New Covenant City, Adventurer's Guild.
The clamor was like a heatwave, rolling between the thick wooden beams, carrying the sour tang of ale and the acrid sting of tobacco.
However, when a certain figure pushed open the heavy oak door, the wave of noise at the entrance plummeted as if suddenly suppressed.
He was wrapped in a deep grey mage robe that was washed out to a pale shade, with severe wear at the elbows.
His wide hood was pulled low, revealing only a few strands of messy black hair falling from within.
In his hand was a seemingly simple oak staff, though the wood had been rubbed smooth and warm by time and his palms.
He stepped soundlessly, walking through the hall.
Wherever he passed, the movements of adventurers raising their cups froze, and their conversations turned into suppressed whispers.
He walked straight to the counter and wordlessly lifted a heavy burlap sack onto the surface.
Stains of deep purple bordering on black soaked the coarse fabric, emitting a faint, metallic scent of blood.
As the mouth of the bag was pulled open, a hideous head was exposed under the dim yellow light.
Its dark red skin was covered in coarse scales, and its hollow eye sockets seemed to still hold a trace of feral malice.
The pair of giant, curved scythe-like horns on its forehead caused the air to instantly freeze.
"It's a High Scythe-Horned Demon," a raspy voice from a corner difficultly broke the silence.
"B-rank commission, 95 gold coins."
"To kill—by himself—a demon that would require an entire Silver Rank party to handle..."
Someone marveled in a low voice, their tone filled with utter disbelief.
"A wandering mage, self-taught... A pity he doesn't understand the ways of the world," an old adventurer draped in a cloak shook his head and commented.
"Hmph, he doesn't even have a certification from a magic tower. What's there to be so arrogant about?" a young warrior in ornate armor curled his lip in disdain, though his voice was kept very low.
The sounds of discussion were intentionally amplified, intermingled with the smell of alcohol, carrying clear notes of jealousy and exclusion.
Yet, no one dared to truly step forward to provoke him.
The receptionist timidly pushed out a coin pouch, the gold coins clinking with a crisp sound.
"Your bounty, Master Mage Lin Gui."
Her fingers trembled slightly as she kept her head down, not daring to look him in the eye.
Lin Gui indifferently accepted it and stuffed it into his robe without a second look, remaining oblivious to the noise behind him.
He turned and walked toward the notice board covered in commissions, the hem of his robe drawing a cold arc.
Every inch of progress on the path of magic had to be paved with gold—this was the most profound realization he had gained over the past ten years.
The tasks on the board were strange and varied.
Exterminate a rat nest (1 gold), find a cat (10 gold), noble tutor (30 gold), high wall instructor (5 gold), demon campaign (from 15 gold), escort a noble to Caran City (3,000 gold)...
...They were almost entirely bounties from the wealthy and powerful, with very few commissions from commoners.
The world had always been this way; money, power, and strength ruled everything.
His gaze swept casually across the corner before suddenly freezing on a yellowed piece of parchment with curled edges.
It was pinned in the least conspicuous spot, its edges already tattered.
【Carrier Pigeon】
Number: G-1024
Type: Transport
Grade: A-rank (Extremely Dangerous)
Content: Deliver 54 letters to Caran City.
Reward: 15 gold, 45 silver, 59 copper
Requirement: None
Remarks: We beg a Master Adventurer for assistance; the owners of these letters are all those separated during the Great Evacuation. We only hope our distant relatives will know that we are alive. Do not worry for us.
Just then, a small boy in tattered clothes slipped in, dodging the coarse gazes around him like a startled sparrow.
He stood on his tiptoes and with great effort placed three copper coins, so worn that their patterns were nearly invisible, on the edge of the counter.
Then, as if he had been burned, he retracted his hand and quickly ran back out.
The receptionist sighed silently, a flash of pity appearing in her eyes.
She skillfully pulled out the commission slip and used a quill to modify the numbers.
The old paper on the notice board was replaced, though the content remained the same.
Only the number in the reward column moved slightly: 15 gold, 45 silver, 62 copper.
"Has this commission... been posted for a long time?"
Lin Gui's voice suddenly rang out, low and clear.
The receptionist was startled, nearly knocking over the inkwell in her hand.
Could the Master Mage known for being cold and aloof have spoken up of his own accord? This was almost more rare than a demon slaughtering a city.
"Ye... Yes, Master Mage, it has been almost five years,"
she stammered in response.
