Returning to the crude inn.
As he pushed open the creaking wooden door, Theia immediately came forward to meet him.
“How did it go?”
Her emerald-green eyes were filled with eagerness and anticipation.
Lin Gui smiled, pulling out the map from his vest and spreading it open.
“It's basically confirmed.”
His slender finger tapped a spot on the map.
Pointing to the gray area representing the Wall of Sighs, near the location marked "Blackwater Ruins."
“Right here.”
Theia took the map, her fingertips gently tracing the texture of the paper.
Her expression, however, was not ecstatic as expected, but instead carried an indescribable complexity.
That beautiful city-state from the children's nursery rhymes—
freedom, equality, and mutual aid.
A place without discrimination, where half-demons and mortals could live together in peace.
She had fantasized about such a place countless times.
Ever since she was exiled from the Elven Forest and wandered to Caran City.
She had tasted the bitterness of being rejected, slandered, and pushed away by the entire world.
Every instance of baseless malice felt like cold vines tightening around her throat.
Yet that nursery rhyme she had overheard by chance was like a faint but stubborn light.
Having heard it only once, it was deeply etched into her mind, impossible to forget.
Once, she had yearned more than anything to reach that legendary city-state.
And now, the goal was right before her eyes.
But there was no ecstasy as she had imagined.
Instead, a strange sense of... reluctance welled up from the bottom of her heart.
“Theia?”
“Theia?”
Lin Gui's voice rang in her ears, pulling her back from her chaotic thoughts.
She snapped out of it, tilting her head to look at him in a slight daze.
“What's wrong? You suddenly spaced out. I called your name several times, but you didn't react.”
“Ah?” Theia forced a slightly awkward smile. “Maybe... because I'm just too happy.”
She rolled up the map and tucked it behind her waist.
Looking up at Lin Gui, she tried to make her voice sound cheerful.
“Because I'm about to go to a place... that can truly accept me.”
Lin Gui gazed at her, a gentle smile appearing in his eyes.
“Don't worry, it won't take too long.”
“Once I get a general grasp of the situation inside the Wall of Sighs,”
“and try crossing it a few times to make sure it's safe—”
He paused, his voice soft yet exceptionally clear.
“we'll set off.”
“To send you to a place where you can live peacefully...”
“your true home.”
Theia stared at him blankly.
That phrase, “true home,” was like a pebble dropped into the lake of her heart, sending ripples outward.
She suddenly realized—
perhaps the reluctance in her heart wasn't toward Avalon.
But because...
reaching it meant the end of the journey.
It meant having to say goodbye to Lin Gui.
Theia nodded vigorously, then remembered something and spoke to Lin Gui.
“Oh right, that dwarf the dwarf leader wanted us to contact...”
“He returned to the City of Bounties about a week before you left.”
“I've already given him the Fortress Lord's letter and token.”
“He said he'll be waiting for you anytime at the 'Anvil and Ale' in the city.”
After failing to dissuade Lin Gui from going to the Wall of Sighs,
Balin could only do his best to provide him with all possible assistance.
The City of Bounties was originally an outpost born from the commission of the Dwarven Kingdom.
Over the years, the dwarves had been heavily involved in all exploration efforts toward the Wall of Sighs.
With Balin's token, the dwarven forces here would fully assist Lin Gui.
But Balin had also warned Lin Gui not to raise his expectations too high.
Since the failure of that massive crossing attempt decades ago—which had shaken the continent but resulted in total annihilation...
the dwarves in the Royal Capital had practically given up on the idea of opening up the route.
Following Theia's directions, Lin Gui quickly found the wooden tavern called the "Anvil and Ale."
Pushing open the heavy oak door, the din of chatter mixed with the aroma of ale washed over him.
By the bar, a dwarf with a thick, pitch-black beard that almost covered half his face was wiping a bronze goblet.
He was surrounded by seven or eight equally robust dwarf companions.
When Lin Gui walked in, the entire tavern suddenly fell silent for a brief moment.
The eyes of all the dwarves swept over to him in unison.
The black-bearded dwarf put down his goblet and squinted, sizing up Lin Gui for a couple of seconds.
Then he grinned, revealing teeth slightly yellowed from smoke.
“You're here?”
He waved him over.
As Lin Gui walked over, the surrounding dwarves naturally gathered around.
Though they only reached Lin Gui's waist, they exuded an aura as solid as mountains.
Dozens of eyes stared at Lin Gui curiously, scrutinizing him from head to toe.
Their gazes made him look like some rare, never-before-seen creature.
Blackbeard hopped down from his barstool and stood before Lin Gui.
Tilting his head back, his eyes gleamed like torches as he cut straight to the chase.
“You...”
He paused, his voice booming with undisguised curiosity and scrutiny.
“How on earth did you do it?”
“Bringing back a mountain of Black Crystal from the Blackwater Forest in just a few hours?”
At his words, the surrounding dwarves immediately broke into a flurry of murmurs.
“Yeah! I heard he didn't even take the Golden Route?”
“That damn place is crawling with demons. How did he bypass them?”
“Flew over? But a flying vessel makes even more noise...”
“Even when the boss escorts it himself, it takes two days. His speed is just...”
Doubts, exclamations, and speculations blended into a chaotic buzz.
All the dwarves stared at Lin Gui, waiting for his answer.
Lin Gui shrugged under the skeptical gazes of the dwarves.
“Just... whoosh, flew right over the demons' heads.”
“And after grabbing the ore, whoosh, flew right back over them.”
He spoke nonchalantly, as if describing the most ordinary thing.
The dwarves froze in unison.
Then, they erupted into disgruntled grumbling.
“Who would believe that!”
“If you don't want to tell us, just say so, human! Why use such a clumsy lie to fool dwarves!”
“Do you take us for three-year-old toddlers!”
Standing behind Lin Gui, Theia and Eve exchanged a look.
The same sense of helplessness flashed in both of their eyes.
On their way to the City of Bounties, they had indeed flown whoosh right over all kinds of powerful demons.
Blackbeard raised his hand and pressed it down firmly.
The noise gradually died down.
He stared at Lin Gui for a long moment, a complex expression on his rugged face.
Finally, he let out a heavy sigh.
“Whatever.”
“Since the Fortress Lord himself gave the order—”
Blackbeard puffed out his chest, his voice turning solemn.
“I, Blackbeard, and all the dwarven warriors in the City of Bounties,”
“will do our absolute best to help you find that 'Avalon' place.”
He paused, speaking each word as heavy as stone.
“Even if it means...”
“charging into that damned Wall of Sighs with you.”
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