In truth, Lin Gui had long been prepared for this.
Delivering letters to Deepwood Outpost was not going to be easy.
He just hadn't expected that not a single elf would show up even after almost four days.
None of them had even touched the letters hanging outside the door, displaying their contents.
Lin Gui's preparedness stemmed from the elven spirits who had sent these letters in the first place.
There were only a hundred and three letters destined for Deepwood Outpost.
Just barely enough to meet the minimum threshold for the system's rewards.
These letters all came from the few scattered elves remaining in the previous city-states.
When they had dropped off their letters, they had said explicitly:
“Even if you have our handwritten letters as proof...”
“...our kin in Deepwood Outpost probably won't show themselves on their own accord.”
The reason was simple.
Elves hated humans.
Ever since the Demon God descended, the balance of power among the races of the Golden Age had utterly collapsed.
“Elf hunting,” once a rare occurrence, became rampant and frequent during the City-State Era when human power was at its peak.
Far too many elves were captured for their beauty, reduced to slaves, and subjected to unimaginable humiliation and torture.
This resulted in the modern elves harboring extreme hostility toward humans.
It had even reached the point of “drawing bows on sight.”
As for the elves remaining in Blackwater City, the only reason they could get along with the human ghosts...
...was initially purely for trade.
During the City-State Era, the wilderness was too dangerous, and their living space was constantly squeezed. Many city-states suffered from a lack of resources, and the elven ones were no exception.
Originally, they had disguised their appearances to purchase necessities in human city-states.
But then the Dark Tide descended, trapping them outside, and they could never return.
Over more than a decade of boring spectral existence, they and the equally bored human ghosts...
...gradually developed a peculiar sort of “camaraderie.”
In particular, those human souls had proven one thing to them through their actions.
That was, they hated living humans just as much.
They hated nobles and slave traders even more than the elves did.
The elves had witnessed it with their own eyes.
A mob of furious human ghosts tore a slave trader's soul to shreds and devoured it.
They had seen them swallow alive a minor noble who knelt and begged for mercy.
At that moment, they suddenly felt...
...that their own hatred for humans, when compared to that of these bottom-rung humans...
...seemed to pale in comparison.
A shared plight, coupled with a common “enemy.”
It actually allowed the elven and human souls, who should have been like fire and water...
...to live in bizarre harmony in places like Blackwater City.
Lin Gui remembered that in the Blackwater City post office...
...he had seen an elven spirit and an old human ghost trading snarky remarks.
It was how they passed the boring time after becoming ghosts.
Lin Gui had only ever seen such a scene in Avalon.
Even with Laisa, the Forest Elf from the North Wind caravan...
...Lin Gui had never seen her get too close to her other teammates.
Only when she spoke with Freya and Betty would the layer of ice on her face melt slightly.
As for the High Elves he had seen in the City of a Thousand Towers...
...that was a different story entirely.
Ever since the leader of the High Elves announced their entry into the City-State Alliance...
...they had been directly stripped of their elven status by the Elven Forest.
Because of this, the Elven Forest had lost the clan whose strength had been preserved most intact.
They had also lost their highest object of faith—the World Tree.
Thus, except for the High Elves...
...virtually all other elven clans harbored a deep hatred for humans.
Including those in Deepwood Outpost.
The system's delivery time had a strict limit.
If he could not complete it within a week, all rewards would be forfeited.
The rewards for just over a hundred letters were not much to Lin Gui.
Deepwood Outpost was close to Whitestone City, so the mana reward would not exceed a hundred points.
The reward was better than nothing, but barely.
Yet Lin Gui would not simply give up.
Because the next few city-states...
...Shadowmoon City and Gloomlight Forest...
...were both elven city-states.
If he could not break through the elves' hostility here...
...he would find it equally impossible to make any progress at his upcoming stops.
Lin Gui stood up and patted the dust off his hands.
He walked to the doorway and gazed out at the silent purple ruins.
The history of elves hating humans was far too long.
Lin Gui did not believe he could easily erase such hatred all by himself.
Especially not in such a short amount of time.
