Lin Gui quickly returned with a worn leather bag.
Inside were several transparent tubes of varying thicknesses and a few metal needles.
There was also a crude, hand-pumped pressure device.
He assembled the components with practiced ease, then took out a few test strips to perform a blood test.
The results came back quickly.
Elvia's blood type happened to be a perfect match for the Saintess.
“Give me your arm,” Lin Gui said without looking up.
As Elvia extended her wrist, she asked curiously, “What would you have done if neither of our blood types matched hers?”
Lin Gui grabbed her wrist and, with a swift, precise movement, slid the needle into her vein.
He replied casually, “What else? I would've gone downstairs with a brick and picked a random lucky winner.”
“The blood testing would have been a bit of a hassle, and the Saintess doesn't have any time to waste.”
“I see...”
Elvia watched her blood flow through the clear tube, and she suddenly flashed a sly grin.
She pinched the tube with her fingers, pretending to have a sudden realization. “Oh my! Did you forget? I have the Demon's Poisonous Kiss inside me! Is this blood... really safe?”
Lin Gui slapped her hand away, allowing the blood to continue flowing into the Saintess's body.
He stared at Elvia, utterly speechless. “The Demon's Poisonous Kiss isn't transmitted through blood. If a simple blood transfusion could infect someone, would the poison really be so rare and sought after?”
Elvia laughed sheepishly, still refusing to give up. “Well, for the sake of the Saintess's health... how about you cure my poison first?”
Lin Gui looked at her, remained silent for a moment, and then raised a single finger. “One thing. Help me finish one task, and I'll cure you.”
Elvia's eyes lit up, and she eagerly pressed, “What's the condition?”
Lin Gui slipped the worn messenger bag off his shoulder and held it out to her. “Deliver the remaining letters to their respective recipients.”
Elvia froze, taking the bag. She waited for a moment, expecting him to say more. “That's... that's it??”
Lin Gui tilted his head. “Too easy? I can add another—”
“Deal! I'll do it! No need to add anything else!”
Elvia quickly cut him off, hugging the messenger bag tightly to her chest.
She paused for a beat.
The realization that she was finally going to be free of the wretched Demon's Poisonous Kiss washed over her.
Her life would once again belong to her and her alone.
An unmasked, deeply relieved smile blossomed across her face.
Not long after, Theia leaped nimbly through the window.
She was carrying a massive bundle of medicinal herbs, with paper-wrapped packages stacked so high they nearly covered her face.
There were various roots, dried flowers, and even a small jar containing a thick, dark red liquid.
Together, they gave off a bitter yet metallic, sweet aroma.
Under the combined effects of the herbs and the continuous blood transfusion, a faint trace of color slowly returned to Saintess Eve's pale face.
Though her breathing remained shallow, it was no longer fitful. Eventually, she drifted into a deep sleep.
Noticing the irrepressible joy on Elvia's face, Theia asked curiously, “What's gotten into you? Why so happy?”
Upon hearing that Lin Gui had promised to cure Elvia's poison, Theia looked at her. “So, Elvia, are you still coming with us to Avalon?”
The room fell quiet.
Elvia scratched her cheek, her dimples showing slightly.
Finally, she took Theia's hand and put on a mock-sorrowful expression. “I'm sorry, Theia, but I still have thousands of people back in the Royal Capital depending on me for a living. I probably won't be able to join you on your adventures. I'm really sorry.”
Theia rolled her eyes at her. “That is the most insincere apology ever, Elvia.”
Elvia giggled.
Suddenly, she swayed on her feet, her vision momentarily tunneling.
The blood loss was clearly starting to deprive her brain of oxygen.
“How much longer do you need to draw?” she asked weakly.
Instead of answering, Lin Gui silently took hold of both her hands, while Theia, understanding the cue, straddled Elvia's waist to pin her down.
Stunned, Elvia stared at Lin Gui as a terrible premonition gripped her. “Just how much are you planning to take?!”
Lin Gui gave a faint smile. “Don't worry. I'll find someone with the same blood type later and give you a transfusion to top you back up.”
Elvia: “???”
Ultimately, another person ended up unconscious on the bed due to excessive blood loss.
After properly settling both Elvia and the Saintess, Lin Gui let out a long sigh of relief.
The Saintess's life was saved, and Lin Gui could finally catch his breath.
The consecutive high-stakes battles had left his body utterly exhausted.
He collapsed onto another bed by the window in the attic.
Pulling over a worn but clean quilt to cushion his back, he sank into the mattress and exhaled slowly.
