Outside was the joyful celebration of the dwarves.
Songs, laughter, and the clinking of mugs blended together, battering the walls of the post office like waves.
Occasionally, the brilliance of exploding fireworks peeked through the window.
They cast fleeting light and shadows upon the tabletop.
Inside the post office, however, there was a dead silence.
Lin Gui sat behind the counter, staring at the letter in front of him.
His finger rested on the desk, tapping unconsciously.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
The sound was exceptionally clear in the quiet post office, striking the air one beat at a time.
Just then.
Shadow Blade Lynn’s voice abruptly sounded in his mind.
She had been hiding on Lin Gui's person all this time, so she had naturally seen the contents of the letter as well.
She also saw Lin Gui's hesitation.
Clearly, the letter's owner shared a connection with Lin Gui.
But Shadow Blade Lynn did not understand what Lin Gui was conflicted about.
She spoke bluntly.
“This person named Elvia Rolan is already dead.”
Her voice was certain, as if stating a fact that required no proof.
“The Carter Royal Capital is so close to the point where the Dark Tide erupted; it’s impossible for them to survive the demon riot.”
She paused.
“Not every city-state is like this one.”
“This place has the protection of a barrier, walls built with expensive Stellar Stone, an Epic rank guardian for the city, and enough heavy firepower to suppress several Epic demons.”
“Most city-states caught in the wake of the Dark Tide have their high walls trampled flat and are slaughtered clean by demons the moment the tide appears, turning into dust.”
Her words made a lot of sense.
In terms of strength, the Carter Royal Capital was far inferior to Shield City.
Even Shield City had nearly been wiped out by the aftershocks.
As for the Carter Royal Capital, which sat in the center of those aftershocks...
How could it not have been trampled by the rampaging demons?
However.
Intuition told Lin Gui it was too early to reach a conclusion.
This intuition stemmed from his various encounters in the Carter Royal Capital.
Caleb’s warning.
The Tomb of Catriona that could not be found despite searching the entire Royal Capital.
And the oddity in Eve’s prophecy.
Those matters were like thorns pricking his heart.
Actually, if he wanted to confirm whether the Carter Royal Capital still existed, there was a simple method.
Within his mind, Lin Gui issued an order to another existence that Shadow Blade Lynn could not sense.
“System, resume the letter delivery mission from New Covenant to Avalon.”
“End the Letter Retrieval and start the Weekly Commission.”
“Destination: Carter Royal Capital.”
This was what Lin Gui should have continued doing if the Dark Tide hadn't happened and he had returned to Shield City.
If the Carter Royal Capital had been breached and flattened by demons...
Then this Weekly Commission could not possibly be triggered.
Lin Gui waited quietly for the System’s response.
The System seemed to have sensed his ulterior motive.
After a short silence, a voice sounded:
[Weekly Commission can be generated.]
[The sign-off recipients for the letters sent from Shield City to the Carter Royal Capital still exist.]
[The sign-off rate can meet the standard for a Weekly Commission.]
[However, Host, do you truly intend to continue deliveries on this route?]
[The danger level of this route has far exceeded the scope of your capabilities.]
[You... may die there.]
The System’s words did not put much mental pressure on Lin Gui.
Because they were the truth.
The Demigods of the demons had already awakened.
The second phase of the Dark Tide had begun.
All demons within its radiation zone—
Low Rank, High Rank, Hero Rank, Legendary, and Epic—
Would all be rushing toward the borderlands.
Millions and tens of millions of demons were gathering.
That was no longer a concept that could be described by a "number."
It was a black ocean.
Radiating outward from the borderlands, layer upon layer, densely packed, covering the earth and blotting out the sky.
To break through the sea of demons and enter the Carter Royal Capital...
No matter how fast Lin Gui’s flying vessel was or how powerful his Shroud of the Gloomy Night was, it would be impossible to achieve.
That wasn't just on the level of the dozen or so Epic demons outside Shield City.
If Lin Gui wanted to break in, he might have to face several thousand of them...
