Hello, is this a letter addressed to Demon Fortress?

three days later.

The day the transport team selection meeting officially began.

Before dawn, Tongmen City awoke.

The streets were packed with people, all converging in the same direction from all directions.

Merchants pushed carts, adventurers carried weapons, nobles rode in carriages, and commoners brought their families.

Everyone's face was filled with excitement and anticipation, as if it were a festival.

People were peeking out from alleyways, under eaves, and by windowsills.

The children rode on their father's shoulders, craning their necks to look into the distance.

The elderly people sat by the roadside, fanning themselves and chatting about the interesting things that happened at the selection meetings in previous years.

The entire city-state was flowing outwards.

Outside the city wall facing the wasteland, on the eastern side of Tongmen City, crowds of people gathered.

Temporary shops lined up along the base of the city wall, stretching for several kilometers from south to north.

Vendors selling roasted demon meat, fruit wine, souvenirs, and magical items called out their wares in a cacophony of voices.

A row of brand-new suits of armor hung outside the blacksmith's shop, gleaming coldly in the sunlight.

The herb stall was filled with all sorts of bottles and jars, with labels that read "Holy Medicine for Healing" and "Magic Restorative Agent".

People dressed in various colors moved among the stalls.

A young nobleman dressed in a magnificent brocade robe stood with his female companion in his arms in front of a jewelry stall.

Several adventurers gathered around the demon meat stall, devouring the sizzling, oily, and greenish skewers of meat.

A group of children, holding pinwheels, chased and played among the crowd.

Further away, at the edge of the wasteland, a huge grandstand made of starstones stood in the sunlight, radiating a pale golden glow.

The stands are divided into two levels. The upper level is the VIP seating area, covered with a red carpet and furnished with exquisite tables and chairs.

The lower level was for ordinary seating, and the densely packed stone steps were already full of people.

Rows of sleek transport trucks were neatly parked on the open ground in front of the stands, their badges gleaming in the sunlight.

Some are printed with eagles spreading their wings, some with roaring bears, and some with crossed swords and shields.

The front of the vehicles were all pointing towards the eastern wilderness, the place they were about to head to.

Amid the crowd, Betty held Eli's hand as they weaved through the stalls.

Her emerald green robes stood out in the sunlight. She held a lollipop in her hand, eating it as she walked, with candy stains still on the corners of her mouth.

"Slow down, slow down..."

Ellie was dragged along, stumbling as she was carrying a bunch of souvenirs she had just bought, her hat askew.

"Hurry, hurry! They also sell magic dolls over there!"

Betty's eyes lit up, and she pulled him away, running in another direction.

Not far away, the orc brothers Grom and Magro stood in front of a roasted demon meat stall, each holding four or five skewers of roasted demon legs, tearing into them with gusto, oil dripping down their chins.

The barbarian warrior Barton leaned against a nearby pillar, arms crossed, eyes closed, as if dozing off.

Priest Silas stood in front of a bookstall, flipping through a thick scripture, his brow slightly furrowed.

Vice-captain Aubrey squatted on a nearby stall, examining a compass that looked very old.

Ahead, Freya walked side by side with an old man wearing a gray cloak.

The old man had white hair and beard, a thin face, and a corner of his dark blue robe was visible beneath his cloak.

He walked very slowly, tapping the ground with his staff with each step.

Betty finished her lollipop in a few bites, then pulled Ellie along as they jogged over.

"teacher!"

She skipped up to Freya, her eyes sparkling.

"Um... that Mr. Lin Gui, did he really participate in this selection meeting?"

Freya turned her head to look at her, a slight smile playing on her lips.

"What, I'm still standing right here as the real teacher, and you're already in a hurry to recognize someone else as your teacher?"

Betty stuck out her tongue.

"Oh dear, that's...that's different."

"How are they different?"

"You're my magic teacher, and he's my... levitation teacher?"

Freya chuckled softly but didn't reply.

At the edge of the group, the forest elf Lysa pricked up her ears and glanced over in their direction without making a sound.

A white-haired figure appeared in her mind.

"Anyway, I think he'll definitely get good results!"

Betty clenched her fist, her tone resolute.

"I'm going to bet all my money! I'm sure I'll make a fortune!"

After she finished speaking, she turned around abruptly, her big eyes staring straight at Ellie.

Ellie felt a chill run down her spine from her gaze.

"W-what are you doing?"

"Where's your secret stash of money?"

"What secret stash of money? I don't have any..."

"Don't even try! I know where it's hidden!"

Betty reached into his clothes.

Eli quickly covered his collar, looking distressed.

"That was saved up to buy the latest issue of the academic journal..."

"Let me borrow it for a bit! I'll pay you back if I win! Don't you trust him?"

"well……"

The two were pulling and tugging at each other, attracting the attention of many people around them.

The old man looked at Betty's lively appearance and sighed softly.

"It's so good to be young."

He paused, a hint of emotion flashing in his cloudy eyes.

His voice was very soft.

"My disciple always has a stern face, like someone owes him money."

Freya smiled politely.

"Each has its own merits."

The old man was silent for a moment, then his gaze returned to the distant stands, and he changed the subject.

"I heard that the number of applicants for this selection event is much lower than in previous years."

His tone was casual, as if he were chatting.

"The transportation route is becoming increasingly difficult."

Freya looked at him, a faint smile still playing on her lips.

"I will not give up."

The old man's brow twitched slightly.

He turned his head, glanced at Freya, remained silent for a few moments, and then spoke in a very low voice.

"You can actually go back to Thousand Towers."

"The transport team will bury your talent."

"With your teacher's connections, they won't make things difficult for you."

Freya did not answer immediately.

The wind blew her long, ice-blue hair, and a few strands clung to her fair cheeks.

She looked at the busy transport team members in the distance, and at her companions moving between the stalls, and the smile on her lips deepened.

"Once I decided to go against the teacher's wishes and side with you, there was no going back."

She paused for a moment.

"You know that."

"and……"

She looked around.

The members of the North Wind Caravan were scattered among the crowd. Betty was still bickering with Eli, Barton finally hit a stake and was excitedly high-fiving Grom, Silas slowly walked back with tea, and Alvin opened his eyes and yawned.

Freya withdrew her gaze, her tone calm but carrying a sense of certainty and gentleness.

I really enjoy my life now.

The old man looked at her, and paused for a moment.

He had known Freya for a long time.

Back in the City of a Thousand Towers, this woman was known for her aloofness and arrogance.

She always had that aloof expression towards everyone, never minced words, and had offended more people than she knew.

He had never seen that expression on her face before.

That kind of...warm, heartfelt, and unpretentious smile.

The old man remained silent for a long time, without saying anything more.

His gaze shifted to the distance, landing on the massive Starstone grandstand at the edge of the wasteland.

On the stands, rows of sleek transport vehicles were neatly arranged, like soldiers awaiting inspection.

The runes on the vehicle gleamed with a pale gold light in the sunlight, and the flags of the convoy fluttered in the morning breeze.

Freya turned her head and looked at him.

"You advised me that the transport team was dangerous; last year, only three out of five survived."

Her tone was relaxed.

"And what about you?"

Why did you come to participate too?

The old man fell silent.

His gaze shifted from the stands, sweeping across the crowded throng around him, over the excited, nervous, and expectant faces.

Something indescribable was churning in his cloudy eyes.

He didn't speak for a long time.

"I had no choice."

His voice was so soft that it was almost carried away by the wind.

"But you have it."