Hello, is this a letter addressed to Demon Fortress?

I had a good night's rest.

The next day, once Lin Gui's magic power had fully recovered, the group set off again.

Today, they will enter the "Whispering Forest".

Compared to the expansive views of the Murray Hills.

The forest is a complex environment, and there are more and more powerful demons.

Simply put, the Whispering Forest is far more dangerous than the Murland Hills.

Of course, this applies to Lin Gui, who is driving the [Night Veil].

As long as you don't run into a legendary figure who rose to power.

There's not much difference between drifting in hills and drifting in a forest.

Elvia leaned against the front, pointing Lin Gui in the right direction.

They watched the sky demons, so close yet seemingly blind, sweep past overhead.

She couldn't help but complain.

"Seriously, your invisibility spell is ridiculous! Are you sure you're just a high-level mage, or some epic old monster pretending to be young?"

"I wish I were, but unfortunately I am not."

Lin Gui replied casually, skillfully maneuvering the raft around the towering trees.

Guided by Shia and Elvia, who were at different distances, the raft meandered through the forest.

Suddenly, Shia shouted in a low voice, "Stop!"

Lin Gui immediately steadied the raft and frowned as he looked around.

Within the range of perception, there were three demonic auras of the Hero rank alone.

This is definitely not a suitable place to stop and hide.

He looked at Shia, who was standing on the wooden crate, gazing into the distance, with a puzzled expression.

Xia's emerald green eyes were fixed on the distance as she spoke to Lin Gui without turning her head.

"Rise a little higher!"

Lin Gui did as instructed.

Actually, he could have flown directly over the forest canopy when he arrived.

But if you do that, Elvia won't be able to identify ground reference points to determine the "golden route".

Even the ghost in the forest dared not be arrogant and fly recklessly.

If you happen to drift to the top of the lair of a legendary or epic demon, that would be a real disaster.

The raft slowly rose, moving away from the heroes and demons below.

With a light leap, Shia darted to the top of the tallest tree nearby, shading her eyes with her hand as she gazed into the distance.

Not long after, she jumped back onto the raft, looked at Lin Gui, and her expression was a little strange.

"Lin Gui, guess what I saw over there?"

Lin Gui had a look on his face that said, "You're still keeping me in suspense at a time like this."

Before Lin Gui could guess, Xia couldn't hold back any longer and said with a gleam in her eyes.

"Gold coins! I see so many gold coins! And a whole bunch of jewelry!"

"Clam???"

Following the direction Xia pointed, Lin Gui propelled the raft to drift over.

Arriving at an open meadow in the forest, they saw a large number of gold coins scattered on the ground.

At a cursory glance, the number is probably over ten thousand.

Not to mention that there were also quite a few red and green gemstone jewelry mixed in.

After taking a closer look, Xia's excitement vanished instantly.

Lin Gui also raised his eyebrows and looked around warily.

It's too quiet.

There wasn't a single demon; this was abnormally absurd.

And... there was actually a group of people in the middle of the grass!

Some ordinary people, dressed in fancy but tattered and dirty clothes, were huddled together, looking around in fear.

"It's a trap."

Elvia concluded in a flat tone.

"These people are probably the families of the Kalan nobles who escaped during the siege by the demons."

"Their extraordinary-level guards probably abandoned these burdens."

Her analysis was cold yet realistic.

Ordinary people would severely slow down the migration process and consume valuable resources.

More importantly, they cannot execute stealth orders as perfectly as trained soldiers.

Even the slightest smell or the slightest uncontrollable noise could expose the entire team.

Not everyone can be as completely concealed as Lin Gui's "Night Veil".

"Let's go," Elvia urged.

"We're still a long way from the Withered Rift. You don't want to spend the night in the forest, do you?"

Seeing that Lin Gui didn't move, she couldn't help but mock him.

"What? Our 'kind' mage has taken pity on these noble lords' families? Wants to save them?"

She emphasized the word "kindness" with a sarcastic tone.

Xia also looked at Lin Gui with a hint of doubt.

Previously in Odo Canyon, Lin Gui did indeed risk his life to save the city lord's daughter and her group.

But this time it's different. It's obviously a trap. We don't even know who the enemy is. It would be too dangerous to act rashly.

As the core of the team, Lin Gui's decision concerns the life and death of everyone.

Lin Gui didn't speak, but he didn't leave either.

Instead, he maneuvered the raft to rise again and began to carefully search the surrounding area, centering on those people.

He calculated the distance, gradually expanding his range of perception outwards.

Finally, in the shadow of a dense thicket of bushes in the distance.

He discovered a little imp that was so well hidden that it almost blended into its surroundings!

Lin Gui frowned deeply.

"What did you find?" Shia asked.

"To be able to set up such a scheme, one must be quite intelligent, at least capable of becoming a hero."

Lin Gui's voice was low and deep.

"There was no sign of them in the sky, nor were there any ambushes in the surrounding trees."

There aren't many types of demons that excel at stealth and concealment.

"And the ability to control the trap's range so precisely, using those humans as bait."

"The power is distributed in a perfect circular pattern..."

He paused, a knowing glint in his eyes.

"Then, the guy who set up this trap is most likely hiding underground."

"And I happen to know a demon that perfectly fits these characteristics..."

"Even the style of setting traps by exploiting greed and compassion is exactly the same."

"It's the 'Brain-Digging Demon'."

"A cunning, cruel demon that has a particular fondness for feeding on the brains of intelligent beings, especially those experiencing intense emotions... a hero-level demon."

"Brain-Digging Demon?" Shia and Elvia looked bewildered.

"Whatever demon it is!" Elvia said irritably.

"Even if it's an epic demon, what does it have to do with our trip to the capital? Just avoid it! You don't actually want to go and save those guys, do you?"

She leaned close to Shia's ear and whispered.

"Hey, half-demon, talk to this idiot good Samaritan!"

"Tell him about the mess those nobles are making in Kalangan, make him sick of it, and tell him to mind his own business!"

How did Elvia know that those family members were definitely not good people?

Because she herself came from the highest echelons of aristocratic circles, she knew these people's character all too well.

During the Golden Age, nobles were more restrained because the wilderness was safe, and commoners could create a great deal of value.

In the current city-state era, the wilderness has become a death trap, and the value of ordinary people has plummeted.

In the eyes of the nobles, allowing them to enter the city and eke out a living was already a tremendous favor!

Offering concessions? It's already a sign of "mercy" that they haven't driven these "city-state pests" out!

In this environment, apart from a very few oddballs, Elvia has never seen a noble who does not despise and abuse commoners!

Even herself, though she wasn't as blatant as others.

After all, she's royalty; she still has some dignity.

Shea frowned, giving the guy who kept encouraging her without saying a word himself.

Although she disliked Elvia, who called herself a half-demon every day.

But I have to admit she's right.

Shea coughed, recalling the clothing and vague faces of the family members below, and quickly found the corresponding people in her memory.

She began speaking calmly, recounting everything she had witnessed:

"That old woman in the purple dress had her youngest son beaten to death in the street by the guards last winter because her family's carriage splashed some mud on her dress."

"That blond kid who was huddled up was riding his horse recklessly in the street last month and knocked over an old woman selling fruit, scattering fruit all over the ground."

"He thought it was blocking the way, so the horse's hooves trampled right over it... The old woman didn't make it through the night."

"And that man in the silk vest, from his factory, he tore apart more than a dozen workers, and to save on compensation, he led a group of people to push the workers' families into the wilderness..."

Shea's tone was flat; in her opinion, this was all too common in Karan.

The deaths of commoners were partly due to hunger and cold, and partly due to offending the nobles.