Hello, is this a letter addressed to Demon Fortress?

Lin Gui's gaze shifted from the elf to the lock on the cage.

The lock had a complex structure, was entirely black, and had a dark red magic crystal embedded in its core.

The surface of the magic crystal is covered with fine runes, which glow slightly in rhythm with the breath.

Lin Gui examined it closely with his demonic eyes.

The lock has a tight internal structure, with an ingenious alarm array at its core.

If the lock is forcibly damaged, or opened by a non-corresponding magic key.

The magic circle will be triggered instantly.

What's more troublesome is that this alarm seems to be related to the mage who's having a drinking contest not far away...

Magic perception is connected.

The mage will immediately notice if there is a problem with the lock.

It cannot be destroyed.

What if we just put the cage and all into the storage space?

Lin Gui's mind stirred slightly as he glanced at his own spatial capacity.

The airship made up the majority of the cargo, along with the supplies and wooden crates accumulated along the way...

The remaining space couldn't even fit half a steel cage.

It seems there's only one way left.

Obtain the magic key.

The key is usually held by the mage who powers the lock.

Lin Gui rode his staff and silently drifted toward the bonfire.

The mage was sitting cross-legged by the fire, holding a wine bag in one hand and gesturing with the other, boasting to the hunter next to him.

He wore a dark blue robe with a string of colorful magic crystals hanging on his chest.

A dark silver diamond-shaped key was attached to the belt around his waist.

The key wobbled gently with his movements, gleaming coldly in the firelight.

Lin Gui stopped a step behind the mage.

The dark gauze robe perfectly concealed his aura and figure.

He reached out his hand, his fingertips pointing at the key.

A thought arises—

[Storage].

Just as the magic was about to touch the key.

The monk suddenly burst into laughter and tilted his head back to gulp down a large mouthful of wine.

After finishing his drink, he let out a satisfied "ha" and casually swung his arm behind him.

It's like needing to loosen up stiff shoulders.

The raised elbow was aimed directly at Lin Gui's face!

Eve reacted very quickly, abruptly pulling her head back.

Lin Gui immediately leaned back.

But with the staff hovering in the air, the movement was too sudden.

He lost his balance and instinctively reached forward to brace himself.

"Smack."

The palm slammed solidly onto the mage's...

On the buttocks.

The mage froze instantly.

He turned his head sharply, his piercing gaze sweeping behind him.

There was nothing there.

Perception spreads with all its might.

There was no energy fluctuation, no breathing, and not even a change in temperature.

But he was indeed patted on the shoulder just now.

"What's wrong, Lao Mo?"

A hunter with a fierce face asked vaguely from the side.

"Is this a ghost?"

The monk frowned and carefully sensed it several more times.

Still nothing was found.

His gaze swept around suspiciously, finally settling on the person beside him.

On the round-faced, bearded pastor.

The pastor was engrossed in eating a piece of jerky.

A knowing glint flashed in the monk's eyes, and he coughed.

"Cough, it's nothing."

He waved his hand, his tone relaxed.

"I just got swatted by a... sexy mosquito."

"No problem."

The other hunters laughed and didn't ask any more questions.

The monk chuckled and suddenly stretched out his left hand.

He also gave the pastor next door a solid slap on the butt.

"Snapped!"

The pastor was stunned, and dropped the jerky in his hand.

He turned his head and looked at the monk.

A strange look appeared on that rugged face...

Shy?

"Ugh~"

The priest, speaking in a high-pitched voice, gave the monk a reproachful look.

Then he reached out and gently stroked the monk's thigh twice.

The gestures were so ambiguous they sent chills down your spine.

A louder burst of laughter and whistling erupted around the campfire.

And in mid-air.

Eve stared blankly at the male priest and male mage below who were still "interacting".

Her purple eyes were filled with confusion and bewilderment.

"What are they doing...???"

Lin Gui silently raised his hand and covered his eyes.

"You wouldn't want to know."

The campfire crackled, and sparks drifted in the wind.

The hunters, sitting around the table, were quite drunk, and their conversation became increasingly explicit.

A bald hunter took a swig of liquor and grinned:

"If you ask me, the only thing worth looking at about elves is their faces."

"He's incredibly stubborn; he acts like it's going to kill him if you touch him."

"Human girls are much more sensible."

A tall, thin man next to him rubbed his hands together, his eyes gleaming with greed.

"But those nobles love this kind of thing."

"The more stubborn and resistant they are, the more they will be willing to pay."

"That brown-haired elf girl from the last auction."

He lowered his voice and chuckled.

"I heard he was bought by a duke and hasn't gotten out of bed for three days."

"I later resold it, and the price doubled!"

