Meanwhile, Lin Gui led Theia.
They took advantage of the moment when Caran City was besieged by the demon army and its attention was entirely occupied.
They quietly left the precarious metropolis.
During the month he had spent hiding in Caran City and observing the situation, Lin Gui had keenly sensed an opportunity.
The Legendary demon Moragus had mobilized his entire force to besiege Caran City.
Therefore, the interior of the Black Demon Forest had to be in a relatively “empty” state at this moment.
With his current mana reserves, sustaining a long-term, long-distance trek deep into the forest would still be difficult.
However, simply slipping through the gaps in the outer demonic encirclement was not hard.
He relied on the powerful concealment of the 【Veil of the Gloomy Night】 and the mobility of 【Levitation】.
Lin Gui and Theia moved like two gentle breezes blending into the shadows.
They safely bypassed the gradually closing demon army.
Then, they set off on the road back to New Covenant City.
After being away for over a month, Lin Gui's figure finally reappeared beneath the gates of New Covenant City.
The guards at the gate froze for a moment, and then expressions of unbelievable ecstasy erupted on their faces.
“Lord Mage! It's Lord Mage Lin Gui! You've returned!!”
A scarred guard captain rushed forward in excitement, his voice cracking slightly.
“We all thought you... you had... We don't know what's been happening with the Black Demon Forest lately, but there have been frequent riots. It's too dangerous! We never expected you to return alive!!”
Being able to return safely from two consecutive demon riots was, in itself, the best proof of his strength.
Lin Gui smiled without explaining much. He simply reached into his backpack, pulled out a letter with practiced ease, and stuffed it into the captain's hand.
“Here, a reply for you. Your parents are doing well and told you not to worry.”
The captain took the heavy family letter, his eyes instantly turning red.
He clutched the letter tightly, too choked with emotion to speak.
Lin Gui patted his shoulder.
Then, leading the stunningly beautiful and eye-catching elven girl beside him, he calmly walked through the city gates.
None of the guards stepped forward to block them.
They even skipped the routine questioning, their gazes filled with deep respect and gratitude.
The tale of Lin Gui risking his life to deliver letters for commoners had long since spread throughout New Covenant City.
As people learned more about his background—how he, too, had started as an orphan beggar—
through his own hard work, he had become a mage, yet he still remained willing to toil for those at the bottom.
Their respect transformed into widespread affection.
Theia curiously sized up this small city where Lin Gui lived.
New Covenant City was far smaller than Caran City.
Though called a city, it was more like a large town.
With a population of less than ten thousand households, most of its buildings were low and weathered, far from prosperous.
Yet, there was a lively, down-to-earth atmosphere, and the people looked at Lin Gui with heartfelt, friendly gazes.
This made her feel an ambiance entirely different from that of Caran City.
Her eyes were originally a unique, blood-red color.
At Lin Gui's request, she had temporarily masked them with magic to appear emerald green, the most common color among elves.
At first, Theia had been reluctant, feeling it was a form of compromise and betrayal.
But Lin Gui had convinced her.
“This isn't submission; it's just to avoid unnecessary trouble.”
“Once we reach that legendary City of Equality, you can show your true self without any worries.”
“You wouldn't want to fall on the road before we even reach Avalon, dragging me down with you, would you?”
Only then did Theia reluctantly cast the spell to alter her eye color.
The news of Lin Gui's return spread like wildfire.
Soon, those who had entrusted him with their letters heard the news.
They excitedly cast aside their work and flooded toward the Adventurer's Guild from all directions.
When Lin Gui reached the entrance of the guild with Theia, a familiar scene played out once more.
He was instantly surrounded by the thrilled crowd.
“Lord Mage! You really returned!”
“Thank you so much! You are our family's great benefactor!”
“I knew you would succeed! You're truly amazing!”
“Sob... We thought something terrible had happened to you. We're so sorry...”
