【Messenger System has been activated.】
【Ding! Weekly Commission—Deliver Letters—has been updated.】
【Content: Escort 54 family letters through the Black Demon Forest and Audo Canyon to arrive at Caran City.】
【Deliver the letters to every designated recipient.】
【Route: New Covenant City → Black Demon Forest → Audo Canyon → Caran City.】
【Time limit: 14 days.】
【Completion Condition: Delivery rate must exceed 70%.】
【Basic Reward: For every letter delivered, reward x1 random Novice Magic.】
【Extra Reward: Slight increase in magic control precision and mana limit (varies based on distance).】
【Risk Alert: Demon activity in transit areas is as high as 53%; rumors suggest a Legendary demon may be lurking within.】
【Strong Suggestion: Pass through quietly and make no sound.】
“May every longing cross the darkness and reach the other shore.”
Lin Gui froze in place as the radiance of the system panel slowly faded from his eyes.
The cold electronic voice, however, set off a massive wave in his heart.
There was none of the ecstasy or excitement he had expected.
A deep-seated desire, one he almost didn't dare to touch, quietly surfaced.
His voice carried a hint of nearly imperceptible trembling.
It was the tremor of someone who had finally seen a glimmer of hope after prolonged loneliness.
“System... can you send me home?”
【...】
【I am sorry, the Host's physical body in the original world has died.】
“So... it still can’t be done?”
Lin Gui’s lips curled into a bitter arc, and his gaze instantly dimmed.
The fire of hope that had just been lit was heartlessly extinguished.
Once upon a time, he had been an otaku obsessed with the 2D world.
He had dreamed of landscapes full of poetry, magnificent magic, and soaring sword techniques.
He imagined dragons soaring through the skies and beautiful elves.
Transmigrating to another world, meeting a beautiful girl, and conquering all to start a legendary life as an overpowered protagonist.
He had fantasized many times that transmigrating would be like that.
Yet the hammer of reality was cold and cruel.
The underlying tone of this world was filth, poverty, and messiness.
It was filled with omnipresent injustice, class divides, discrimination, and a bone-deep moral collapse.
Oppressed commoners, arrogant nobles, and mercenary adventurers...
There was no such thing as an adventure worth remembering—only two-legged beasts living for profit.
His fantasies were shattered to pieces, leaving him alone to struggle in this quagmire.
The only thing that offered him a slight bit of solace was perhaps the brilliant magic.
“So that means I’ll be stuck in this damned post-apocalyptic city-states world...”
Lin Gui gripped his staff tightly, eventually letting it down with a bitter sigh.
【...】
【The Host need not be overly sorrowful.】
【Please believe that as long as you keep moving forward, one day, the 'letter' in your heart will also be able to cross time and space to reach the person you long to see.】
His pupils contracted slightly; these words were like a ray of light shining into the frozen lake of his heart.
Lin Gui let out a soft breath, as if a weight of a thousand jin had been lifted from his shoulders.
A faint but genuine smile appeared on his face.
It was his first sincere smile in ten years.
The receptionist nearby happened to catch a glimpse of this smile and subconsciously covered her mouth in shock.
Lord Lin Gui, the mage known for his coldness, actually... smiled?!
“I accept this commission.”
Lin Gui’s voice regained its calm, but it held a new spark of vitality.
“Also, could I trouble you to temporarily return all these envelopes to the clients?”
“Huh? Why... why?”
The receptionist didn't react for a moment, her eyes going round.
“It’s a rare opportunity; let them write down everything they want to say.”
Lin Gui reached behind the commission board, pulled out that pitifully thin stack of envelopes, and handed them over.
Each letter was light, containing only a single sheet of thin yellow parchment.
Clearly, the clients were terrified that more ink and paper would be the final straw that broke an adventurer's patience, incurring their displeasure.
These 54 letters kept in one envelope were so small they would have room to spare in a pants pocket.
“Tell them to write until they have nothing left to say. I’ll come to collect the letters in two days.”
He waved his hand, left behind enough deposit, and turned to walk out of the guild hall.
His steps were much lighter than when he arrived.
The sky outside was still a gloomy grey, but Lin Gui felt a long-lost, inexplicable sense of peace.
He looked up at the sky, feeling as if he had finally found a purpose for existing in this world.
However, that sense of ease was quickly replaced by the heavy weight of reality the moment he stepped into the refugee district.
