago, something happened that we don't know about. The dwarves of Shield City began progressively relocating the humans and other non-dwarf races within the city to Blackwater Port."
"Furthermore, they were not allowed to step foot in Shield City ever again."
Lin Gui and Theia were both taken aback upon hearing this.
This timing happened to coincide with the time Copperhammer Stoneheart had left Shield City.
The scholar saw their reaction and 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 defending the city."
"It would be best... if you didn't try to enter."
"Nowadays, the dwarves' attitude toward humans is... very bad."
Theia couldn't help but interject, her tone carrying confusion:
"Isn't your North Wind caravan supposed to deliver goods to Shield City in the end?"
The scholar smiled upon hearing this, though it was a complicated smile.
"It used to be. But now, the dwarves don't let us in either."
His gaze swept over Freya, who was organizing the team to unload the cargo, and his other busy companions.
"Therefore, Blackwater Port is the final destination of our trip, and it's time for us to part ways."
Just as his words fell, Freya and several other core members also walked over.
The ice-blue eyes of the female mage swept over Lin Gui's trio, and she nodded slightly.
"Indeed," her cold voice sounded, carrying an imperceptible trace of fatigue. "It is time to part ways."
Freya walked up to Lin Gui, her ice-blue eyes carrying undisguised admiration.
"Little mage, this cooperation has been very pleasant."
"We are a full thirty-four days ahead of schedule. This is entirely thanks to you."
She leaned in slightly and extended her hand to Lin Gui, issuing a formal invitation:
"Are you interested in bringing your partners and formally becoming a member of our North Wind?"
"For every transport, I can pay you a fixed compensation of seven million gold coins."
"At the same time, this also includes a share of the caravan's profits."
Once this condition was stated, even the scholar Eli beside them couldn't help but click his tongue.
A fixed compensation of seven million gold coins plus a share.
If Lin Gui joined, he would immediately become the third-highest-paid person in the North Wind caravan.
He would be second only to Freya herself and the hardworking Vice Leader Aubrey.
However, among the surrounding North Wind members, including Aubrey himself...
Not a single person showed a look of dissatisfaction or opposition.
The gaze they leveled at Lin Gui was filled with anticipation and even heat.
A trip of a month and a half had been shortened to less than two weeks!
If this mage who used Levitation to a supernatural degree could join...
Then their long eight-month journey from the far north city-states to this southwestern border...
Perhaps it could be shortened by more than half!
The time saved would be enough for them to make an extra trip.
Compared to that massive potential gain...
This compensation of seven million gold coins actually seemed like nothing.
However, facing these conditions that were enough to move anyone...
Lin Gui shook his head without surprise.
"I'm sorry, Captain Freya, but I have no plans to join any faction for the time being."
A chorus of disappointed sighs immediately rang out from the surroundings.
Betty's small face slumped even further, her dejection practically written on her face.
Where am I going to find such an incredible Levitation teacher again?
Freya didn't seem too surprised by this result.
She only let out a soft sigh.
How could someone who could casually take out the demi-artifact Staff of the Windwhisperer be easily bound by gold coins?
You had to know that in all the years she had been a Legendary mage...
She didn't even have 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, her work over all these years might have been for nothing.
"However, Captain Freya," Lin Gui's voice sounded again.
"Can I commission you to help me deliver something to Dawn City?"
These words made all the members of the North Wind caravan freeze for a moment.
Freya arched an eyebrow, the corners of her lips curling up with a hint of playfulness.
"Oh? Little mage, to hire a top-tier transport team led by a Legendary..."
"Are you sure you can afford... the required reward?"
In the next moment, when Lin Gui pulled out a few unremarkable, even somewhat rough stones from his bag...
Her smile instantly froze on her face.
Her entire person was stunned.
"Barrier Stones?!" Scholar Eli cried out in shock from the side.
Lin Gui nodded calmly. "Correct. Stones that can deploy a barrier covering a hundred-li radius."
"Is this enough?"
"Is it enough?" Freya practically repeated subconsciously, her voice carrying an unbelievable tremor.
She cautiously took those few seemingly ordinary stones.
Her fingertips felt the massive and stable barrier power contained within them.
After confirming repeatedly, she looked up, her eyes filled with undisguised shock.
Although these weren't strategic-grade Barrier Stones that could shroud an entire city-state...
Their value was still enough for countless high-level officials in the city-states to fight over them until their heads bled!
"What is it... that you want delivered?" Her voice was still somewhat tight.
Lin Gui pulled out that greyish glass bead from his pocket.
He also took out two letters he had written on behalf of that merman's soul while crossing the Silent Abyss, explaining the situation.
Freya took them in a daze, her expression somewhat blank.
She had originally thought that since Lin Gui had paid such a massive, even immeasurable amount with the Barrier Stones, the items to be transported must be incredibly precious or in shocking quantities.
As it turned out... just a bead and two letters?
She tried to sense the bead with magic power.
However, she didn't find anything special about it.
She looked up at Lin Gui and didn't speak for a long time.
Meeting her gaze, Lin Gui instructed calmly:
"Deliver the bead and the first letter to the City-State Alliance Council headquarters."
"If... the people there don't accept them..."
He paused for a moment.
"Then give the bead and the second letter to a mermaid songstress named Anya at the Dawn Grand Theater."
"That would be her, the Voice of the Sea, Anya Siren."
Rate on N.U.
