Theia's unintentional attempt to earn some pocket money...
...had completely derailed Lin Gui's perfect plan to slack off, take the money, and leave.
Now, they were in a bind.
It didn't matter which of them threw the upcoming “test.”
The other would still be forced by the City Lord into that incredibly troublesome escort mission.
Lin Gui massaged his temples, feeling a deep sense of helplessness.
“Is there a possibility?”
He lowered his voice, speaking helplessly to Theia as she leaned in.
“That I was planning to do the exact same thing—throw the match, pocket the five gold coins, and slip away?”
The excitement on Theia's face instantly froze, and her emerald eyes blinked.
She finally realized what she had done.
It seemed she had... messed things up.
“Uh... well... you can't blame this entirely on me...”
Theia laughed awkwardly, her fingers mindlessly twirling a strand of her silver hair.
“I didn't expect you to be here either... So, what do we do now?”
Lin Gui knit his brows, his mind racing.
The guards were already gesturing for them to begin their sparring match.
He took a deep breath, suddenly strode toward the high platform, and bowed respectfully to the City Lord above.
“Respected City Lord!”
Lin Gui's voice was loud and filled with “sincerity.”
“Please allow me to make a request! Could you change my opponent for the test?”
Both the City Lord and the Knight Commander looked at him in confusion.
Lin Gui pointed at Theia, speaking with a look of utter “honesty.”
“This elven ranger, Theia, is actually a member of my adventuring group!”
“I know her strength very well. Though she is quite agile, she is absolutely no match for me and has always been defeated by my hand!”
“I believe sparring with such an opponent cannot possibly showcase my true power.”
“Nor can it prove to you that I have what it takes to protect the young lady through the dangerous wilderness!”
His tone was passionate, as if being chosen to protect the City Lord's daughter was the ultimate honor.
“Please give me a chance to prove myself! Choose a stronger opponent for me!”
“I will surely satisfy you with my strength and prove that I am fully capable of escorting your noble daughter safely to Caran City!”
His performance was so heartfelt and sincere, perfectly painting himself as a powerful, loyal guard eager for recognition.
However, the Knight Commander on the platform raised an eyebrow, asking with a hint of amusement:
“Oh? Are you saying you can also easily defeat Ross, the leader of the Lion Party?”
Lin Gui's expression froze, slightly confused.
“Leader Ross? What does he have to do with this?”
A strange smile appeared on the Knight Commander's face.
“Because just an hour ago, this elven lady—whom you call your ‘defeated opponent’—”
“—thrashed Ross, the leader of the Lion Party, in front of everyone in the Adventurer's Guild hall.”
“She beat Leader Ross so badly he couldn't even fight back...”
Lin Gui whipped his head around, looking at Theia in disbelief.
Theia turned her face away, wearing a mesmerizing yet clearly guilty smile.
Her two slender fingers poked each other as she spoke in a soft, sweet voice.
“Oh my... Well, it's all because of this beautiful face of mine. It always attracts annoying men...”
“I told him I wasn't interested, but he just wouldn't leave me alone... so I... I just gave him a tiny lesson...”
She made an extremely tiny gesture toward Lin Gui.
The Knight Commander exposed her without mercy.
“A tiny lesson? According to witnesses, Leader Ross has sixteen bone fractures and minor internal organ damage. He won't be able to get out of bed for at least a month. That is no minor injury.”
Theia laughed sheepishly, trying to act cute to get through it.
“Fractures~ It's fine, totally fine~ For adventurers, those are just scratches~”
Lin Gui silently covered his face and let out a long sigh.
It was over. Completely over. There was no saving this lie.
In the end, the City Lord praised them, saying, “As expected, hidden masters dwell among the common folk” and “Your adventuring group is truly a crouching tiger, hidden dragon.”
Lin Gui and Theia were unsurprisingly lumped together into the escort mission to Caran City.
According to the Knight Commander's suggestion, the sooner the team set off, the better.
According to the latest scout reports, for some unknown reason, the number of demons in the Black Demon Forest had suddenly plummeted.
In particular, mid-to-high rank demons had practically vanished.
Only some low-rank imps were left wandering around, making this undoubtedly a godsent opportunity to cross the forest!
Listening to this “good news” from the side, Lin Gui could only sneer in his heart.
‘Plummeted? That's because their bosses have all gone to blockade the gates of Caran City!’
‘I hope you can still laugh when you reach Caran City and see what's waiting for you there.’
The departure time was finally set for the next morning.
Leaving the barracks, Lin Gui immediately rushed without stop to New Covenant City's real estate exchange.
Theia followed behind him, still endlessly apologizing and explaining her “mistake.”
But Lin Gui had no time for her nonsense; he had to race against the clock.
He got straight to the point, tossed down a heavy pouch of gold coins, and quickly completed the paperwork.
He now held the deed to a plot of land of about one hundred square meters right next to the main street.
He ran off to hire craftsmen.
Under the temptation of high daily wages, a team of craftsmen quickly gathered on the plot with their materials.
Lin Gui even rolled up his sleeves and joined the construction alongside them.
To make up for her mistake, Theia also pitched in.
She flitted across the roof, passing materials and securing beams.
Her heroic and agile figure attracted a large crowd of onlookers.
People secretly stared at Theia's breathtaking beauty and incredible moves.
But in the end, their curious gazes converged on Lin Gui, who was also busy working.
Many recognized the famous “Messenger Mage.”
And they could tell he seemed to be planning to open a shop here.
“Mage Lin Gui is opening a shop?”
“What kind of shop is it? A magic tool shop? Or a potion shop?”
“With his skills, it's bound to be something extraordinary!”
Soon, a simple, slightly rough three-story wooden cabin rose from the ground.
When Lin Gui personally hung a handmade signboard over the lintel, all the onlookers froze in disbelief.
On the signboard, several large characters were clearly written: 【7-Copper Post Office】.
A post office?! Mage Lin Gui actually wanted to open... a post office?!
Everyone watched with puzzled and curious gazes.
Lin Gui walked inside and pinned a massive map of the southwestern border region to the wall.
He pulled out some homemade pushpins and string.
He used them to connect the major city-states marked on the map:
New Covenant City → Caran City → Withered Rift → Carter Royal Capital → Silent Sea (Forbidden Zone) → Fortress City of Shield → Wall of Sighs (Forbidden Zone) → Avalon, the City of Freedom
Then, he set up a whiteboard notice nearby, writing in bold letters:
【Starting today, this post office will accept mail bound for any city-state along the route listed above! Flat rate: 7 coppers per letter!】
【Deadline for this batch: Tomorrow at 9:00 AM sharp!】
Looking at his masterpiece, Lin Gui silently asked the system in his heart.
‘System, if I collect letters bound for different locations, how will the commissions be calculated? Do they count?’
【Ding! The commission will first record letters bound for the nearest city-state.】
【Letters for other city-states along the route will automatically carry over to the next commission.】
“In other words, the upcoming Weekly Commission will record letters going to Caran, while letters to the Royal Capital will be recorded for the next commission after this one is completed.”
【Correct. The time limit for recording letters is one week.】
【Any letters recorded past the time limit will not count toward system rewards.】
“But I don't have that much time. The City Lord's commission departs tomorrow.”
Lin Gui sighed, hoping he could collect a few more letters in just half a day.
As he was lost in thought, Lin Gui turned around only to find his post office completely surrounded...
Rate on N.U.
