A few rookie adventurers nearby recognized the female mage.
"Is that Selena?"
"It really is her..."
"My god, she actually approached him herself?"
In the Whitecliff City Adventurer's Guild, Selena was famous for being cold and arrogant.
Her suitors could stretch from the guild entrance to the street corner, but no one had ever seen her give anyone a friendly face.
Combined with her fiery body and cold, glamorous features, she had long since become the dream girl for countless rookie adventurers.
And now, this cold and arrogant female mage had not only approached a man on her own initiative, but had even removed her outer layer, lowered her neckline, and spoken so many suggestive words.
Yet the man hadn't even lifted an eyelid.
The rookies' gazes toward Lin Gui shifted from curiosity to admiration.
"Mage boss, you're truly incredible."
A young man gave a thumbs-up, his admiration completely undisguised.
"That's Selena! It's Selena! If she even glanced at me, I'd be happy for three days. But you... you didn't have any reaction at all?"
A few people nearby nodded and chimed in.
"When she usually looks at rookies like us, it's like she's looking at rocks on the side of the road."
"Today she actually came over herself and said so much..."
"Lord, how did you do it?"
Lin Gui continued registering the next letter as he casually replied,
"I didn't 'do' anything; I'm just not interested."
His tone was very flat, as if he were simply commenting that the weather was nice today.
The rookies looked at each other, one of them whispering, "Not interested... But that's Selena..."
Lin Gui didn't respond to that.
He truly felt nothing for that female mage.
Instead, it was the bald man from earlier who made him quite concerned.
That man's arrival had served as a reminder.
He had already begun to approach the central city-states.
This also meant that the difficulties and troubles he hadn't encountered when delivering letters in the past were now finding their way to his door one by one.
In the apocalyptic city-states, delivering letters was a very profitable business.
Letters were easy to carry, took up no space, and didn't increase the risk of crossing the wilderness.
Yet they remained transport commissions with high rewards.
All of this involved a web of interests, and the factions involved in those interests were definitely not simple.
By operating the 7-Copper Post Office, he was effectively smashing their rice bowls.
In the past, Lin Gui rarely considered these issues.
This was because his first route, from New Covenant City to Avalon, passed through city-states where none, except the Carter Royal Capital, could be considered normal.
No one stopped him from opening a post office in New Covenant City because that tiny city-state didn't have a single person capable of crossing the wilderness. Even if the price were raised to ten thousand gold coins, no one would take the job.
In Caran City, it was because the noble knights had fled, and there were very few individuals capable of crossing the Withered Rift.
The seventeen city-states within the Wall of Sighs didn't even have a single living person, which goes without saying.
Even in Dragonbone City, it was because the Gold Rank adventurers, nobles, and knights had all run away.
Only then could he set up post offices so smoothly and carry out a letter delivery business that would drive his competitors into bankruptcy.
But going forward... the closer he got to the central city-states, the greater the resistance he would face.
Nobles, power-holders, wealthy merchants, and adventurers could all become his obstacles.
That bald man had looked for trouble just now and was intimidated by Lin Gui's use of Levitation.
But that was only temporary.
The existence of Levitation suggested to some extent that he belonged to a transport team.
In reality, however, Lin Gui had not actually joined any transport team.
And it wouldn't be difficult to check whether he was a member of one.
Therefore, if he didn't want to court trouble, it was best to finish the letter delivery and pick-up commissions as quickly as possible and leave immediately.
Alternatively, he could actually create a transport team, turning the team he used to bluff customers into a reality.
Lin Gui handed out the final letter and watched as the white-haired old man was helped out of the guild entrance.
The system notification sounded in his mind.
The sign-off rate had exceeded the required 70% and reached 93%.
However, the letters he had sent out were only a quarter of the three hundred and twenty-four letters destined for Whitecliff City.
This meant that nearly half of the letters could not be delivered.
Lin Gui sighed and began to pack his things.
He put the pens and paper into his storage space, returned the desk to the guild, and tied his coin pouch back to his waist.
He stood up, pushed through the significantly thinned crowd, and walked out of the Adventurer's Guild.
...
The streets of Whitecliff City were much wider than those of Dragonbone City.
The roads were paved with white stone slabs that shimmered with a cold white light under the sun.
Most of the buildings on both sides were also constructed from this same white stone material.
