The following afternoon, at the Labor Dispatch Center.
[System Weekly Mission Completion Rate → 69%]
Lin Gui handed the final letter to the only recipient who had come to the door that afternoon.
Immediately after, the system prompt rang out in his mind.
[Ding! System Weekly Mission Completion Rate → 70%, Weekly Commission Completed]
[System Weekly Mission Completion Rate → 71%, Weekly Commission Completed]
[......]
[Content Completed: 54 deliverable family letters have been completed (48/54)]
[Rewards being distributed...]
[You have completed the delivery of 48 mission envelopes and will receive 48 random Novice Magic spells]
[Would you like to begin drawing them?]
Hearing the system's question, Lin Gui simply curled his lip.
He continued to bury his head in his work, packing away the remaining hundred or so letters on the table.
The completion notification meant that the recipients of the remaining six letters were likely no longer among the living.
Since only one person had come all afternoon, it was time to prepare for the return journey.
He patted the bulging travel bag, which was now filled with heavy reply letters.
Heaving the bag over his shoulder, Lin Gui turned to leave.
“Are you leaving already? Aren't you going to stay another night? I still wanted to eat the food you cook.”
Theia’s voice carried a distinct note of reluctance.
This was especially true after she had tasted the unexpectedly delicious meal last night.
Initially, she had been deeply skeptical of Lin Gui's culinary skills; after all, it was rare to see an adventurer who could cook.
But afterward, she had cleared the table of every single dish.
She subconsciously licked her lips.
It was as if she were still savoring the surprising lingering aroma from the night before.
More importantly, Lin Gui was her only friend.
If he left, she would return to a lonely life where there was no one to talk to.
Lin Gui summoned his basilisk, placed the heavy bag securely into the saddlebag, and looked back.
“In that case, why not come with me? Join my Messenger Adventure Group.”
“......”
Theia shrugged, offering a helpless, bitter smile.
“I... would still like to live a few more years.”
Last night, she had also suggested forming an adventure group with Lin Gui.
However, the man was clearly determined to walk the path of a messenger to the very end.
And it wasn't limited to just New Covenant City and Caran City.
According to him.
As long as there were thoughts and longings that needed to be conveyed, he would eventually go anywhere—even to the Demon God's fortress.
After learning of this near-suicidal future goal.
Theia had tried to dissuade him for a long time, but not only did it have no effect, she was almost persuaded by him instead.
“Fair enough. Take care of yourself then. If I pass through here in the future, I'll come see you,” Lin Gui said.
His invitation for Theia to join was sincere. Her eyes, which could peer into danger, would be extremely useful to him.
But he had only mentioned it half-jokingly.
If she actually agreed, he would probably have to use "paltry wages and sky-high danger" to talk her out of it.
He drove the basilisk forward slowly. At the moment he was about to step through the threshold.
Lin Gui suddenly turned his head and said to Theia with a light laugh:
“Then, farewell, Theia Windrunner, my friend.”
Theia's long ears flicked sensitively as her eyes widened.
This was the first time Lin Gui had called her by her full name, and the first time he had explicitly referred to her as a "friend."
She suddenly dashed out, watching Lin Gui's receding back, and waved her hand forcefully while shouting:
“Make sure you stay alive!! Lin Gui!!!”
In the distance, Lin Gui made a gesture she didn't understand as a response.
...
[......]
[......]
[Ahem...]
[About that, Host... do you want to draw the 48 random Novice Magic spells?]
After turning through several deep and narrow alleys, following the clues provided by the laborers.
Lin Gui arrived at a remote tailor shop.
Pushing the door open, a woman wearing an old apron looked up at the sound.
At first glance, Lin Gui noticed the disability on her hand.
This was indeed the shopkeeper's long-lost wife, Marina.
Before leaving Caran City, there were two letters Lin Gui had to deliver personally.
One was the testament of that adventure group leader who had been brutally killed by a Hero Rank demon.
