On the other side, Lin Gui followed Simon as they wound their way through the streets and alleys of the Royal Capital.
The length of this journey was completely beyond his expectations.
The sun had been slanting in the sky when they departed, but now it hung directly overhead.
They had circled nearly half of the Seventh Ring.
During this time, the news of the prophecy made by the Saintess in the palace spread rapidly.
“Did you hear? Her Holiness has made a prophecy! She said our Carter Royal Capital will continue to exist in the future, and it will be completely transformed!”
“God bless Carter! This means the Dark Tide will not be born here!”
“That’s wonderful! We don’t have to die! We don’t have to become refugees!”
The entire Royal Capital was plunged into a state of ecstatic relief, as if they had just survived a disaster.
Whether it was the shopkeepers, the passing pedestrians, or even the refugees who were usually numb and struggling only to survive, everyone poured onto the streets.
Faces were filled with unbelievable joy as they vied with one another to relay the incredible news.
Laughter, cheers, and emotional sobs echoed everywhere.
Cries of “Long live the Saintess” resounded through the filthy streets.
Lin Gui and Simon wove through this sudden ocean of celebration.
Several times, excited strangers among the refugees grabbed Lin Gui by the arm, incoherently repeating the prophecy.
Lin Gui could only nod in response with a slight sense of awkwardness, though he felt a weight lift from his heart as well.
The news that the Dark Tide would not be born in the borderlands was undoubtedly positive.
At the very least, when he eventually sent his return letters to New Covenant City, he wouldn't have to worry about his destination having ceased to exist.
However... he subconsciously thought of Elvia.
After this event, the Seventh Princess would likely be even less willing to abandon her influence in the Royal Capital and leave with him.
It seemed he would have to look for a new traveling companion who was as trustworthy as Theia.
That way, he could fill the void in combat power after reaching Avalon.
He pulled his thoughts together and continued following Simon.
After another hour of twists and turns, the surrounding buildings became increasingly dilapidated and ancient.
Finally, the two of them stopped in front of an inconspicuous antique shop.
The characters on the shop sign had long since faded into illegibility.
The wooden door was crooked, looking as if a single gust of wind could blow it over.
Lin Gui frowned.
He remembered flying over this area during his search, but the system had given no reaction.
He was certain the Tomb of Catriona was not here.
Simon pushed open the creaking wooden door and led the way inside.
The interior was dimly lit, and the air was thick with the scent of decaying wood and dust.
The shelves were cluttered with a mess of rusted metal components, broken ceramic jars, and other miscellaneous junk whose original forms were indistinguishable.
It didn’t look like a place for business; it looked more like a warehouse for discarded waste.
Behind the counter sat an old man with hair and a beard as white as snow, his face covered in deep, furrowed wrinkles.
He wore an old robe that had faded to white from washing and had his eyes closed, looking as if he were asleep.
However, Lin Gui’s keen perception told him this old man was not simple.
“Mage Lin Gui,” Simon whispered into Lin Gui’s ear, “this is the one who provided me with that brick.”
“He told me he wanted to meet you. He might know about Queen Catriona, whom you are trying to find.”
Before Lin Gui could ask anything, the shopkeeper slowly opened his eyes.
They were exceptionally clear and sharp, a stark contrast to his elderly appearance.
His gaze was like a torch, landing directly on Lin Gui as he asked in a raspy voice, “Young man, why are you searching for the resting place of Queen Catriona?”
Lin Gui replied directly, “I was asked by someone to deliver something there.”
There was actually nothing to hide regarding Catriona or the Hero. However, to prevent anyone from tricking him with false information, he hadn’t disclosed too many details in his commission.
When Lin Gui said he was “asked by someone,” the old shopkeeper’s eyes flickered slightly.
He pressed further, “Asked by whom?”
“Reinhardt.”
“Reinhardt?!” The old shopkeeper suddenly stood up from his chair.
His previously hunched frame straightened instantly.
A powerful aura radiated uncontrollably from him, causing the air in the entire shop to solidify.
Lin Gui frowned.
The man clearly knew the Carter Hero. While this excited Lin Gui, the aura the man emitted acted like a bucket of cold water.
Legendary...
This ordinary-looking shopkeeper was actually a Legendary powerhouse.
Lin Gui’s heart shook violently, and the mana within his body began to circulate instantly.
What on earth? An antique shopkeeper in the refugee district was a Legendary?
Lin Gui knew the man was not simple, but this was beyond the pale!
Could this be a trap?
The magic circuits for the Shroud of the Gloomy Night were quietly constructed, ready to be activated at any moment.
The old shopkeeper seemed to realize his loss of composure and immediately restrained his aura.
However, the excitement in his eyes remained difficult to conceal.
He stared fixedly at Lin Gui, his voice trembling almost imperceptibly.
“That Hero... he asked you to deliver something to the Queen's Tomb? He... he is still alive?”
Lin Gui could see the reverence the shopkeeper held for the Hero, and he relaxed his vigilance slightly.
Lin Gui shook his head and replied, “He is gone. I am merely carrying out the request of his lingering obsession to deliver an item to the Tomb of Catriona.”
Upon hearing that the Hero was gone, the old shopkeeper let out a long sigh.
“Right, how could he still be alive?”
