Reunion

Lin Gui rolled his eyes at Hannah.

After leading Eve into the post office, he walked straight to the counter.

He pulled a wooden box filled with reply letters out of his storage space.

The two of them skillfully began sorting and arranging them.

The moment the wooden box appeared out of thin air, Hannah's crimson eyes narrowed slightly.

There were no magical fluctuations, no spatial ripples, and absolutely no warning.

It had just... appeared directly.

She recalled the previous deduction made by Kilian, the Sage.

The "concealment magic" that had misled the high-ranking officials of Avalon into thinking it was a divine artifact.

It had to be this very trick.

At the same time, she remembered their very first meeting at the Blackwater Cathedral.

Lin Gui had also appeared out of thin air just like this.

A trace of doubt rose in Hannah's heart.

Had the magic of the outside world really advanced to such a degree during her years of traveling?

Lin Gui was oblivious to Hannah's thoughts.

He sat down behind the counter.

Soon, glass beads crowded around, looking up at him in eager anticipation.

Looking at Troy, who had squeezed her way to the very front with an expectant face, Lin Gui said helplessly:

“You didn't even send a letter. Why are you crowding around?”

Troy grinned.

“I can pick it up for my uncle!”

Lin Gui shook his head.

“That will have to wait until next time.”

“I haven't been to Silverstream Town yet. I've only delivered to half of the city-states along the route.”

“Only up to Gloomlight Forest.”

But...

He glanced down at the glass bead in his pocket, which was quietly peeking out.

He thought to himself that perhaps they wouldn't have to wait for "next time" after all.

Seeing the earnest gazes around him, Lin Gui raised his voice:

“Could everyone please help me spread the word?”

“Tell everyone who has sent a letter through me...”

“...that I'm back.”

A spirit asked:

“Should we also call those who sent letters to the city-states past Gloomlight Forest?”

Lin Gui sighed.

“Yes.”

“And please ask the warriors who helped write the letters at the beginning to come over as well.”

“The post office is about to get busy again.”

The speed at which the spirits spread the word was astonishing.

In this desolate city-state where entertainment was practically nonexistent and even a tiny piece of gossip about a bounty hunter could be discussed for years, news traveled with an efficiency that was beyond imagination.

Within minutes, the area outside the post office was densely packed with glass beads.

A sea of faint blue light merged together, flickering silently in the night.

Lin Gui walked out onto the steps in front of the door.

Looking down at the spirits whose mental waves were clashing in a chaotic clamor, he raised his hand and pressed it down.

“Alright!”

“Everyone, quiet down for a moment!”

His voice wasn't loud, but it carried a strange, penetrating power.

The surroundings instantly fell silent.

Countless invisible gazes locked onto him in eager anticipation.

Lin Gui cleared his throat.

“First, let me find someone.”

His gaze swept across the faint blue sea of stars below.

Raising his voice, he spoke clearly:

“Is the father of Clotina Shadow, the elf who sent a letter to Deepwood Outpost, here?”

After a brief silence, a slight commotion rippled through the spirits.

A few elven spirits who knew Clotina began calling out her father's name in low voices:

“Moro! Is Moro here?”

“The little messenger is looking for you!”

Soon, a male elven spirit with a well-defined outline and handsome features floated forward from the crowd.

He stopped at the bottom of the steps, looking up at Lin Gui.

His eyes held deep anticipation, mixed with a hint of nervousness.

“Mr. Messenger...”

His voice was very soft.

“I am Clotina's father, Moro Shadow.”

“My letter... did it reach my daughter?”

Lin Gui looked at him with a complex expression.

He remained silent for two seconds before finally nodding:

“It was delivered.”

Moro's soul body flared with light!

“Then... is she doing well?”

“Did she... write back to me?”

“Did she say anything...?”

Lin Gui interrupted him.

“Ask her yourself.”

With that, he pulled the pale blue glass bead from his pocket and gently cradled it in his palm.

Moro's soul body shuddered violently.

He floated a bit closer, his gaze locked tightly onto the glass bead.

Inside the bead, a pale purple soul shadow was curled up.

The pointed ears, the youthful face—she was exactly the same as the daughter in his memories.

“Clotina...?”

Moro's voice trembled, and his soul light fluctuated wildly.

“Is that you... my child?”

The glass bead swayed gently.

Clotina's soul shadow slowly unfurled, looking out through the glass wall at her father.

