Hello, is this a letter addressed to Demon Fortress?

The next morning, the gates of Dragonbone City were crowded with people.

The sunlight was just beginning to peek through the gaps in the Dragonbone Mountains.

The sunlight shone on the gray city wall, making the cracks and dents very clear.

The crowd stretched from the inside of the city gate all the way to the main street, a dense, dark mass.

Most of them were dressed like ordinary people, wearing coarse cloth clothes, and some even wore aprons, as if they had run directly out of the workshop.

They are waiting.

Waiting for the Golden Adventurers to return.

Lin Gui stood at the entrance of the post office, leaning against the door frame, arms crossed, looking over there.

Elvia, standing beside him, was also looking in that direction, her face showing a conflicted expression.

Her gaze wasn't on the city gate at all; she was staring blankly, lost in thought.

Occasionally, I act like a madman, distressed and pulling at my hair.

On the other side...

Before long, heavy footsteps could be heard outside the city gate.

Four teams came into view one after another.

The group at the very front had the most people and was also the most disheveled.

A dozen or so adventurers, their armor riddled with holes.

Some were still wrapped in bandages, with blood seeping from the strips of cloth, already dried and blackened.

They were carrying several large boxes, which were covered in black stains, it was hard to tell if they were mud or blood.

The teams that followed weren't much better off.

They were all covered in dust and dirt, some with their weapons broken in half, hanging on their backs.

But no one fell.

Their walking posture was still steady, and their steps were still synchronized.

This is the Golden Adventurer Group.

Disheveled, yet powerful.

The crowd automatically parted to make way for the adventurers as they passed through the city gate and entered the city.

The guild members were already waiting at the door.

Several clerks dressed in gray robes stepped forward.

They led the other three teams aside and began the registration process.

The third team put down their boxes, wiped their sweat, and started bidding.

"Go to White Cliff City, 30,000 gold coins, alone!"

The sound wasn't loud, but it was exceptionally clear at the quiet city gate.

A collective gasp rippled through the crowd.

"Thirty thousand..."

"Didn't it used to only cost five hundred?"

"That was before."

Someone whispered.

"Now that the Kuroshio Current is here, who dares to run away?"

The group ignored the comments and simply stood there, waiting.

In the crowd, several people looked at each other, lowered their heads, and slowly retreated.

Many more people stood still, their faces filled with despair.

Thirty thousand gold coins.

An average family's annual income is only a dozen or so gold coins.

Thirty thousand gold coins would be enough for them to live on for several lifetimes.

From the crowd, a man dressed in coarse cloth stepped forward.

He pulled a cloth bag from his pocket, opened it layer by layer, and inside were a handful of silver coins and several gold coins.

"This was pooled together by several of us... Could you...?"

His voice was very soft, as if he were afraid of disturbing something.

The leader of the Golden Adventurer's Guild glanced at him but didn't take it.

"Thirty thousand gold coins, for one person."

His voice was calm, as if he were talking about something very ordinary.

"If you can't raise the money, then don't even bother talking."

The man's hand froze in mid-air.

Behind him, several people dressed in coarse cloth lowered their heads, their shoulders trembling.

In the end, they managed to scrape together the money.

They raised more than 3 gold coins.

Instead, it was a full 18 gold coins.

Several children also went up with the gold coins.

The children stood on the side of the line.

The youngest looked to be only seven or eight years old, and the oldest was no more than fifteen or sixteen.

They carried bundles bigger than themselves, their faces filled with bewilderment.

After counting the gold coins, one of the members of the Golden Adventurers clicked his tongue and turned to his companion, saying:

"A bit more than expected."

His companion glanced at the civilians and lowered his voice:

"I heard that the craftsmen and bricklayers in Dragonbone City have recently taken on several big jobs and made a lot of money."

"The people who built the warehouse were very generous."

"So they can collect more."

The group leader didn't respond, but simply waved his hand, signaling someone to bring the child over.

Lin Gui stood at the post office entrance, watching the children being led to the back of the line.

A customer ahead of him in line was an elderly man who was holding a letter and also looking in that direction.

"Why not keep the child?"

Lin Gui asked.

"The probability of the Black Tide passing through Dragonbone City is about the same as the risk of the Golden Adventurer Group crossing the wilderness."

"Especially for adventure groups that transport people, the risks are considerable."

After all, even the simplest transportation commission starts at Class A.

The guest sighed and shook his head.

"Sir, you are from outside and do not know the situation here."

"The city-state alliance's transportation network sends monthly reports from the city-states every month."

"We can see how terrifying the Kuroshio Current is."

"One by one, city-states far stronger than Dragonbone City were razed to the ground."

"The Black Tide is coming, what will Dragonbone City use to resist it?"

He clenched the letter in his hand.

"Staying here is tantamount to waiting to die."

"Sending them out, at least they might survive."

Lin Gui didn't say anything more.

He took the guest's letter, collected seven copper coins, and registered it.

Monica squeezed through the crowd and ran to the post office entrance.

"Master, I'm here to give you one last treatment."

Her complexion was better than a few days ago, but there was still a lingering weariness in her eyes.

It wasn't because of treatment.

It's because of the Thousand Pagodas Group.

Last night, the Thousand Towers group officially disbanded.

Ada joined the city garrison, old Tom returned to his hometown, and Lily became a waitress at the tavern.

Monica spoke calmly as she said this, but her fingers gripped the staff so tightly that her knuckles turned white.

Lin Gui didn't comfort her; he just nodded.

Giving up the adventurer path sooner rather than later is a good thing.

The treatment was completed quickly.

The hydrotherapy treatment wrapped around my body, and a tingling, itchy sensation came from the broken bones.

Lin Gui moved his left arm; although it still hurt a little, he could lift it normally now.

After recovering, Lin Gui told Monica that he hoped she would introduce him to the adventure team that was going to take him to the magical city.

Monica hesitated for a moment but then agreed.

Soon, led by Monica, he met the adventure group that was heading to the City of a Thousand Towers.

The adventurer group is called Red Iron.

Five successful round trips have been made between Dragonbone City and the City of a Thousand Towers.

Unlike other gold-plated adventure groups, they did not participate in the transport commission.

According to Monica, they came back this time only to pick up the adventure team's family.

I'll pick up Monica while I'm at it.

This genius is somewhat famous in Dragonbone City.