Hello, is this a letter addressed to Demon Fortress?

Lin Gui pulled Elvia along as they walked out of the antique shop.

The streets outside remained deathly silent.

Occasionally, a few muffled roars of demons could be heard from afar, as if they were coming from several layers of walls.

Lin Gui took a deep breath.

Now is not the time to relax.

He needed to get Elvia out of the capital city of Carter and out of the Black Tide's radiation range as quickly as possible.

The shortest recorded start time for the third phase of the Black Tide in history is four days.

It would take at least two days to travel by airship from the capital of Carter to the edge of the Black Tide's radiation range.

In other words, he only has a maximum of two days left.

The later you leave, the greater the risk of hitting the third phase.

Lin Gui was about to take the flying boat out of his pocket.

Then he froze.

The streets were packed with people.

Not a knight.

Not a soldier.

He is an ordinary citizen.

They are refugees.

There were also some merchants who were dressed somewhat decently, and even a few pale-faced minor nobles.

They were crammed into the narrow street, stretching from the antique shop entrance all the way to the street corner.

It was a dark, dense mass.

No one speaks.

Everyone was staring at him.

And in their hands, they held letters.

Lin Gui's pupils contracted slightly.

He saw those letters.

Some of the letter paper was brand new, the kind you just bought from a shop.

Some of the letters were crumpled, as if they had been unearthed from somewhere.

Some were simply pieces of cloth with crooked charcoal writing on them.

Their hands were tightly clutching the letters.

It was gripped very tightly.

It was like clutching at the last straw.

Lin Gui's gaze swept across the faces of those people.

He saw a familiar face.

The young man who handed him a steamed bun in the shantytown.

The woman who received the silk dress.

The old man drinking the meat soup.

There were even faces of the rebels he had delivered letters to.

The flower-selling girl.

There were also many more unfamiliar faces.

There was a mother holding her child, who was too young to understand what was happening and was just looking around curiously.

There were elderly people with canes who could barely stand and needed to be supported by others.

There were adventurers wearing tattered leather armor, their bodies wounded, and blood seeping through their bandages.

There were women with heavy makeup, who looked like they came from cheap brothels in the lower-class areas.

There was a butcher with a face full of scars, and his apron was stained with oil.

There was a boy who was so thin he was practically skin and bones, but his eyes were frighteningly bright.

They were all looking at him.

He didn't speak.

He just held the letter.

Looking at Lin Gui.

In his mind, Shadow Blade Lin's voice suddenly rang out.

"They don't have time to waste here."

Her tone was harsh.

"Now is not the time for you to be sentimental."

"If you don't want to die, get out of here now."

Lin Gui remained silent.

Shadow Blade Lin continued:

"Don't forget the original plan."

"Once we find them, we'll leave immediately."

"and……"

She paused.

"These people can't possibly survive."

When she said this, her tone wasn't very certain.

Because the city-states that should have been destroyed during the first demonic uprising are now safely here.

Unharmed.

Those who should have escaped during the second phase, when the demons were under the control of the demigods and their desire to attack was almost zero, were instead ordered by King Carter not to leave.

They then carried out a bloody massacre of those who left.

The key is that woman, whom even Shadow Blade Lin felt was dangerous.

The last queen named Katya.

There was no sense of urgency that the Black Tide was approaching or that destruction was imminent.

Although Shadow Blade Lin has lost all her strength.

However, the spirit's constitution allows her eyes, like Lin Gui's Netherworld Eyes, to see the essence of a soul and thus judge the opponent's strength.

Those knights clad in blood-red armor.

Shadow Blade Lin could tell at a glance that their strength was astonishing.

They even surpassed the dwarven warriors stationed in Shield City.

But she never believed they could withstand the impending demigod trampling.

Don't talk about them.

Even if all the strongest warriors in Akara were gathered together.

It couldn't even make that being who had stepped into the realm of gods stop for half a second.

But that's just how they are.

It was as if the Kuroshio Current didn't exist.

They remain in the capital of Carter.

And the most likely explanation is...