If he had disguised his appearance before entering...
...he might have been able to slip by.
Unfortunately, Lin Gui had been careless.
Sigh. It was all because he had spent too much time with Theia, that excessively eccentric, white-haired elf.
It had made him forget what elves were normally like.
Cold, xenophobic, and hostile to humans.
So, how was he going to get this group of elves, whose hatred for humans was maxed out, to...
...accept the letters he brought?
Actually, the method was quite simple.
Lin Gui rolled his dead-fish eyes, his face practically screaming his reluctance.
But...
...he ultimately let out a sigh and braced himself to begin anyway.
Although the method was slightly damaging to his morals, at least... the results should be excellent.
Just how good?
Barely three hours after Lin Gui put his plan into action...
...glass-like beads began to silently float above the snow outside the post office.
Within the vision of Lin Gui's Eyes of the Netherworld...
...these were the faces of elves.
Pointed ears, delicate features, and spectral silhouettes that were more slender and condensed than those of human souls.
But right now, there was not a shred of beauty on those faces.
There was only twisted, fire-spitting...
...ferocity and rage.
Why were they so angry?
Because...
...inside the post office...
...Lin Gui was holding a sharpened wooden stick.
The other end of the stick was pressed firmly against the neck of...
...an elven child's soul, whom he held in a tight headlock.
Meanwhile, Eve sat at the counter, watching him with a bizarre expression as he poked a glass bead with a stick he had casually swiped.
Her ears caught the roars of the elves, sounding like a dramatic storytelling session.
That's right.
To deliver the letters successfully, Lin Gui had chosen the most direct method.
Force.
Relying on Novice Soul Attachment, he had taken control of the weakest elven spirit wandering nearby.
He used this to blackmail the other elves into showing themselves.
And then he would force the letters into their hands.
Of course, it was all an act.
But he had to make it look real.
Otherwise, it wouldn't have any deterrent effect.
“Ahem.”
Lin Gui cleared his throat, trying his best to make his voice sound more villainous.
He deliberately lowered his voice, sneering at the growing crowd of elven spirits outside the door.
“Well, well, well, look what I found in this godforsaken dump of a place.”
“A cute little elf.”
“And a whole bunch of premium merchandise that could fetch a hefty price.”
“Do you see the weapon in my hand?”
“This is the Soul-Devouring Blade, a weapon that strikes terror into the very depths of any soul.”
“Can you feel the soul-crushing pressure radiating from it?”
Lin Gui swept his Eyes of the Netherworld across the elven spirits before him.
Instantly, they all felt a heavy, suffocating pressure originating from the depths of their souls.
“Ahahaha, this is the real deal.”
“And it can inflict real damage on a soul.”
“So...”
“...if you don't want this little one's soul to be utterly obliterated...”
“...then you'd better behave.”
The elven child's spirit in his arms trembled violently.
Upon hearing this, the elves outside immediately blew their tops.
Furious voices surged forward like a tidal wave.
“Evil human!”
“Shameless! Despicable!”
“Let her go! You immoral beast!”
“You're not human!”
Over and over, it was just the same few words: “evil,” “shameless,” and “not human.”
Their insults were... exceptionally plain.
Lin Gui even got slightly distracted, wondering if elves had a rather limited vocabulary.
“Let her go!”
An older-looking spirit, who seemed to be an elven warrior, shrieked.
“Or else we will never let you off!”
“Oh?” Lin Gui raised an eyebrow, deliberately making a sweeping motion with the wooden stick near the child spirit's neck.
“Why should I let go of 'premium goods' that have already fallen into my hands?”
He tried to squeeze out a cunning, greasy smile.
But after his lips twitched for a long while, he felt his facial expression management had completely failed.
Ultimately, he gave up acting, cleared his throat, and returned to his usual expressionless face.
“Anyway, according to the rules, it's time to negotiate.”
The elves naturally understood what Lin Gui meant by “negotiation.”
Kidnapping weak elves to blackmail others who were harder to control...
...had always been the standard operating procedure of those detestable slave hunters.
