Hello, is this a letter addressed to Demon Fortress?

Lin Gui went downstairs.

The boots creaked and groaned as they stepped on the wooden stairs.

Not fast, not slow.

Elvia followed behind.

She changed into clean clothes and tied her hair up again.

But a trace of flush still lingered on her face.

She followed behind Lin Gui, her steps very light.

Like a vigilant cat.

Lin Gui walked to the door and unlatched it.

A group of knights stood outside the door.

The standard armor features a crest on the chest that depicts an eagle with outstretched wings.

Not a knight of the Dalton family.

Instead, they were... the city lord's personal guards.

When Lin Gui was processing the land deed, he saw this type of knight in the noble district.

The leading knight was very tall, with his chin slightly raised, and his gaze swept over Lin Gui.

There was no stopping.

It's like looking at a servant.

Elvia stood in the shadows at the top of the stairs, her body slightly shrank back.

Her hands gripped the hem of her skirt tightly.

She's no longer the princess of the Kingdom of Carter.

Instead, he was a traitor connected with the remnants of the Spark Movement.

The Knights are blocking the door early in the morning... Maybe we should hide.

Elvia took a step back from the stairs.

On the other side, Lin Gui stood at the door and glanced at the other party's armor style.

Then he spoke, his voice flat:

"Is there something you need?"

The leading knight did not look at him.

His gaze swept over his shoulder and around the post office.

It looked like they were looking for someone.

Then he slowly opened his mouth, his tone carrying a condescending casualness:

"Lord City Lord, we wish to invite the true owner of the post office..."

"That legendary mage who wiped the hyena's teeth and scum from White Cliff City."

"Let's go to the execution ground together."

He paused.

"Watch the recapture of the hundred people arrested last night..."

"The trial by burning at the stake for traitors who attempt to endanger the security of the city-state."

His tone was calm, but his expression was arrogant.

So arrogant that he looked down at Lin Gui with his nostrils.

Lin Gui looked at his arrogant face, without any expression.

However, it was his use of the word "traitor" that caught his attention.

He remembered the person who handed him the flyer last night.

He knew that the other party was most likely someone who had infiltrated the city and wanted to rebel.

But to everyone's surprise, the other party was caught in just one night.

Lin Gui's gaze shifted to the knight's back.

On the main street, prison vans were slowly driving by.

Iron cage, wooden wheels.

The wheels made a clanging sound as they rolled over the stone pavement.

Every prison van was packed with people.

Men, women, and the elderly.

Their clothes were tattered, and their faces were covered in scars.

Some people were crying, some were shouting, and some were silently bowing their heads.

But those cries were hoarse and indistinct.

It felt like something was stuck in my throat.

Lin Gui's gaze swept across their faces.

He saw several familiar faces.

They were the homeless people squatting at the entrance of the dispatch center, waiting to find work.

They are the poor who live in shacks and can't even afford black bread.

There were also some customers who came to the post office to mail letters.

The prison van was surrounded by onlookers.

They crowded on both sides of the street, standing on tiptoe to look inside.

People were talking, their voices were very low:

"I heard they're planning a rebellion..."

"Oh my god, it's Mold! He's such a good person, how could he...?"

"It's them, oh dear, how could it be them?"

"Damn nobles..."

"well……"

Some sighed, some shook their heads, and some watched expressionlessly.

Some of the people in the prison vans had already given up struggling.

Leaning against the iron cage, his eyes were vacant.

Some were still desperately sticking their hands out of the cage, as if they were begging for help.

But no one reached out.

No one dared to reach out.

Lin Gui withdrew his gaze.

He looked at the arrogant knight before him and said calmly:

"I will pass on the message to my captain."

He paused.

"But given his personality, he probably wouldn't be willing to waste time watching the execution of traitors."

His tone was calm.

"Of course, if the city lord has anything he wants to say to my captain..."

"May I pass on the message?"

The knight's face darkened.

He lowered his head and looked directly at Lin Gui for the first time.

There was a hint of coldness in those eyes.

"Are you refusing on behalf of your captain?"

Lin Gui didn't answer, he just looked at him.

The knight glared at Lin Gui, a man who had only recently risen to a high rank but was merely a menial laborer in the transport team.

This is not the attitude one should have towards a noble and extraordinary knight, nor should one respond in a way that oversteps one's master.

An invisible pressure emanated from him.

That was the pressure of a transcendent being.

It felt like a stone pressing down on Lin Gui's shoulder.

Several passersby were forced to take several steps back by this imposing aura.

