Playing for Real

Clotina was completely dumbfounded.

Meanwhile, Lin Gui was also slightly puzzled by this hostage who had suddenly “warned” him.

However, as for being targeted by the elven warriors behind him...

Lin Gui was not surprised at all.

He possessed Soul Magic, and soul power naturally flowed within him.

Although he couldn't clearly perceive the ordinary elves with weak soul power,

the few warriors whose soul power was exceptionally condensed—clearly elite combatants in life—

stood out as clearly as torches in the dark.

Without turning his head, Lin Gui had already “seen” their positions.

But he did not shift his gaze.

Because directly in front of him,

the extremely beautiful elven woman with the strongest soul power was staring intently at his every move.

Her footsteps were light, but her body was imperceptibly and slowly drifting forward.

Every time Lin Gui's gaze drifted even slightly, she would silently close the distance by a few inches.

Her intention could not be more obvious.

【Ding! Letter delivered +1】

【Ding! Letter delivered +1】

The system notifications rang out one after another in his mind.

Lin Gui lightly gripped the air with his right hand, and his oak staff floated up silently behind him.

Using his left pinky finger, he gave a very light tug to his side.

He pulled on the hem of Eve's skirt, who had just finished reading all the names on the list.

Eve's eyes flickered slightly, and she naturally stepped closer to him.

She smoothly slid the stack of names in her hand into her sleeve.

This subtle interaction did not escape the notice of the elven warriors who had been keeping a close eye on them.

And it certainly did not escape Alyia.

Her pupils contracted sharply.

Her soul form tensed up instantly like a fully drawn bow.

The sense of bizarreness in Alyia's heart grew stronger and stronger.

Yet his “hunting” process was so full of loopholes that it resembled a farce.

And now, before even securing his “prey,” he already seemed to want to run?

But what made her even more uneasy was that amidst the angry roars of her surrounding kin, some strange murmurs had somehow mixed in.

“Th-this handwriting...”

“Impossible... This is my sister's handwriting!”

“Wait, the secret code mentioned in this letter... only he and I knew about it!”

Alyia whipped her head around.

She saw that on the letter papers floating in front of several elves, the familiar elven script was glowing faintly.

Her kin, who had been full of rage just moments ago, were now staring wide-eyed. Their faces were a complex mix of shock, bewilderment, and a trace of unbelievable excitement.

They stared intently at the letter papers, their soul forms trembling slightly.

It was as if they were looking at something that should absolutely never have appeared here.

Alyia's heart suddenly sank.

Something was wrong.

Something was very wrong.

One of the elves stared fixedly at the letter, his voice trembling.

“Impossible... My sister was in Blackwater City! That was the absolute front line of the Dark Tide!”

“How could she... still be alive to send a letter?!”

An elf nearby whispered,

“Could it be... she also became a ghost, just like us?”

Another elf muttered, reading the sentences in the letter:

“...This black-haired mage is merely a messenger and will not harm anyone. Please do not make things difficult for him...”

“He also said... he hopes we can set aside our hatred and see the sincerity in the letter...”

“This... this really is my uncle's tone of voice...”

“Nonsense!”

A tall elven warrior suddenly interrupted, his voice filled with fury:

“How could a human possibly help elves?!”

“They are greedy! Evil! They would betray their own kin for gold coins!”

“Why would they risk their lives to cross the wilderness just to deliver a few letters?!”

“Why on earth would they do that?!”

Standing to the side, Lin Gui actually nodded in deep agreement.

“Yeah, you're absolutely right.”

All the elves whipped their heads around to stare at him.

Lin Gui added with a look of utmost sincerity,

“Humans are indeed quite evil. The desires in their hearts are bottomless.”

“For money, for women, for power...”

“Even patricide and fratricide are not uncommon.”

He paused, as if giving an example.

“Just like a certain human princess I know.”

“She can't wait for all her siblings to drop dead.”

The elves: “...”

Their expressions shifted from anger to blankness, and then from blankness to a profound confusion.

Realizing the atmosphere wasn't quite right, Lin Gui cleared his throat and put on a stern face.

“Ahem! Anyway—those letters are all fake! I made them all up!”

“Hurry up and finish reading them, then obediently become my slaves!”

“Let's just speed up the process, alright?”

An elf couldn't help but mutter in a low voice,

“But you clearly don't understand elven script... How did you make them up?”

Lin Gui choked on his words.

His lips twitched, and finally, as if giving up on himself, he waved his hand.

“Just pretend I do! Alright?!”

“Hurry up and read! Confirm delivery once you're done!”

“I'm in a hurry!”

