Freya observed Lin Gui for a moment, eventually letting out a helpless laugh.
She gently pushed the priceless Barrier Stone back in front of him.
Aubrey, the Vice Leader, stepped forward at the right time and handed her a small metal box inscribed with protective runes.
Freya personally placed the glass bead and the two letters into the box and carefully closed the lid.
"Sigh," she looked at Lin Gui, her tone tinged with complex emotion. "This reward is too high; its value is not much less than that of a demi-artifact."
"Accepting it would be taking far too much advantage of you."
"Our North Wind accepts your commission."
"We will deliver the items according to your request on our return trip."
"As for the reward... we'll talk about it the next time we meet."
The Barrier Stone was certainly tempting, but what Freya valued more was the friendship of the mage before her, who appeared to be only High Rank yet had repeatedly demonstrated incredible capabilities.
His current strength might not be at the peak, but the decisiveness and composure he possessed far beyond his years—as well as his nearly terrifying magic control precision—made Freya certain of one thing.
As long as he didn't die young, one day in the future, his name would ring out across the entire Akara Continent.
"I hope we'll have more chances to cooperate in the future," she said sincerely.
The North Wind caravan would be resting in Blackwater Port for a few days, so this parting seemed somewhat hasty.
However, Freya knew in her heart that he would be leaving soon.
This nearly two-week journey of traveling almost without sleep or rest was definitely about more than just delivering a letter.
Indeed, after Lin Gui took back the Barrier Stone, he began to cast Levitation.
Grom the beastkin and Barton the barbarian warrior moved his wooden crates out of the carriage.
The raft floated up once again, hovering by his side.
Seeing Lin Gui preparing to set off, Theia immediately grabbed Eve's hand and prepared to jump onto the raft.
However, a finger lightly tapped her shoulder.
Theia turned around in confusion, finding that the one who had stopped her was actually the Forest Elf, Laisa.
She didn't understand why this kinswoman, 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 into Theia's ear and remained silent for a long time—so long that Theia almost couldn't help but ask what she wanted—before a low, clear voice finally drifted into her ear:
"...Stay alive, and do not show your face in any city-state that has joined the City-State Alliance, Theia Windrunner."
"The Alliance Council... is about to begin the purge of all half-demons."
"If you don't want to implicate the little mage and you don't want to lose your life, then run."
"Run to a place where no one can find you."
Theia's heart skipped a beat, nearly leaping into her throat.
She looked at Laisa in disbelief.
Laisa's expression remained flat, and her voice dropped even lower:
"Your combat stance, your archery habits, your power techniques... they all share nearly the same origin as mine."
"We were originally taught by the same elven ranger mentor."
"It was precisely this that allowed me to recognize you."
She gave Theia a deep look.
"Remember my words."
After saying that, she turned around and returned to the North Wind caravan's ranks decisively, without looking back.
Theia stood frozen on the spot, her palms cold.
Beside her, Eve tugged at her, wanting to offer comfort, but her mouth opened without knowing what to say.
The City-State Alliance's tolerance for half-demons had already reached its limit.
The expulsion decree targeting half-demons was about to formally take effect.
For Theia, the only choice was to quickly go to Avalon or to an isolated, remote city-state.
Eve sighed and finally could only say to Theia, "Theia, it's time for us to set out."
Theia remained silent for a moment before nodding.
She firmly bound the wooden crates back onto the raft.
Before leaving, Lin Gui hesitated repeatedly but still gave Freya a reminder:
"Captain Freya, do not stay in the borderlands for too long."
"A Dark Tide might emerge there."
Freya arched her eyebrows slightly.
The Holy Church of Light's Saintess had a Divine Prophecy that had never been wrong.
Freya also believed that he knew of the Saintess's prophecy.
And under these circumstances, he was still saying that a Dark Tide might emerge in the borderlands?
Her original plan was to return to the Carter Royal Capital to rest and wait for the 20th Dark Tide to pass.
For a team like theirs that conducted cross-continent trade, what they feared most was being caught in a Dark Tide during transport; that was almost certainly a death sentence.
