Lin Gui sat sideways on his oak staff.
Eve sat quietly behind him, her hands lightly gripping the hem of his mage robe.
The staff rose silently from the ground, buoyed steadily by a Levitation spell.
On the street below, Morpheus led several elite warriors, following at a quick pace.
Their eyes were fixed on the sky, their expressions solemn and urgent.
Theia alone was nowhere to be seen.
She did not appear for this final farewell.
Because...
At this moment, she was burying her entire face into a pillow in the second-floor bedroom of the post office.
Her silver hair was spread messily across the sheets, and her exposed ear-tips were so red they looked ready to drip blood.
She... no longer had the face to see anyone.
Just now at the post office.
The thought of being separated from Lin Gui for such a long time had overwhelmed her.
Especially after their first encounter; the honeymoon that should have seen them stuck together like glue had been abruptly cut short.
This had caused a sudden surge of impulse to rush to Theia's head, overriding everything else.
Decorum of a beautiful girl, Eve being right there, Morpheus and the others waiting outside...
All of it had been thrown to the back of her mind.
Her eyes had held nothing but Lin Gui's face, so close at hand and filled with shock.
And then... and then, relying on the brute strength of a Transcendent Ranger...
She had gone for a second round with Lin Gui.
Lin Gui's repeated reminders had only been met with Theia's even more ferocious assault.
Ultimately, Lin Gui gave up.
He could only helplessly...
Lie flat and let her do as he pleased.
Enjoying the... dominance... of the exceptionally beautiful silver-haired elf.
Until everything ended.
Until the intense panting subsided and her burning head gradually cooled.
Until she heard the voice of the Sage Kilian, sighing slightly about how wonderful it was to be young...
Only then did Theia suddenly snap out of it.
What... had she... just done?!
Immediately following that, the conversation coming from outside the door made her wish she could disappear on the spot.
Especially Sage Kilian's aged yet undisguisedly surprised voice:
"Oh my... hearing that commotion..."
"That little mage certainly had... a hard time."
The words were full of a newfound perspective on Theia.
The meaning couldn't be clearer.
Judging by the sound, Lin Gui had definitely been the one on the bottom.
And the one being bullied quite miserably.
As for Theia, the dignified silver-haired, red-eyed elven beauty...
She had been like a ravenous, overbearing young man who had just had his first taste of meat.
With that image...
Forget a farewell now.
Theia probably didn't even want to step foot out of the post office door.
At least for a week, she wouldn't even think about it.
And at this moment.
Lin Gui, on his staff in the sky, seemed to sense something.
He turned his head and glanced at the closed window on the second floor of the post office.
The corner of his mouth twitched imperceptibly.
Then, he turned back and let out a soft breath.
"Let's go."
The staff adjusted its direction slightly and accelerated.
Carrying him and Eve, it flew steadily and resolutely toward the Wailing Corridor against the hazy light of Avalon's exterior.
Below, Morpheus and his party followed closely behind, soon disappearing at the city wall's exit.
The morning breeze brushed through the quiet streets.
Leaving only a certain elf filled with shame and indignation in the second-floor room.
And the faint, lingering, ambiguous scent in the air that had not yet fully dispersed.
The staff passed through a gap in Avalon's low city wall.
The hazy light of the outside world was replaced by a shimmering, pale purple veil.
This was the barrier that separated the interior from the exterior.
Lin Gui controlled the staff to descend slowly.
Morpheus and three companions were already waiting there.
They all wore heavy packs nearly as tall as themselves and were fully armed.
Morpheus pointed to the churning, grayish-white thick fog outside the veil.
"This is the best entrance identified by the Demon King Pillar."
"We've also found the optimal crossing route through the sensing of the Demon King Pillar."
The Demon King Pillar didn't just provide concealment for Avalon.
It could also faintly sense the energy fluctuations of those powerful spectral demons within the Wailing Corridor.
Therefore, there was no need for Lin Gui to perform risky high-altitude reconnaissance as he had when he first arrived.
Morpheus and the others had already completed the investigation in advance.
