Hello, is this a letter addressed to Demon Fortress?

In the end, Lin Gui bought all the potions Blackbeard possessed for crossing the Wailing Wall.

This transaction nearly emptied him of all the gold coins he had left.

Along with it, half of the savings that Shia had accumulated over the years were also taken away.

But the silver-haired ranger, who was usually greedy for money, was all smiles this time and handed over his bulging money bag.

Then, she held up a newly written IOU and waved it in front of Lin Gui.

Her emerald green eyes crinkled into crescents as she smiled.

"Lin Gui, remember, you absolutely must pay me back!"

Lin Gui took the IOU, looked at the neat handwriting and the string of zeros at the end, and smiled helplessly.

Don't worry.

"When I arrive at that wealthy human city-state—"

He said, half-jokingly:

"I'll return a mountain of gold coins to you, including principal and interest."

He carefully put away the bottles labeled "Iron Will" and "Sobering Solution".

Eve quietly helped by putting her own handwritten labels on each medicine bottle, indicating the purpose and effective date.

Clearly, Lin Gui himself is that "foolish mage" who knows the "Clarity Spell"...

Why buy these expensive medicines?

Just in case.

This was also to provide cover for his special ability.

With the transaction completed and having received a large sum of money, Blackbeard was clearly in a much better mood.

He patted the bulging money bag and grinned at Lin Gui:

"Happy deal, human lad!"

"Alright, is there anything else you want to know?"

Lin Gui pondered for a moment, then asked the crucial question:

How to deal with spirit demons?

Blackbeard's smile faded.

"Two methods."

"First, tough it out."

"As long as you're strong enough and your defense is high enough—"

"Except for the unfortunate event of stumbling into the lair of an epic, legendary demon..."

"When other spirit demons attack you, it's like tickling you."

He looked Lin Gui up and down, then shook his head.

"However, to use this method, one must at least have the strength of a mid-level legendary figure."

"It has to be a class that specializes in defense, such as a knight or a shield warrior, which can continuously absorb damage."

"Kid, your strength is still far from enough, including the two girls behind you."

"So, you should just choose the second option."

Blackbeard extended a second finger.

"He was led by an old man who was 'about to be lured away by the Nether Sea'."

"Perfect timing. In three days, Bounty City will be conducting a new round of 'tests' for guides."

"When the time comes, you can choose a suitable one."

He paused, his tone becoming more somber.

"However, the price... starts at least at 400,000 gold coins."

"After all, the old man's family is counting on this money to leave this hellhole."

Blackbeard looked out the window at the figures huddled in the shacks and sighed.

"So... give us as much as you can when the time comes."

Lin Gui nodded thoughtfully.

Then he asked the most crucial question:

"Since there are ways to deal with every obstacle..."

"Over the years, surely a few relatively safe 'golden routes' must have been discovered?"

Blackbeard nodded without hesitation this time.

"right."

"Although the Wailing Wall has a terrifying reputation—"

"But for us seasoned veterans who've been dealing with it for years..."

He tapped his temple.

"It hasn't reached the point of 'despair and no solution' yet."

"This area near Bounty City has been basically thoroughly explored."

"Where are the territories of powerful spirit demons, and where are the relatively safe 'corridors'?"

"The undulating terrain, the varying density of the fog, even the source of certain recurring 'sighs'..."

Blackbeard pulled a map of the Wall of Sighs from under the bar and spread it on the table.

The top is outlined with distorted lines and scribbled marks in charcoal.

"The experience gained over the past few years, built on human lives and gold coins—"

"There are indeed a few routes that have been publicly announced that barely meet the standards of 'Golden Road'."

His stubby fingers moved along a path marked with a red line.

"We call this the 'western ridgeline'."

"Walk close to the wall, where the fog is relatively thin and there are fewer spirits and demons."

"But the downside is that it's a detour, adding at least two hundred kilometers to the journey."

He then pointed to another blue line.

