Why did Lin Gui choose to deliver letters through "kidnapping"?
Because the elves in Blackwater City had told him long ago.
An elf's hatred for humans was etched into their very bones.
In every city-state he visited, the simple act of delivering letters at such a low price drew endless suspicion.
"7 copper? Crossing the wilderness? How is that possible?"
"There must be some kind of conspiracy!"
Not to mention, when he appeared with a human countenance,
He was already irrevocably labeled an "enemy."
Even if he forced the elves to finish reading their letters now...
The vigilance in their eyes wouldn't diminish in the slightest.
If he had chosen a gentler method, these letters might never have been sent out.
Lin Gui was well aware of what humans had done to elves.
So, as he looked at the road clearing before him and the elves surrounding him who looked as if they had much to say...
He grew even more vigilant instead.
"Why?"
He stared at Alyia, his voice cold.
Alyia saw his reaction and, conversely, felt a hint of relief.
"Don't misunderstand."
Her tone remained forceful.
"We have not lowered our guard against you, human."
"The crimes your race has committed... we have never forgotten."
With that said, her soul body flickered slightly.
She actually shrunk down and proactively slid into the large side pocket of Lin Gui's mage robes.
The movement was so natural... it was as if she had planned it all along.
The surrounding elven warriors' eyes sharpened, and their soul force fluctuated faintly.
They stared intently at Lin Gui's every move.
It was as if they would pounce the moment he made the slightest suspicious gesture.
Things were taking an increasingly strange turn.
Lin Gui frowned and stuffed Clotina's glass bead into his other pocket first.
Then he whispered to Eve:
"Activate the Holy Light Barrier."
Eve replied softly:
"I'm afraid its effect on soul spirits will be limited."
"It's fine."
Lin Gui's gaze swept over the surrounding elven warriors.
"I'll augment the barrier with Soul Attachment."
"It should hold for a while."
Eve nodded and closed her eyes to chant.
A soft white light rose from around her, gradually expanding into a semi-transparent glowing dome.
At the same time, Lin Gui chanted in a low voice:
"Soul touch as bridge, spirit essence as reality."
"Soul Attachment, bind!"
Pale gray soul energy surged from his palm, merging into the glowing dome.
The originally pure white light screen was instantly traced with subtle gray patterns.
The expressions of several elven warriors shifted slightly, but they didn't move to stop them.
They simply watched in silence.
Lin Gui no longer hesitated.
He waved his left hand, and under the control of Levitation,
Various items in the post office—small wooden stools, kettles, and blankets—began to float one after another.
They drifted toward Lin Gui and were then tucked into his storage space.
Once everything was cleared, he sat sideways on his staff.
Eve followed closely behind.
The staff slowly rose, passing through the middle of the path cleared by the elven warriors.
No one blocked them.
There were only pairs of eyes, locked onto him with intense scrutiny.
As he passed the commoner elves, waves of suppressed fury surged once more.
An elderly elf stared deathly at him, his voice hoarse:
"My daughter... was abducted by you humans..."
"She ended up taking her own life."
His soul body trembled with agitation.
"If Clotina and Elder Alyia suffer even the slightest harm..."
"Even if I must have my soul scattered,"
"I will cross the mist to find you."
"And tear you to pieces."
"You filthy human."
Lin Gui sat astride his staff and smiled upon hearing those words.
"Noted."
He paused and suddenly asked:
"By the way—the slave traders and hunters who hurt your daughter..."
"Do you know their names or identifying features?"
The elf was stunned, and his gaze sharpened.
"What... do you mean by that?"
Lin Gui's tone was flat, as if he were asking about the weather.
"If I help you find the humans who drove your child to her death..."
"And make them pay the price,"
"Will you welcome me with elven flower tea the next time I return?"
The old elf was completely dazed.
He opened his mouth, but no sound came out.
Lin Gui had already turned away, waving a hand.
"Just a thought; don't worry about it."
"If they were from Blackwater City..."
"They've likely already been torn to shreds by the angry residents long ago."
Having said his piece, he didn't stay any longer.
The staff vibrated slightly, carrying the two of them through the final elven defensive line.
They floated toward the gray, overcast snowy sky.
Behind them, the purple silhouette of Deepwood Outpost gradually blurred.
Inside his mind, the system's notifications chimed at the right moment:
[Ding! Deepwood Outpost node Weekly Commission completed!]
[Sign-off rate: 93%]
[Distributing rewards...]
[Mana Reserve +100]
[Current Mana Reserve: (9002/10100)]
[103 x Random Novice Magic spells have been converted into proficiency.]
Lin Gui glanced at the magic he had obtained.
There were no new spells.
He pulled back his focus and looked ahead, switching to the flying vessel while in mid-air.
Then, following the map provided by Blackbeard, he flew toward Shadowmoon City.
The notifications rang in his head.
