Lin Gui quickly returned with a worn leather pouch.
Inside were several transparent soft tubes of varying thicknesses, a few metal needles, and a crude, hand-pumped pressure device.
He assembled them with practiced movements before taking out several test strips to check their blood types.
The results came back quickly. Elvia's blood type happened to be a match for the Saintess.
“Give me your hand.” Lin Gui didn't even look up.
As Elvia extended her wrist, she asked curiously, “What were you planning to do if our blood types didn't match?”
Lin Gui grabbed her wrist and, with a swift “swish,” accurately pricked the needle into her vein.
He replied casually, “What else? I would have gone downstairs with a brick and found myself a random lucky volunteer.”
“Testing the blood would have been a bit more troublesome, and the Saintess doesn't have any more time to waste.”
“Oh, I see...”
Watching her blood flow out through the tube, Elvia suddenly gave a sly smile.
She abruptly pinched the transfusion tube with her fingers and put on an expression of sudden realization.
“Oops! Did you forget? I have the ‘Demon's Poisonous Kiss’ in me! Is this blood... really okay?”
Lin Gui swatted her hand away, allowing the blood to continue flowing into the Saintess's body.
He looked at Elvia, speechless.
“The Demon's Poisonous Kiss is not bloodborne.”
“If it could be transmitted through your blood, would it really be that rare?”
Elvia gave a sheepish smile but didn't give up yet.
“For the sake of the Saintess's health, how about... you cure the poison in me first?”
Lin Gui looked at her, fell silent for a moment, and then held up one finger.
“One thing. As long as you help me complete it, I will cure your poison.”
Elvia's eyes lit up, and she hurriedly pressed, “What condition?”
Lin Gui took off the worn messenger bag from his back and handed it to her.
“Deliver the remaining letters to their corresponding recipients.”
Elvia was stunned. She took the pouch and waited for a long time, but no further explanation came.
“That's... that's it?!”
Lin Gui tilted his head. “Too little? Then I’ll add one—”
“Deal! I’ll do it! No need to add anything else!”
Elvia quickly interrupted him, clutching the messenger bag tightly.
After a moment of silence, the thought of finally being rid of that damned Demon's Poisonous Kiss and having her life back in her own hands made her face instantly erupt into an unabashed smile of near-total relief.
Before long, Theia hopped nimbly through the window.
She carried a large pile of medicinal herbs in her arms; the paper bundles were stacked so high they nearly covered her face.
There were various roots, dried flowers, and even a small jar of thick, dark-red liquid. It emitted a blended scent of bitterness and cloying sweetness.
Under the combined effect of the herbs and the continuous blood transfusion, a faint trace of color gradually returned to Saintess Eve's face.
Though her breathing remained shallow, it was no longer as intermittent. Finally, she fell into a deep sleep.
Seeing the irrepressible joy on Elvia's face, Theia asked curiously, “What's with you? Why so happy?”
When she heard that Lin Gui had promised to cure Elvia's poison, Theia looked at her.
“In that case, Elvia, will you still come with us to Avalon?”
The atmosphere suddenly went quiet.
Elvia scratched a dimple on her cheek. Finally, she grabbed Theia's hand and feigned a sorrowful look.
“I'm sorry, Theia. I have thousands of people waiting for me to support them back in the Royal Capital.”
“I probably won't be able to accompany you on your adventure. I'm truly sorry.”
Theia rolled her eyes at her. “Too fake, Elvia.”
Elvia gave a cheeky grin.
At that moment, she suddenly swayed, and her vision darkened for a moment. It was clearly a lack of oxygen to the brain caused by the blood loss.
“How much longer do I have to keep drawing blood?” she asked weakly.
Lin Gui didn't answer but silently grabbed both of her hands. Theia, understanding the unspoken cue, sat astride her waist to hold her steady.
Elvia was stunned. She looked at Lin Gui, a bad premonition rising in her heart. “Just how much are you planning to draw?!”
Lin Gui gave a faint smile.
“Don't worry. I’ll find someone with your blood type later and give you a little back.”
Elvia: “???”
In the end, there was one more person unconscious from excessive blood loss on the bed.
After getting Elvia and the Saintess properly settled, Lin Gui let out a long breath.
He had finally saved the Saintess's life, and now he could finally breathe as well. The continuous high-pressure combat had left his body exhausted.
He collapsed onto another bed in the attic by the window. He pulled over some slightly worn but clean bedding to pad his back and sank into it, letting out a long sigh of relief.