The air fell silent for two seconds.

Seeing that the delivery notifications had suddenly stopped, Lin Gui immediately waved the wooden stick in his hand and tightened his grip on Clotina in his arms.

He tried his best to make his expression look more “ferocious,” deliberately lowering his voice to make it sound raspy:

“Do not be fooled by the sweet talk in those letters!”

“Believe the facts right before your eyes!”

“I, a very, very bad human.”

“Have kidnapped your little elf! And I am blackmailing you!”

He paused. Noticing that the elves' attention was starting to drift, he quickly raised his voice:

“So now! Read them! Hurry up and finish reading!”

“Finish reading those... yes, those Slave Contract Letters!”

“I'm busy! I don't have time to waste with you here!”

As he spoke, his eyes quickly swept over the elves who had not yet read their letters.

Flinching at his shout, a few elves instinctively shrank back and lowered their gazes to the papers.

But even more of them looked up, staring at him with increasingly bizarre expressions.

The anger was still there in their eyes, but it was now mixed with a thick, undeniable... confusion.

“Um... are you... leaving?”

In his arms, Clotina whispered.

Lin Gui looked down, meeting her innocent, large eyes.

Then he looked up, glancing at Alyia, who was staring intently at him from ahead.

“Yes,”

he said in a very low voice.

“I'll be heading to Shadowmoon City in a bit.”

“To deliver letters?”

Clotina probed quietly.

Lin Gui was taken aback.

“How did you know?”

“My father mentioned you in his letter.”

“...Oh.”

Lin Gui understood.

No wonder this little kid had warned him earlier.

“Though I appreciate the warning,”

his tone was flat.

“don't just blindly believe a letter that could easily be forged.”

“Especially when that letter... passed through the hands of a human.”

Clotina tilted her head up and asked again,

“Then... are you a bad person?”

Lin Gui nodded without hesitation.

“Of course.”

“The very bad kind.”

Clotina blinked and whispered,

“Um... you were holding me a bit too tightly just now.”

“Could you... loosen your grip a bit?”

Lin Gui paused.

Then, his arm actually relaxed slightly.

Clotina grabbed the wrist Lin Gui was using to hold her, her expression turning even more peculiar.

She hesitated for a moment, then tested further,

“Um... I need to relieve myself, can I...”

Speechless, Lin Gui looked down at the translucent, pale-blue little elf in his arms.

“You've already turned into a ghost, yet you still have physical needs like that?”

He didn't expose her clumsy test.

Instead, he glanced at the delivery rate in his mind, which was almost at the target.

“Just hold it for a bit.”

“It'll be over soon.”

The delivery notification sounds rang out in quick succession once more.

Lin Gui no longer hid his actions. The oak staff behind him floated steadily.

He turned slightly and signaled for Eve to get on.

Right at that moment,

Clotina struggled internally for a moment, then suddenly blurted out in a soft, hurried whisper:

“Can you... actually kidnap me for real?”

Lin Gui: “????”

“Why?”

“I saw the advertisement outside your post office... You'll be returning to Blackwater City later.”

Clotina's voice was very soft, yet clear.

“I want you to take me with you.”

“I miss my father very much.”

Lin Gui's first instinct was to refuse.

Reuniting separated family members was indeed more meaningful than simply delivering letters.

But...

he had too many “guests.”

Taking one or two commoners across the wilderness might still be doable.

Just like when he escorted the daughter of New Covenant City.

But a hundred? A thousand?

Most of them were ordinary souls who had received no training and could not hide their distinct traits.

Migrating through a demon-infested wilderness with that many?

Even a Title Rank powerhouse wouldn't dare guarantee their safety.

Besides, if he made an exception for one person, it would be unfair to the other souls who also yearned for a reunion.

Seemingly sensing Lin Gui's hesitation, Clotina hurriedly added,

“I can shrink myself inside a glass bead!”

“You can just slip me into your pocket. It won't take up any space.”

“And... I did help you out by acting as your ‘hostage’ this time.”

“As a reward... could you grant me this tiny request?”

Lin Gui's lips twitched slightly.

Clotina added in a small voice,

“And... you wouldn't want to go to Shadowmoon City and have to kidnap another elf just to force the letters onto them, right?”

Lin Gui's movements froze.

He looked down, carefully sizing up the little elf in his arms.

This little kid he had just “kidnapped” on a whim...

seemed to be quite sharp.

He narrowed his eyes.

“I can disguise myself as an elf,”

he whispered.

Clotina looked up, scrutinizing his face.

Then, she shook her head very earnestly.

“No, you can't.”

