Hello, is this a letter addressed to Demon Fortress?

He knew it from the first time Lin Gui met Elvia.

This woman has good fighting talent.

You could even call him a genius.

The reasoning behind this judgment is quite simple.

Her strength.

High-ranking official.

It's really nothing in Akara.

But her age and her identity make this ability very special.

Lin Gui remembered that Elvia was a year older than Eve.

She was nineteen when I first met her.

Now, I'm twenty years old.

A high-ranking official at the age of twenty doesn't really qualify someone as a genius.

Moreover, it's a physical class.

But Elvia has another identity.

She was a princess of a country.

She is still a princess with real power.

Managing her own power took up the vast majority of her time.

And this guy really knows how to enjoy himself.

Lin Gui knew without even asking...

This guy spends a pitifully small amount of time on knight training.

Among noble and upper-class families, there are often two different methods for raising their offspring.

The first option is to cultivate oneself and wholeheartedly improve one's strength.

The second option is to manage the family business and give up cultivation.

Princess Diana and Charles of Carter's capital were examples of this type.

Charles and Diana are at most at the mid-level in terms of strength.

Elvia, who works in the same field as them and is much younger than them, is in a high-ranking position.

This explains the problem.

As for Shadow Blade Lin's evaluation... "Not bad."

This almost certainly affirms Elvia's talent.

Shadow Blade Lyn is the pinnacle of physical damage classes.

For her to say "not bad" is already a very high compliment.

As an ally who would die with him, Lin Gui would not allow Elvia to waste her talent.

Lin Gui couldn't protect her forever.

In fact, Lin Gui might need her protection later on.

Just like the week after I escaped from the Black Tide with Elvia.

The post office has basically finished accepting and delivering mail.

Almost everyone in Drywood Town who wanted to send a letter had already done so.

There were nearly a thousand letters, not counting other city-states not on the route.

Lin Gui was very surprised by this.

Although he didn't receive any letters, he still planned to stay for another week.

Because the extra commission that rewarded random extraordinary magic had yet to be completed.

And no one came to claim the four huge wooden crates.

Lin Gui checked the magical loops in the wooden crate and found that they had not been damaged during transport.

However, no one followed the magic's guidance to claim the wooden box.

For the next week, Lin Gui waited.

Following Shadowblade Lin's instructions, she subjected Elvia to insane training.

The appearance of Shadow Blade Lin surprised Elvia.

Upon hearing the other person's identity...

Elvia almost knelt down.

The other party said they planned to train her and help her reach the extraordinary level within a month...

Elvia was thrilled.

Then, she underwent the most grueling training.

Shadow Blade Lin is merely a soul; having lost all her abilities, she is unable to provide personal guidance.

But she can train Elvia through the Forest Ghost.

Each wind blade attack became a means for Shadow Blade Lin to judge Elvia's physical limits.

The way they exerted their power and their fighting style gradually became standardized and mainstream under the strict and rigorous tutelage of Shadow Blade Lin.

The relentless and harsh instruction made Elvia's most painful week.

After each session, Lin Gui would carry her to the Adventurers' Guild for treatment.

He recovered, but then he started getting beaten up again.

Elvia was initially resistant.

But as she saw her own improvement become more and more apparent, she gritted her teeth and persevered.

In just one week, Elvia was able to force Lin Gui to use his Flame Blade.

It's the tenth day since I arrived in Deadwood Town.

Inside the combat training room, the magic lamps illuminated the entire space brightly.

Lin Gui stood in the center of the arena, with hundreds of magical rings rotating behind him.

Layer upon layer, densely packed, like a wall made of light.

The center of each ring is aligned with the same direction.

It's aimed at Elvia.

She was not wearing armor.

She was only wearing a close-fitting black training uniform, and her hair was tied in a high ponytail.

He holds a thin sword, the tip pointing towards the ground.

She took a deep breath and looked up.

"I'm ready."

Lin Gui remained silent.

He raised his hand.

Wind blades were unleashed simultaneously.

They didn't come one after another, nor did they come in groups of three or five.

Instead, dozens of wind blades shot out simultaneously.

The sharp, piercing sounds blended together, like the flapping of wings of some enormous swarm of bees.

Elvia's pupils contracted slightly.

She did not back down.

She moved.

First step, turn to the side.

Three wind blades grazed past her ears, the resulting gusts of wind ruffling the stray hairs at her temples.

The second step is to bend over.

Five wind blades swept past her head, one of which severed several strands of her hair.

The third step is to leap up.

She turned in mid-air, the tip of her sword touching the ground, using the force to bounce to the side.

