After mastering the resurrection technique, they begged me to extend their lives.

As darkness completely fell.

The group finally arrived at the second rest stop, where they were able to take a short break.

We're not far from the exit.

An Xiao, who was tense throughout the entire process, kept pondering a question.

Logically, apart from the occasional hunting by the harpy tribe, other small and wild animals should be readily visible in the Radel Forest.

But today, it seems like we haven't encountered any obstacles other than corpses along the way?

Even this empty resting place shows no signs of life ever having been there.

This is very strange.

"I always feel a chill down my back, like something is watching me."

He kept a close watch on his back and surroundings, but no matter how intently he listened, he couldn't detect anything unusual.

The three of them got up from the campfire and hurried on the last short stretch of road.

Throughout the journey, Hoshimi remained immersed in the low mood caused by his "belittlement".

My mind was racing with thoughts.

Although still alive, it is not his "creation" at all.

But for some reason, being spoken to like that by him made me feel like a completely useless person, not even worthy of carrying his shoes...

She was clearly a pampered young lady in the Chamber of Commerce, but looking at his "don't get involved" expression, she really found it hard to accept the fact that he completely ignored her.

He specifically emphasized "betrayal"...

Could it be... that he's figured out why I came to rescue him...?

The little fox started to lose confidence.

As a businessman, there's nothing wrong with pursuing the maximization of profits for one's own business.

After witnessing An Xiao's divine skills, Xing Mi suddenly felt that compared to making money or owning businesses, the feeling of truly possessing divine skills was something to be admired...

And addiction.

However, he seemed to look down on himself completely.

Along the way, he asked most questions about Stardust Harbor, from its geographical location and organizational structure to its local customs and economic composition.

It gave the impression that he had no intention of staying, but rather that he would find a way to go to other countries immediately after making a brief stop...

"Stardust Harbor is surrounded by mountains on three sides, with the frontier mountain range above it being the harpy's lair and some other bird-like demi-humans."

To get there, we must traverse the territory of a terrifying being in the heart of the mountains, a place even wyverns cannot pass through, long ago designated as a forbidden zone by the local inhabitants.

"Why can't dragons fly?"

"Because thunderstorms frequently occur there... even powerful dragon riders are instantly killed if they are touched by them. Both humans and dragons perish."

"..."

An Xiao looked towards the distant mountains.

The mountain was shrouded in mist, as if a layer of dark clouds was pressing down on our heads, impossible to shake off.

"The thunder rumbles intermittently, but it doesn't extend beyond that area. This indicates that it's being manipulated."

Do you know who it is?

He looked at her.

"I don't know."

The little fox shook its head. "Almost everyone who went there died."

"."

An Xiao sighed inwardly.

Another path for the water to flow out has been blocked.

What came to mind was the strange phenomenon in the sky just now.

Lightning control, instant kill, invisible and intangible, domain...

It seems there's an overlap.

According to the battle rank settings in the memories.

To instantly kill a level 50 being, one must be at least level 65 or even 70.

Otherwise, no matter what, the pterosaurs and dragon riders would fight for a while before they perished, instead of being instantly killed.

If what awaits me there is some kind of catastrophic boss, then with my current strength, going there would mean certain death, there's no other possibility.

"Alright, if the land route is blocked, we can consider the sea route later."

"By sea..."

The little fox still shook its head: "The sea routes are monopolized by the island nation of Pegasus."

"By the way, their country has a nickname: 'Pirate Country.' If you don't pay enough annual sea tolls, your people, your ship, and all your belongings will be robbed and confiscated."

"..."

An Xiao frowned deeply.

"An annual fee is also required?"

"Yes. 1000 gold dragon coins per year will guarantee your passage through the Pegasus Sea and your arrival in the Batos Commercial Kingdom. Normally, only imperial warships and the Griffin Knights can pass for free..."

Merchants like us have to pay fees. However… my father has some connections with the mercenaries over there, so he can get our merchant ships a 15% discount on crossing the river.”

Xingmi spoke freely.

An Xiao was troubled by what she heard.

He didn't have many gold coins in his pocket right now. If he really had to pay the toll in this way, it would mean that he would have to raise nearly a thousand gold coins in a short period of time. Moreover, he couldn't do anything too outrageous to the little fox, since he still needed her relationship with him.

and so.

PASS directly.

[Land routes are out of the question, and sea routes are too expensive. So, could I possibly consider air routes?]

Thinking about this, another bold idea came to him...

He then glanced back at the direction behind him.

"Yes."

"The harpies got hold of a pterosaur carcass..."

An Xiao narrowed her eyes slightly.

"If I were to take this loot from them, would it mean I could lower the entry barrier to around level 40 or 50 and achieve aerial freedom?"