The opponent possesses the ability to evade the Black Tide.

But Shadow Blade Lin didn't know what it was.

So when she said, "These people can't possibly survive."

There was a hint of hesitation in her voice that she herself didn't even realize.

Lin Gui stood still.

Look at those people holding letters.

Look into those silent eyes.

He didn't move.

Elvia stood beside him and gently tugged at his sleeve.

"Lin Gui..."

Her voice was very soft.

"us……"

Lin Gui did not answer.

He just looked at those people.

Those hands.

Those letters.

Lin Gui sighed.

He couldn't possibly refuse.

Because, if it weren't for accepting that carrier pigeon commission that no one else was willing to take on.

He has no chance of getting revenge.

Instead, they could only stay in the New Testament City, silently awaiting death.

It was their expectations that gave Lin Gui hope.

He will not reject their expectations.

Even if this expectation is ultimately dashed.

These commoners came from the lower classes of the capital city of Carter, and most of their relatives lived in remote border regions.

But now, this remote border region has become a paradise for demons.

Including his nominal hometown, New Testament City.

The letters they entrusted with their final words may ultimately go undelivered.

Even so, Lin Gui would not refuse.

This is also the responsibility that the messenger system has given him.

They conveyed their longing and connected cities that had almost lost all communication.

Lin Gui took a step forward.

But he did not turn to the common people.

Instead, he turned around and looked at the antique shop behind him.

I looked at the golden figure still sitting in the wicker chair.

"May I?"

His voice was flat.

The delivery of the letter also implies that the secrets behind the Carter capital may have been leaked by someone with ulterior motives.

The biggest obstacle to delivering the message is the unknown force represented by Katalia.

Katalia did not reply.

She simply stood up.

He turned around.

They walked towards the backyard.

He left Lin Gui with only his back turned.

They disappeared into the shadows.

Lin Gui didn't understand what she meant.

He stood there, stunned, unsure whether this was permission or refusal.

Just then.

A middle-aged man's voice came from the alleyway beside the antique shop.

"Can."

The voice was deep.

"But the contents of the letter need to be reviewed by us."

The stench of blood was overwhelming.

Lin Gui looked in the direction of the sound.

A few people walked out of the alley.

He recognized the one in the lead.

Earl Carrey.

A legendary assassin who rose to the top.

The person who once warned him not to return to Carter's capital.

He was still wearing that drab gray robe, his hair was gray, and his face was resolute.

His body was clean and tidy.

There wasn't a trace of blood.

But the assassins following him were not so well-groomed.

They were covered in blood.

Some people's robes were torn open, revealing several deep, bone-revealing claw marks across their chests.

Someone's arm was hanging down at an odd angle, clearly broken.

Some people's faces were covered in blood, making their features unrecognizable, except for their eyes, which were still shining.

They stood behind Carlyle in silence.

Like a group of demons that have just crawled out of the battlefield.

Carlyle looked at Lin Gui.

The expression in those eyes was strange and complex.

"I warned you not to return to Carter's capital."

He paused.

"I never expected you would come back in the end."

"Return to this city-state destined for destruction."

"Moreover, I also plan to send them a letter, a... will."

Now that Carlyle has agreed, the biggest obstacle has disappeared.

Lin Gui addressed the people around him who were frightened by the appearance of Kaire and the others:

"Since Earl Carrey has given his permission, I will deliver the message to everyone."

Lin Gui's agreement moved those around him who had been waiting with hope.

And at that very moment.

A system task trigger sounded.

[Ding! Hidden commission updated!]

【Commission Title: Unreachable Longing】

[Content: Deliver the letters from the residents of Carter's capital to the designated recipients.]

[Target: Mail receipt rate exceeds 1%]

[Time Limit: None]

[Reward: Artifact Fragment *1]

(Note: You can combine 5 fragments to create a powerful artifact.)

[Risk Warning: The Black Tide is approaching, and the concentration of demons has far exceeded expectations. It is recommended to wait until the Black Tide has completely subsided before starting to deliver letters.]