In the end, Lin Gui bought all the potions Blackbeard had for crossing the Wall of Sighs.
This transaction almost completely emptied the rest of his gold coins.
It even drained half of the little savings Theia had accumulated over the years.
Yet the silver-haired ranger, usually a money-grubber, was quite cheerful this time, taking the initiative to hand over her bulging coin pouch.
Afterward, she held up a freshly written IOU and waved it in front of Lin Gui's eyes.
Her emerald eyes curved into crescents as she smiled:
“Lin Gui, you must, absolutely must pay me back~”
Lin Gui took the IOU, looked at the neat handwriting and the long string of zeros at the end, and smiled helplessly.
“Don't worry.”
“Once we reach a wealthy human city-state—”
He said half-jokingly:
“...I'll pay you back with interest, enough to make a mountain of gold coins.”
He carefully packed away the potion bottles labeled “Iron Will” and “Clarity Elixir.”
Eve quietly helped from the side, sticking her own handwritten labels onto each potion bottle, noting their usage and duration.
Even though Lin Gui himself was that very “foolish mage” who knew 【Clarity】...
Why did he still buy these expensive potions?
Just to be safe.
And also to provide a cover for his unique ability.
With the transaction complete, Blackbeard, who had just pocketed a massive sum of money, was clearly in a much better mood.
He patted his bulging coin pouch and grinned at Lin Gui:
“Pleasure doing business with you, human lad!”
“Alright, now what else do you want to know?”
Lin Gui pondered for a moment before asking the crucial question:
“How do we deal with the spectral demons?”
Blackbeard's smile faded.
“Two ways.”
“First, tough it out.”
“As long as you're strong enough and your defense is high enough—”
“...unless you're unlucky enough to stumble into the nest of an Epic or Legendary demon...”
“...the other spectral demons attacking you will feel like nothing more than an itch.”
He sized Lin Gui up and down, then shook his head.
“However, to use this method, you need to be at least Mid-tier Legendary Rank.”
“And you'd have to be in a defense-focused class, like a knight or a shield warrior, someone who can continuously take hits.”
“Kid, your strength is still far from it, and that goes for the two girls behind you as well.”
“So, you'd better play it safe and go with the second option.”
Blackbeard held up a second finger.
“Take an old-timer who's 'about to be dragged off by the Netherworld Sea' to guide you.”
“Conveniently, in three days, the City of Bounties will be holding a new round of 'tests' for guides.”
“When the time comes, you can pick a suitable one.”
He paused, his tone growing heavier.
“But as for the price... it starts at least at four hundred thousand gold coins.”
“After all, the old-timers' families are all relying on that money to leave this dreadful place.”
Blackbeard looked out the window at the figures huddled in the shacks and sighed.
“So... when the time comes, if you can give a little extra, please do.”
Lin Gui nodded thoughtfully.
Then, he asked the most critical question:
“Since there are ways to deal with all these obstacles...”
“...then over all these years, there must have been a few relatively safe 'Golden Routes' mapped out, right?”
This time, Blackbeard nodded without hesitation.
“Yes.”
“Although the Wall of Sighs has a terrifying reputation outside—”
“...to us old-timers who have dealt with it for years...”
He tapped his temple.
“...it hasn't reached the point of 'utter hopelessness' yet.”
“The area close to the City of Bounties has basically been fully mapped out.”
“Where the powerful spectral demons hold territory, and where the relatively safe 'corridors' are.”
“The terrain's ups and downs, the patterns of the mist's density, even the sources of certain recurring 'sighs'...”
Blackbeard pulled a map of the Wall of Sighs from under the bar counter and spread it out.
On it, twisted lines and scribbled marks were sketched in charcoal.
“Over the past few years, using experience built on lives and gold coins—”
“...there are indeed a few routes made public that barely meet the standards of a 'Golden Route'.”
His thick, short finger moved along a path marked in red.
“This one, we call the 'West Ridge'.”
“It hugs the base of the wall, where the mist is relatively thin and there are fewer spectral demons.”
“But the downside is that it's a detour, adding at least two hundred kilometers to the journey.”
