The dwarf warriors excitedly entered the Root Tunnels.
Soon, the civilians who had hidden in the tunnels began to return as well.
Emerging from the secret passage and seeing how Shield City had been stripped bare from the mountain, they felt a wave of lingering fear.
And when they saw that Balin and the other dwarven pillars were still alive, they erupted in thunderous cheers.
This time, Shield City had survived the demon riot.
But it had paid a heavy price.
Thanks to the protection of the barrier, casualties among the Low Rank dwarf warriors were not too severe.
However, to buy time for Shield City, many members of the suicide squad led by Balin had sacrificed themselves under the assault of several Epic demons.
Of the original ten Legendary dwarves, only five remained.
Balin held a memorial ceremony in front of the Shield Monument of Heroic Spirits.
The names of the fallen were carved onto the monument.
Balin recited every name, his voice low and heavy.
Families wiped away tears below, but their eyes held more than just sorrow—they held hope.
After the ceremony ended, someone shouted "Let's go drink," and the sadness was instantly washed away.
The entire city immediately fell into a state of revelry.
The dwarves dragged out all the remaining ale, roasted demon meat, sang songs, and wrestled in a chaotic mess.
But Balin and several of the pillars did not rest.
They hurried about, tallying casualties, arranging repairs, and consoling the families.
Shield City had suffered heavy losses; its vitality was severely depleted.
Yet now, the migration of demons caused by the Dark Tide was the best Golden Route period for rebuilding Shield City.
Balin and the dwarven pillars would not let this opportunity slip by.
Thus...
Lin Gui was surprised when Barna arrived at the post office.
"Lord Barna, what brings you here? Do you have business with me?"
Within the post office, Lin Gui sat behind the counter with a map of the Blackwater Corridor spread out before him.
During this time, he had not participated in the dwarves' revelry or the reconstruction work; instead, he had begun researching a delivery route starting from Shield City and ending at Dawn City.
Nowadays, the route from New Covenant City to Avalon was almost completely cut off due to the Dark Tide, so he had to plan a new one.
And Dawn City was an excellent final destination.
Several of the long-term and special commissions he had accepted had that city as their ultimate destination.
As the largest city on the Akara Continent and the hub for the Alliance's transport, Dawn City gathered the most resources.
Through there, Lin Gui could find Shadow Blade Lynn and search for the materials needed for resurrection.
He could also go see Eve and have her take him to examine that ancient book that supposedly contained clues about spatial magic.
Furthermore, Lin Gui could use Dawn City as a starting point to head toward the High Elven Capital or the Demon God's fortress to complete other commissions.
So, after careful consideration, Lin Gui decided to set his final destination as the number-one city of Akara.
Dawn City.
Once the decision was made, he began planning the route.
While the system could directly generate a route, that would likely be the shortest and safest path.
With the flying vessel in hand, Lin Gui was confident he could reach Dawn City in a very short time; his schedule was quite flexible.
He intended to do as he had done when traveling from Blackwater City to Shield City—take the long way around and pass through more city-states along the way to collect more letters.
While he was planning the route, Barna suddenly visited, his expression looking as strange as if he were consoling the family of a fallen hero.
Barna sat down across from Lin Gui, his thick arms resting on the counter. He looked down at the map and spoke with great difficulty.
"...Lin Gui, kid."
He paused.
"You... you..."
He paused again.
"Are you the... postmaster of this post office?"
Lin Gui was taken aback as a bad premonition welled up in his heart.
"Yes, is something wrong? Do you want to send a letter, Lord Barna?"
"Er..."
Barna hesitated for a long time before finally raising a hand to wipe his face hard.
Then, he looked up at Lin Gui with comfort in his eyes.
"No, it's... I have to deliver a letter to you."
Lin Gui was utterly bewildered. "Huh?"
He was always the one delivering letters to others; how could someone be delivering a letter to him?
Could it be that this letter was from Avalon?
While Lin Gui was dazed, Barna pulled out a letter from behind his back and placed it in front of him.
He said after a momentary silence:
"When I returned from the Carter Royal Capital, I took a side job to help someone deliver a letter."
"The owner of that letter intended to send it to... the master of the 7-Copper Post Office in Shield City."
"I only just found out that you are the sole owner of this post office."
"In other words, it is for you."
When he heard "Carter Royal Capital," Lin Gui could roughly guess who had written to him.
In the Carter Royal Capital, only that person would write to him.
He looked down at the envelope.
Sure enough, he saw a familiar name on it.
Elvia Rolan.
Barna patted Lin Gui on the shoulder with a heavy grip, carrying the understanding of someone who had been through much.
"Kid, to be able to pay such a high price to specifically ask someone of my Legendary rank to deliver a letter."
He paused, his eyes complex.
"And looking at the name, it's a girl."
He patted Lin Gui again.
"A girl, spending a fortune to send a letter to a High Rank mage."
"There's no need to guess; your relationship is anything but simple."
He sighed.
"Perhaps it's even that kind of relationship."
Lin Gui opened his mouth to explain something, but Barna gave him no chance.
"The Dark Tide broke out in the borderlands, and in that direction..."
Barna's voice dropped.
"The place it's most likely to pass through is the Carter Royal Capital."
He did not continue.
But the meaning was already clear.
A girl named Elvia could not possibly survive this disaster.
Barna looked at Lin Gui with sympathy and guilt in his eyes.
"I'm sorry, I delivered it too late."
He gave Lin Gui's shoulder a heavy pat.
"My condolences."
Then, he sighed and turned to leave the post office.
Lin Gui was left alone, sitting behind the counter with the letter in his hand.
His relationship with Elvia was actually more than just a little different from what Barna imagined.
Lovers?
She only valued his abilities.
Friends?
Strictly speaking, not really.
Their relationship was more like a temporary alliance where each took what they needed.
He needed her identity and connections; she needed his strength and utility.
Lin Gui sighed.
Regardless, now that the letter had arrived, he would read it.
He tore open the envelope and pulled out the stationery inside.
The content of the letter was very simple, consisting of only a few short lines.
[To: The handsome, talented, exceptionally powerful, and wise Lord Lin Gui.]
[If the Dark Tide has unfortunately broken out near the Carter Royal Capital.]
[...]
[Considering that I served as your underling for a while!]
[Considering the great help I provided to the beautiful Miss Theia!]
[Considering that I, this lady, am your former fiancée!]
[Come to the Carter Royal Capital.]
[Save me!!!]
Rate on N.U.
