Hello, is this a letter addressed to Demon Fortress?

New Testament City, Adventurers' Guild.

The clamor, like a heatwave, carried the sourness of ale and the spiciness of tobacco, rolling between the rough wooden beams and pillars.

However, when the figure pushed open the heavy oak door, the sound at the doorway seemed to suddenly subside.

He was dressed in a faded, dark gray robe with worn-out elbows.

The large hood was pulled low, revealing only a few strands of loose black hair.

He held a seemingly simple oak staff in his hand, its surface smoothed and warmed by the passage of time and the touch of his palm.

He walked silently through the hall.

Wherever they went, the adventurers froze as they raised their glasses, and their conversations turned into suppressed whispers.

He walked straight to the counter and silently lifted a heavy burlap sack onto it.

The rough fabric was stained with deep purple-black stains and emitted a faint fishy smell.

The bag was ripped open, revealing a hideous head in the dim light.

His dark red skin was covered with rough calluses, and his hollow eye sockets seemed to still hold a hint of ferocity.

The pair of huge, curved, sickle-shaped horns on his forehead seemed to freeze the air instantly.

"It's a high-ranking giant scythe-horned demon." A hoarse voice broke the silence from the corner.

"Level B commission, 95 gold coins."

"One person... took down a demon that would require the entire Silver Survivor Group to handle..."

Someone exclaimed in a low voice, their tone filled with disbelief.

"The wandering monk was self-taught, but unfortunately, he didn't understand human relationships."

The old adventurer, cloaked in his robes, shook his head in approval.

"Hmph, they don't even have Mage Tower certification, what are they so arrogant about?"

The young warrior, clad in magnificent armor, curled his lip in disdain, but kept his voice low.

The murmurs were deliberately amplified, mingled with the smell of alcohol, and carried a clear sense of jealousy and exclusion.

However, no one dared to actually step forward and provoke them.

The receptionist timidly pushed out her money bag, the gold coins clinking together with a crisp sound.

"Your bounty, Master Lin Gui."

Her fingers trembled slightly, and she lowered her head, not daring to look directly at the other person.

Lin Gui took it indifferently, stuffed it into his pocket without even looking at it, and ignored the noise behind him.

He turned and walked toward the notice board covered with requests, his robe tracing a cold, indifferent arc.

The path of magic requires gold coins to pave every step of progress; this is his most profound realization over the past ten years.

The tasks on the board are bizarre and outlandish.

剿灭鼠巢（1金）、寻猫（10金）、贵族家教（30金）、高墙教官（5金）、讨伐恶魔（15金起）、护送贵族至卡兰城（3000金）.....

...Only the wealthy and powerful offered rewards, while ordinary people rarely commissioned them.

This world has always been like this: money, power, and strength dominate everything.

His gaze casually swept across the corner, then suddenly settled on a yellowed, curled parchment.

It was nailed to the least conspicuous place, and the edges were already broken.

[Carrier Pigeon]

Number: G-1024

Type: Transportation

Level: A (Extremely Dangerous)

Content: Send 54 letters to the city of Karan.

Reward: 15 gold, 45 silver, 59 copper

Access requirements: None

Note: We earnestly request the help of adventurers. We are all believers who were separated during the Great Escape. We only hope that our relatives far away know that we are alive and not to worry.

Just then, a little boy dressed in tattered clothes slipped in, like a startled sparrow avoiding the rough gazes around him.

He stood on tiptoe and laboriously placed three worn copper coins, the patterns of which were almost illegible, on the edge of the counter.

It immediately recoiled as if burned and fled quickly.

The saleswoman sighed silently, a hint of pity flashing in her eyes.

She skillfully pulled out the order form and used a quill pen to correct the numbers.

The old sheet of paper on the bulletin board was replaced, but the content remained the same.

Only the reward column showed a slight change: 15 gold, 45 silver, and 62 bronze.

"This request... has been hanging up for a long time?"

Lin Gui's voice suddenly rang out, deep and clear.

The saleswoman was startled and nearly knocked over the ink bottle in her hand.

The aloof and arrogant mage actually spoke up? This is even rarer than a demon massacring a city.

"Yes...yes, Master, it's been almost five years."

She answered haltingly.