Sixteen years.

Her father's appearance hadn't changed; he still looked exactly as he did in her memories.

His soul body, however, was slightly fainter than she had imagined.

She opened her mouth, but no sound came out.

She could only nod vigorously, her soul light flashing rapidly.

Moro reached out, gently cupping his hands around the bead without actually touching it.

His movement was so gentle, as if he were touching a fragile dream.

“It's good that you're back...”

His voice was raspy, and the light around his eyes blurred slightly.

“It's good that you're back...”

There was no bitter weeping, no loud wailing.

Only a repeated, heavy sense of relief.

Clotina's soul shadow floated out of the bead.

Hovering in front of her father, she reached out.

Her fingertips gently brushed against Moro's cheek.

It was cold and transparent.

Yet, that familiar warmth traversed sixteen years of dead silence and was tangibly felt.

The father and daughter gazed at each other for a long time.

Then, Clotina gently floated forward, her soul body softly embracing her father.

Moro closed his eyes, his soul light tenderly enveloping his daughter.

Silence fell over the surroundings.

All the spirits watched this scene in silence.

The faint blue light reflected in their eyes, casting light on their complex faces.

Envy, blessing, nostalgia, and sorrow.

Various emotions silently intertwined.

A few elven spirits quietly turned their heads away, their soul lights trembling slightly.

They thought of their own lost family members.

They thought of those faces they would never be able to see again.

Meanwhile, some of the quicker-witted spirits gradually shifted their gazes away from the reunited father and daughter.

Their eyes landed on Lin Gui.

Their gazes grew brighter and brighter, increasingly intense.

Being stared at like this made Lin Gui's scalp tingle.

He silently took half a step back and pulled a wooden sign he had prepared long ago out of his storage space.

He held it up in front of his chest.

Written clearly on the sign with charcoal was:

【The post office is now offering a glass bead transport service.】

【One-way tickets only.】

【Option 1: Send you to other city-states to reunite with your family.】

【Option 2: Bring your family members to Blackwater City to settle down here.】

The handwriting was neat and the instructions were clear.

Smiling faintly beside him, Eve also pulled out another wooden board.

On it was her elegant handwriting:

【But before that.】

【Please sign for the replies from the city-states I have already visited first.】

【Thank you for your cooperation.】

She bowed slightly, making a polite pleading gesture.

A perfectly innocent smile adorned her face.

The spirits were taken aback for a moment.

Immediately afterward, ecstatic mental waves erupted from them!

“Little messenger! Is this true?!”

“Can you send me back to Stonestrand Town? My old mother is still there!”

“I want to bring my younger brother here! He's been floating alone in Longbridge Fort for over ten years...”

A barrage of voices flooded in, the noise giving Lin Gui a headache.

He held the sign expressionlessly, but in his heart, he let out a sigh of relief.

Actually, he had already anticipated this situation when he first accepted Clotina's commission.

He could have easily delivered Clotina to Moro in secret.

He could have asked them to keep it a secret and lie that some other elven warriors had escorted her here.

That way, he would have completed the commission without adding unnecessary trouble to his plate.

But he hadn't done that.

Although his professional ethics as a messenger and postmaster...

...were practically nonexistent after repeatedly "peeking" at the letters.

Although publicly reuniting Clotina with her father would inevitably cause his future workload to explode.

And in all likelihood...

...there would be absolutely no system rewards for transporting these glass beads.

It might even negatively impact the letter rewards from the next few city-states on his route.

After all, if they could reunite, why would they still need to send letters?

This move of Lin Gui's had essentially thrown away the potential rewards for thousands of letters that should have been sent to other city-states.

Yet, Lin Gui did it anyway.

He looked at the spirits around him, who were ecstatic because of the words on the wooden sign.

He watched the hope that had been rekindled in their eyes.

He curled his lips slightly.

【Ding!】

【Special Commission completed.】

【Content: Safely escort Clotina Shadow to Blackwater City.】

【Actual Route: Deepwood Outpost → Shadowmoon City → Gloomlight Forest → Blackwater City.】

【Reward: Random Mysterious Elixir × 1.】

【Reward distributing...】

【Congratulations, Host, you have obtained the highly toxic potion: Demon's Poisonous Kiss.】

【Surely, Host, I don't need to introduce this item to you. By the way, it's the real deal.】