“You want to trade her for more elves? In your dreams!”
“Greedy maggot! You will be cursed by the spirits of nature!”
Amid the torrent of abuse, several elves wanted to rush forward and tear Lin Gui to pieces.
But in the end, they were forced back by the tightening of his wooden stick.
They glared at Lin Gui with sheer hatred, wishing they could shred him to pieces.
Just then.
A figure slowly floated to the very front.
It was the soul of an adult female elf.
She was tall and exceptionally beautiful.
Even in her spectral state, one could still catch a glimpse of her former peerless elegance.
She raised her hand, halting the commotion behind her.
She looked at Lin Gui with a freezing gaze.
“Take me instead of her.”
Her voice was cold, yet it carried an unquestionable determination.
“I will go with you. Let the child go.”
The surrounding elves instantly became agitated.
“Captain Alyia! No!”
“You know very well what humans will do to you...!”
“That is a humiliation far worse than death!”
The elven guard captain, known as Alyia, remained unmoved.
She simply stared coldly at Lin Gui.
“An adult female elf fetches a much higher price in human markets than a child.”
“You stand to profit from this trade.”
“Now, release her.”
“I... will not resist.”
Alyia slowly lowered her hands, adopting a posture of complete submission.
Her spectral body floated lightly, no longer showing even a hint of hostility.
She even tilted her head slightly, exposing the slender, delicate line of her neck.
It was as if she were already prepared to be bound by a slave collar.
“I will not resist. I swear it in the name of the World Tree.”
Her voice was calm, but it caused the surrounding elves to erupt in even stronger waves of grief and indignation.
“Captain! Don't!”
“We cannot let you do this!”
“Shut up!”
Alyia snapped coldly, but her eyes remained locked on Lin Gui the entire time.
Behind her, several elves whose spectral silhouettes were exceptionally condensed—clearly elite warriors in life...
...were quietly backing away, using the cover of other spirits to slowly disperse to both sides.
They cleverly avoided Lin Gui's direct line of sight, attempting to circle into his blind spots.
They wanted to prevent him from realizing Alyia's true intentions.
As the ranger captain of Deepwood Outpost, Alyia naturally had no intention of actually complying with his wishes.
And the other elven warriors had no intention of giving up either.
A very simple plan...
...had already formed in the minds of Alyia and the other elves the moment they learned that a human had mysteriously intruded and kidnapped an elven child.
It had been fully conceived right then.
Using her own appearance as bait.
As long as the opponent agreed to the trade...
...and as soon as the child was safely out of harm's way...
...she would unleash her full soul power the instant the swap was confirmed.
She would execute this filthy human, who deserved to be obliterated by the Creator God, right on the spot.
As a sentinel outpost captain, her strength in life had been close to that of a High-tier Transcendent.
Even if she only had a spectral body left, killing a High Rank mage...
...would be child's play.
If their opponent were a warrior, it might be a bit trickier.
But the opponent was merely a squishy mage; his physical conditioning couldn't be anything impressive.
As long as Alyia got close, she was confident she could strike a vital point for an instant kill.
Meanwhile, his other Transcendent companion would be held back by the warriors who had just backed away.
Yet despite having this plan, Alyia's mind was filled with far too many doubts.
Ever since her subordinate had hurriedly reported that a human had kidnapped a child of their clan...
...too many things felt off.
“Kidnapping.”
To the elves, this word represented their deepest hatred.
She had seen her kin dragged away in iron chains, and warriors having their hamstrings severed to cripple their combat capabilities.
She had seen those beautiful faces turned into commodities with clear price tags in human markets.
But now...
...they were spirits.
How could a soul be “kidnapped”?
Once kidnapped, how could they be “sold”?
No human had stepped foot in this land for sixteen years.
Yet, out of nowhere, two humans had arrived and kidnapped a “dead elf”?
Just the fact that this human could see them...
...was enough to astonish Alyia and the soldiers who hadn't been completely blinded by emotion.
But what surprised Alyia the most...
...was that this human could not only see them...
...but could actually touch them as well.