His face was pale.

But Lin Gui didn't move.

He didn't even blink.

then……

He took a step forward.

The step was light; the boot landed on the stone slab with a soft "tap."

But amidst that oppressive aura, the voice was exceptionally clear.

A cold, bloody aura rose from Lin Gui's body.

That was murderous intent.

Not strong, not heavy.

But it's very pure.

It felt like a finely sharpened knife pressed against my throat.

Lin Gui looked into the knight's eyes and spoke softly:

"If you want to die..."

"You are welcome to give it a try."

He paused.

"Have you been staying in this run-down little city-state for too long...?"

"To make you feel like, as the city lord's lackey..."

"To be able to deal with a member of a transport convoy led by a legendary mid-level mage..."

"Don't put on that lousy act."

"It's true that I am of a higher rank, but the relationship between the transport team and the city lord is not comparable to the servant relationship between you and the city lord."

"My teammate wants to kill you. Do you think your boss will stand up for you?"

"No, he would say, 'Good job killing him,' and thus gain the friendship of a legendary mage."

His voice wasn't loud.

But every word was like a nail, piercing the knight's ear.

The knight's pupils contracted slightly.

That oppressive aura seemed to have been severed by something.

His hand rested on the hilt of the sword, his knuckles turning white.

But it wasn't pulled out.

He stared at Lin Gui for a long time.

Then... he quit.

It's not turning around and leaving, it's retreating.

He took a step back.

He loosened his hand from the hilt of the sword.

The arrogance on his face turned into an indescribable stiffness.

He opened his mouth, as if to say something.

But in the end, he didn't say anything.

He simply stepped aside to make way.

The knights behind them also made way.

Lin Gui looked at them and finally said coldly.

"roll."

The knights' faces turned ashen, but none of them dared to retaliate.

They turned and walked away quickly.

The iron boots made a rapid "tap-tap" sound as they stepped on the stone pavement.

Lin Gui stood at the door, watching their backs.

There was no expression in those dark eyes.

Behind her, Elvia emerged from the shadows at the top of the stairs.

She watched Lin Gui's retreating figure with a complex expression.

She watched the whole scene from beginning to end.

That murderous intent, that imposing aura, that merciless "Get out"...

She couldn't help but sigh:

"Your acting skills are getting better and better."

Lin Gui did not turn around.

Elvia walked up to him and asked in a low voice:

"Could it be... that there really is a transport team that rose from the bottom?"

Lin Gui closed the door, turned around and looked at her, admitting it very frankly.

"no."

"I made that up."

Elvia's lips twitched.

She took a deep breath:

"Information about every transport team can be found in the Transport Guild."

"Aren't you afraid they'll go to the transport association to investigate you?"

Lin Gui said calmly:

"I did not disclose the name of the fictitious transport team I created."

"No related information was disclosed either."

Even if an investigation is conducted, it will take time.

He paused.

"and……"

"Even if they find out, they won't do anything to me."

Elvia frowned:

Why?

Lin Gui looked at her, his dark eyes devoid of any emotion:

"Because the transport team might be fake."

"but……"

"The fact that he instantly killed a mid-level transcendent and two low-level transcendent gold adventurer teams... is true."

"This is something even their strongest knight commander couldn't do."

"Based on the traces I left at the scene, their conservative estimate is that it would all be legendary."

His voice was calm.

"But Baiya City has no legends."

"They've really gone all out..."

"Let's go to the castle tonight and knock that castle's main bricks unconscious..."

"Feed the demons."

Elvia stared at him for several seconds.

Then she sighed.

"You're ruthless."

Lin Gui did not respond.

He opened the door and walked out.

Elvia followed:

"Where to?"

"Let's go take a look."

Lin Gui followed the direction of the crowd.

Elvia followed behind him without asking any more questions.

The execution ground was in the large square in the center of the city.

It's usually a market there, with vendors selling vegetables, cloth, and ironware all crammed together.

Today, all the stalls were cleared out.

Rows of wooden stakes were erected in the center of the square.

Thick and tall, with people tied to it.

Several hundred people.

Men, women, and the elderly.

Their clothes were tattered, and their faces were covered in injuries.

Some people had their heads down, their hair covering their faces.

Some people tilted their heads back, stared at the sky, and moved their lips, but no sound came out.

Some people were struggling desperately, the ropes digging into their flesh, and blood was flowing down their arms.

There was firewood piled up under the wooden stake.

Dry branches and split firewood were stacked high, layer upon layer.

A high platform was built on the north side of the square.