Behind her, more than a dozen wind blades pierced the spot where she had just landed, leaving a dense layer of cuts on the stone floor.

This time, Lin Gui showed no mercy.

The speed of the wind blades was pushed to the maximum.

One after another, in patches, covering the sky and the earth.

Elvia weaved through the torrent of wind blades.

Her body seemed boneless; every twist and turn was perfectly timed.

The wind blades passed under her armpits, grazed her waist, and swept between her legs.

She swung her sword, shattering several attacks that came close to her.

The sword traced silver arcs under the light, each strike precisely hitting the blade of the wind blade.

It's not brute force, it's skillful technique.

The wind blade shattered at the slightest touch of the sword tip.

But there are too many wind blades.

If one is broken, three are replaced; if three are broken, ten are replaced.

Her movements began to distort.

My breathing became rapid.

My footsteps began to falter.

A blade of wind grazed her shoulder, leaving a shallow bloodstain.

Another gust of wind sliced ​​across her calf, tearing a gash in her trouser leg.

Her body swayed slightly.

The voice of Shadow Blade Lin echoed in his mind:

"Lower your left shoulder, shift your weight to the right, and let your energy flow to the Shaoyin meridian."

Elvia gritted her teeth and did as she was told.

His body suddenly sprang to the right, barely dodging the three wind blades that shot at him simultaneously.

"The sword tip flicks upwards, the energy flows through the Taiyin hand."

She swung her sword, and with a slight flick of the tip, a blade of wind was deflected, flying past her face.

"Take a half step back, reduce your energy by 3%, and gather strength in your left foot."

She stepped back, her toes touching the ground, and her strength gathered in her legs.

"Now, charge forward."

Her body shot forward like an arrow released from a bow.

It moved so fast that it left a trail of afterimages in the air.

Wind blades shot from both sides, but she no longer dodged.

The sword was held horizontally in front of him, and he poured in his energy.

"Ding ding ding ding..."

The continuous impact sounds, the wind blades struck the sword, were deflected, and shattered.

Her speed did not decrease.

three meters.

Two meters.

one meter.

Her fingers touched the hem of Lin Gui's robe.

Then......

She stopped.

He stood there frozen, his hand still outstretched, his fingertips pinching the piece of gray fabric.

Tears welled up in my eyes.

It's not crying.

It's uncontrollable.

She stood there, covered in sweat, her hair disheveled, and her clothes torn in several places.

Her fingers gripped Lin Gui's robe tightly, her fingertips trembling.

His lips moved, as if he wanted to say something.

He didn't say it.

Lin Gui looked at her but didn't move.

After a long while, she sniffed and let go.

The voice is a little hoarse:

"I ran into him."

Lin Gui nodded:

"Um."

Elvia wiped her face and a smile appeared on her lips.

Now it's time to let her rest a bit.

Then......

Lin Gui took out the Wind Whisperer's Scepter from behind him.

Looking at her expressionlessly, he said:

"It's time to increase the difficulty."

The bluish-green staff gleamed faintly under the lamplight.

Elvia's expression instantly crumbled.

"I......"

She said one word.

Then he swallowed it back.

He said two more words:

"Holy shit."

That evening.

Lin Gui carried the newly healed Elvia back to the post office.

She lay on his back, her body limp and weak, like a lump of mud.

Her head was resting on his shoulder, and she was still muttering something.

I can't hear clearly.

But it certainly wasn't anything nice.

Shadowblade Lin's training of Elvia was very simple.

That is to constantly push all of her body's functions to their limits.

Speed, reaction time, strength...

At the same time, it corrected many of Elvia's power generation techniques.

These are all very basic exercises.

But Shadow Blade Lin knew very well how to push this exercise to its limit using Lin Gui's terrifyingly precise wind blade control.

While achieving remarkable results, it also caused Elvia to curse and swear on several occasions.

Lin Gui ignored Elvia's complaints.

Look, no emails have been delivered to my inbox.

He stopped as he passed the backyard.

The four huge wooden crates still stand quietly in the backyard.

The wood grain gleamed with a dark light in the setting sun, and the magical protection was still active.

No one came to claim it.

It's been ten days since day one.

Lin Gui's gaze turned serious.

He couldn't stay in Deadwood Town for too long, waiting for the actual recipient to appear.

Since three days ago, many people have come to the post office to find him.

They came to "dig" into the corner.

Lin Gui's levitation ability made him a target for recruitment by some transport teams.

But the fictitious transport fleet behind him became an obstacle.

His failure to gather the transport team members in the meantime aroused suspicion among those people.

It's very easy to find information about various transport teams through the Transport Guild.

