Lin Gui's eyelids twitched wildly.
Her strength was equal to Shadow Blade Lynn's?
A High-tier Epic?
He subconsciously gripped his staff, ready to activate the power of the Shroud of the Gloomy Night at any moment.
With his current concealment, deceiving a Legendary would be no problem.
But in front of a High-tier Epic, he might as well be naked.
Just as Lin Gui was hesitating whether to enter, a voice came from inside the antique shop.
"Now that you've come, enter."
It was a woman's voice.
She sounded very young, like a girl in her early twenties.
But that tone, that leisurely composure revealed in her nonchalance, gave off an extremely bizarre feeling.
It was as if the speaker were not a young girl,
but rather someone who had lived for a very, very long time.
That sense of vicissitudes was not something that could be deliberately faked.
It permeated from the marrow of her bones, like a stone that had been washed by a river for a thousand years.
The surface was smooth, but within it lay the sediment of endless time.
Though the voice was very clear, it made one feel as though the sound were piercing through something.
As if through a thin layer of mist.
As if echoing from across vast years.
Lin Gui took a deep breath.
He pushed open the weathered wooden door.
The door hinges gave a dry creak, sounding exceptionally harsh on the deadly silent street.
He walked in.
The light inside the antique shop was very dim, the windows tightly covered by heavy curtains.
Only a few magic glowstones in the corners emitted a cold, ghostly light.
Lin Gui spotted Elvia at once.
She was sitting in a tattered armchair in the corner.
Her entire body was tensed, hands clutching her skirt so tightly that her knuckles were white.
Her eyes were filled with unease, like a little mouse trapped in a cage.
The moment her gaze fell upon Lin Gui...
The unease in those eyes instantly turned into shock.
Then, into disbelief.
And then—
The glimmer of tears.
Lin Gui clearly saw her eyes turn red.
Tears swirled within them, threatening to fall.
She opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but nothing came out.
She just stared at him fixedly, as if looking at a hallucination that shouldn't have appeared here.
Seeing her disheveled state, Lin Gui felt a strange sense of relief.
It was good that she was still alive.
Elvia's lips moved, and she finally squeezed out a sentence.
"You... you really came to save me?"
Her voice was extremely raspy, carrying an obvious tremble.
She hadn't expected Lin Gui would truly enter the Carter Royal Capital because of her.
This wasn't the prosperous Carter Royal Capital of before; it was the center of the Dark Tide, a city-state destined for destruction.
Before Lin Gui could respond...
Elvia's gaze shifted guiltily to the side.
Following her line of sight, Lin Gui saw another person.
A woman.
She appeared to be a young woman in her early twenties.
Long golden hair fell over her shoulders, the ends slightly curled.
Under the dim light, it emitted a faint, cold sheen.
Her features were extremely exquisite.
So exquisite that Lin Gui found her somewhat familiar.
One could even see a faint resemblance to Elvia in her face.
Her skin was so white it was almost transparent, and her lips were very pale, almost bloodless.
But what concerned Lin Gui most were her eyes.
Those eyes were golden.
A pale gold.
Like molten amber, or like solidified sunlight.
She simply looked at Lin Gui, her gaze as calm as a pool of stagnant water.
There was no hostility in that look, nor was there any kindness.
She just... watched.
As if looking at a stranger passing by by chance.
Yet that calm made him more uncomfortable than any pressure.
Because it was too quiet.
Quiet in a way that didn't seem human.
Lin Gui's gaze moved away from her face, scanning downward.
Then, his pupils suddenly constricted.
On her finger, she wore a golden ring.
The style of the ring was very simple—a smooth, golden ring.
Lin Gui recognized that ring.
It was the one he had found among Reinhardt's remains; it was his relic, and his wedding ring.
And at this moment, that ring was being worn on this woman's ring finger.
Lin Gui's eyes narrowed.
He stared fixedly at that ring, confirming he hadn't misidentified it.
It wasn't the same one.
But... it was identical.
A thought so absurd it was extreme surfaced in his mind.
She is...
No, that's impossible.
The timeline doesn't match up at all.
The Hero Reinhardt's lover, Catriona, lived in the same era as he did.
The Primeval Era.
Conservative estimates would place that several thousand years ago.
How could someone from thousands of years ago live until now?
Lin Gui's mind was a mess.
Just then...
The woman spoke.
It was as if she had seen through Lin Gui's thoughts.
She stated directly:
"Please keep this a secret."
She looked at Lin Gui, the corners of her mouth curling into a faint smile.
"The reason I had little Warren stop them from leaving was precisely because I didn't want the secret here to leak out."
Little Warren?
Stop them from leaving?
Thinking of the nobles being slaughtered outside, and of the first royal decree Warren issued upon becoming king, Lin Gui instantly bristled with alarm.
His hand gripped his staff tightly, mana surging wildly within his body.
His feet had already adjusted their angle, ready to retreat at any moment.
The woman saw his wariness.
But she didn't move.
She simply remained sitting in that rattan chair, maintaining her casual posture.
"Don't be afraid."
