Lin Gui didn't even look up, simply waving his hand.
A barely perceptible current of air from the technique 【Wind Guiding】 quietly manifested.
Defying all common sense, it forcibly redirected the smoke and rich aroma.
It guided them deep into the soil of the cave, allowing them to slowly seep away and dissipate.
Theia's eyes narrowed slightly, her emerald pupils scanning like a high-precision instrument.
She carefully observed the reactions of the low-rank demons wandering nearby.
After a long while, the demons outside continued to wander aimlessly, completely oblivious to the “feast” right under their noses.
She let out a long sigh of relief and whispered,
“It looks like... we're safe.”
Elvia let out a breath of relief as well.
She instinctively rejected Theia's half-demon identity.
However, she had to admit that the other woman's strength and the insight of those eyes were truly extraordinary.
Her judgment carried a lot of weight.
Once their minds settled, the two women could no longer tear their gazes away from the bubbling iron pot.
Inside was what Lin Gui called “braised pork,” cooked according to a recipe from his “hometown.”
It was a glossy, deep reddish-brown, and the aroma was outrageously rich.
Theia had experienced Lin Gui's culinary skills before.
Though she was still tempted by the scent, she was somewhat prepared for it.
But Elvia, a princess who had grown up eating royal delicacies,
now stared blankly at the trembling, glistening pieces of meat.
Saliva pooled uncontrollably in her mouth, forcing her to swallow quietly.
Soon, the braised pork was ready.
Lin Gui then added hand-rolled wheat noodles directly into the rich, savory broth.
Before long, everyone had a bowl filled to the brim.
It was “braised pork noodles,” with thick sauce, tender meat, and noodles that had fully absorbed the savory broth.
Holding the steaming bowl, Elvia first blew on it cautiously, then tentatively picked up a piece of meat and popped it into her mouth.
The next second, her eyes went wide!
It was an ultimate burst of flavor she had never experienced before!
It melted in her mouth—rich but not greasy, lean but not dry.
The perfectly balanced sweet and savory sauce had thoroughly permeated every fiber of the meat, bringing an unparalleled sense of satisfaction.
She practically couldn't wait to slurp up a mouthful of noodles.
The fragrance of the wheat combined with the richness of the meat broth was simple and direct,
yet so delicious she felt like she might swallow her own tongue!
“Mmh...!”
She let out a muffled sound, somewhere between a gasp of wonder and a groan.
Forgetting all about her royal poise,
she began to shovel the food into her mouth, a fine sweat breaking out on the tip of her nose.
In comparison, although Theia also ate quickly,
her movements still retained a hint of elven elegance.
However, her shining eyes and the rapidly disappearing food betrayed her equal enjoyment.
Elvia devoured her large bowl like a whirlwind.
Still craving more, she licked the sauce from the corner of her mouth.
Staring at the empty bowl, her eyes looked a bit dazed.
She muttered to herself, her voice filled with disbelief and a deep sense of “betrayal.”
“The royal meals I used to eat... compared to this, they're practically... practically pig feed!”
Those beautifully plated, expensively sourced, and meticulously prepared palace dishes
seemed so pale and superficial in front of this seemingly rustic bowl of braised noodles.
Hearing Elvia's complaint, Lin Gui replied speechlessly,
“Pig feed? That rancid, tooth-chipping stuff you people eat—even the pigs in my hometown wouldn't touch it.”
It wasn't that this world lacked chefs, but...
their culinary skills could only be described as “non-lethal.”
Aside from grilled meat, which was barely passable, everything else was a violent assault on Lin Gui's taste buds.
It was all spoiled meat, rock-hard bread, overboiled vegetables, and barely swallowable alcohol.
In all his years, this was the first time Lin Gui had seen sour grape juice used as a primary seasoning.
Even the grilled meat was ruined by the bitterness of coarse salt, which completely overpowered any natural flavor.
Since arriving in this world, he had tried the “famous” snacks of many city-states.
Aside from sweet, sour, bitter, and spicy, Lin Gui had unlocked new flavors like rock-hard, coarse, rancid, tasteless, and throat-searingly salty...
After finishing this meal, which was an absolute luxury considering they were right next to a demon nest, Lin Gui pulled out sleeping bags and quickly arranged the watch schedule.
“I'll take the first watch, and Theia will take the second.”
He didn't let Elvia keep watch, but not because he didn't trust her.
Her life was in Lin Gui's hands, and he knew all too well how terrifying the onset of the “Demon's Poisonous Kiss” could be.
He was willing to bet that the princess knew it even better than he did.
To those political schemers, that poison was as formidable as a Demigod.
He kept her off duty simply because she lacked the skills.
Theia, needless to say, was a top-tier ranger with abundant wilderness experience.
Lin Gui's own perception was also sharp, having crossed the line between life and death countless times.
