The commercial district.
Lin Gui manipulated his Levitation, followed by a string of wooden boxes tied together with straw rope, swaying as they trailed behind him.
They were filled with the supplies he had just purchased.
He squeezed through the shoulder-to-shoulder crowds of the commercial district, surrounded by a boisterous celebratory atmosphere.
Promotional streamers and banners hung in front of every shop:
“Saintess’s Blessing—10% off everything!”
“Celebrating the Royal Capital’s Eternal Survival—Buy one, get one free!”
Celebrating crowds poured into the streets, the scents of alcohol, food, and sweat mixing in the air.
Every face bore a trace of the wild ecstasy of having survived a catastrophe.
Lin Gui was jostled by the human tide, making slow progress.
He still had to buy those ridiculous novels for Theia.
Following the vague address on the slip of paper Theia had given him, he turned into a slightly more secluded alleyway.
Deep in the alley, the sign of a shop featured a book and a quill, with the name “Ink Fragrance and Dragon Scale Bookstore.”
He pushed open the heavy wooden door, causing the doorbell to ring softly.
The shop was warm and quiet, insulated from the noise outside.
The air was thick with the scent of old paper and ink.
Several elegantly dressed noble ladies were gathered in front of a bookshelf, whispering about the latest romance stories.
A noble young master leaned against the counter, haggling with the owner over a hardcover collection of poetry.
Their maids stood quietly behind them, cradling several books in their arms.
Their faces were flushed.
At the same time, a few awkward-looking commoner girls were huddled in a corner, stealing glances at the books.
Lin Gui, in his plain mage robes and with a string of boxes floating behind him, looked completely out of place.
Ignoring the curious gazes directed his way, he pulled out his list and began checking it against the bookshelves.
《The Elven Princess's Runaway Sweetheart》... found it.
《The Domineering Magic Dragon's Sweet Little Wife》... mm, this one.
《The Untold Stories of Me and Seven Knights》... there was even an illustrated edition.
He was reaching for 《The Cold-Faced Duke's Contract Lover》 when he was suddenly poked somewhat firmly in the back.
Lin Gui frowned and turned around.
A girl wearing the standard uniform mage robes of the North Wind caravan was puffing out her cheeks, glaring at him angrily.
It was Betty, the North Wind caravan member he had met briefly at the Transport Guild.
At the moment, her robes were stained with dust.
Her hair was a mess, and there were faint dark circles under her eyes.
She looked exhausted and sleep-deprived from a lot of travel.
“Little mage!” Betty spoke, her teeth practically gritting.
“You! Where on earth have you been these past few days?! We’ve been searching for you like crazy!”
The more she spoke, the angrier she became, her words coming out like rapid-fire artillery.
“To find you, I’ve turned the Royal Capital upside down!”
“I’ve asked every hotel from the Upper District to the entrance of the sewers!”
“I’ve nearly run my legs off! I was about to report you as missing!”
She raised her hand as if she wanted to give Lin Gui a flick on the forehead or some other form of punishment.
Lin Gui stepped aside to dodge her, looking at her with an exasperated expression.
“The scheduled departure date is the day after tomorrow. You were the ones who changed the itinerary; how is that my fault?”
Betty’s hand froze mid-air, and the anger on her face instantly solidified before turning into a slightly sheepish look.
This really wasn't Lin Gui's fault.
Furthermore, the caravan had moved up its departure precisely because the reward offered by the Royal Capital was simply too generous.
Freya hadn't been able to refuse.
She coughed awkwardly and lowered her hand.
“Ahem... well... anyway, you’re coming with me now.”
“We have to set off overnight to meet up at Twilight Fortress.”
“Once Teacher Freya has dealt with the demon tide, we’ll be heading to Shield City.”
Lin Gui shook his head immediately. “No, I still have important business to attend to.”
Betty frowned. “What business is more important than getting on the road?”
Lin Gui went silent.
Other than informing the Saintess about his agreement with Caleb and having her let the people from the Church know, he didn't seem to have much else to do.
The image of Theia’s expectant eyes flashed through his mind, and Lin Gui could only offer a silent apology to her in his heart.
“Tomorrow,” Lin Gui said, his tone brook no argument.