However, if someone else had given this warning, Freya would have just treated it as a joke. But the one speaking was Lin Gui, this little mage who was filled with the unfathomable.
She looked at him and eventually just gave a solemn nod.
"Alright, I'll keep that in mind."
Lin Gui's reminder was just an offhand comment; in fact, even he felt skeptical of the absurd idea.
He began to control the raft to fly away. After making a final farewell to the North Wind caravan, Lin Gui took Theia and Eve and left Blackwater Port, flying into a sparse forest.
Looking at the map, the distance between Blackwater Port and Shield City wasn't far; it was roughly the same as 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 safe transferring supplies through here.
The raft flew steadily at a low altitude.
Although the journey was short, Lin Gui remained vigilant. He called out to Theia a few times, telling her to keep an eye on the situation ahead.
However, the silver-haired ranger curled up next to the wooden crates gave no response.
It wasn't until Eve gently touched her arm that Theia looked up as if waking from a trance.
She sluggishly moved to the front of the raft, her slender legs dangling over the edge as they swung listlessly.
When she reported the situation ahead, her voice was also somewhat airy.
Lin Gui slowed the raft down a bit more and turned his head to observe her.
"What's wrong? You're so out of it."
Theia shook her silver hair, her voice muffled.
"Laisa recognized me... she saw through my identity."
Lin Gui was slightly stunned upon hearing this.
The Mask of a Thousand Illusions was a Legendary concealment item that even Freya hadn't been able to see through. How had Laisa done it?
Seeing his confusion, Theia explained in a low voice.
"We were taught by the same elven ranger mentor. Our combat styles and archery postures are identical."
"In the entire ranger class back then, I was the only one with silver hair, so she recognized me when I was fighting in the sea."
Lin Gui was thoughtful. "Then why didn't she expose you?"
Theia shook her head, the same confusion visible in the depths of her eyes.
"Since she chose to remain silent and we've parted ways now, why do you still look like this?"
Theia pursed her lips with a bitter smile.
"She warned me not to show up in the Alliance's city-states again. It was exactly the same as Elvia's final advice."
Lin Gui became even more puzzled.
"Isn't that precisely our goal? To send you to Avalon so you can live freely there."
Theia looked up, a faint smile spreading across her lips.
"Yes, starting from the Black Demon Forest... we've crossed mountains and rivers all for this goal."
Her voice gradually lowered. "I'm just sad at the thought that I'll be parting with you soon."
Lin Gui looked ahead, his tone calm. "Once I finish delivering the reply letters, if there's a chance, I'll return to Avalon to visit you."
Theia suddenly leaned in close, her warm body nearly pressing against him, the faint, clean scent of grass and wood swirling around his nose.
She tilted her face up, her emerald eyes flashing with a cunning light.
"Will you really come back to see me? You won't just turn around and forget me, will you?"
Lin Gui's body stiffened slightly, and he subconsciously leaned back a bit, made somewhat uncomfortable by her sudden closeness.
He averted his gaze, his voice remaining steady.
"Don't worry, I keep my word. I will go back to see you."
As for the timing... Lin Gui could only say sorry to Theia in his heart. In any case, elves had long lifespans—at least three times that of humans—so Theia shouldn't mind.
However, Theia seemed to sense Lin Gui's little scheme. She gave a hmph and grabbed his arm, her whole person practically leaning against his shoulder.
"You must come back to see me once a month!"
Lin Gui gave a helpless sigh and gently removed her arm from his.
"It took us over two months to get here from New Covenant. Just going back and forth would take four months, Theia."
"Then four months! Pinky swear!"
Without allowing any argument, she grabbed Lin Gui's hand and forced him into a pinky swear before narrowing her eyes in warning.
"There, this is your human contract custom."
"I heard the children in the Caran neighborhoods say... that people who don't follow it will go to hell and have their hearts devoured and bones pecked at by blood demons~"
Lin Gui looked at their hooked pinky fingers, momentarily caught between tears and laughter.
What kind of ghost contract was this? Wasn't this just a game for children?
Behind them, Eve watched this scene quietly, a shallow arc curving her lips.
Her ginkgo-golden short hair swayed gently in the wind.
Rate on N.U.
