The massive gates of Caran City slowly ground open, revealing a vast sea of people already gathered outside.
The news that the City Lord was launching a campaign against the Legendary Demon Moragus had spread as if it had grown wings.
Overnight, it swept through the entire city.
At this moment, countless commoners, adventurers, and merchants gathered outside the city gates, craning their necks in anticipation.
The air was thick with a mixture of curiosity, fear, excitement, and a trace of unease.
Standing atop a temporarily erected high platform, the City Lord's luxurious robes looked somewhat garish in the dim morning light.
His face was filled with grief, and his voice, amplified by magic, carried a perfectly measured choke of emotion across the crowd:
“Citizens of Caran City! Just a short while ago, we suffered a massive tragedy!”
“Our brave Gold Rank adventure groups—the Sword of Heavenly Punishment, the Golden Gryphon's Heart, the Immortal Bulwark, and the Dawn Vanguard...”
“A total of seven teams, our heroes, who fought to the death in the Black Demon Forest.”
“Yet they met a tragic end at the hands of the demons, wiped out to the last soul!”
A wave of stifled gasps and sobs rippled through the crowd.
The Gold Rank adventure groups represented the pinnacle of Caran City's combat strength.
Their annihilation was undoubtedly a devastating blow to the entire city.
The City Lord clenched his fists, his face contorted with anger and resolve.
“This is an incalculable loss for Caran City! It is a direct provocation to us all!”
“We cannot allow the blood of our heroes to be shed in vain! We cannot let those vile demons continue their rampage!”
“Therefore, I have decided to launch a campaign to slay the Legendary Demon Moragus! We shall use his head as an offering to our fallen heroes and defend the dignity of Caran City!”
His words were highly inflammatory, igniting the emotions of some of the citizens who began to cheer.
However, the more veteran adventurers and seasoned citizens remained silent, their brows furrowed in deep concern.
The simultaneous destruction of seven Gold Rank groups was highly unusual in itself, hinting at a deeper conspiracy behind the scenes.
Furthermore, they all knew that the City Lord harbored a deep disdain for adventurers of common birth.
This high-profile campaign at this specific moment felt somewhat... forced.
Seemingly oblivious to the doubtful gazes, the City Lord turned and made a grand introduction.
“To this end, we have received powerful assistance from the Royal Capital!”
“This is Sir Lyon, and his loyal and valiant Kingdom Knights!”
“They will inject formidable strength into this campaign and surely lead us to victory!”
Ten knights, clad in uniform armor that gleamed with magical luster, stood in neat formation.
Leading them, Knight Lyon stood tall and proud, basking in the gaze of the crowd.
Yet, the response from the crowd was not unanimous applause, but rather a wave of hushed whispers.
“The Royal Capital? The Carter Kingdom? We haven't seen anyone from the capital in nearly twenty years. Why now of all times...?”
“Their armor is so shiny, they look incredibly strong... but why do I feel so uneasy?”
“Seven groups were wiped out, and they're relying on just a dozen of them... Can they really do it?”
The doubts echoed in low murmurs.
Although Caran City was nominally under the jurisdiction of the Carter Kingdom.
Generations of city-state autonomy and geographical isolation had long since rendered the royal family's authority vague and distant.
This suddenly appearing royal knight order did not bring peace of mind to everyone.
Under the "escort" of the knights, Lin Gui and Theia were sandwiched in the middle of the procession, looking exceptionally out of place.
Theia kept her head down, her silver hair falling forward to partially obscure her face.
She gently nudged Lin Gui with her elbow, her voice filled with guilt and determination:
“I'm sorry... Lin Gui, I dragged you into this.”
“But... I swear, if there's any chance at all, even if it costs my life, I will get you out of here!”
Lin Gui turned his head, looking at the half-elf beside him. Her body was tense, as if she were ready to strike at any moment.
He suddenly asked a seemingly unrelated question.
“If we make it out of this alive, what are your plans for the future?”
Theia froze for a moment, a bitter smile spreading across her lips.
It was a smile heavy with years of hardship and aimless wandering.
“Plans?”
She repeated the word softly, as if it were an entirely foreign concept.
“What... plans could I possibly have?”
“Ever since I can remember, since the awakening of my half-demon bloodline, I've been seen as a stain on the Elven Forest. I was exiled, driven away.”
Her voice was very quiet, as if she were talking to herself, or perhaps pouring her heart out to the only person who might actually listen.
“I've wandered through so many city-states... The people of Greyrock City threw stones at me, calling me a 'red-eyed harbinger of calamity'.”