“Wait until the party from the Holy Church of Light leaves the Royal Capital, then we’ll leave. How’s that?”
Betty stared at him for a few seconds, seeing his resolve.
She sighed helplessly. “Fine! Tomorrow it is! Where should I meet you then?”
“Wait for me outside the city gates around noon.”
After speaking, Lin Gui stopped paying her any attention, gathered the ten selected novels, and walked toward the counter.
He presented his bank voucher, only to be told by the clerk that there was no money left in it.
He was forced to dig into his own pockets and pull out his own money bag.
The clerk counted the books and quoted a price: “That will be one thousand gold coins.”
Lin Gui’s hand, which was holding the gold coins, froze mid-air, and he slowly raised his head.
“...How much?”
The prices in these apocalyptic city-states shattered his expectations every single time.
Lin Gui returned to the post office.
He walked up to the attic and found that the Saintess, Eve, was already awake.
She was sitting by the bed, her palms emitting a soft white light as she treated the pale-faced Elvia.
Elvia was leaning against a chair, groaning listlessly.
Theia was no longer in the room.
Clearly, as soon as the Saintess had woken up, she had immediately left the Royal Capital.
With the party from the Holy Church of Light still in the city, she couldn't stay for long.
“You’re back.” Eve turned her head, her purple eyes looking at Lin Gui with a calm, ripple-less depth.
Lin Gui set the supplies down and walked up to her, getting straight to the point.
“Caleb planted a mark in your soul.”
“He made an agreement with me that I would watch over you.”
“From now on, you have to follow me.”
Eve gave a faint smile, as if she had expected this all along.
“Very well.”
She agreed decisively, without a hint of hesitation.
Lin Gui looked at her calm demeanor and frowned, asking, “The Church will just let you leave with me?”
Eve nodded gently, her tone carrying a strange sort of indifference.
“Don’t worry.”
“To the Holy Church of Light, the Saintess herself... is not important.”
“What matters is whether the Prophecy can be activated.”
“As long as I can still return to complete my ‘mission,’ they won’t care where I went or what I did in the meantime.”
Her voice was ethereal, yet it carried a trace of coldness that was hard to detect.
Under the cover of night.
Lin Gui led Eve to the luxurious hotel where the members of the Church were stationed in the Upper District.
Eve stood in a relatively secluded corner outside the hotel, not entering.
She extended a fair finger and traced it through the air.
A small, intricately structured rune composed of faint golden light quietly appeared before vanishing into the air.
Before long, the tall, upright figure of the Disciplinary Knight Daniel appeared at the hotel entrance.
He strode over, his metal boots making steady clangs against the ground.
His gaze behind his visor swept over Lin Gui before finally settling on Eve.
“Your Highness.”
Eve spoke in a calm tone.
“Daniel, I am about to leave with Mr. Lin Gui to search for Avalon.”
Daniel was silent for a moment.
It was as if the air had frozen for several seconds.
Finally, he gave a slight bow, his voice sounding somewhat muffled through his visor.
“As you command, Your Highness.”
He did not question her, nor did he try to dissuade her.
But before he turned to leave, he paused.
His low voice carried an unmistakable gravity.
“Please make sure you remember not to be absent from next spring’s ‘Hero’s Expedition.’”
Lin Gui noticed that upon hearing those words, a nearly imperceptible shadow flickered across Eve’s habitually indifferent brow.
Hero’s Expedition.
This was the most tragic and desperate campaign launched by the alliance of surviving races after the descent of the Demon God.
Every time after the Dark Tide receded,
the alliance would gather the top geniuses and experts of every race.
They would form a team and venture deep into the demon territories, their objective aimed directly at the Demon God in an attempt to carry out an assassination mission.
In the forty years since the Demon God’s descent, the alliance had launched exactly twenty “Hero’s Expeditions.”
Not once had they succeeded.
Countless geniuses and heroes were buried in the demon territories, their blood staining the path of the expedition.
It was like a recurring ritual, using the freshest blood to prove the Demon God's absolute invincibility.
Daniel said no more, turning to walk away as his heavy footsteps gradually faded into the distance.
Eve stood silently in place, staring in the direction he had disappeared for a long time without saying a word.
Rate on N.U.
