Freya studied Lin Gui for a moment, and finally smiled helplessly.
She gently pushed the priceless Barrier Stone back in front of Lin Gui.
Deputy Captain Aubrey stepped forward at the right moment and handed over a small metal box engraved with protective runes.
Freya personally placed the glass bead and the two letters carefully into the box, closing the lid with care.
“Sigh,” she said, looking at Lin Gui with a complex mix of emotions.
“This reward of yours is too high. Its value is not much different from a demi-artifact.”
“If I were to accept it, I would be taking far too much advantage of you.”
“We, the North Wind, accept your commission.”
“We will deliver the items on our return journey, just as you requested.”
“As for the payment, we can talk about it the next time we meet.”
While the Barrier Stone was indeed tempting,
what Freya valued even more was the friendship of this mage before her, who seemed to be only High Rank but had repeatedly demonstrated extraordinary abilities.
His current strength might not be at the very top,
but his decisiveness and composure, which far exceeded his age, along with his almost terrifying precision in controlling mana, made Freya certain of one thing.
As long as he did not meet an early demise, his name would one day resound across the entire Akara Continent.
“I hope we will have the opportunity to cooperate again in the future,” she said sincerely.
The North Wind caravan was going to rest at Blackwater Port for a few days, so parting ways at this moment seemed a bit hasty.
However, Freya knew in her heart that he would be leaving soon.
This nearly half-month of almost sleepless, non-stop travel
was definitely not just for something as simple as delivering a letter.
Sure enough, after Lin Gui took back the Barrier Stone, he began to cast Levitation.
The beastkin Grom and the barbarian warrior Barton carried his wooden crates out of the carriage.
The wooden raft floated up once more, hovering by his side.
Seeing Lin Gui prepare to depart, Theia immediately took Eve's hand, ready to jump onto the raft.
However, a finger lightly tapped her shoulder.
Theia turned around in confusion, only to find that the one who had stopped her was actually the Forest Elf Laisa.
She did not understand why this fellow elf, who had shown hostility toward her from the very beginning, would suddenly approach her at the moment of parting.
Although they had fought side by side, their relationship was far from the point of needing a private farewell.
Laisa leaned in close to Theia's ear and remained silent for a long time—so long that Theia was almost unable to hold back from asking.
Only then did a low and clear voice reach her ears:
“...Live well, and do not appear in any city-states that have joined the City-State Alliance, Theia Windrunner.”
“The Alliance Council... is about to begin purging all half-demons.”
“If you do not want to drag that little mage down with you, and if you do not want to lose your life, then run.”
“Run to a place where no one can find you.”
Theia's heart leapt violently, almost throat-bound.
She looked at Laisa in disbelief.
Laisa's expression remained calm, her voice lowered even further:
“Your combat stance, your bow-drawing habits, your force exertion techniques... they are almost identical to mine.”
“We were taught by the very same elven ranger mentor.”
“It was this very fact that allowed me to recognize you.”
She gave Theia a deep look.
“Remember my words.”
Having said that, she turned around and cleanly returned to the ranks of the North Wind caravan, never looking back.
Theia stood frozen on the spot, her palms icy cold.
Eve, who was standing beside her, gave her a gentle tug, wanting to offer comfort, but her mouth opened without knowing what to say.
The City-State Alliance's tolerance for half-demons had nearly reached its limit.
The expulsion order targeting half-demons was about to officially take effect.
For Theia, the only choice left was to
hurry to Avalon, or head to some isolated, remote city-state.
Eve sighed, and in the end, she could only say to Theia, “Theia, we should get going.”
Theia was silent for a moment before nodding.
She bound the wooden crates tightly onto the raft once more.
Before leaving, Lin Gui hesitated repeatedly but still gave Freya a warning:
“Captain Freya, do not stay in the borderlands for too long.”
“The Dark Tide might emerge there.”
Freya raised her eyebrows slightly.
In the Holy Church of Light, the Holy Saintess's Divine Prophecy had never been wrong.
And Freya also believed that he knew of the Holy Saintess's prophecy.
Yet, even under these circumstances, he was still saying that the Dark Tide might emerge in the borderlands?
Her original plan had been to return to the Carter Royal Capital to rest and recuperate while waiting for the twentieth Dark Tide to pass.
For a merchant team like theirs that traveled across continents,
the absolute worst-case scenario was being caught in a Dark Tide mid-transit, which was practically a certain death sentence.
But Lin Gui's warning... If it had been anyone else, Freya would have treated it as a joke.
