The raft got back on track, drifting quietly through the trees.
Lin Gui was the first to break the silence.
“Is there something wrong with that bow?”
Hearing Lin Gui's question, Elvia nodded.
She looked at the longbow clutched tightly in Theia's arms with a complex expression. “That is the weapon of Gorn, the Legendary archer from John's Holy Knight order.”
“A divine bow crafted with the utmost effort of a master dwarf artisan—‘Azure Echo’.”
“It was made from countless rare materials and can be considered a semi-divine artifact.”
“It's said that even Gorn himself can't fully unleash its entire power.”
Hearing the words “semi-divine artifact,” Theia's pointed ears trembled slightly with excitement, flushing a light pink.
She clutched the longbow even tighter to her chest, letting out a silly giggle.
It was as if she were holding some peerless treasure.
“Hmph, ignorant half-demon.”
Elvia grumbled.
“That bow is Gorn's lifeblood!”
“That guy is notoriously cruel and bloodthirsty; he delights in torturing people to death!”
“If he finds out his bow is in your hands, I suggest you find a place to bash your own head in immediately, just to save yourself from being tortured until you don't even look like an elf anymore!”
“I... I'll just hide it well and not use it!”
Theia said stubbornly, though a trace of fear still flickered in her eyes.
“Besides, it's not like we're staying in the Royal Capital for long!”
“Lin Gui said we'll leave in two weeks at most! Once we reach Avalon, I don't believe he'll be able to find me!”
“Avalon?”
Elvia froze, only then suddenly realizing something.
These two were going to the Royal Capital just to deliver letters—delivering letters to some peasants.
And their final destination didn't even seem to be the Royal Capital, but... Avalon, a place she had never even heard of?
“You're going to the Royal Capital just to deliver letters?! And you're leaving right after?! The next stop is... Fortress City of Shield?! That dwarf den?!”
Her voice suddenly spiked, filled with disbelief.
“But the Silent Sea lies in between! That... that is a Forbidden Zone! A death zone that has been completely plowed over by the main force of the Dark Tide!!”
Lin Gui said indifferently, “What is there to fear? It's not like we haven't crossed a Forbidden Zone before.”
Theia chimed in, “Exactly. Fleeing from the Elven Forest to here, it's not like I haven't passed through a Forbidden Zone.”
“No matter how terrifying a Forbidden Zone is, it's still better than an uncharted, completely blank area on the map, right?”
“Huh?!!”
Elvia felt her worldview shatter.
It's called a freaking Forbidden Zone for a reason—it means people are forbidden from going there!
You two are completely out of your minds!
“You bunch of lunatics! I'm not going to die with you! Once we reach the Royal Capital, we part ways!”
“Sure.”
Lin Gui nodded.
“But in case anything happens to me on the way to Avalon, you should prepare yourself ahead of time by finding a sturdy wooden post to crash into, just to save yourself from being tortured into a grotesque state by the Demon's Poisonous Kiss.”
“...” Elvia choked, speechless.
“Have I heard those words somewhere before?”
Over the next while, Elvia used almost every excuse she could think of to try and persuade Lin Gui not to seek his own death.
To be precise, she wanted him not to drag her down with him.
She kept raising the stakes, trying to bind Lin Gui to the Royal Capital with various temptations:
“Lin Gui! As long as you stay in the Royal Capital, I can use all my connections to make you a court mage! You'll receive the treatment of a Count! Gold coins, magic crystals, rare materials—you can have as much as you want!”
“Don't like that? Then... then I'll give you all the manors and merchant guilds under my name! I'll make you one of the wealthiest people in the Royal Capital!”
“Still no? Then... then I'll... I'll personally serve as your maid! Pouring tea, serving water, warming your bed, and folding your blankets! I'm a princess, you know! A famous lady of the Royal Capital. Think about how much prestige that would bring you!”
