Lin Gui fell silent.
He stood there dazed, not making a sound for a long time.
Seeing this "expected" reaction, Balin and the other dwarves wished they could crawl into a crack in the ground.
One Epic, several Legendaries—what powerful existences they were.
Yet they couldn't protect the city-state they wanted to guard and could only turn to a High Rank mage.
Going against their conscience, casting aside their pride to come and ask for help.
Unable to bear the oppressive atmosphere any longer, Grom mumbled in a low voice,
"That... well, it actually isn't that necessary..."
He scratched his messy hair, his gaze drifting aimlessly while his rough fingers tugged unconsciously at his locks.
"It's just... that... well..."
He hemmed and hawed for a long while before finally saying in self-despair,
"Anyway, little guy, just do as you see fit!"
Though he said that, a flicker of hope still lingered in the depths of his eyes.
That hope was faint, yet it burned with intensity.
Because this operation was far too dangerous.
It could even be described as a suicide mission with no chance of survival.
For a High Rank mage like Lin Gui, it was even more so.
Their actions were like using the safety of Shield City to blackmail a traveler who had helped them many times into going to his death.
However, what Grom didn't know was the true nature of Lin Gui's shock.
It wasn't about the dwarves' bizarre request for a little rookie like him to save a city-state that even Epics and Legendaries could not rescue.
Rather...
"If we transfer the supplies to an island and fix it up, we can stop Shield City from being destroyed by the aftermath of this Dark Tide?"
He looked up at Balin, his gaze full of scrutiny and confusion.
"What kind of island could possibly solve a situation this desperate?"
Balin looked at him and fell silent for a moment.
In those eyes that had witnessed too many fires of war, something was surging.
Then, he spoke slowly.
"That island is called Shield Island."
"Its geographic position is very special, and combined with the Silent Sea, it creates a unique strategic advantage."
"As long as we seize it and maintain a long-term garrison there, we can suppress the deep-sea demons with very few resources and personnel."
He paused, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly.
"Not just the cursed demons that Shield City has suppressed for so long, but also other undersea demons in the surrounding area."
Lin Gui's brow furrowed slightly as his fingertips unconsciously tapped on the counter.
He thought for a few seconds and then asked,
"Even if you can suppress those deep-sea demons..."
"They are only a small portion of the demons attacking the city this time."
"This won't solve the immediate crisis at all."
The difference between deep-sea demons and land-based demons was very distinct.
Lin Gui had seen it with one glance when he entered.
Among the demons outside, deep-sea demons didn't account for a high proportion.
Of the dozen or so Epic demons, only two possessed deep-sea demon characteristics.
The main force of this siege wasn't the deep-sea demons that Shield City had always defended against.
It was the nearby Forbidden Zone, the Blackwater Forest.
Balin shook his head, his beard trembling slightly with the movement.
"No, you don't understand."
He paused as if weighing his words.
"At the very least, if the Second Shield City is successfully established to share part of the pressure on Shield City..."
"We could hold out for another day or two."
He looked up at Lin Gui, his gaze burning.
"Perhaps then we can last until the second phase of the Dark Tide."
"Until the moment the Demigod demon leading the Dark Tide reveals its face."
"At that time, the demons will retreat, pass through the Giant's Canyon, and gather toward the borderlands."
Lin Gui listened and then nodded.
This was indeed a way.
In all the years the Dark Tide had run rampant, several city-states had relied on this method to survive the initial demon riot.
He looked at Balin and remained silent for several seconds.
The surrounding air seemed to freeze.
Only the faint sound of explosions in the distance reminded them of their current situation.
If there was hope, he would help Shield City.
At least for him, transporting goods wasn't as dangerous as Balin and the others imagined.
Furthermore, whether out of interest or personal will, he was very willing to help this Fortress City.
If Shield City was lost just like that, Theia would be sad.
After all, this was one of the few city-states that knew her identity and was still willing to drink with her.
"I want to see the supplies you need to send."
The moment he said this, the surroundings went dead silent.
The dwarves were stunned at first.
Then, their eyes lit up one by one.
That light rose from the depths of their eyes, like lamps being lit one after another in the darkness.
They understood the implication of Lin Gui's words.
This human, who didn't have deep ties to Shield City, intended to help.
...
Led by the dwarves, Lin Gui arrived at the place where the supplies were stored.
It was a massive underground warehouse filled with various construction materials.
The air was thick with the distinct scent of metal, stone, and magic crystal fuel.