Lin Gui hopped down from the staff and patted his robes.
"Show me the map you've marked."
A hint of doubt flickered in Morpheus's eyes.
In his view, Lin Gui only needed to use that Legendary concealment item to cover them.
Route planning was supposed to be their job.
But he didn't ask further; after all, he was the one asking for a favor.
He took a roll of tanned leather map from his breast pocket and handed it to Lin Gui.
Lin Gui took it and spread it flat on the grass beneath his feet.
Several warriors crowded around curiously.
They formed a small semicircle, surrounding the crouching Lin Gui in the middle.
Their gazes fell on the map and this young mage.
They wanted to see what he intended to do.
Lin Gui's finger moved slowly across the map.
His fingertip traced past one area after another that were circled in deep red pigment and labeled "extremely dangerous."
Those were the territories of Epic spectral demons.
His gaze was extremely focused.
At times he cross-referenced the notes on the map, and at times he looked up toward the mist.
It was as if he were repeatedly verifying something.
His brow furrowed slightly, seemingly having discovered something odd in the information.
A barbarian warrior with a giant shield on his back and bulging muscles couldn't hold back.
This was Ruger, a Low-tier Legendary.
To him, Lin Gui's actions looked like he was questioning Morpheus's route.
He even seemed to want to seize the leadership.
In Avalon, Legendary experts could sit at the same table as commoner elders and play chess.
The atmosphere was equal, without any pretense.
But right now, they were at the Wailing Corridor.
Here, there was no difference between a Legendary and a commoner.
Any minor mistake could lead to the instant death of the entire party.
He could not tolerate such interference from an outsider.
Ruger was just about to speak.
A weathered but steady hand pressed down on his arm.
It was the foxkin Sage Kilian.
He shook his head gently at Ruger, signaling for him to remain calm.
"At the very least," Kilian said in a low voice, his face wearing a customary light smile, "he has successfully crossed this place once."
"Let's see what he actually intends to do first."
Everyone's eyes focused on Lin Gui once more.
Lin Gui asked about a few details concerning key nodes.
Morpheus answered them one by one.
After confirming there were no errors, Lin Gui nodded.
Then, under everyone's gaze—
He extended his finger and dabbed a bit of the nearby soil.
Starting from the entrance marked on the map.
He drew a line.
A line that was completely different from Morpheus's winding and meticulously planned route.
It was straight.
It even pierced through several areas marked as dangerous or requiring extreme detours in a somewhat brute-force manner.
Contrasted against that cautious curved line, this straight line was exceptionally glaring.
"..."
A brief silence fell over the surroundings.
Even the smile on Kilian's face faltered.
He couldn't help but point at the straight line and ask:
"Little mage, what is this?"
Lin Gui did not answer directly.
Because he knew that if he told the truth, these people with fearsome combat strength would most likely not agree.
He stood up, patted the dust from his hands, and turned to the group.
"How is your specific strength, everyone? Could you tell me?"
Kilian raised an eyebrow.
Then, he smiled and began the introductions:
"Morpheus, a High-tier Transcendent Magic Swordsman, our captain."
"This is Ruger, a Low-tier Legendary shield warrior, a barbarian."
"That is Hugh, a Mid-tier Legendary assassin, a human."
"As for this old man, Kilian, a Low-tier Legendary foxkin, I know a little magic and planning."
Lin Gui glanced at Morpheus with some surprise.
He hadn't expected that as the core of the team, Morpheus's overt rank was actually the lowest.
Kilian seemed to see his doubt and smiled.
"Strength is not proportional to leadership ability."
"In Avalon, the resident clerks responsible for coordination are far better at this than us guys who only know how to fight and kill."
Lin Gui nodded in agreement.
He scanned his eyes over the four of them once more.
This lineup was enough to overturn the Carter Royal Capital.
He took a deep breath and asked the most critical question:
"If..."
"We encounter a frontal attack from an Epic spectral demon."
"Can your physical constitutions withstand it once or twice?"
Rate on N.U.