“Or... or do you have your eyes on some noble lady or high-society woman in the Royal Capital? I can get them for you! I guarantee they'll be completely submissive!”
However, Lin Gui remained entirely unmoved. He steered the raft, his expression not changing in the slightest.
Elvia was practically going crazy!
This was the first time she had ever met someone like Lin Gui.
Uninterested in vast wealth, uninterested in power and status, and even in beautiful women... he didn't seem to care much either?
He had donated the staggering wealth plundered from Caran without a second thought.
Even after taking control of her, the City Lord, he had no intention of ruling Caran.
Despite holding her life in his hands, he had never forced her to do anything unseemly.
Even with Theia, who was even more beautiful than her and with whom he spent day and night...
Looking at the elf's slender legs and her occasional demeanor, she was clearly still a virgin!
“I'm asking you! What on earth will it take for you to give up on going to that damn Avalon to die?!”
Elvia was practically wailing.
Lin Gui replied indifferently, “Unless the heads of all nobles are chopped off and fed to pigs.”
“...Damn it!!!” Elvia completely lost her temper.
“Alright, enough small talk.”
Lin Gui's tone turned serious.
“We are about to exit the Whispering Forest, and my mana is almost depleted. Be careful, I'm preparing for a forced landing.”
The raft passed through the last few towering trees, and a bright white light approached from afar.
The moment the raft completely crossed the edge of the forest, their vision suddenly opened up!
An incredibly massive, deep rift in the earth, looking as if it had been violently hacked open by a god wielding a giant axe, stretched out before them!
The edges of the rift were made of hideous, twisted dark red rocks.
The canyon was filled with a perpetual, sulfur-scented murky fog that seemed bottomless.
Occasionally, an eerie purplish-red glow would flash deep within the fog, inspiring dread.
This was the Withered Rift!
The raft wobbled as it touched down on a relatively flat patch of gravel.
This spot happened to be the border zone between the Whispering Forest and the Withered Rift.
As a buffer zone between two demon territories, traces of demon activity were actually sparse here, almost non-existent.
Because of this, transport teams traveling between the two regions or map-making adventure groups would usually choose to set up temporary outposts or camps in such places.
Before the three of them could even catch their breath, Theia's emerald eyes suddenly narrowed, and she whispered sharply, “Someone's coming!”
She instinctively wanted to pull Lin Gui to hide first.
But Lin Gui growled, “No! We can't leave the wooden crate here! How strong are they?”
“Two Low-tier Transcendent and five High-tier High Rank!” Theia said at a rapid-fire pace.
Lin Gui gritted his teeth, inwardly cursing himself for wasting too much mana and time picking up treasures earlier.
Right now, his mana was almost completely depleted, and he couldn't even cast the simplest magic spell.
He quickly spoke to Elvia, who had already stepped back with her left foot and was preparing to slip away. “You stay here and act as bait! Theia and I will hide in the shadows and wait for an opportunity to strike!”
“Huh?! Something suicidal like this, I—”
Elvia's face went pale, and she was about to refuse.
Lin Gui's cold gaze instantly swept over her.
That gaze felt as if it could pierce her soul, causing her entire body to feel as if it had fallen into an ice cellar, forcing her to swallow the rest of her words.
She clenched her teeth tightly, sweat instantly drenching her back, before finally squeezing out a few words through her teeth.
“...Fine! Just don't sell me out!”
Lin Gui nodded.
“You can die, but the letters in the wooden crate cannot be damaged in the slightest.”
“If you want to live, drag this out for as long as you can. This is your only way out.”
“...” Elvia was speechless.
With that, he was pulled away by Theia.
The two of them flashed away, quickly vanishing into the nearby boulders and bushes.
Only Elvia was left behind.
Cold sweat poured down her face as she faced the rapidly approaching, completely undisguised powerful auras.
Two Transcendent and five High-tier High Rank... How the hell was she supposed to fight that?! This wasn't just risking her life; this was suicide!
Rate on N.U.
