Hello, is this a letter addressed to Demon Fortress?

Lin Gui had no idea that the store manager's request was just the beginning.

As he moved between shops to buy supplies for his long journey.

The news that he had accepted the "carrier pigeon" commission had spread like wildfire throughout the streets and alleys.

The people in the slums whispered among themselves, their eyes gleaming with disbelief.

New Testament City, Lord's Palace.

After listening to the detailed report from his subordinate.

The city lord, dressed in brocade robes and lightly tapping his fingertips on an expensive wooden table, frowned.

The candlelight flickered in the study, illuminating his ever-changing face.

"You mean, that wandering mage named Lin Gui went to the magic city and came back unscathed?"

His voice held a hint of incredulous inquiry.

Over the course of a decade, the number of demons in the wild has surged.

Of the guards and adventurers sent out to scout, only one out of ten would return.

Even his most powerful knights couldn't cross the Black Demon Forest outside New Testament City.

They claimed that only with the escort of an extraordinary expert could one barely pass through.

How did he, a lowly magician who rose from humble beginnings as a homeless child, manage to do it?

And it's a magical city thousands of miles away?

"Absolutely true, Lord City Lord."

The subordinate answered respectfully.

"The Everlasting Crystal Lamp that fetched an astronomical price at the auction a year ago was the one he brought back from the Magic City; the guard captain saw it with his own eyes."

The city lord's gaze swept over the magic lamp on the table, which was emitting a soft and beautiful halo. His fingertips paused, and he slowly nodded.

That lamp was truly extraordinary; the magical craftsmanship it contained captivated even the best blacksmith in the New Testament.

"How would you assess his abilities?"

"According to the Adventurers' Guild, he should be a high-ranking low-level mage, proficient in the elemental powers of wind and earth."

"His strength... no one can know for sure, because no one has ever seen him fight."

"In my humble opinion, he is perhaps only slightly inferior to the Commander of the Defense Corps."

"oh?"

The city lord drawled out his words, leaning forward slightly, revealing his interest.

A high-level mage who can rival the guild leader is extremely rare in the entire New Testament City.

"Should I take some men and 'ask' him to accept the mission of escorting the young lady to Karan City?"

The subordinate asked cautiously, emphasizing the word "please".

"snort."

The city lord let out a contemptuous snort.

"To entrust my precious jewel to a wandering mage of humble origins? Absolutely not."

He paused, though he instinctively felt repulsed by the other person's background, his daughter's schedule was indeed urgent.

For the sake of their family's continuation, the marriage alliance in Karan City could no longer be delayed.

The Kuroshio Current... is coming soon, and this time it is highly likely to occur in the southwestern border region.

After a moment of contemplation, his fingertips began to tap the table unconsciously again, and he gave the order.

"...Wait for him to return. If he comes back alive, proving his ability and luck, I will grant him an audience."

"Yes, sir." The subordinate bowed and withdrew.

The appointed day arrived in the blink of an eye.

In a slum, inside a dilapidated three-story wooden house.

Lin Gui packed the items he needed for his long journey, neatly placing the purchased items into his bag.

His hands paused, and his gaze fell to the floor beneath the bed, to a locked wooden box.

With a sigh, I dragged it out and unlocked it.

Lin Gui took out a small wooden box, a bottle of medicine containing purple liquid, and a book.

Holding the book called "The Book of Celestial Stars," a slender figure flashed through Lin Gui's mind, and he put it at the bottom of his backpack.

The bottle of medicine was hidden deep inside Lin Gui's backpack.

With a neatly packed, waist-high backpack on his back and a small wooden box wrapped around his arms, he left home.

In a secluded, deserted corner, Lin Gui buried it in the ground.

Everything was ready, and we went out onto the street.

He took a deep breath of the cool air and placed the oak staff in his hand firmly in front of him.

In an instant, a magical ring, meticulously outlined by flowing silver light, appeared on the ground.

A deep and clear chanting voice rang out.

Each syllable precisely manipulates the magic of the surrounding space, causing subtle yet distinct vibrations:

Wandering among the shadows of the illusory realm, heed my call.

Using magic as a bridge and contracts as a guide, we pierce through the barriers between realms.

