Clutching his backpack, Lin Gui took the lead and squeezed into the narrow passage the crowd was forced to yield.
He went straight to the manager and said without preamble, "I want to issue a commission."
The manager swallowed nervously, his eyes involuntarily darting toward Theia beside Lin Gui.
"Th-this adventurer lord, if you want to find someone to run errands, you only need to call out. A bunch of mud-legged paupers would fight for the chance."
"Is that so?"
Lin Gui blinked and looked around at the cowering, fearful commoners.
He dragged a dust-covered stool out from a corner.
Discarding all concern for his image, he stepped onto it, placed his hands on his hips, and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Missing-person commission!! Missing-person commission!! One silver coin for finding a person! Bring them here and get an extra silver coin!"
Amplification Magic projected his voice into every corner of the hall, causing it to boom and echo.
People looked at one another, but no one dared to step forward first. The half-demon, who symbolized ill omens, was standing right beside him.
"Finding people? Lin Gui, who are you looking for? I may not have friends, but I know a few people. Maybe I know the one you're looking for."
Theia leaned over and asked in a low voice.
Lin Gui did not answer.
He walked straight toward the dispatch hall’s mottled wooden wall and pulled out a thick stack of envelopes and adhesive tape.
Slap!!!
Lin Gui pressed the first letter against the wall and shouted loudly, "Price Bard! Male! Forty-seven years old! Short brown curly hair, three crisscrossing scars on his left hand! Bitten by Big Yellow from the neighboring village as a kid—the tooth marks are still on his face! This letter—it was sent by your father, Price Locke, who was separated from you ten years ago! Come and sign for it!"
His movements didn't stop, and he posted letter after letter! His voice grew louder and louder, like the beat of a drum that had been silent for too long!
"Ella Bramble! Female! Twenty-nine years old! Tear-shaped mole under her right eye, and a section of her left eyebrow is missing! Fell from a tree when she was a child—she has a coin-sized scar on her right calf! This letter—it was written to you by your mother, Mrs. Carol, whom you haven't seen in ten years! Come and sign for it!"
"Anvil Heavyhammer! Male! Thirty-eight years old! Beard braided into three thick plaits, big red nose! Drank too much and arm-wrestled his dwarven boss—his right thumb is still crooked! This letter—it was sent by your brother, Bronzebeard, from the depths of the mines, whom you haven't seen in ten years! Come and sign for it!"
He caught his breath and continued to shout with resounding force.
The crisp slapping sounds against the wall rang out incessantly, acting like a metronome that shattered the oppressive silence of the dispatch center.
Letters? What a foreign term. Since a staggering number of demons had occupied the wilderness, contact between city-states had dwindled to almost zero.
Post offices had long ago withdrawn from the stage of history. Yet now, an adventurer had come specifically to deliver letters.
Lin Gui's shouts continued to ring.
Many years later, those who were there would still feel a profound sense of shock when they recalled this scene.
A simply dressed mage, standing in a dilapidated slum, calling out forgotten names one by one.
Pinning each care from a distant place, each longing, onto the wall where hope still remained.
Theia's mouth hung open slightly.
She had always assumed Lin Gui was looking for his own family, or at least someone he knew. She never expected that he would cross forests and canyons at the risk of his life and come to this city just to deliver letters.
To deliver letters to a bunch of strangers?
And it wasn't just one or two...
Under everyone's stunned gaze, Lin Gui completely filled the entire wall. Hundreds of letters overlapped like warm armor covering the cold wooden boards, bringing a shock that was almost divine.
As he posted the final letter, Lin Gui read in a raspy voice.
"Bruce... male... twenty-five years old... muscular but afraid of dogs... bragged last time that he could out-drink a squad of beastkin, only to be knocked out by a single cup of cider and hung from the tavern's sign all night... this letter was sent by your former boss, Little Finger... come and sign for it."
He slumped to the ground, feeling as if a fire were burning in his throat.
Six hundred seventy-nine letters in total.
Now, he truly regretted taking this order.
Among the crowd, a ragged woman pushed past the people around her and stepped out. Her hands trembled as her calloused fingers gripped each other tightly. She gazed blankly at Lin Gui, her voice shaking.
"I... I am Arcas's mother, Romy... the restaurant manager wouldn't let us keep long hair, saying he'd fine us if hair fell into the food..."
She instinctively touched her uneven short hair and choked out.
"I don't have long hair now... but the year my son and I were separated, I did... My child... is he still alive?"
Lin Gui stood up tremulously while leaning against the wall. Checking his recorded list, he took down a letter from the eighty-fourth column of the ninety-seventh row.
He walked over to the woman, looked into her eyes—filled with disbelief and a faint glimmer of light—and asked, "Your husband's name? Where was your home?"
"Sawyer Bazel... Woodcreek Village."
The information matched. Lin Gui handed the letter over.
Romy took it with trembling hands and frantically tore the envelope open.
In her haste, the letter fell to the ground. She hurriedly knelt to pick it up, and when her gaze touched the familiar address on the first page, tears instantly rolled down her weathered cheeks.
"Arcas... my child... ugh..."
She clutched the letter tightly to her chest, sobbing uncontrollably.
A faint smile played on Lin Gui's lips. His gaze swept over the still-dazed crowd, and he suddenly raised his arm.
His voice was hoarse from exhaustion, but it was exceptionally bright.
"One silver coin for each letter! Bring the recipient to me, and you'll get another silver coin!"
"What are you waiting for? This might be the only chance in your life to earn two silver coins so easily!"
"Get moving—someone you know might be waiting for one of these letters!"
These words were like a clap of thunder that instantly woke the stunned crowd.
"I think I heard Legos's name! He did say before that he came here as a refugee from New Covenant City!"
"Heavens! It's Egwin! The Egwin who was caught taking a dump in the woods by the girl he liked? He's writing me a letter? He wouldn't be coming to collect a debt, would he?"
"Grandma Moore! Your old man sent a letter!!"
In an instant, the crowd surged. Some rushed out the door toward the homes of their acquaintances. Others squeezed in front of the wall, carefully identifying characteristics in hopes of earning the money. Still others came running at the sound of the commotion to witness this unprecedented spectacle.
Amidst the clamor, Theia was still staring blankly at Lin Gui.
Along the journey, he had rarely smiled and had always been frowning. But at this moment, there seemed to be a light in his eyes.
That helpless yet bright smile was like a beam of sunlight suddenly piercing through a swamp. It was so dazzling that she could not look away.
"Hey! Why are you standing there in a daze? Come over and help!"
Lin Gui was struggling to maintain order as he turned and shouted at Theia.
"Huh?"
She pointed at herself. Before she could react, he yanked her into the surging, warm crowd.
Rate on N.U.