His mana rose slightly, and the Novice Magic pool now contained a few more small spells that weren't of much use.
Lin Gui gave them a quick look and stopped caring.
The flying vessel was summoned and sped through the air.
Shadowmoon City was not particularly close to Deepwood Outpost.
But at the flying vessel's full speed, the journey felt exceptionally short.
Especially since both city-states were located on the periphery of the Wall of Sighs.
Another few kilometers to the east, and they would be out of this death-filled Forbidden Zone.
There were almost no territories of demons ranked Legendary or higher along the route.
This allowed Lin Gui to accelerate to full power.
Seven minutes later.
The flying vessel pierced through the gray mist, and the scene ahead suddenly opened up.
It was a city-state more refined—yet also more ruined—than Deepwood Outpost.
Buildings made of pale purple stone stood tall and slender; the pointed spires rose like a forest, retaining their elegant silhouettes even in collapse.
Reliefs of vines and stars could be seen everywhere, though most were covered in frost.
Shadowmoon City.
Lin Gui didn't rush to descend.
He stopped in mid-air and took two glass beads from his pocket.
With a light shake,
The soul-shadows of Clotina and Alyia drifted out and manifested.
The moment the two elves took shape, their gazes fell upon the city-state below.
They were both stunned.
Clotina rubbed her eyes, her voice dazed:
"Is... is this...?"
Eve's face was still a bit pale as she added softly:
"Shadowmoon City."
Alyia stared at the purple ruins, silent for several seconds.
"This trip... how long did it take to fly?"
Lin Gui waved his hand casually.
"Alright, since we've arrived, before we enter."
"I need the two of you to do me a favor."
He looked at the two elves.
"Eliminate the elves' rejection of me and get the letters into their hands."
He paused and proposed a more direct solution:
"Or better yet, why don't you two deliver them for me?"
On the way there, Lin Gui had been thinking about how to deliver letters to a group of elves whose hatred for humans was maxed out.
As he spoke, envelopes bound for Shadowmoon flew out from his storage space, hovering in mid-air.
Alyia looked at those letters, her expression complex.
Back at Deepwood Outpost, she had also received a letter from a loyal subordinate in Blackwater City.
The secret codes, the ciphers used in the letter, and the classified information regarding the Shadow Clan within...
Made it impossible for her to doubt the letter's authenticity.
It also forced her to believe.
There really was a human delivering longings for the elves without charge.
But why?
She looked up and met Lin Gui's gaze:
"Why are you doing this?"
"The elves have their own messengers, but resources are precious; they never deliver private letters for commoners."
It wasn't the first time Lin Gui had been asked this.
He remained silent for a moment and only replied flatly:
"Just consider it a personal hobby."
"So."
He looked at Alyia.
"Since I delivered the letters, could you help me deliver these as well?"
If it were just Clotina, it might be difficult to gain the trust of her kin.
A small elf with meager strength appearing alone in Shadowmoon City with letters from Blackwater City?
Far too suspicious.
But if Alyia were there,
A captain from Deepwood Outpost and a warrior strong enough to cross the mist,
Everything would be much more reasonable.
Alyia took the drifting letters, her fingertips tightening slightly.
She asked in a low voice:
"These... really aren't 'Slave Contract Letters'?"
Lin Gui's lip curled.
"Something I made up on the spot—how could such a thing exist?"
"If those kinds of letters really existed, where would all the backstabbing and betrayal in the human world come from?"
"City-states would have become the playthings of the powerful long ago."
"Though now... it's not much different."
Alyia's gaze fell upon his gray eyes.
"Then the soul pressure I felt..."
Lin Gui pointed at his own eyes.
"Just a small spell."
With that, he willed it.
His Eyes of the Netherworld closed.
The invisible pressure around Alyia instantly vanished.
He opened them again.
The pressure returned.
A look of amazement flashed in Alyia's eyes:
"What exactly is this magic?"
Lin Gui waved it off.
"Personal secret."
"Anyway, if you're willing to lend a hand,"
"I'd be very grateful."
Alyia was silent for a long time.
Finally, she gripped the letters in her hand and nodded.
"I will deliver them."
"I will get these letters into the hands of our compatriots. I swear it in the name of Elune."
Alyia cradled the stack of letters, her soul body appearing exceptionally clear amidst the snowy forest.
She looked back at Lin Gui once, her gaze complex, but said nothing more.
She turned and floated toward the purple ruins of Shadowmoon City.
Reaching Shadowmoon City was her objective anyway.
Delivering the letters was just something convenient to do along the way.
Her soul-shadow drifted further away, eventually vanishing into the silent cluster of buildings.
Eve stood beside Lin Gui and said softly:
"She will finish delivering them."
"Once an elven oath is sworn... they rarely break it."
Lin Gui gave a small "mm."
He had heard of elven oaths.
Their reputation for reliability was well-known.
Even the haughty Highborne Elves were like that.