On both sides of the street, sallow and emaciated children curled up in cold corners, their eyes hollow and numb.
A woman knelt by the roadside, a wooden sign around her neck that read "Selling Myself" swaying as she trembled slightly.
Her withered fingers gripped the corner of her ragged clothes in a death grip.
Not far away, several old soldiers who had lost their legs crawled on the ground.
They held out broken bowls toward passersby, with a few dirty copper coins scattered inside.
The sound of fighting and shrill screams echoed from an alleyway.
Two scrawny men were beating each other bloody over half a piece of moldy black bread.
Lin Gui subconsciously pulled his hood lower and quickened his pace.
These sights were all too familiar to him, so familiar they had practically become a part of his physical instincts.
Once upon a time, he had been one of them.
Until he found that tattered book on basic magic meditation in a foul-smelling trash bin, an event that changed his fate.
In this dark age cut off by high walls, the chasm between classes was like a heaven-sent divide.
The spare change slipping through a noble's fingers was enough to drive an adventurer to risk their life.
And a single gold coin from an adventurer’s commission might be the food budget for a poor family for an entire year.
The upper level was a world of debauchery, order, and luxury, while the lower level was a world of silent, spreading despair and struggle.
He gripped his oak staff, his knuckles turning white from the force.
Ultimately, he did not stop.
He had tried before, but the pain of failure was etched into his soul...
He was just a mage struggling to survive; he did not have the power to change all of this.
Right now, he only wanted to do one thing well.
Deliver letters, get stronger... and then...
A flash of killing intent passed through his eyes as Lin Gui walked through the slums.
He arrived at the only magic item shop in New Covenant City, Fluorite Light.
The bell on the door let out a crisp chime.
The shop was filled with a mixture of scents—dried herbs, old paper, and a faint hint of dust.
The shopkeeper looked up, pushed the crystal glasses on his nose, and carefully sized up this regular customer.
“Three ounces of Dragonwood ash, two portions of demon bait, five vials of Lesser Healing Potion, three vials of mana potion, and five portions of detoxifying herb powder.”
Lin Gui recited his list with practiced ease, then paused before adding.
“And give me the sturdiest, most durable travel backpack you have.”
The old shopkeeper moved quickly to gather the goods.
He packed the Dragonwood ash and demon bait separately.
Then he placed them along with the potions into a magically reinforced knapsack no larger than four palms wide.
He looked up, clear confusion appearing on his deeply wrinkled face.
“Hiss—this amount and this combination... this doesn't look like you’re just going hunting nearby.”
“What, are you heading back to the Magic City to scavenge for treasures again?”
Lin Gui shook his head, took the deceptively small yet incredibly heavy knapsack, and slung it over his shoulder.
He placed five gleaming gold coins on the counter.
“No, I took a transport mission. I need to make a trip to Caran City.”
At the mention of Caran City, the hand the shopkeeper was using to wipe his glasses froze mid-air.
He looked up, his voice dropping an octave.
“Is it... the sky-high quest to escort the City Lord's daughter? I heard the reward was as high as three thousand gold coins...”
“No.”
Lin Gui’s tone was flat.
“I’m just helping some people deliver a few letters.”
As soon as the words left his mouth, he noticed the old shopkeeper staring straight at him with an extremely bizarre expression.
The look was so complex it made his skin crawl; he subconsciously took half a step back and asked warily.
“What... what is it?”
“You...”
The old shopkeeper’s voice was dry.
“Why would you take that mission? As far as I know, the bounty for it is... probably no more than a dozen or so gold coins...”
“It shouldn't be considered too little, I suppose...”
Even Lin Gui didn't quite believe his own words.
Just buying these herbs and potions had cost nearly half of the commission reward.
“And it’s a transport mission!”
The shopkeeper’s tone sharpened.
“Over the years, every single adventurer who took a transport mission has never come back alive.”
“Including the man who used to be New Covenant's only High-tier High Rank warrior, the adventurer Lor.”
“...”
Frowning, the shopkeeper realized his mistake and looked at the young mage before him, adding.
“Except for you, kid.”
Recalling Lin Gui’s trip to the Magic City and how he actually came back alive.
The shopkeeper still couldn't figure out how he had done it.
That was the Magic City, tens of thousands of kilometers away from New Covenant City.
The kid’s strength had only just broken through to the High Rank... and he had gone alone...