Her voice remained very soft.
"I waited for you here not because I intend to do anything to you."
"I simply wished to express my gratitude in person."
She paused.
"If not for you, I might... never have seen him one last time."
Her voice caught.
Lin Gui saw something flicker slightly in those golden eyes.
It was only for an instant.
Then it was suppressed.
It was so fast it seemed like a hallucination.
"To me, that is the final thing left."
Her voice was very faint, as if she were talking about something that had nothing to do with her.
But she lowered her head, her gaze falling on her right hand.
Lin Gui followed her line of sight.
On the ring finger of her right hand, she wore another ring.
The style was identical to the one on her left hand.
The ring had some slight scratches on it; it was the one Lin Gui had given to Caleb.
Her fingers gently caressed that ring.
The movement was very light.
Very tender.
Like caressing something precious and fragile.
Yet her face showed no expression whatsoever.
Only in the depths of those golden eyes was there a sliver of extremely faint, almost imperceptible sorrow.
That sorrow was too light.
So light that if Lin Gui hadn't been staring at her, he wouldn't have noticed at all.
Like an undercurrent beneath a layer of ice.
Forcibly held down, suppressed for a thousand years.
Lin Gui looked at her.
He was certain.
This woman was Catriona.
The last Queen of Carter.
The person whom the Hero Reinhardt had spent his entire life protecting.
But...
Lin Gui's mind was full of questions.
Based on his determination of the age of that Primeval Era tomb, Catriona and Reinhardt were people from at least several thousand years ago.
How had she lived from such a distant era until now?
Too many doubts filled his mind.
But he didn't dare ask.
He didn't dare ask even a single thing.
Because this woman's strength was truly too terrifying.
She sat there without making any movement, without any pressure.
He couldn't even feel any energy fluctuations.
But it was precisely this 'lack of anything' that kept Lin Gui's back chilled.
Like a rabbit that had suddenly stumbled upon a sleeping dragon.
Lin Gui even felt she was more terrifying than any of the Epic demons he had encountered.
Beside them, Elvia had already made the most correct choice the moment Catriona spoke.
She covered her ears tightly.
Her mouth continuously repeated:
"I didn't hear anything."
"I don't know anything."
"Don't kill me..."
That whisper, overflowing with a desire to survive, carried an obvious tremble.
It actually left Lin Gui, who was fully alert and ready to flee at any moment, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
In truth, he could understand Elvia.
If he could, he would have covered his own ears as well.
The more one knew, the faster one died.
In these apocalyptic city-states, that was an indisputable truth.
Watching Elvia's behavior, the corners of Catriona's mouth curled into a slight arc.
There was a hint of helplessness in that smile.
And a hint of... indulgence.
She raised her hand and gave Elvia a slight wave.
"That's enough."
"Stop covering them."
"If I were going to kill you, you would have been dead long ago."
Elvia's movements stiffened.
Catriona didn't look at her again.
Instead, she turned her gaze back to Lin Gui.
"You've come back to take her away, haven't you?"
Lin Gui nodded.
Catriona watched him, a very faint confusion flickering in her eyes.
"Do you know what Calamity signifies?"
Lin Gui's expression froze slightly.
Calamity?
Catriona explained plainly:
"It is what you call... the Dark Tide."
Lin Gui paused for a moment, then nodded.
"Of course I know."
Catriona looked at him.
"Since you know, why would you risk your life to rescue someone who could already be considered dead when the Dark Tide is born?"
She stared at Lin Gui, her golden eyes carrying a certain scrutiny.
"What is it... that makes you not hesitate to face death to rescue her?"
Her voice was very calm.
But the question was heavy.
Lin Gui could feel that she was genuinely asking.
It wasn't a probe, a mockery, or a test.
It was simply... pure confusion.
Lin Gui remained silent for a few seconds.
He glanced at Elvia in the corner, who was still covering her ears but was clearly straining to eavesdrop.
He withdrew his gaze and looked at Catriona.
Because of what?
Because he had tossed a coin and it happened to land on the side for rescuing her?
Furthermore, what Catriona didn't know was that while the Dark Tide meant death for almost everyone...
For someone like him, who possessed a flying vessel and could push speeds faster than even a High-tier Epic assassin...
The success rate was actually quite high.
But he couldn't say any of that.
If he did, even he wouldn't believe it.
A High Rank mage daring to plunge into the heart of the Dark Tide depending on a flying vessel he had tinkered together himself?
It would sound like he had gone mad.
And time was pressing now.
Though Catriona hadn't shown any hostility, Lin Gui could sense that she might change her mind at any moment.
To gloss over things quickly and take Elvia away from this place of strife...
Lin Gui could only go against his conscience.
He looked at Elvia.
His gaze was 'earnest'.
"Because... I love her."
Elvia's eyes instantly widened.
Lin Gui continued:
"So when she called out to me for help..."
"I didn't hesitate. I followed the gathered demons and came here."
He paused and looked at Catriona.
"I imagine that if you ever found yourself in a similar situation..."
"The Lord Hero would have done exactly the same as I."