“When a plague broke out in White River Town, the mayor pinned the blame on me without hesitation. They almost burned me at the stake.”
“I finally managed to become an adventurer in Ironshield City, but after only three days...”
“...just because some noble lady claimed my eyes gave her nightmares, the guards threw me out of the city...”
“And then I ended up in Caran City.”
She paused, a faint, long-extinguished hope flickering in her voice.
“Here... at least in the beginning, they were only afraid of me.”
“I thought... maybe I could survive here, carefully, like a rat in the gutters.”
“But unfortunately... it still turned out like this.”
“Sometimes, I really wonder if my very birth was a mistake.”
Lin Gui listened quietly before suddenly asking.
“Why not try to hide it? For instance, using magic to change your eye color?”
“That shouldn't be too difficult for you.”
Theia fell silent for a long time.
She thought of her father—a demon who also possessed crimson eyes, yet would tell her stories of the starry sky before bed.
A demon father who would weave flower wreaths for her with his clumsy, large hands.
These eyes were the source of her immense suffering, but they were also her only remaining connection to her beloved father.
In the end, she merely shook her head gently.
Steering the conversation away, she spoke with a dreamlike yearning:
“I've heard... that in the deepest parts of the Akara Continent, beyond countless forbidden zones and mountain ranges, there is a legendary city-state.”
“They say all races gather there, free from discrimination and oppression, living in freedom and equality...”
“Even a half-demon can find a place to belong.”
“I want to go see it. Even if... even if it's just a single glance.”
Her voice was barely a whisper, yet it was like a pebble dropped into a calm lake, sending ripples through Lin Gui's heart.
Almost the exact moment her words fell.
The system's voice chimed clearly once again deep within Lin Gui's mind:
【Ding! Special Long-Term Commission updated.】
【Content: Escort the half-elf ranger, Theia, to the legendary city of freedom—Avalon.】
【Path: Caran City → Withered Rift → Carter Kingdom, Royal Capital Rolan → Silent Sea (Forbidden Zone) → Fortress City of Shield → Wall of Sighs (Forbidden Zone) → City of Freedom, Avalon】
【Time Limit: 4 months】
【Base Reward: Mana rewards upon safely passing each node on the path, scaled by distance and danger level.】
【Final Reward: Novice Space-type Magic, Storage】
【Extra Reward: Unlock Space Magic Advancement Tree】
【Risk Warning: Areas marked as "Forbidden Zones" along the path have extremely high demon activity and unknown risks. Rumor has it that ancient ruins and lost civilizations sleep within them. It is highly recommended to make thorough preparations, or simply take a detour.】
——“May every wandering soul eventually find a home.”
Lin Gui: “...”
He had originally wanted to complain about how the system had expanded from a mail delivery service to a human delivery service.
But his gaze was instantly locked onto the final reward.
Space-type magic? Storage?
It wasn't as if he hadn't fantasized about this on his way to the Magic City.
The standard protagonist starter packs from novels: portable pocket dimensions, spatial rings, teleportation, and the like.
Yet, even after combing through the library of Kalastan City.
He hadn't found a single reliable record regarding space magic, as if it only existed in fantasy.
And now, the system was actually telling him that completing this mission would grant him real space magic?
Even if it was just a novice-level "Storage".
It meant he would no longer have to carry a heavy travel backpack in the future.
And his staff wouldn't need to be constantly held in his hand or strapped to his waist!
After the initial wave of immense joy, Lin Gui looked at the route and the time limit, and his brows knit together.
He pulled out the Map of the Akara Continent (Dark Age Year 24 Edition) from his backpack.
Comparing it to the map, Lin Gui traced his finger starting from Caran City in the southwest.
It went over the hills, through the forest, and through the Withered Rift, which was notoriously famous even in New Covenant City...
...before finally entering the Rolan Mountain Range and arriving at the Carter Royal Capital.
Along this journey, the most dangerous area was the Withered Rift.
The terrain was narrow and fraught with danger, inhabited by incredibly powerful demons, with active Epic Demon Lords roaming within.
Moreover, the sheer scale of the Withered Rift was not something the Augu Canyon could even hope to compare to.
In the southwestern part of the continent map, Lin Gui could even see a visible crack with the naked eye.
At such a massive scale, Lin Gui could already picture a horde of demons crammed together inside.
But at least it was far safer than the unexplored regions beyond.
And there should be a safe "golden route" that bypassed most of the dangers, since the royals were able to make their way to Caran City.
However, this route was only known to the royals. If he were to explore it alone... it would be extremely time-consuming.
“A bit troublesome.”
Rate on N.U.
