The shop door closed behind her.
The crisp sound of the bell was cut off inside the glass door.
Elvia stood before the lavender gown.
Her eyes curved into crescent moons, and her finger lifted as she was about to call over a shop assistant.
【Do you like it?】
A voice spoke from within her mind, carrying an obvious tone of someone watching a show.
Elvia’s fingertips froze, and the smile on her face solidified bit by bit.
Her pupils dilated slightly, and her lips moved, but no sound came out.
The voice spoke again with a hint of amusement.
【Why have you gone quiet?】
【Can’t recognize your teacher’s voice?】
Elvia took a deep breath, forcing a smile that looked uglier than if she were crying.
“Lady Shadow Blade Lynn…”
“How are you... inside me?”
Shadow Blade Lynn’s laughter rang from the depths of her mind—crisp, like crushed ice falling on a porcelain plate.
【To supervise you, of course, the fallen princess of the Carter Royal Capital.】
【That little expression just now was quite cute.】
Elvia’s smile froze completely.
She stood before the magnificent gown, surrounded by warm lighting and exquisite furnishings.
However, she felt as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over her from head to toe.
The corner of her mouth twitched.
Trying to maintain a smile while unable to stop herself from wanting to cry, the expression on her face repeatedly jumped between a breakdown and a forced smile.
“Lady Lynn...”
Her voice was trembling.
“This... isn’t quite right... After all, I am still...”
【Still what?】
Shadow Blade Lynn’s voice was teasing.
【Still Lin Gui’s sweet little wife?】
【It was he who stuffed me into the messenger bag and told me to supervise you.】
Elvia’s face instantly flushed crimson.
She wanted to retort, but her mouth opened and closed without a word coming out.
She stood in place, her shoulders trembling slightly, her expression fluctuating wildly.
Finally, she squeezed out a sentence in a voice as soft as a mosquito’s buzz.
“Where is the trust between husband and wife...”
“That freaking dog of a man. He can forget about getting into my bed for at least a week...”
...
On the other side.
Lin Gui followed the visible guides for the selection meeting, floating along his way.
Along the path, he saw many people moving in groups.
They wore armors and mage robes of various colors, with weapons hanging at their waists and badges shimmering on their chests under the sunlight.
Their auras were powerful and sharp.
There were Mid-tier Transcendent knights and High-tier Transcendent adventurers.
There were even a few mages like him, floating along on their staffs.
Everyone was heading toward the center of Coppergate City.
They were flying toward the most magnificent and massive building.
Clearly, they were also people intending to register for the transport team selection.
Lin Gui tucked away the promotional guide flyers he had picked up along the way, stuffing the stack of papers into an inner pocket of his mage robes.
Manipulating his staff, he followed behind those mages toward the tall building.
As they drew closer.
The full appearance of the building was finally revealed.
It was a massive circular hall.
The entire structure was built from white giant stones; it was at least three hundred meters in diameter and over fifty meters tall.
The dome was semi-circular and covered in dense runes that flowed with a faint golden light under the sun.
A massive magic crystal was suspended at the highest point of the dome.
It emitted a soft blue glow, enveloping the entire building within its light.
The front of the building featured twelve massive stone columns, each so thick it took three people to encircle them. The columns were carved with various patterns.
There were scenes of knights charging, mages casting spells, and transport teams crossing the wilderness.
The tops of the pillars supported a triangular pediment, which was inscribed with several large words.
Coppergate City Transport Guild.
A very large banner was also stretched across the space below the pediment.
Hosting Office for the 37th Transport Team Selection.
Lin Gui landed on the plaza in front of the building and put away his staff.
The plaza was already packed with people—a sea of humanity that stretched as far as the eye could see.
Lin Gui’s gaze swept across the crowd.
They were all of the Transcendent rank, without exception.
Low-tier Transcendent, Mid-tier Transcendent, High-tier Transcendent.
There were even a few Legendary auras faintly emanating from the crowd.
There were at least nearly ten thousand people present.
This was a terrifying number.
In the entire borderlands, including the Carter Royal Capital and all the city-states, the total number of Transcendents might not even be as high as the group gathered here.
Lin Gui’s gaze passed over those figures.
There were adventurers in worn leather armor with determined eyes and calloused palms.
There were nobles in magnificent brocade robes with family crests at their waists and arrogant expressions.
There were knights in full plate armor with their knight order’s emblem carved on their breastplates, standing perfectly straight.
There were also mages in various mage robes, holding staffs and resting with their eyes closed.
Almost every type of person was represented here.
They were all gathered here waiting for the same thing: the transport team selection.
For almost all adventurers, joining a transport team was the pinnacle of a career.
It was the highest honor they could achieve after years of fighting in the wilderness and the best possible outcome for their future.
For those at the bottom of society, the transport team was the only means through which one could possibly skyrocket in status.
If a low-level Gold Rank adventurer passed the selection and became a member of a transport team...
Even if it was only a lowest-tier Morningstar Rank transport team...
They could stand on equal footing with the nobles who usually sat above them like giant behemoths.
They could even possess high-ranking privileges over some minor nobles.
Nobles would have to move out of the way for them, bow their heads in greeting, and welcome them with a smile.
And those were just the absolute lowest privileges of a transport team.
Above those were even greater privileges, status, and compensation.
This did not just hold a massive attraction for low-level adventurers.
It also held a significant allure for those high and mighty knights and nobles.
Because the status of transport teams was tiered.
Morningstar, Brightmoon, Blazing Sun.
With every level increased, one's privileges and status would skyrocket in status.
And the top-tier Blazing Sun Rank transport teams possessed a privilege that made everyone’s hearts race: voting rights.
In the Alliance Council, they could cast votes that could sway the development of the entire Alliance.
The Alliance Council was said to be capable of influencing the entire City-State Alliance.
The captain of a Blazing Sun Rank transport team held a seat there.
To enter the Blazing Sun Rank was to enter the Alliance’s most upper-level and most core circle of power.
However, to this day, among several hundred registered transport teams...
In the thirty-plus years since the Transport Guild was established, only thirteen Blazing Sun Rank teams had ever been born.
And as for those who survived to this day... there were fewer than three.
The others had all died on the road during their transports.
Rate on N.U.
