The triggering of the System quest did not make Lin Gui relax in the slightest.
He continued to stare intently at the hideous, warped merman soul before him.
If the other party made even the slightest suspicious move,
he would immediately activate his Shroud of the Gloomy Night and flee.
He had no choice.
Having been in this world for so many years,
Lin Gui had put almost all of his skill points into escape and concealment.
His only offensive spells, 【Shadow Pierce】 and 【Wind Blade】, were extremely limited in power.
If it came to a head-on fight, he could hardly defeat any opponent of the same rank.
Fortunately, the merman soul's violent outburst only lasted for a moment before gradually subsiding.
Its form returned to normal, and its eyes became blank once more.
“I... what happened to me?”
Lin Gui did not let down his guard. In a low voice, he asked,
“You don't remember what just happened?”
“What are you talking about?” The merman soul looked completely bewildered.
“Sigh...” Lin Gui let out a sigh and finally lowered his staff.
“Forget it. You said earlier that you wanted to deliver a message to the Alliance Council?”
“Once I'm done with my current business, I'll take you there.”
The merman soul's face lit up with joy at first, but then he looked at Lin Gui warily.
“Why are you helping me? Human, do you have some sort of ulterior motive?”
Lin Gui rolled his dead-fish eyes.
“Or I could just throw you into the toilet right now?”
“No, no, no! Big brother, I was wrong!” The merman instantly caved.
After chatting for a few more moments, Lin Gui deactivated his Eyes of the Netherworld.
The merman soul vanished from his vision.
It hadn't actually disappeared; rather, without the aid of his special vision, he simply couldn't perceive it.
He carefully placed the glass bead into his pocket.
The System's voice rang out in his mind:
【Do you confirm the activation of the Extra Commission?】
Lin Gui replied testily,
“We'll talk about it when I return to the City of a Thousand Towers.”
The City-State Alliance Council was located in the largest human city, Dawn City.
It was situated at the very core of the Central City-States, tens of thousands of kilometers away from here...
Traveling from here to there would probably take six months to a year.
He first had to complete the long-term commission of escorting Theia to Avalon.
Then, he had to deliver the reply letters he collected along the way back to Caran and New Covenant City.
Only then could he consider this continent-spanning quest.
Or... Lin Gui suddenly had an idea.
Could I have someone mail it?
His gaze drifted unconsciously toward the window, looking in the direction of the North Wind caravan's camp.
For example... could he have the North Wind caravan carry it along the way?
He remembered the scholar mentioning that the North Wind caravan's shipping route required a transfer in Dawn City.
Although he was strapped for cash, Lin Gui still had the Barrier Stone he had obtained from the rebels.
He believed that if he offered it as payment, Freya would be willing to help him carry this glass bead and deliver it to the City-State Alliance Council.
However, that would have to wait until they arrived in Shield City.
He looked out the window at the pitch-black Silent Sea, his brow furrowed.
Were they really going to use that method to cross it?
It was no wonder Lin Gui felt a sense of reluctance.
The way the North Wind caravan planned to cross this forbidden zone was truly mind-boggling.
It was neither flying through the air nor sailing on the sea.
Rather... they would travel on foot along the seabed.
The next morning.
“What?! We're going to walk across the seabed?!”
Theia's startled cry echoed throughout the camp.
Her face turned pale, and she waved her hands frantically.
“B-But I don't know how to swim!”
Betty quickly reassured her,
“Don't worry, Theia. You don't need to know how to swim.”
“With the magic of Teacher Freya and Master Percel, the seawater won't touch us at all.”
“We'll be walking on the seabed, so there's no need to swim.”
It was exactly as Betty said.
The North Wind caravan's plan was for Freya to join forces with Percel, the strongest sea folk mage on the Twin Reefs.
Together, they would cast a massive isolation barrier and an underwater breathing formation to allow the entire group to cross on foot along the ocean floor.
For an area to be designated as a forbidden zone by the Alliance exploration team,
it usually had to possess one of three characteristics.
First, an extremely vast number of demons, with at least ten Epic Rank and a hundred Legendary Rank demons active in the area.
Second, the presence of unknown laws.
Third, the inability of Title Rank experts to pass through.
The reason the Silent Sea was classified as a forbidden zone was precisely due to the second characteristic.
A bizarre law existed within this sea—
here, the concept of buoyancy completely ceased to exist.
Whether it was flying in the sky, floating on the surface, or swimming in the water,
everything would ultimately sink to the bottom of the sea.
This was why the North Wind caravan had no choice but to travel on foot along the seabed.
Because in this sea, any method of travel that relied on buoyancy was utterly futile.
If the issues of oxygen and water pressure could be resolved, traveling along the seabed was indeed a viable method.
According to the scholar Eli, the North Wind caravan had successfully crossed using this method no fewer than seven times.
The process was highly refined.
In terms of danger, it might actually be safer than traversing the forest outside Twilight Fortress.
“It's just a bit terrifying,” the scholar concluded.
Lin Gui grumbled inwardly. It's way more than 'a bit' terrifying.
If even the slightest thing went wrong along the way, everyone would end up buried at the bottom of the sea.
For this crossing, Lin Gui, with his precise control, would be responsible for driving the train.
Aside from the Legendary sea folk mage Percel,
the participants in this operation also included the goblin chief of the Twin Reefs, a Goblin Hero named Stonefang,
as well as several of his offspring.
The reason they were tagging along was simple: they were serving as hostages.
As for how the North Wind caravan had discovered this outrageous method of crossing,
it dated back six years.
At that time, Freya, who had just stepped into the Legendary Rank, established the North Wind caravan.
To build a reputation for her transport team, she accepted a commission issued by the City-State Alliance to investigate the Silent Sea.
And that was how she had inadvertently arrived at the Twin Reefs.
Back then, the goblin chief was struggling to establish his tribe.
As a race that had always lived on land, trying to survive on an island—
even for a species as easily sustained as goblins—was exceptionally difficult.
At the time, Stonefang had taken the initiative to act as a bridge for Freya, putting her in touch with the Legendary sea folk mage Percel.
They then discovered a path leading to Shield City beneath the Silent Sea.
However, traveling along the ocean floor was, after all, too shocking.
In the end, Stonefang had staked his own life in Freya's hands just to earn her trust.
He then led the North Wind caravan along the seabed, successfully crossing the Silent Sea.
Because of this, Freya managed to establish a stellar reputation for the North Wind caravan in the transportation industry.
In return, whenever the North Wind caravan brought supplies here every year,
they would deliver the necessary goods to the goblins and the sea folk who had gradually settled on the island.
This arrangement had continued for six years.
Stonefang's personal accompaniment as a hostage had also become a regular practice.
If any accident occurred, he would perish right along with the North Wind caravan.
This also included his offspring.
Stonefang used the most straightforward method to prove to everyone:
this path across the Silent Sea via the seabed was safe.
Lin Gui watched the green-skinned, exceptionally tall Goblin Hero.
He was silently helping his offspring climb onto the train.
His rough, large hands gently patted the heads of each little goblin in turn.
His movements were clumsy, yet they carried an unquestionable resolve.
For the survival of their tribe, these goblins...
had learned to express their utmost sincerity in the most brutal way possible.
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