Hello, is this a letter addressed to Demon Fortress?

【Ding! 】

[Special commission completed.]

[Description: Deliver the mermaid soul (glass bead) to the City-State Alliance Council headquarters, or to Anya Siren.]

[Actual route: Delivery has been arranged by the North Wind Caravan.]

[Reward: Special Magic - Mermaid Gills (Allows free breathing underwater).]

[Rewards being distributed...]

[Congratulations, host, you have obtained the special magic, Mermaid Gills.]

【…】

A notification sounded in my mind indicating that the system task was complete.

In a daze, a chilling sensation suddenly swept over me.

Lin Gui suddenly opened his eyes.

He discovered that his robes were soaked through, with water droplets dripping down the hem.

He looked up, completely bewildered...

Then he saw two "wild men" standing in front of him.

The taller one was standing with her arms crossed, looking down at him.

The other, shorter one, awkwardly put down his staff and looked away.

"Teacher, I'm sorry..."

"I shouldn't have woken you up with cold water, but..."

"We're so hungry..."

"Hurry up and conjure up your food!"

Lin Gui: "..."

He was silent for a moment, then reached into the storage space and took something out.

Food, cabinets, furniture, dressing table...

One by one, they appeared out of thin air on the open ground.

Lillian pounced on the pile of food like a starving little animal.

He stuffed the food into his mouth without a care for his image, his face beaming with happiness.

After cleansing herself of the impurities, Elvia sat down at her dressing table.

He changed out of his light armor and into a set of light clothing.

She tied her loose golden hair into a single ponytail, making her look dashing and heroic.

Lin Gui struggled to regain his senses.

The aftereffects of overdrawing his magic power left his limbs still feeling somewhat weak and his fingertips slightly numb.

He slowly looked around and spoke in a hoarse voice.

"Where is this?"

Elvia tucked the last stray hair behind her ear and explained.

"have no idea."

"You've been in a coma for almost nine days."

"After leaving the red desert, we kept heading west."

"I think you, as a local, should know where this is."

"Especially there."

She raised her hand and pointed into the distance.

Lin Gui looked in the direction she was pointing.

A clear lake came into view.

The water's surface rippled with tiny, shimmering waves, resembling a shattered mirror in the afternoon sunlight.

"It's Little Fish Lake..."

Lin Gui said something in a low voice, then let out a long sigh of relief.

He came here when he was an adventurer in New Testament City.

The last time I dragged my dying body from the red desert, it was there that I cleaned up the traces.

Reaching this point means we are not far from the City of the New Testament.

Lin Gui turned his head and looked at Lillian sitting in the pile of food.

Her hair was disheveled, and her face was covered in dirt and fallen leaves.

The robes were covered with strange plant residue.

"Why do you look so disheveled?"

Elvia turned her head and replied irritably:

"It's all because of your weird magic."

"All our supplies and food are with you."

"Once you pass out, the supplies will be completely cut off."

"If I hadn't recognized some edible herbs along the way, I probably would have starved to death long ago."

At this point, Elvia glared at Lillian with annoyance.

Lillian awkwardly shrank back and buried her head in her mouth to continue stuffing bread into her mouth.

In the very first few days, Lillian confidently pointed to a purple mushroom and said it was edible.

As a result, she herself fainted after eating it, adding another burden to Elvia.

Lillian was also embarrassed by this.

And the author of the book "Akara, the Complete Guide to Identifying Edible Mushrooms".

It expresses deep hatred.

They almost killed a future genius of magical theory.

Lin Gui did not ask any further questions.

He looked around, and a strange feeling rose in his heart.

It was too quiet all around.

And something is missing...

demon.

Elvia seemed to know his doubts, and her expression turned serious.

"We haven't encountered a single demon along the way."

Even if it's just a little devil.

"The demons of the borderlands were all taken away by that black tide."

"Headed north..."

Her tone was somewhat heavy.

Lin Gui understood the reason behind this.

Those who had been to the center of the Kuroshio Current understood how terrifying it was.

The capital of Carter... Elvia's homeland, was destroyed because of this.

She also became a princess of a fallen kingdom.

It has always been Lin Gui himself who has been talking about the existence of Karan City.

But... all of this is too incredible.

The center of the Black Tide is too close to Karan City...

Even if Karan City does survive the Black Tide.

So... what methods allowed it to survive?

Is Karan still the Karan they know?

Is its city lord still Carlos, the one appointed by Elvia?

Lin Gui pondered for a moment, then looked up at the west side.

"It's pointless to think about it. Once we get back to Karan, we'll understand the truth behind this."

Lin Gui stood up from the ground and moved his still somewhat stiff wrists.

He glanced at Lillian, then at Elvia.

"Let's rest for a bit and then set off."

Lillian patted the breadcrumbs off her hands and nodded.

Elvia put on the last piece of jewelry and stood up.

The three of them quickly tidied up the scattered items.

Lin Gui put away the furniture and unnecessary items into storage space, leaving only the essential luggage.

He still has no intention of using the flying boat.

The body, having exhausted its magical energy, needs time to recover to its full potential in order to cope with any potential crises that may arise.

The raft was taken out of the storage space and unfolded on the ground.

Lillian sat cross-legged at the front of the raft, placed her hands on the raft surface, and began to slowly steer the raft upwards.

"Go that way, along the edge of that grove of trees."

The raft rose silently into the air, gliding smoothly above the lush tree canopy.

The scenery below changes from lake water to dense forest, and then gradually transitions to rolling hills and scattered fields.

Lin Gui's gaze fell on those familiar landscapes.

Those memories, like the pages of an old book being turned, surfaced before my eyes one by one.

He had thought he would return to New Testament City before the end of the year.

But unexpectedly, after circling half of eastern Akara and retracing his original route, he finally returned to this place.

The raft continued westward.

Soon, in the distance, a small city-state nestled in the forest gradually came into view.

The gray-white city walls gleamed warmly in the afternoon sun.

People were going in and out of the city gate, and smoke was rising from the rooftops.

A year later, Lin Gui returned to his hometown.

New Testament City.