"Starting from 15 copper, those people have saved a few copper coins every day, adding to it bit by bit until today..."
"The reward is acceptable, but this is an A-rank cross-city mission; 15 gold coins is too little."
Indeed, the other two A-rank transport commissions on the board had rewards reaching thousands of gold.
Yet this Carrier Pigeon commission only offered 15 gold...
In the wilderness of today, monsters and demons were everywhere.
On the southwestern frontier, the minimum standard for crossing the wilderness was to be a Transcendent.
Yet in New Covenant Town, the strongest individual was only at the Mid-tier High Rank.
To this day, no one had the strength to walk out of New Covenant Town... except for Lin Gui.
His personal strength could not be called overwhelming, as he was only at the Low-tier High Rank, but he was exceptionally skilled in concealment magic.
Relying on concealment magic developed specifically for hiding, he had actually crossed through multiple dangerous territories to visit the Magic City.
He had just nearly lost his life on the way back, returning covered in wounds, and had to recuperate for a full six months before he could stand up.
His fingertips brushed over the coarse surface of the paper, his gaze branded onto the remark at the bottom.
The handwriting was crooked and messy, clearly coming from many different hands.
The receptionist did not know that Lin Gui had always been keeping an eye on this commission, and even remembered the faces of most of the clients.
They were the commoners who came rushing in every time they saved a few copper coins, their eyes filled with humble hope.
"Conveying safety, huh..." His eyes dimmed.
The roaring flames, the heads hanging from the city walls, the tall nose bridges of the nobles...
At least these people still had a chance to tell their relatives they were safe, whereas his own people would never have that chance again.
And then... there was himself.
Holding the parchment commission, Lin Gui fell into a dilemma, his knuckles turning slightly white from the force of his grip.
Before, his strength was insufficient, and leaving the city was suicide.
Now that he had returned from the Magic City, his strength had achieved a breakthrough, and his mastery of concealment magic had deepened.
Furthermore, the distance from New Covenant to Caran City was not far; he only needed to cross the Black Demon Forest and Audo Canyon to arrive.
To reach the Magic City, he had traversed the Rotten Moss Swamp, the Crying Blood Hills, and the Skull-Crusher Pass.
Lethal miasma, lurking horrors, blood-soaked earth, and grounds covered in shattered bones and skulls...
Compared to those three Forbidden Zones, the Black Demon Forest and Audo Canyon were nothing.
He didn't even need to find a Golden Route... he just had to bypass the territories where the most dangerous, powerful demons resided.
But if he accepted it, it meant working for free.
15 gold coins was a lot for a commoner, but none of the equipment, potions, or supplies needed to cross the wilderness were cheap.
No matter how he calculated it, this deal was a loss.
Having been in this world for over ten years, he was no longer the pseudo-saint who couldn't bear to see tragedy happen around him.
The struggle for survival in the slums had taught him his first lesson: kindness is a poison that will only harm oneself.
Good deeds without the backing of capability will eventually drag one into the mire as well.
...He had seen too many examples of good intentions meeting bad ends, and had even experienced it himself a few times.
But this time, he could not simply turn away.
That line, "We only hope our distant relatives will know that we are alive," was like a thorn pricked into the softest part of his heart.
One finds nagged concerns annoying while striving, only realizing their value after they are lost.
To this day, he still remembered the impatience he felt during the last phone call with his mother before he transmigrated.
He never even got the chance to say, "I'm doing well," anymore.
And...
Consider it a way to compensate for the sins he had committed against them.
Besides, it was just delivering letters; it wouldn't hurt him, and it would only take three days to reach Caran City.
It was just something on the way.
Under the shocked gazes of the receptionist and the numerous adventurers.
Lin Gui reached out and steadily tore down the commission that had been hanging for ten years.
The paper made a slight crisp sound, like the breaking of some kind of shackle.
"This commission."
His voice was not loud, but it was decisive, clearly reaching every corner of the hall that had suddenly fallen silent.
"I accept it."
As soon as the words left his mouth, a gentle and ancient voice rang out in the depths of his mind:
【Though a thousand mountains age the letters, a promise is worth ten thousand gold.】
【May the bonds across ten thousand miles never fade; may a single page of peace convey your longing.】
【Messenger System at your service. Let us light up all the isolated city-states together.】
At that moment, Lin Gui felt a small crack quietly open in a frozen corner of his heart.
A long-lost warmth flowed out, making him feel almost a bit unaccustomed to it.
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