Meanwhile, Lin Gui followed Simon through the streets and alleys of the Royal Capital.
The length of this journey was completely beyond his expectations.
When they set out, the sun was still hanging low in the sky.
Now, however, it was hanging high overhead.
They had wound their way through almost more than half of the Seventh Ring.
During this time, the news of the prophecy made by the Holy Saintess in the palace spread like wildfire.
“Did you hear? Her Holiness the Saintess made a prophecy! She said our Carter Royal Capital will continue to exist in the future, and it will be completely reborn!”
“God bless Carter! This means the Dark Tide won't be born here!”
“This is wonderful! We don't have to die! We don't have to flee as refugees!”
The entire Royal Capital fell into a post-disaster ecstasy.
Whether they were shopkeepers, passing pedestrians, or even the refugees who were usually numb and merely struggling to survive.
At this moment, everyone poured into the streets with looks of disbelief and joy, eagerly spreading the monumental news to one another.
Laughter, cheers, and emotional sobs echoed one after another.
“Long live the Holy Saintess!” reverberated through the filthy streets and alleys.
Lin Gui and Simon navigated through this sudden ocean of celebration.
Several times, excited strangers from the refugee district grabbed them by the arms.
They incoherently repeated the prophecy.
Lin Gui could only nod in response with slight embarrassment, though he also felt a wave of relief in his heart.
That the Dark Tide would not be born in the borderlands was undoubtedly good news.
At least when he returned letters to New Covenant City in the future, he wouldn't have to worry about his destination no longer existing.
Only... he instinctively thought of Elvia.
After this, the Seventh Princess would likely be even less willing to give up her power in the Royal Capital and leave with him.
It seemed he would have to look for another trustworthy companion like Theia.
This was to fill the gap in combat power after reaching Avalon.
He reined in his thoughts and continued to follow Simon.
After twisting and turning through the streets for over another hour, the surrounding buildings became increasingly dilapidated and ancient.
Ultimately, the two stopped in front of an inconspicuous antique shop.
The writing on the shop sign had long since faded.
The wooden door hung askew, looking as though a gust of wind could blow it over.
Lin Gui frowned.
He remembered passing over this area during his aerial search.
But the system had shown no reaction whatsoever.
It was certain that Catriona's tomb was not here.
Simon pushed open the creaking wooden door and led the way inside.
The shop interior was dimly lit, and the air was thick with the musty scent of decaying wood and dust.
Rusted metal implements were haphazardly piled on the shelves.
There were also some broken clay pots and various pieces of junk whose original forms were unrecognizable.
It didn't look like a place of business; it resembled a salvage warehouse instead.
Behind the counter sat an old man with hair and beard as white as snow, his face deeply lined with wrinkles.
He wore a faded, washed-out old robe and had his eyes closed as if asleep.
But Lin Gui's sharp perception told him otherwise.
This old man was no ordinary person.
“Mage Lin Gui,” Simon whispered in Lin Gui's ear, “this is the one who gave me that brick.”
“He told me he wanted to meet you. He might know how to find Queen Catriona.”
Before Lin Gui could ask anything, the old shopkeeper slowly opened his eyes.
They were exceptionally clear and sharp, in stark contrast to his aged appearance.
His gaze was like a torch, landing squarely on Lin Gui as he asked in a raspy voice.
“Young man, why are you searching for Queen Catriona's final resting place?”
Lin Gui replied directly,
“I've been entrusted by someone to deliver an item there.”
There was actually nothing to hide about Catriona and the Hero.
However, to prevent anyone from tricking him with false information, he hadn't revealed too much in the commission description.
When Lin Gui said “entrusted by someone,” the old shopkeeper's eyes flickered slightly.
He pressed, “Entrusted by whom?”
“Reinhardt.”
“Reinhardt?!” The old shopkeeper abruptly stood up from his chair.
His originally hunched frame instantly straightened.
A majestic aura burst forth uncontrollably, causing the air in the entire shop to freeze.
Lin Gui frowned.
The other party clearly knew the Carter Hero, which excited him, but the aura emanating from the old man doused that excitement like cold water.
Legendary...
This ordinary-looking old shopkeeper was actually a Legendary powerhouse.
Lin Gui was deeply shaken, his mana instantly circulating through his body.
What on earth? An antique shopkeeper in the refugee district was a Legendary?
Lin Gui knew the man was no ordinary person, but this was far beyond what he had imagined!
Could this be a trap?
The magic circuit for 【Shroud of the Gloomy Night】 silently formed, ready to be activated at a moment's notice.
The old shopkeeper seemed to realize his gaffe and immediately restrained his aura.
But the excitement in his eyes was hard to conceal.
He stared intently at Lin Gui, his voice trembling slightly with an almost imperceptible tremor.
“That Hero... entrusted you to deliver something to the Queen's Tomb? Is... is he still alive?”
Lin Gui could sense the shopkeeper's deep respect for the Hero, so he lowered his guard slightly.
Lin Gui shook his head and replied,
“He is gone. I am merely carrying out his lingering obsession to deliver an item to the Tomb of Catriona.”
Upon hearing that the Hero was gone, the old shopkeeper let out a long sigh.
“Indeed. How could he still be alive?”
This tone made Lin Gui even more puzzled.
It felt like the other party didn't just know of him; he seemed to have had a personal relationship with the Hero.
