The crude but sturdy raft resembled a slender shuttle.
It carried neatly stacked wooden crates while still leaving a bit of space for the three of them.
Closing the post office door, Lin Gui hung up a wooden sign that read: “Away on a long-distance delivery. Expected return in six months.”
Lin Gui sat at the very front of the raft and lightly tapped his staff.
The faint light of 【Levitation】 flowed, and the massive raft trembled slightly.
Then, it floated smoothly half a foot off the ground, as if supported by an invisible stream.
It drifted slowly toward the city gates.
This was atop the wooden crates stacked in the middle of the raft.
Theia leisurely swung her fair legs, humming an ancient elven ballad in a cheerful mood, her silver hair fluttering gently in the wind.
At the back of the raft, Elvia stared at Lin Gui's back with a complex expression.
【Levitation】.
This Novice Magic spell had stumped countless mages and was extremely difficult to master.
How could it actually be mastered to such an extent by a Low-tier High Rank mage?
She hadn't even heard a complete incantation chant.
Yet, this massive object had already floated weightlessly into the air.
This was no longer mere proficiency; it was a level of control that was practically instinctual.
She was growing more and more curious about what kind of person Lin Gui truly was.
The moment the strange floating raft appeared, it immediately caught the attention of Caran City's residents.
The main street was quickly packed with onlookers.
They recognized the silver-haired, red-eyed “Calamity” half-demon sitting high atop the crates.
They recognized the “good-hearted” mage, Lin Gui, who sat at the front and selflessly delivered letters for them.
And they especially recognized Elvia.
This “benevolent” former City Lord who had secured so many benefits for the lower class.
“Look! It's the Mage and the Princess!”
“Have a safe journey!”
“Thank you, Princess! Thank you for your new policies!”
“Master Mage! Please make sure the letters are delivered!”
“May the Light protect you!”
Cheers and praise surged like a tide, with most of the gratitude directed toward Elvia.
Elvia instantly switched on an impeccable, radiant smile.
She waved gracefully to both sides of the street.
Above her, Theia leaned down and spoke with a smile.
“How is it, Princess? It feels pretty good to be adored by the commoners, doesn't it?”
Elvia kept her perfect smile fixed on the crowd.
But her voice was so quiet that only Theia and Lin Gui, who were close by, could hear her.
“Sacrificing interests just to win the support of this rabble is the height of stupidity.”
“They have no powerful military strength, no education, and barely any of them can read.”
“Compared to the nobility, wealthy merchants, rulers, and High Rank professionals, they are utterly worthless.”
“Hoping to rely on them to seize power? That is an absolute joke.”
She said this intentionally for Lin Gui at the front to hear.
Without even turning his head, Lin Gui casually replied in an equally quiet voice.
“So, if we just feed all the nobles, royalty, and unscrupulous merchants to the demons, the world will be a much quieter place, right?”
Elvia's lips twitched violently, and she decided to shut her mouth.
Surrounded by the residents, the floating raft made its way to the entrance of the Adventurer's Guild.
The guild's adventurers curiously sized up this bizarre mode of transportation.
Meanwhile, several individuals dressed as mages stared in absolute shock at the perfectly stable 【Levitation】 spell.
Their faces were filled with disbelief and naked envy.
The warrior who had delivered the message earlier quickly stepped forward.
He handed Lin Gui a letter sealed with the guild's wax and a heavy coin pouch.
“Lord Mage, here are ten thousand gold coins. The guild... well, scraped it together. Please, you must complete the mission!”
Lin Gui took the letter and the pouch, weighed it in his hand, and casually tossed the pouch upward.
Theia caught it effortlessly, her face lighting up with a brilliant smile as she opened it.
“Lin Gui, I've noticed that even though you always lose money on your deliveries, you always manage to pick up high-paying commissions along the way that the Adventurer's Guild rarely sees even once in several years!”
