My mom is waiting for treatment, and you're summoning me to be a hero?

Take the envelope off and open it to look inside.

He sat cross-legged and, in the fading light of the forest, opened the first letter.

The handwriting on this letter was crooked and messy, and it looked very illegible.

Boss! I received your wanted poster in Mingbei City!

Good heavens, S-rank! Massacre of civilians, destruction of key sites, attack on officials!

It was followed by a string of smaller print that said it was extremely dangerous and recommended that it be handled by a Royal Guard captain or higher or an elite member of the Tribunal!

Haha, you are truly amazing!

There's nothing going on in Mingbei City for now. Those nobles are terrified when they see your wanted poster, and they're paying up even faster.

Two squads from the White Tiger Knights came and wandered around the city asking about Liu Sanguan. I dismissed them with a bunch of gold coins. Don't worry, they won't find anything.

What do you need? Essence? Gold coins? Intelligence? Just have Little Red deliver the message!

—Otmu】

The words are filled with admiration for Lin Mo.

Lin Mo read the letter expressionlessly and put it aside.

Otmu's loyalty is based on the suppressive power of the Demon King Yin Xue, coupled with his own personality, so his loyalty is beyond doubt.

Opening the second letter, the paper was much softer.

With a faint, refreshing scent of medicinal herbs, the handwriting is neat and legible:

Lin Mo'en:

That ring contains the latest Qingyuan medicine; please keep it safe.

When news of the arrest warrant reached the village, everyone was very worried about you.

My brother led the people to reinforce the village walls day and night. He said that even if the imperial army came, Stoneclothes Village would never allow anyone to harm your friends.

Please take good care of yourself.

Shiyi Village is also waiting for your safe return.

—Respectfully submitted by Shi Qin

There were no superfluous words, only simple concern and unwavering support.

This letter softened Lin Mo's icy gaze for a moment.

The third letter was in Liu Yishou's handwriting.

They used Ash Fortress military report paper.

[Lin boy! You...]

That bastard Bart, he was somewhat bright when he was learning alchemy from me, but he was too cunning and always wanted to take shortcuts.

I never imagined that after becoming the city lord, he would do such heinous and manipulative things! He deserves to die!

But you were too reckless! The Emerald Mountains are an important source of medicine for the Empire. Do you know how much trouble this sword strike will cause afterward?

Now look what's happened, he's an S-class wanted criminal, an enemy of the entire world!

I've already received the medicinal herbs, and they're of good quality. They're readily available in the Ash Keep lab, and Horn has also provided protection, so I'll start working on them here.

The new drug formula is nearing completion, but it needs time for repeated trials. I will calculate the next delivery time in advance, and you can have Xiaohong pick it up on time.

Remember, don't cause any more trouble!

— Liu Yishou's calligraphy

At the end of the letter, the pen strokes were so forceful that they almost tore the paper.

Lin Mo smiled; he could picture the old man muttering curses as he buried himself in his experiments.

Reckless? Perhaps.

He carefully put the three letters away and placed them in the inner pocket close to his heart.

These letters contained three parts: one expressing the younger brother's excitement, another expressing concern for those back home, and yet another expressing the elders' reproach and entrustment.

They depict Lin Mo's current situation in this world from different perspectives.

"Finished watching?"

Yin Xue flew over and sat on Xiao Hong's much wider back.

"It seems your little forces are operating quite well. However, once the arrest warrant is issued, you'll completely break ties with the Empire."

Lin Mo stood up and dusted off his robes.

"Just kill them all."

He rolled over and climbed onto Little Red's back.

Mianmian licked the cream off her legs and jumped onto his shoulder in a few quick movements.

"Destination: the capital city. Prepare to depart."

Lin Mo patted Xiao Hong's neck.

Seeing Lin Mo's appearance, Yin Xue shrugged: "Even I, the King, never managed to reach the capital of the Holy Ancient Kingdom back then, but you, kid, beat me to it."

Little Red let out a short, excited neigh, and blood glints appeared beneath its four hooves.

It didn't immediately gallop, but first slightly bent its knees, and then—

boom!

A shockwave exploded out from the spot, and Xiao Hong's figure transformed into a deep red streak of light that nearly tore through space.

It shot off towards the capital!

The ultimate speed bursts forth once again!

The speed was far greater than before.

The scenery on both sides was completely blurred into a band of color. The gale was kept out by the blood-red barrier, and only a low whistling sound could be heard.

At Xiao Hong's current speed, the distance that would normally take several days to walk has been drastically reduced.

……

In less than an hour.

The enormous shadow of the capital city came into view.

Under Lin Mo's mental control, Xiao Hong's speed decreased sharply.

Finally, it stopped on a denser, slightly higher forest slope outside the capital.

