The temptation of an artifact was, in the end, very real.
Balin straightforwardly agreed to Lin Gui's request.
He didn't even pay attention to Grom's winks and hints from the side.
He nodded solemnly, his tone decisive:
"I will complete it as quickly as possible."
"But I need your full cooperation throughout the process."
"Your requirements are very specific."
"That is not just a vehicle; it is more like an apparatus that extends your abilities."
"To perfectly adapt to your Levitation and speed requirements—"
"You must personally participate in the tuning."
Seeing that Lin Gui was still hesitant, Balin immediately added:
"One week! I guarantee it will be finished within a week."
"You wouldn't want the thing you traded a demi-artifact for to be unfit for use, would you?"
This reason indeed moved Lin Gui.
However, the time limit for the system commission and the upcoming purge of half-demons by the Alliance...
They were all like invisible whips lashing at his back.
The vehicle could be built when he returned.
Theia stood to the side, her lips quivering slightly.
She wanted to say something, but in the end, she made no sound.
She only looked at Lin Gui longingly with those emerald eyes.
Eve approached at the right moment, her voice soft:
"Let's just stay for one more week."
"Theia and I also want to take a closer look at this city in the heart of the mountain."
Theia immediately nodded vigorously.
"Yeah! If we leave just like this..."
"We might never have another chance to come back in the future."
What she didn't say was—
No matter how grand the city-states were, they didn't compare to the time spent with him.
The journey was nearing its end, and separation was already in sight.
She would eventually have to leave him, just like Elvia did.
This melancholy was written clearly on her face.
Eve glanced at her and turned to Lin Gui, speaking gently:
"At least, accumulate more memories."
"Not only about this city but also about... us."
Lin Gui looked at Theia and sighed softly.
Then, a faint smile played across his lips.
"Actually..."
He turned his head to look out at the wonder outside the door—a layer upon layer of lights carved into the mountain.
"I also really want to take a good stroll around here."
Theia's eyes instantly lit up, and she couldn't help but curve her lips upward.
Eve also pursed her lips and smiled lightly, warmth rippling in her eyes.
Grom burst out laughing at the sight, slapping his chest hard:
"Good! For this week, I'll guarantee you guys have a great time!"
Balin, however, frowned at this point and asked in a low voice:
"Kid, is it absolutely necessary for you to go to the Wall of Sighs?"
"Are you also like those guys who value money over their lives?"
"Doing it for that bounty from our dwarven king?"
Lin Gui shook his head and said frankly:
"It is to deliver my companion to Avalon."
"To that city of freedom where she can live freely without having to hide her identity."
After he finished speaking, he looked at Balin with a hint of hope in his eyes.
This powerful Fortress Lord might know something.
However, Balin's response made his heart sink.
"Avalon?"
Balin knit his brows, trying hard to remember.
"Inside the Wall of Sighs... besides the swallowed ruins..."
"Where is there still a living city-state left?"
He stared at Lin Gui with a sharp gaze.
"Human kid, are you sure that place really exists?"
"You haven't been deceived by someone, have you?"
"That hellish place has nothing but evil spirits and wicked demons."
These words were like cold water, leaving Theia stunned in place.
Actually, she had always had a doubt in the back of her mind.
Why was Lin Gui so certain that Avalon existed?
She had only heard the name from vague nursery rhymes herself.
Could nursery rhymes... be taken seriously?
Theia shifted to Lin Gui's side and whispered softly:
"Lin Gui, is Avalon... really there?"
"I remember back then, you seemed to just listen to what I said about the rumors and then..."
She suddenly recalled the scene on the day they first met.
She had only mentioned it in passing, yet he had taken it to heart seriously.
Then he had taken her across rifts and through deep seas.
They had traveled all the way to this northernmost border of the continent.
She hadn't thought about it deeply before, but looking back now...
This decision truly seemed a bit reckless.
Lin Gui merely smiled, his expression calm.
"Whether it exists or not, we will find out very soon."
He turned his gaze toward Eve.
Eve returned a faint smile.
Then, she raised her eyes and looked into the distance.
Those mysterious eyes seemed able to pierce through rock walls and darkness.
They cast directly into the depths of the Wall of Sighs, toward that legendary land.
...
The next few days passed quickly.
During the day, Lin Gui stayed in the forge workshop with Balin to tune the vehicle.
In the evening, he would be excitedly dragged away by Theia to stroll through various parts of Shield City.
This city inside the mountain was far larger than it appeared.
The passages wound like a labyrinth, and hidden within the layered rock caves were taverns, workshops, and marketplaces.
Theia was curious about everything, her silver hair dancing in the firelight.
Once, the sea demons attacked the city walls again.
With Grom's special permission, Lin Gui ascended the defense platform.
He took control of the heavy magic crystal cannons.
Outside the muzzles, a black mass of demons swarmed like ants.
Ugly limbs were entangled, and their roars merged into one.
Lin Gui steadily pulled the trigger.
"Boom—!!!"
A deafening explosion tore through the air.
Firelight instantly swallowed a patch of hideous figures.
Theia stood on the cannon platform next to him.
The blast's airwave whipped her silver-white long hair.
Instead of hiding, she laughed loudly.
Her laughter was clear, joyous, and completely unrestrained.
The surrounding dwarf warriors couldn't help but cast sideways glances.
The dwarven territory was not far from the Elven Forest.
They had seen various types of elves.
The arrogant High Elves, the cold Night Elves, and the kind Forest Elves.
Every one of them was elegant and detached.
Yet the silver-haired elf before them was entirely different.
She was like a white horse that had broken free from its reins.
Free-spirited, vivid, and showing her joys and sorrows clearly on her face.
This frank personality actually suited the dwarves' temperament exceptionally well.
During these few days, the post office was also officially completed.
In fact, it had already been finished on the day Lin Gui left.
However, the dwarf foreman leading the group felt uneasy in his heart.
He felt that exchanging such a simple project for so much fresh meat was an absolute steal.
So he took his brothers and expanded it with great effort.
By the time the sign for the "7-Copper Post Office" was hung above the door...
The originally agreed-upon two-story wooden building had already turned into a spacious and solid four-story stone-built small building.
The news of the post office's opening, along with the letters of the Stoneheart Clan and Lin Gui's stories, spread.
It soon caused a sensation throughout Shield City.
The entrance of the post office was crowded with dwarves from morning to night.
They looked up at the giant route map on the wall.
Staring at the names of distant city-states marked by colored pushpins, they all widened their eyes and clicked their tongues in wonder.
What they found even more unbelievable was the price, which was almost like giving the service away for free.
Eve volunteered to be the manager of the post office during this time.
She sat quietly behind the thick wooden counter, registering, collecting, and organizing letters.
Her movements were gentle yet efficient, and a faint smile was always playing on the corners of her mouth.
Under her gentle urging, Lin Gui and Theia rarely had a few days of time alone together.
They walked through the rock cave alleys, tasting the dwarves' signature roasted mushrooms and Thunder Ale.
Occasionally, they sat side by side on the high lookout towers, watching the forge fires below flicker on and off.
Days passed one by one.
In a flash, inside Balin's steam-filled forge workshop...
Lin Gui's vehicle entered the final assembly stage.
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