The atmosphere in the room instantly froze.
Levitation and concealment magic of Legendary rank or higher.
These two requirements were like two massive mountains weighing on the heart of every dwarf.
"I remember..."
A young dwarf suddenly spoke up, his voice filled with uncertainty.
"Freya's North Wind caravan seems to meet those requirements, doesn't it? She is a Legendary wind mage."
"Wind is the main component of concealment magic anyway."
Several dwarves around him nodded in agreement.
"Right, right, right. That girl’s concealment magic is indeed formidable."
"If it's her, maybe..."
"It won't work."
Barna immediately threw cold water on the idea.
He leaned against the wall with his arms crossed, a helpless expression on his face.
"North Wind won't do."
"As for the Levitation mage in their team who flips the carriage every other day, they'd be better off using a skyship."
He paused for a moment.
"Besides, with the number of rioting demons out there now, Freya's concealment magic won't be of much use."
"We need concealment at least one rank higher than hers—at a level that can deceive even a High-tier Legendary expert."
The dwarves fell into silence.
Concealment magic that could deceive a High-tier Legendary powerhouse?
That would have to be...
Epic rank?
In all of Shield City—no, in the entire Blackwater Corridor—how many Epic mages could be found?
You would probably only find one or two who meet those conditions in the City of a Thousand Towers.
"If it's just Levitation..."
A muffled voice rang out.
Everyone looked over; it was Grom.
He was sitting on a wooden box in the corner, frowning.
"I actually know a guy who can definitely do it."
"But we still can't find another mage who is a master of concealment."
The people around him were stunned for a moment, then quickly reacted.
"Ah, that black-haired human!"
"Yes, yes, that's him!"
"Indeed, he was able to control such a fast vehicle back then; his mastery of Levitation is definitely not low."
"Do you think that kind of speed would make it easy to break through if we used it?"
"It won't work. That little boat of his would have trouble fitting just a few dwarves, let alone the materials to rebuild Shield Island."
Amidst the clamorous discussion, Barna, who had just returned from the Carter Royal Capital, was completely bewildered.
He frowned and looked at the people around him.
"Black-haired human? Little boat? Speed?"
"What are you all talking about?"
No one answered him.
To the side, Balin also let out a sigh.
"I wanted to keep him here back then and have him help me rebuild the Second Shield City."
He shook his head.
"But who could have imagined the Dark Tide would erupt in the borderlands?"
"Those lunatics of the Holy Church of Light... though they act crazy, their Divine Prophecy has never been wrong."
"And yet, it was wrong this time?"
Barna was even more confused.
Even the Fortress Lord acknowledged the other party's Levitation?
He couldn't help but ask:
"The person you're talking about... his Levitation is very powerful?"
Balin and Grom exchanged a glance.
Then, both of them laughed simultaneously.
That smile contained something complicated.
"He can perform chantless casting of Levitation."
That simple sentence left Barna stunned.
Then, his eyes suddenly widened.
"What?!"
His voice rose so high it nearly cracked.
"Chantless casting of Levitation?!"
"That's impossible!"
He stared intensely at Balin.
"Even the Wind Tower Master cannot cast that spell without chanting!"
As a long-time transport leader, Barna's understanding of Levitation was definitely clearer than anyone else present.
As a leader, it was impossible for him not to constantly monitor this spell.
Because in the transport industry, its status was comparable to a divine artifact.
If a mage who knew Levitation was present...
Even a rookie who had just mastered it could increase the transport team's speed by at least twofold.
And as the mage's proficiency with the spell improved, that speed could increase even further.
The problem was...
Mastery.
Mages who knew Levitation were already scarce.
And those who could perform miracles with the spell basically didn't exist.
Barna didn't know the exact difficulty.
He only knew that the Wind Tower Master, as the strongest representative of the wind element, had spent an entire lifetime and still couldn't achieve chantless casting.
And now, in this remote place God-knows-how-far from the City of a Thousand Towers, one had been discovered??
"Really??"
He looked at Balin with a face full of doubt.
Balin smiled and shrugged.
"At least, I didn't see him chant any incantations."
He paused, and thinking of the current situation, he sighed.
"If he were here, at least we wouldn't have to worry about the difficulties of transport across the sea."
At this mention, the surrounding dwarves all looked dejected.
Matters seemed to have reached a dead end.
And the demons outside were still gathering in a never-ending stream.
If the Second Shield City could not be established to share the pressure of Shield City, then its fall was almost a certainty.
Right at that moment...
In the corner, a little dwarf who tended the boiler hesitated for a long time.
He looked very young, his face still bearing traces of youth.
The iron shovel in his hand was gripped and loosened, loosened and gripped again.
He stole a few glances at the great figures.
Then he lowered his head.
Then he looked again.
And lowered his head again.
Finally.
He put down the iron shovel.
He pulled a filthy rag from his waist and vigorously wiped his face, which was blackened with coal dust.
Then, he took a deep breath.
Summoning his courage, he walked toward Balin.
Each step was very slow.
The surrounding dwarves noticed him, and their gazes fell upon him one after another.
The little dwarf's face turned even redder, but he did not stop.
He walked up to Balin and stopped.
His two hands nervously twisted the rag.
"Um..."
His voice was very light and trembling.
"Lord Fortress Lord..."
Balin looked down at this little dwarf, who only reached up to his waist.
On that face covered in coal dust, tension and anxiety were written clearly.
His gaze softened.
"Is there something wrong?"
The little dwarf looked up at Balin once.
Then he quickly lowered his head again.
He opened his mouth, his voice as quiet as a mosquito's hum.
"I wanted to ask... if the person you were talking about..."
He paused.
"Is it... the postmaster of the 7-Copper Post Office?"
"The black-haired human... the one who was flying all over Shield City a month ago?"
Balin was stunned for a moment.
The surrounding dwarves were also stunned.
Every gaze was now focused on this little dwarf.
The little dwarf trembled all over with nerves.
He knew he shouldn't have stepped forward at a time like this.
He was just a boiler man.
Those people were Legendary experts and the Fortress Lord; they were great figures he could usually only look at from afar.
The commoners of Shield City actually suspected the city was in crisis.
But they didn't have much of a direct sense of it.
Because the daily life in Shield City was like this—tides of demons surged and cannons roared.
It was just that this time, it was more intense.
Many of the powerful dwarves usually seen around had disappeared.
He vaguely sensed that this time might be different from before.
But he hadn't thought about approaching them.
An occasion involving these great figures wasn't something he should participate in.
But...
He was living very happily in Shield City.
This place had his home, his job, and everyone he knew.
He didn't want to leave.
So, when he heard those great figures discussing without any result and falling into silence, he remembered something from an hour ago.
He hesitated for a long time.
Ultimately, he still stepped forward.
Balin looked at him, his gaze gentle.
"Yes, that's him."
He asked, "Is there a problem?"
The little dwarf gulped.
He could feel that all those great figures, whom he could normally only see from a distance, were all looking at him right now.
That pressure nearly took his breath away.
But he still spoke up.
"Um..."
His voice was shaking terribly.
"Just now... on my way from home to here..."
"When I passed by that post office... the door inside was open..."
He lifted his head and looked at Balin.
"That black-haired human... he seemed to be sorting letters."
As the words fell, the entire forge fell into a dead silence.
Every dwarf froze where they stood.
One second.
Two seconds.
Three seconds.
Then—
"What?!"
Rate on N.U.
