Lin Gui had long since grown accustomed to chantless casting.
At this moment, he was fully focused, controlling every single vane of the flying vessel.
Turning, deflection, fine-tuning.
During this past week, he had familiarized himself with these control buttons whenever he had a spare moment.
The operation logic of the flying vessel was actually quite simple.
It was similar to the throttle, brakes, and steering wheel he had to master when driving in his previous life.
Except that "braking" and "steering" were both achieved by those twelve pairs of vanes.
Multiple sets of commands corresponded to adjustments in up, down, left, right, and even more dimensions.
The complex flight control system had been highly simplified.
The forging wisdom contained within even made Lin Gui secretly admire it.
Having finished his familiarization, Lin Gui prepared for the first real test flight.
Theia tilted her head, intending to climb aboard, but he shook his head and refused.
"I want to test the limits of the wind pressure cannon this time."
"I need to get a handle on it alone first."
He had to prepare thoroughly for any eventuality.
Lin Gui placed both hands on the steering wheel, and Levitation silently enhanced the flying vessel.
The vessel drifted slowly out of the workshop, hovering in the middle of the passage.
First, he let the hull move forward steadily at a very slow pace.
Like taking a stroll, it glided along the wide main passage.
He did not activate the wind pressure cannon immediately.
Instead, he let the flying vessel drift forward at a steady speed.
It wove through the broad corridors of Shield City.
The torches on the rock walls on both sides flowed backward.
The speed gradually increased.
He began to challenge more complex terrain.
He passed under overpasses and glided along the edges of smelting furnaces.
He turned nimbly between intersecting skywalks and lifts.
The response of every single vane was etched into his mind.
The enhancement of Levitation gradually strengthened, and the flying vessel grew faster and faster.
It was like a grey bird flitting through the sky of the city-state.
It shot through archways, bypassed chimneys, and zipped past the heads of busy dwarfs.
This conspicuous activity naturally drew countless gazes.
The dwarfs on the ground looked up, and residents at the windows carved into the mountain walls leaned out.
Even pedestrians on the high bridges stopped in their tracks, pointing at the nimble flying vessel and discussing it animatedly.
Lin Gui, however, was completely oblivious.
The only thing in his eyes was the obstacles constantly appearing ahead.
The control apparatus in his hands had already become like an extension of his own arms.
When the output of Levitation approached its limit...
When the obstacles before him could no longer make him feel pressure...
He knew the time had come.
Lin Gui took a deep breath.
He pressed his palm firmly onto the central energy sphere.
Mana surged into it.
Buzz!!!
A red triangular warning suddenly lit up on the dashboard.
【Wind Pressure Cannon — Primed for Activation】
The next second.
A pale green torrent violently erupted from the muzzle at the stern!
The flying vessel felt as though it had been violently kicked from behind by a giant beast.
It suddenly surged forward!
At first, the speed was still under control, and Lin Gui could barely adjust the vanes to avoid the rock pillars ahead.
But three seconds later—
The speed began to run wild!
The scenery before him zoomed in, blurred, and retreated at a frantic pace!
The rock wall on the left suddenly lunged at his face!
Lin Gui's pupils shrank as he slammed his right foot down.
The right vanes deployed instantly, and the hull moved half a foot sideways with sheer force.
It scraped past the rock wall, sending sparks flying!
The wind howled in his ears like a wailing ghost.
Time and again, he twisted away at the absolute limit of an imminent collision.
Every instance was a product of anticipation and control half a beat in advance.
The flying vessel became a zigzagging grey line within the passage.
Wherever it passed, the spectating dwarfs cried out in alarm.
"He dodged it!"
"There's another one! To the left!"
"Is he going to hit—Whoa!!"
Inside the workshop, Theia's face was deathly pale, her fingers clutching the windowsill tightly.
Grom tried to rush out to call for a stop several times, but Balin held him back firmly.
This Fortress Lord's eyes were shining brilliantly as he murmured to himself:
"This control... this reaction... this speed."
"Perhaps... he really can... tear open a gap for my plan."
