The thirteenth day of their stay in Withered Wood Town.
It was also the final day.
Lin Gui still hadn't encountered the person intended to sign for the materials.
The System's Special Commission had yet to provide a notification of completion.
However, the Weekly Commission he had carried from Watchtower Keep to Withered Wood Town had reached its time limit and began its automatic reward settlement.
Previously, there had been a seven-day limit, but ever since Lin Gui stepped into Dragonbone City, the duration had been extended to sixteen days.
Counting the time he spent crossing the Forbidden Zone, today was the last day.
【System Weekly Commission Completion Rate: 100%】
【Detected that all letters sent to Withered Wood Town have arrived.】
【Ding! The Weekly Commission has been completed!】
【Completion Content: Successfully delivered 247 valid letters to the recipients in Withered Wood Town.】
【Sources of Letters: 73 from Whitecliff City, 149 from Dragonbone City, 25 from Watchtower Keep.】
【Sign-off Progress: 247 letters signed for (Current Progress: 100%)】
【Distributing rewards...】
【You have successfully delivered 247 letters, gaining Random Novice Magic x147 and Random Mid Rank Magic x100.】
【Duplicate magic will automatically be converted into corresponding Mastery Level.】
【Magic with maxed Mastery Level can be cast without chanting.】
【Congratulations to the Host for obtaining:】
【Wood-element Novice Magic: Flower Growth x80 → Flower Growth LV MAX】
(Mastery Level maxed; chantless casting enabled.)
【Metal-element Novice Magic: Nail Growth x60 → Nail Growth LV 5】
【Fire-element Mid Rank Magic: Flame Enchantment x50 → Flame Enchantment LV 3】
【Wind-element Mid Rank Magic: Breeze Barrier x30 → Breeze Barrier LV 7】
【New magic acquired as follows:】
【Water-element Novice Magic: Stanch Blood.】
(A spell that uses low-temperature water currents to constrict blood vessels and slow bleeding.)
【Mid Rank Wind-element Magic: Static Perception.】
(A spell that senses changes in static electricity in the air to anticipate lightning magic or detect hidden creatures.)
【Extra Reward: Mana Reserve +300】
【Host: Lin Gui】
【Rank: High-tier High Rank mage】
【Mana Reserve: (8090/15200); 4800 mana points remaining until the next rank breakthrough.】
【Ding! Letter Retrieval commencing...】
【7 days remaining until retrieval time expires.】
【Would you like to end the retrieval early?】
Lin Gui glanced over the system panel.
Stanch Blood.
Although he desperately lacked a means of healing, even if he maxed out the mastery for this spell, the healing effect wouldn't be as good as a single stalk of the herbs he usually bought.
It was rather mediocre.
And the other Mid Rank magic, Static Perception, was also quite useless for now.
If the mastery wasn't maxed, by the time he finished casting to sense anything, the enemy's magic would already be in his face.
Lightning-element magic always had the fastest attack speed.
So, the only useful thing was the three hundred mana points reward.
Lin Gui let out a sigh.
Three hundred mana per node. Based on the gap between him and the Transcendent rank, he would have to make sixteen more deliveries to break through.
And if he encountered an easy route, he might not even get three hundred.
Just as Lin Gui was privately lamenting his plight, his arm was suddenly enveloped in a sensation of softness.
Elvia had finished dressing up at some point and had come before him.
She let go of Lin Gui's hand and took a step back.
She spun in a circle in front of him.
Her long golden hair looked like flowing honey in the sunlight, the ends curling slightly with a careless elegance.
Today, she wore a pale blue long dress, the neckline opened just enough to reveal her delicate collarbones.
Her waist was cinched tight, outlining a slender waistline.
The hem of the skirt reached her ankles, swaying gently as she moved, like the surface of a lake brushed by a breeze.
She wore light makeup; her eyebrows were defined, and her lips were coated with a faint layer of rouge.
Her eyelashes curled upward, casting small, fan-shaped shadows beneath her eyes.
The entire woman looked like she had walked out of a painting.
She gave a seductive smile and looked at Lin Gui:
“Well?”
Lin Gui appraised her for a moment.
Then he said:
“I'd say... ninety points.”
Elvia arched an eyebrow:
“Ho? And the full score is?”
Lin Gui shrugged:
“One hundred.”
He looked at Elvia and said very sincerely:
“You truly are beautiful; there is no doubt about that.”
The corners of Elvia's mouth curled up.
She had heard too many compliments regarding her beauty.
From up-and-coming knights to young masters with powerful families.
She would forget those words the moment she heard them; they never left any trace in her heart.
Only the praise from the man before her made her heart feel as sweet as honey.
She could somewhat understand the stupid princess in that fairy tale book who fell in love and became brainless.