And if just one of them was a detection-type...
Like the Epic-rank Banshee Queen from Eagle Fortress...
Then Lin Gui would surely die.
However.
Quite counter-intuitively.
If he set out now, he might actually be able to enter the Carter Royal Capital unscathed.
Because right now was exactly when the second phase of the Dark Tide had just begun.
It had been less than half a day since it started.
And the second phase of the Dark Tide had another nickname in the scholarly community:
The Mercy of the Dark Tide.
The sole golden period for escape.
The demons in this stage did not possess strong aggression.
They were like puppets being controlled, gathering toward the core region.
Their only objective was to move closer to the Demigod demons.
They would not actively attack city-states or humans.
The fact that the demons outside Shield City had retreated without hesitation just now proved this point.
As long as one avoided the direction they were running and prevented being accidentally trampled to death, things would generally be fine.
The second phase of the Dark Tide was... "safe" like that.
But according to the records of past Dark Tides...
Very few people could rely on this stage to escape.
Because most city-states caught in its wake...
Were slaughtered clean during the first phase’s demon riot.
Furthermore, the second phase was very brief and highly uncertain.
The third phase would not necessarily wait for all affected demons to gather before beginning.
The true descent of the Dark Tide...
Could potentially start its third phase before the demons even reached the Withered Rift.
And the third phase was the moment the true Dark Tide descended.
At that moment, only the most primitive, all-consuming killing intent would remain in the eyes of the demons.
Plants, living beings—anything with a breath of life would become their target.
By then, even a top-tier expert at the High-tier Epic rank could not possibly come out alive from that world-ending chaos that swept everything away.
If Lin Gui could rescue Elvia before the third phase began...
Then this trip would be little more than a field trip.
But if the third phase erupted midway...
That would mean death.
Elvia’s friendship with him wasn't actually enough to make him take such a huge risk to save her.
Lin Gui thought of the bedroom Theia had prepared for Elvia on the second floor of the Avalon post office.
If Elvia died because of the Dark Tide...
Theia would certainly be very sad.
But if Theia were here, she would definitely not let Lin Gui take such a huge risk.
After all, he was her man, and this rescue was almost no different from gambling.
Lin Gui did not like such actions where one completely left their life to fate.
And so...
Lin Gui’s finger tapped the table as he recalled some of his experiences with Elvia—some not very friendly, and some that left him not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
Ultimately, Lin Gui decided.
“I’ll leave it to fate.”
Lin Gui pulled a copper coin from his pocket and flipped it into the air.
He caught it and opened his hand to see the flower side.
“Your luck is pretty good, Elvia.”
Having said that, Lin Gui stood up, did some simple packing, and prepared to close up and leave.
In his mind, the System issued the Weekly Commission, and Shadow Blade Lynn’s soul transmission sounded at the same time.
“What are you doing?”
Lin Gui replied calmly.
“Going to the Carter Royal Capital to save someone.”
Lin Gui thought she would oppose him vehemently, since his actions were no different from seeking death.
However, Shadow Blade Lynn was silent for a moment before only asking one question.
“How much of a chance do you have?”
While locking the door of the post office, Lin Gui made a quick estimation and finally said:
“Eighty percent.”
This was based on the duration of the Dark Tide’s golden period in history.
The short ones lasted barely four days, while the long ones lasted a full half-month.
That might seem like a long time, but not everyone could be like Lin Gui.
Able to rely on a flying vessel to speed across the wilderness at will.
Crossing kilometers in mere minutes.
It could even be said that in the entire Akara Continent, he was likely the only one who dared to do so.
For instance, it had taken John’s Holy Knights a full half-month to travel from the Carter Royal Capital to Caran City.
And that distance was negligible for the Dark Tide.
Only a peak Epic expert could possibly compete with the speed of the second phase’s golden period.
Eighty percent...
Shadow Blade Lynn raised an eyebrow and then spoke plainly.
“Fine, I’m going with you.”
Rate on N.U.
