The exhaustion of the day and night spent continuously “taking guests” dissipated quite a bit when the rewards were distributed.
Lin Gui rubbed the bridge of his nose and looked beside him.
Eve had fallen asleep leaning on the table at some point.
Her pale-gold short hair was scattered across her arms, and her breathing was soft and slow.
Lin Gui withdrew his gaze and began tidying the messy counter.
He put the last few glass beads back into their boxes and stacked the letter papers neatly.
“Young man.”
A voice spoke, deliberately softened.
Lin Gui looked up.
Hannah had leaned over the counter at some point, her upper body tilted forward.
Her red eyes were slightly curved, carrying a smile that was almost sycophantic.
“Your big sister here has a very, very small favor...”
Her voice was pressed light and soft, dragging out the final syllable.
“I’d like to ask for your help, okay?”
She blinked, her eyes shimmering beneath her thick eyelashes.
The natural charm of a pureblood demon was being deliberately amplified by her right now.
It was like a hook, gently scratching at one’s defenses.
Before Lin Gui could speak...
Eve, who had been leaning on the table beside him, suddenly moved.
She tilted her head, raising those purple eyes from her arms.
They weren’t fully open, just squinting in a thin slit.
Her gaze landed precisely on Hannah’s face.
It was silent, yet as sharp as a blade.
The smile at the corners of Hannah’s mouth stiffened.
Under the weight of that gaze, she felt an inexplicable pang of guilt.
It was as if she had done something wrong and been caught red-handed.
She instinctively pulled her leaning body back and straightened her spine.
She sat up perfectly straight.
Eve gave a soft hmph and buried her face back into her arms.
The corner of her lip curled into a faint, victorious arc.
Lin Gui was completely unaware that a silent clash had just taken place between those two gazes.
He looked at Hannah, who had suddenly become well-behaved, feeling a bit puzzled.
“You... why are you still here?”
After a pause, he asked:
“Where’s Roger?”
At the mention of Roger, a flicker of dimness passed deep within Hannah’s red eyes.
It was immediately masked by an even brighter smile.
“Him? He’s helping Lord Gusion deal with some enemies.”
Her tone was casual, as if she were chatting about the weather.
“They need my help now, so...”
She looked at Lin Gui, her smile sweet.
“With that magical little boat of yours that can cross the Wailing Corridor...”
“Take me to Mirror-Shadow City, how about it?”
“I’ll give you a reward.”
She blinked and lowered her voice.
“I'll pay you with Roger’s private stash.”
Before the words had fully landed, heavy breathing came from the corner.
Rosa and Maren struggled to prop themselves up, their eyes filled with excitement.
“Take us with you!”
Maren’s voice was hoarse. “Father might still be there.”
“Shut up!”
Hannah turned her head sharply, the smile on her face vanishing instantly.
In its place was a look of icy fury.
“If you want to find death, I’ll grant your wish right now.”
Her voice was very low, yet it carried a bone-chilling coldness.
“If it weren’t to save that damned father of yours...”
“How could the situation have deteriorated to this point?!”
A dark luster had appeared at her fingertips at some point, the phantoms of sharp claws flickering into view.
“Don’t push me.”
She spoke each word slowly, her red eyes locked onto the two of them.
“Don’t forget, you were the ones who personally...”
“Pitched your father into that death trap.”
Rosa and Maren’s faces turned pale. They opened their mouths, but eventually lowered their heads in silence.
Hannah turned back, her expression once again wearing a gentle smile.
The speed of her face-changing was staggering.
“See?”
She looked at Lin Gui, her voice softening again.
“Roger has so much in his private stash—a full hundred thousand gold coins.”
“You just need to take me to Mirror-Shadow City once. It’s so easy...”
“To earn that much. How about it?”
Lin Gui didn’t speak.
He just silently pointed toward the corner of Hannah’s mouth.
There, a trace of dark-red blood was slowly seeping out.
Evidently, her excitement just now had aggravated her internal injuries.
Lin Gui’s mouth twitched slightly.
“...I’d better have my priest give you some treatment first.”
...
An hour later.
The flying vessel was placed steadily on the ground.
Hannah walked a circle around it, her red eyes full of curiosity.
She reached out to touch the cold metal fins.
“This little thing can burst forth with such inhuman speed?”
She turned to look at Lin Gui, her tone seeking confirmation.
“Hugh said that the speed you used to cross the corridor...”
“Was something even his father couldn’t hope to match.”
Lin Gui didn’t reply.
He was carefully binding a dozen large wooden crates to the rear of the flying vessel with steel chains.
His Storage space could not hold living things, which included spirits with souls.
And these thousands of glass beads filled over ten large boxes.
Their volume had long since exceeded the limit of his Storage space.
After fastening the last buckle, Lin Gui clapped his hands and was the first to sit in the driver’s seat.
Hannah’s eyes brightened, and she stepped forward quickly, intending to sit in the second row.
However, a hand gently tugged at her clothes.
Eve had stood up beside her at some point, a smile on her face.
She pointed toward the very back row of the flying vessel.
“You sit in the back.”
Her tone was gentle, but left no room for argument.
Hannah was taken aback, then her red eyes curved, revealing a suggestive smile.
“What, have you taken a fancy to that little mage?”
She lowered her voice and leaned closer.
“But doesn’t he already have a lover? A loyal elf, at that.”
“Would she allow a ‘third party’ to step in?”
Eve smiled faintly, giving no direct answer.
She turned to look at Lin Gui, her voice clear.
“Mr. Lin Gui, don’t forget the task Theia entrusted to you before she left.”
She raised her hand and lightly tapped her own beautiful cheek with a fingertip.
Then, she looked back at Hannah, her smile carrying a triumphant edge.
“I’m always happy to let you try to ‘romance strategy’ me.”
“Fulfill Theia’s wish and let me become her true ‘sister’.”
Hannah stared at her in shock, unable to process the twists and turns of those words for a moment.
Eve, however, leaned in close to her ear and whispered in a voice only the two of them could hear:
“I recall that Ms. Hannah is Mr. Roger’s lover.”
“Be sure not to do anything... that would betray him.”
Hannah’s mouth twitched violently.
She had just wanted to get a bit closer to that black-haired boy to make talking business easier...
How had she been misunderstood as trying to “steal a man”?!
Besides, what was there to steal about a High-tier High Rank little mage?!
Compared to Roger, who was a High-tier Legendary before he was even forty, he was far behind, alright?!
Whether in talent or looks.
She opened her mouth, but eventually said nothing.
Turning silently, she obediently climbed into the seat in the final row.
Eve watched her frustrated silhouette, the corners of her lips curling with satisfaction.
Only then did she gracefully sit in the second row, right behind Lin Gui.
Feeling his back being tightly embraced by a soft body—even tighter than before—Lin Gui sighed helplessly. This scene felt remarkably familiar.
Rate on N.U.
