Rita carried her black Postman bag as she headed toward District 25, with travel money and so extra coins from Deceitful Bloom tucked into her clothes.
Along the way, she kept thinking about the idea of fairy tales and the role of a Postman. The more she thought about it, the more surreal it felt.
Letters weren't strictly necessary for this story, yet they gave birth to the profession of Postman.
Most fairy tales had a central the: kindness, honesty, optimism, courage. As long as soone possessed these virtues, they would eventually gain worldly rewards such as wealth, love, or power.
Even the titles of fairy tales often revolved around the protagonist, like Snow White, Little Red Riding Hood, Aladdin.
But none of that was absolute.
Back in Card Swap, she had told countless fairy tales to Wrathful Moon. If she had to summarize what they all shared, it would be this:
A good ending.
Or at least, the story had to end at its best possible mont.
Once she left District 21, the atmosphere changed completely. The people she passed were calm and peaceful.
Compared to the noisy liveliness of District 21, this kind of quiet happiness felt almost overwhelming, as if the forr's chaos was just a façade hiding its lack of true joy.
Rita silently noted everything she observed and felt.
Before the agreed ti, she arrived at the pickup location: the second floor of Celebration Tavern in District 25.
The sender's na was Smoke Tune.
Another familiar na.
But when she stepped onto the second floor, her attention was drawn to soone else in the corner.
Lynx Duke?
The elf was focused on writing a letter. As Rita got closer, she could hear the scratch of the pen dragging across paper, harsh and deliberate.
It didn't feel like writing.
It felt like carving.
Standing in front of her was another Postman about Rita's age, wearing the sa black bag. She had long black wavy hair and a coiled whip at her waist. Rita could only see her back, slender and still.
Rita glanced at her briefly, then shifted her attention back to Lynx Duke.
The elf dripped lted wax onto the envelope.
Her posture was straight, her movents precise and elegant as she sealed the letter.
For a mont, Rita almost believed this was the real Lynx Duke, not just another character wearing her face.
But she had no real basis for that thought. She didn't know Lynx Duke well enough.
At that mont, Lynx Duke spoke to the Postman in front of her.
"For your first delivery to be mine, you're quite lucky."
Rita didn't linger.
She found Cicada sitting in another corner and went to collect her own letter.
After seeing Rita, Cicada placed the letter into an envelope and sealed it with wax in front of her. Only then did she hand over both the letter and the paynt.
That was the rule. Paynt first, then delivery.
Even if the letter was lost, the money would not be refunded.
Of course, so Postn had deliberately destroyed letters to avoid deliveries, but if it happened too often, they would be blacklisted by the post office.
Rita stored the letter and money in her bag, said goodbye, and prepared to leave imdiately.
As she reached the stairs, she saw that sa Postman from before.
The girl was already near the tavern entrance, her figure outlined against the light. Rita could only see her silhouette.
Sothing about her felt familiar.
Even just from the back, there was a strange sense of recognition.
Rita noted it but didn't dwell on it.
Everyone here looked familiar anyway. One more wasn't surprising.
After leaving Thorn Royal City, she began traveling nonstop. If she kept moving, she could reach the Lihuo Beacon near the city by tomorrow afternoon and deliver the letter to a painter nad Smoke Tune.
As dusk fell, the bag on her back began to feel heavier.
It felt as if countless gazes were fixed on the letter inside.
Whispers and distorted sounds filled her ears.
It was unpleasant, but not unbearable.
Rita kept moving, staying alert for danger while thinking about how Postn actually gained their abilities.
Shadows in the forest twisted in the wind, lunging at her like living things.
She dodged them with agile footwork.
She didn't run at full speed. The journey was too long. If she exhausted herself too quickly, she wouldn't make it.
Even so, fatigue crept in.
She couldn't help wondering how an eight-year-old Deceitful Bloom had managed this.
Gradually, she realized that among the chaotic noises was a familiar voice.
Cicada's voice.
Broken fragnts of speech drifted into her ears as she ran and dodged.
"I cultivated Birdsong Flower. It's incredible."
"When planted alongside rare flowers, when those flowers begin to wither, it sings to attract birds. When birds land on its vine, it strangles them and turns both itself and the bird into nourishnt for the most precious flower."
"With this thod, I cultivated…"
"But not every rare flower qualifies. Not all are worthy of its ideal."
"I made a fortune!"
"That Frenzied Shark from District 17 grew sothing too. Why doesn't he just go back to farming potatoes?"
"Smoke Tune, co to Thorn Royal City. I'll make you rich."
"Trust , I won't sneak out at night to sabotage competitors this ti. I've written it into this letter as my oath."
This… was the letter?
Rita burst out of the forest, escaping the shadows, and finally understood what she had been hearing.
She imdiately reached into her bag.
The envelope had turned into velvet.
Faint golden coin patterns shimred across its surface.
But the wax seal remained intact.
That ant it hadn't been opened.
As long as the seal remained, any strange transformation was considered normal in this world.
Just as she let out a breath of relief, a voice echoed in her mind.
You have beco a trainee Postman
You have obtained the unique Postman skill: Wealth Managent
Postman Skill: Wealth Managent (A Rank)
All your money-related actions will never result in a loss. After completing a delivery, your next investnt will yield ten tis the amount invested.
Rita stood at the forest's edge, staring at the glowing Beacon in the distance, unsure how she felt.
With the awakening of this skill, knowledge flooded her mind.
A Postman's power was tied directly to the content of their first delivered letter.
Her letter contained thods for cultivating rare vines, but its core the was profit.
So her ability revolved around making money.
Everyone knew Postn awakened abilities during their first delivery, but no one could explain how.
And once awakened, the ability could never be changed.
A rank Wealth Managent…
Rita kept walking. No matter what, she needed to deliver the letter first.
But her mind was already calculating how to maximize this ability.
Postn were rich, but that wealth ca at the cost of their lives.
If she could earn enough through investnt, could she hire multiple Postn as bodyguards to escort her deliveries?
Still…
This ability felt unsafe.
Money ant nothing against overwhelming power.
Those she hired could easily turn into her employers.
And she might end up as nothing more than a tool to generate wealth for others.
The law only said you couldn't kill a Postman.
It didn't say you couldn't "cooperate" with one.
So why…
Why did she end up with Wealth Managent of all things?
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