Tables and chairs were set up on the stage, covered with red velvet.

Lord Adams sat in the very center.

He was dressed in a magnificent brocade robe, his belly so large that it stretched his belt taut.

She wore several rings on her fingers, gold and gemstones, which sparkled in the sunlight.

He was holding a wine glass and talking to the person next to him.

He had a big smile on his face, and his eyes were squinted into slits.

Several nobles, both men and women, were sitting nearby.

The men were dressed elegantly, and the women were dressed in their finest attire.

They were laughing, talking, and clinking glasses.

It felt like attending a banquet.

Instead of watching hundreds of people about to be burned to death.

Below the platform, crowds of people who had been forced to come and watch were packed.

Their clothes were worn out, and their faces were exhausted.

Some people lowered their heads, not daring to look at the stage.

Some people stared blankly at those tied to the stakes.

Some people were trembling, and their lips were pale.

No one speaks.

No one dared to speak.

Lin Gui squeezed into the middle of the crowd.

He wasn't very tall, and the people around him mostly obscured his height.

He didn't look at the nobles.

He was looking at the people who were tied to the stakes.

He had seen some of those people before.

I was queuing at the post office yesterday to mail a letter.

Some of them even spoke to him and chatted for a few words.

Ask him, "Master, will this letter really be delivered?"

He said "yes" at the time.

Now, those people are tied to the stakes.

Its mouth was open, and it was roaring.

But it couldn't make a sound.

Their vocal cords were destroyed.

All I can do is open my mouth, shed tears, and stare wide-eyed.

Some people are angry.

With red eyes and gritted teeth, he struggled desperately.

The rope dug into his flesh, and blood flowed down.

Who is he cursing?

It might be those nobles sitting on the high platform, laughing and joking.

It could be the expressionless onlookers.

Or perhaps it's a specific person.

But no one could hear it.

More people are crying.

Crying silently.

Tears welled up in my eyes and streamed down my cheeks.

It dripped onto clothes and onto firewood.

More and more people flocked to see it.

I'm not here to watch the spectacle.

They were driven here by the city defense troops.

They stood huddled together at the edge of the square.

Some people turned their faces away, unable to look.

Some people were looking down, staring at their toes.

Some people have no expression, like stone statues.

No one speaks.

The square was quiet.

The only sound was the rustling of the wind blowing through the woodpile.

And the muffled, hoarse "ah ah" sounds emanating from those tied to the stakes.

On the high platform, the judge stood up.

He was dressed in a black robe and held a roll of parchment in his hand.

He cleared his throat and began to read.

The sound was loud and carried throughout the entire square.

"Upon investigation, Edgar Morton, Grace White, Tom Watt..."

He read out a long list of names.

"They colluded with the remnants of the Spark, plotted a rebellion, and attempted to overthrow the city-state's order and endanger its security."

"The evidence is conclusive and irrefutable."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the people tied to the wooden stakes.

"Do you have any objections?"

No one answered.

The person tied to the wooden stake had their mouth open.

It can only make muffled "ah ah" sounds.

Their vocal cords were destroyed.

How should I speak?

The crowd below the stage remained silent.

No one speaks.

No one looked up.

No one looked at the people tied to the stakes.

They just kept their heads down, staring at the ground.

It's as if something on the ground is more important than those living people.

The judge waited a moment.

Then he put away the parchment, his voice cold:

"No objections..."

"This official hereby announces..."

"The above-mentioned individuals are sentenced..."

"Burning at the stake."

"Execute immediately."

The nobles on the platform laughed.

Someone raised their glass and clinked it against someone else's.

Someone said something that made several people nearby burst into laughter.

They looked at the people tied to the stakes.

Looking at those people who were crying, screaming, and struggling.

He watched the fear in the eyes of the civilians watching from below the stage.

It's like watching a performance.

A performance specially prepared for them.

Urged on by the city defense troops, the crowd below the stage began to move forward.

One person, two people, ten people, one hundred people.

They walked with their heads down to the pile of firewood.

He bent down and picked up the firewood from the ground.

Then they threw the firewood at the feet of the bound men.

The firewood fell onto the firewood pile with a "thud".

One by one.

"Clatter".

"Clatter".

"Clatter".

It's like some kind of metronome.

No one looked up.

No one looked into the eyes of those who were tied up.

They simply bent down mechanically, picked up the firewood, and threw it away.

Then he turned around and walked back.

Bend down again, pick it up again, and throw it away again.

Firewood was thrown up one by one, piling up higher and higher.