Eve's heartvoice, filled with a trace of sadness and yearning, reminded Lin Gui of the very beginning.
He remembered how Theia had sat beside him just like this, laying bare her loneliness from being exiled and her longing for Avalon.
Then, she had "abducted" him onto this long journey, bringing him all the way to this small city-state.
As Lin Gui listened to Eve's words, a faint trace of expectation rose in his heart.
He thought this might trigger a long-term mission to "help Eve break free from the shackles of the Hall of Heroic Spirits."
As it turned out... there wasn't a peep.
It was likely because this wish didn't quite align with the core objective of the Messenger System—conveying thoughts.
Thinking back on the missions he had triggered so far: delivering letters, delivering skeletal remains, delivering a white-haired elf...
Indeed, they were all related to "delivering."
To fulfill Eve's wish, he surely couldn't be expected to "deliver" that divine artifact, the Hall of Heroic Spirits, from the sky city all the way to the Netherworld Sea, could he?
Lin Gui had read about the Hall of Heroic Spirits in the library of the City of a Thousand Towers.
The scholars at the time were also researching how to break its binding.
Their final conclusion was: discard it in the deepest part of the underground, the polar opposite of the sky city—the Netherworld Sea.
By relying on the vast, boundless soul power of the Netherworld Sea, one could isolate the Hall of Heroic Spirits' shackle on the host's soul.
This method had been debated and verified repeatedly by many renowned scholars; in theory... it was feasible.
Lin Gui silently repeated this concept in his mind a few times.
He waited quietly, hoping for a familiar notification sound to ring out.
It was only after a long silence that the nearly speechless, flat voice of the system echoed in his mind:
【Host, the triggering of all missions is based on your current strength and ability range.】
【Delivering the Hall of Heroic Spirits to the Netherworld Sea...】
【This objective far exceeds your ability boundaries.】
【Those two locations are realms where even those of the Legendary rank cannot set foot.】
【Therefore, please cease these meaningless mental cycles.】
Lin Gui shrugged in his consciousness.
Fine.
At least he knew—theoretically, this matter could trigger a mission.
In fact, even if it couldn't trigger one...
As long as there was an opportunity in the future, he would still try to help Eve break free from that shackle.
Based solely on the sentiment of her acting as a "power bank" throughout the journey,
Supporting him with her Mana Restoration through countless instances of exhaustion,
Lin Gui would definitely repay her.
Even though Eve spoke with such certainty,
Lin Gui still held a considerable amount of hope in his heart before he truly understood the full scope of that divine artifact.
After all, perhaps influenced by the "anything is possible" mindset of his hometown...
He could always discover some blind spots and flaws in the so-called "common sense" or "settled conclusions" of the Akara Continent that others ignored.
For example, the theory that it was "impossible for the weak" to cross a Forbidden Zone.
For example, the second method of crossing the Wall of Sighs.
Even the principles behind the creation of the Shroud of the Gloomy Night.
They were all based on common knowledge of light and shadow reactions and energy shielding found on the Akara Continent.
But that was all for later.
Looking at Eve beside him, whose expression was slightly dim,
Lin Gui didn't offer any words of comfort, nor did he make any empty promises.
He simply withdrew his gaze quietly.
He believed that before long, he would take the initiative to seek her out himself.
Because...
He remembered the records he had found in the library of the Carter Royal Capital.
Regarding how the Holy Church of Light used a simple "indulgences" paper to ignite the fuse of the Spark Revolution.
Regarding how they, in the Alliance Council,
Used the Pope's veto power to completely annihilate the legal status that the revolution had fought so hard for,
Indirectly causing millions of lives to be affected and slaughtered in the aftermath.
When the Lin Gui of that time looked at those words, which had been meticulously refined and twisted into "merits of purification,"
He hadn't felt anger.
Too much darkness and collapse had long since numbed him.
He simply noted down each and every debt silently,
Waiting for the future, when he would settle them all at once.
Recalling the prophecy Eve had spoken to him on the Wheelless Train of the North Wind caravan about "killing her,"
Lin Gui gave a cold laugh deep in his heart.
Returning from his scattered thoughts,
He finally noticed that the group of rowdy kids had somehow strayed from the safe zone he had cordoned off,
And had begun using his magic to cause trouble.