【...】

Come forth, you hardworking, uncomplaining beast!

Magic began to converge wildly, and the air in front of Lin Gui became blurry and misty due to the distortion of energy.

As the last syllable fell with a resounding clang, a brilliant light shone brightly at the center of the magic circle.

A massive, emerald-green figure materialized from within.

It was a giant lizard covered in thick scales, with a robust body and gentle eyes.

It lowered its head affectionately and nuzzled against Lin Gui's body.

"We'll have to rely on you again this time, Old Green."

Lin Gui patted the monitor lizard's rough skin, a rare gentleness appearing on his face.

He deftly saddled the monitor lizard, which was called "Old Green".

He secured the enormous baggage firmly to its broad back, then flipped himself over and mounted it.

"Old Green, go to the Adventurers' Guild."

He crawled slowly to the main street, but when he arrived at the guild entrance, he was stunned by the sight before him.

The area in front of the guild was completely surrounded by a crowd.

As far as the eye could see, there were only plainly dressed, weathered people.

Most of them were clutching crumpled pieces of paper in their hands, their faces showing anticipation and unease.

"Old Green's" unusual appearance was extremely eye-catching, and the crowd quickly spotted Lin Gui.

"Look! It's the Master! He's here!" someone exclaimed.

Instantly, the crowd surged toward Lin Gui like a tidal wave.

He instinctively held his oak staff horizontally in front of his chest, adopting a defensive posture.

He watched the approaching crowd warily.

"What...does this matter?"

Lin Gui's voice carried a barely perceptible tension.

Being surrounded by so many people made him instinctively uncomfortable.

Seeing that the forest ghost seemed to be on guard, people dared not get too close.

An elderly man spoke on behalf of everyone, respectfully and eagerly.

"Um...Respected Master, we heard...that you accepted the 'carrier pigeon's' commission, is that true?"

Lin Gui looked around in confusion. There was a dark mass in front of him, at least three or four hundred people.

"You are the clients? But there are only 54 people on the order form?" His tone was full of confusion.

An elderly man who appeared to be quite old took two shaky steps forward from the crowd.

He looked up, his face a mixture of anticipation, anxiety, and deep pleading, and answered on behalf of everyone:

"Your Excellency, please understand... those 54 letters came from some of the first companies that mustered the courage to commission us five years ago."

"In the past 10 years... there have been far more than 54 families like ours who have lost contact with Karan City!"

The old man's voice choked with emotion as he turned and pointed to the dense crowd behind him.

"Here... almost every family has relatives in Karan City."

"Whether it's parents, children, or siblings..."

"Ten years have passed, separated from our loved ones, we don't even know if they're alive or dead!"

Another middle-aged woman squeezed forward, clutching a rough apron tightly in her hands, tears welling in her eyes.

"Sir, we know the rules, we know that additional services cost extra..."

"But we...we really don't have that many gold coins..."

As she spoke, she took a small cloth bag out of her bosom.

Carefully opened, inside were scattered, somewhat worn copper and silver coins.

"This is money pooled together by 104 households in our neighborhood... We know this amount is far from enough, we just beg you, sir, to have mercy."

"If the journey goes smoothly and we reach Kalan City... could you... could you help us inquire about our relatives?"

"Just...just send a message back to tell us if they are alright..."

Seeing the people around him so emotional that they were almost crying, Lin Gui felt a chill run down his spine.

He quickly waved his hand to stop him.

"Wait! Don't cry! So... you also want to send a letter to Karan City, right?"

The people around him looked at him with teary eyes and nodded vigorously.

"We just want you to pass on a message to your family over there, to let us know how they are doing."

"I dare not trouble you to deliver this message, taking up your precious space..."

Lin Gui sighed and rubbed his temples.

He never expected that simply delivering a letter would involve so many people.

Lin Gui also knew about the massive evacuation ten years ago, the crisis that affected the entire border region.

It was caused by 15 Kuroshio Currents, the darkest torrents, that occurred 10 years ago, the closest to the border region.

To be precise, it is a tributary.

The tributary crossed the Giant's Barrier and flowed into the borderlands.

This caused countless small villages in the border regions to begin migrating to the nearest city-state.

The devil came too quickly, and many people got separated and died during the evacuation.