The group laughed and chatted, their wine glasses clattering together.

The scarred assassin didn't speak, but slowly wiped his dagger.

A young hunter approached and asked curiously:

"Boss, the goods you got this time... are of such high quality."

"The night elves are all still unprocessed, and most of them are extraordinary guards."

"How exactly did you get it?"

The other hunter nodded in agreement:

"Yes, the Elf Forest is now as fortified as an iron barrel."

"The number of patrol teams has increased several times, and caravans entering and leaving are being checked very strictly."

"And those long-eared creatures now carry poison with them."

"Once caught, it will immediately bite open its venom sac and die rather than be caught alive."

He spat.

"What a fucking bad luck."

There was a moment of quiet around the campfire.

A scout who had been silent all along suddenly spoke, his voice hoarse:

"so."

He stared at the scar.

"The person who can provide us with so much 'clean goods'..."

"Who is it?"

All eyes turned to Scar.

Scarface stopped wiping the knife and looked up.

A meaningful smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

"Didn't you all guess as expected?"

His voice wasn't loud, but it instantly silenced the surroundings.

"To be able to bypass the Elf Forest's defenses and obtain untouched Night Elves..."

"They can also figure out the routes, times, and even the gaps in patrols very clearly."

Scarface paused, then sheathed the dagger.

"Except for 'our own people'."

"Who else can do that?"

A collective gasp of astonishment arose around the campfire.

The hunters looked at each other, their faces filled with shock.

The young hunter stammered:

"You...you mean...there's a traitor within the elves?"

Scarface didn't answer.

He simply picked up the wine flask, tilted his head back, and took a large gulp.

The firelight reflected the scars on his face, flickering in and out.

The answer is obvious.

The atmosphere around the campfire became eerie because of Scarface's words.

When facing outsiders, elves always present themselves as arrogant, exclusive, and inviolable.

They consider themselves children of nature and guardians of civilization, and view other races as inferior.

They always stand on the moral high ground, touting justice for other races.

But now...

"Is...that possible?"

"A hunter murmured."

"Those long-eared people, don't they always claim their race is the noblest and most refined?"

"How could this be...?"

Another hunter chuckled, interrupting him.

"Noble? Refined?"

"They're nothing but a bunch of hypocritical idiots, just trying to make themselves look good."

"Is it really that noble? Where does the bloodline of elves come from?"

"Their attitude towards half-elves and mixed-race people."

"They're much tougher on them than we are!"

A chorus of laughter and agreement erupted from the surrounding crowd.

Mockery, contempt, and no attempt to hide it.

midair.

Lin Gui and Eve exchanged a glance, both seeing shock in each other's eyes.

A traitor within the elves?

To provide their own kind as slave goods?

This is simply... a joke.

In the continent of Akara, everyone knows that the elves hate slave hunting the most.

The High Elves demonstrated through their actions that they were seeking revenge against the slave owners who hunted them.

They dared to spare no expense in sending out a group of World Tree guardians, traveling thousands of miles, to exterminate those who blasphemed and insulted their people.

Lin Gui subconsciously activated his Netherworld Eyes and looked at Clotina beside him.

He expected to see anger, breakdown, or disbelief.

but no.

Claudia simply floated there quietly.

There was no shock on his face, only a heavy feeling...

sad.

"It was done by the Tree Guard."

Her voice was very soft, as if she were talking to herself.

"They never... considered night elves as their own people."

Lin Gui fell silent.

Just then, the magician below burst into laughter again.

He tilted his head back to drink, then leaned back.

The key at her waist swung with her movements.

Lin Gui's eyes narrowed.

Right now.

He reached out and grasped her hand, a thought stirring in his mind.

[Storage].

The dark silver key vanished silently, falling into his spatial dimension.

It became.

He took the key from the storage space and was about to unlock the door to rescue the elf.

Around the campfire, the hunters chatted and laughed heartily...

It suddenly stopped.

Lin Gui's heart skipped a beat.

Discovered?

He looked up abruptly, only to find all the hunters staring at him.

She didn't look at him.

Instead, they all turned towards the temple entrance.

There, someone was standing.

A tall, thin woman whose entire body was covered by clothes.

She wore a tattered gray robe and her figure was like a bamboo pole.

He was carrying a blood-soaked burlap sack in his right hand.

The bag was open, revealing glimpses of what was inside.

Several elf heads.

She "smiled" as she spoke to the hunters.

"Hmm, that's well said."

"Although you humans are ignorant and foolish, like rats in the gutter."

"Every time I look at it, it's dirtying my eyes."

"But you're right."

"Those damned elves are a bunch of hypocritical, incompetent fools who only know how to fight amongst themselves."