Hello, is this a letter addressed to Demon Fortress?

The raft flew over the city walls and into the heart of Molten Light City.

From a high vantage point, the scene inside the city was even more shocking than what could be seen from the city walls.

The once-thick shops and houses along the wide main road are now just charred skeletons.

The walls were leaning, the roof had collapsed, and broken beams were stuck diagonally in the rubble.

Some buildings were burned down to just a ring of stone foundations.

The wooden structure above was completely reduced to ashes, leaving only a pile of black powder.

The wind swept through the ruins, stirring up fine ash that swirled in the air.

The once bustling streets, noisy taverns, and steaming workshops have all disappeared.

Instead, there was endless silence and scorched earth.

It's completely unrecognizable from the way they used to celebrate the destruction.

Lin Gui took a deep breath.

The air was filled with the smell of burnt earth mixed with dust, dry and bitter.

He activated his staff, and the raft lowered its altitude, gliding along the main road toward the inner city.

The ruins on both sides receded silently, like rows of silent tombstones.

I can almost hear the exhilarating celebration of our victory.

The deafening cheers, the clinking of glasses, and the endless singing and dancing in the streets.

And the screams of agony as the army pressed in after the revelry.

The barrier trapped the entire city-state.

Flames spread in from all four city walls, creating a terrifying scene of everything being consumed.

Those sounds were so real.

It feels like just yesterday, right now, right beside him.

Lin Gui closed his eyes briefly, forcibly dispelling these illusions.

He opened his eyes, his gaze returning to its cool and calm state.

The raft passed through the gap in the inner city gate and entered the core area.

The buildings here are larger in scale and more severely damaged.

The former lord's mansion, magic crystal workshop, and merchant hall.

Everything turned into collapsed stone walls and twisted metal supports.

But among the countless collapsed buildings.

The only intact building stood out starkly in front of us.

It was a three-story stone building.

The exterior walls were painted grayish-white, the doors and windows were tightly closed, and the roof tiles were neat and intact.

It was unusually clean compared to other ruins.

Two guards stood at the entrance, dressed in standard leather armor, with short swords at their waists, watching the way warily.

Lin Gui landed the raft on the open ground in front of the building.

Elvia reached out and gently tugged at his sleeve, then whispered something.

"careful."

"Theodore, we can't just make that money so easily."

"This could be a trap, or a further test."

"If it weren't for this high-paying commission, they would have no reason to have access to us."

Lin Gui nodded slightly, but did not stop walking.

He walked toward the door, and the two guards looked him up and down.

One of them turned around, pushed open the door, and announced something inside.

The goods were then handed over.

The process was so smooth that even Elvia hadn't expected it.

They were not questioned.

They were not asked to open the wooden crate for inspection.

They weren't even asked to show any identification.

A middle-aged woman wearing a gray long dress walked out of the door.

Her hair was tied into a tight bun at the back of her head, with a few strands of silver at her temples.

High cheekbones and a well-defined jawline.

His gray eyes held a weariness and sharpness born from years of handling affairs.

She stood at the doorway, her gaze sweeping over the huge wooden crate on the raft before turning to Lin Gui.

I only asked one question.

Is Lord Theodore alright?

I didn't ask any more questions after that.

He walked to the wooden box, circled it, tapped the side of the box with his knuckles, and listened to the echo.

Then she straightened up and took a dip pen from her sleeve.

Josh Hudgens.

She handed the receipt to Lin Gui.

He then gave Lin Gui a bank certificate worth 5 million gold coins.

There was no attempt to retain them, no testing, no trap.

As Elvia anticipated, none of the troubles occurred.

Moreover, for some reason, Elvia sensed something unusual in the woman's tone and expression.

Josh didn't seem too keen on letting them stay here.

Her gaze never lingered on them for more than two breaths.

After signing, he stepped back half a step and stood in the shadow of the porch.

That gesture seemed to urge them to leave as soon as possible.

This piqued Elvia's curiosity.

What exactly was inside that one-ton wooden crate?

Unfortunately, Lin Gui did not intend to stay in Melting Light City for long.

Their ultimate goal was to return to Karan as quickly as possible.

After receiving his payment, Lin Gui turned and walked toward the raft.

He activated his staff, and the raft slowly rose into the air, changed direction, and flew north.

Elvia sat on the raft.

My gaze remained fixed on the gray-white building below.

Just as the raft was about to pass over the city wall, she subconsciously turned her head back.

Then, she saw that scene.

Shortly after they left, a group of people appeared to have passed by.

Josh Hudgens stood in the doorway.

He bowed slightly and respectfully invited the group of people inside.

Those people were wrapped in black cloaks from head to toe.

His face was completely obscured by the shadow of the hood.

The number of people and their faces were indistinct; all that could be seen was the edge of the cloak swaying slightly in the wind.

They filed through the door, their footsteps silent, like shadows slipping into water.

After Josh and the last person entered.

He quickly peeked out and glanced at the streets on both the left and right.

After confirming that no one was there, she slammed the door shut.

The heavy wooden door slammed shut with a dull thud.

Immediately afterwards, the latch was pushed up from the inside and clicked shut.

That door was never opened again.

Elvia frowned.

Regardless, as long as we don't cause them trouble, that's fine.

Now it's time to head towards the red desert.

However, Lin Gui continued northwards without any intention of turning back.

Elvia felt a strange unease.

She asked the question.

"Why don't you turn around?"

"Aren't we supposed to start from Annabelle and enter the Red Desert?"

In the middle of the night, Lillian, who had been silent the whole time, looked up in bewilderment.

Someone had absolutely no idea what Lin Gui and Elvia were up to.

The little guy who had been abducted seemed to have overheard something incredible.

She blinked, looked at Lin Gui, then at Elvia, her lips moved, but no sound came out.

Lin Gui did not answer.

His gaze swept across the hills below.

Nestled in a dense jungle, a small wooden cabin comes into view.

Upon seeing this, Lin Gui spoke, his tone carrying a hint of heaviness.

"Before that, I need to confirm one thing."