He looked around at the people staring at him expectantly.

Many of them are old enough to be his parents or even grandparents.

What made him even more uneasy were the few ragged, emaciated homeless children in the crowd.

"Alright, alright," he raised his voice, "you all go back and write down what you want to say."

"I'll wait for you at the guild entrance for an hour."

"A message, seven copper coins, no time limit."

"Originally, the owners of those 54 letters, go to the guild to cancel the commission and get your money back."

"Just like everyone else, you only need to pay 7 copper coins, and I'll deliver it for you."

The surrounding crowd fell silent instantly, their mouths agape, hardly able to believe what they were hearing.

Heaven has mercy! Adventurers are notorious for being greedy and won't get up early for nothing.

Not to mention someone like Lin Gui, a powerful mage who returned from the magic city!

You should know that this is the lowest level of commission in the guild.

For example, clearing a slime that's clogging a sewer costs at least one gold coin!

That's equivalent to 100 silver coins!

Seven copper coins? That's incredibly cheap; even the poorest beggar could barely scrape together that amount.

This isn't just a discount, it's practically free!

Would there really be such a kind-hearted monk willing to risk his life to deliver a message to a complete stranger?

The onlookers were stunned and stood there, almost afraid to move, as if they were afraid that it was just a dream.

Seeing this, Lin Gui could only sigh, deliberately put on a stern face, and warned in a cold manner.

"I just happened to be going to Karan City on some personal business, and delivering this message was just something I did on the way."

"You might never have another chance like this, so you'd better cherish it."

Instantly, a familiar feeling welled up in their hearts, and the people around them expressed their gratitude profusely, marveling at the divine protection.

Such good fortune had befallen him, and he hurriedly turned around and ran home to prepare a letter or message.

Most of the crowd dispersed, but a few dirty children remained standing there without moving.

Lin Gui found it strange and asked, "Why are you still standing here? Aren't you going to prepare?"

The slightly older boy at the head of the group nervously rubbed the hem of his clothes and whispered.

"Master...we...we can't read, and we don't know how to write a letter..."

Looking at their tattered and emaciated appearance, Lin Gui felt a bitter taste in his mouth.

When he first came into this world, he was also a struggling 7-year-old child.

It is all too clear how difficult it is for homeless children without adult support to survive in this cruel world.

He gestured for the children to come closer, then took out a homemade charcoal pencil and a small stack of rough paper from his bag.

"I'll write it for you. Who wants to go first? Who do you want to send the message to?"

The children looked at each other and finally pushed out the boy who was in the lead.

"Um, Master," the boy said softly, "actually... I'm the only one who wanted to deliver a message."

Lin Gui glanced at the other children, who were generally under ten years old.

He realized that these children probably had no relatives left to look for.

Just like myself...

He didn't ask any further questions, he just nodded.

"Okay, tell me your name, who you want to deliver the message to, and it would be best if you could also describe the recipient's physical characteristics so I can find them."

"Um~ Master, my name is Loken."

"I want to send a letter to my mother, Corona Wilke."

"She has brown hair and black eyes, and she should be... 48 years old now?"

Hmm... she always wears several rings on her hands...

The boy tried hard to remember.

Lin Gui carefully wrote down the information provided by Locke at the top of the paper.

"So what do you want to say to her? Is it to let her know you're safe... to tell her you're here and ask her to come pick you up?"

"No!"

Loken suddenly raised his head and looked at Lin Gui. There was no sadness or hatred in his eyes, only a kind of numb calm.

"I wanted to ask her why she pushed me off the carriage in the first place."

"......"

Lin Gui's pen suddenly stopped.

He looked up and took a deep look at the unusually precocious and calm boy in front of him.

He didn't say anything more in the end, but simply wrote the sentence down on paper exactly as it was written.

Then fold it carefully and put it into an empty envelope.

"I'll ask her for you, if she's still alive." His voice softened.

"Thank you, Venerable Master. This is my payment."

Seven copper coins, polished to a high shine and almost reflecting a person's image, were handed over.

Lin Gui did not refuse and silently accepted the seven heavy copper coins.

Seven copper coins are really nothing; they can't even buy half a loaf of black bread.