Lin Gui raised an eyebrow.

“Why? Can't I just attach a pair of long ears?”

“Even if you have the ears, it won't work.”

Clotina's tone was calm, as if she were merely stating an objective fact.

“Because you are too ugly.”

Lin Gui: “............”

“Among male elves, there is no one as ugly as you.”

Lin Gui: “....................”

“Pfft!”

Eve, who had been quietly listening to the exchange from the side, finally couldn't hold it in and burst into laughter.

Clotina remained calm and continued her analysis:

“Even if there are clan members blind enough to think, ‘Maybe such an ugly elf could exist,’ the elven language, habits, common knowledge, and internal details known only to our clan would still easily expose you.”

“But if I am with you, I can help you cover those up.”

“As long as you... take me to Blackwater City.”

Admittedly, Clotina's suggestion was highly practical.

But Lin Gui did not want to break the rules he had set for himself.

Even less did he want to actually become a villain who “kidnapped elves.”

He took a deep breath, preparing to refuse.

Suddenly, the system's voice chimed in his mind:

【Host, why not help her out?】

Lin Gui remained expressionless, replying in his mind:

【You can just break them quietly. Just don't let anyone see.】

【That's why you have to do it secretly.】

The system's tone actually carried a hint of mischief.

【Just like how you secretly opened your guests' letters before, feeling all smug on your own when you read the parts praising you.】

Lin Gui almost lost his composure.

He rubbed his forehead in exasperation.

The system fell silent for a few seconds.

Just when Lin Gui thought it had given up—

【Ding!】

【Special Commission triggered.】

【Details: Safely escort Clotina Ronas Muduo... Shadow to Blackwater City.】

【Route: Deepwood Outpost → Shadowmoon City → Gloomlight Forest → Mirror-Shadow City → Valley Town → Highwall Town → Silverstream Town → Blackwater City.】

【Time Limit: 30 calendar days.】

【Reward: Random Mysterious Elixir × 1.】

Lin Gui: “...?”

The system's voice echoed in his mind.

【How about it? Is this acceptable now?】

There was no joy on Lin Gui's face.

Instead, he frowned slightly and asked back in his mind:

It wasn't as if he hadn't tried to actively trigger them before.

Whether it was the half-demon dwarf in the Black Street or Eve's wish,

all of them had failed.

Yet, some completely unintentional actions,

like during a delivery or lending a casual hand,

would somehow trigger a quest out of nowhere.

The more Lin Gui thought about it, the more he felt something was off.

【You can choose not to accept it.】

The system's tone sounded very “innocent.”

【There is no penalty for declining.】

Lin Gui rolled his eyes.

“I accept.”

He paused, then added,

“it's just... a bit of a hassle.”

Because this meant

the kidnapping he had originally faked now had to be played for real.

However, the elven warrior named Alyia had clearly noticed something was amiss.

She must have overheard part of his conversation with Clotina.

And...

Lin Gui's Eyes of the Netherworld could “see” that

during the few seconds he was talking to the system,

Alyia's soul form was closing in at an astonishing speed!

Lin Gui sat astride his staff.

In his mind, the delivery rate was already approaching 70%.

Completion was right before his eyes.

Just as he was planning to exert his full strength to cast Levitation,

Alyia's voice suddenly rang directly inside his mind.

It was a soul transmission.

“My warriors have blocked all paths of retreat.”

“Flight is no difficult feat for souls.”

“You cannot escape.”

Lin Gui curled his lips, about to say “then let's see you try.”

However,

Alyia immediately followed up with:

“If you want to take Clotina with you, you may.”

“But, you must take me with you as well.”

Lin Gui: “???”

He almost thought he had misheard.

“I will convince the warriors of Deepwood Outpost to let you leave.”

Having said that, without waiting for Lin Gui's response, Alyia turned her face.

She spoke a passage of words in the elven tongue, quickly and clearly.

Her voice was not loud, but it carried an unquestionable authority.

Although Lin Gui couldn't understand the content, he saw

the several soul figures who had been lying in ambush on rooftops, behind windows, and in corners gradually revealing themselves.

They drifted out from various tricky angles, their faces filled with confusion and bewilderment.

Yet, they still gathered around Alyia as ordered.

Alyia unfolded her own letter, pointed at a few lines, and murmured a few more words.

Several warriors leaned in to take a closer look, their tense expressions gradually turning complex.

They exchanged glances and finally looked toward Lin Gui.

In their gazes, there was scrutiny, vigilance, and a trace of...

indescribable compromise.

Then, they silently stepped aside to both sides,

clearing a path leading toward the exit.