Hello, is this a letter addressed to Demon Fortress?

at the same time.

On the north side of the barren wasteland, there is a simple shelter embedded in the mountain.

The hall was rough, with uneven stone walls, and several magic stones embedded in the walls, emitting a pale light.

Two groups of people sat facing each other on either side of the long stone table.

On one side are the hunters of the City of a Thousand Towers.

Edwin Morales, who was in the lead, leaned back in his chair.

His deep purple robes were spotless, his beard and hair were all white, and his face was thin.

The occasional glint of shrewdness in those cloudy old eyes was so intense that one dared not look directly at them.

Two men dressed in dark leather armor stood behind him.

He was slender and his aura was extremely concealed, yet he was a true legendary mid-rank assassin.

The one on the left is called Cass, and the one on the right is called Victor.

The two men crossed their arms and glanced indifferently at the people opposite them, as if they were looking at a flock of lambs to the slaughter.

A young man sat beside Edwin; it was Arthur Julian, a high-ranking but low-ranking man, yet surrounded by people in the center.

On the other side are the half-demons of the sanctuary.

Morgan Adrian, who was at the head of the group, sat upright on a stone chair.

He was in his early forties, with a resolute face and a pair of blood-red eyes beneath his short, silver-white hair.

A legendary mid-rank mage.

Two half-demon assassins stood behind him.

Cedric, a legendary figure, covered in scars, with wolf-like eyes.

Leah, a lower-ranking legendary female, with gray hair tied in a ponytail, her fingers unconsciously tapping on the hilt of a dagger.

On a stone bench further away sat a knight, Hewlett, a low-ranking legendary figure, clad in full armor, silent as a stone.

The two sides stood in a stalemate, and no one spoke.

The air was as heavy as if it were filled with lead.

On the stone table, a magic disc slowly rotated.

That was a tracking compass connected to the perception barrier.

The once densely packed red dotted half-demon dots on the disc are now empty, with only a few remaining, flickering faintly at the edges.

The last report came through the communication stone: all the half-demons had finished their hunt, and then fell completely silent.

Edwin opened his eyes and looked at Morgan across from him.

"The hunt has come to an end."

"All of your half-demon warriors who attempted to escape and hide have been captured by us."

"When your companions were captured and sent to Snake Ridge, you should have expected this to happen."

Morgan remained silent.

Not far from him, two half-demon youths were forced to kneel on the ground, their shoulders pressed down firmly by Cass and Victor.

The half-demon youth was emaciated, dressed in tattered clothes, and his bloodshot eyes were filled with guilt.

They dared not look up at Morgan; their lips trembled, but they could not utter a single word.

Edwin followed Morgan's gaze to the two boys and sighed softly.

"They are very brave."

"After learning he had been arrested, he contemplated suicide countless times to prevent us from locating the shelter through them."

"What a moving emotion."

"In the City of a Thousand Towers, I haven't seen this kind of sacrifice for others in a very, very long time."

Cedric clenched his fist tightly, his knuckles cracking.

His blood-red eyes were fixed on Cass, his killing intent almost tangible.

Cass merely lifted his eyelids to glance at him, a mocking smile curving his lips.

Then he slowly shifted his gaze, as if looking at an insignificant decoration.

The atmosphere instantly became tense.

Lydia's hand was already gripping the dagger hilt, and a faint metallic scraping sound came from beneath Hewlett's armor.

Morgan raised his hand, suppressing his companion's impulse.

He looked at Edwin, his voice cold.

"What exactly are you trying to say?"

Edwin did not answer immediately.

He glanced around the hall, which was so simple it was almost shabby.

His gaze swept over the uneven stone wall, the rough wooden table, and the shriveled grain sacks piled in the corner.

Then, he sighed.

"Mr. Morgan, do you know what I'm thinking?"

He didn't wait for Morgan's reply and continued talking to himself.

"I was thinking that those half-demon warriors who followed you to the Barren Wasteland should not have to suffer like this."

His voice was very soft, as if he were stating a fact.

But every word pierced the eardrums of the half-demons present with pinpoint accuracy.

"Those warriors we captured are extraordinary and would be revered in any city-state."

"But when we caught them, they were emaciated and exhausted, and they could barely stand up."

He paused for a moment.

"Because of hunger."

"You built a shelter in the forbidden land, but you don't have enough food."

"Your warriors are tormented by hunger and must also contend with the dangers of the forbidden land's demons."

His gaze was fixed on Morgan.

"It didn't have to be this way, Mr. Morgan."

"They could have avoided this suffering."

Hewlett stood up abruptly, his armor clanking with a dull thud.

His voice sounded like it was being ground out of his throat.

"Avoid these pains? Or do you expect me to be dismembered and used as material for your magical experiments?"

"Lord Edwin, your rhetoric is only good for fooling children."

He stared intently at Edwin, his brown eyes filled with sarcasm.

Edwin wasn't angry, and didn't even look at Hewlett.

His gaze remained fixed on Morgan.

"Materials for a magical experiment?"

He repeated it, the corners of his mouth slightly upturned, his smile as faint as a layer of frost.

"As a legendary mage, Lord Morgan, you should know very well who the master truly desires...."

"And you also know who the culprit is who caused this hunt, who caused the tragedy of the half-demon."

"Isn't that right, Mr. Morgan?"

"I've also read your paper on the connection between half-demon and demonic energy."

"Truly worthy of being called a former magical genius."

"I wonder what those half-demons who trusted you and followed you here will think, knowing that you caused this hunt against half-demons."

Cedric interrupted coldly.

"Don't listen to his nonsense, Morgan!"

His voice was like a knife slicing through stone.

"Don't forget why we came to the barren wasteland."

"Half-demons can no longer be slaughtered!"

Edwin still didn't look at him.

His gaze was fixed on Morgan like a nail.

"At our mercy?" He shook his head slightly. "Perhaps you are unaware, but the agreement to expel half-demons has been abolished."

The hall fell silent for a moment.

"At the Alliance Council meeting, the Great Sage personally led the vote against it."

"He saved you, no, he saved all the half-demons still in the city-state."

"As for you..."

Edwin glanced around the simple hall, a hint of pity in his voice.

"You escaped on your own, voluntarily entered this godforsaken forbidden land, endured hunger and thirst, were hunted by demons, and were hunted by us."

His voice was soft, but every word was like a dull knife, grinding back and forth on Morgan's heart.

"You could have stayed by the Great Sage's side, continued your research, and used your achievements to ensure the peace of the entire half-demon race."

"Just like when you first approached the Sage."

"But you chose to run away, taking the people who trusted you with you, and fled to this godforsaken place."

"and then?"

"They died because of you."

Edwin's voice suddenly turned cold.

"Lord Morgan, you are the greatest sinner among the half-demons."

"Because of you, too many half-demon civilians have died tragically."

"The warriors who followed you also suffer from hunger in this forbidden land."

His gaze was fixed on Morgan, and in his cloudy old eyes, there was only an unquestionable judgment.

"You are the one who caused all of this."

"And now, you still have a chance to turn things back to the way they were."

"All you need to do is help the adults complete their experiments with demonic energy and finish your interrupted research, and all the suffering will end."

"Once it's done, there won't be any unnecessary killing."

"The Sage will no longer focus his attention on half-demons."

"And with this achievement, you can make the half-demon a true member of the City of a Thousand Towers."

"So... Morgan..."

"Bring back that assassin hiding in the territory of Satoguia."

"In the name of the Sage, I assure you that everything will return to normal."