Lin Gui pinched the small flower that was radiating a faint, dark glow, turning it over and over in his hand, but he couldn't make heads or tails of it.
He instinctively asked in his mind.
System, appraise this thing? What does it do?
【Ding! This system does not provide item appraisal services. Please explore on your own, Host.】
“Tch.”
Lin Gui curled his lip and handed the small flower to Theia beside him.
“Take a look. Do you recognize it? Why on earth is the royal family so desperate for this thing?”
Theia took the small flower and sensed it carefully.
She shook her head, her crimson eyes filled with confusion.
“I only know that this is something the royal family specifically requested. Supposedly, it's related to some top-tier alchemical potion, but as for what it actually is... I'm not sure either.”
“The energy fluctuations on it are very peculiar. It's neither pure life energy, nor death, nor shadow...”
Hearing this, Lin Gui had no choice but to carefully wrap the small flower, which had caused so much trouble, in a soft cloth.
He stuffed it into the innermost layer of his backpack.
“Forget it. Let's keep it for now. We can appraise it later when we find a reliable alchemist or scholar.”
After packing up the loot, Lin Gui looked up.
Only to find Theia standing nearby, her expression somewhat strange and her gaze flickering.
Her hands were unconsciously twisting the hem of her clothes, seemingly extremely hesitant about something.
Lin Gui's mind was as clear as a mirror.
He knew what Theia was hesitating about.
She could no longer stay in Caran now.
She was hesitating about her future path.
And judging by the way she kept stealing glances at him, she was probably waiting for him to bring up the idea of traveling together.
The same question was being weighed repeatedly in Lin Gui's mind as well.
Even though Theia was currently the target of a system commission, Lin Gui was still hesitating whether to invite her to join him.
Binding with this Messenger System meant his future path was destined to constantly lead toward more distant and unknown city-states.
Like a rootless duckweed, he would have no fixed home.
The danger factor was visibly skyrocketing, and even now, the memory of the various perils he had encountered on the way to the Magic City made Lin Gui's hair stand on end.
He had never considered himself a protagonist. All his survival in desperate situations was the inevitable result of his thorough preparation and rational mind.
The only time his luck had completely run out, he had almost lost his life in that man-eating cavern.
Even bound to the Messenger System, Lin Gui could not guarantee that he would ultimately survive.
But he still had to go, even if the path ahead was a mountain of daggers and a sea of flames.
Because only by reaching the very end could he deliver the letter in his heart to the person he had missed countless times.
And compared to the dangers of this journey, the benefits it brought...
Lin Gui had the system rewards, so he was fine, but Theia...
To maximize the reward count of 'conveying thoughts,' his target customer base would inevitably be the low-income commoners with limited ability to pay.
How much money could commoners possibly have?
For his current trip of over six hundred letters, the total income probably wouldn't even match a low-level escort quest casually posted by some noble lord.
If he let Theia join him, it would undoubtedly mean she would be working for free, and she might even have to pay out of her own pocket...
All things considered, inviting Theia to join him was practically no different from pushing her into a pit of fire.
The two of them stood in silence, the atmosphere slightly awkward.
From time to time, Theia would steal a glance at Lin Gui.
Her eyes were a mix of anticipation and anxiety, like a small animal afraid of being abandoned.
After hesitating again and again, Lin Gui finally took a deep breath and broke the silence.
Avoiding a direct invitation, he spoke in a different way:
“Theia, that city-state you mentioned before... where all races coexist in equality. Avalon, right?”
Theia whipped her head up, her crimson eyes widening in disbelief.
“You... you know about it?”
Lin Gui certainly didn't know, but since the system had given him a quest, this city that existed only in legends must be real.
“Yeah, I've heard some rumors. Apparently, deep within the continent, such a city really does exist.”
His tone was firm, as if it were an absolute fact.
“If you don't have any other plans for now, maybe... you could go check it out. Perhaps it could become your true home.”
He didn't invite her directly, but instead gave her a direction.
Hearing this, Theia lowered her head slightly, her slender fingers nervously twirling a strand of her silver hair.
Yet her unique crimson eyes couldn't help but peer upward, gazing at Lin Gui with cautious anticipation.
Looking at her like this, Lin Gui sighed in his heart and added:
“Once I finish this run...”
He patted the heavy backpack filled with replies on his back.
“After delivering these letters, I'll probably head over to check out that 'City of Equality' as well. If you're willing... we could... travel together for a while.”
“I'm willing!”
Almost the instant the words left Lin Gui's mouth, Theia cried out in excitement.
She lunged forward, giving Lin Gui a tight, solid hug.
Her eyes instantly welled up with tears, her voice choking up.
