Friends

At the cliff in the middle section of Audo Canyon.

An extremely hidden cave entrance was cleverly embedded in the rock wall, nearly impossible to spot unless one knew the path well.

Inside was an entirely different world—a fully equipped temporary outpost.

Stalls selling simple hot food wafted tempting aromas into the air.

Item merchants selling supplies wiped down their wares.

Middlemen buying materials scanned every passing adventurer with shrewd eyes.

There was even a miniature bar.

Along with a few scantily clad dancers of questionable profession, who were currently winking at the patrons.

The air was a thick blend of food, tobacco, alcohol, and sweat.

Adventurers bustled about, making the place noisy yet full of life.

Lin Gui leaped down from the back of his mount, a giant lizard.

He patted the dust off his clothes and, carrying his heavy, bulky backpack, walked straight toward the crude bar counter.

“Valued guest, what can I get for you?”

The bartender wiped a glass without looking up, his tone as flat as if he were discussing the weather.

Lin Gui looked up at the highway-robbery price list, his mouth twitching.

He had wanted a cup of ale to ease his fatigue, but the steep price of three gold coins made him hesitate.

“A cup of... water for thirteen silver coins.”

He ultimately made the painful choice of the most basic option.

He can't really complain, considering this was a shop in Augu Canyon. The prices were simply absurd.

“Do you need any... ‘special services’?”

The bartender gestured with his chin toward the swaying dancers.

One of them happened to blow a kiss his way, and Lin Gui returned her gaze with blatant disgust.

“No... no thanks.”

Carrying his thirteen-silver-coin cup of crystal-clear “holy water,”

he found the most inconspicuous corner and sat down.

The bulging backpack on his back drew quite a few stealthy glances.

Before his seat was even warm, a merchant with a sycophantic smile approached and sat across from him.

“Esteemed adventurer, you look like you've traveled far and reaped a bountiful harvest. Any interest in selling the ‘goods’ on your back?”

The merchant rubbed his hands together and lowered his voice.

“I guarantee the price I offer here is at least ten percent higher than those shady pawnshops in the city!”

Lin Gui said nothing, only silently taking a sip of his expensive water.

Then, right in front of the merchant and several nearby onlookers who were straining to listen, he opened his backpack.

It was packed to the brim with envelopes, some yellowed with age, others brand new.

The merchant and the curious onlookers instantly froze in disbelief.

They had expected priceless magic materials or rare ores inside.

But instead... they were letters? And so many of them!

Looking closer, aside from the letters, there were only ordinary rations, a water skin, and essential outdoor survival gear.

Along with a nameless book and some potion bottles.

“Uh...” The smile on the merchant's face stiffened. “My lord, could these... actually be letters?”

“Yes,” Lin Gui replied as if it were the most natural thing in the world. “Is there a problem?”

“No, no problem...” The merchant laughed awkwardly.

“Then... do you have any other materials you want to sell? Anything at all, I'll take it off your hands!”

Lin Gui's eyes flickered as if he had remembered something.

He reached deep into his backpack and fumbled around for a moment.

He pulled out a few dull stones with strange patterns that he had swiped from the Ironclad Sovereign.

The merchant leaned in excitedly, but with just one look, his eyes dimmed, and he lost all interest.

“Ten silver coins. Will you sell?”

Lin Gui almost choked on his water. He pointed at the stones.

“Hey! Look closely! These are treasures dropped from the Legendary Demon, the Ironclad Sovereign! I risked my life and barely survived to get these!”

The merchant looked at Lin Gui as if he were an idiot.

“My lord, these things are a dime a dozen in Caran City.”

“Only rookies trying their luck in the Black Demon Forest would pick up these things around that sleeping Sovereign when they absolutely can't find anything else decent.”

“Aside from using them to build walls and houses, they're completely useless.”

Risking your life?

That big guy sleeps for half a year at a time.

Unless you blast him with magic, he won't even care if you kick him. What kind of danger is there?

In the end, Lin Gui sold the space-consuming stones for twelve silver coins.

After resting for a bit, Lin Gui carefully organized the letters in his backpack.

Once he confirmed nothing was missing, he stood up, ready to leave this overpriced outpost.

However, just as he was about to walk toward the cave entrance,

a slender figure appearing outside made him instantly change his mind.

He spun around, quickly pulling down the hood of his robe to cover most of his face.

Shrinking back into the corner, he silently prayed that she wouldn't see him.

The silver-haired, red-eyed elf standing at the entrance, beautiful beyond words—who else could it be but Theia?

Theia's arrival was like throwing a stone into a muddy pond.

It instantly sent ripples through the small outpost.

The weak-willed stared at her peerless face, their eyes gleaming with greed and desire.

However, upon seeing her eyes, they instantly lost their nerve and hurriedly left the outpost.