If they ran into real trouble, he could activate 【Shroud of the Gloomy Night】 and hide the entire team.
As for Elvia?
She was just a front-line knight with limited perception. A delicate task like keeping watch was something she simply couldn't handle.
Theia and Elvia crawled into their sleeping bags.
Perhaps because they were exhausted from the day, or perhaps because the heavy bowl of braised pork noodles made them drowsy, both of them fell fast asleep before long.
Elvia even began to snore softly, completely discarding any royal decorum.
Lin Gui sat by the cave entrance, which was camouflaged with grass and leaves.
With 【Wind Listening】 active, he listened intently to the sounds outside.
The rustle of the wind, the chirping of insects, and the distant, faint howling of demons were all perfectly clear.
The night was long, and keeping watch was quite boring.
As if remembering something, he reached into a wooden crate nearby and pulled out a handful of letters.
He deftly broke the wax seal on the first letter.
Privacy?
Please. He risked his life delivering letters through demon territory for a mere seven copper coins.
What was wrong with opening a few letters to pass the time?
By the sliver of moonlight filtering through the cave entrance, he began to read.
The first letter was written in crooked, uneven handwriting, but with great force:
【To Sister Mary, working at the Royal Capital docks:】
【I am your little brother Andy. I was only five when you left... well, I'm fifteen now.】
【Mom and Dad froze to death a few years ago.】
【I'm working with a caravan in Caran now. I won't starve.】
【Sister, it's been ten years. Are you doing well?】
【Do you still remember the old apple tree in front of our house?】
【It bore fruit last year. It was incredibly sour, just like the ones you used to steal back then.】
【Anyway, I just wanted to write and tell you that I'm not dead... and I hope you're still alive too.】
【You must write back to me. I'll keep waiting forever.】
Lin Gui's gaze lingered on the words “ten years” for a moment.
He set the letter down and opened the second one. The handwriting was a bit neater, but it carried a sense of exhaustion.
【Brother, we haven't seen each other in ten years.】
【The day Caran was surrounded by demons, I held onto the little wooden doll you gave me when you left, thinking I was definitely going to die.】
【Fortunately, I survived.】
【The knight lords from the Royal Capital came and slaughtered the demons.】
【It's truly unbelievable.】
【And too many unbelievable things have been happening lately.】
【Her Highness the Princess became the City Lord and enacted many policies that benefit the commoners.】
【I can't believe that a commoner like me would see the day when we are actually cared for by her.】
【Caran City has changed so much.】
【But what I am most grateful for is the nameless Messenger Mage.】
【Can you believe how much it cost me to send this letter?】
【A mere seven copper coins! Heavens, by the gods, he must be an angel sent from above.】
【To deliver our tiny feelings of longing.】
【But more than sending letters, I want to meet you and never be separated again.】
【I only fear that too much time will pass, our faces will change, and we won't even recognize each other if we meet.】
【Please write back. This is already the only thing keeping me alive.】
The third letter was written with heavy, messy strokes:
【Carl! It's been ten years! Do you still remember old Jack from Caran City, you old bastard?】
【Remember when we used to drink, brag, and chase girls together? It feels like yesterday!】
【I heard ten years ago that you made it big in the Royal Capital?】
【Too bad I'm still stuck tending this crappy blacksmith shop, and my legs aren't what they used to be.】
【In this godforsaken world... I just suddenly started missing the old days.】
【When can we have another drink together? Just one!】
The fourth was a drawing of three stick figures, with writing underneath:
【To Daddy, whom I haven't seen in ten years:】
【Mom said you went to the Royal Capital to make money when I was five.】
【I'm fifteen this year, and I'm already taller than Mom.】
【Mom got sick last year, and she misses you terribly.】
【When are you coming back? I saved the best malt candy for you.】
Lin Gui read them one by one.
Some of the paper was coarse, some fine.
But inside lay ten full years of separation, worry, longing, and that tiny, unextinguished spark of hope.
These were bonds that even endless demons could not completely sever.
Ten years.
Long enough for a child to grow into an adult, long enough for dark hair to turn white.
Long enough to forget many things, yet this ten-year-old longing had not faded in the slightest.
Without a word, he carefully folded the letters he had read and slid them back into their envelopes.
His fingers brushed over the ink of those ten-year-old words.
It was as if he could feel the trembling of the writers' hands as they penned them.
Outside the cave, the cries of demons drifted in with the wind.
Inside, Theia and Elvia breathed evenly, safe for the moment.
Lin Gui set the organized letters aside, his eyes turning back to the pitch-black night outside.
His ears, bolstered by 【Wind Listening】, continued to strain for any movement.
His eyes were usually expressionless, as if he found everything annoying.
But now, there seemed to be a faint, indescribable trace of something else within them.
He sat in silence for a while, then reached out and opened the next letter.
Rate on N.U.
