Hello, is this a letter addressed to Demon Fortress?

Lin Gui sighed:

"This depth is so great that even the demigods and demons at the heart of the Black Tide might not be able to detect it."

Barna shook his head heavily.

"It was originally built to escape the Kuroshio Current, but it's still far from being a suitable place."

He paused, his gaze drifting into the distance, as if traveling through time to see a scene he didn't want to recall.

"Gronnium, the homeland of the dwarves..."

His voice lowered.

"Thirty years ago, it was swallowed up by the Kuroshio Current."

"The entire city, hundreds of thousands of dwarves, vanished overnight..."

He didn't finish speaking.

But Lin Gui could imagine that scene.

Barna took a deep breath.

"From that time on, the dwarves suffered a severe blow and declined ever since."

"In order to prevent the tragedy from happening again, we began to look for ways to avoid the Kuroshio Current."

His voice was calm, as if he were recounting a familiar past event.

"Excavate ruins and search for ancient magic arrays."

"We will gather top scholars from the mainland to study the heart of Weishan Mountain."

"Join the alliance and seek help from all sides."

He listed the methods one by one, but his eyes grew increasingly dim.

"But ultimately, all of these methods proved ineffective."

"Later, we turned our attention underground."

He turned his head and looked at Lin Gui.

"The earth is the best medium to block perception."

"Epic demons, whose perception range used to cover several kilometers, are severely limited once they go deep underground."

"We've been thinking about it."

"If we dig a tunnel deep enough to escape the perception of demigods and demons, we might be able to escape the Black Tide."

Lin Gui listened and nodded.

Logically, it makes sense.

"But...this process is too difficult and...terrifying."

Barna's voice trailed off.

A deep fear flashed in his eyes.

The fear was fleeting, yet so real it was chilling.

He seemed unwilling to say much about what was happening underground.

He simply continued calmly:

"Four kilometers is already our limit."

"Theoretically, to avoid the perception of a demigod demon, one would have to dig at least eight kilometers down."

He paused.

"Although the root tunnel failed."

"But at least it's more than enough to avoid those epic demons."

Lin Gui remained silent for a few seconds.

Then he asked:

"If there are ways to safely escape this disaster, why are you still stationed here?"

"Wouldn't it be better if they all went into the root tunnel and waited until the riot ended?"

The words fell.

A deep voice came from behind.

"Because the league won't allow us to do that."

Lin Gui turned his head.

Bahrain had arrived unnoticed, carrying a barrel of wine on his shoulder.

He was covered in wounds, but standing there, he still resembled a mountain.

The barrel was huge, almost half a person's height, but it felt as light as a feather on his shoulder.

He sat down next to Lin Gui and slammed the wine barrel to the ground with a bang.

He casually pulled two wooden wine cups from his waist.

"Come here, our little hero."

He shoved one wine glass into Lin Gui's hand and filled his own glass with the other.

"I haven't had a drink with you yet."

Lin Gui took the wine glass and looked behind him across Bahrain.

Then he froze.

Originally, those dwarves were covered in blood and looked exhausted.

They are currently sitting in small circles.

Holding a wine glass in his hand, he drank it in big gulps.

Someone brought out a grill from somewhere, and large chunks of meat were sizzling on it.

The meat had a strange shape, with a kind of twisted curve.

It's demon meat.

A dwarf was tearing into a charred, golden-brown demon leg.

He chewed while mumbling incoherently.

"This stuff is even more flavorful than rotten fish!"

Several people nearby joined in the commotion, their laughter deafening.

If it weren't for those snarling demons crawling on the barrier outside...

Lin Gui still thought they weren't in the midst of a demonic uprising.

Bahrain explained with a smile:

"They've done their best. With the protective barrier in place, the next two days will be safe."

He poured himself a glass of wine.

"After working so hard for so long, the soldiers deserve a break."

What he didn't say was that this might be the last time everyone present would indulge in drinking.

Lin Gui picked up his wine glass and clinked it against Balin's.

"Lord Bahrain, you just said that the Alliance will not allow it. What exactly is going on?"

Bahrain downed his drink in one gulp and wiped his mouth.

"Because one of the most important conditions for the Alliance to accept the dwarves was the preservation of Strongshield."

He sighed.

"If something goes wrong at Stronghold."