"Starting from 15 copper coins, those people saved up a few copper coins every day, gradually increasing it to what it is today..."

"The reward is acceptable, but this is an A-level cross-city mission, and 15 gold coins is too little."

Indeed, the other two Class A transport contracts on the board offer bounties as high as a thousand gold coins.

But this carrier pigeon only costs 15 gold coins...

The wilderness is now teeming with monsters and demons.

In the southwestern border region, the minimum standard for traversing the wilderness is extraordinary.

In New Testament Town, the strongest beings are only mid-high-level.

To this day, no one has the strength to leave New Testament Town... except for the Forest Ghost.

His individual strength wasn't particularly high, only at the lower level of a high rank, but he was extremely skilled in stealth magic.

Using a stealth magic specially developed for hiding, he has crossed many dangerous places to reach the magical city.

He almost died on the way back, covered in injuries, and it took him a full six months to recover before he could get out of bed.

My fingertips traced the rough paper, my gaze lingering on the line of notes.

The handwriting was crooked and obviously from different people.

Unbeknownst to the clerk, Lin Gui had been paying close attention to the clients and even remembered the faces of most of them.

Those commoners who would hurry over with just a few copper coins saved up each time, their eyes filled with humble hope.

"Report that you're safe..." His eyes dimmed.

Blazing flames, heads hanging high above the city walls, the towering pen handles of nobles...

At least they had the chance to tell their loved ones they were safe, but they never had that chance again.

And... myself.

Clutching the parchment, Lin Gui was caught in a dilemma, his knuckles turning slightly white from the pressure.

In the past, when we weren't strong enough, going out of the city was just suicide.

Now that he has returned from the magical city, his strength has improved, and his mastery of concealment magic has become more profound.

Moreover, it's not far from the New Testament to the city of Karan; you just need to pass through the Black Magic Forest and the Augu Canyon to get there.

To reach the magical city, he traversed the rotten moss swamp, the weeping blood hills, and the skull-crushing pass.

Deadly miasma, lurking terrifying creatures, blood-soaked earth, and countless broken bones and skulls...

Compared to these three forbidden areas, the Black Magic Forest and Augu Canyon are nothing.

There's not even a need to find the golden route... to bypass the most dangerous and powerful demons' habitats.

But if I accept the job, it means I'll be working for free.

15 gold coins is a lot for ordinary people, but the equipment, potions, and supplies needed to cross the wilderness are all expensive.

This deal is a losing proposition no matter how you look at it.

Having been in this world for over 10 years, he is no longer the saintly figure he once was, unable to bear seeing tragedy unfold around him.

His struggle for survival in the slums taught him his first lesson: kindness is poison; it will only harm you.

Good deeds that lack the capacity to back them up will ultimately drag the person into a quagmire.

...He has seen too many examples of good deeds going unrewarded, and has even experienced it himself a few times.

But this time, he couldn't just turn back.

The line "I only hope that my relatives far away know that we are alive" was like a thorn, piercing the softest part of his heart.

We get annoyed by nagging when we're striving, but we only realize its value after we've lost it.

He still remembers his impatience during his last phone call with his mother before he traveled through time.

I don't even have the chance to say I'm okay anymore.

and......

This can be seen as a way to make up for the sins I committed against them.

On the other hand, it's just sending a message, which won't harm you, and it only takes three days to get to Karan City.

Just doing it on a whim.

Under the astonished gazes of the saleswoman and the many adventurers.

Lin Gui reached out and steadily tore off the petition that had been hanging there for 10 years.

The paper made a slight crackling sound, as if some kind of constraint had been broken.

"This commission."

His voice wasn't loud, but it was resolute and clear, carrying throughout the suddenly quiet hall.

"I accepted it."

As soon as he finished speaking, a warm and ancient voice resounded deep within his mind:

The books remain as beautiful as ever, a promise is worth a fortune.

May the bonds of friendship across thousands of miles never fade, and may this letter of peace convey my longing.

[The Messenger System is at your service. Let's work together to light up all the isolated city-states.]

At that moment, Lin Gui felt a tiny crack quietly appear in a frozen corner of his heart.

The long-lost warmth flowed out, making him almost feel uncomfortable.