An hour later.
The wooden door of the treehouse creaked open.
Theia was the first to step out.
She held her chin high, her silver hair draped over her shoulders in a slightly lazy, disheveled mess.
A brilliant, triumphant smile was unashamedly plastered across her face.
She even made a point to adjust her gait, introducing a tiny, almost imperceptible pause as if she were in discomfort.
Even though such minor pain was negligible to the constitution of a Transcendent Ranger.
But at this moment, she needed this "evidence."
"Hmph~"
She swept her loose silver hair back with a flourish, her movements dashing. Then, she gave a grand wave of her hand.
"Tonight's dinner is on me!"
"We're going to feast at the most 'expensive' restaurant in Avalon!!"
Behind her, Lin Gui followed.
His clothes were a bit messy, and his expression was complex—part helplessness, part the calm of one who had accepted his fate.
He rubbed his brow.
"There are no restaurants in Avalon. Gold coins are useless here."
"Alright... are you 'satisfied' now?"
"I should pack my things and head out with Eve."
Theia nodded contentedly, her smile as radiant as the midday sun.
She walked over to Lin Gui's side and linked her arm through his with perfect naturalness, leaning in close against him.
Lin Gui's body stiffened slightly, but in the end, he didn't push her away.
Eve stood a few paces away, watching the scene with a gentle, sincere smile on her face.
She knew that in this era of collapsed morality among the city-states, such things were nothing.
Pre-marital behavior was even considered normal in certain noble circles, and the prostitution industry was widespread.
But for an elf.
This almost meant... a life-long commitment and recognition.
This was also why, in fairy tales, those who loved with unwavering loyalty were often elves.
And precisely because of this, Theia's joy at this moment was so pure and dazzling.
And Mr. Lin Gui...
He seemed to have accepted the weight of this responsibility by default.
Eve's gaze fell on Lin Gui's hand, which had originally hung at his side but was now slightly raised, as if he wanted to wrap it around Theia's waist.
In the end, that hand hesitated for a moment before resting gently on Theia's shoulder.
It was very light, yet very firm.
Eve's lips remained curved in a smile.
Except that in this instant, she felt a clear sensation.
It was as if she were standing outside a warm but invisible circle of light.
They were inside the circle.
She was outside.
She gently shook her head, waving away that fleeting sense of detachment.
This was fine.
She looked out at the tranquil streetscape below Avalon.
To have come all this way and witnessed this was already good enough.
The staff took flight once more.
Theia and Winnie waved their goodbyes.
Lin Gui brought the two women along, flying into the sky above Avalon.
Ahead, sitting on the oak staff, Theia leaned in close to Lin Gui's ear, chirping away without stopping.
She looked exactly like a wife about to send her husband off on a long journey.
"You must be careful on the road!"
"Don't you dare forget me! You have to think of me every day... no, every three days!"
"Also, you're not allowed to mess with bad girls! At the very least... it has to be a good girl like Eve!"
"If... if you really do have other girls in the future..."
She paused, her voice dropping slightly, but carrying a strange, almost overbearing seriousness.
"Remember to make them call me big sister!"
"I'm the first!"
"I'm the head of the house!"
Listening to this string of absurd yet warm nagging, Lin Gui's mouth couldn't help but twitch slightly.
Aren't elves supposed to be the most loyal race in love? Why was Theia practically wishing for him to fool around outside?
He opened his mouth, as if wanting to argue back.
But in the end, it only turned into a very light, indulgent sigh.
Then, as if remembering something, he turned his head and looked at Theia, who was right beside him.
A slightly playful arc curled on his lips as he asked softly.
"Then... what if it's a girl like Elvia?"
Instantly.
Theia's mouth, which had still been rambling, looked as if it had been pinched shut by an invisible hand.
"Uh..."
She blinked her blood-red eyes. Her expression rapidly transitioned from the "triumphant nagging" to a subtle, checkmated embarrassment.
There was silence for a few seconds.
She curled her lip, her gaze drifting elsewhere. Her voice was a bit muffled, yet carried a non-negotiable persistence.
"She..."
"If you really want her."
"She can only come after Eve!"
As soon as the words fell.
Eve, who had been listening quietly in the back, finally couldn't help but let out a "pfft" of laughter.
That laughter was light, like a forest stream splashing against pebbles.
Her purple eyes curved, filled with understanding, helplessness, and a faint, warm teasing.
The staff gently touched down in front of the post office.
Theia was the first to jump off. With her cheeks slightly flushed, she quickly pushed open the door and ran upstairs to pack her things.
Eve walked toward the counter and picked up the book she had frequently read over the past few days.
Lin Gui followed her over, his gaze falling on the cover—
《The Domineering Magic Dragon's Sweet Little Wife》...