Meanwhile, the more powerful and experienced adventurers grew wary.

They quietly gripped their weapons, their hearts filled with dread.

Theia ignored the various looks directed at her and scanned the room.

Her crimson eyes locked onto the corner, pinpointing the figure trying to hide under his robe.

A knowing smile played on her lips as she walked straight over and gracefully sat across from Lin Gui.

“I knew you wouldn't go down that easily in there.”

She rested her chin on one hand, looking at him with a beaming smile.

“I'm really curious, how on earth did you escape from that desperate situation?”

“Sigh...”

Lin Gui pulled down his hood with resignation, letting out a heavy sigh.

“I should have just gone straight through Audo Canyon instead of wasting time resting here.”

“How did you find me?”

He pulled out some dry rations and began to chew on them, washing them down with his overpriced water.

“Hmm~”

Theia blinked.

“Originally, I planned to wait for the demon tide to calm down a bit to see if I could go back and scavenge anything.”

“But just as I finished setting up my ambush, I saw you sneaking out.”

“Is that so? What a coincidence,” Lin Gui said, his tone dripping with skepticism.

Theia smiled and added,

“I'm telling the truth.”

“There are only three truly safe paths from the depths of the Black Demon Forest to Audo Canyon.”

“Standing at the top of that big tree by the junction, it would have been hard for me not to see you.”

“So you just followed me here?” Lin Gui raised an eyebrow.

“Aren't you supposed to be hunting that Legendary Demon?”

“Hunting??” Theia burst into laughter as if she had heard a hilarious joke.

“How could a mere Transcendent archer like me harbor such an unrealistic thought? Especially in its own territory.”

That was strange.

If not to hunt it, then why had so many experts from Gold Rank adventure groups gathered there?

Lin Gui recalled his terrifying encounter from the day before, and his expression turned a bit odd.

As Theia continued her story, Lin Gui finally grasped the general context of the event.

It wasn't a hunting mission, but a harvesting one.

What the client needed was the extremely rare 【Umbral Tree Flower】 that grew on Moragus's head.

It was said to be the core alchemical ingredient for brewing a top-tier potion.

And the client possessed a massive background—they were from the current royal family.

Although the era of city-states had greatly weakened imperial power, the royal family, which controlled the giant city of the Royal Capital, still possessed formidable resources and influence.

For the City Lord of Caran City, the demands of the royal family were still something he had to go all out to satisfy.

Primarily, Caran City's own strength was far inferior to that of the Royal Capital.

The royal family was entirely capable of sending high-level combat forces to “supervise” them.

Thus, the City Lord of Caran City showed immense enthusiasm for the mission to harvest the Umbral Tree Flower.

He even added an extra hundred thousand gold coins to the million gold coins originally promised by the royal family.

However, money wasn't the absolute draw for Gold Rank adventure groups.

What truly drove the seven Gold Rank adventure groups to venture into such danger was the 【nobility titles】 promised by the royal family.

Possessing a title of nobility meant securing a place in the Royal Capital,

the giant city-state hailed as the safest place in the southwestern borderlands of Akara.

And the next 【Dark Tide】 to sweep across the continent was only half a year away.

Out of twenty Dark Tides, only the southwest had never faced it directly...

Ten years ago, a mere tributary of it had allowed demons to trample a hundred small city-states in the borderlands.

Let alone the main tide.

No one could guarantee that their own city-state would survive this catastrophe.

...

After listening to Theia's explanation, Lin Gui fell into deep thought.

Why would the royal family use such enticing terms to deplete Caran City's top adventurer forces in what was practically a suicide mission?

To control Caran City? But Caran City had no value; it wasn't even part of the Alliance of Three Thousand City-States.

Regardless, something major was definitely happening in Caran City.

He had to act quickly.

With that in mind, Lin Gui immediately stood up, planning to depart at once.

He looked at Theia, who had also stood up, and couldn't help but ask,

“...Don't tell me you're planning to head back to Caran City too?”

“Of course,” Theia nodded as if it were obvious.

“I'm just a Transcendent Ranger. Do you expect me to go back and offer myself as a snack to that big guy?”

“I'm so charming and lovely, I'd definitely drive him wild. It's better if I stay away.”

“Then have a safe trip. I won't see you off.” Lin Gui immediately sat back down.

Seeing this, Theia couldn't help but giggle, gracefully sitting back down as well.

“Say... you haven't taken a liking to me, have you?”

Lin Gui looked at her, his tone half-teasing but mostly wary.

Hearing this, a sweet, almost cloying smile blossomed on Theia's face.

“Hmm~ Not as of yet~”

“But if we spend more time together, who knows? There might actually be a tiny sliver of a possibility~”

“Since you don't like me, and we've known each other for less than a day, and I genuinely have a very urgent matter to attend to...”

