Half a day later, at the entrance of the Labor Dispatch Center in the slums.
Passersby stopped one after another, looking in surprise at the crowd gathered outside the doors.
Sobs rose and fell, interweaving in the air like a sorrowful symphony.
“Your mother's name? And the name of the hometown where she lived twenty-five years ago?”
Holding a yellowed envelope, Theia softly questioned the plainly dressed girl before her.
The afterglow of the setting sun spilled over her long silver hair, reflecting a faint red light.
The girl's body trembled slightly, her gaze filled with a touch of fear.
She warily sized up the elf with silver hair and red eyes.
Terrifying legends of the Demon Race kept flashing through her mind, making her nearly unable to stand steady.
“Your mother's name, and the name of the hometown from twenty-five years ago,” Theia repeated, her voice as gentle as a feather.
“...Yelle Vicky... My hometown is Molo City,” the girl whispered in a voice as soft as a mosquito's hum.
“Mhm, you are indeed her daughter. Here is the letter.”
Theia held the envelope out.
The girl snatched it quickly, pulling her hand back like a startled fawn before turning to run.
Her footsteps were exceptionally frantic in the dust-filled alleyway.
Theia sighed softly, her silver eyelashes drooping.
She really didn't understand why Lin Gui insisted on having her do this job.
Given her identity as a half-demon, she was lucky enough just not to scare people away.
“That elf sister!! Thank you!!”
The girl's crisp shout suddenly drifted in from outside the door.
Theia looked up in surprise, only to see the dust kicked up at the alley entrance shimmering in the setting sun.
The figure had already disappeared.
She pursed her lips and grumbled in a low voice.
“She thanked me, yet she ran off quite quickly...”
As she spoke, she couldn't help but let out a laugh.
That smile was like thawing ice and snow.
Sunlight pierced through the clouds, inadvertently tugging at the heartstrings of many onlookers.
“Hey, Theia, did you tell her to write a reply?”
Lin Gui had just returned from the bank after exchanging five hundred silver coins.
While handing two silver coins to a person who had brought a recipient, he turned to ask Theia.
Fine beads of sweat from his exertion still clung to his forehead.
“Uh—I forgot.”
Theia rubbed the tip of her nose sheepishly.
“Then go chase her down, quickly!”
Under Lin Gui's repeated urging, Theia walked out of the dispatch center reluctantly.
Theia leaped across the city-state.
With a light kick, she used the protrusions of the staggered wooden houses to leap up to the highest point in the slums.
The top of an abandoned watchtower.
The wind whipped her silver hair, drawing an elegant arc in the sunset.
Placing her right hand over her brow, a faint light flickered within Theia's ruby-like eyes.
Before long, she spotted the girl's figure in an alleyway not far away.
After leaving the dispatch center, Anni clutched the letter tightly, the corners of her mouth curling upward uncontrollably.
She skipped forward through the golden glow of the sunset like a happy fawn.
Her steps were light and agile as she nimbly navigated the labyrinthine slums.
Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the eaves, casting dappled shadows over her.
The neighbor's little black dog wagged its tail and followed her.
Anni fished a small breadcrumb out of her pocket and tossed it over.
She even tilted her face up and imitated a fat rich man she remembered, saying to the dog, “Blackie, I'm in a good mood today, so this is your reward~”
“Hahaha~”
She laughed first, spreading her arms to feel the cool breeze passing through her fingers.
She trotted all the way home.
Before she even stepped through the door, Anni's crisp voice rang out inside.
“Grandma!! A letter from Grandpa is here!!”
At the door, an old woman leaning on a cane had been waiting for a long time.
Time had carved wrinkles all over her face, yet her eyes remained bright.
She took the letter Anni handed her, her calloused fingers gently stroking the envelope.
She didn't seem overly excited, as if this were just an ordinary letter.
After tearing it open and finishing it, she smiled faintly, fine crow's-feet appearing at the corners of her eyes.
Anni asked in confusion, “Grandma, why aren't you crying? There were so many people at the dispatch center entrance who started crying before they even opened their letters.”
The old woman patted her granddaughter's head and said with a smile.
“Grandma is already eighty years old; I've long passed the age of getting sentimental over everything.”
Her voice was as gentle as the evening breeze.
“Is that so? I don't really understand...”
“You will understand in the future.”
Right then, a light cough came from the roof.