“I'm willing! Lin Gui! Thank you!”
She repeated it, as if terrified that Lin Gui would back out.
“Alright, alright.”
Lin Gui was squeezed so hard he could barely breathe, and he awkwardly patted her back.
“I have to warn you first, I'm extremely poor. I don't have the money to pay you a salary.”
“At most... I'll cover your meals and find us a place to sleep that keeps the wind and rain out.”
“It's fine! I have money!”
Theia jumped down from Lin Gui, a brilliant smile on her face.
But this happiness only lasted a few seconds before freezing.
She suddenly remembered that she was now a wanted criminal in Caran City.
The hard-earned savings she had kept at home had probably been completely confiscated by the City Lord's mansion long ago.
Right now, other than this gear that had accompanied her for so long, she was completely penniless.
A flush of embarrassment instantly colored her cheeks, and her voice quieted down as she said sheepishly:
“Uh... well... as long as... room and board are covered... that's fine too...”
By the end, her voice was barely a whisper.
Her gaze instinctively drifted toward Knight Commander Lyon's armor and sword on the ground, which, although heavily damaged, were clearly made of extraordinary materials and still shimmered with a magical luster.
If they could take these and sell them, it would definitely fetch a fortune!
Before she could finish running her little calculations, Lin Gui seemed to read her mind and immediately threw cold water on her plans.
“No, we can't touch these things.”
Theia froze, assuming Lin Gui was acting out of chivalry or some sort of moral purity.
Not wanting to make money off a dead man's belongings, she quickly tried to persuade him:
“Lin Gui, now is not the time to be picky! We really need money!”
“Besides, they wanted to kill us! Taking some loot is only natural! Drop the moral baggage so we can enjoy a wealthy life!”
Lin Gui rolled his eyes at her in annoyance.
“You're overthinking it. I'm not being kind-hearted, I'm just afraid of dying.”
He pointed at Lyon's corpse, his expression turning serious.
“To get to Avalon, we need to pass through the Royal Capital.”
“This guy was the Knight Commander of the Royal Capital, and the royal family of the Carter Kingdom stands behind him.”
“An entire elite knights squad was wiped out in the Black Demon Forest. With such a massive loss, the royal family will never let this go and will definitely launch a thorough investigation.”
“If we take this iconic gear and sell it now, we'll basically be walking into a trap, telling the royal family, ‘The killers are right here, come get us!’”
“So, we can't touch any of this. It's best to just let it rot here or get eaten by demons.”
After listening to Lin Gui's analysis, realization finally dawned on Theia. She shrank back in lingering fear and nodded sadly.
“Oh... you're right... then... where do we go next?”
She had now completely made Lin Gui her pillar of support.
Lin Gui gazed toward the depths of the Black Demon Forest, where the terrifying roars and tremors seemed to be drawing closer.
Moragus had clearly not given up his pursuit.
“Back to Caran City first.”
Lin Gui quickly made a decision.
“We'll hide in the city for a while. Once this demon riot in the Black Demon Forest dies down, we'll head out to New Covenant City and deliver the replies.”
“Mm! I'll do whatever you say!”
Theia nodded without the slightest hesitation.
Lin Gui pulled out his seemingly ordinary oak staff and looked at Theia, a weary yet sincere smile appearing on his face.
“Want a ride on my staff? It might not be as fast as you running, but it saves energy.”
Looking at the magical staff that could make people fly, Theia's eyes instantly lit up with little stars, and she nodded excitedly.
“Of course! I want to!”
Lin Gui smiled, straddled the staff first, and then extended his hand to Theia.
Theia took his hand, pulling herself up to sit lightly behind him, and naturally wrapped her arms around his waist.
“Hold on tight. It might be a bit shaky.”
Lin Gui warned her, then channeled his magic.
【Levitation】 took effect, carrying the two of them wobbling into the air.
Adjusting their direction, they flew unsteadily toward the towering walls of Caran City.
About an hour later, at the grassy clearing where they had previously stayed, countless pitch-black tentacles covered in thorns surged over like a tide.
They easily scooped up Knight Commander Lyon's cold corpse.
The thickest tentacle expertly twisted off his head, which had once been full of ambition and arrogance.
It stuffed the head into the massive, hollow-like mouth that slowly slithered over.
“Gulp...”
Moragus devoured this final "sacrifice."
Upon the tree trunk, Lyon's face, filled with resentment and terror, slowly manifested.
His glowing green, massive eyes, filled with endless malice, stared fixedly in the direction of Caran City.
A bone-deep hatred and desire for destruction were frantically brewing.
“Hehehe... City-states... Humans... Just you wait...”
The low, malicious murmur slowly dissipated in the wind.
Rate on N.U.