A half-demon boy was floating quietly, tugging on the beard of an old dwarf napping by the roadside.
A few small gnomes were working together to grab a crate of potatoes, tossing them back and forth like a juggling act.
Worst of all were the few adults who had mixed in, seemingly trying to peek at young wives bathing?
Lin Gui raised his hand wordlessly and pressed down gently in the air.
Levitation was instantly dispelled.
The old dwarf's beard fell back onto his chest, the potato crate hit the ground with a thud, and the adults landed hard on their backsides.
"Aww—!"
A chorus of disappointed wails filled the open space.
The children and adults all looked toward Lin Gui at once, their small faces filled with lingering excitement.
Right at that moment—
A nimble, silver-white figure leaped lightly from a distant roof.
With a few bounds, she landed steadily in front of Lin Gui and Eve.
It was Theia.
Her face was radiating a bright, unmistakable happiness that couldn't be hidden.
"Lin Gui! Eve!"
Her eyes were sparkling, and her voice carried a sense of elation.
"Come quickly! I have good news to tell you!"
Before the two could react, she took one of their wrists in each hand,
Tugging them toward the inner city.
"What's wrong?" Lin Gui asked, allowing her to pull him along.
Theia's steps were light, almost skipping.
She let go of their hands and pointed to her chest—
There, at some point, a small, metallic badge had appeared.
The design was simple, yet it exuded a solemn sense of belonging.
"Just now!"
She took a deep breath, trying to keep her voice steady, yet she couldn't suppress the excitement.
"Witnessed by Lord Morpheus—"
"I, Theia Windrunner, on October 4, Year 42 of the Dark Age—"
"Have officially become Avalon's 9,632nd registered resident!"
She finished, paused, and then added solemnly:
"Moreover, I have obtained the right to legally build a house in Avalon!"
She turned her head to look at Lin Gui and Eve.
In her blood-red eyes, something bright was trembling.
"That is to say..."
Her voice finally hitched.
"I can have... a home in Avalon."
"A real home that will never have the City Guard knocking at midnight, having everything taken away for no reason, and then being declared illegal..."
"A true home."
By the time she reached the last few words, the corners of her eyes were already red.
Slight tears pooled in her eyes, nearly falling.
That appearance...
It gave Lin Gui the feeling of a tenant who had been constantly driven out and forced to move by a black-hearted landlord,
Finally having saved enough money to buy their own house.
It was very similar.
But Lin Gui knew—
What Theia had endured in the past was far more distressing than that.
Lin Gui and Eve were sincerely happy for Theia.
Theia told them as they walked,
That her house had just been completed with the help of all the carpenters in Avalon.
The speed was astonishingly fast.
Lin Gui wasn't surprised.
His post offices in New Covenant City and Ironshield City had also been completed within a few hours under similar high efficiency.
Under sufficient compensation and incentive, people could always erupt with startling passion.
Whether it was gold coins or pork.
He followed Theia toward the inner city, though a trace of confusion lingered in his heart.
He had originally thought Theia's house would be built in the area near the small woods,
After all, Winnie, whom she now called a sister, lived there.
But the direction Theia was leading them was toward the city center of Avalon.
And...
Whether it was a hallucination or not, Theia's steps seemed to carry a trace of imperceptible apprehension, even trepidation.
Lin Gui frowned, thinking he might be overthinking it.
Until Theia led them to the most central intersection of Avalon.
She stopped her steps and pointed at a brand-new, three-story building before them.
The architecture didn't have any elven style; it was a common but sturdy human-style Western house.
"That is... my home in Avalon."
Theia's voice was very soft, tinged with a bit of nervousness.
Lin Gui looked in the direction she was pointing.
When his gaze landed on the sign hanging by the entrance of the building,
He froze entirely.
On that familiar sign, it clearly read:
【7-Copper Post Office】
Lin Gui stared blankly at those words, unable to react for a moment.
"Cough, ahem."
Beside him, Theia gave a couple of unnatural coughs.
She reached out, tightly gripping Lin Gui's hand with one and Eve's with the other.
Then, she raised her head, her blood-red eyes sparkling as she looked at them,
Her voice carrying expectation and a hint of bashfulness she couldn't hide:
"It is also the home for the three of us..."
"In Avalon."
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