"This caused the cursed demons from the surrounding waters of the Silent Sea to flood into the central city-state."

"Then the dwarves will pay a very heavy price for their dereliction of duty."

He paused.

"That price is one that even the current Dwarf King cannot afford."

Lin Gui frowned slightly.

"But this is a demon riot. Even if the Alliance comes, I'm afraid they won't be able to hold it off."

Bahrain smiled.

That smile was laced with sarcasm.

"They don't care about any of that."

He poured himself another glass.

"Moreover, those people would love for me, one of the four epic dwarves, to die here because I was stationed in Strongshield."

His voice was calm, as if he were talking about something that had nothing to do with him.

"In this way, the dwarves' voice in the alliance will be weakened."

Lin Gui looked at him.

"So you're just going to let them have their way?"

Bahrain paused for a moment, his hand holding the wine glass still.

He stared at the golden liquid in the glass and remained silent for a long time.

"Kid, you don't understand."

His voice lowered.

"The alliance is too powerful, so powerful that even the Dwarf King has to bow down."

"Moreover, the Dwarf King's capital is now facing annihilation."

He raised his head and looked into the distance.

"The mists surrounding the Wailing Wall continue to spread."

"The king needs the support of the alliance."

"Absolutely not, this is not the time to have conflicts with the alliance."

He finished the drink in his glass in one gulp.

"So, if we don't make it to the start of the second phase..."

He put down his wine glass.

"I will defend this city with my life."

"And my death will silence all the blame directed at the dwarves."

The atmosphere instantly turned heavy.

The laughter and chatter around him continued, but Lin Gui felt that those sounds were getting very distant.

Bahrain suddenly patted him on the shoulder.

"Alright, let's not talk about this anymore."

He poured Lin Gui another glass of wine and raised his own glass.

"Come on, let's drink!"

Lin Gui looked at him and raised his glass as well.

They clinked glasses and drank it all in one gulp.

The two then drank, boasted, and chatted casually.

The dwarves around them became even more boisterous; some started singing, others started wrestling, and chaos ensued.

Bahrain suddenly asked:

"By the way, where's that elf girl next to you?"

Lin Gui paused slightly in the hand holding the wine glass.

Then, he replied with a faint smile:

"I have placed her in a place that belongs to her and that can accept her."

Bahrain looked at him strangely.

"I thought she would stay with you forever."

At least, they all noticed the subtle affection that Xia had for Lin Gui.

Lin Gui smiled bitterly:

"I was the one who told her to stay there."

He paused.

"The Alliance's banishment of half-demons poses a life-threatening threat to her."

"I can't joke about her life."

Even the Fortress Lord couldn't protect Stoneheart, let alone him.

The dark veil could not conceal the demonic aura.

The demonic energy in Lin Gui's body is not pure and is scarce, so it won't attract much attention.

But Shia is different.

Her father is the Demon King.

What she inherited was the purest form of demonic energy.

Her purity was so great that she, despite being in a lower-level extraordinary position, could unleash combat power comparable to someone in a higher-level one.

Bahrain looked at him and suddenly smiled strangely.

"Hey, I have some good news for you. This came along with the news of the Kuroshio outbreak."

Lin Gui raised his head.

Bahrain looked at him.

"The resolution the Alliance is going to pass at the end of the year to expel all half-demons."

"After it passed, it was forcibly canceled by a vote."

"Just a few days ago."

Lin Gui was stunned.

"How...how is this possible?"

He stared at Bahrain, his eyes filled with disbelief.

Bahrain nodded.

"That's what I think too."

He poured himself a glass of wine.

"The resolution passed by the 126-seat parliament was about to be implemented, but they suddenly reneged on it."

He paused.

"This is the first time in the history of the league."

Lin Gui frowned deeply.

"How could this be...?"

"The most puzzling thing is..."

Bahrain looked at him.

"Those who led the vote against it were mostly forces that harbored the greatest malice towards the half-demon race."

"It seems something terrible has happened."

"They made us do something that went against our interests and common sense."

A few days ago?

Something incredible has happened...

For some reason, Lin Gui thought of the spreading of the Wall of Sighs.

I remembered the purpose of Guxin and Avalon's journey north to the Silent Rift.

Could this be Guxin and his group's ultimate goal?