Lin Gui was extremely reluctant to step into the affairs of the Voiceless Rift to the north.
For him, Gorn, a Low-tier Legendary, was already at the absolute limit of his capabilities.
That legendary deadland where even sound was swallowed was far beyond anything he could deal with.
What's more, Theia wasn't by his side right now.
Nor could he allow Eve to burn her life force as leverage to risk his own life.
Hannah's actions, along with the deep, lingering sorrow between her brows...
They all clearly told Lin Gui one thing.
The group that headed north, including Gusion and Morpheus, had likely already failed.
Avalon had one Epic, four Legendaries, and two High-tier Transcendents.
Even a roster like that had failed.
Lin Gui didn't believe that he, a mere High-tier High Rank mage, could turn the tide.
Such a gap was no longer something his abilities could bridge.
The only thing he could do...
Perhaps was to rely on the flying vessel's speed and his own concealment capabilities.
To try and rescue a few people.
Preventing a complete collapse of Avalon's top-tier combat power, which would shake its defense system.
And in turn... threaten Theia's safety.
It wasn't that he hadn't thought about taking Theia away from Avalon.
To return to Caran, the city where he planned to ignite the Spark.
But when Theia was in Avalon, her heartfelt smile of being accepted was something Lin Gui didn't want to see disappear.
For Theia, a half-demon who had awakened demon energy, Avalon was the home she truly wanted to live in.
Besides, Caran was an out-of-control train.
It could crash along with him at any moment.
He didn't want Theia dragged into his dangerous plans filled with thorns and conspiracies.
Setting off from Mirror-Shadow City, Lin Gui flew all the way past Valley Town, Highwall Town, and Silverstream Town.
After unloading all the wooden boxes at their corresponding city-states.
He finally turned back and returned to Blackwater City.
He had originally intended to bypass it directly and circle the Seventeen Cities once more.
To pick up those spirits who had decided to "move and settle in Blackwater City" along with their relatives.
However, Eve's face behind him was pale from prolonged travel, with fine beads of cold sweat trickling from her forehead.
Moreover, Lin Gui had not closed his eyes for several consecutive days, his energy almost completely depleted, and a dull, throbbing pain pulsed at his temples.
Everything was telling Lin Gui:
They had to rest.
Furthermore, their mana was nearly exhausted.
The flying vessel did not run on nothing.
It required the driver to supply around three thousand points of mana to activate the core magic gathering crystal.
Then, the immense energy stored within the crystal would drive the wind pressure cannon.
With Lin Gui's current mana capacity, he could activate it three times at most.
Yet along the way, he had activated the wind pressure cannon as many as twelve times.
That was because he had the "Eve power bank" continuously supplying him with energy.
Now, even Eve's mana was almost completely drained, her fingertips trembling slightly.
They had to stop and recover their condition.
Their current state of mana depletion was extremely dangerous.
Even an enemy at Low-tier Transcendent...
Could easily finish them off.
So even though the situation was dire, they had to rest.
Lin Gui didn't want a situation where, after following Hannah's trail and finding the Avalonians, he failed due to running out of mana—or worse, became a burden needing rescue.
Having decided to rest, Lin Gui controlled the flying vessel after returning to Blackwater City.
He slowly descended toward the post office.
Before they even reached the door, the surrounding spirits had already gathered round.
Their translucent bodies shimmered like pearls under the afternoon light.
Enthusiastic soul fluctuations surged over.
“The little Mage Messenger guy is back!”
“Was the journey smooth?”
Lin Gui nodded in response and was about to land.
A spirit suddenly remembered something and hurriedly said:
“Oh right, little guy, an elven spirit guest came to the post office!”
“It seems... she specifically asked for you by name.”
Lin Gui froze for a moment.
An elven guest? And a spirit at that??
Hadn't all the elves in Blackwater City been sent to those three elven city-states by him?
How could there be one left behind?
The spirit's tone was peculiar:
“She... doesn't seem to be an elf from Blackwater City.”
“I've been floating around here for seventeen years, and I've never seen her.”
The surrounding spirits chimed in one after another:
“Right, right, I haven't seen her either.”
“If we had, we definitely wouldn't forget. She's so beautiful, on par with the Holy Saintess.”
“Even Ms. Anna, the former socialite of Blackwater City, can't compare to her.”
“And her eyes—she looks like a high and mighty grand noble, completely aloof.”
Lin Gui frowned.
“She asked for me by name? Does she want me to send her home?”
The spirits shook their heads:
“We don't know... We asked, but she didn't answer.”
“Instead, she asked a lot of questions about you.”
“Oh, little guy, just go take a look for yourself and you'll see!”
Flanked by the spirits, Lin Gui parked the flying vessel, took the exhausted Eve by the hand, and walked toward the entrance of the post office.
He raised his hand and pushed open the familiar wooden door with its familiar creak of old hinges.
Sitting on the guest chair in front of the counter was a slender figure.
It was an elf.
She wore form-fitting pitch-black light armor with crisp, clean lines that outlined a slender yet implicitly powerful silhouette.
The surface of the armor was dark and muted, absorbing the surrounding light.
Her hair cascaded like a cool moon, and her skin was pale to the point of near transparency.
Her features were exquisitely beautiful, yet like an ice sculpture, devoid of the slightest warmth.
A pair of indifferent eyes lifted slightly, her gaze sharp and cold like a hawk over an ice plain.
Dipped in undisguised arrogance, with a faint trace of...
Mockery.
She sat there with a half-smile, looking at Lin Gui who had just pushed open the door.
As if she had been waiting for a long time.
The moment Lin Gui's eyes met hers.
His scalp went instantly numb, and his entire body felt as if it had plunged into an ice cave.
It was Shadow Blade Lynn.
Lin Gui's and Eve's pupils contracted at the same time.
They reacted in an instant.
A staff materialized from the void into Lin Gui's palm, the tip flashing rapidly with faint light.
Eve's purple eyes turned cold, and obscure syllables were already about to surge from her lips.
However, in the very next second.
All movement ground to a sudden halt.
A cold, sharp edge quietly rested against their necks, feeling like the kiss of the Death God.
Shadow Blade Lynn's head slowly emerged from between their shoulders.
Strands of hair fell down, brushing past Lin Gui's ear, bringing a non-human chill.
Her arms pressed against their necks like iron hoops, her strength precise and cold.
The tips of the pair of pitch-black short blades in her hands rested steadily.
Right against the most vulnerable skin over their carotid arteries, conveying a tiny, paralyzing sting.
Half an inch deeper, and blood would splatter on the spot.
Lin Gui hadn't even seen how she moved.
It was as if only a shadow had flickered past, and death was already pressed against his skin.
Eve's incantation froze in her throat, her breath catching as she felt the chill of the short blade seeping into her skin.
Absolute pressure froze every single thought of resistance.
“Heh.”
Shadow Blade Lynn chuckled softly.
Her breath puffed against Lin Gui's ear, icy like a serpent's tongue.
“Don't move.”
Her voice was very light, carrying a playful chill, as if playing an entertaining game.
“Move again...”
“And blood will go ‘pop’ and bloom just like little flowers.”
Rate on N.U.
