The quantity and quality of the demons outside crushed the top combat strength of Shield City. Once they stepped out of the city gates, they would be swallowed by the endless tide of demons.
Perhaps relying on the powerful strength of the Fortress Lord, they could carve out a path, but it was almost a certainty that his battle force would be exhausted.
To break through, there were only two methods.
Organize the most elite dwarf warriors to fight their way out. However, after breaking through, it was highly likely they would still be within the demon tide and eventually be worn down to death.
The second method was what Barna spoke of.
A concealment spell of High-tier Legendary or above.
But...
The gazes of all the dwarves turned toward Barna, the only Legendary mage among them.
Barna shrugged.
"My magic cannot hide us from the Legendary demons outside."
He paused.
"Once we are discovered and combat begins, the concealment spell will fail."
The dwarves fell silent.
Grom clenched his fists and smashed them hard against a nearby wooden crate.
Others lowered their heads, some sighed, and some stared blankly at the mountain of supplies piled up like a small hill.
A sense of powerlessness, like a tide, flooded everyone.
Right then, Lin Gui's voice rang out.
"It's fine. I have a way to make sure they won't find us."
The dwarves all looked up at once.
Lin Gui continued, "However, I need your cooperation."
The dwarves exchanged looks, a flicker of doubt crossing their eyes before they all recalled the same fact.
This human had indeed just come in from the outside. He had entered through the sea of demons completely unscathed.
Balin looked at him and asked in a heavy voice,
"What kind of cooperation do you need from us?"
Lin Gui spoke calmly,
"Distract the Epic demons. Do not let them notice my departure."
The surrounding dwarves looked at him skeptically.
Lin Gui's ability to use chantless Levitation had surprised many who knew of it, but it was still within the bounds of reason. Lin Gui was a High Rank mage, and Levitation was only a Novice spell.
But...
The rank of a concealment spell was fixed.
To avoid being discovered by the sea-like demon tide outside, at the very least, the concealment spell Lin Gui cast would have to be stronger than Barna's. Moreover, it would have to be stronger by a whole major rank.
Specifically, it would have to be at the Epic Rank.
Yet Lin Gui was only a High Rank.
The dwarves fell silent.
They didn't want to doubt the human before them who was willing to extend a helping hand in their time of crisis. But his success or failure carried far too much weight. It concerned the entirety of Shield City and the lives of tens of thousands.
Everyone's gaze fell on Balin.
Balin looked at Lin Gui.
After a long while, he asked,
"Could you let us know what your method is?"
Facing the dwarves' skepticism, Lin Gui wasn't annoyed. He also didn't intend to reveal the Shroud of the Gloomy Night.
"I have..."
He paused.
"An Epic-tier concealment magic scroll."
Instantly, the eyes of the surrounding dwarves lit up.
However, Barna, being the only mage, and Balin, with his extensive experience, both knew in that instant that Lin Gui was lying. And it was a very clumsy lie at that.
A concealment magic scroll? Of the Epic Rank?
Even if Lin Gui actually possessed such a thing, it would have lost its effectiveness long ago. But they did not expose him.
Balin looked at him and stepped forward. His rough, large hand landed heavily on Lin Gui's shoulder.
"Thank you."
His voice was low, carrying a certain unspeakable complexity.
"I leave everything to you."
Lin Gui gave a slight smile and nodded.
"Don't worry."
...
Under the coordination of Lin Gui and Balin, a plan was born.
Lin Gui, Barna, and Grom—along with eighteen master dwarf artisans—would be responsible for taking the supplies to Shield Island.
Meanwhile, Balin and the remaining forces would draw the attention of the Epic demons for Lin Gui.
At Lin Gui's request, the vehicle for the supplies was not the most luxurious and expensive skyship in Shield City. Instead, it was a Wheelless Train composed of very crude, functionless train cars linked together. Nothing was enchanted upon them; they possessed only the capacity for loading and relative flexibility.
