Facing all the gazes, Lin Gui spoke clearly once more:
"Copperhammer Stoneheart!"
He paused for a moment, recalling the image of the dwarf he had seen grumbling and cursing in the underground casino.
"His characteristics... he’s short even for a dwarf, has a red beard, and the left side of his eyebrow is partially missing."
"He has a loud voice, especially when he’s losing money."
The dwarf leader interrupted him with what was almost a roar:
"Where is he?!"
"In the Carter Royal Capital, on Black Street!" Lin Gui replied.
"Impossible!" the dwarf leader denied sharply. "He couldn’t possibly still be in the Carter Royal Capital! That place is the transport hub of the Alliance. His identity..."
Lin Gui cut him off directly, shouting the reason:
"He lost all his money in an underground casino on Black Street! Including the travel expenses the Fortress Lord gave him!"
"He’s forced to hide there, not daring to show his face!"
The dwarf leader’s mouth fell open instantly, and his next words were caught in his throat.
He pressed his palm to his forehead and let out a heavy sigh.
"Sigh... that hopeless guy."
Behind him, the other dwarven guards looking through the iron windows also revealed expressions of helplessness.
"Sounds like something that bastard Copperhammer would do..."
"That guy, honestly..."
The atmosphere of suspicion clearly loosened quite a bit.
Lin Gui struck while the iron was hot, pulling out several more letters from his satchel.
He held them high and read the names on them in order.
"Caran City! Ironhammer Stoneheart!"
"New Covenant City! Bronzebeard Stoneheart!"
With every name he read, a slight stir rippled through the crowd of dwarves behind the iron gate.
Some dwarves instinctively leaned forward, trying to see more clearly.
Others exchanged looks with the companions beside them.
Seeing that they still had some hesitation, Lin Gui frowned slightly.
He picked up a letter from New Covenant City and raised his voice.
"This is a letter from the dwarf Bronzebeard Stoneheart of New Covenant City!"
"The recipient is Anvil Heavyhammer!"
His gaze swept across the iron windows above as he continued to shout:
"Male! 158 years old!"
"His beard is braided into three thick plaits!"
"His nose is big and red!"
Finally, he added that key characteristic with absolute certainty:
"When he gets drunk, he insists on arm wrestling the dwarf leader—"
"And his right thumb is still crooked to this day!"
As his voice fell, a raspy exclamation suddenly erupted from behind the iron gate.
A dwarven guard lurched forward, leaning out and shouting urgently:
"I am Anvil Heavyhammer! What... what did he say in the letter?!"
Lin Gui looked at him, hesitated for a moment, and then tore open the envelope.
He quickly scanned the contents of the paper, and a somewhat strange expression appeared on his face.
He cleared his throat and read in as steady a tone as possible:
"To my best brother, Anvil Heavyhammer, who chokes me up like strong liquor."
"I am currently in New Covenant City, a human city-state very, very far from Shield City. We will probably... never see each other again."
The guard's body trembled violently, the muscles on his rugged face twitching.
Lin Gui continued reading, his tone remaining flat:
"Do you remember the first time we met by the forge?"
"You got your face all bruised and swollen fighting me over the last piece of roasted lizard meat."
"After the fight, we were punished by our mentor to spend a whole month cleaning toilets together."
"In that moment, I knew that you were my fated... brother."
"Later, we stole the Thunder Ale hidden by the elders—an entire barrel!"
"We ran off drunk to pick a fight with the people from the Stone Clan and beat them all into the ground."
"Those days were the happiest of my life."
The guard had already become enthralled by what he was hearing, his eyes a mix of nostalgia and bitterness.
Lin Gui's voice continued, as calm as a placid lake:
"During these years apart, I often think of your crooked thumb."
"And the tall tales you’d tell when you’d had too much to drink."
"I don't know if this letter can actually reach your hands."
"After all, the kindhearted human delivering the letter is far too weak—only at the High Rank."
"But, he once went to the Magic City alone."
"That is a place even farther and more dangerous than Shield City."
"I can only pray, praying for his safe journey so that he may deliver my letter to your hands."
"As for why I’m sending a letter to you, my best brother,"
"I want you to help me settle a knot that has troubled me for many years."
"And that is..."
"Anvil, I..."
At this point, Lin Gui's voice came to an abrupt halt.
He stared at the letter, his eyebrows twitching slightly.
Being at the most critical part, the guard grew anxious and growled:
"He what?! What did my brother say!"
Lin Gui looked up at the guard and, in an extremely odd tone, read the final line:
"...Regarding the thirty-seven gold coins I owed to the tavern before I left, please help me pay them back."
"If I ever return one day, I’ll pay you back."
"Your eternal brother, Bronzebeard Stoneheart."
The air instantly froze.
The expression of emotion and nostalgia on the dwarven guard’s face shattered instantly.
He froze in place, his eyes bulging and his beard curling upward with rage.
In the next second, he let out an earth-shaking roar:
"Bronzebeard!! You goddamn bastard!!!"
"You sent me a letter just to say this?!!"
He was shaking with rage as he slammed a fist onto the edge of the iron window.
"I knew it! Nothing good ever comes from you writing a letter!"
"Thirty-seven gold coins! You motherfucker, you even have to screw your brother over right as you're leaving!!"
The surrounding dwarven guards also snapped out of the slightly sentimental atmosphere.
There was a moment of dead silence, followed by an explosion of roaring laughter.
"Hahahaha! Classic Bronzebeard!"
"Even after leaving, he didn't forget to let his brother wipe his ass!"
"Anvil, this brother of yours is really something!"
The dwarven guard named Anvil turned red with anger.
He pointed at the letter in Lin Gui's hand, unable to squeeze out a single word for a long time.
The sight of him being both furious and embarrassed, as if he wanted to snatch the letter and tear it to shreds, was truly a spectacle.
After this bout of rowdiness,
The previously tense atmosphere had completely vanished.
Although the dwarves behind the iron windows were still cautious, the hostility in their eyes had mostly receded.
It was replaced by a complex mix of curiosity, helplessness, and even a bit of amusement at the show.
Lin Gui shook the thick stack of letters in his hand.
"Now, can you believe that I’m just here to deliver letters?"
The dwarven guards exchanged glances and eventually all looked toward the leader at the highest point.
The serious dwarf leader frowned deeply, his thick fingers unconsciously drumming against the windowsill.
He was clearly still weighing the options.
Lin Gui spoke at the right moment, offering his final guarantee:
"Don't worry, I won't step a single foot inside Shield City."
"I’ll only bring the letters to the gate, drop them off, and leave. How about that?"
His tone was calm and sincere, carrying an unquestionable earnestness.
After a brief silence and repeated scrutiny, the dwarf leader finally gave a heavy huff.
"Leave the package at the gate! Everyone else, back off!"
He barked the order, which served as his tacit consent.
"I’m going too!" Theia immediately moved closer to Lin Gui's side.
Lin Gui looked at her and didn't refuse.
While the speed of Levitation was fast, it couldn't compare to the instantaneous burst of a Transcendent Ranger.
If there truly were an accident, she could take him away faster.
He turned and gave Eve a low instruction as she remained on the raft:
"Wait here and be careful."
Eve nodded gently, a faint glow already appearing on her fingertips, ready to provide support at any time.
Lin Gui no longer hesitated and hopped sideways onto his warm oak staff.
Theia leaped lightly onto the back end, standing steadily behind him.
Surrounded by the faint light of the Levitation spell, the staff carried the two of them steadily toward the massive iron gate on the mountain wall.
Rate on N.U.