Massive magic crystal cannon barrels, thicker than his whole body, were disassembled into parts and stacked neatly.
Their metal surfaces glinted with a cold luster.
Piles of ashlar blocks, each carved with reinforcement runes, were heaped like small mountains.
The patterns of the runes were faintly visible in the dim light.
There were also vast quantities of wood, metal, magic crystal fuel, Stellar Stones...
Lin Gui walked while looking around, his brow furrowing slightly.
His gaze moved from one pile of supplies to the next as he estimated the total volume.
He asked curiously,
"Since the Second Shield City can completely pin down the deep-sea cursed demons at sea..."
"Then why hasn't Shield City succeeded in all these years?"
Grom walked beside him and let out a bitter laugh.
That smile was full of sorrow.
"We know the importance of Shield Island, and those deep-sea cursed demons know it too."
He sighed, his footsteps echoing in the cavernous warehouse.
"So every time we intended to land on the island and build, they would mobilize everything they had to stop us."
He paused.
"Four deep-sea Epic demons and thirty-two Legendary demons."
"That strength was already beyond what we could handle."
Lin Gui's brow furrowed even deeper, and his pace slowed down instinctively.
Grom continued,
"For years, the attempts to send supplies to Shield Island never stopped, but we never succeeded."
His voice dropped low, as if pressed down by something.
"Once, we nearly succeeded."
He fell silent.
The surrounding air seemed to grow heavy along with him.
"A pity..."
He looked dejected.
"A pity we ultimately failed and also lost our Shield City's second Epic."
Lin Gui looked at him without speaking.
He could feel the weight of that pain.
It took a good while before Grom spoke again.
He turned his head to look at Lin Gui, his clouded eyes full of sincerity.
"That was the Fifth Pillar Demon King, Marbas."
He paused.
"Copperhammer's father."
Lin Gui nodded.
So that was it.
He remained silent for a few seconds before asking another question.
"Then, after the supplies are delivered, how do you intend to build?"
"That place is so close to the demon nest; the number of demons must be beyond imagination."
Balin walked over from the side and took over the conversation.
His footsteps were steady and powerful.
"With the Barrier Stone you gave me, it's enough to block the lower demons."
He paused, the corners of his mouth turning up slightly.
"As for the Epics and Legendaries, most of them have lost their sanity and left their nests to personally attack Shield City."
A rare look of joy appeared on his face.
"We just killed two of them!"
He grinned, revealing a row of neat teeth.
Enemies that had been exceptionally difficult to deal with in the past had instead been found and eliminated after they lost their sanity due to the Dark Tide.
While the Dark Tide brought them a great disaster...
It had also helped them resolve a major internal threat in an unexpected way.
Truly ironic.
When Lin Gui heard that Balin and the others could handle the construction, the anxiety in his heart mostly dissipated.
If that was the case, then things were much simpler.
Immediately after, Lin Gui stood before that mountain of supplies.
He reached out and placed his hand on the nearest supply crate.
His palm touched the cool wooden surface.
He closed his eyes.
Mana surged from his palm, seeping into the supplies like mercury spreading across the ground.
He could feel the trajectory of his mana traveling through the materials.
Weight.
Texture.
Structure.
Force points.
Every bit of information flooded into his perception.
Behind him, the dwarves all held their breath.
Time seemed to stand still.
One second.
Two seconds.
Three seconds.
Finally, Lin Gui opened his eyes.
He turned around to look at the tense dwarves.
Their expressions varied, but their eyes held the same expectation and trepidation.
Then, he raised one finger.
"Provided there is a Priest to provide me with a steady recharge..."
He paused, his gaze sweeping over the pile of supplies.
"At least ten times."
The dwarves were stunned.
Barna scratched his head, making his already messy hair even more chaotic.
"Ten times what?"
Lin Gui looked at the heavy mountain of supplies and sighed.
That sigh carried helplessness, but also seriousness.
"I'll have to make at least ten round trips."
He pointed at the heap of things.
"My Levitation cannot make more than several thousand tons of supplies float all at once."
"I have to transport them in batches at the very least."
The goods transported by the North Wind caravan were nothing compared to what lay before him.
The difference was more than a hundredfold.
This already far exceeded the limit of his Levitation.
"Ten trips?!"
Grom's voice changed pitch, as if something had stuck in his throat.
In the eyes of the surrounding dwarves, the light that had just kindled instantly dimmed.
Ten times.
Breaking through the tide-like swarms of demons ten times.
That was simply impossible.
Rate on N.U.
