The morning sunlight pierced through the clouds, spilling over the streets of the Carter Royal Capital.
The delegation of the Holy Church of Light prepared to depart the Royal Capital.
The nuns held scriptures in their hands, their steps light and graceful.
The church knights rode atop tall, imposing steeds, their armor gleaming brilliantly in the sunlight.
In the center of the procession was the Holy Saintess’s magnificent and sacred carriage.
Pure white curtains hung down, concealing everything inside.
The citizens of the Royal Capital had already flooded the streets, packing both sides of the road.
“Long live Her Highness the Saintess!”
“Thank you for bringing us the gospel, Your Highness!”
“It is wonderful that the Royal Capital survived!”
The people cheered, their faces glowing with the joy and gratitude of survival.
“I heard Her Highness the Saintess prophesied that the Royal Capital will be completely reborn?”
“Sprouting new shoots from the ruins, a brand-new kingdom... I have a bad feeling about this.”
“Yeah, it sounds a bit strange, but according to the nobles in the First Ring, the Saintess indeed saw the truth of the Royal Capital's continued existence.”
“It is a pity we cannot see Her Highness the Saintess’s true face...”
“Indeed, she must be incredibly beautiful...”
The murmurs of the crowd were mixed with a bit of confusion over the prophecy.
Most of it, however, was curiosity and regret over not being able to catch a glimpse of her face.
The refugee district, the post office loft.
Lin Gui was packing his bags, sorting and stuffing supplies into various packs.
The Holy Saintess, Eve, was helping him nearby.
Her movements were slightly clumsy, but she was extremely diligent.
She carefully arranged the food and waterskins in neat order.
A faint, genuine smile played on her lips the entire time.
She seemed to be in an exceptionally good mood.
“Mr. Lin Gui, where are we going next?”
“Shield City.”
“Is it far?”
“Yes.”
“Will we encounter many demons on the way?”
“We will.”
“Will we see the sea?”
“Definitely. To get from the Royal Capital to Shield City, we have to cross a gulf.”
The young Saintess asked one question after another, like a curious little bird.
Her questions ranged from their upcoming journey to the supplies Lin Gui had purchased yesterday.
Lin Gui kept his head down, answering her briefly.
This continued until the Saintess pulled a few of Theia’s novels from a pile of miscellaneous items.
She picked up the one on top.
The title seemed normal enough: 《The Knight and the Dragon》.
She casually flipped it open.
However, the illustrations and text inside were completely at odds with the title.
Two handsome male knights were depicted in an intimate pose, their gazes locked in a heated, lingering stare.
Lin Gui caught a glimpse out of the corner of his eye and nearly choked on his own spit.
He suddenly reached out and snatched the novel away.
He quickly flipped through a few pages, his mouth twitching uncontrollably.
The text inside explicitly described an interaction between the two knights...
An extremely “intimate” interaction that went far beyond mere camaraderie.
The details were vivid, and the emotions intense.
What on earth is this...
While he lowered his head to grumble inwardly about Theia’s outrageous tastes,
he failed to notice the fleeting, mischievous curve that appeared on the lips of the young Saintess beside him.
By the time he looked up, Eve had already restored her pure, innocent expression.
It was as if nothing had happened at all.
In another corner of the loft,
Elvia leaned weakly against a chair, her face still somewhat pale.
Yet, her eyes shone with an irrepressible joy.
Especially after hearing Lin Gui confirm that they would be leaving the Royal Capital today,
she nearly laughed out loud.
Lin Gui departing early meant that...
His promise to cure her of the “Demon's Poisonous Kiss” would also be moved forward!
Her life would finally be back in her own hands!
Elvia was practically blooming with joy.
Even Lin Gui, who had drawn quite a bit of her blood, looked a little more agreeable now.
She even began to calculate silently in her mind.
Once she was cured, should she settle scores with Duke Joseph first, or go stir up trouble elsewhere?
No matter what, she, Elvia, was finally free!