Her eyes were bright, filled with a smile.
Then she gave a cunning grin and asked:
“Then how do I compare to that half-demon?”
Lin Gui gave a dismissive laugh:
“Are you sure you want to compare yourself to Theia in terms of beauty?”
“Ask your own heart. Between you and Theia, who is more beautiful?”
The sweetness that had just flooded her heart vanished instantly.
Elvia's expression immediately collapsed.
She looked at Lin Gui speechlessly, this guy who utterly lacked sentiment.
She understood Theia's beauty herself.
She was confident that she was more beautiful than elves, who were famed for their looks.
But Theia's appearance was top-tier even among elves, reaching a level that made Elvia jealous from time to time.
“Can't you just fudge it a bit?”
Her tone carried dissatisfaction.
“Look at those two-timing scumbag young masters; they always praise the woman in front of them as the most beautiful instead of saying their other women are better.”
Lin Gui fell into deep thought for a while.
Then he said to Elvia with a strange expression:
“You wouldn't believe it, but it's not that I'm a scumbag. It's that Theia told me to find a few more...”
And she was very serious about it. It was a desire born from being lonely for too long, a craving for more connections; Lin Gui could see it.
He had been like that before, desperately needing to find an anchor that proved his existence in this world.
But by the time he found one, the anchor had already been destroyed.
Lin Gui's expression was very serious.
Yet Elvia's mouth twitched.
Having experienced the incident of drugging Lin Gui alongside Theia, she found herself unable to rebut.
Furthermore, Lin Gui's closet flirt nature really didn't seem like a characteristic a scumbag should have.
While the logic made sense, Elvia still felt the need to teach this guy, who was gloating after getting a good deal, a lesson.
Two great beauties have fallen for you, and you're still f*cking shifting the responsibility.
She raised her arm and struck Lin Gui's ribs with her elbow.
Thud—
It was magnificent.
Lin Gui bent over and coughed.
Elvia snorted coldly:
“A scumbag is a scumbag.”
“You think you have a point?”
“When you were in my bed, were you thinking about other women?”
Lin Gui coughed for a while and said speechlessly:
“When the f*ck was I ever in your bed?”
“Wasn't it you who—”
Elvia's eyes grew sharp.
She stared at him as if judging a heartbreaker scumbag.
Lin Gui fell silent.
Then he said resignedly:
“Fine, I was wrong.”
“I shouldn't have been so 'passionate.'”
“Dearest Elvia.”
Elvia nodded with satisfaction.
Then she reached out her hand and pulled him up.
“Let's go.”
“I'm going to have a good time today.”
She took his arm, and they walked out of the post office together.
The sunlight fell upon the two of them, casting a long shadow on the ground.
As they stepped out of the post office and headed toward the main street, the date began.
Elvia asked curiously:
“Did Theia really charge you to bring a few more women back?”
Lin Gui sighed:
“Yeah.”
Elvia asked:
“So you targeted me first?”
Lin Gui looked speechlessly at the innocent-looking Elvia.
He really wanted to tell this person, who had forced herself on him three times, exactly who was targeting whom.
But what's done is done.
He still went against his conscience and said:
“Yeah.”
“She even prepared a room for you in Avalon.”
“She said that it's a home for her and me, and all of you.”
Elvia keenly caught that last word.
“All?”
She arched an eyebrow.
Her grip on Lin Gui's arm tightened a bit.
“Meaning there's more than just me?”
Lin Gui didn't hide it.
Nor did he fear Elvia's gradually tightening threat.
He smiled and said:
“Yeah.”
“Furthermore, Elvia, you're ranked third.”
Elvia arched an eyebrow, feeling insulted.
She asked coldly:
“And who is that second one ahead of me?”
Lin Gui felt the pain and said through gritted teeth:
“Guess.”
“You've actually met her.”
Elvia was stunned.
Her mind quickly searched her memories, and soon, a beautiful figure with pale golden hair and eyes tightly shut emerged in her mind.
She subconsciously loosened her grip and asked in shock:
“The Saintess... Eve?”
Lin Gui breathed a sigh of relief and said:
“Yeah.”
“Theia specifically told me to win over Eve.”
“As for Elvia, it seems Theia didn't give any specific instructions.”
He smiled, intending to see what kind of expression Elvia would make.
Instead, Elvia turned to look at Lin Gui with a serious gaze.
“If it's her, that's fine.”
“I support it.”
Elvia's answer surprised Lin Gui.
He arched an eyebrow.
“You were just upset about another woman being ahead of you.”
“Why are you now...”
Elvia interrupted him:
“Because that woman can be a huge help.”
She paused.
“In fact, she'll be far more helpful to you than I am.”