"As for the thunderstorm area, we should be able to avoid it by flying around it, along the outer ring of the mountains, making a large loop, right?"

"At worst, it'll just take a little more time."

An Xiao was planning her next steps.

The idea is bold, but not impossible.

"Just asking, do you have a complete map of the continent of Wayne from recent years?"

Yes, there is...

"Give me."

He reached out and spoke to the little fox in a commanding tone.

"oh…"

The little fox dared not resist, but took out a piece of parchment from its storage pouch, unfolded it, and handed it to him.

"We are in this position now."

She pointed to a point in the upper right corner of the picture.

"The Aleient Empire, northeast of its capital."

"Um."

An Xiao nodded slightly.

Then, he looked at Princess Airi.

Love is intuitive and immediately understands.

He began to explain what he had learned in the royal city—

"The capital city of Aleiente is located in a relatively remote area and is close to the port, unlike other countries that place their capitals in the center."

"After all, my father said that the empire was originally a small country. It was through continuous wars, expanding its territory and reaping new lands that it gradually grew into such a large country."

"Initially, it was a small place, like Batos and Pegasus. Its main source of income was plunder."

She paused, then said in a deep voice:

"Such a country, which has no ports of its own, can only try to occupy ports and do its best to develop trade."

"Stardust Harbor has been able to maintain its neutrality because the country it belongs to is the Batos Commercial State."

"This country has the widest network of connections on the entire continent. After all, the great inventor Mr. Batus always liked to develop some novel gadgets, the kind that all of humanity might become indispensable to..."

"For example, he's recently been researching using communication tools to replace messenger crows and such..."

"..."

"This means that even the Empire dares not easily invade the territory covered by the Batos's power, otherwise it is very likely to be attacked by all sides and it will be difficult to protect itself."

Airi's words were very objective, as if she didn't consider her a princess at all, but was simply making a rational evaluation.

"Understand."

An Xiao has a clearer understanding of this history now.

He mentally reviewed the situation and thought:

"From this perspective, if we want to cross to the other side of the inland, we have to go through the royal city, which is tantamount to courting death."

"As for Stardust Harbor, even if we arrive there, we cannot rule out the possibility of being tracked down and attacked by Imperial assassins. There is no such thing as absolute safety."

"I'm a wanted criminal now, with a princess in my arms. I need to find a place where I can breathe and make money steadily."

Focus your attention on the large map.

It is evident that Stardust Harbor is separated from the Empire by the Raldell Forest, and beyond that lies a landscape of mountains and sea.

On the other side of the mountain, if you can successfully cross, you will reach a place with excellent feng shui, extremely suitable for you.

Endedes Wasteland.

There, skeletal remains and vengeful spirits littered the land.

Occasionally, high-level adventurers or paladins from Galatia go there to level up.

But if you go any deeper, there are definitely no living people left.

This environment is perfect for me.

"I wish I could level up a little bit and then go to Endedes to develop my career."

"To others, the monsters that the dead have become are always terrifying, but in my eyes, they are all my resources."

"Resources that can be utilized and transformed."

"As long as I can get to Endedes, as long as I can reach the City of the Dead..."

"I am certain that I can raise the 'Creation Level' and gradually approach my long-cherished wish."

-

……

We arrived at the exit of the Radel shrubbery.

My vision suddenly opened up.

The sea breeze caressed my face, and even at dusk, the scent of the ocean still brought a sense of peace and tranquility.

Connecting the jungle and the port is a very smooth stone-paved road.

The road was brightly lit on both sides, unlike the eerie silence of the jungle at night.

Looking out, at the entrance to the free trade port, stands a strangely colored stone monument with the words "Stardust Harbor" engraved in large blue characters, serving as a landmark.

"It's a meteorite."

Xingmi said, "Stardust Harbor is named this because a legendary mage once lived here and successfully cast an eighth-ring spell called 'Starfall' in front of everyone."

"This stone at the entrance is one of the manifestations of her magic."

"The Eighth Ring Road..."

An Xiao squinted, pondering the relevant settings about spell levels and caster levels in her memory.

Although I had some recollection of it, it was clearly more reliable to ask a local directly.

Are the ranks of mages determined entirely by their combat strength?

He looked at the little fox and asked the question as he walked.

The little fox was taken aback at first, then his face lit up with realization, and he nodded, saying:

"That should be the case. After all, skilled people like to use eye techniques to assess others, and the most basic function of eye techniques is to make a preliminary prediction of the other party's strength based on the pressure they exude."

"I see."

"Among mages, those below level 20 are called apprentices, and then every 10 levels thereafter they are classified as professionals, intermediate mages, advanced mages, archmages, and grand archmages."

While other professions may have different names, generally speaking, those at LV80 and above can be categorized as legendary, while those at LV90 and above are considered legendary.