Although Lin Gui was no archaeologist, the timeline of that tomb had to be extremely ancient.
Many Stellar-tier—also known as Legendary Rank—equipment had already lost their glow.
In the Royal Library, recent history was very clear and well-documented.
There was also no history of a capital relocation.
Regardless, his search for Catriona's tomb, which had involved scouring the entire Royal Capital, finally had a lead.
And it was no ordinary lead.
In fact, Lin Gui was certain that he had essentially found Catriona's tomb.
After witnessing the old shopkeeper's reaction to the Hero's name—which he had never mentioned in the commission—
that genuine respect, nostalgia, and sorrow could not be faked.
Since the old man knew of the Hero, he likely also understood that piece of history which no longer existed in the current Carter Kingdom.
He would also surely know the location of Queen Catriona's tomb. At the very least, this was how the old man had tracked him down.
“What is the item he wants you to deliver?”
Lin Gui hesitated, his expression turning slightly odd, but he ultimately spoke the truth.
“His skeletal remains. He missed Queen Catriona and wanted to see her one last time, so he instructed me to deliver his remains to her tomb.”
Beside them, Simon listened in sheer dumbfoundment and couldn't help but chime in to repeat the absurd process,
“Wait... you're saying a soul asked you to deliver his bones into the Queen's Tomb?”
“Yes, that is exactly it.”
Lin Gui nodded. Aside from the fact that the system was the one actually commissioning him, this was essentially correct.
There was basically no lie.
The old shopkeeper knit his brows tightly, his cloudy yet sharp eyes staring intently at Lin Gui.
“You... know soul magic.”
Lin Gui blinked his eyes and silently cast the Novice soul magic rewarded by the system.
Novice Soul Magic—Clarity.
As the chant sounded, Lin Gui's mind cleared slightly.
And then... that was it.
A Novice Magic spell could only do so much.
Only spells at the intermediate tier or higher possessed lethal power.
After casting it, Lin Gui wasn't entirely sure if the other party could tell it was a soul spell.
After all, soul magic was far too rare.
In the public magic registries, registered soul spells were even fewer in number than Prophecy spells.
There were only twelve kinds.
However, to Lin Gui's surprise,
the moment he cast the Clarity spell, the doubtful look on the shopkeeper's face vanished instantly.
He had recognized the soul energy overflowing from Lin Gui.
The tense atmosphere inside the antique shop dissipated in an instant.
Upon learning that Lin Gui had come to fulfill Reinhardt's dying wish,
the shopkeeper's gloomy eyes actually showed a trace of goodwill.
Beside them, Simon looked as if he had seen a ghost.
“And the skeletal remains? Where are they now?”
Instead of answering, Lin Gui asked in return,
“Do you know where the Queen's Tomb is?”
The old shopkeeper hesitated for a moment, then shook his head and said firmly,
“I do not know.”
Lin Gui was utterly speechless. Although he knew the old man was lying, he couldn't help but think: If you don't know, why did you ask so much?
His gaze was too blatant, making the old shopkeeper a bit embarrassed. He coughed a few times and said,
“Ahem, well, you said you came to fulfill Reinhardt's lingering obsession. Do you have any token to prove his identity?”
Lin Gui pulled a ring from his coat—the one that had been worn on the Hero's skeletal finger.
As he produced it, Lin Gui carefully observed the old man's expression.
The moment the other party saw the ring, he looked as if he had been struck by lightning.
Lin Gui was secretly delighted.
A breakthrough when all hope seemed lost; the commission he hadn't wanted to accept from the Adventurer's Guild had actually led him to a clue in the end.
Just as he was about to hand the ring over for the old man to inspect,
there was a soft creak.
The dilapidated wooden door of the antique shop was pushed open from the outside.
An elegant, peaceful voice that seemed capable of cleansing one's soul...
drifted in along with the light from outside:
“Excuse me, is Holy Saint Lin Gui here?”
Lin Gui abruptly turned his head toward the door.
There stood a young girl dressed in pure white Saintess robes, her eyes closed, standing quietly.
She had long, pale-golden hair that resembled autumn ginkgo leaves.
A tranquil, holy halo emanated from her entire body.
It was none other than the Holy Saintess of Light, Isaiah Eve.
Behind the Saintess,
Elvia followed, looking extremely tense and constantly winking at Lin Gui.
Alongside her was Disciplinary Knight Daniel.
Lin Gui was astonished that the Saintess, whom he had only seen from a distance this morning, had suddenly come looking for him.
But what shocked him even more was a sudden, towering flash of killing intent from behind him.
Out of the corner of his eye, Lin Gui clearly saw that the moment the old shopkeeper behind the counter heard the Saintess's voice,
his expression turned incredibly dark, and his eyes filled with unvarnished... killing intent.
But it quickly returned to normal.
Beside him, Simon's right hand had already silently moved to the hilt of the saber at his waist.
“???”
Killing intent at the very first sight of the Saintess?
Alarm bells rang wildly in Lin Gui's mind, and the mana in his body instantly accelerated its circulation.
The magic circuit for 【Shroud of the Gloomy Night】 was already fully constructed.
With just a single thought, he could completely meld into the shadows and slip away.
Though he didn't understand the reason, Lin Gui seemed to have been drawn into a vortex he knew nothing about.
With the sudden arrival of the Saintess, the atmosphere inside the antique shop instantly became incredibly tense.
Rate on N.U.