Looking from here, the first thing that catches the eye is the imperial capital city called "Holy Radiance City".

The city wall is over a hundred feet high and is built of huge, white square stones.

Its surface is engraved with continuous defensive runes, and it faintly glows with a magical aura even under the cover of night.

The city walls extend to both sides, stretching as far as the eye can see.

Lin Mo had never seen such a massive city.

The muzzle of the magic cannon on the wall was faintly visible.

The patrolling cavalry, riding winged magical beasts, moved like tiny black dots along fixed routes, repeating their course over and over again.

Even from such a distance, the heavy, majestic, and breathtaking pressure still rushed towards us.

However, Lin Mo and Yin Xue's gazes quickly moved beyond Radiant City and turned in another direction.

About ten miles southeast of the capital, a piece of land rises abruptly, forming a steep cliff.

On the steep cliff top, there was not an imperial fortress, but a cluster of pure white buildings.

The Cathedral of Light.

It exists independently outside the capital.

Yet it looked down upon the imperial city with a detached attitude.

The towering spires are built from pure white boulders, and the architectural style is solemn and sacred.

Especially the spire of the tallest clock tower, which is inlaid with a huge crystal.

It's like an eye watching over everything around it.

Below the church, a pilgrimage path paved with white stones winds its way from the bottom of the cliff into the city of Radiant City.

"Tsk, that's how these charlatans do it. They like to put themselves in a high and conspicuous place, so arrogant."

Yin Xue sat down next to Xiao Hong's ear and pouted.

A complex emotion flashed in his bloodshot eyes, a mixture of disgust and a touch of reminiscence.

"How about it? Want to try forcing our way in?"

Yin Xue asked.

Lin Mo frowned but did not act immediately.

"This is, after all, their stronghold; who knows what trouble might arise?"

This time, Lin Mo calmed down a bit.

It wasn't that he was afraid of fighting, but rather that the God Guide's abilities forced him to be on guard.

Bart was only level 20, yet he could steal things from me without me even noticing.

The archbishop, in particular, possesses the ability to grant wishes.

Forcing your way in is the worst possible strategy.

If possible, Lin Mo still wanted to kidnap her without alerting anyone.

Thinking this, he rolled over and got off Xiao Hong.

Just then, a gentle breeze blew by.

Immediately afterwards, Lin Mo felt a sudden darkness before his eyes, as if something behind him had suddenly blocked the light.

There was no sound, no sign of an energy burst.

Only the most primal killing intent remained!

Lin Mo's body reacted before his consciousness did.

He instantly unleashed all his strength to push Xiao Hong away, and using the reaction force, he himself was also sent flying backward.

laugh--!!

An invisible blade, refined to its fullest extent, grazed the edge of his afterimage and disappeared into the spot where he had stood.

There was no loud noise.

There was only a faint, yet teeth-grinding sound, like Lillard cutting into rotten wood.

The next moment, the ground within a radius of several meters centered on this slash.

A smooth, mirror-like cut appeared simultaneously on the grass, tree roots, and rocks!

The cut surface was frighteningly clean, as if that entire space had been taken away with it.

Lin Mo stood still ten steps away, his black sword already fully drawn.

With the sword pointing diagonally at the ground, he slowly raised his head, his gaze shooting towards the point of attack like an ice blade.

There, a tall figure was slowly straightening up.

He is at least 2.5 meters tall!

He lifted a massive, jet-black axe, almost as tall as himself, from the ground and casually slung it over his broad shoulder.

Wearing a red cloak similar to that of the Iron Chamber Dark Guard.

However, his cloak was open, revealing his terrifying muscles and countless scars.

The blade of his giant axe lightly touched the ground.

But the invisible pressure emanating from him made the surrounding air seem to freeze.

The first impression it gives is that it doesn't seem like a human being, but rather a wild beast.

The giant grinned, his smile ferocious and brimming with battle intent, his rough voice sending shivers down one's spine:

"The response is pretty good. Much better than what was written in the data."

Lin Mo slowly straightened up.

The faint red light of the [Killing Domain] quietly spread from beneath his feet, resisting the opponent's almost tangible pressure.

The tip of the black sword was slightly raised, pointing at the giant man; his voice was colder than the blade:

"name."

The giant chuckled and flicked his wrist.

The heavy black axe was lifted as if it were weightless, and lightly rested on his muscular shoulder.

This simple action caused the ground to tremble slightly, and tiny grains of sand to scatter.

"Holy Ancient Empire, Iron Chamber Dark Guard, Eighth Regiment Commander, Hunter's Axe,"

He stared at Lin Mo, his eyes burning with a fierce fighting spirit.

"I came here specifically to kill you."

Upon hearing the name, Lin Mo did not react; instead, the bloodstains on his shoulder startled him.

"Wait! You're Hunter's Axe? I remember you!"