Thanks to Caleb's final moment of negligence, they had made it through this ordeal by the skin of their teeth.
Had Caleb been absolutely determined to hunt them down, Lin Gui truly wouldn't have known how to escape with the Saintess while under the tracking of the soul mark.
A figure quietly approached, and Theia sat down beside him, leaning against the quilt shoulder-to-shoulder.
She carried a faint, pleasant scent of herbs and sunshine.
Moonlight filtered through the window, outlining her delicate, elf-like profile.
“Hey,” she whispered softly. “Can you tell me what happened while I wasn't around?”
Because of her status as a wanted criminal and her unstable demon energy, she couldn't accompany Lin Gui at all times.
Thus, she was in the dark about what he and Elvia had actually gone through in the Royal Capital.
They had originally come just to deliver a letter.
Yet, they had somehow gotten tangled up with the Saintess and provoked a terrifying enemy like a High-tier Legendary assassin.
Outside the mine, she had personally witnessed Caleb piercing through all the clay decoys in an instant.
...Within a mere few seconds, every decoy scattered across a square kilometer of sky had been shattered. That kind of precision and speed was bone-chilling.
Lin Gui opened his mouth, but for a moment, he didn't know where to begin.
Caleb's assassination of the Saintess was driven by Prophecy.
Whether it was a divine revelation that could glimpse the future, or some written form of divination, there was a chance Caleb's dark secrets could be exposed on this soil of the Carter Royal Capital.
The probability was extremely, extremely low.
But Caleb was clearly unwilling to take that risk.
Honestly, Caleb wasn't the only one; even Lin Gui had felt a surge of murderous intent toward the Saintess.
If she hadn't handed over a fatal piece of leverage to him, back when she exposed Theia's identity, he had genuinely considered turning her over to the rebels.
To this day, Lin Gui still didn't understand how the Saintess knew about the Shroud of the Gloomy Night, let alone Theia's identity as a member of the Demon Race.
But it wouldn't be long before she woke up and revealed the truth to him.
As for what secret Caleb was trying so desperately to hide, a secret that drove him to take such a massive risk to assassinate the Holy Saintess, Lin Gui's intuition told him it was undoubtedly linked to the Tomb of Queen Catriona.
But after mulling it over, he decided against digging any deeper.
In any case, his mission was complete.
The letters had been delivered, and the Hero's remains had reached the Queen's tomb in a place beyond his sight.
The complex power struggles of the Carter Royal Capital had nothing to do with him anymore.
Meeting Theia's questioning gaze, he gave a brief reply. “It's complicated, but it's over now. We'll be leaving the Royal Capital soon, and the Saintess will be coming with us to find Avalon. Nothing that happens here has anything to do with us anymore.”
Theia was puzzled. “But would she really want to? She's the Holy Saintess of Light. And even if she agrees, would the Holy Knights ever let her leave on her own?”
Lin Gui remained calm. “Don't worry. The Saintess will give us a satisfactory answer.”
He recalled her prophecy—beer, revelry.
Wasn't that the exact description of Shield City provided by the dark-hammer dwarf?
Outside the window, in the direction of the Royal Capital's inner rings, festival fireworks continuously painted the sky.
Vibrant bursts of color exploded in the night, blooming like fleeting flowers that illuminated parts of the city.
The King had ordered a three-day kingdom-wide celebration.
The streets below were teeming with crowds.
From the direction of the Middle District, echoing over the towering city walls, the faint sounds of laughter and joy drifted toward them.
Theia gazed at the dazzling display outside, a look of longing in her eyes.
Seeing her expression, Lin Gui asked, “Do you want to go out and look around?”
Theia shook her head in refusal. “If the Holy Church spots me, I'll end up dropping my loot.”
Lin Gui said, “We can wait until the Holy Church of Light leaves tomorrow before we go.”
Theia worried, “Will we have enough time? We haven't even bought the supplies for Shield City yet.”
Lin Gui stood up and let out a sigh. He had wanted to rest a bit more, but alas, duty called.
“We can prepare the supplies in advance. The festival runs day and night, so even though it's late, many shops are still open.”
He took out a pen and paper and began listing the necessary items.
Theia borrowed a piece of paper, quickly scribbled something down, and handed it to Lin Gui with a slightly bashful expression. “U-Um... could you also help me buy the things I want?”
Her reaction left Lin Gui somewhat puzzled.
Taking the slip of paper, his expression immediately turned bizarre.
Aside from some classic knight-and-princess romance novels, the list featured several titles that practically reeked 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.
