Hello, is this a letter addressed to Demon Fortress?

"Why is it you?"

Lin Gui blurted out the words instinctively, his head still spinning.

Eve tilted her head slightly, a faint smile playing on her lips.

"Why can't it be me?"

Her voice was soft, yet tinged with a hint of playfulness.

Lin Gui propped himself up and sat up, rubbing his aching temples.

Eve handed over a rough wooden cup at just the right moment.

It contained some kind of dark green, viscous liquid, with tiny bubbles rising to the surface.

It emitted a strange smell that was a mixture of mint, bitter root and some kind of pungent mineral.

"What is this? Where did it come from?"

Lin Gui took the cup, frowned, and asked.

"A hangover cure made by the dwarves."

Eve blinked her purple eyes, now free of disguise.

"I asked Chief Grom for it, and he said it was very useful."

Lin Gui took a sip with some skepticism.

A strong sensation of bitterness and coolness rushed to his head, making him shiver.

I'm definitely much more awake now.

"Where is Shia?" he asked.

Eve chuckled softly and pointed to the other side of the room.

"She originally planned to 'ambush' you while you were asleep."

"He passed out drunk as soon as he got to the door."

"I left her there."

Lin Gui looked in the direction she pointed.

On another narrow, dwarf bed, Shia was sleeping soundly on her back, completely unconcerned about her appearance.

Her long, silvery-white hair was spread out in disarray, and one leg dangled over the edge of the bed.

He was still mumbling something incoherently.

Lin Gui's lips twitched.

He clearly intended to get others drunk, but ended up passing out first himself.

As a top-tier ranger among her peers, Shia's eyesight, archery skills, and stealth abilities are all impeccable.

But as an elf...

She's lively, talkative, unreliable, and loves reading strange novels.

They completely lacked the aloofness and elegance that the legendary elves were supposed to possess.

It seems that the environment really can change the characteristics of a race.

Lin Gui rubbed his temples.

After all, probably no one would have imagined that an elf would actively "attack" humans at night.

She is also an elf with such outstanding appearance.

"So," he said, looking at Eve, half-jokingly.

"Are you here to 'ambush' me too, Miss Saint?"

Eve smiled gently.

She sat on the edge of the bed, her short, pale blonde hair gleaming softly in the dim light.

"If you really do get so drunk you never wake up," she readily admitted, "that's exactly what you'd be."

"But now that you're awake," she said, her purple eyes curving slightly, "that's no longer the case."

Lin Gui glanced at Eve speechlessly.

So you actually have that idea?

Just then, a strange yet melodious song drifted faintly in from outside the window.

The voice was deep and resonant, as if it came from the depths of the earth.

It possesses both the solemnity of a dignified prayer and a joyful, open-minded rhythm.

It felt like a farewell, yet also like a celebration.

"Should we go out and take a look?" Eve asked softly.

Lin Gui shook his head: "Without a dwarf leader, it's easy to get into trouble."

"Our relationship with Copper Hammer hasn't spread to every corner yet."

Eve winked mischievously. "As long as they don't find out, it'll be fine, right?"

Lin Gui raised an eyebrow.

He was actually curious about the origin of the song.

After a moment's thought, he nodded.

He first scooped up Shia's long legs, which she had kicked off the bed, and tucked them back into the covers.

They straightened her outstretched position to prevent her from catching a cold.

Then he pulled an old broom from behind the door.

The dark, veiled fabric spread silently, enveloping him and Eve.

The two seemed to blend into the shadows, silently drifting away from their dwelling.

Flying over this city-state made of steel and rock.

Below, the furnace flickers with fire, and the passageways are like a maze.

Soon, they found the source of the song—

It comes from the lowest level of the city, which is also the central open square.

A huge bonfire was burning brightly.

Lin Gui manipulated the broom, silently sliding it downwards.

The singing grew clearer; it was a dwarven language he couldn't understand.

Ancient, resounding, and full of power.

