Hello, is this a letter addressed to Demon Fortress?

After carefully reviewing the report.

A bright smile suddenly bloomed on Elvia's face.

It was as if a tremendous burden had been lifted.

"Great! That's wonderful!"

She even clapped her hands lightly, her voice carrying a long-lost cheerfulness.

"Rewards! Rewards for everyone!"

She turned to the servant and gave him instructions in a crisp tone.

"The scholars who participated in the discussion today will receive double the remuneration."

"The wages of all servants in the government will increase by 30% this month."

Soon, a celebratory banquet, though impromptu, was held in the banquet hall of the princess's residence.

The crystal chandelier sparkled, and the silverware shimmered.

Alvia sat in the main seat and raised her glass to the scholars who had been invited below.

She smiled radiantly and spoke eloquently, as if she were genuinely celebrating only an "important academic breakthrough."

The scholars below were also beaming.

It allows both academic advancement and substantial rewards, naturally resulting in a pleasant experience for both host and guests.

The atmosphere was lively, and after several rounds of drinks...

Elvia, seemingly unintentionally, asked with a slightly tipsy laugh:

"Speaking of which, I must thank you gentlemen for helping me clarify my thoughts and refute those alarmist rumors."

An elderly scholar quickly and modestly replied:

"Your Highness is too kind."

"Actually, we are just making inferences based on common sense."

"After all, the prophecies of the Holy Maidens throughout history have never been wrong..."

Elvia's smile froze instantly.

The prophecy of the saint?

Her fingers tightened slightly as she held the wine glass.

"...The saintess's prophecy?"

Her voice remained steady, carrying just the right amount of doubt.

"Gentlemen, what conclusions have you reached...?"

"Wasn't this conclusion reached through a comprehensive analysis of the activity patterns and anomalies of the demon lairs before previous Black Tides?"

She glanced around at the scholars below, her smile faint.

"I recall that the information I provided and the reports you all submitted... did not seem to mention the prophecy of the saint."

The air fell silent for a moment.

The blush on the old scholar's face faded slightly, and a hint of embarrassment and understanding flashed quickly in his eyes.

Having spent many years navigating both academia and the court, he immediately understood the problem.

"Uh... Your Highness is absolutely right!"

He quickly adjusted his expression and explained sincerely.

"The analysis of demonic activities and abnormal climate is naturally the main body and foundation of the argument."

"The saint's prophecy... serves only as a very minor, supplementary reference."

He coughed lightly, trying to make his words sound more believable.

"After all, prophecy itself is rather...abstract and difficult to serve as the core basis for rigorous argumentation."

He didn't know why the princess was so sensitive to, or even somewhat resistant to, the prophecy of the saint.

Not to mention these scholars who were invited at great expense.

Deep down, there's an unspoken consensus:

The Kuroshio could not have originated in a remote border region.

The core basis for this judgment is precisely the prophecy of the saintess.

As for the two pieces of information provided privately by Princess Elvia—"the banshees of Eagle Fortress have been evacuated" and "the Mind-Digging Demons have migrated abnormally"—...

In the view of scholars, it proves nothing at all.

The continent of Akara is too vast.

The migration of demons and the turmoil of tribes occur almost every moment in some corner.

It could be in search of food, a territorial dispute, or even just a powerful demon sneezing.

Based solely on these two isolated pieces of information, is it possible to conclude that the Black Tide will emerge in the borderlands and affect the capital?

In their view, this was more like an overreaction stemming from a lack of evidence.

Of course, these words would never be written in a report, nor would they be said at a banquet.

As Elvia looked at the scholars' sincere yet slightly guilty expressions, her heart pounded.

No one understood why Elvia was so opposed to the saint's prophecy.

Only she knows the truth.

That "eerie feeling" had long been like a thorn in my side.

After the banquet, she dismissed everyone and went to her study alone to review the sealed church records.

Those are prophetic archives left by the holy maidens of past generations before the arrival of the Black Tide in various places.

The more she looked through the pages, the colder the chill in her heart grew.

The prophecies of the successive saintesses are strikingly consistent in style—

Short, direct, even cold.

When faced with a city-state on the verge of destruction, prophecies often consist of only one sentence:

"The end."

Or even more simply:

"None remain."

If the city-state survives, the prophecy is usually:

"Are you safe and sound?"

"It can be defended."

Like a cold, hard verdict, it is devoid of embellishment or metaphor.

And when it came to the Carter Kingdom, and Eve's turn...

"I saw a deathly fog, shrouding the broken tower and the crumbling palace."

"But I also saw... new shoots, growing tenaciously in the cracks of the ruins."

"The golden sunlight will eventually pierce through the gloom and illuminate... a brand new country."

What is meant by "the broken tower"?

What does "a dilapidated palace" mean?

What does "a tender sprout growing in ruins" mean?

Almost everyone was blinded by the prophecy's final statement that King Carter was still alive.

Ignoring the preceding series of unsettling, detailed "descriptions".

Since the founding of the Kingdom of Carter, the capital has never been truly affected by any war.

Even when a tributary of the Kuroshio Current brushed past the border ten years ago, it failed to shake this magnificent city in the slightest.

Eve's description, however, is as if she were witnessing a siege battle of extreme brutality.

The devastation was so severe that "Star Mountain," a symbol of royalty and faith, collapsed.

The magnificent palace complex crumbled, and the city was reduced to... ruins.

Elvia rubbed her aching temples.

Could it be the Crusades?

Because Caesar's plan to assassinate the saint was exposed?

But the Holy Maiden herself should be with Lin Gui right now.

Moreover, she left with the tacit permission of her disciplined knight.

The logic doesn't hold up.

She thought and thought, but still couldn't come up with an answer that could convince herself.

A voice inside me grew clearer and clearer.

Let's leave here and take refuge for a while. We'll come back after the Black Tide passes.

But another, more realistic voice immediately rose up.

You can't leave.

The struggle for the throne has reached its final stage.

Her father, whom she originally only wanted to keep as a puppet.

He unfortunately passed away at this critical juncture.

The kind that even the shadowy trees and flowers can't save.

This, in turn, put her in the spotlight.

Princess Diana, Prince Charles, and countless other eyes were fixed on her.

If she dared to leave now, even for just a few days, it would be tantamount to handing over everything she had built up to someone else.

She will be completely marginalized and have no chance of the throne.

Therefore, we cannot leave.

Elvia leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes wearily.

For some reason, what popped into my mind was the short period of time I spent traversing the wilderness with Lin Gui, Xia, and the others.

Dangerous, crude, and even precarious.

But strangely, there was something about simplicity that she missed...

There are no endless banquets, schemes, or pretense.

Only traveling, rushing, and delicious food.

And there's the elf who's always bickering with her.

I recalled Lin Gui's calm warning before he left.

Elvia opened her eyes and clicked her tongue.

Forget it, let's get insurance first.

She summoned her trusted servant.

"I remember the dwarven transport caravan heading to Strongshield is supposed to depart in a few days?"

"Yes, Your Highness, we will depart early the day after tomorrow."

Elvia spoke at a steady pace.

"Arrange for something for me to be delivered to Shield City."

"Delivered to..."

"The city of Strongshield..."

"7 Copper Coin Post Office"

"Deliver it to its owner."