The wooden raft was back on track, gliding silently through the trees.
Lin Gui was the first to break the silence, asking, “Is there a problem with that bow?”
Hearing Lin Gui’s question, Elvia nodded.
She looked at the longbow Theia was clutching tightly in her arms with a complicated gaze and said, “That was the weapon of Gorn, the Legendary archer from John’s Holy Knight order.”
“A divine bow crafted by a master dwarf artisan who poured their heart and soul into it—‘Azure Echo.’”
“Countless rare materials were used; it can be considered a demi-artifact.”
“It’s said that even Gorn himself cannot fully unleash its complete power.”
Hearing the words “demi-artifact,” Theia’s pointed ears trembled with excitement and flushed crimson.
She shoved the longbow even more firmly into her bosom, letting out a silly giggle. “Ehehe.”
It was as if she were holding an peerless treasure.
“Hmph, ignorant half-demon,” Elvia grumbled.
“That bow is Gorn’s lifeblood!”
“That guy is notorious for being cruel and bloodthirsty, taking pleasure in slaughter and torture!”
“If he finds out his bow is in your hands...”
“I suggest you find a place to kill yourself immediately, lest you be tortured into something that no longer even looks like an elf!”
“I... I’ll just hide it well and not use it! That’ll work!” Theia retorted stubbornly, though a trace of fear flickered in her eyes.
“Besides, we’re not staying in the Royal Capital for long!”
“Lin Gui said we’re leaving in two weeks at most! Once we reach Avalon, I don’t believe he’ll be able to find me!”
“Avalon?”
Elvia froze, only then suddenly realizing the truth.
These two were going to the Royal Capital just to deliver letters for those mud-legged peasants.
And it seemed their final destination wasn’t the Royal Capital at all, but... Avalon, a place she hadn’t even heard of?
“You’re going to the Royal Capital just to deliver letters?! You’re leaving as soon as you’re done?! The next stop is... the Fortress City of Shield?! That dwarf den?!”
Her voice rose sharply, filled with disbelief.
“But the Silent Sea lies in between! That... that’s a Forbidden Zone! A death zone that has been completely plowed through by the main flow of the Dark Tide!!”
Lin Gui spoke indifferently, “What’s there to be afraid of? It’s not like we haven’t crossed a Forbidden Zone before.”
Theia echoed his sentiment. “Exactly. To escape from the Elven Forest to here, it’s not like I haven’t passed through a Forbidden Zone.”
“No matter how terrifying a Forbidden Zone is, it’s still better than an unknown area that no one has ever scouted and is a total blank on the map, right?”
“Huh?!!”
Elvia felt her worldview being challenged.
It was called a Forbidden Zone because it was freaking forbidden to go there!
You people are truly stubborn!
“You lunatics! I’m not going with you to seek death! Once we reach the Royal Capital, we part ways!”
“Fine,” Lin Gui nodded.
“Just know that if anything happens to me on the way to Avalon...”
“You’d better prepare to find a sturdy wooden post to bash your head against beforehand, lest the ‘Demon’s Poisonous Kiss’ tortures you into something no longer human.”
“...” Elvia choked, speechless.
“Haven’t I heard those words somewhere before?”
Over the next few hours, Elvia tried practically every reason to convince Lin Gui not to go seeking death.
To be precise, to not drag her along as his sacrificial lamb.
She kept raising the stakes, attempting to use various temptations to tether Lin Gui to the Royal Capital.
“Lin Gui! As long as you stay in the Royal Capital, I can use all my connections to make you a Court Mage! You’ll enjoy the status of a Count! Gold coins, magic crystals, rare materials—you can have as much as you want!”
“You don’t like that? Then... then I’ll give you the estates and chambers of commerce under my name! I’ll make you one of the wealthiest people in the Royal Capital!”
“Still not enough? Then... then I... I’ll personally be your maid! Serving you tea, water, warming your bed, and folding your quilts! I’m a princess! A famous lady of the Royal Capital! Think about how much prestige that would give you!”