He pointed to another blue line.
“This 'Central Rift' is shorter, but you have to pass through the 'Whimpering Canyon'.”
“The density of spectral demons there is terrifyingly high. Unless you have Epic Rank strength, it's best not to touch it.”
Finally, his finger stopped on a thin line lightly traced with gold dust.
“As for this one...”
Blackbeard's voice dropped.
“This was mapped out by Lynn's team back then, and it is currently the deepest one.”
“But I don't recommend taking this route.”
“Because those Epic experts fell on this very path.”
“To this day, we still don't know what they encountered.”
Lin Gui stepped forward, but Blackbeard covered the map, staring at Lin Gui with a serious expression.
“But kid, I have to make this clear—”
“These routes are only relatively 'less fatal'.”
“Once you go in, you could still die just the same.”
“The only difference is whether you die knowing what hit you, or die in utter confusion.”
Lin Gui nodded.
“Don't worry, I understand.”
Blackbeard breathed a sigh of relief.
He had really been afraid that the young man would think this was an absolutely safe route and let his guard down once inside.
After all, even a team as powerful as Shadow Blade Lynn's had followed their own mapped route when they entered the Wall of Sighs for the eleventh time.
In the end, they never came out again.
Lin Gui carefully examined the map Blackbeard provided.
His finger landed on the marker for the “Blackwater Ruins,” then pressed down on the nearby position of “Avalon” that he had calculated himself.
Next, he located the nearest so-called “Golden Route.”
As his gaze followed that route—
Lin Gui's expression suddenly froze.
The Golden Route that Shadow Blade Lynn and her team took...
...actually passed right through the location of Avalon?
He stared blankly at the intersection of the two trajectories on the map, unable to help but whisper:
“How... how is this possible?”
Blackbeard gave him a strange look.
“What's impossible?”
Lin Gui didn't explain. Instead, he pointed to the spot on the map where Avalon's marked location overlapped with the Golden Route.
His voice tightened slightly:
“This place... did Shadow Blade Lynn and her team go here?”
Blackbeard leaned in to take a look and nodded.
“Yeah, I remember it was during their ninth crossing that they reached the vicinity of the Blackwater Ruins.”
Lin Gui immediately pressed:
“The ninth time? Did they say anything about what they encountered on the way after they returned? For example—”
He paused.
“...a city-state?”
“A city-state?”
Blackbeard's expression grew even stranger.
“You mean the 'Blackwater Ruins,' right? That empty city.”
“Of course they went there. Many bounty hunters use those empty cities swallowed by the Dark Tide as temporary outposts.”
“After all, they provide cover with high walls and concrete buildings. And strangely enough—”
He stroked his beard as he recalled.
“In those dozens of abandoned city-states swallowed by the tide, the number of spectral demons is actually very small.”
“They're very suitable for setting up camp and resting.”
“Though for some reason...”
Blackbeard lowered his voice.
“Those who spend the night inside always inexplicably hear... giggling, whispering, and even footsteps.”
The surrounding dwarves chimed in one after another, eagerly adding all kinds of eerie rumors about the “ghostly empty city.”
But Lin Gui was no longer in the mood to listen.
Shadow Blade Lynn's team... had indeed been near Avalon.
Perhaps they were even right at the “city gates.”
Yet they hadn't seen a city-state?
Could the location of Eve's prophecy be wrong?
A cold wave of panic suddenly surged in his heart.
He forced himself to take a deep breath and suppressed the emotion.
No.
It was too early to draw conclusions.
Eve's prophecies had never been wrong.
Avalon had to be there.
It was just...
Perhaps it was “hidden” by something.
Hidden in a place that even Epic experts couldn't detect.
No matter what.
Lin Gui had to investigate this location in person.
Regardless of whether Avalon truly existed.
Regardless of whether it was “hidden” by some force.
Regardless of why Shadow Blade Lynn's team had turned a blind eye to it.
He needed to confirm it with his own eyes.
After solemnly thanking Blackbeard, Lin Gui carefully put away the hand-drawn map marked with various dangerous zones.
Then, he left the tavern with Eve and Theia.
Rate on N.U.