The little fox explained.

"ah."

An Xiao pondered, if an 8th-ring spell corresponds to a legendary-level existence,

Therefore, in this world, the current top combat power of mankind is no more than level 90, which is far from perfect in a data sense—that is, LV100.

In the setting, for ease of memorization, LV100 creatures are basically dominant beings in a certain restricted area, and have long since concealed their forms. Unless they are attacked, they will almost never take the initiative to attack.

At the time, I personally created a very soulful character design, but after arriving here, I find it difficult to recall what it was. I only vaguely remember that my LV100 "direct descendant" was...

Subhuman.

That's right, demi-humans.

An Xiao slowed her pace and turned her gaze back from the direction of the dock.

He looked at Xingmi.

"Among you demi-humans, are there any legendary figures who are well-known?"

"Eh?"

The question was quite tricky.

The little fox was stunned.

He racked his brains.

"Ajin..."

"legend…?"

She had absolutely no idea how to answer.

Just as he was organizing his thoughts, Princess Airi couldn't help but speak up: "Brother, you must understand that in today's world, legends are called 'legends'... because they have all become history."

"Oh...is that so?"

An Xiao seemed to be deep in thought.

"Of course. Let alone legends, even legendary beings above level 80 are beyond our reach at this stage."

After all… the Empire’s highest combat strength is nothing more than the LV79 Archmage Margaret. I only learned this secret because I often communicate with her.”

The princess spoke these words through telepathy.

She didn't want to reveal to the little fox that Margaret was her mentor, but unfortunately, the little fox could roughly guess what she was referring to just by looking at her expression.

She couldn't help but say meaningfully, "Sometimes I envy Her Highness the Empire's princess, being able to learn magic from such a powerful lady as Margaret..."

"?!"

"Furthermore, the two people beside her, Miss Wind Sword and Sister Fiora, are also very close to being 'legendary'."

"..."

An Xiao and Ai Li exchanged a glance.

Each had their own thoughts.

What are you trying to say?

He looked at Xingmi.

"It's nothing, just telling you that your creator is right, levels 71-80 are already considered national-level beings. As for the legendary-level demi-humans you asked about..."

"Well, to be honest, the most powerful fighter we fox people have ever recorded is only level 62... and he's a leatherworker..."

"..."

An Xiao shook her head. "But demi-humans don't just refer to you fox people. Think about it carefully, including everyone, is there really no legendary being who can control everything?"

At this point, he added, "Those who are dead also count."

"..."

The little fox naturally understood what he meant.

After much deliberation, the group finally reached the main gate of the port and saw the slave enclosure not far away—

After a moment of stunned silence, his fox eyes flashed.

She stamped her foot slightly, then suddenly remembered, "I know one. There aren't any legendary-level ones, but there are some who were already LV99, and they weren't dead, but rather special demi-humans who disappeared one year. I know one. The adults told me about them when I was a child."

"you say."

An Xiao's eyes lit up as she awaited her answer.

Xingmi hesitated several times, trying to organize her thoughts for a long time before finally managing to describe it:

"The God of Desire descended, transforming her into a different form... On that day, the chosen harmless little beast stood up, killed the slave owner who imprisoned her and her people, and directly destroyed 'Twilight City Vesperaria,' which mainly engaged in the sale of demi-human slaves."

She single-handedly accomplished a physical massacre of a city. From then on, no country in the world dared to sell demi-human slaves of her kind, nor dared to mention her name again...

The city at dusk became her final resting place.

More than a hundred years later, a hero from the Holy Kingdom of Galatia went to visit, but for some reason, the hero never returned.

Later, before the city of Twilight, a proclamation was posted throughout the land—"Where Nora dwells, evil spirits and demons dwell, indiscriminately slaughter them, the whole nation shall be one with them"... Beside it hung the head and shattered remains of that hero...

"..."

"More than 30 years have passed, and no country or organization has dared to disturb her. Until one day..."

"Twilight City suddenly sank, turning into a bottomless abyss."

"It is said to be located on the other side of Galatine, adjacent to the ancient forest of Rafilas, which is quite remote."

"After that, the abyss was named 'The Cave.' It was also figuratively called 'The Otherworldly Entrance to Meet Legends' by later generations... but no soul is clean."

"so."

"."

The little fox shut up at this point in the story.

Because she noticed that although An Xiao was listening, she kept frowning, as if she hadn't covered any of the key points...

Sure enough, he asked, "After all this talk, what kind of demi-human is she?"

"Well……"

Xingmi's words caught in her throat, her face fell, and she finally gave up on giving a complete explanation. Instead, like a dumbfounded bird with its neck choked, she simply concluded:

"She...she's a rabbit!"

……

……