And the reason, according to what this man said, was due to the... Soul-Devouring Blade in his hand.
She stared intently at the “Soul-Devouring Blade” gripped in his hand.
Alyia: “...”
No matter how she looked at it, it had absolutely nothing to do with a blade.
Furthermore...
...why did it feel like she had seen this smooth wooden stick before in the former elven supply warehouse?
Back then, the ranger instructor had even said...
...that this stick was perfect for use as a pointer when teaching elven students.
He had been quite fond of it, but now that they had become spirits, teaching and training no longer had any meaning.
That was why Alyia had some memory of it.
She stared fixedly at the wooden stick.
The more she looked, the more it resembled it.
And among the elven spirits, the elderly ranger instructor...
...also recognized the wooden stick at a single glance.
He almost failed to maintain his furious expression for a moment.
The stick was indeed that stick.
However, the soul-crushing pressure the opponent spoke of was absolutely genuine.
It was just that it seemed to originate from the man's grey eyes instead.
Up front, Alyia forcefully suppressed her swirling doubts.
No matter what, this human had indeed captured the child.
The threat was real.
The fact that he could grab a soul was also undeniable.
She did not dare to gamble.
She took a deep breath.
Alyia slowly drifted forward.
Her movements were light, her posture even carrying a trace of deliberately displayed fragility.
She stopped three paces in front of Lin Gui.
She tilted her face up slightly, allowing her stunning countenance to be fully exposed to his gaze.
In her eyes, a frost-like coldness had coalesced.
Yet the corners of her lips curved into a heartbreakingly beautiful arc.
“Well?”
Her voice was very soft, like snow falling on ice.
“My appearance... in the eyes of you humans, should still be considered 'presentable,' yes?”
“Am I qualified enough... to fetch a high price that will satisfy you?”
Alyia was highly confident in her looks.
She believed this human would agree to such a trade.
However...
...the opponent merely glanced at her, and then, as if performing a magic trick, produced a list.
With a flick of his right hand, a letter from the display board outside the wooden house flew into his palm with a sharp whoosh, bringing a few snowflakes along with it.
Lin Gui's sudden action caught the furious surrounding elves completely off guard.
They had anticipated all sorts of possibilities.
The opponent might pull out...
...a slave collar, mana-suppressing chains, or even a malicious slave cage.
But instead...
...he had pulled out a letter?
And he had casually summoned it from the display board outside?
It had actually flown right into his hand?
For a moment, even the waves of angry shouting sputtered to a halt.
Countless eyes stared fixedly at the letter floating in the air.
Seeing that the fire-spitting gazes around him seemed to hesitate...
...Lin Gui cleared his throat.
Once again, he squeezed out that expression which tried hard to look ferocious but fell flat.
“Hmph... Foolish elves.”
He deliberately dragged out his tone, lowering his voice.
“You have been trapped here for over a decade. The magic of the outside world...”
“...has long since progressed to a level far beyond your imagination.”
He brandished the letter in his hand.
“Do you know what this is?”
“This is...”
Lin Gui took a deep breath, as if announcing something incredibly profound.
“...the legendary 'Slave Contract Letter'!”
The elves: “...”
Alyia's brow twitched imperceptibly.
“As long as you look at this letter...”
...Lin Gui continued in that exaggerated tone, like a bard telling a ghost story.
“...your true names will be recorded.”
“Your souls will be branded.”
“And from then on, you will become the writer's...”
“...permanent slaves.”
He paused, then added:
“Even if you go to the Netherworld Sea, you won't be able to escape its shackles.”
Absolute silence fell over the room.
There was only the faint sound of snowflakes landing on the roof.
The anger on the elves' faces was gradually replaced by a mixture of bewilderment, absurdity, and extreme vigilance.
Even Alyia's frozen expression cracked slightly.
She looked at the plain, slightly yellowed letter.
Then she looked at Lin Gui's face, which was trying so hard to look like a “vile arch-villain” but was clearly unpracticed.
An intense, almost comical sense of incongruity welled up in her heart.
Rate on N.U.