Many dwarves gathered around the campfire.

They formed a huge circle, facing the center.

A huge iron monument, over ten meters tall, stands in the center.

The stele is dark, covered with marks of hammering and mottled inscriptions.

The firelight illuminated it, making it appear like a burning giant.

A dwarf with a long, dark robe and a snow-white beard stood before the monument.

He held a stone hammer engraved with runes and was leading the crowd in chanting.

Eve leaned close to Lin Gui's ear, her breath warm:

"That's a dwarf priest."

"They worship the god of the furnace and forging, who is also the guide for the souls of heroes."

"He is praying for the soldiers who died in battle today."

"May their souls rest in the furnace of the Nether Sea and be reborn."

Lin Gui was somewhat surprised: "You understand dwarven language?"

Eve's voice was as soft as the wind:

"The most tragic and stirring chapters in the sacred texts were originally inspired by the heroic elegies of the dwarves."

In my line of sight, the pastor finished his recitation.

He solemnly accepted the two identity tags made of forged steel.

Then, he raised a huge forging hammer high.

Amidst everyone's gaze and chorus—

clang!

clang!

clang!

He hammered the identity plaque deep into the iron monument, again and again.

Each hammer blow was incredibly heavy, sending sparks flying.

It's not as if the name is being driven into steel, but rather branded into the bloodline memory of the people.

Lin Gui watched quietly.

It seems this is what Copper Hammer mentioned before—

The Heroic Spirit Shield.

The solemn and passionate farewell ceremony continued.

The song faded away as the final hammer fell.

The crackling campfire illuminated the solemn and resolute faces.

A notification sounded in Lin Gui's mind indicating that the mission was complete.

[Ding! Weekly assignments have been completed!]

[Completed: 200 replies successfully delivered to the designated recipients in Carter's capital.]

[Delivery Progress: 7 packages delivered (Current Progress: 70%)]

[Rewards being distributed...]

You have successfully delivered 7 letters and received 7 random beginner-level spells.

Repeated spells will automatically convert into the corresponding proficiency.

[Congratulations, host, you have obtained:]

[Basic Magic: Enchantment LV7→7]

[Soul-based basic magic: Awakening Spell LV9→10]

[Bonus Reward: Mana Reserves +1500]

[Host: Lin Gui]

[Rank: High-Rank Mid-Rank Mage → High-Rank Upper-Rank Mage]

[Magic Reserves: (4950/7256) 12744 magic points away from the next breakthrough stage]

[Ding! A new round of weekly tasks is being generated.]

[Final destination—Avalon, the land of freedom.]

[Initiating a search for the number of emails received by the host...]

[Remaining search time: 6 days, 23 hours, and 59 minutes]

"May every longing transcend the darkness and reach the other shore."

His magical power surged. In just a few months, Lin Gui rose from the lower high-rank to the upper high-rank.

But Lin Gui knew that this speed of advancement would slow down in the future.

Because a major rank advancement requires too much magic power.

A minor rank advancement yields only a thousand points of magic power, while a major rank advancement yields ten thousand points.

This is also why the gap between high-ranking individuals is so large.

The difference in magic reserves is too great.

The system's magic rewards are also basically fixed.

It is estimated that Lin Gui will have to cross half a continent before he can accumulate enough magic power to advance.

As his rank increased, Lin Gui's proficiency in many spells also improved.

The basic soul magic "Awakening" has reached level 10, the maximum proficiency.

The Forest Demon can now cast spells without chanting.

What's more concerning than the system's rewards is the incredibly low number of signatures.

200 letters were sent, but only 7 were signed for, yet the system still judged that the task had been completed.

That means that the recipients of the other 193 letters were no longer alive during the time that Tongchui and the others were away.

Looking around, finally, near the cemetery not far from the Shield of the Heroes,

Lin Gui saw a familiar dwarf.

It was Grom.

At this moment, he was opening letters and reading their contents aloud to the tombstones.