Therefore, the speculation that he was not backed by a transport team is growing.

Someone has already come to him offering a generous price to win him over.

These people will not be at a disadvantage because they do not have a transport team behind them; in fact, they will be overjoyed.

A wandering mage without a master, who can levitate...

Every buff delighted the transport team.

but......

The inspector following behind Lin Gui didn't think so.

And the nobles in the central city-state they're going to visit, whose interests they'll be affected by, don't think that way.

They will become even more reckless in attacking themselves.

Therefore, I must establish my own transportation team as soon as possible.

The deadline for registering for the transport team is fast approaching.

Based on my estimated travel time, I can wait a maximum of 3 days.

Once there, we still need to find a way to meet the registration requirements.

I can't waste any more time.

Lin Gui asked the system in his mind:

"What is the time limit for special commissions?"

System reply:

The deadline for the commission to deliver goods to the Dalton family is two months.

If the task is not completed within two months, it will be automatically considered a failure.

Lin Gui nodded.

If it's two months, I can register myself and still have time to come back.

He decided to first go to Tongmen City to register for the selection of the transport team.

Then return to complete the additional commission.

If the wooden crate is signed for during this time, he doesn't need to come back; he can just continue forward.

If it hasn't been signed for...

Lin Gui stared at the wooden box with a solemn expression.

All I can do is open the box and see what amazing things are inside...

This allows Dalton to transport data anonymously, and it also triggers system delegation.

The next three days.

Besides training with Elvia, Lin Gui also began to actively seek out the recipients of Dalton's goods.

The recipient assigned by the system is theoretically not simple.

He began his search based on the transport caravan that Dalton had died on the road.

At that time, Lin Gui could still ask some questions...

The only transport company owned by the Dalton family is called the Dalton Transport Company.

During the questioning and investigation, Lin Gui unexpectedly discovered...

There is no evidence of the arrival of the Dalton Transport Company at the Transport Guild.

The Transport Guild left no trace and could not prove that the Dalton Transport Team had not been to Deadwood.

After all, there are transport teams that specialize in smuggling goods or illegal operations.

They will not register with the transport association, and will not even set foot in the transport association.

Based on the composition of Dalton's membership, Lin Gui began questioning the lumberjacks and other members of the Deadwood Town underworld.

They were very willing to help Lin Gui, the person who helped them deliver the message, and actively assisted him in gathering information.

result......

No one has ever seen a similar transport team come to Deadwood Town.

Having worked in Deadwood Town for so many years, it's impossible that they didn't know those transport teams had been there.

After all, it was they who loaded the goods for the transport teams in Drywood Town.

There were only three transport teams traveling to and from Drywood Town.

Frostmark Racing Team.

Morningstar Racing Team.

Red Sand Caravan.

The investigation has reached a stalemate.

Lin Gui had no choice but to give up.

Upon reaching the second floor and entering the bedroom, Lin Gui bent down, preparing to place Elvia on the bed.

Her arms tightened, and her hands around his neck did not loosen.

Instead, they hugged each other even tighter.

"Don't move."

Her voice was very soft, with a gentle, lingering tone.

Lin Gui paused for a moment.

"Let go."

"I won't let go."

Elvia buried her face in his shoulder, her voice muffled:

"My week has been awful."

"I get beaten by you every day, and after that, I get scolded by that dead ghost."

"I scolded you, and then you hit me again."

She looked up at his profile.

Her lips were almost touching his ear, and her warm breath brushed against his neck.

"Can't you—give me a reward?"

Lin Gui turned his head and glanced at her.

The face was so close that you could see the tiny beads of sweat clinging to her eyelashes.

Her eyes were bright and sparkling, with a deliberately pitiful look that was also quite natural.

Like a cat begging for dried fish.

Lin Gui remained silent for a while.

"We'll leave Drywood Town in three days."

He paused.

"I'll grant your wish when the time comes."

Elvia's eyes suddenly lit up.

"real?"

"Um."

"Do you keep your word?"

"Um."

"No going back on your word?"

"……Um."

Elvia stared at him for several seconds to make sure he wasn't just giving her a perfunctory answer.

Then, she let go.

My body fell onto the bed and sank into the soft blankets.

She rolled over, burying her face in the pillow, her voice coming through the gaps in the pillow, tinged with laughter:

"Then I'm going to sleep."

"Good night."

Lin Gui stood by the bed, looking down at her.

Moonlight streamed through the gaps in the curtains, falling on her loose, golden hair.

Her breathing quickly became even, and a slight smile lingered at the corner of her mouth.

Lin Gui stood there for a while, then turned around and blew out the lamp.

The room darkened.