Unable to contain her excitement, Elvia drifted over to Lin Gui's side.
“Hey, Lin Gui,” she tugged at his sleeve, “when do you plan on giving me the antidote?”
She stared at him expectantly, waiting for him to pull out the life-saving cure.
Lin Gui paused his work, gave her a mysterious smile, and looked at her.
“The Demon's Poisonous Kiss requires periodic doses of an antidote.”
“It has been over a month, Elvia. Didn't you notice...”
“That I haven't given you a single dose of the antidote?”
The expectation on Elvia's face instantly froze, turning into utter bewilderment.
She thought back carefully. It was true... not even once.
Furthermore, by all accounts, the poison should have flared up again long ago, causing her agonizing pain.
Yet, aside from that very first time, she had felt no pain whatsoever.
She stood there dazed, a sudden thought springing to mind:
Could it be... that damn poison was fake?!
Watching the shifting expressions on her face, Lin Gui smiled again.
He raised his hand and patted her shoulder, as if comforting a small animal.
“No!” Elvia slapped his hand away and argued loudly.
“That sensation! It was definitely the Demon's Poisonous Kiss!”
“It was exactly like the pain described in books! It couldn't possibly be fake!”
Lin Gui stopped looking at her, bending down to close the last wooden crate.
He patted away the young Saintess’s hand as she tried to sneakily flip through the other novels.
Then, he began securing the wooden crates to a raft with ropes.
As he pulled the knots tight, he spoke to Elvia.
“It indeed was the Demon's Poisonous Kiss.”
“But it wasn't lethal.”
He tied off the final knot of the rope, ensuring all the crates were securely bound.
Then, he moved the crate containing nearly seven thousand reply letters to a prominent position right at the front.
“The one administered to you was diluted.”
“It only lets the victim experience the taste of being poisoned; it won't kill them.”
Elvia was bewildered. “Why do that?”
Lin Gui’s hands paused slightly as he tied the rope.
He stared blankly at the wooden crate, his gaze seemingly piercing through the wood.
He saw the flames of despair, and the high-hanging heads.
He turned around and replied to Elvia flatly:
“Ninety-eight million, seven hundred and forty-six thousand, five hundred and seventy-eight gold coins...”
“That was money gathered from three city-states, from people working in sweatshops...”
“Toiling for countless days and nights to save up.”
“That money carried their hopes.”
“If it were used merely to control a single high noble...”
He paused, his voice turning somewhat low.
“It would be a betrayal of their sacrifices.”
“So, someone proposed...”
“To dilute the Demon's Poisonous Kiss purchased from the auction house into thirty portions.”
“Though it lost its lethal effect, as long as the victims believed they were poisoned...”
“It would achieve the exact same level of control.”
Lin Gui looked at Elvia, a cold smile playing on his lips.
“So, I don't need to give you an antidote.”
“It was only meant to scare people from the very beginning.”
Listening to his words and seeing the sorrowful smile on Lin Gui's face,
a wave of shame washed over her heart once again.
She quickly coughed a few times, trying to dispel her inner embarrassment.
Finally, she patted her chest and promised Lin Gui:
“Ah, don't worry! Once I become the King of Carter...”
“I will definitely... make sure everyone is fed!”
She had wanted to follow up with more grand promises—like letting all the refugees live in clean houses and work with dignity.
But her mouth opened, and the words simply wouldn't come out.
She knew all too well that even if she truly became the King of Carter...
She could never achieve those things.
In fact... under the current political landscape,
she would likely have to turn a eye to their exploitation just to secure the nobles' support.
Elvia's mouth felt dry, her throat tight.
She could boast and brag in front of others.
But in front of Lin Gui, she could not easily make a promise she knew she might never keep.
Seeing Elvia's embarrassment, Lin Gui said nothing more.
He simply reached out his hand in silence.
The oak staff resting against the wall flew lightly into his palm.
His gaze swept past Elvia and directed toward the balcony of the loft.
In an instant, his eyes became sharp and alert.
Rate on N.U.
