Lin Gui had originally planned to stay for a day or two.
He wanted to test the long-term effects of the Clarity spell.
However, the actual verification showed that the effects were far stronger than imagined.
Even after gathering such a high concentration of mist around him, he felt exceptionally refreshed.
In that case, there was no need to waste any more time.
After a quick pack-up.
Lin Gui set out with the two girls to return to the Bounty City.
Lin Gui took the driver’s seat this time, under the supervision of the two girls peering over his shoulders.
This time, Lin Gui didn’t drive like a maniac; he proceeded at a normal pace.
In less than an hour, the silhouette of the grayish wooden city walls appeared on the horizon.
It was already dusk by the time they returned to the Bounty City.
The setting sun cast long shadows against the simple wooden walls.
Immediately after passing through the city gates, the three of them headed straight for the Oak Barrel Inn.
He pushed open the creaking wooden door of the Oak Barrel Inn.
Within the dim common room, the fireplace light flickered.
As darkness was setting in, the proprietor, who should have been at the counter attending to guests, was instead trembling for some reason.
Following the proprietor’s gaze, Lin Gui looked over.
He saw three people sitting on a dilapidated sofa in the corner.
The attire of the person in the middle immediately grabbed the attention of Lin Gui’s group of three.
The man wore dark brown hunting gear and looked travel-worn.
A hand crossbow at his waist glinted with a cold light, lined with silver bolts in neat order.
His hat brim was pressed very low, revealing only a cold, hard jawline.
This classic getup.
Theia recognized the other party’s identity in an instant, and her footsteps came to a jarring halt.
Her body tensed immediately, like a fully drawn bow.
“A Demon Hunter!!”
Theia moved to draw Azure Echo from her back.
The figure on the sofa moved.
He didn’t even look up.
He simply raised his right hand slightly.
A streak of silver light shot out abruptly, fast enough to tear through the air.
Theia didn’t even have time to draw her bow.
The silver bolt flew past her ear.
With a "ting," it pierced through the wooden wall behind her.
The tail of the bolt vibrated violently, letting out a low hum.
The entire room fell into a deathly silence.
Theia’s hand, reaching for her bow, froze, her eyes filled with shock.
That shot just now...
She hadn’t even seen its trajectory.
Fast—too fast. It was far faster than the Legendary archer, Gorn.
Cass, the Demon Hunter, slowly looked up.
From beneath his hat brim, a pair of gray-blue eyes looked over.
That gaze was cold and sharp, like a blade tempered in blood.
The Demon Hunter stared fixedly at Theia, seemingly able to see right through all of her disguises.
This included her long-hidden identity.
The girl beside him also recognized Theia’s identity and quietly began to raise her hand crossbow.
However, Cass pressed it back down.
He looked back at Lin Gui’s group, who had instantly entered a defensive posture.
His voice was deep, his pace slow:
“I’m not here to look for trouble.”
“I’m just here to buy potions.”
“The potions you bought from Blackbeard.”
As he spoke, he slowly rose.
In front of the entire room, he unfastened the hand crossbow at his waist.
Along with that row of silver bolts, he placed them gently on the wooden floor at his feet.
Next came the short blade behind his waist and the dagger at his side.
One by one, he removed them all.
Finally, he opened his hands to show he was unarmed.
Lin Gui and Theia exchanged a glance.
Both saw the same confusion and alertness in each other’s eyes.
The fact that the other party had fired a bolt the moment he raised his hand meant he had clearly recognized Theia’s identity.
This wasn’t surprising; identifying demon energy was the signature skill of the Demon Hunter class.
But he had recognized her, yet he was standing down now.
This diverged from the usual goal of the Demon Hunter profession.
Demon Hunters—those who hunt the Demon Race.
Lin Gui narrowed his eyes and took a half-step forward, testing with a question.
“Did the proprietor, Blackbeard, introduce you?”
Cass nodded.
“You are a friend he needs to look after.”
“And I... am also something of a friend to him.”
Lin Gui was silent for a moment before continuing.
“Which faction of Demon Hunter are you from?”
This question was direct, even somewhat offensive.
If the one asking were at the same rank as Blackbeard, it would be fine.
But the one speaking was a High Rank mage.
A High Rank... in any major city-state, wouldn’t be considered a powerhouse.
Whereas a Legendary rank...
In the Carter Royal Capital, they would be a pillar of the nation.
Even in the Central City-States, they were prominent figures.
A nobody dared to ask in such a tone?
Maren, the young boy beside Cass, immediately frowned and took a half-step forward.
He wanted to teach this "arrogant" mage a lesson.
However, his older sister Rosa grabbed him and shook her head gently.
Cass’s gaze swept over Lin Gui, then landed on the red-alert Theia behind him and the calm Eve.
Two Low-tier Transcendents and one High-tier High Rank.