The flying vessel's speed was still climbing.
In Lin Gui's field of vision.
The corner of the passage in the distance was originally just a blurry dot.
The next second, it had already charged right up to him!
The wind sounded like thunder in his ears, yet it was faintly mixed with a few excited roars.
"Let me have a go—!"
"Too wild—!"
Lin Gui had no time for distractions.
The most difficult challenge appeared ahead.
A sharp bend, followed immediately by the narrow entrance of a three-way junction.
The speed was so high that it was nearly impossible to complete the turn and slow down at the same time.
He was going to crash!
Lin Gui's eyes grew sharp.
He yanked the steering lever with his left hand and stomped the brake pedal all the way down with his right foot!
Twelve pairs of vanes deployed simultaneously, spreading out to their maximum angle!
Screeeech—!!!
Terrifying resistance tore at the hull from all directions.
Lin Gui even simultaneously applied Levitation in reverse to his own back.
He forcibly countered the recoil that was enough to throw a person off.
The screeching wind nearly tore his eardrums.
The hull vibrated violently amidst the tearing of inertia and resistance.
The rock wall ahead enlarged rapidly in his vision.
Stop!
The flying vessel ground to a sudden halt in mid-air.
The bow was less than a palm's width away from the rock wall.
Lin Gui let out a long breath, only then realizing his back was soaked in cold sweat.
He raised a hand and lightly stroked the slightly warm crystal windshield in front of him, the corners of his mouth curling up unconsciously.
An irrepressible, almost feverish sense of exhilaration flooded his entire body.
With his habitually cautious nature, he had rarely indulged in such reckless adventure.
But this level of extreme command and control made him want to let out a long cry.
However, before he could make a sound...
On the surrounding rock walls, in the passages, and across the skywalks,
All the dwarfs who had witnessed this scene erupted into a sky-shaking roar at the same time:
"Ohooo—!!!"
"Beautiful—!!!"
"Do it again—!!!"
The roars were like a tide, echoing through the entire mountain city-state.
Lin Gui's unintended speed run had provided the dwarfs of Shield City with an unprecedented aerial performance.
And his desire to let out a roar was dissipated by the cheering of the surrounding dwarfs.
But just as he breathed a sigh of relief, the flying vessel suddenly dipped!
A dwarf actually jumped straight down from the railing of the skywalk above,
Landing precisely in the empty space at the stern.
He struggled to sit down before grabbing Lin Gui's shoulder and shouting excitedly:
"Hey! Human lad! I recognize you!"
"You're that human friend of Copperhammer the gambler, right?"
"Quick, quick! Let me get a taste of racing through the sky too!"
Before his voice had even faded, another dwarf jumped down,
Squeezing into the last bit of space.
Cursing immediately drifted down from above:
"You two bastards!"
"You're faster at grabbing seats than at peeping on dwarven lasses bathing!"
The flying vessel was suddenly stuffed with two brawny, broad-shouldered dwarfs.
The space instantly became so cramped that they were practically stuck together.
The two behind him kept urging:
"Let's go!"
"Fly, fast!"
Lin Gui smiled helplessly, then gripped the steering wheel and let his lips curl into a smirk.
"Then you two... better hold on tight."
A minute later.
The flying vessel took to the sky once more.
This time the speed was much slower, but it was still nimble.
The two dwarfs at the stern were flushed with excitement,
Frantically waving to their companions on the cliff walls.
"See that! We're flying!"
"Jealous? Hahaha!"
This boasting made even more dwarfs itch to join in.
Some ran along the walkways in pursuit.
Some leaned over the railings and howled in encouragement.
The flying vessel glided over the main street,
Directly above the newly opened post office.
Eve stood at the entrance, looking up along with the dwarfs who had come to send letters.
Her pale-gold short hair drifted lightly in the slipstream.
The corners of her lips curved into a gentle arc.
Especially when the flying vessel swept past and she squinted to clearly see Lin Gui's profile—
When she saw that rare, relaxed smile on his face,
A look of heartfelt delight rippled through her eyes.
Rate on N.U.
