Hello, is this a letter addressed to Demon Fortress?

What Elvia and Lillian didn't expect was...

And just like that, a week passed.

The initial curiosity and anticipation were eventually worn away during the long wait.

During this period.

Elvia, bored out of her mind, fiddled with the magic toys she had bought at a high price.

A metal beetle that can do somersaults on its own spun around between her fingers.

She had originally intended to take Lin Gui to try on clothes.

Show off your beautiful figure in front of him.

She hasn't even tried on all the clothes she bought from Green Shade Court yet.

As a result, it seems that her own man has been firmly possessed by that petite little apprentice.

I hardly have time to pay attention to her.

These past few days, they've spent almost all their time around that small desk, discussing various issues.

Elvia remembers it from the beginning.

Lin Gui intended to teach Lillian the true, complete version of the Night Veil.

As a result, for some reason, the discussion started to diverge.

From the construction of the Night Veil to Lillian's bizarre creation of rudimentary magic.

From the patterns glimpsed by chance at the Spiral Tower to how much money the Blood Leech King's excrement from Weeping Hill could sell for.

From what's so special about the forbidden area they'll be traversing, to how much tuition Lillian should pay Lin Gui after crossing the Red Earth Desert.

Although most of the time, it was Lillian who was talking non-stop.

Lin Gui listened with a hint of helplessness.

He would occasionally reply with a few words, and then receive Lillian's full admiration in return.

They said things like, "Compared to that stingy old man, Lin Gui is her best teacher."

Although Lin Gui's headache was visibly obvious in the face of Lillian's numerous problems.

But Elvia noticed that this guy was actually quite happy...

That kind of joy of meeting someone like yourself.

It's like finally finding someone who can understand your language in a strange, desolate wilderness.

Even Elvia, the woman who planned to arrange a bunch of political marriages for her man, couldn't help but feel jealous.

He would often glance resentfully at the guy who was "obsessed" with his little apprentice's adoration while he was changing clothes.

The fulfilling and leisurely time passed quickly.

On the ninth day...

The guide they had been waiting for finally arrived.

When that figure emerged from the depths of the insect tunnel, and his true appearance was revealed.

Both Lillian and Elvia couldn't help but begin to question the meaning of life.

The guide, it turns out to be this?

A presence that they can almost always find in other wild areas.

An ant......

It was completely black, with its outer shell gleaming slightly with an oily sheen in the dim light of the cave.

It is about the size of a calf.

Its six segments are long and powerful, and its whiskers sway gently in the air.

There is a flat area of ​​carapace on its back, large enough for four people to sit side by side.

At this moment, it was engrossed in eating the food that Lin Gui had carefully prepared.

It held a slice of dried demon meat in its forelimbs.

Its mouthparts nibbled softly, making a faint clicking sound.

Lin Gui squatted in front of it, gently stroking its head with one hand.

The fingertips glide slowly across the smooth black carapace, the movements gentle and skillful.

That gentle demeanor made Elvia feel somewhat unfamiliar.

She had never seen Lin Gui treat anyone with such an expression.

The tour guide seemed to enjoy the caress.

Its whiskers curled slightly, and its body gently rubbed against Lin Gui's palm.

If Elvia and Lillian are not mistaken.

Isn't this almost identical to the Wind Demon Wolf?

Are they ordinary high-ranking demons, like ironback army ants, that swarm throughout Akara?

In the capital of Carter, the nearest mines almost always yield a swarm of ironback army ants every time you dig deeper.

The number isn't large, but you can see them almost everywhere.

Moreover, their strength is very weak; even the highest-ranking queen ant seems to be only at the high-ranking level.

After waiting for so long, the guide they were waiting for was... this?

It's not even human, it's a demon that can be found anywhere.

"Is this the true king of the red desert you were talking about?"

Elvia's tone was filled with disbelief.

"The king you're talking about, the one who can lead us through this desolate red earth."

"It's just this one... a weak, ubiquitous ant?"

He seemed to sense the disdain in Elvia's tone.

The iron-backed army ant stopped eating.

It slowly turned its head, its two bright black compound eyes aimed at Elvia.

Its whiskers snapped straight up, and its forelimbs lifted slightly, as if expressing dissatisfaction.

Lin Gui reached out and pressed down on its head, gently rubbing it, and whispered something.

The ant then relaxed again.

But he still glanced in Elvia's direction before continuing to munch on his jerky.

Lin Gui straightened up and glared at Elvia.

"Please do not belittle the true king of the wasteland in my heart."

Elvia opened her mouth, not knowing where to begin her rant.

King of the Wasteland?

A fierce army ant?

She felt that the most outrageous title she had ever heard in her life had been born without any doubt.

Lillian, on the other hand, had a bright look in her eyes.

She didn't speak, but just looked at Lin Gui expectantly.

After a moment, she finally couldn't help but speak, her voice filled with barely suppressed excitement.

"teacher."

"I can't wait to see how this king of the wasteland performs."

Elvia rubbed her temples.

So, she's the one with the problem?

She was used to it by now.

Next, Lin Gui put everything into his space, and the cave returned to its original emptiness.

Then he took out a multi-person saddle that he had prepared in Dragonbone City from his storage space.

They were firmly attached to the backs of the iron-backed army ants.

The saddle was the perfect size to fit the flat carapace area on its back.

The bindings around the abdomen were secured tightly.

Lin Gui patted the saddle, gesturing for the two girls to get on.

Lillian was the first to excitedly jump up.

He gripped the handrails at the front of the saddle with both hands and looked around.

Elvia sighed, then gracefully leaped and landed behind Lillian, settling down firmly.

Feeling the foreign object on its body, the ironback army ant raised its head from its feeding.

The six segments shifted slightly, and the tentacles swept backward, as if to confirm that something had been added to its back.

It was clearly feeling unwell, pawing the ground restlessly with its forelimbs.

Lin Gui immediately took out another food ball mixed with various kinds of dry food from his space and stuffed it in front of its mouthparts.

It was a ball of food made from crushed wheat cakes, dried fruit crumbs, smoked meat scraps, and a few pieces of bait balm.

The ant sniffed it, and immediately began to gnaw on it with its mouthparts.

One bite, two bites, three bites—

As it chews, it gradually forgets the feeling of the foreign object on its back and becomes engrossed in the dry rice.

Lillian leaned half her body out, looking down curiously.

She could tell that the food was purchased from the Red Territory.

Just like the dry rations they brought with them.

Some were originally intended as bait to distract the demons.

She didn't expect it.

The things purchased in the red soil region were not for their use.

It is given to it.