Yet among these three, it was clear that this young mage was the leader.
He looked at Lin Gui’s fearless black eyes and fell silent for a heartbeat.
Then he replied in a deep voice:
“Traditionalists.”
Upon hearing this, Lin Gui relaxed slightly.
The reason he asked was because Demon Hunters were divided into two factions.
One was the "Exterminators," who were sworn to eradicate every existence related to the Demon Race.
Examples of this were the Exterminator Disciplinary Knights within the Holy Church, as well as the Inspectors who would soon begin the purges.
The "Traditionalists," while they also hunted demons, were not so fanatical.
They only hunted demons that fell within their specific target range.
Legend had it that their techniques were even taught to them by demons themselves.
They were taught how to hunt other demons.
Therefore, Traditionalist Demon Hunters were not so absolute in their hostility toward the Demon Race.
Theia, a half-demon who had transitioned mid-way, shouldn’t become his target.
Otherwise, that bolt wouldn’t have just grazed her cheek.
However, Lin Gui did not let down his guard because of this.
He took the initiative to reach out to Cass and introduced himself with a smile:
“I’m Lin Gui.”
“In truth, I can’t really be called a friend of Blackbeard.”
“He only looks after me because of the orders from the Fortress Lord of Shield City.”
At the mention of the words "Fortress Lord."
Rosa and Maren, sitting beside Cass, looked up at the same time.
Surprise was hard to hide on both of their faces, and their eyes showed clear skepticism.
The Fortress Lord, Balin Heavyhammer, was an Epic Rank powerhouse.
A figure of immense weight within the dwarven race.
Would such an existence specifically order a Legendary dwarf to "look after" a human High Rank mage?
If Lin Gui were a dwarf—even just an ordinary dwarf warrior.
They might have been able to barely believe it.
But the man before them was clearly a human.
He was young, dressed plainly, and even looked a bit down-and-out.
Maren’s lips moved as if he wanted to say something.
But his sister Rosa gently tugged at his sleeve, and he closed his mouth again.
However, his suspicious gaze remained fixed on Lin Gui.
Cass’s gray-blue eyes took a long look at Lin Gui.
He didn’t reach for the extended hand, merely nodding and saying casually,
“Cass.”
Lin Gui didn’t mind the other man’s attitude.
His strength was indeed beneath notice in the eyes of others.
Being able to talk on equal terms with the dwarven high command relied on a chain of interconnected favors.
The care he received came from delivering home letters for the Stoneheart Clan.
Being able to talk to Captain Freya was a respect earned through his exquisite Levitation spell.
Other than that, he was just an ordinary High Rank mage.
A wandering mage who couldn’t even obtain residency rights in the City of a Thousand Towers.
Naturally, it was impossible to win the genuine regard of a Legendary expert.
But Lin Gui’s goal had already been achieved.
The reason he took the initiative to introduce himself was, first, to ease the atmosphere.
Second was to wave the banner of the Fortress Lord to deter the Demon Hunter before him.
At the very least, it told the other man that while his own strength was weak, he had the dwarves behind him.
In reality, with the Shroud of the Gloomy Night and his Levitation spell, Lin Gui wasn't afraid of him.
He had dared to drag race on top of an Epic demon’s head; why would he fear a Legendary?
If he couldn't win, at worst, he could flee.
But the problem lay in the fact that—he couldn't flee.
Because the other man was a Demon Hunter, and Theia was a member of the Demon Race.
The Shroud of the Gloomy Night could hide her form, but it couldn't hide her demon energy.
And Lin Gui would never abandon Theia.
Therefore, he had to borrow authority.
Seeing that Cass had no intention of shaking hands, Lin Gui retracted his hand naturally.
A smile piled onto his face, and his tone lost its usual indifference, instead taking on a few notes of deliberate fawning:
“Right, I just heard you say you came to buy potions.”
“Since it was Blackbeard who sent you, Master Demon Hunter...”
He paused, his smile becoming even more sincere.
“The money doesn't matter.”
“How many do you need? I’ll just give them to you.”
Lin Gui’s smooth, sycophantic behavior, which nearly shattered his stoic persona.
Caused even the usually calm Eve to show a trace of undeniable oddity on her face.
Her eyes widened slightly as her gaze swept back and forth across Lin Gui’s face.
It was as if she were trying to confirm whether this person had been swapped out.
As for Theia, she wore an expression of having not seen this in a long time.
She was far too familiar with this scene.
The last person who made Lin Gui show this kind of smile...
One had been personally beheaded by the death-fearing princess.
Another group—a party of ten—had been blown up by Lin Gui in the Black Demon Forest and fed to demons.
She silently shifted half a step closer to Eve.
And meanwhile, in her heart, she silently said a prayer in advance for this Legendary Demon Hunter.
Rate on N.U.