Lin Gui sighed, deciding to lay his cards on the table.

“So, let's part ways here. If fate permits, we'll meet again.”

“Do you really dislike me that much?”

Theia pointed at her flawless face, feigning shock and hurt.

Lin Gui took a sip of his cold water and countered with a question.

“Let me ask you. If an incomparably handsome guy suddenly started following you around and clinging to you after a chance encounter...”

He paused, looking at Theia's devastatingly beautiful face, and added,

“...and you were just an ordinary freckled girl with no money, no looks, and no strength.”

“Would you be happy that a top-tier handsome guy is sticking to you despite your circumstances, or would you be on guard, suspecting he has an ulterior motive?”

Lin Gui's words made his point crystal clear, and his eyes held an undisguised scrutiny and distance.

The smile slowly faded from Theia's face.

She fell silent for a moment, her eerie red eyes gazing sincerely at Lin Gui.

“The lie is...” she spoke softly.

“I want you to be my... what you humans call a ‘simp.’ To hang on my every word and be of use to me.”

“The truth is...”

A hint of undeniable loneliness flickered in her eyes, and her voice grew softer.

“Talking to you makes me feel relaxed and happy.”

“I just... simply want to be your friend.”

“A real friend. One who doesn't look at me with prejudiced eyes.”

“With your strength and looks, I'm sure plenty of people would love to be your friend,” Lin Gui said.

“Is that so?”

Theia tilted her head slightly, gesturing toward the surrounding glances filled with greed, fear, or wariness.

“With these slit pupils and red eyes, I'm sure you've already guessed. Yes, I'm not a pure-blooded elf.”

Her voice was calm, yet carried a barely perceptible tremor.

“I'm a half-demon, half-elf. The absolute bottom of the food chain of discrimination on the Akara Continent.”

She looked up, carefully observing Lin Gui's reaction.

Wandering ever since she left the Elven Forest, she had seen too many looks.

Fear, hatred, greed, lust, avoidance...

Only this man before her had, for the first time, allowed her to read... equality in his eyes.

And in their previous interactions, she could feel that he truly didn't care about her half-demon status.

Now, she was bringing it up herself, wanting to see how he would react upon learning the truth.

Then, she indeed saw an even stronger look of annoyance in Lin Gui's eyes—

a look of annoyance that said, “As expected, this is going to be a hassle.”

For some reason, the corners of Theia's mouth curved upward instead.

She thoroughly enjoyed being treated as “normal.”

“Because of these eyes, I was viewed as an anomaly and a stain. The elves banished me from the Elven Forest.”

“Humans view me as a harbinger of disaster and misfortune. No matter where something bad happens, the blame is always pinned on me first.”

She narrated this in a flat tone, as if speaking about someone else.

“No one wants to be my friend. I've been wandering alone for twenty-five years... I really don't want to be alone anymore.”

She gently extended her slender, pale hand toward Lin Gui, a hint of cautious anticipation in her eyes.

But she deliberately added a touch of playfulness to her tone, trying to lighten the heavy atmosphere:

“So... are you willing to be my very first friend?”

“You know, first times are always memorable. There might be a very high chance of you becoming my lover~”

Lin Gui looked at her outstretched hand and fell silent for a moment.

How could he not want a friend himself?

He had struggled alone in this wretched world for over ten years, and everyone he met was despicable.

The few decent people he met had all...

And the one person who could barely be called his friend... was probably...

Theia's reasoning was clearly a bit absurd.

She liked talking to him, so she clung to him.

She wanted to make friends because he didn't look at her like an anomaly.

Yet, Lin Gui believed her, because in the Adventurer's Guild of New Covenant City, he too was an anomaly.

But he still rejected her request.

“Sorry, but no.”

“Is it because of my identity?” Theia pressed, her eyes dimming for a fraction of a second.

“No,” Lin Gui answered flatly.

“Because I'm leaving Caran City tomorrow.”

“I don't mind!”

Theia leaned forward, her eyes filled with anticipation and nervousness.

“As long as you're willing, we can be friends who talk, visit each other, take on commissions together, and chat about everything on the road!”

“Uh...” Lin Gui instinctively leaned back. “I won't be staying for more than two days, and I don't have the time or energy for that.”

“It's fine! It really is! I just...” Not knowing what to do with her hands, Theia said excitedly, “I just want... someone to talk to.”

Staring at Theia with half-closed, dead-fish eyes, Lin Gui felt that she must be going crazy from loneliness.

Extending his hand to her, Lin Gui said calmly,

“Just ordinary friends. Don't expect too much from me. If we run into real danger, I might be the first to backstab you, if you can accept that.”

Her half-demon status would inevitably bring trouble, so Lin Gui had to set expectations early.

Clasping his hand tightly with both of hers, Theia smiled brilliantly.

“I look forward to the day you backstab me.”