The other was from the magic shopkeeper, and the envelope contained several hundred gold coins.
The dispatch center was full of prying eyes. If someone with ill intentions saw this, it would likely bring a lethal calamity upon Marina.
He had to be cautious.
“Hello, Lord Adventurer. Is there anything I can do for you?”
Marina bowed respectfully, a trace of imperceptible fear in her gaze.
Her small tailor shop was in a remote location, and her customers were mostly nearby workers and peasants.
The sudden visit of this strange, important-looking figure made her feel uneasy.
Lin Gui placed a heavy bag of gold coins on the counter.
He then pulled out a letter and handed it to Marina, explaining:
“This is from your husband in New Covenant City, Carlo... a letter of separation and... compensation.”
Marina was stunned for a moment, then her eyes lit up as she said to Lin Gui:
“Ah! You must be that messenger adventurer lord from the slums, aren't you?”
Lin Gui frowned in confusion.
He didn't know that his actions had already spread throughout the circles of the poor in all of Caran City.
People were full of curiosity about this mage who risked his life to deliver letters, constantly speculating about his motives.
Some said he did it to collect the bounties from every household.
If those six hundred-plus letters were calculated at one gold coin per family, it would be a full six hundred gold coins.
But that theory was quickly overturned.
Letter commissions were not uncommon at the Adventurer's Guild.
However, they were mostly exclusive to nobles, with a minimum reward of a thousand gold pieces for just a few letters.
Furthermore, Lin Gui didn't even collect payment for the reply letters.
According to him, the families back in New Covenant City had already paid.
After thinking it over, people eventually reached a consensus.
He was a bleeding heart, a kind of person nearly extinct in the Dark Age.
From the way he conversed easily with the laborers without any air of superiority.
He seemed just like a boy next door...
This only served to strengthen everyone's perception.
Regardless, after recognizing Lin Gui.
Marina visibly relaxed and let down her guard.
She tore open the envelope and read the contents, her expression gradually becoming tinged with sorrow.
In the letter, Carlo poured out his feelings about his own incompetence.
He confessed that the adventurers in New Covenant City were powerless to escort a commoner to Caran City.
In this lifetime, they would likely never be able to see each other again.
As she read this, Marina wiped the tears from her eyes.
Lin Gui stood quietly to the side, waiting in silence.
[...Dear Host.]
[Give me a word, at least.]
[If you look down on Novice Magic rewards, you can also look at the extra rewards; those are direct increases to your Mana capacity.]
“I'll get an extra reward even if the mission wasn't 100% completed?”
Lin Gui was somewhat surprised. He had originally thought he had to complete the task perfectly.
[...Host, you have already done very well.]
[As long as you reach 70% of the target, the extra mission is considered passed.]
[Besides, the envelopes that couldn't be delivered in the Weekly Commission are, in fact, impossible to deliver now.]
“I see. Then wait a bit longer.”
[???]
[Host, what are you still waiting for?]
[Shouldn't you happily check the rewards of your first mission?]
[These are rewards!]
[And if you don't collect the rewards, I can't start the next Weekly Commission, retrieve the reply letters you collected, or issue new mission tasks.]
“Even mosquito legs are meat. Isn't there one last reply here?”
Marina wiped her tears away, tucked the letter into her clothes, and said to Lin Gui with great respect.
“My apologies, Lord Lin Gui. Please wait for me a moment longer. I will go and write a reply right away.”
“No rush. Take your time and write a bit more.”
“Thank you for your kindness.”
Forty minutes later, Lin Gui received the final reply, along with a reward of one gold coin.
Marina had originally intended to pay Lin Gui half of the gold coins as per the regulations.
She had even taken out some extra from her own private savings out of personal gratitude.
But Lin Gui simply shook his head and refused.
Taking only one gold coin, he left the tailor shop.
“Alright, system. Start drawing the rewards. Let's get these letters back to New Covenant City.”
Rate on N.U.