His tone made Lin Gui even more puzzled.
It felt as if the man didn’t just know of him, but actually had some personal connection to that Hero.
Although Lin Gui wasn't an archaeologist, the timeline of that trapezoidal tomb must be very distant.
Many pieces of Stellar-tier equipment, also known as the Legendary Rank, had already lost their luster.
In the Royal Library, recent history was clearly documented, and there was no history of the capital ever being moved.
Regardless, his search for Catriona’s tomb across the entire Royal Capital finally had a lead.
And it wasn't just any lead.
In fact, Lin Gui was certain he had essentially found the tomb.
After witnessing the old shopkeeper's reaction to the Hero’s name—which he had never mentioned in the commission—the reverence, nostalgia, and sorrow were impossible to fake.
Since the man knew the Hero, he surely understood that period of history which no longer existed in the modern Carter Kingdom.
He must also know the location of the Tomb of Queen Catriona. At the very least, that was the basis on which the man had sought him out.
“What is the item he wants you to deliver?”
Lin Gui hesitated for a moment, his expression becoming somewhat strange, but he eventually told the truth.
“His bones. He missed Queen Catriona and wanted to see her one last time, so he instructed me to bring his remains to the Tomb of Queen Catriona.”
Simon, standing to the side, listened with wide eyes and couldn’t help but butt in to repeat the absurd process.
“Wait... you’re saying a soul asked you to deliver his bones into the Queen’s Tomb?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
Lin Gui nodded. Aside from the fact that the one who truly commissioned him was the system, this was basically correct.
The old shopkeeper’s brow furrowed tightly as his cloudy yet sharp eyes stared intently at Lin Gui.
“You... can use soul magic.”
Lin Gui blinked and silently cast the novice soul magic awarded by the system.
Novice soul magic—Clarity.
As the chant sounded, Lin Gui’s mind became a bit clearer.
And then... nothing else happened.
That was as much as a novice spell could achieve. Magic only reached lethal power at the Mid Rank.
After casting it, Lin Gui wasn't entirely sure if the man had recognized it as a soul-element spell.
After all, soul-element magic was extremely rare.
In the publicly available magic catalogs, registered soul spells were even fewer than those of Prophecy, with only twelve in total.
However, to Lin Gui’s surprise, the suspicious look on the shopkeeper’s face vanished the moment he cast Clarity.
The man saw the soul energy overflowing from Lin Gui.
The solemn atmosphere in the antique shop dissipated instantly.
Upon learning that Lin Gui was there to fulfill Reinhardt’s final wish, the gloom in the shopkeeper’s eyes actually turned into goodwill.
Beside him, Simon looked as if he had seen a ghost.
“And the bones? Where are they now?”
Lin Gui didn't answer but asked instead, “Do you know where the Queen's Tomb is?”
The old shopkeeper hesitated for a moment before shaking his head and saying firmly, “I do not.”
Lin Gui was left speechless. Although he knew the man was lying... why ask so many questions if he didn’t know?
His gaze was so nakedly accusing that the old shopkeeper grew a bit embarrassed and coughed a few times before saying, “Um, you said you’re here to fulfill Reinhardt’s lingering obsession. Do you have a token that can prove his identity?”
Lin Gui reached into his robe and pulled out the ring that had been on the finger of the Hero's bones.
As he brought it out, he carefully studied the man’s expression.
When the man saw the ring, he looked as if he had been struck by lightning.
Lin Gui felt a secret surge of joy.
There really was light at the end of the tunnel. That adventure group commission he had disliked had ultimately led him to this clue.
Just as he was about to show the ring to the man, there was a light creak.
The dilapidated wooden door of the antique shop was pushed open from the outside.
A refined, peaceful voice that seemed capable of cleansing the soul drifted in along with the light from outside.
“Excuse me, is Holy Saint Lin Gui here?”
Lin Gui snapped his head toward the entrance.
A young girl in pure white Holy Saintess attire stood there quietly, her eyes closed.
She had pale golden hair that resembled autumn ginkgo leaves, and her entire body radiated a tranquil, sacred glow.
It was the Holy Saintess of Light, Isaiah Eve.
Standing behind the Saintess was Elvia, who looked incredibly nervous and was repeatedly shooting signals to Lin Gui with her eyes, and Disciplinary Knight Daniel.
Lin Gui was astonished that the Saintess he had seen from a distance that morning had suddenly come to find him.
But what shocked him even more was the monstrous surge of killing intent that flashed past from behind him.
From the corner of his eye, Lin Gui clearly saw that the moment the old shopkeeper heard the Saintess’s voice, his face turned deathly dark, his eyes filled with undisguised... intent to kill.
But it returned to normal very quickly.
Beside him, Simon’s right hand had already silently moved to the hilt of the saber at his waist.
“???”
Killing intent at the first sight of the Saintess?
Alarm bells rang in Lin Gui’s heart, and the mana within him accelerated instantly.
The magic circuits for the Shroud of the Gloomy Night were already fully constructed.
With just a thought, he could completely merge into the shadows and make his escape.
Though he didn't understand why, Lin Gui seemed to have been dragged into a vortex he knew nothing about.
Because of the Saintess’s sudden arrival, the atmosphere inside the antique shop instantly became explosive.
Rate on N.U.
