Hello, is this a letter addressed to Demon Fortress?

After Lin Gui and his two companions left the bar.

The heavy wooden door kept out the cold wind and darkness from the outside world.

The bar returned to its usual hustle and bustle, and the dwarves continued to clink glasses and drink.

However, this lively atmosphere was interrupted by the sudden opening of the door.

Three figures stood at the doorway.

The leader was a tall, thin man dressed in a dusty, dark brown hunting outfit.

A crossbow and a row of silver bolts hung at his waist, and his leather boots were covered in dried mud.

The brim of his hat was pulled low, revealing only his sharp jawline and tightly pursed lips.

A typical Witcher outfit—even a bit outdated.

Two young people, a man and a woman, followed behind him.

They were also dressed in leather coats for ease of movement, carrying backpacks, and had wary eyes.

Blackbeard's eyes instantly turned serious.

He put down his wine glass and sighed first.

"Cass, if you're here to buy potions..."

"Let's go somewhere else."

"Just now, all the inventory was sold out."

After hearing this, Cass remained silent for a moment.

He raised his hand to press down the brim of his hat, then turned to leave.

"etc."

Blackbeard called out to him.

His gaze swept over the two young men beside Cass.

"It's been...almost eight years, hasn't it?"

"Your two children have grown up to look like this."

Blackbeard's voice was low, carrying an unusual heaviness.

"You really intend to have them follow you—"

"Would you risk your entire life for that so-called 'revenge'?"

His gaze fell on the young boy's face.

You can still vaguely make out that youthful, terrified yet trying-to-remain calm face from eight years ago.

He was only ten years old then, clutching his sister's hand tightly, hiding behind his father.

Now, however, he has broad shoulders, a straight back, and sharp eyes, exuding a composure beyond his years.

The girl next to her was the same.

That little girl with messy braids and red, tear-filled eyes back then...

Now he looks like a Witcher with a cool and aloof expression and a straight back.

Blackbeard is a dwarf and shouldn't be interfering in human conflicts.

But no way.

Eight years ago, on the perilous journey to find the missing titled powerhouse,

It was this very Cass who had pulled him out of the ghostly flames surrounding the soul demon.

He must repay this life-saving debt.

"Eight years ago, you followed the trail of that white-haired demon king to the Bounty City."

Blackbeard's voice was deep and slow, each word seemingly imbued with the weight of memories.

"Ever since the day you saved me..."

"I have been keeping an eye out for the eleventh demon king, Guxin, for you."

His rough fingers unconsciously rubbed the rim of the wine glass.

Over the years, he has used his network of connections in Bounty City more than once.

Inquire with hunters and information brokers about any vague rumors related to "white hair," "Guxin," and "Demon King."

He would truthfully relay any news or rumors he received.

However, most of that intelligence was incomplete and difficult to verify.

Some of these were just rumors, and some were even just jokes made up by bored hunters.

But Cass just kept chasing after the past, repeatedly venturing into the Wailing Wall.

Several times he was seriously injured and on the verge of death, but was barely dragged back by two children who were also covered in injuries.

The most dangerous time, they stumbled into a "valley of lamentations."

The demonic spirits there mimic the cries of loved ones.

Cass was almost led to the edge of a cliff, but his son managed to grab his leg at the last moment.

The child's own back was ripped open by the demon's phantom claws, leaving three deep, bone-revealing wounds.

Even now, the scar still aches faintly on rainy days.

Blackbeard looked at the silent Cass, then at the two prematurely mature children.

Guilt and reluctance entwined his heart like vines.

"You only have the strength of a lower-tier legend..."

His voice was hoarse.

"Gusin, who can be acknowledged by the Demon King Pillar, was born to be a lower-tier epic."

"Even...possibly stronger."

Blackbeard raised his eyes, his gaze heavy as iron.

Even if you do find it—

"What can we do?"

He didn't say those words aloud, but his eyes said it all.

Cass's revenge may ultimately lead to his death.

But the two children he adopted were innocent.

Those two children I raised with such difficulty...

He would also accompany Cass, to be buried in that endless fog for his hatred.

Cass remained silent for a moment.

A hoarse, sandpaper-like sound came from under the brim of the hat:

"Ever since Guxin... destroyed everything I had..."

"In these eight years, I've only done two things."

"Hone your skills in hunting demons."

"And prepare... a sharp blade that can kill the Demon King."

He put it simply, but Blackbeard knew what it meant.

The old wounds he sustained fighting demons alone in the wilderness during the dead of winter.

He ventured into dangerous places countless times, all to collect a rare, poisonous herb that only grows on cliff edges.

They spent their entire fortune to acquire forbidden alchemical artifacts from the black market, specifically designed to subdue high-level demons.

This man turned himself into a weapon forged solely for revenge.

Even the childhood and adolescence of the two children were poured into this almost obsessive obsession.

Blackbeard let out a long sigh.

He knew that there was nothing he could do to stop the other party from flying headfirst into the fire.

"I sold all the potions... to a young man."

"My fellow villagers from Jiandun City asked me to take care of them."

He paused.

"They stayed at the Oak Barrel Hotel, in the innermost room on the second floor."

After listening, Cass slowly nodded.

The shadow under his hat brim concealed all his expressions.

He neither thanked him nor said goodbye.

He simply turned away silently, with his young children beside him, their eyes already filled with determination and the marks of time.

Pushing open the heavy wooden door of the bar,

It blended into the cold, dim night outside.

***

On the other side, after leaving the dwarf tavern.

Lin Gui and the other two returned to their temporary resting place.

After packing their luggage, they headed straight to the barren hillside outside Bounty City.

A uniquely designed "7-coin post office exclusive express flying boat" appeared out of thin air and stopped on it.

Lin Gui was about to walk to the driver's seat

But then she saw Shia take the lead and nimbly sit down inside.

Eve followed and sat behind Shea.

He even naturally hugged Xia's slender waist.

Lin Gui was stunned.

"What are you doing here?"

The two girls turned their heads at the same time and looked at him with speechless eyes.

Shia spoke without any mercy:

"Because someone has no concept of speed..."

"And every time I try to persuade them, all I get are ignorant fools who just keep going wildly—"

"From this moment forward, the beautiful, charming, youthful, and eternally eighteen-year-old Shia will shoulder the responsibility of driving!"

Eve nodded and smiled from behind:

"Yes, now the beautiful Captain Shia will take the lead."

"As for Mr. Lin Gui, you have been speeding multiple times, so your driving license has been revoked."

Lin Gui looked at Xia suspiciously:

"Do you know how to operate this thing?"

It took him at least a week to figure out the functions of each button.

Shia put her hands on her hips:

"Who do you think you are!"

"Don't underestimate my terrifying eyesight—I can spot gold coins even in the deepest grass!"

Lin Gui said speechlessly:

"This has nothing to do with whether you can drive or not..."

He sighed.

"never mind."

Lin Gui walked to the back, squeezed into a seat, and fastened his safety harness.

He used his levitation technique, and the entire airship slowly floated up.

Then he said to Sia in front of him:

"Please hurry up."

The voice just fell.

He received a glare from both girls.