Lin Gui was already long accustomed to chantless casting.
At this moment, he was fully focused, controlling every single wing of the flying vessel.
Turning, deflecting, and fine-tuning.
Over the past week, whenever he had free time, he would familiarize himself with these controls.
The control logic of the flying vessel was actually quite simple.
It was similar to the accelerator, brakes, and steering wheel he had to master when driving in his past life.
The only difference was that both 'braking' and 'steering' were achieved through those twelve pairs of wings.
Multiple sets of commands corresponded to adjustments in height, direction, and even more dimensions.
The complex flight control system was highly simplified.
Even Lin Gui couldn't help but secretly admire the craftsmanship and wisdom behind it.
Having familiarized himself with the controls, Lin Gui prepared for his first actual test flight.
Theia tilted her head and tried to climb aboard, but he shook his head in refusal.
“I want to test the limits of the wind pressure cannon this time.”
“I need to figure it out on my own first.”
He had to be fully prepared for any contingency.
Placing both hands on the steering wheel, Lin Gui silently applied Levitation to the flying vessel.
The flying vessel slowly drifted out of the workshop, hovering in the middle of the passage.
First, he kept the hull moving forward steadily at a very slow speed.
It glided along the wide main passage as if taking a leisurely stroll.
He did not activate the wind pressure cannon right away.
Instead, he let the flying vessel drift forward at a steady pace.
It wove through the spacious passages 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 footbridges and elevators.
He committed the response of every single wing to memory.
As the output of Levitation steadily increased, the flying vessel went faster and faster.
It was like a gray bird, sweeping across the sky above the city-state.
It darted through archways, bypassed chimneys, and skimmed right over the heads of the busy dwarves.
This conspicuous activity naturally attracted countless gazes.
Dwarves on the ground looked up, and residents leaned out of windows carved into the mountain walls.
Even pedestrians on the overpasses stopped in their tracks, pointing at the nimble flying vessel and discussing it animatedly.
Lin Gui, however, was completely oblivious.
His eyes were locked onto the obstacles constantly appearing ahead.
The controls in his hands had already become like an extension of his own limbs.
When the output of Levitation neared its limit.
And when the obstacles before him could no longer pressure him.
He knew the time had come.
Lin Gui took a deep breath.
He pressed his palm onto the central energy orb with all his strength.
Mana surged in violently.
Buzz!!!
On the dashboard, a red triangular warning suddenly lit up.
【Wind Pressure Cannon—Preparing to Launch】
In the next second.
A pale-green torrent blasted out from the muzzle at the stern!
The flying vessel felt as if it had been kicked violently from behind by a giant beast.
It suddenly rocketed forward!
At first, the speed was still within control, and Lin Gui could barely adjust the wings to avoid the stone pillars ahead.
But three seconds later—
the speed went completely out of control!
The scenery in front of him rushed forward, blurred, and receded at a mad pace!
The rock wall on the left suddenly rushed straight toward his face!
Lin Gui's pupils shrank, and he stomped his right foot down.
The wings on the right side instantly deployed, forcing the hull to shift half a foot to the side.
It scraped along the rock wall as sparks flew!
The wind shrieked in his ears like a wailing ghost.
Several times, he twisted away at the absolute limit from the brink of a collision.
Each maneuver was a product of anticipation and control executed half a second in advance.
The flying vessel turned into a zigzagging gray streak in the passage.
Wherever it passed, the watching dwarves gasped and screamed.
“He dodged it!”
“Here it comes again! To the left!”
“Is he going to crash—Whoa!!”
Inside the forge workshop, Theia's face was pale, her fingers gripping the windowsill tightly.
Grom tried to rush out to call a halt several times, but Balin held him back firmly.
The Fortress Lord's eyes shone brightly as he muttered to himself:
“That control... those reflexes... that speed.”
“Perhaps... he really can...”
“...tear open a gap for my plan.”
The flying vessel's speed was still climbing.
In Lin Gui's vision.
The corner of the passage in the distance was originally just a blurry speck.
But in the next second, it was already right in front of him!
The wind thundered in his ears, yet he could faintly hear a few excited roars mixed in.
“Let me try it—!”
“This is insane—!”
Lin Gui had no time to be distracted.
The most difficult challenge appeared ahead.
A sharp turn, immediately followed by the narrow entrance of a three-way intersection.
Going at this speed, it was virtually impossible to turn and decelerate at the same time.
He was going to crash!
Lin Gui's gaze turned sharp.
He yanked the steering wheel to the left and stomped the brake pedal all the way down!
Twelve pairs of wings instantly deployed fully, flattening out at their maximum angle!
Chhh—!!!
Terrifying drag tore at the hull from all directions.
Lin Gui even went as far as to cast Levitation in reverse on his own back at the same time.
He forcefully countered the recoil that was strong enough to fling a person away.
The shrieking wind nearly ruptured his eardrums.
The hull vibrated violently under the tearing force of inertia and drag.
The rock wall ahead enlarged rapidly in his vision.
Stop!
The flying vessel abruptly came to a halt in midair.
The bow of the vessel was less than a palm's width away from the rock wall.
Lin Gui exhaled a long breath, only then realizing that his back was drenched in cold sweat.
He raised his hand and gently touched the slightly warm crystal windshield, his lips curving upward involuntarily.
An uncontrollable, almost euphoric thrill surged through his entire body.
Given his usually cautious nature, he rarely indulged in such reckless risks.
But this level of ultimate control and mastery made him feel like shouting out loud.
However, before he could make a sound.
From the surrounding rock walls, the passages, and the footbridges.
All the dwarves who had witnessed this scene erupted into earth-shattering roars at the same time:
“Ohhh—!!!”
“Beautiful—!!!”
“Do it again—!!!”
The roars rolled like waves, echoing throughout the cavernous city-state.
Lin Gui's unintentional wild ride.
He had put on an unprecedented aerial performance for the dwarves of Shield City.
And his desire to shout was quickly dispelled by the clamor of the cheering dwarves around him.
But just as he let out a sigh of relief, the flying vessel suddenly sank!
A dwarf had actually leaped directly from the railing of the footbridge above.
He landed precisely in the empty space at the stern.
After squeezing himself into a seat, he grabbed Lin Gui's shoulder and shouted excitedly:
“Hey! Human kid! I recognize you!”
“You're that gambler Copperhammer's human friend, right?”
“Hurry! Let me taste what it's like to speed through the sky too!”
Before he could finish, another dwarf jumped down.
He squeezed into the last remaining gap.
Instantly, a chorus of curses rained down from above:
“You two bastards!”
“You snatch seats faster than peeping at dwarf girls bathing!”
Two broad-shouldered, thick-waisted dwarves were suddenly crammed into the flying vessel.
The space became so tight they were practically glued to each other.
The two behind him kept urging:
“Let's go!”
“Fly!”
Lin Gui smiled helplessly, then gripped the steering wheel and curled his lips into a smirk.
“Then you guys... better hold on tight.”
A minute later.
The flying vessel took to the air once more.
This time, the speed was significantly slower, but it was still incredibly agile.
The two dwarves at the stern were flushed with excitement.
They waved frantically at their companions on the cliff walls.
“See that! We're flying!”
“Jealous, aren't you! Hahaha!”
This showing off made even more dwarves eager to join in.
Some ran along the wooden walkways, chasing them.
Others leaned over the railings, howling and cheering.
The flying vessel swept across the sky above the main street.
Right over the newly opened post office.
Eve stood at the entrance, looking up along with the dwarves who had come to send letters.
Her pale-golden short hair fluttered gently in the draft.
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 joy rippled through her eyes.
Rate on N.U.