They were orderly and clean, carrying a kind of cold beauty.
The name of this city-state came from this stone: White Rock.
It was a building material with a hard texture and pure color, making it very suitable for constructing high-rise buildings.
The towering magic towers of the City of a Thousand Towers were built using White Rock from Whitecliff City.
Only now, the magic towers of the City of a Thousand Towers were largely completed, and the demand for White Rock continued to decline.
The once prosperous Whitecliff City had gradually fallen into a state of waning prosperity.
There were a fair number of people on the street, but most were in a hurry, their faces bearing an indescribable exhaustion.
Shops were still open, but there weren't many customers.
A few taverns had faded signs hanging at their entrances, with intermittent, feeble sounds of laughter and conversation drifting out.
Lin Gui walked slowly, his gaze sweeping across the storefronts on both sides.
He needed to find a suitable storefront and open the post office tomorrow.
After walking a short distance, he stopped.
Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a familiar figure.
It was Selena.
She was standing a few paces behind him, leaning against a wall with her arms crossed, watching him.
Lin Gui glanced at her and tried to walk past, but he was intercepted by her.
Lin Gui hadn't expected that she would still linger after he had exposed her true intentions.
"Is there something?"
Selena smiled and fell into step beside him.
"Don't be so cold, mage boss."
Her tone was much more natural than before. Gone was the calculated flirtatiousness, replaced by a touch of frankness.
"I admit, I want to learn Levitation.
"But you truly do need my help as well.
"Your troubles are not over."
She let her gaze drift toward the street corner.
Lin Gui followed her gaze.
At the bend in the street, a dusty figure flashed by and ducked into an alley.
"Someone from Hyena's Fang," Selena said in a low voice, a playful smile playing on her lips.
"You think it's over just because Cohen ran away from you? That guy is pettier than a pinhead; he's been watching you for a long time.
"He's probably already gone to the Transport Guild to check your identity.
"Letter delivery commissions involve a web of interests. Though they aren't that significant in Whitecliff City—meaningless to the noble lords and knight masters above—for an adventurer like Cohen, it's a massive sum of money.
"He won't just sit back and let you ruin his livelihood."
Lin Gui said nothing and continued walking forward.
Selena followed, walking beside him at an unhurried pace.
"Besides, you're not actually a member of a transport team, are you?"
Her tone was casual, as if she were chatting about something insignificant.
Lin Gui's footsteps paused for a moment.
Selena caught that pause, and her smile deepened.
"Don't be nervous; I'm just speaking my mind."
She tilted her head, looking at the side of Lin Gui's face.
"Transport team members have team badges issued by the guild, which they have to wear wherever they go.
"This was voted in by those minor nobles in the Alliance Council because they're terrified of offending people they shouldn't.
"But you don't have one."
Her gaze moved down, scanning the collar of Lin Gui's mage robe.
"I've been keeping an eye on the Whitecliff City Transport Guild.
"Every transport team that passes through, every member—I remember them all.
"Darkcurrent Freight, Longjian Caravan, Greystone Transport... I know every single one, and I even know the people in them.
"But you are definitely not among them."
Lin Gui stopped walking and turned to look at her.
Selena also stopped, her head tilted, her smile unchanged.
"And so?" Lin Gui asked.
Selena shrugged, her tone light.
"So what? I'm not a member of Hyena's Fang. What benefit do I get from reporting you to them?
She leaned forward half a step, her voice dropping lower.
"However, if members of Hyena's Fang come to ask me, I might... accidentally let it slip.
"After all, I'm just a weak female mage who's also afraid of offending that crowd."
Lin Gui heard the threat in her words.
He didn't show any emotion, merely asking as a follow-up to her words:
"It seems those people are quite fearsome."
Selena thought he was finally getting nervous, and her eyes brightened.
"Of course they're fearsome."
She stood up straight, her tone becoming serious, even carrying a hint of exaggerated gravity.
"Hyena's Fang has been rooted in Whitecliff City for nearly ten years. The leader is a Mid-tier Transcendent, with three Low-tier Transcendent and six High-tier High Rank members under him.
"The ordinary members are all High Rank, totaling over forty people.
"Moreover, they are backed by the Morton family in the northern part of the city, which is one of the oldest noble families in Whitecliff City.
"The Morton family maintains a knight order with over thirty High-tier High Rank knights, and the one leading them is a top-tier powerhouse at the High-tier Transcendent level.