"This 'Central Rift Valley' is closer, but it requires traversing a 'Wailing Canyon'."

"The density of spirit demons there is terrifyingly high; it's best to stay away if you don't have epic-level strength."

Finally, his finger stopped on a thin line lightly drawn with gold powder.

"As for this one..."

Blackbeard's voice lowered.

"It was discovered by Lin and her team back then, and it's currently the deepest one."

"But I don't recommend going down this path."

"Because epic masters often stumble on this very path."

"To this day, we still don't know what happened to them?"

Lin Gui stepped forward, but Black Beard covered the map and stared at Lin Gui with a serious expression.

"But kid, I need to make this clear—"

"These routes are only relatively 'less deadly'."

"Once you're inside, you'll still die."

"The only difference is whether you die with a clear understanding or a confused one."

Lin Gui nodded.

"Don't worry about that, I know what I'm doing."

Blackbeard breathed a sigh of relief.

He was genuinely afraid that the other party would think this was an absolutely safe road and relax their guard once they went in.

It's worth noting that even a team as strong as Shadow Blade Lin's, when entering the Wailing Wall for the eleventh time, also followed the path they had explored themselves.

As a result, he never came out again.

Lin Gui carefully examined the map provided by Hei Xu.

His finger landed on the "Blackwater Ruins" marker, then pressed the "Avalon" location he had calculated himself.

Next, he found the nearest so-called "golden road".

My gaze followed that route—

Lin Gui's expression suddenly froze.

The golden path that Shadow Blade Lin and the others walked...

In fact, they have already passed through the location of Avalon?

He stared blankly at the intersection of the two tracks on the map, and couldn't help but whisper:

"How...how is this possible?"

Blackbeard gave him a strange look.

"What's impossible?"

Lin Gui didn't explain, but pointed to the place on the map where the Avalon marker overlapped with the Golden Road.

The voice sounded a little strained.

"This place... Shadow Blade Lin and the others have been here?"

Blackbeard leaned over for a glance and nodded.

"Yes, I remember they arrived near the Blackwater Ruins during their ninth crossing."

Lin Gui immediately pressed for an answer:

"The ninth time? After they came back, did they mention anything about what happened on the way? Like—"

He paused.

"A city-state?"

"City-state?"

Blackbeard's expression became even stranger.

"You mean the 'Blackwater Ruins'? That deserted city."

"Of course I've been there. Many bounty hunters use those empty cities swallowed by the Black Tide as temporary bases."

"After all, there are high walls and concrete buildings for cover, and it's quite strange—"

He stroked his beard as he recalled.

"In those dozens of abandoned city-states that were swallowed up, the number of spirit demons was actually very small."

"Perfect for camping and resting."

"I just don't know why..."

Blackbeard lowered his voice.

"People who spend the night inside will always inexplicably hear...laughter, whispers, and even footsteps."

The surrounding dwarves chimed in, adding their own strange tales about the "ghostly empty city."

But Lin Gui was no longer in the mood to listen.

Shadowblade Lin's team... did indeed go to the vicinity of Avalon.

It might even be right at the "city gate".

But they did not see the city-state?

Could it be that Eve's prophecy about the wrong location was wrong?

A chilling sense of panic suddenly surged into my heart.

He forced himself to take a deep breath and forcefully suppressed his emotions.

No.

It's too early to draw conclusions.

Eve's prophecies have never been wrong.

Avalon must be there.

only……

Perhaps it has been "hidden" by something.

It is hidden in a place that even epic-level powerhouses cannot detect.

anyway.

Lin Gui had to personally investigate this location.

Whether Avalon actually exists or not.

Whether or not it is "hidden" by some force.

Regardless of why Shadow Blade Lin's team turned a blind eye.

He needs to confirm it with his own eyes.

After thanking Hei Xu sincerely, Lin Gui carefully put away the hand-drawn map marked with various dangerous areas.

He left the bar with Eve and Shea.