This request from Lin Gui puzzled the surrounding dwarf artisans. But at the Fortress Lord's insistence, they still completed the forging and loading in an extremely short amount of time.
...
Shield City, West Gate.
Section after section of narrow train cars were connected, coiling on the ground like a sleeping iron snake. The cars were filled with ashlar blocks, timber, and magic crystal cannon parts—enough supplies to build a city-state.
Before them was a massive iron gate ten meters high. The gate was covered in reinforcement runes, which glinted with a faint, cold light in the dim environment.
Lin Gui stood at the head of the train. Behind him followed the Legendary dwarf Barna, Grom, and the eighteen master dwarf artisans.
Below the train, in front of the iron gate, rows of magic crystal cannons were aimed at the door. Their muzzles were dark pits, reflecting a cold, eerie light.
Fully armed dwarf warriors stood in formation on both sides of the cannon array, their hands gripping battle axes and their gazes solemn.
From behind the iron gate came the deafening sound of demons crawling grotesquely. There were sharp shrieks, low roars, and the ear-piercing sound of claws scraping against the metal.
Those sounds mingled together, crashing against everyone's eardrums like a tsunami.
Grom climbed onto the top of a train car and bellowed at the top of his lungs,
"Warriors below, listen up!"
"Once the gate opens, the barrier will tear open a gap!"
"You must blast back the demons that surge in and create an opportunity for the train to leave!"
"Once the entire train is out, push all the demons that came in right back out!"
"Roar!!!"
The surrounding dwarves responded fiercely, their roars shaking the heavens and drowning out the demon shrieks outside.
Barna raised his staff and began chanting an incantation. His voice was low but carried a certain rhythm, like an ancient battle song.
As he chanted, the magic crystal at the tip of his staff lit up with a brilliant glow. Then, he reached out. His coarse, calloused palm pressed against Lin Gui's back.
Instantly, a surge of pure mana flowed from his palm, channeling into Lin Gui's body.
Lin Gui's body trembled slightly. His interior was instantly filled with an unprecedentedly powerful mana, surging through every meridian like a galloping river.
He took a deep breath. His oak staff spun out, and then his right hand gripped it as he thrust it deep into the iron skin of the train car, embedding it firmly.
Under Barna's focused gaze, he simply said,
"Rise."
As the word fell, the entire train gave a slight shudder.
Then, the first car slowly drifted up. Then the second, the third, the fourth... Every car, one after another, rose from the ground. Like a giant dragon that had slept for many years finally awakening, the massive object hung suspended in mid-air, blocking the light above and casting a huge shadow.
Thinning their breaths, the dwarves looked up with wide-open mouths. They watched as those thousands of tons of supplies floated in the air in absolute silence.
Barna's pupils shrank violently.
It really was... chantless Levitation.
He looked deeply at Lin Gui's slightly pale face and suddenly broke into a grin.
"Back then, how much did that woman Freya offer you?"
Lin Gui replied calmly,
"Seven million gold coins, plus a transport commission."
Barna's grin widened even more.
"If we survive this."
He looked at Lin Gui.
"I'll offer you fifty million gold coins."
"Any interest in working with me?"
Lin Gui looked at him with surprise.
Fifty million gold coins? That was likely the annual income of an entire transport team.
Barna smiled as he watched him. "My offer will always be valid."
He paused. "Alright, let's finish this job first."
With that, he turned to look at Grom. "What's the demon situation outside the iron gate?"
Grom stood at the edge of a car, his gaze heavy as he looked toward the massive iron door.
"Three Epics, forty-nine Legendaries, about seven hundred Transcendents, and at least five thousand High Ranks."
He paused. "That's only the number close to the wall. It doesn't even count the demons further away."
Barna looked at Lin Gui.
"Are you confident?"
Lin Gui nodded.
"As long as those three Epics are lured at least two kilometers away, we can pass through safely."
Barna took a deep breath.
"The Fortress Lord will be responsible for leading those three guys away."
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