Tepo took his first step out of the wind channel, the chaotic storms were not able to impact his body at all.
Suddenly he had another idea.
With my current understanding of [Spirit Form] I should be capable of letting the storms affect me only if it's beneficial for me…
Tepo's eyes lit up. He jumped into the storms. It took him a few minutes of trial and error, during which he was chaotically blown all over the place.
But soon Tepo smiled brightly as he glided through the chaotic storms free like a bird.
Whenever a strong wind came from the front, it would pass through Tepo's body. But those coming from below or behind would give him a boost in the right direction.
Now Tepo's agility in the storms could only be rivaled by the native flying beasts or maybe some of the stronger ruw.
Even the scout ships passing by occasionally had to use a lot of energy to barely avoid being blown away.
With his newfound prowess Tepo could naturally avoid the blockade which stopped him earlier.
A hint of worry was in his eyes as he entered the blocked area, finding more ships searching for something in the storms.
I hope the tower hasn't been exposed…
Tepo didn't delay any longer and quickly approached the Web's tower.
A large spherical ocean was suspended amidst the storms, beautiful and serene.
Even if others found the ocean and tried to inspect it, they wouldn't find anything amiss.
But just now the surface opened up by itself, allowing an invisible Tepo to pass.
The young man calmed down as curious fishes swam around his bubble of air.
Soon, he came out of the water, sighing in relief when he saw the untouched tower before him.
Suddenly Tepo's body sank. The air around the tower was tame, not offering him much support to stand on.
Just as he wanted to try Varei's [Spirit Wings] spell, a low hum echoed through the surroundings.
Wave was still coiled around the tower, lowering her head and staring at Tepo with surprise and amusement.
In her perception [Spirit Form] might as well not exist at all.
With a thought a stream separated from the surrounding ocean, forming a bridge below Tepo's feet.
The young man smiled wryly as he stepped on the water and reached the jade-green ground where he could finally deactivate his spell.
"You are back?"
"Good to see you again, Senior Wave!"
"Mhm."
Suddenly the tower's door opened. Tepo was confused, knowing that Quill and Anvil were already transferred elsewhere.
But a bright smile appeared on his face as dozens of elemental spirits ran towards him, almost blocking the door with their bodies.
The little beings cooed happily, welcoming Tepo with fire, water, wind, and rocks.
"You…"
Tepo shook his head, directly activating [Spirit Form] again to dodge.
But to his shock the elemental spirits didn't care and hit him anyway.
Tepo was too surprised, even ignoring the damage to his coat as he stared at the spirits closely.
After being bound to Varei the young man had a lot of knowledge about spirits, but he could tell that these elemental spirits had a completely different aura, most likely not stemming from the World of Spirits.
Confused, Tepo realized that he couldn't figure out more and put the matter at the back of his head. He did his best to calm down the elemental spirits before entering the tower and going up on its roof.
A large, streamlined head awaited him.
"Did you come back because of the war?"
"Yes, senior. I came to help a friend."
"Hmmm. But you know the Web won't interfere."
"Yes. I'm here to gather information.
But I have another question… I was blocked by a soldier earlier. He wore silver armor with a shield insignia on his chest…"
"The Silver Shield Alliance…"
"So, it's really them? Is the tower in danger?"
Looking at the anxiety in Tepo's eyes, Wave felt a feeling of gratification, her mouth forming a faint smile.
"Don't worry. With me here they won't find anything.
The alliance has been searching sector for sector. Now that they are close to the tower it is only a coincidence."
"Really? But what are they searching for?"
"There is no need for you to worry about it. Since the Web has decided not to block them you shouldn't get involved in those issues."
Tepo hesitated before taking a deep breath and nodding.
"Ok."
Wave also decisively changed the topic.
"By the way. Although the Web won't be able to help with the war, you can take a look in the artificer workshop below.
Anvil should have left behind a few artifacts she wasn't satisfied with.
But for you they can still offer a lot of help."
"Great! Thank you!"
Tepo's eyes lit up upon hearing this. Next, he talked a bit more with Wave before descending the tower and reaching the intelligence area.
Trading two weapons their group looted from the assassins earlier, Tepo had enough contribution points to buy information about Parton and the Floating Rain City.
Just as I thought, Parton has been transferred to the Rocky Cloud City a few weeks ago.
Obviously, the Hurricane Kingdom was not surprised by the outbreak of a war.
But under martial rules even the Web finds it difficult to gather information. They can only guess based on the movements within the city that a frontal assault might be planned.
I don't know if Parton is a part of it…
On the other hand, the situation in the Floating Rain City is chaotic. It is currently occupied by the Tamed Storms Army and the loyalty of many organizations is ambiguous.
But there was no news of a fight involving a domain lord, so I suspect mother and Radac have already left.
With the intelligence in hand, Tepo already formed plans as he arrived at the artificer workshop.
Opening the door with a twinkle in his eyes the young man found a perfectly tidied room.
Various workstations offered everything an artificer might need.
But this luxurious workshop was exclusively used by Anvil since the tower's establishment not too long ago.
Thus, she didn't think much when she stored some of her creations on a shelf at the side.
Now, Tepo smiled brightly as he found the artifacts Anvil deemed unsatisfactory.
A few weapons, shields…
What is this material? It reminds me of Wave's scales…
Oh, even special bullets! Great! I have been running out.
And these small devices? Guess I have to study them later.
Tepo felt a lot more confident as he pocketed Anvil's creations. Especially the weapons, which should be second or even third rank, suitable for acolytes and ascendants, will definitely be helpful in the upcoming journey.
Thinking about his own trusty knife, Tepo smiled wryly. After all his fights the weapon was damaged in many places. It was a good time to replace it.
Satisfied with his harvest Tepo left the tower again. He felt some pressure as Parton might be dragged into the war at any time.
Thus, the young man was in a hurry to reunite with his friends and continue towards the Rocky Cloud City.
***
Tepo's worry wasn't unfounded.
At his moment a large army slowly left Rocky Cloud City. It was composed of elite soldiers, city guards, and hastily recruited independent warriors.
At least five thousand soldiers were sent to attack.
Twenty-five large warships stood prepared, waiting for the army to board. They were overshadowed by one behemoth of a ship which would lead the army, personally overseen by commander Lequev.
The powerful woman borded her ship in a bad mood, inwardly still cursing commander Charal for his stupid strategy.
Still, she knew her duty, standing on the ship's highest place and watching the army with cold eyes.
After all warships were filled, she gave the signal, promoting the army to move.
Suddenly a grating voice entered her ears. Charal was positioned on a special temporary observation tower able to sense a large region:
"I hope you stick to the plan Lequev! Right now, the Tamed Storms Army is separated. Now that they see us leave, they will definitely assume we want to block them from reaching the city.
But instead, we ambush those warriors besieging Fort Cloudblock. We have to be fast, killing them before Tamed Storms Army can react and breach the city!"
Lequev gritted her teeth but followed the plan. The army accelerated under her command, racing towards Fort Cloudblock not far away.
This fort was in a strategic position, able to quickly reinforce important cities like Rocky Cloud City and even the capital.
But now the Tamed Storms Army separated a large number of soldiers to besiege the fort and hold the stationed soldiers back.
They indeed didn't expect the Hurricane Army to send reinforcements, but this strategy was incredibly risky, possibly losing the Rocky Cloud City.
However, as a large cloud carrying a huge mountain appeared in the distance, Lequev put her doubts at the back of her mind, focusing on the upcoming battle.