Thanks to Caleb's final moment of carelessness, they had survived this ordeal. Had the other party insisted on pursuing them, Lin Gui really didn't know how he would have escaped with the Saintess while under the soul mark.
A figure stepped closer quietly. Theia sat down beside him, leaning against the bedding shoulder to shoulder with him.
She carried a faint scent that was a mix of plants and sunlight, which was very pleasant. The moonlight shone through the window, outlining the refined profile of her elven face.
“Hey,” she asked softly.
“Can you tell me exactly what happened while I wasn't around?”
Due to her status as a wanted criminal and her unstable demon energy, she hadn't stayed with Lin Gui the entire time. Therefore, she didn't know the specifics of what he and Elvia had experienced in the Royal Capital.
They had clearly just come to deliver a letter, yet they had ended up involved with the Saintess and even provoked a terrifying enemy like a High-tier Legendary assassin.
Outside the mine, she had personally witnessed Caleb piercing through all the clay dolls in an instant. Within just a few seconds, all the clay dolls distributed across a square kilometer of sky were shattered; that kind of precision and speed was terrifying.
Lin Gui opened his mouth, unsure where to begin.
Caleb had assassinated the Saintess because of Prophecy.
Whether it was Divine Prophecy that could see the future or divination in written form, within this land of the Carter Royal Capital, there was a chance they could glimpse secrets Caleb didn't want anyone to know.
The probability was very, very small, but Caleb clearly wasn't willing to take that risk.
Forget Caleb; even Lin Gui himself had felt a killing intent toward the Saintess. If she hadn't handed over a fatal piece of leverage to him, he would have seriously considered handing her over to the rebels when she exposed Theia's identity.
To this day, Lin Gui didn't understand how the Saintess knew about the existence of the Shroud of the Gloomy Night or Theia's identity as a member of the demon race. But it wouldn't be long before the Saintess told him the true reason herself.
As for what secret Caleb was hiding that would make him risk everything to assassinate a faction's Saintess? Lin Gui's intuition told him it definitely had to do with the Tomb of Catriona.
But after thinking for a moment, he gave up on looking into it. Regardless, his mission was complete. The letter had been delivered, and the Hero's bones had been delivered to the Queen's Tomb where he couldn't see. The twists and turns within the Carter Royal Capital had nothing to do with him anymore.
Facing Theia's questioning gaze, he replied briefly, “The matter is complicated, but it's all over.”
“We'll be leaving the Royal Capital soon. The Saintess will go with us to find Avalon.”
“Everything here has nothing to do with us anymore.”
Theia was puzzled. “But is she willing? She's the Saintess of the Holy Church of Light.”
“And even if she agrees, would the entourage of knights allow her to leave alone?”
Lin Gui seemed very calm. “Don't worry, the Saintess will give us a satisfactory answer.”
He recalled the Saintess's prophecy about beer and revelry. Wasn't that exactly the scene of Shield City described by the dark-hammer dwarves?
Outside the window, toward the inner ring of the Royal Capital, festival fireworks continued to bloom. Multicolored clusters of light exploded in the night sky like fleeting flowers, illuminating parts of the city.
The King had ordered a three-day citywide celebration. The streets were teeming with people. From the direction of the Middle District, across the high city walls, sounds of laughter and joy drifted over faintly.
Watching the splendor outside the window, a look of longing appeared in Theia's eyes. Seeing her like this, Lin Gui asked, “Do you want to go out for a walk?”
Theia shook her head in refusal. “If the people from the Church find me, I’ll end up turning into a pile of loot coins.”
Lin Gui said, “We can go after the Holy Church of Light leaves tomorrow.”
Theia was worried. “Will we have enough time? We haven't purchased supplies for the trip to Shield City yet.”
Lin Gui stood up and sighed.
He had wanted to rest for a bit, but it seemed he couldn't. “We can prepare the supplies in advance. The celebration goes on day and night, so while it's late, many shops are still open.”
He took out paper and a pen and began recording the necessary supplies. Theia also borrowed some; after scribbling something down, she handed it to Lin Gui with a slightly shy expression.
“T-that... the things I want, could you please buy them for me too?”
Her reaction left Lin Gui a bit puzzled. When he took the note and looked at it, his expression instantly became strange.
Aside from some classic knight and princess novels, it listed a bunch of titles practically reeking of melodrama.
《The Elven Princess's Runaway Sweetheart》, 《The Domineering Magic Dragon's Sweet Little Wife》, 《The Untold Stories of Me and Seven Knights》...
Lin Gui: “...”
Rate on N.U.