Lin Gui was being sincere with that sentence.
He absolutely believed in the love between the Hero and the last Queen.
The last words carved on that tombstone had moved even someone like him with the tragedy and affection they contained.
It was an obsession that transcended life and death.
Catriona watched him.
Something trembled slightly within those golden eyes.
It was only for an instant.
Then it was suppressed.
She remained silent for a long time.
So long that Lin Gui thought she wouldn't speak again.
Then, she gave a light nod.
"Yes."
Her voice was very soft.
"He would have."
She lowered her head, her gaze falling on that golden ring.
Her finger gently caressed the ring's surface.
The movement was slow.
Light.
Like stroking a face.
After a long while, she raised her head again.
She looked at Lin Gui.
"I heard from little El that beside his tomb, there is a letter he left for me."
Lin Gui was taken aback.
Little El?
Letter?
Then, he realized.
She meant the inscription the Hero had carved beside his coffin.
The inscription that recorded everything between the last Queen and the Hero.
The words that had even moved him.
With a slight sense of regret, Lin Gui said to Catriona:
"I'm sorry. The Lord Hero only instructed me to bring out his remains."
"As for that inscription..."
He paused.
"It should have been destroyed along with the activation of the mechanisms."
"Because Knight John and the others touched the Lord Hero's equipment."
"As a result, the entire tomb was ruined."
He spoke very naturally.
He even carried a well-timed hint of regret.
Catriona's expression didn't change.
But Lin Gui noticed that her finger stroking the ring paused for a moment.
It was only for a brief second.
Then, she continued gently caressing the ring.
"I see."
She merely gave a faint response.
She didn't press him.
She didn't seem disappointed.
She didn't even show any expression.
It was as if she were hearing something that had nothing to do with her.
But looking at her, Lin Gui felt as if something were being suppressed beneath that layer of calm.
Suppressed so deeply, so heavily.
So heavily that she herself had become accustomed to it.
He quickly added:
"However, if my lady doesn't mind..."
"I can use a letter to record it for you."
"My memory is quite decent."
In truth, as long as one was a mage, almost none had poor memories.
After all, a single error in a magic incantation circuit would lead to the failure of the spell.
Though Lin Gui wasn't a genius with a photographic memory, remembering a segment of an inscription was more than easy enough.
Catriona raised her head.
Her golden eyes looked at him.
"You remember it?"
Lin Gui nodded.
"I do."
He pulled a crumpled piece of paper and a charcoal pen from his robes.
"I can write it down right now."
Catriona looked at him and said nothing.
She merely gave a light nod.
Lin Gui wrote very quickly.
Having transcribed those thousands of letters for the residents of Blackwater City had given him a very fast writing speed.
The cost was that his handwriting was so messy it had a kind of abstract beauty.
Many spirits who received his letters had to carefully compare and decipher them before they knew what was written.
But in front of Catriona, Lin Gui didn't dare use such handwriting to gloss over things.
He slowed down his speed, stroke by stroke, trying his best to write neatly.
Catriona just sat there, quietly watching him write.
She didn't speak.
She didn't rush him.
She just watched.
Those golden eyes contained no emotion whatsoever.
And yet they seemed to hide something.
After a long while.
Lin Gui finished the last stroke and handed the paper over.
Catriona took it.
Her gaze fell upon the paper.
She read through it word by word, sentence by sentence.
Very slowly.
Very carefully.
As if she wanted to carve every single word into her heart.
Watching her, Lin Gui suddenly spoke.
"My lady, it is getting late."
"The third phase of the Dark Tide could begin at any moment."
"I must take her away now."
Hearing Lin Gui's words, Catriona didn't immediately reply.
She simply remained silent.
Those golden eyes stared at the words on the paper without moving an inch.
Lin Gui and Elvia's hearts were instantly in their throats.
One second.
Two seconds.
Three seconds.
Each second felt as long as a century.
Elvia's breathing had stopped; she stared fixedly at Catriona like a frog being stared down by a snake.
After a long time.
Catriona finally folded the paper and tucked it into her dress.
Then, she turned her head.
She looked at Elvia.
Those golden eyes still held no emotion.
They were as calm as a pool of stagnant water.
She reached out her hand.
Her fingers gently brushed against Elvia's face.
The movement was very light.
Very tender.
Like an elder stroking a younger member of the family.
Elvia shuddered, her entire body stiffening there, even forgetting to breathe.
Looking at her, Catriona asked:
"Little El."
"Do you wish to leave with him?"
Her voice was very faint.
So faint it was as if she were asking "how is the weather today."
Elvia was stunned.
She looked at Lin Gui.
Then she looked at Catriona.
Her lips moved, but no sound came out.
Then, as if finally reacting, she asked in a trembling voice:
"If I say yes..."
"Will you kill me?"
Catriona looked at her.
Again, there was no emotion in that gaze.
"No," she said.
Elvia's eyes instantly widened.
"Then... then I..."
Catriona withdrew her hand.
"Then go."
Her voice was still very faint.
"Go, before I change my mind."
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