At the time, he had returned to New Covenant City covered in blood, a sight that shocked the entire town, including the well-traveled shopkeeper.
That was the Magic City!
Compared to that, the road from New Covenant to Caran was like a kitten baring its teeth at a tiger; did the comparison even fit?
“If you’re really short on money, why not go for the big haul and take the City Lord’s commission?”
“You’d be going to Caran anyway, and that’s three thousand gold coins! Enough to let you live a life of leisure forever!”
“Heh.”
Lin Gui let out a cold laugh.
“The last time I went to the Magic City, I had a narrow escape and nearly died on the way.”
“And you want me to add a spoiled noble girl who’d just be dead weight?”
“Besides... I hate nobles.”
“By the way, how do you know all those adventurers who took the mission died?”
“Maybe they successfully crossed the wilderness and settled down in the more prosperous Caran City.”
“After all, Caran isn't like the Magic City; it doesn't have laws prohibiting long-term stays.”
The old shopkeeper sighed and gave a bitter smile.
“I hope so.”
A heavy silence filled the small shop.
Neither spoke, leaving only the rhythmic ticking of the old wall clock.
The old shopkeeper was silent for a moment before he suddenly reached out.
He slowly pushed the five gold coins on the counter back toward Lin Gui.
He looked up, his eyes filled with unprecedented hesitation and a hint of something bordering on a plea.
“Since... since you’ve already decided to go to Caran City... can I add a temporary commission?”
Lin Gui did not agree immediately.
If one wanted to cross the wilderness, their weight was directly tied to their survival rate.
“Tell me about it first.”
The old shopkeeper turned and tremulously felt around the innermost layer of the counter for a hidden crevice.
He carefully took out a yellowed but well-preserved letter.
And an old pouch that looked heavy, seemingly filled with many coins.
“I was thinking... since you’ve already accepted the Carrier Pigeon commission, could you... also take a letter for me along the way?”
His voice held an almost imperceptible sob.
Lin Gui’s heart stirred, and he silently asked the system in his mind.
“Can this letter be included in the regular commission? Is there a reward after delivery?”
【Sorry, Host.】
【The Weekly Commission content is fixed and cannot have extra letters added midway.】
【How about you accept it for now and deliver it during your next trip?】
【Once you finish delivering the 54 letters, the system will include it in the subsequent list.】
“So you mean that if I take it now, even if I deliver it, there won't be a system reward, right?”
【Correct.】
Lin Gui understood.
He hesitated for almost no time at all before reaching out to take the letter and the heavy pouch.
“Fine. What’s the address and the recipient?”
“It’s best if you tell me what the person looks like; there are a lot of people with the same name.”
The old shopkeeper’s expression was shrouded in immense grief.
He took a deep breath of his long-extinguished pipe, his voice low as if he were confessing.
“Her name is Marina. she has golden blonde curls, a mole near the corner of her eye, and the pinky on her right hand was severed in an accident.”
“I don’t know... I don’t know where she lives in Caran City now... we were separated ten years ago during the Great Evacuation... I don’t even... know if she’s still alive...”
He stuffed those five gold coins into the pouch and pushed it toward Lin Gui.
“In this bag, there are three hundred and forty-eight gold coins total; it’s almost my entire life savings.”
“Half of it is your reward.”
“The other half... if... if Marina is still alive... please make sure you give it to her... along with this... this divorce agreement.”
“Tell her... I’m sorry. I didn't have the capability to cross the wilderness, so...”
Lin Gui looked at the exceptionally heavy pouch in his hand, his heart heavy with complex emotions, which ultimately translated into a soft sigh.
He weighed the pouch and asked, half-jokingly and half-seriously.
“You trust me that much? You aren't afraid I’ll just pocket this fortune and tell you I couldn't find her?”
The shopkeeper’s face bore a smile that was bitter to the extreme as he shook his head.
“It’s been ten years... you are the first... and only adventurer to take that letter delivery commission.”
“You are also the only one I know... who can make it back alive from outside the walls.”
“I... I have no other choice...”
“The next Dark Tide is coming in just a few months, and the wilderness is getting more dangerous.”
Lin Gui remained silent.
He carefully put away the addressless letter and the heavy wallet, then turned and pushed open the shop door.
The bell rang once more, crisp yet carrying a different kind of weight.
Inside the magic item shop behind him, the owner watched him leave in silence.
Rate on N.U.