“Ahem—well... little girl, remember to write a reply.”
“Deliver the letter to the dispatch center, and Lin Gui will be responsible for taking your letters back to New Covenant City.”
By the time Anni looked up, Theia had already vanished, leaving only the wind chimes on the eaves still tinkling softly.
By the time night fell and the Labor Dispatch Center was about to close.
Lin Gui took the envelopes down from the wall and counted them by the dim light, letting out a long sigh.
The light stretched his shadow, making it sway against the mottled wall.
Of the six hundred and seventy-nine letters, one hundred and eighty-four remained.
Half a day was enough time for the laborers to circle all of Caran City several times.
The recipients of these remaining three hundred-plus letters had likely already fallen during that Great Evacuation.
Putting the envelopes into his backpack, Lin Gui clapped his hands and said to Theia.
“Thanks for the hard work. I'll treat you to dinner.”
Rubbing her shoulders, Theia asked casually.
“How much money can you make from this trip?”
Make money? Lin Gui rolled his eyes; he was paying out of his own pocket, okay?
“Barely enough to get by.”
“Soft-hearted? Kind?”
Theia looked at Lin Gui with a trace of worry; in the Dark Age, kind people never came to a good end.
The flickering candlelight reflected in her red pupils.
Furthermore, Theia could see that he didn't seem to plan on delivering letters only this once.
Naturally, Lin Gui wasn't a selfless saint; if not for the system binding him, this would have been his last trip.
He couldn't speak of the system, so he could only let Theia think whatever she wanted.
Leading Theia, Lin Gui left the slums and entered the Citizen District.
Compared to the filth and chaos of the slums, this area near the castle was much cleaner and tidier.
The flagstone roads were smooth and level, flanked by meticulously manicured greenery.
Small brick houses with red roofs were arranged neatly, and everyone coming and going was dressed magnificently.
Even the servants and waiters didn't have a single patch on their clothes.
A faint floral fragrance permeated the air, forming a sharp contrast with the dusty smell of the slums.
“Apologies, we do not serve half-demons here.”
“Sorry, Miss Theia is not welcome here.”
“Sir, your attire does not meet our requirements for serving guests; we only serve customers wearing Kalu clothing.”
“Halt, commoner; only nobles may enter this place. Your footsteps would pollute the very air here.”
...
After hitting one wall after another, Lin Gui was incredibly frustrated.
Theia was already used to it, but she was actually amused by Lin Gui's sullen appearance.
Her laughter was as crisp as wind chimes.
“I think I might understand why you don't have any friends; this place doesn't welcome half-demons... or the broke.”
Pointing at himself, Lin Gui complained.
His clothes were indeed faded from washing, but they were clean.
Even if he showed his silver adventurer's badge, the other party wouldn't hide their internal disdain.
The waiter's gaze was as contemptuous as if he were looking at something filthy.
“It's already considered good; at least this city allows me to earn money and live here...”
As if recalling her experiences in other cities, Theia's eyes dimmed slightly.
Her fingers unconsciously twirled a lock of her silver hair.
Looking at Lin Gui, she smiled.
“Besides, I met you, a friend~”
“I'm actually quite happy; at least you're different from the others. You don't fear my eyes.”
Lin Gui rolled his eyes and said.
“I don't see what there is to be afraid of.”
“Half-demon blood flows through my body, you know~ that means I have a blood relative who is a true demon.”
Pointing at her eyes, Theia spoke seriously.
“And I actually quite like my demon father; he loved Mother, and he loved me...”
“I'm also a street kid who grew up in the garbage bins of the slums, a filthy thing in the mouths of nobles, someone who should be expelled according to the words of the City-State Alliance Treaty...”
“Common sense says you should also be suspicious and feel disgusted... just like them.”
Lin Gui stopped in his tracks and pointed at a local wealthy merchant outside a luxurious restaurant, who was whipping a waiter at will.
The merchant's mouth was full of derogatory words; the reason he was whipping the other man was because he had discovered a patch hidden deep within his white shirt.
This was something only a person who came out of the slums would sew on...
Theia smiled helplessly; a half-demon capable of inciting panic and a commoner of low birth.
No matter how one thought about it, there was no comparison.
“Fine, since the restaurants don't welcome us, I'll cook personally. I'll let you taste my skills.”
“Eh??”
Rate on N.U.