The crowd was filled with gratitude, admiration, and self-reproach for having assumed he had met with disaster.
Lin Gui looked around at these familiar and unfamiliar faces, but he let out a quiet sigh in his heart.
There were over a hundred replies that could not be delivered.
These were destined to crush the hopes of some, dealing them a heavy blow.
He raised his hand, gesturing for everyone to quiet down.
Once the clamor of the crowd gradually subsided, Lin Gui took a deep breath and spoke the truth.
“This time, I took a total of six hundred and seventy-nine letters with me.”
“I'm sorry... but in the end, only five hundred and twelve were successfully delivered to their recipients.”
An anxious stir and a flurry of whispers immediately rippled through the crowd.
Disappointment and worry began to spread.
Lin Gui sighed, softening his voice to offer comfort.
“There are many reasons why some letters couldn't be delivered... It could be that I couldn't locate the person, or perhaps they moved to more distant city-states. So...”
He did not go on. Some truths, though cruel, were unavoidable.
Without saying more, he began to call out the names of the clients whose letters had been successfully delivered.
With every name he called, a cheer erupted from the crowd.
The people whose names were called jumped for joy and stepped forward with immense excitement.
They accepted the replies from afar with both hands, as if receiving sacred relics.
Lin Gui's reading felt like a ledger of life and death, deciding their joy or sorrow.
Those whose names were called felt as though they had been given a new lease on life, weeping tears of joy.
Meanwhile, those who did not hear their own names or those of their loved ones felt their anxiety and despair steadily intensify.
At last, the final reply was claimed.
Dozens of soul-crushed, sobbing figures remained in the hall.
They quietly turned and walked away, their retreating figures filled with endless grief and desolation.
Watching them, Lin Gui felt a sharp pang of sympathy in his heart.
His gaze fell upon Loken, the little boy who had been standing in the corner without leaving.
Lin Gui walked over, crouched down, and looked at the unusually precocious and calm boy, speaking softly.
“Loken, I found your mother, Corona Wilke. She is alive. But... she didn't want to, or rather, she couldn't write back to you.”
Recalling the woman who had merely taken a silver coin and tossed the letter aside, Lin Gui didn't know how to put it.
The recipients had been a diverse bunch; most had accepted their letters with tears and deep emotion.
Yet, there were also those who dismissed them with disdain, failing to cherish the affection sent to them.
Loken's body trembled slightly, and then he let out a relieved yet bitter smile.
“Thank you, Lord Mage. I... I understand.”
This answer was perhaps something he had expected all along.
Beside them, Theia watched the boy curiously and whispered to Lin Gui.
“Who is he?”
Lin Gui stood up, watching Loken's small, silent back as he walked away, and whispered,
“A child... who was personally pushed off a carriage and abandoned by his own mother.”
After delivering all the letters he could, Lin Gui felt a deep sense of exhaustion.
He turned to Theia and said,
“Don't think too much about things today. Come stay at my place and get some rest tonight.”
Theia's face flushed slightly, and she nodded gently. “Mm.”
In his mind, the system's notification chime for completing the daily commission had already sounded.
But Lin Gui was in no rush to check it and draw his rewards. He needed to settle Theia first.
Leading Theia, Lin Gui returned to his home in the slums.
The house was very small and even somewhat crude, but it was kept neat and clean, equipped with all the essentials.
Theia curiously surveyed the place where Lin Gui had grown up, finding nothing particularly unusual about it.
Except... for his tiny magic study room.
The study room was piled high with draft papers covered in all sorts of strange symbols, diagrams, and mathematical formulas.
Theia had also studied some magic and could understand common spells and runes.
Yet the contents of these draft papers left her completely baffled and utterly confused.
After settling Theia to rest in the only bedroom, Lin Gui sat alone on a small stool in the living room.
He finally calmed his mind, preparing to claim the rewards from this long journey of delivering letters.
System, draw the reward.
Rate on N.U.
