“Are you the little mage who wants to hitch a ride?”
A cool, crisp voice drifted over.
Lin Gui turned his head to look, only to see a woman dressed in ice-blue mage robes walking over gracefully.
She looked to be in her twenties.
Her features were delicate, as if sculpted from ice and snow.
Her deep, azure eyes seemed to harbor an icy storm.
The magic fluctuations faintly radiating from her body were as vast as the sea.
She was indeed a powerful Mid-tier Legendary mage.
She was Freya, the leader of the North Wind caravan.
The team members following behind her all had fierce, formidable auras.
Among them, there was no shortage of High-tier Transcendent warriors, mages, and priests.
The overall strength of the team was striking.
Another relatively young female mage in the team, Betty, frowned and sized Lin Gui up.
“A Mid-tier High Rank?? And you're the one who knows Levitation?”
Her tone carried obvious skepticism.
Lin Gui did not answer directly. Instead, his lips moved slightly.
The oak staff leaning to the side seemed to be controlled by an invisible hand.
It deftly drifted up and floated in front of him.
With a slight movement of his body, he easily sat sideways on the staff, adopting a relaxed posture.
This trick made the other members of the North Wind team think he was impressive.
But the few mages, including Betty, had looks of shock in their eyes.
Even the corner of Freya's mouth could not help but twitch slightly.
The skepticism in Betty's eyes was instantly replaced by curiosity.
She sidled up to Lin Gui and asked with great interest.
“Little mage, how old are you this year?”
“Twenty-three.”
“Twenty-three?!” Betty covered her mouth.
Then she turned her head to look at Freya, winking playfully.
“Teacher Freya, did you hear that? A twenty-three-year-old mage who has mastered Levitation~ and he's only a High Rank mage!”
Freya's mouth twitched once more.
She gave Betty a light, annoyed slap on the back of her head.
“You talk too much!”
Seeing this, the other members of the North Wind caravan couldn't help but smile knowingly.
They all knew that being unable to learn 【Levitation】 was the biggest sore point in their powerful leader's life.
And what pained her even more...
...was that her student, Betty, had actually managed to learn 【Levitation】 a year ago.
Although she was still very clumsy with it, she could indeed barely shoulder some transport tasks.
This was practically rubbing salt in her wound.
Freya cleared her throat to cover her embarrassment.
Looking back at Lin Gui, her tone softened quite a bit, carrying a trace of curiosity.
“Which academy did you graduate from?”
The places she was referring to were none other than those famous magical holy lands of the Akara Continent.
The Central Magic City, the Silver Moon Tower, or the Heart of Elements Academy.
Lin Gui replied calmly, “I am a wandering mage.”
“Pfft!” Freya almost choked on her own saliva.
“Then... then who is your teacher?”
“I have no teacher. I am purely self-taught,” Lin Gui replied.
Freya smiled, obviously not fully believing him.
A self-taught wandering mage who could use 【Levitation】 so proficiently at the age of twenty-three?
It sounded far too fantastic.
But Lin Gui didn't care whether she believed him or not.
“Since you only plan to hitch a ride rather than officially join our North Wind,”
Freya returned to the main topic.
“then simply showing off your 【Levitation】 isn't going to be enough~”
“You need to demonstrate other values, or rather, pay an adequate fee.”
“I believe my Levitation alone should be enough to offset the travel expenses.”
Lin Gui's tone remained unchanged.
“Furthermore, I have a Low-tier Transcendent ranger and a High-tier High Rank knight traveling with me.”
Freya raised an eyebrow, about to speak.
She seemed to feel that the other party was pushing his luck.
However, before she could say anything.
Lin Gui had already raised the oak staff in his hand, fully activating 【Levitation】!
In an instant, with Lin Gui at the center.
a gentle yet majestic levitation force field suddenly expanded outward!
Not only he and the staff he was sitting on sideways...
...but even several heavy solid wood tables and chairs around him...
...and even a few North Wind members standing close by, lifted off the ground amidst cries of surprise, floating in midair!
The force field was stable and long-lasting, without the slightest wobble or sign of unstable magic.
This displayed the caster's terrifying control over the spell.
Unbelievable shock burst from both Freya and Betty's eyes at the same time.
This level and stability of 【Levitation】...
...they had never seen in mages of the same rank, or even many higher ranks!
And only now did they notice his chanting time... it was under two seconds!
This was already infinitely close to chantless casting!
This was Levitation!
A novice magic spell that baffled countless powerful mages.
Betty couldn't help but exclaim.
“Hey, little mage! Did you spend your entire magic career researching 【Levitation】?!”
Lin Gui thought about it.
To be precise, most of his magic career had been invested in the 【Shroud of the Gloomy Night】.
However, since the Shroud of the Gloomy Night was his trump card, Lin Gui naturally wouldn't mention it casually.
Nodding casually, he asked.
“How is it?”
Freya took a deep breath, suppressing the shock in her heart, and turned to look at her teammates to consult them with her eyes.
The team members looked at each other and eventually all nodded.
Clearly, the irreplaceable value this mysterious wandering mage demonstrated in 【Levitation】...
...had won their approval.
Next, the two sides discussed the specific details of traveling to Shield City.
The departure time was set for ten days later in the morning, meeting at the Transportation Guild.
The route was expected to pass through some dangerous areas, and Lin Gui would need to provide levitation support when necessary.
Regarding payment, the travel expenses for Lin Gui and his two companions would be offset by his assistance with 【Levitation】.
After all the matters were settled.
Lin Gui asked Freya for the transport team's badge and official registration information.
Although it was a temporary arrangement.
But from this moment on, until they reached Shield City.
Lin Gui was nominally a member of the North Wind transport team.
Freya readily completed the registration for Lin Gui.
She handed him a standard North Wind caravan uniform and a metal badge engraved with ice patterns and a North Wind wolf head.
At the same time, she warned him.
“Remember, don't take the North Wind badge and do anything excessive out there to ruin our caravan's reputation.”
Lin Gui took the badge and uniform, replying flatly.
“Don't worry. I won't violate the 《City-State Alliance Transit Agreement》, nor will I break the laws of the Carter Royal Capital.”
Freya originally wanted to take the opportunity to invite this interesting young mage to dinner to get to know him better.
But she was directly rejected by Lin Gui.
Holding the North Wind badge and registration details, Lin Gui walked toward the property center.
Rate on N.U.
