Lin Gui picked up the letter.
The paper was of ordinary quality, but the handwriting on the surface was elegant and neat, conveying a sense of meticulous care.
Only...
Looking at the recipient's address written on it, his brow furrowed slightly.
“Blackwater City, West District Three, Bluestone Alley, seventh house, bronze mailbox on the right side of the door.”
The address was excessively detailed, even specifying the location of the mailbox.
If it were anywhere else, Lin Gui wouldn't find it so strange.
The problem was... the delivery location was Blackwater City.
Aside from that group of bounty hunters who had long since vanished without a trace, there wasn't a single living soul left there.
And below the address, there was a line of small writing:
“I implore the messenger not to open and read this; it contains private matters.”
“...”
“If you open it, I will find out.”
“So, please do not do so.”
Lin Gui narrowed his eyes.
Find out?
His magic perception penetrated the envelope, but he didn't sense any traces of an alarm.
His fingertips unconsciously stroked the edge of the envelope.
He hadn't originally intended to look into it, but since the sender put it that way...
...he actually had a brief urge to open it and take a look.
What kind of “household letter” could possibly require such a secretive delivery?
And who, at the very moment he was about to depart, had sent such a letter that triggered a system quest?
However, Eve's gaze fell silently on his hand, carrying a hint of understanding and quiet observation.
Lin Gui's movements paused.
Eve's silent stare awakened his scarce professional ethics.
He cleared his throat and carefully slipped the letter into his inner breast pocket.
“Well... I was just confirming if the letter's format was correct.”
Eve smiled without speaking, a faint trace of amusement flashing in her purple eyes.
Just then, Theia came down the stairs holding a small wooden box.
With a soft thud, she placed it on the counter.
Lin Gui and Eve looked over at the same time.
Lin Gui was slightly surprised:
“Isn't this your... little treasury?”
Theia's lips curved upward, a trace of smugness in her smile:
“Now it's your little treasury too~”
“My own man is about to go on a long journey, so he can't go with empty pockets, can he?”
As she spoke, she pulled out a neatly folded slip of paper from her chest like a magic trick and waved it in front of Lin Gui.
It was the “IOU” Lin Gui had written to her before.
Theia looked at him, her eyes curving into crescent moons.
Then, right in front of him—
Rip.
“Now, I am your woman, and you are my man, so...”
She gently tore the IOU in half.
“Debt cleared~”
Her voice was light as she casually tossed the scraps into a nearby wastebasket.
“Use this on your journey.”
She patted the lid of the wooden box.
“If it's not enough...”
She paused, her blood-red eyes shining as she looked at him.
“...remember to come back and get more from me.”
Lin Gui looked at her, momentarily speechless.
Lin Gui had already thoroughly witnessed Theia's money-grubbing nature along the way.
Looting corpses for gold coins in the forest, scavenging treasures from deep-sea shipwrecks—her eyes would always light up as she gathered every bit of “loot.”
Though she was a penny-pincher, she wasn't stingy and never hesitated when it came to spending.
Lin Gui did not refuse.
Going with empty pockets was indeed quite troublesome.
He took the heavy small wooden box and opened the lid.
Inside was a pile of various coins, gleaming with a chaotic yet warm luster under the magic lamp.
He reached in and rummaged through them gently.
In the end, from the pile of differently minted gold coins, he only picked out three Stellar Coins, ten ordinary gold coins, and about ten silver coins.
Then he closed the wooden box and pushed it back to Theia.
“This is enough.”
“The rest... most of them have sentimental value. You should keep them.”
He was referring to the old coins minted during the Golden Age, salvaged from the deep-sea shipwrecks.
Their value might not appreciate much, but at least... they served as a testament to them crossing the Silent Sea together.
In Avalon, Theia could take these gold coins and boast to others about her story of crossing the Silent Sea.
Hearing Lin Gui's words, Eve's eyes on the side lit up slightly.
She leaned down and gently pinched a deep-sea gold coin from the box, its edges slightly corroded but its pattern still faintly recognizable.
“Theia,” she turned to the elf, her voice gentle, “can you give me one? As a... keepsake.”