But this was Lin Gui, a little mage who was entirely shrouded in the unbelievable.
She looked at him and, in the end, simply nodded solemnly.
“Alright, I will keep that in mind.”
Lin Gui's warning was just a casual mention.
In fact, even he himself felt skeptical about this seemingly absurd idea.
Controlling the raft to fly up, after bidding a final farewell to the North Wind caravan,
Lin Gui left Blackwater Port with Theia and Eve, flying into a sparse forest.
Looking at the map, the distance between Blackwater Port and Shield City was not very far.
It was roughly similar to the distance from Twilight Fortress to the Carter Royal Capital.
Blackwater Port itself was a part of Shield City's defense system.
It was the safest outpost with the fewest demons along the entire defensive line.
Because of this, the dwarves felt secure enough to use it as a transit hub for resources.
The raft flew smoothly at a low altitude.
Although the journey was short, Lin Gui still maintained his vigilance.
He called out to Theia a few times, telling her to keep an eye on the path ahead.
However, the silver-haired ranger curled up next to the wooden crates gave no response.
It was not until Eve gently tapped her arm that Theia raised her head, as if suddenly snapping out of a daze.
She sluggishly shuffled to the front of the raft, letting her long legs dangle over the edge, swinging them listlessly.
Even when she reported the situation ahead, her voice sounded somewhat distracted.
Lin Gui slowed the raft down a bit more and turned his head to observe her.
“What is wrong? Why are you so dispirited?”
Theia shook her silver hair, her voice muffled.
“Laisa recognized me... She saw through my identity.”
Lin Gui was slightly startled upon hearing this.
The Mask of a Thousand Illusions was a Legendary Rank disguise item that even Freya had failed to see through. How could Laisa have done so?
Seeing his confusion, Theia explained in a low voice.
“We were taught by the same elven ranger mentor. Our combat style and archery stance are identical.”
“In our ranger class back then, I was the only one with silver hair, so when we were fighting at sea, she recognized me.”
Lin Gui thought for a moment. “Then why did she not expose you?”
Theia shook her head, the same confusion lingering in her eyes.
“Since she chose to remain silent and we have already parted ways, why do you still look like this?”
Theia bit her lip with a bitter smile.
“She warned me not to appear in the Alliance's city-states ever again, which is exactly the same as Elvia's final warning.”
Lin Gui became even more puzzled.
“Is that not precisely our goal? To send you to Avalon so you can live freely there.”
Theia tilted her face up, a faint smile blooming on her lips.
“Yes, starting from the Black Demon Forest... crossing mountains and rivers all this way, it was all for this goal.”
Her voice gradually grew softer. “But the thought of parting with you soon makes my heart ache.”
Lin Gui looked straight ahead, his tone calm.
“Once the reply letters are delivered, if I get the chance, I will return to Avalon to visit you.”
Theia suddenly leaned closer, her warm body almost pressing against him, the faint, fresh scent of herbs and wood lingering at the tip of his nose.
She tilted her face up, her emerald eyes flashing with a sly light.
“Will you really come back to see me? You won't forget about me the moment you turn around, will you?”
Lin Gui's body stiffened slightly, and he subconsciously leaned back a bit.
Her sudden proximity made him feel somewhat uneasy.
He averted his gaze, his voice remaining steady.
“Rest assured, I am a man of my word. I will return to see you.”
As for the timing... Lin Gui could only apologize to Theia in his heart.
Anyway, elves had extremely long lifespans—at least three times that of humans—so Theia probably would not mind.
However, Theia seemed to detect Lin Gui's little scheme. With a huff, she wrapped her arms around his arm, leaning almost her entire weight against his shoulder.
“You must come back to see me once a month!”
Lin Gui sighed helplessly and gently pried her arm off his.
“It took us over two months to get here from New Covenant, Theia. A round trip alone would take four months.”
“Then four months! Pinky swear!”
Without giving him a choice, she grabbed Lin Gui's hand, forcing a pinky swear, and then narrowed her eyes in warning.
“There, this is your human contract custom.”
“I heard from the children in the neighborhood of Caran... those who break it will go to hell and have their hearts devoured and bones hollowed out by blood demons~”
Lin Gui looked at their intertwined pinkies, feeling caught between laughter and tears.
What kind of absurd contract was this? It was just childish play.
From behind them, Eve watched this scene quietly, the corners of her lips curving into a gentle arc.
Her ginkgo-colored short hair swayed gently in the wind.
Rate on N.U.
