Trying to contact the Eldest Princess, Diana, who lived deep within the palace, through normal means was practically a pipe dream.
He was merely a High Rank Mage of unknown origin.
In the strictly hierarchical Royal Capital, whether he even had the right to step into the noble district was a question.
Let alone requesting an audience with an influential princess who was highly likely to participate in the struggle for the throne.
The only shortcut seemed to be asking Elvia for help.
With her status as the Seventh Princess, it probably wouldn't be difficult for her to introduce him to the Eldest Princess.
But Lin Gui subconsciously rejected this option.
Once he spoke to Elvia, it would mean owing her a favor.
He did not want to touch the poison planted inside Elvia's body.
At least, he couldn't cure it before he broke through to the Transcendent Rank.
Elvia knew too many of his secrets.
Having no other choice, he could only settle for the next best option.
He had Fal, whose injuries had slightly eased, lead the way to the place where Roger used to live.
He wanted to see if they could find any overlooked clues.
As for the slave merchant, Erwin, who had been stabbed several times,
Lin Gui did not break his promise and kill him.
Instead, he handed him over to Thusa, Ralph, and their group.
No doubt, that rebel leader, Caesar,
would be very “happy” to properly “entertain” this “old friend” who had kidnapped his daughter and tortured his subordinates for a long time.
Following Fal, Lin Gui arrived at Roger's former estate.
Unsurprisingly, this place had long been sold off by Erwin to another wealthy merchant.
Sneaking in under the cover of night, the two searched thoroughly, but in the end, they found absolutely nothing.
Every trace of Roger seemed to have been completely erased.
Buried in the past along with any secrets that might point to Avalon.
The clues ended there.
Lin Gui let out a sigh.
He could only temporarily put aside the pursuit of clues regarding Roger and Avalon.
The immediate priority was to complete two things before leaving the Royal Capital.
Deliver the more than five thousand letters brought from Caran City.
And find Queen Catriona's tomb to obtain the system reward, 【Eyes of the Netherworld】.
Returning to the stronghold in the commoner district on the sixth level,
Lin Gui began to seriously plan the opening of a post office.
According to Elvia's previous reminder, the post office held a very special status in the Royal Capital.
Unlike the post offices he had previously opened in Caran and New Covenant, which were open to everyone,
the Royal Capital's existing postal network almost exclusively served the wealthy and the nobles of the Upper District.
The postage for each letter was ridiculously high, something that commoners and refugees could not afford at all.
If Lin Gui wanted to open a low-cost post office for the general public here,
it would inevitably be seen as a challenge to the existing rules,
interfering with the profits of the powerful elites who relied on monopolizing information transmission.
Think about it: a noble had to spend a huge price just to send a letter to another city-state.
Yet a commoner, or even a refugee, only needed to spend a mere seven copper coins to enjoy the same service.
In the eyes of those high and mighty figures,
wouldn't it mean that in the matter of “sending letters,”
their status was a level lower than that of commoners?
Therefore, just as Elvia had said,
if he insisted on opening this post office,
he would surely face the combined obstruction of the major nobles, and it might even bring disaster upon himself.
As early as his journey from Caran to the Royal Capital, Lin Gui had already thought of the best way to solve this problem.
To find a backer powerful enough.
This backer would not be Elvia, nor any other great noble.
He needed to find a force that was more deterrent than these local tyrants of the Royal Capital,
and had no involvement with the existing post office interest network.
His target was the transportation caravans.
Early the next morning,
Lin Gui arrived at the Transportation Guild building, located in the core area of the fifth-level commercial district.
The building itself was as grand as a small fortress.
It was constructed entirely of massive white stones.
Its high arches were carved with reliefs depicting caravans crossing deserts and canyons while fending off demons.
Two massive gargoyle statues stood at the entrance,
with glowing magic gems embedded in their eyes.
They emitted faint energy fluctuations, scrutinizing everyone who entered and exited.
The interior of the hall was even more luxurious.
The floor was paved with polished, reflective obsidian tiles.
The high-hanging dome was made of stained glass, casting colorful patterns of light and shadow below.
Within the bustling crowd, powerful Transcendent Rank experts were everywhere.
He could even occasionally feel the pressure unintentionally exuded by Legendary Rank experts.
It could be said that the military strength of the Transportation Guild itself was enough to crush the entire Carter royal family.
Just among the fourteen transportation caravans currently in the Carter Royal Capital, there were a whopping seven Legendary Rank experts.
The most exaggerated was the caravan bound for the largest human city-state, the Black Star.
Its four escort members were all Legendary Rank experts.
In the hall,
on a massive magic screen,
real-time information on supplies, transportation tasks, and caravan statuses from all over the continent rolled continuously,
forming a busy and powerful picture.
Lin Gui directly controlled his oak staff, floating into the hall at a low altitude.
This unique way of moving immediately attracted many watchful eyes.
Ignoring the surrounding whispers, he flew straight to the reception counter.
The staff member behind the counter was a young woman dressed in a neat uniform.
Seeing Lin Gui floating over, a professional and respectful smile appeared on her face.
She did not show the slightest contempt just because he was a High Rank Mage:
“Good day, Lord Mage. Is there anything I can do for you?”
In the transportation industry, the values were different from other places.
Here, there were two exceptions that received respect far exceeding their actual strength rank.
One was a mage skilled in concealment magic.
The other was a mage who could proficiently cast and maintain 【Levitation】.
Hadn't they seen that when Lin Gui floated in,
those caravan members who had been leaning against the wall, drinking ale and talking loudly,
had their eyes instantly turn burning hot?
A mage who could carry a large amount of cargo and fly stably for a long time
on complex terrain and dangerous routes
possessed a strategic value that was not the least bit inferior to a Legendary Rank warrior!
“Hello,” Lin Gui got straight to the point.
“Could you please check which transportation caravans are heading to the Fortress City of Shield in the near future? Preferably those that are large-scale and have a good reputation.”
The staff member proficiently operated the magic crystal behind her.
Soon, she brought up the information:
“Lord Mage, there are currently two caravans that meet your requirements.”
“One is the 'Black Rock' transport group.”
“Led by the Legendary Rank dwarf warrior, Lord Barna.”
“It is scheduled to depart in one month, mainly transporting a batch of military rune armor and magic crystal cannon components.”
“The other is the 'North Wind' Chamber of Commerce caravan.”
“The leader is Lady Freya, a Mid-tier Legendary ice mage.”
“They set off in ten days, transporting grain, medicine, and a batch of special metals ordered by the dwarves.”
The lineups of both teams could be described as luxurious.
After all, to get to the Fortress City of Shield, one had to cross the Forbidden Zone.
Relying on Transcendent Rank strength alone was far from enough.
Lin Gui nodded and asked the key question:
“Could you please ask them if they are willing to let me hitch a ride?”
“I can pay a fee, or... provide some assistance within my capability with my 【Levitation】.”
“Yes, of course. Which caravan would you like to hitch a ride with?”
“The North Wind Chamber of Commerce.”
Rate on N.U.