“First, it was the escort of New Covenant City's young lady, and now the guild is bleeding gold!”
Speaking of that young lady.
Her father's marriage alliance party had arrived only to find that the groom-to-be in Caran had already packed up and fled.
Left with no choice, the leader of the party decided to return to New Covenant City before they ran out of funds.
Thus, he had approached Lin Gui, offering a high price to escort them back.
But Lin Gui had refused.
On the way here, they had been able to take advantage of the empty forest after the demon siege.
But now, High Rank demons had returned to the wilderness.
He wasn't confident he could safely cross back with a group of liabilities.
Hearing Theia's words, Lin Gui couldn't help but complain.
“What is this bounty compared to those exploration missions to cross the wilderness and map out Golden Routes?”
This was unlike border cities like New Covenant City and Caran, which lacked local specialties.
In the alliance, there was a massive demand for logistics among the various city-states, each producing different resources.
There were transport teams that repeatedly crossed the wilderness to deliver goods between city-states.
For a single trip, a transport team could earn tens of millions in rewards.
Of course, their strength was also terrifying. A Transcendent Ranger like Theia would probably only be an errand girl in such a transport team.
Theia smiled, naturally understanding this.
Hearing their conversation, Elvia couldn't help but chime in.
“Um... on this trip to the Royal Capital, I'm the main one responsible for identifying the route.”
“I remember the Golden Route that Holy Knight John blazed very clearly.”
“Don't I get a share of this bag of gold?”
When she came to Caran, she had already intended to return to the Royal Capital, so she had put a lot of effort into memorizing the route.
Her initial move against Lin Gui had also been intended to blackmail Theia, the Transcendent Ranger.
She wanted to force Theia to assist her in returning to the Royal Capital.
As for the result...
She had indeed gotten what she wanted, but her life was also held tightly in someone else's hands. It was truly ironic.
Asking for gold was just a casual remark; she hadn't expected Lin Gui to actually give her any.
To her surprise, Lin Gui glanced at her and said flatly.
“As the former City Lord of Caran, after confiscating so many estates, you didn't pocket a little ‘commission’ for yourself?”
As he spoke, he actually reached into his bag of gold, grabbed a handful of about two thousand coins, stuffed them into a pouch, and tossed it to Elvia.
Elvia caught it in astonishment and blurted out.
“...Didn't you also not take a single coin from all that money? I was honestly afraid that if I embezzled any, you'd feed me to the demons.”
“Heh.”
Amidst their banter, the raft had already drifted to the city gates.
The sincere blessings of the people followed them.
The strange trio rode the floating raft and slowly drifted out of the massive city gates.
They merged into the vast and perilous wilderness outside.
...
A long time passed after Lin Gui and his group departed.
A wind-worn figure draped in a black cloak arrived beneath the walls of Caran City.
She gazed at the prosperous scene inside the city and the vibrant smiles on the commoners' faces.
She also noticed the incredibly familiar policy documents posted on the bulletin boards.
The corners of her lips beneath the cloak curled up slightly.
She reached out with a slender finger, carefully tore off a corner of the announcement, and examined it closely.
The idle chatter of passing commoners about the “messenger mage” and the “benevolent princess” drifted into her ears.
She smiled, a smile as warm and dazzling as the sun breaking through dark clouds.
She walked through Caran's freshly cleaned streets.
Following the directions of the locals, she found the legendary post office.
She looked at the border map hanging by the door that connected various city-states.
She stared at the wooden sign reading: “Away on a long-distance delivery. Expected return in six months.”
The young girl could not help but let out a series of clear, charming giggles.
“Six months... Comrade Little Ghost, that's way too long~”
“But...”
She lowered her voice, as if sharing a secret known only to herself.
Her eyes shone with the brilliance of anticipation and a long-awaited reunion.
“I've already waited twenty years, so a little more time won't hurt.”
“I look forward to the day you return.”
Rate on N.U.