"Offending Hyena's Fang is equivalent to offending the Morton family."
As she spoke, she observed Lin Gui's expression.
She gestured with her fingers, trying to make him realize the gravity of the situation.
"As a High Rank mage, even if you know Levitation and can speak to the Transport Guild, that's only if you can make it there alive.
"If they corner you in an alley, how many times do you think you can run?"
After speaking, she looked at Lin Gui expectantly.
She wanted to see fear, panic, or at least worry on his face.
Instead, this guy didn't have any fear, and it seemed... like he was spacing out?
Selena frowned.
"Hey, are you listening?"
Lin Gui returned to his senses and glanced at her.
"Oh, go on."
Selena's lip twitched.
This breezy reaction made her feel as if she had punched cotton.
"At the latest, tomorrow, after he confirms it," her tone turned cold, "Cohen will make his move.
"Once he acts, don't expect to get out alive."
Lin Gui withdrew his gaze and said flatly:
"Then I'll have to strike first."
Selena was stunned.
"What?"
"It's nothing."
Lin Gui shook his head, his gaze drifting toward the street corner.
A dusty figure was there, tucked into the shadows of the corner, peeking out toward them every now and then.
They had been following since he left the guild.
Selena also noticed his gaze and lowered her voice.
"See? They've already targeted you."
She moved closer to Lin Gui, her voice softening once more.
"So, mage boss, you really do need my help.
"I'm familiar with Whitecliff City, and I'm familiar with Hyena's Fang.
"As long as you're willing to guide me in learning Levitation...
"I'll ensure you're worry-free."
She didn't finish, but her meaning was already clear.
Lin Gui stopped walking and turned to look at Selena.
"Release your wind mana; let me see."
Selena froze for a moment, then her eyes lit up.
Thinking Lin Gui was relenting, she quickly raised her hand, palm up.
A pale green mana emerged from her palm, coiling into a few small air currents at her fingertips.
The currents swirled in her palm for a few rotations before dispersing.
Lin Gui glanced at it.
"Mediocre."
Selena's smile froze on her face.
"Your control over wind mana is too poor."
Lin Gui's tone was very flat.
"Your manipulation ability is extremely low, the precision of your magic circuits is insufficient, and the stability of the swirling air currents is also poor."
He paused.
"Levitation has extremely high requirements for wind mana control.
"With your current level, you won't learn it even if you practice for another ten years.
"I advise you not to waste your effort on it."
With that, he turned and left.
Selena stood rooted to the spot, her lips moving slightly.
"Then... how should I improve?"
She chased after him, turning the corner into the alley.
The alley was empty.
No one was there.
Selena stood at the alley entrance, looking left and right.
The shops on both sides were tightly closed, a few baskets of rotten vegetable leaves were piled at the base of the wall, and a stray cat was crouching under the eaves licking its paws.
There was no sign of Lin Gui.
She walked a few more steps and peered into the nearby fork.
Empty.
Further ahead was a dead end with moss growing at the base of the wall; there wasn't even a place to step.
Selena frowned and walked back, circling the street.
Still couldn't find him.
She stood at the corner, staring into the empty alley, her expression shifting from confusion to disbelief.
A High Rank mage had just vanished into thin air?
She stood there for quite a while before finally gritting her teeth and turning to leave.
...
Deep in the alley, a dusty figure poked his head out from the shadows of a corner.
It was the person who had been following Lin Gui.
He shrunk his neck, looked around, then walked forward a few steps and peeked toward the alley entrance.
No one.
He walked through the alley once more, sifting through every pile of junk and kicking open every half-closed door.
He found nothing.
He scratched his hair irritably, muttering to himself:
"Shit, shit, I lost him...
"If the boss finds out, he'll definitely skin me alive..."
He circled the alley two more times, confirming the person was indeed gone, before walking back dejectedly.
The sound of his footsteps grew distant.
The alley fell silent.
Only the wind blew in from the street, coiling up a withered leaf on the ground.
The leaf swirled in the air, drifting down unsteadily.
A hand reached out from the shadows and caught it.
Lin Gui leaned against the wall, pinching the leaf in his hand as he watched the direction the follower had disappeared.
Then he set the leaf down and, shrouded in his Shroud of the Gloomy Night, followed the man soundlessly.
Rate on N.U.