Her tone was very calm, as if she were analyzing a matter of business.
“One of only three people in Akara who knows Prophecy.”
“The Saintess's own superior priest talent.”
“And the vision and connections she brings from the Holy Church of Light.”
“All of these would be a massive help to you.”
She looked at Lin Gui.
“I've noticed it after following you all this way.”
“There is a massive flaw in your abilities—you lack mana.”
“And the Saintess can perfectly make up for that weakness.”
She paused.
“Furthermore, she has a very fatal weakness in our hands.”
“She is worth trusting completely.”
Lin Gui arched an eyebrow.
“You don't mind?”
“Mind?”
Elvia gave a sarcastic laugh.
“If this were the Golden Age...”
“Perhaps a naive castle princess would mind being unable to monopolize the heart of the man she loves.”
“But...”
“This is the era of apocalyptic city-states.”
“This is a time of man eating man.”
Her voice carried a coldness that suggested she had seen through the world.
“To gain more power...”
“My father had far more than just a few concubines.”
“There were over a hundred.”
“Every single one was an intersection of interests.”
“Even my mother...”
“He married her back then to win over the wealthy merchants behind her.”
“If he hadn't done that...”
“If he hadn't utilized everything he could...”
“Death would have been all that awaited him.”
She turned her head and looked at Lin Gui.
“In this era, ethics have long since collapsed.”
“Family, love, friendship...”
“In the face of survival and power, none of them are worth mentioning.”
“As long as it can expand your influence...”
Her voice softened.
“I am happy to see the man I love conquer those women who are beneficial to him.”
She looked at Lin Gui, a light in her eyes.
“Especially you.”
“Lin Gui.”
Elvia's voice echoed in the street.
She held her head high, her golden hair gleaming dazzlingly in the sunlight.
Those eyes of hers seemed to be burning with fire.
“No matter how much you might be unwilling...”
“No matter how much you might detest women of power...”
“I sincerely hope you will set aside those so-called emotions.”
“Go and win over every woman who can provide you with assistance.”
Her tone left no room for doubt.
“The enemies you must face...”
“Compared to the bloody struggle for the throne between my brothers and sisters that I face...”
“One is a god.”
“The other is a foul bug in the mud.”
She paused.
“Don't worry.”
“No matter how many women you eventually have...”
“I will help you keep them in line.”
She stood there like a statue radiating confidence.
Passing pedestrians couldn't help but look twice, only to quickly avert their gazes.
“That fool Theia doesn't understand the scheming and infighting between women at all.”
“And the Saintesses have always been known for being as pure as lotuses.”
She gave a cold laugh.
“Only I...”
“The former Fairest Jewel of the Carter Royal Capital...”
“The one who exposed and countered those pampered heiresses at countless banquets, those Lioness Princesses who only knew how to rely on their parents to set traps!”
“Only I can keep those little bitches of yours in line in the future!”
Her eyes were filled with a fighting spirit, as if she were about to start a brawl the next second.
The excitement in her eyes... why did it feel like she was more eager to meet Lin Gui's nonexistent other women than Theia was?
Lin Gui looked at her flamboyant appearance, and the corner of his mouth twitched.
Exactly what kind of person had he provoked?
He let out a sigh and reached out, grabbing Elvia's slender wrist.
“Let's go.”
He pulled her toward the bustling center of the town.
If he let Elvia continue on this topic, she would probably start scouting out which women were worth seducing and pulling down with them to revolt.
As he pulled her along, Elvia's footsteps were a bit unsteady.
But the curve of her lips never receded.
She turned her head to look at Lin Gui's profile.
The sunlight fell on his black hair, casting a small shadow over his forehead.
Elvia laughed and stepped ahead of Lin Gui.
She reached out and grabbed his wrist.
“Alright, alright—”
“How would a little mage from the countryside like you know what wealthy people do for fun?”
Her tone carried the pride of an older sister taking her younger brother to see the world.
“Let this big sister of yours show you the sights.”
With that, she pulled Lin Gui and headed straight for a corner of the street.
Then, they entered a luxurious wooden building.
A plaque hung over the door, its gilded characters shimmering in the sunlight.
Withered Wood Gambling House.
Lin Gui: “...”
He stood at the entrance, looking at the plaque, the corner of his mouth twitching.
Elvia turned back to look at him, her smile brilliant.
“Come on, what are you standing there for?”
Lin Gui took a deep breath.
“This is what you meant by seeing the world?”
Elvia said matter-of-factly:
“Yeah, you've never been here, have you? Big sister will teach you.”
Lin Gui looked at her excited face, then at those gilded characters above the door.
He was silent for a moment.
Then, he was dragged inside by Elvia.
Rate on N.U.
