“So you're the little mage who wants to hitch a ride?”
A cold voice came from nearby.
Lin Gui turned to look and saw a woman dressed in ice-blue mage robes walking gracefully toward him.
She looked to be about twenty-three years old.
Her features were exquisite, as if carved from ice and snow.
Her deep blue eyes were profound, appearing to contain an ice storm within them.
The mana fluctuations faintly radiating from around her body were as vast as the ocean.
She was, impressively, a powerful Mid-tier Legendary mage.
She was Freya, the leader of the North Wind caravan.
The members following behind her all possessed lean, formidable presences.
Among them were no shortage of High-tier Transcendent warriors, mages, and priests.
The strength of the entire team was remarkable.
Another relatively young female mage in the group, Betty, frowned as she sized Lin Gui up.
“A Mid-tier High Rank?? And you're the one who knows Levitation?”
There was clear suspicion in her tone.
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 floated over to him.
With a shift of his body, he sat sideways on the staff with ease, looking perfectly relaxed.
This move impressed the other members of the North Wind team.
However, the eyes of the few mages, including Betty, showed a look of shock.
Even the corner of Freya’s mouth could not help but twitch slightly.
The suspicion in Betty’s eyes was instantly replaced by curiosity.
She leaned in toward Lin Gui and asked with great interest.
“Little mage, how old are you this year?”
“Twenty-three.”
“Twenty-three?!” Betty covered her mouth.
She then turned to look at Freya and winked 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 again.
She reached out and gave Betty a sharp, though light, smack on the back of the head.
“Must you talk so much?!”
The other members of North Wind could not help but share a knowing smile at the sight.
They all knew that being unable to learn Levitation was the greatest pain point in their powerful leader's life.
What made it even more “heartbreaking” for her...
Was that her student, Betty, had successfully learned Levitation a year ago.
Although she was still quite inexperienced with it, she could indeed barely shoulder some transport tasks.
It was practically rubbing salt in the wound.
Freya coughed to hide her embarrassment.
She looked back at Lin Gui, her tone softening considerably and carrying a hint of curiosity.
“Which academy did you graduate from?”
She was referring to the well-known magical holy lands on 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 entirely self-taught,” Lin Gui replied.
Freya smiled, obviously not entirely believing him.
A wandering mage who was self-taught and could use Levitation so skillfully at the age of twenty-three?
It sounded far too preposterous.
However, Lin Gui did not care whether she believed him or not.
“Since you only intend to hitch a ride rather than officially join North Wind,” Freya said, returning to the main topic.
“Then simply displaying Levitation is not enough.”
“You need to demonstrate other value, or rather, pay a sufficient fee.”
“I believe that my Levitation alone should be enough to cover the travel expenses.”
Lin Gui’s tone remained unchanged.
“Furthermore, I have a Low-tier Transcendent ranger and a High-tier High Rank knight who will be traveling with me.”
Freya raised an eyebrow and was about to speak.
She felt the other party was pushing his luck a little.
However, before she could open her mouth.
Lin Gui had already raised the oak staff in his hand high, activating Levitation with full force!
In an instant, with Lin Gui as the center.
A gentle yet majestic floating force field suddenly expanded!
It was not just him and the staff he was sitting on.
Several heavy solid-wood tables and chairs in the vicinity were also included.
Even a few North Wind members standing close by let out cries of surprise as their feet left the ground, floating in mid-air!
The force field was stable and lasting, without the slightest hint of wobbling or magical instability.
It showed that the caster possessed a control over this spell that could only be described as terrifying.
Shock and disbelief simultaneously erupted in Freya’s and Betty’s eyes.
Levitation of this magnitude and stability...
They had never seen it in any mage of the same rank, or even many of a higher rank!
Moreover, only then did they notice his chant time… it was less than two seconds!
This was already infinitely close to the level of chantless casting!
And this was Levitation!!
The Novice Magic spell that had stumped many powerful mages.
Betty could not help but exclaim.
“Hey, little mage! Did you spend your entire mage career researching nothing but Levitation?!”
Lin Gui thought about it.
To be precise, most of his mage career had been poured into the Shroud of the Gloomy Night.
However, since the Shroud of the Gloomy Night was a trump card, Lin Gui naturally would not speak of it casually.
He nodded nonchalantly and asked.
“Well?”
Freya took a deep breath, suppressing the shock in her heart, and turned to look at her teammates to inquire with her eyes.
The team members looked at one another and ultimately all nodded.
Clearly, the irreplaceable value the mysterious wandering mage had demonstrated with his Levitation had won their approval.
Next, the two sides discussed the specific details of the journey to Shield City.
The departure time was set for the early morning ten days from now, with the meeting point at the Transport Guild.
The route was expected to pass through several dangerous zones, and Lin Gui would be required to provide aerial support when necessary.
As for payment, the transit fees for Lin Gui and his two companions would be offset by the assistance provided by his Levitation.
After all matters were settled.
Lin Gui requested the transport team's emblem and formal entry information from Freya.
Although it was a temporary arrangement.
From this moment until they arrived at Shield City, Lin Gui was nominally a member of the North Wind Transport Team.
Freya handled the registration for Lin Gui straightforwardly.
She handed him a set of the North Wind caravan’s standard uniform and a metal badge engraved with ice and snow patterns and the head of a North Wind wolf.
At the same time, she warned him.
“Remember, do not use the North Wind emblem to do anything excessive outside. Do not ruin our caravan’s reputation.”
Lin Gui took the badge and uniform, replying flatly.
“Rest assured. I will not 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 emblem and information, Lin Gui walked toward the property center.
Rate on N.U.
