Lin Gui held up the simple paper megaphone.
One by one, he called out the names marked as “rebels” that the steward had compiled.
His voice sounded a bit thin in the clamorous casino.
But the content was like cold chisels, hammering at the hearts of some.
At first, there was jeering and cursing.
But as more names were read and the details became increasingly specific—even hitting close to home for some of them—the entire casino gradually fell silent.
Only the faint sound of occasionally rolling dice and heavy breathing remained.
A dead silence, thick with shock, anger, and unease, enveloped the entire space.
Lin Gui looked around at the faces with various expressions, just about to call out another round.
Just then, he felt a gentle tap on his back.
He turned around, and what met his eyes was not Saintess Eve.
Instead, it was an extremely scantily clad dancer.
She had curly blonde hair and heavy makeup that almost completely masked her original features.
She wore only sheer fabric and sequins that barely covered her vital parts.
A vast expanse of pale skin was exposed to the filthy air.
At this moment, the expression on her face was incredibly complex.
It was a mixture of hesitation, shame, and a faint, almost extinguished glimmer of hope.
Her lips trembled a few times before she managed a tiny whisper.
“I... I'm Anita... I used to, used to sell flowers in the south of the city... They all called me ‘Sparrow’...”
Lin Gui looked her up and down, taking in her overly revealing attire, his gaze completely calm and unperturbed.
Yet, it was this very calm look that made Anita, who was long accustomed to all kinds of leering eyes and had abandoned all her self-respect just to survive, feel a sudden, burning wave of embarrassment.
She instinctively used her arms to cover her exposed midriff and chest.
She lowered her head slightly, her face flushed with shame.
Lin Gui did not say much. He simply asked her a few identity verification questions as part of the procedure.
Such as the characteristics of her hometown, the names of her family members, and so on.
Anita answered them one by one in a low voice, her tone carrying an imperceptible tremor.
Once confirmed, Lin Gui reached into his worn messenger bag.
He precisely pulled out a slightly worn envelope and handed it over.
Right after, he took out a piece of letter paper and a charcoal pencil, shoved them into Anita's hands, and urged her flatly.
“Please write your reply quickly. I still have to deliver letters to the mines later. I'm in a hurry.”
Anita blankly took the letter and the pencil. Her mind could not quite process this, and she asked instinctively: “How... how much is it?”
Lin Gui gave her a strange look. “Seven copper coins.”
“Se... seven coppers?”
Anita snapped her head up, as if suddenly remembering something.
She stared at Lin Gui in disbelief, her voice cracking: “You... you... you're that messenger mage from Caran? You're the Black-Feathered Raven!”
Lin Gui looked at her speechlessly.
“Since you know about me and know there are letters from Caran, why didn't you come to the post office to claim them?”
Embarrassed, Anita covered her face with her hands, her voice sounding muffled through her fingers.
“Many of us... we thought it was a lie made up by the Defense Force to lure us out and arrest us...”
“And besides, we don't really go to the Seventh Ring...”
Her voice trailed off, laced with bitterness.
For rebels like them, who primarily operated in the commoner district and the underground, the refugee district on the Seventh Ring was far too desperate and chaotic. The people there used up all their strength just to stay alive.
They could not provide any of the help or resources the rebels needed.
The strength of the rebels mainly came from commoners who had a little breathing room in life but harbored discontent, as well as unruly adventurers.
Anita's stepping forward and receiving her letter shattered the tense silence and skepticism maintained by the rebels.
A nearby rebel could not help but take a few steps forward, staring at Lin Gui with a scrutinizing gaze.
“Are... are you really here to deliver letters?”
Lin Gui looked back at him as if he were an idiot, his tone carrying undisguised sarcasm.
“Otherwise? What else would I be here for?”
“To gamble? Drink? Watch exotic dancers? Wallow in self-pity? Or plot a rebellion like you guys?”
He paused, then added an even more devastating blow.
“If I had that kind of free time, I'd rather go to the Upper District, pull off a few terrorist attacks, and blow up some nobles for fun. That would be much more practical.”
This retort choked the rebel, leaving his face flushed red and utterly speechless.
The gazes of many around them instinctively drifted to Elvia, who was standing nearby with an equally spectacular expression on her face.
The pinnacle of nobility, a royal princess.
Elvia's lips twitched violently. She took a deep breath and called out to the crowd below.
“What are you all staring at me for? Don't worry, he's with me.”
“He has a screw loose, but he really is here to deliver letters! If your name was just called, get up here and claim them! Don't waste time!”
She clearly still held a certain level of prestige among the rebels.
At least, many of them knew.
To some extent, this Seventh Princess could be considered “one of their own.”
With Elvia's endorsement and Anita's living proof, the atmosphere of hesitation began to thaw.
Soon, gamblers, alcoholics, and rebel members with shifting gazes began to step forward hesitantly.
They took their respective letters from Lin Gui's hands.
The initial suspicion and vigilance in their eyes crumbled instantly as they tore open the envelopes with trembling hands, saw the familiar handwriting, and read the trivial daily matters and words of concern that only they and their families could possibly know.
“It's... it's Mother's handwriting! She... she's alive! She says she moved to Caran!”
“My sister wrote this! She says she got married. Her husband is a carpenter and treats her very well...”
“Father... Father's leg injury is healed... He told me... told me not to worry...”
...
Low, choked murmurs began to rise from the crowd.
Suspicion was replaced by excitement, and the light of humanity resurfaced on their once-numb faces.
Some had red eyes, while others clutched the letter paper tightly as if it were the most precious treasure in the world.
After that, the way they looked at the black-haired mage on the stage became incredibly complex.
It was filled with gratitude, confusion, and an imperceptible trace of awe.
A rebel who clearly frequented the Seventh Ring and was better informed could not help but shout out the question that was on everyone's mind.
“Why?! Why are you doing this... What's in it for you?!”
What was in it for him?
Naturally, it was the mana rewards and magic proficiency after completing the system missions.
Of course, Lin Gui could not say that out loud.
He looked at the faces below, a mixture of tears, excitement, and bewilderment.
He simply shrugged and said in a casual, nonchalant tone: “What's in it for me? Just my own peace of mind.”
“Alright! Hurry up! I still have to go to the mines to deliver letters.”
“I'm heading to Shield City in three days. If you have letters you want sent there, you can give them to me too. Seven copper coins per letter!”
“In about two or three months, I'll return to Caran City and deliver your replies to your respective families.”
Hearing Lin Gui's words, those who had just received their letters hurriedly called out to those around them.
“A pen! Can any brother lend me a pen!”
“Paper! I have extra paper here. Anyone who needs it, come get some!”
“Thank heavens, my eldest son is still alive!”
An unprecedented vitality was injected back into this casino thick with the scent of corruption.
Rate on N.U.