In exchange, she reached toward the hem of her inner skirt.
After feeling around for a moment, she yanked hard with her fingertips.
Rip.
A small piece of deep purple fabric sewn inside her skirt was torn off.
Wrapped inside was a pigeon-egg-sized amethyst of pure, warm luster.
Even in the dim light, it still glowed with a hazy and noble aura.
It was clearly of immense value.
Eve gently placed it in Theia's hand.
“This is for you.”
Theia's eyes lit up as she took it. After playing with it for a while, she turned to look at Lin Gui with a suggestive look in her eyes.
Lin Gui: “...???”
Half an hour later.
Lin Gui looked at the item cradled in Theia's arms with a slightly pained expression.
It wasn't some precious demi-artifact, nor was it even a valuable object.
It was...
...that oak staff, its surface worn smooth and round from his grip, its wood grain thoroughly infused with the warmth of his palm.
The oak staff.
The old companion that had been with him ever since he stepped onto the path of a mage.
“Well...”
Lin Gui rubbed his nose, trying to negotiate.
“How about... I exchange this with you?”
With a wave of his hand, the Staff of the Windwhisperer appeared in his grasp.
“That staff has been with me for so many years, after all...”
Theia looked down at the simple, unadorned staff in her arms, then looked up at the demi-artifact in Lin Gui's hand.
Her blood-red eyes blinked.
Then, she hugged the staff tightly and shook her head resolutely.
“No. I'll use it as a keepsake to remember you by after you leave.”
“I'm going to sleep hugging it every night.”
Helpless, Lin Gui had to change his approach:
“Then... when I return this time, I'll buy you a ring.”
The moment the words left his mouth, the warmth on Theia's face instantly vanished, replaced by an almost solemn seriousness.
Without the slightest hesitation, she tossed the oak staff back to Lin Gui.
“If it's a proposal ring, you must remember...”
She cleared her throat and instructed with absolute seriousness:
“...to keep it a secret from me and sneak it into a gift.”
“Like inside a rose, or a Cecilia flower...”
“I will pretend not to know, and then accept it with an excited and happy face.”
She thought about it and added:
“Oh, and I like emerald green rings.”
“Remember to buy a matching set—one for you, and one for me.”
The corner of Lin Gui's mouth twitched slightly.
“...Alright then.”
He took the staff, the familiar warm texture transferring from his palm.
His gaze drifted past Theia's shoulder, looking out the post office window.
Morpheus was currently walking over quickly with several fierce-looking warriors.
Their expressions were grave; they had clearly been waiting for a long time.
“It's time to say goodbye,” Lin Gui said softly.
Theia's eyes dimmed, and her voice carried an almost imperceptible hint of loneliness:
“Can't you... stay for one night before leaving?”
“Our home... we only just got it settled with great difficulty.”
Lin Gui shook his head.
“Lord Morpheus's matters are extremely urgent.”
“Besides, helping him accomplish this...”
He looked at Theia, his tone softening.
“...will also help you live in Avalon more securely and for a longer time.”
“So...”
He paused, taking a step forward on his own initiative.
He gently pulled Theia into his embrace.
Her body stiffened slightly at first, then relaxed completely, leaning softly against his chest.
Lin Gui lowered his head and whispered in her ear:
“I'll come back to see you in a little while.”
“Be good and wait for me in Avalon, and live happily every day.”
Having said that, he loosened his arms, intending to end the brief hug.
However—
Theia's arms wrapped around his waist suddenly tightened.
Before Lin Gui could even react.
Theia stood on her tiptoes and tilted her face up.
Her soft, slightly cool lips gently pressed against the corner of his mouth.
This fleeting kiss seemed to ignite something.
She was no longer satisfied with mere touching.
Instead, she began to leave dense marks along the side of his neck.
Pressing her body tightly against him, they fell to the floor together.
Eve, watching from the side, was dazed. She looked left and right.
Finally, she walked over to the post office window and drew the curtains.
Then she covered her eyes, yet couldn't resist peeking through the gaps of her fingers at the slightly erotic scene unfolding right before her without any attempts at privacy.
Rate on N.U.
