Hello, is this a letter addressed to Demon Fortress?

A hand emerged from the void.

Long, slender fingers with distinct knuckles.

The hand gripped the edge of the door and gently closed it.

The veil of night was removed.

Lin Gui's figure was revealed, his eyes still showing a hint of contemplation.

He had only come to see who was monitoring the post office, but he overheard these unexpected pieces of information.

He stood behind the door, staring blankly at the crack, his brows slightly furrowed.

On the sofa behind her, Elvia hugged her knees, looking uneasy, her golden eyes clouded with gloom.

"What they're hunting... probably isn't a demon, right?"

Lin Gui turned around, his gaze darkening.

"No top-tier or rare demons that can be used as materials for high-end magic experiments will appear within the city-state."

"And my post office backyard can't breed demons either."

Elvia remained silent for a long time before speaking, her voice unconsciously lowered.

"So... what they want to hunt... is people. What they want to hunt are the 'living subjects' of magical experiments."

Human transmutation is hardly a secret within upper echelons of society.

Many powerful mages, in order to increase their understanding of magical elements, have all engaged in human experimentation, which was explicitly prohibited in the Golden Age.

Ironically, much of the progress in magic during the Dark Ages stemmed from this.

Elvia's fingers gripped the blanket on her knees tightly, her knuckles turning slightly white.

"But... if the intention is to use human subjects for experimentation, why not use slaves?"

"Why did you come all the way from the magic city to here?"

"We'll find out soon enough about that."

Lin Gui walked to the table.

He squinted, staring at the table as if he were gazing at something unseen.

Then he reached out and pinched a very fine, almost invisible strand of hair from the corner of the table.

He held the strand of hair up to his eyes, his gray pupils contracting slightly.

A thin thread of the soul was revealed, extending out through the crack in the door, like a silent guide.

Elvia looked at him, her lips moving slightly.

"You want to get involved?"

Lin Gui replied, pinching the strand of hair, a subtle, enigmatic smile playing on his lips.

"certainly."

"I'm also quite curious about what kind of living thing could cause such a commotion."

He took out the wooden box he had won at the casino in Deadwood Town from his storage space.

The wood is dark red, and its surface is covered with fine runes.

The token that the fat man staked on the gambling table.

It is said that it can be exchanged for anything owned by a magic guild.

He turned the wooden box over and stroked the runes on the bottom with his fingertips, lost in thought.

"Maybe we can still find the recipient who hasn't delivered yet."

Lin Gui did not immediately chase after the two mages who wanted to take a gamble.

Instead, they went back to the post office.

He stood in front of the four open wooden crates, remained silent for a while, and lingered for a moment on the scattered grains of wheat.

Then raise your hand.

Wooden crates disappeared one after another into the storage space.

He looked at the food and herbs in the space, remained silent for a while, and then gently exhaled.

He turned and left the post office.

He wanted to go to Drywood Town to buy more grain.

However, they received an unexpected piece of information.

There is no place to sell grain in the town of Kumu.

The granary that housed the grain necessary to keep the city-state running also refused his high-priced offer.

Even when Lin Gui offered a price so high that the person in charge was itching to buy and his eyes were practically glowing with greed, the other party didn't budge, nor did he outwardly refuse but secretly agree.

Before leaving, the person in charge subconsciously looked at the towering magic tower, his eyes filled with fear.

Lin Gui seemed to understand why the other party refused him, and his eyes turned slightly cold.

Since he couldn't buy food through official channels, he had no choice but to use traditional methods.

They broke into the warehouse and stole grain.

The storage space is filled to the maximum extent.

Behind the spaceship that had been moved out of its place, several large bags of heavy grain were also being dragged.

After making all the preparations, Lin Gui, with Elvia in tow, began to follow the trail of that strand of hair.

The delicate threads of the soul extend all the way.

Crossing the streets, passing through the city gates.

They left the town of Kumu.

We entered the eastern part of the Deadwood Wasteland.

The soul threads extending from the hair are not permanent; most can guide one for at least a few days.

This was enough time for Lin Gui to catch up with Marcus and his group.

As long as they don't die on the way.

No matter how desolate the barren wasteland may be, it is still a forbidden area.

Extraordinary strength is insufficient in the face of forbidden territory.

Marcus and his group hadn't been gone long, probably less than two hours.

Lin Gui did not immediately activate the wind pressure cannon.

The soul-like lines are difficult to see at high speeds, and he was also worried that with this kick, he might speed ahead of them.

So he simply used the speed of levitation to move forward.

Although the speed was slow, it was already considered very fast when crossing the forbidden area.

After all, with the protection of the Night Veil, Lin Gui didn't need to hide from the demon.

But those extraordinary mages who are not proficient in concealment magic are a different story.

and so--

In less than half an hour, Lin Gui caught up with Marcus and his group.

Two extraordinary mages were walking across the wasteland, their steps weary and heavy.

There were no powerful demons around, so they didn't use any stealth magic.

Each of them carried two huge bundles on their backs, so heavy that their shoulders slumped slightly.

The hem of the robe was torn in several places by thorns, fluttering with each step.

One of them had fresh bloodstains on his cuff, it was unclear whether it was his own or the demon's.

They hunched over, occasionally glancing back in the direction of Drywood Town, their eyes filled with resentment and lingering fear.

You can still see the dusty, gray city walls.

They had been walking for almost four hours and were still not out of sight of the town of Drywood.

Clearly, they've suffered a lot along the way.

When he saw them again, Lin Gui did not silently follow behind them.

Instead, it continuously increased the altitude of the airship, silently passing over their heads and flying in the approximate direction they were traveling.

Magic tracking is far less effective than soul tracking.

Given Lambert's extraordinary mid-level strength, the distance to the target he is pursuing cannot be too far.

Lin Gui hung high in the sky, looking down, his robes fluttering slightly in the wind.

The wilderness is flat and vast, offering an unobstructed view.

Withered grass, exposed rocks, and scattered, dry shrubs.

Several groups of demons roamed in the distance, their dark red scales gleaming coldly in the sunlight.

Upon closer inspection, Lin Gui found no one else besides the demon.

Lin Gui was not discouraged and took a deep breath.

He gathered his magic and poured it into the Eye of the Netherworld.

A faint halo appeared deep within his gray pupils, like two clusters of cold flames.

The world in my field of vision has changed color.

The withered yellow grass has faded, and the exposed rocks have turned into gray-white skeletons.

On the northern side of the barren wasteland, several blue humanoid soul outlines were drawn.

They clustered together, like several clusters of eerie blue flames, standing out starkly against the greyish-white backdrop of the wasteland.

That must be the Ross family.

Lin Gui controlled the flying boat, slightly lowering his body, and silently flew in that direction.