He couldn't help but twitch his lips as he looked at the "culprit."
Eve noticed his gaze and smiled slyly, shaking the book in her hand.
"Are you curious about what kind of story is actually inside here..."
"To make Theia do such a thing to you?"
Lin Gui shook his head helplessly.
"The book is just a shadow."
"The real 'culprit'..."
He paused, his tone certain.
"Is a certain fellow currently living it up in the Royal Capital."
He was so certain because just now in the treehouse...
Theia had used aphrodisiac powder.
That's right, the same kind Elvia had bought at the hotel back then.
When Lin Gui left the Royal Capital, Elvia had stuffed a letter into his hand, instructing him to pass it to Theia and specifically emphasizing "no peeking."
Thinking about it now...
There probably wasn't just a "farewell" in that letter, but also some "props."
That fellow Elvia must have acted as a "military advisor" in her letter.
Lin Gui was utterly speechless.
But the deed was done.
No matter what, it couldn't be changed now.
Beside him, Eve asked softly with a hint of curiosity.
" I'm curious..."
"Why were you so resistant to having a relationship with Theia before?"
"Do you not like her?"
Lin Gui was silent for a moment before speaking.
"When I was all alone."
"Only then did I have the courage to put my life on the line. I had the courage to kick a powerful enemy down to hell with me, to die together."
"But once you have someone to care about..."
He paused.
"You have a weakness."
Eve looked at him.
"Are those people... really worth it for you to do this?"
"Aren't you just a... traveler heading to the Magic City?"
Lin Gui naturally knew who Eve was talking about when she said "those people."
It seemed Eve only knew a little and didn't truly understand the full story.
What exactly happened during Lin Gui's journey to the Magic City—that is, the City of a Thousand Towers.
Recalling those years.
Lin Gui was silent for a while, then looked up at Eve.
"Back then, as just a Mid Rank, I never thought I would actually reach the Magic City."
"Back then... I was going there to seek death."
His voice was very calm.
As if he were talking about someone else.
Back then, having just mastered power, he naively thought he could change the injustices before him.
He had helped a vendor being bullied by nobles, only for the man to turn around for a bag of silver coins and throw mud at him, mocking his naivety.
He had saved a wandering child who was about to die of illness. Once the child recovered, they joined other older kids to steal all his remaining rations.
Novice Magic has no lethality; it is no different from being an ordinary person.
Every time he reached out a helping hand, what he received was not gratitude.
It was a harsher betrayal, it was greed that clung to him like a leech, sucking him dry and then biting him back.
His sense of morality, his kindness, all his positive emotions—they were trampled like weeds by the roadside.
In this world, kindness and idiocy were officially synonymous.
And those incidents were like blunt knives.
Slice after slice.
They completely carved away the few things in his heart that hadn't yet turned cold.
Until he set off on the journey toward the Magic City to seek his death.
"It was them... who saved me."
"They gave me a reason to..."
"To keep living in this rotten world."
"So..."
Lin Gui's eyes were filled with frost, and although he did nothing, Eve could feel the chill radiating from him.
"Given the chance, I will take everyone who caused that calamity..."
"And I will step on their heads and cast them down myself, so they can feel the despair of the bottom tier."
"I will make them live in agony until the moment they seek death."
"That includes... the Pope of the Holy Church of Light."
"Saint Leonard VII."
Eve's purple eyes widened slightly, a hint of manic excitement surfacing.
She smiled and leaned into Lin Gui's ear.
Her eyes were full of adoration as she spoke softly.
"If possible, after you've stepped on that old thing, let me have a stomp as well."
Lin Gui smiled. He had known long ago that this Saintess was not as holy as she appeared.
She was even... insane.
Lin Gui nodded and said no more.
He turned and walked toward the counter, intending to do one final check to see if anything had been left behind.
Just then.
His gaze froze.
On the counter, a letter had appeared at some unknown time.
A thin letter.
It was neatly held down by seven polished copper coins.
In the time he had left to find Theia...
Someone else had come to send a letter?
Lin Gui stepped forward, reaching out to pick up the letter to see who the sender was.
Just as his fingertips touched the rough envelope.
[Ding!]
The system's prompt rang out in his mind without warning.
Clear and distinct.
[Special Commission triggered.]
[Content: Deliver Moro Troy’s Letter to the recipient.]
[Route: Avalon → Wailing Corridor → Blackwater City.]
[Time Limit: Seven calendar days.]
[Reward: Long-Distance Random Spatial Teleportation Scroll × 1.]
Lin Gui's finger froze in mid-air.
He had never expected that on the eve of his departure, he would trigger a Special Commission.
Rate on N.U.
