Along the way, Lin Gui and Elvia remained silent.
They only exchanged brief words when they needed to correct their course.
Sitting on top of the wooden crate, Theia felt the atmosphere was a bit strange.
She couldn't help but ask, “It's just a single demon wandering out of its territory, isn't it? Why do you two look like the sky is falling?”
Elvia rolled her eyes in annoyance and corrected her, “It traveled nearly a thousand kilometers to get here!”
“Do you think it did that just for fun, half-demon?”
“Use your brain! What could possibly drive a demon of this level to go against its nature and travel so far?”
Theia tilted her head, thought for a moment, and smiled as she guessed, “For the ancient ruins' treasures in the Withered Rift?”
“It's the Dark Tide!!!”
Elvia growled in a near-hysterical low voice.
“Smack!”
Lin Gui backhanded her over the head with a light fist.
“Ow! Why did you hit me?!”
Elvia clutched her head and glared at Lin Gui in displeasure.
Lin Gui pointed in annoyance at several flying demons below that had been startled by her shout and were now roaring and flapping their wings, lowering his voice, “Keep it down! My mana can't sustain keeping both 【Levitation】 and 【Shroud of the Gloomy Night】 active indefinitely!”
Re-casting 【Shroud of the Gloomy Night】, he quickly concentrated, steering the raft to narrowly avoid a demon's pounce.
He navigated through the gaps between the demons, who had lost their target and begun to wander aimlessly.
“The Dark Tide?”
Theia's emerald-green eyes widened, her mouth slightly agape.
“That the next Dark Tide will be born in the borderlands? Wasn't that always just a rumor?”
“It might not be a rumor anymore.”
Elvia rubbed her head, her tone heavy.
“Though I can't be one hundred percent sure, before every Dark Tide is born, the demons within its range of influence always undergo this kind of abnormal migration and riot.”
“The scope is massive, capable of affecting up to one percent of the entire continent.”
“Just like the one ten years ago that caused the great evacuation of the borderlands... back then, the demon activity here was also highly abnormal.”
In other words, abnormal demon activity did not necessarily mean the Dark Tide would be born right here.
It could also be somewhere a thousand kilometers away.
Still, this sign loomed like a dark cloud over Elvia's heart.
Because the borderlands were indeed one of the very few regions on the continent that had never been completely swept over by the main force of the Dark Tide.
Carrying this heavy anxiety, the raft continued to drift deeper into the Whispering Forest.
Along the way, they discovered more tragic traces left behind by the evacuating Caran nobles.
The battered armor and broken weapons of elite guards were scattered everywhere.
Occasionally, they could even see shredded fragments of once-luxurious clothing.
Also scattered about were quite a few glittering gold coins and pieces of jewelry!
This time was different from the obvious trap they had seen earlier.
It looked more like items hastily dropped during their flight or left behind by the deceased.
Theia's eyes lit up instantly, and she leaned forward, almost jumping off the raft to gather them.
Even Elvia was deeply tempted.
The cost of living in the Royal Capital was extremely high.
She wanted to stay in luxury hotels with velvet bedding, drink wine worth a thousand gold pieces, and rent out entire opera houses to enjoy performances...
She certainly didn't want to follow a guy like Lin Gui, who had no sense of enjoyment, and stay in some run-down inn meant only for the poor!
Both women turned their longing gazes toward Lin Gui at the same time.
Lin Gui frowned.
His mana consumption was high, with only about a quarter remaining.
The priority was to find a safe place to recover, not to risk going down to pick up money.
Just within their field of vision, there was a significant number of demons below.
There were even several Hero Rank demons wandering around.
He originally wanted to refuse, and was just about to steer the raft away.
But Theia and Elvia leaned in close at the same time.
Two different, faint scents of body fragrance drifted into his nose.
Theia and Elvia poked their heads out from either side of his shoulders.
Their faces wore rare, almost flattering smiles.
Theia spoke first, “Lin Gui! I just counted! Near those noble ruins down there, there are definitely over fifty thousand gold coins!”
Elvia cleared her throat, adopting a more rational posture.
“Once we reach the Royal Capital, there will be many places where we need money to smooth things over.”
“For example, bribing the city defense officers to let our ‘special cargo’ through, paying off connections to gather information, or even hiring temporary hands... all of these require a lot of gold coins to pave the way.”
She added to herself: And of course, to enjoy life even more!
“Staying carries risks. I only have a quarter of my mana left.”
Lin Gui tried to emphasize their current situation.
“Risk means reward! Take a gamble, and a wheelbarrow becomes a carriage!”
Theia and Elvia cried out in unison.
After speaking, both of them froze for a moment, glanced at each other, and simultaneously let out a displeased “hmph” before turning away.
Lin Gui was speechless.
“I wonder who was just urging me to leave earlier, saying that pile of gold coins was a trap and too risky...”
But he was only saying that; he didn't actually refuse.
He steered the raft to slowly lower its altitude, urging them at the same time, “Make it quick!”
The raft touched the ground silently.
Theia deftly tied her long silver hair into a ponytail and said to Elvia, “I'll lure those demons away. You go pick up the valuable things.”
“As a princess, your eye must be sharp. Choose only the most valuable ones!”
“Hmph, of course!”
Elvia raised her chin proudly.
“Don't worry, I'll find everything that can be sold for an astronomical price!”
“I wouldn't even deign to bend over for trash worth less than a thousand gold coins!”
Theia smiled faintly, “I get sixty percent, you get forty.”
To her surprise, Elvia merely opened her mouth, then rolled her eyes with a smirk, and nodded, “Deal!”
To split sixty-forty with a Transcendent Ranger who was a whole major rank above her was an absolute steal.
Theia clicked her tongue, immediately realizing she had lowballed herself.
But since the words were already out, she didn't bother to argue further and cast her stray thoughts aside.
With a swoosh!
Theia lightly tapped her toes against the wooden crate.
Her figure darted out of the coverage of the 【Shroud of the Gloomy Night】 like an arrow released from a bowstring!
Her speed instantly erupted to its absolute limit.
Like a streak of silver lightning flashing through the forest, she instantly drew the attention of all the surrounding demons!
Immediately after, she reached back for an arrow, nocked it, and drew her bow! Her movements were as fluid as flowing water!
“Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!”
Three arrows were shot almost simultaneously.
They accurately struck the vital points of three demons in different directions—not fatal, but more than enough to infuriate them!
Roars erupted from all directions. The nearby demons, and even those few Hero Rank demons, were alerted.
Their crimson gazes instantly locked onto the fast-moving silver figure, and they pounced forward in a frenzy!
Like an elegant yet deadly dancer, Theia leaped and darted between the thick tree branches.
Every evasion was timed perfectly.
Every time she spun back to shoot an arrow, it inevitably drew a chorus of furious roars from the pack of demons.
Her formidable strength, astonishing speed, precise archery, and the absolute beauty she displayed amidst the danger even left Elvia on the raft momentarily dazed.
An involuntary sense of admiration welled up in her heart.
Taking advantage of the window when the demons were lured away by Theia, Elvia dashed off the raft like a nimble leopard.
However, she did not lunge for the glittering coins scattered on the ground.
Instead, she scanned the debris and relics with a sharp gaze.
Gold coins?
Compared to the potential antiques, gems, magic scrolls, and precious treasures that could boost one's strength, they weren't even worth mentioning!
First, she rushed toward a corpse that was still tightly clutching a gem-encrusted metal box...
Rate on N.U.