“Or... or are you eyeing some noble lady or noblewoman in the Royal Capital? I can help you get them! I guarantee they’ll be perfectly submissive!”
However, Lin Gui remained unmoved. He continued to pilot the raft, the look in his eyes not changing even once.
Elvia was about to lose her mind!
It was her first time meeting someone like Lin Gui.
He had no interest in massive amounts of wealth, no interest in power or status, and even when it came to beauty... he didn’t seem to have much interest either?
He had donated the staggering wealth taken from Caran without a second thought.
He had control over her, the City Lord, yet he never thought about taking control of Caran.
He held her life in his hands, yet he hadn’t forced her to do anything shameful.
Even with Theia, whom he spent every day and night with and who was even more beautiful than her...
Looking at the elf’s slender legs and her occasional expressions, it was clear she was still a virgin!
“I’m telling you! Just what will it take for you to give up on going to that damn Avalon to die?!”
Elvia was practically wailing.
Lin Gui replied flatly.
“Unless the heads of all the nobles are chopped off and fed to the pigs.”
“...Damn you!!!” Elvia was completely defeated.
“Alright, that’s enough idle chatter.”
Lin Gui’s tone turned serious.
“We’re about to leave the Whispering Forest, and my mana is almost exhausted. Be alert; I’m preparing for an emergency landing.”
The raft passed through the last few towering trees, and a bright white light approached from the distance.
The moment the raft fully crossed the edge of the forest, the field of vision suddenly opened up!
A massive, deep rift that looked as if the earth had been violently split open by a deity’s giant axe loomed before them!
The edges of the rift consisted of hideous, twisted dark-red rock.
Inside the rift drifted a murky mist with the scent of sulfur that never dissipated, hiding a bottomless depth.
Occasionally, an eerie purple-red glow could be seen flashing deep within the mist, inspiring awe and dread.
This was the Withered Rift!
The raft descended shakily onto a relatively flat patch of gravel.
This spot was precisely the border zone between the Whispering Forest and the Withered Rift.
In the buffer zone between two demon territories, signs of demon activity were actually sparse, almost non-existent.
Therefore, transport teams or adventure groups mapping the two regions usually chose such places to establish temporary outposts or camps.
Before the three could even catch their breath, Theia’s emerald eyes suddenly narrowed as she whispered sharply.
“Someone’s coming!”
She instinctively wanted to pull Lin Gui to hide first.
But Lin Gui growled, “No! We can’t leave the wooden crate here! How strong are they?”
“Two Low-tier Transcendents and five High-tier High Ranks!” Theia spoke with extreme speed.
Lin Gui gritted his teeth, inwardly cursing himself for wasting too much mana and time picking up money earlier.
At this moment, his mana was almost depleted; he couldn’t even cast the simplest spell.
He quickly spoke to Elvia, who already had her left foot back and was preparing to slip away.
“You stay here and act as bait! Theia and I will hide in the shadows and wait for a chance to act!”
“Huh?! This kind of suicidal task, I—”
Elvia’s face went pale, and she was about to refuse.
Lin Gui’s cold gaze swept over her instantly.
That gaze seemed to pierce through her soul, making her entire body feel as if it had fallen into an ice cellar, and her subsequent words were forced back down her throat.
She clenched her teeth, sweat instantly soaking her back, as she finally squeezed a few words through the gaps in her teeth.
“...Fine! Just don’t sell me out!”
Lin Gui nodded.
“You can die, but the letters in the wooden crate must not be harmed in the slightest.”
“If you want to live, stall for as long as you can. This is your only path to survival.”
“......” Elvia was speechless.
As soon as he finished speaking, Theia grabbed him.
The two figures flashed and quickly vanished into the nearby scattered rocks and bushes.
Elvia was left alone on the spot.
Facing the increasingly close, unshielded, and powerful presences, her face was covered in cold sweat.
Two Transcendents and five High-tier High Ranks... how the hell was she supposed to fight that?! This wasn’t even a proper way to go to one’s death!
Rate on N.U.
