The next day, Lin Gui, sporting a prominent pair of dark circles under his eyes, began another round of his hand-straining daily routine.
After patiently comforting her ghost believers who were worried about her “overworking,” Eve was finally able to sit at another small table and help share the burden of transcription.
Although she could not see what the ghosts looked like, she could clearly distinguish those faint, ethereal “voices” transmitted directly into her consciousness.
Over the next few days, time passed to the rustling sound of quills.
In addition to writing, Lin Gui also had to sort and record.
The letters they received were incredibly diverse, with destinations far exceeding his initial expectations.
Aside from those destined for the nineteen swallowed city-states, there were actually many addressed to distant lands.
Some were bound for the Dwarven Royal City.
Others were to be sent to the border outposts of the Elven Forest in the east.
There was even one letter whose destination was shockingly written as the “High Elf Holy Land: Canopy of the World Tree.”
The sender was an elderly elven scholar who had once been stationed in Blackwater City as a diplomat, but now existed only as a soul.
Looking at the souls of dwarves, elves, humans, and other races before him...
Lin Gui once again marveled that Blackwater City was truly worthy of its past reputation as a transportation hub and a cultural melting pot.
Days passed one by one.
Until Lin Gui's right wrist completely lost all sensation, forcing him to develop a new skill—using 【Levitation】 to control multiple pens to write on his behalf.
Until even the usually serene Eve could barely maintain her holy demeanor, rubbing her aching wrists and sighing softly.
Until the letter from the very last glass bead, on the morning of the twelfth day, accompanied by the first pale ray of dawn shining through the window, was finally finished.
Lin Gui put down his pen, and Eve also gently set aside her quill.
The two of them, in unison, let out a long, deep sigh.
It was as if they wanted to exhale all the fatigue, numbness, and torment that had accumulated over these twelve days.
This massive, silent, and obsession-filled transcription marathon was finally over.
At this moment, twenty-three half-man-tall thick wooden mailboxes were neatly stacked behind Lin Gui.
Sealed inside them were a total of 7,760 letters.
This far exceeded his initial estimate of “a few thousand.”
For a moment, Lin Gui did not know whether to laugh or cry.
At least, he had survived it.
All the mailboxes were placed into his 【Storage】 space one by one.
Lin Gui and Eve briefly packed their belongings and took one last look at this post office built by the hands of ghosts.
It was time to set off.
Outside the post office, next to the flying vessel, the scene of their departure was... rather spectacular, yet bizarre.
Thousands of glass beads floated in mid-air, piled along the roadside, and clung to the walls.
Their faint blue light merged into a silent sea of stars.
“We will watch over the post office!”
“Yes! If any bounty hunters dare to come in and steal things...”
“...we'll pretend to be ghosts and scare them to death!”
“Hehehe, I'm good at that!”
The whispers of the spirits drifted over, buzzing with excitement.
The corner of Lin Gui's mouth twitched slightly.
He could tell that these “residents” seemed very enthusiastic about this activity.
No wonder Blackbeard had such a complicated expression when he mentioned that Blackwater City was “haunted.”
He smiled helplessly and said no more.
He and Eve boarded the flying vessel one after the other with swift, clean movements.
“Huh? They're leaving just like that?”
Troy's bead rolled to the front, her tone sounding a bit disappointed.
“They didn't even say a proper goodbye to me...”
“Why does it feel... like they're running away?”
The surrounding glass beads fell into a tacit silence for a few seconds, none of them taking the bait.
The flying vessel slowly rose and adjusted its direction.
Lin Gui gave one last wave to that faint blue “sea of stars.”
Immediately after, the wind pressure cannon let out a low rumble.
The flying vessel turned into a streak of light, sweeping out of the ruins and rushing toward the mist-shrouded wasteland.
It quickly disappeared past the edge of the gray horizon.
On the flying vessel.
Lin Gui let out a long breath and rubbed his still-aching wrists.
Almost simultaneously, the system's prompt rang out clearly in his mind:
【Ding!】
【Letters in the Blackwater City area have been retrieved and received.】
【Total valid letters received: 7,760.】
【Weekly Commission has been updated.】
【Content: Deliver the received letters to the designated recipients, with a delivery rate of over 70%.】
【Route planning in progress...】
【Based on the distribution of destinations, the optimal circular delivery route has been generated:】
【Blackwater City → Stonestrand Town → Longbridge Fort → Greywood City → Old Camp Fort → Hearth Manor → Ramshorn Town → Raven City → Three-Way Junction → Whitestone City → Deepwood Outpost → Shadowmoon City → Gloomlight Forest → Mirror-Shadow City → Valley Town → Highwall Town → Silverstream Town → Blackwater City.】
【Total estimated distance: Approximately 1,400 kilometers.】
【Note: Try to avoid the core territories of known Epic spectral demons.】
【Time Limit: One week per node.】
【Reward: Random Novice Magic and mana rewards will be issued based on mileage and the number of delivered letters.】
【--May the longing of the deceased cross the mist and reach those they left behind.--】
...
Meanwhile, in the study of the Seventh Princess's estate in the Carter Royal Capital, it was late at night, but the room was brightly lit.
Piled before Elvia were open ancient texts, geographical atlases, recent climate records, and a thick stack of reports from scholars hired at great expense.
She held a newly delivered secret report, her fingertips turning slightly white from her grip.
On it was only a single line of text:
“Eagle Fortress confirmed empty. All banshees have evacuated, destination unknown.”
Evacuated.
This word was like an icicle, piercing into the sanity she was desperately trying to maintain.
“No, I must not panic,” she told herself.
The departure of the banshees did not necessarily mean the Dark Tide would be born in the borderlands.
Perhaps... Selene just suddenly wanted to move?
Perhaps a more suitable hunting ground had appeared for them in the north?
Perhaps they were tired of the taste of the men from the Carter Royal Capital and wanted to try something new.
In any case, she needed proof.
Proof that the Dark Tide would not come, and that the Royal Capital was still safe.
And so, she took action.
Under the pretext of “studying the stability of the borderlands,” she mobilized a vast amount of funds and connections.
She hired several authoritative historians, geographers, and even two retired Dark Tide researchers.
She provided them with all the data that might indicate a tendency toward a Dark Tide, including the records of the abnormal appearances of Brain-Digger Demons, the migration of the banshees from Eagle Fortress, and the subsequent demon activity near the Royal Capital, which she had sent numerous adventurers to scout.
She only emphasized that the defensive lines around the Royal Capital were solid, stockpiles were abundant, and the climate was “normal.”
She wanted them to prove one conclusion.
That a Dark Tide would not occur in the Carter Royal Capital—or the borderlands—a month from now!
Enticed by the generous rewards, reports were submitted one after another.
The writing was rigorous, well-referenced, and logically sound.
They all pointed to one fact for Elvia.
The Dark Tide could not possibly erupt in the borderlands.
Rate on N.U.