"No rush."
Lin Gui leaned against the edge of the flying vessel and gazed toward the path they had come from to the west.
"We still have to..."
"Wait for a few people here."
Eve was momentarily stunned, then quickly realized.
"You mean... those hunters from Whitestone City?"
Lin Gui nodded.
"It's less than a day's walk from Whitestone City to here."
"The time we spent delayed at Deepwood Outpost is enough for them to have reached Shadowmoon City."
A look of realization flashed in Eve's eyes, followed by a faint smile.
"Are you going to move against them?"
Lin Gui's tone was flat:
"It's just something convenient to do."
Eve's smile deepened, and a faint shimmer passed through her purple eyes.
"One High-tier Transcendent, four Mid-tier Transcendents..."
"While you are only a High-tier High Rank mage."
"Without Theia, are you certain you can defeat them?"
Lin Gui nodded.
"I can. It will just take a bit of planning."
Eve leaned in close to Lin Gui's ear and whispered:
"Do you need to use that ability of mine?"
Lin Gui turned his head to look at her.
That ability.
It was the one that could elevate her to the Legendary rank.
Actually, there was a question Lin Gui had been curious about for a long time,
But he'd never had the chance to ask.
"That magic of yours that lets you leap from Low-tier Transcendent... into Legendary."
"What exactly is it?"
As far as he knew, a magic that allowed one's strength to cross an entire Major Rank...
Simply didn't exist.
Even the top-tier forbidden arts or wicked spells could at most increase one's power by two or three minor realms.
Eve's eyes twinkled with a hint of mischief in her smile.
"It's not magic,"
She said softly.
"It is a 'cost'."
Lin Gui raised an eyebrow.
"Cost?"
"Yes."
Eve raised her hand and lightly touched her chest with her fingertip.
"The final method the Church uses to 'arm' its Saintesses."
Her tone was light, but a very faint shadow passed through the depths of her eyes.
"The divine artifact... the Hall of Heroic Spirits."
"The Church used secret arts to leave an 'interface' in our hearts."
"When necessary, we can burn a portion of our soul and lifespan to temporarily connect to the Hall of Heroic Spirits."
Lin Gui's eyes narrowed slightly.
"The Hall of Heroic Spirits?"
"Yes. One of the three great treasures of the Holy Church of Light—the divine artifact that exists in the sky city."
Eve's voice was very soft, as if she were telling a story that had nothing to do with her.
"The souls of past Saintesses sleep there, along with the power they accumulated."
"Through the 'interface,' I can temporarily borrow that massive power."
"Thereby... crossing through the ranks."
Lin Gui fell silent for a moment.
"If an Epic rank expert borrowed that power... could they reach Demigod?"
Eve smiled, though it carried a hint of bitterness.
"Theoretically... yes."
"But the higher the rank, the higher the cost."
"If an Epic expert truly connected to the Hall of Heroic Spirits,"
"They probably wouldn't last thirty seconds before being devoured by it."
"Their soul... would be assimilated by the Hall of Heroic Spirits and become one of the heroic spirits within."
Eve raised her hand, palm up, catching a falling snowflake.
The snowflake melted into icy water, turning her white hand a chilled red.
"As I am now at the Low-tier Transcendent rank,"
She murmured, as if talking to herself.
"For every minute I use it, my lifespan is shortened by half a year."
"The Church ordered me never to use it unless it is 'absolutely necessary'."
She paused, the corner of her mouth curling into a smile so faint it was almost invisible.
"After all, the prerequisite for casting 'Divine Prophecy' is the support of the Hall of Heroic Spirits."
"And 'Divine Prophecy' represents the core interest of the Holy Church of Light."
As Lin Gui listened, he maintained his typical dead-fish-eyed expression.
"Absolutely necessary?"
His tone was flat.
"Then when you helped Theia 'kidnap' me,"
"Did that count as 'absolutely necessary'?"
Instead of being embarrassed, Eve's smile became even brighter.
She tilted her head, her purple eyes flashing with a playful light.
"Who told Mr. Lin Gui... to be so good at running?"
"Even when tied up with ropes, you almost slipped away."
"Sometimes, I think..."
Eve's smile suddenly became seductive,
But also dangerous.
She tilted her head slightly, her purple eyes shimmering with a light that bordered on obsession.
Leaning into Lin Gui's ear, her voice was light as a sigh:
"Should I just lock you in a basement forever..."
"Tightly, so you can never escape."
"And stay... with me, forever."
Facing Eve's temptation, Lin Gui suddenly turned his head.
He moved close to Eve's pale cheek, his breath nearly brushing her ear.
His voice was very low but clear:
"So."
"Do you really want to call Theia 'Sister'?"
With that, he quickly pulled back.
As if nothing had happened.
Eve froze in place.
The next second—shua—
From her neck to the tips of her ears, her entire face instantly turned beet red.
Rate on N.U.
