Hello, is this a letter addressed to Demon Fortress?

"The city lord has arrived—"

That shout was like a boulder thrown into boiling water.

The chaotic scene suddenly froze.

The sounds of clashing swords and arrows falling ceased.

The guards' shouts of battle seemed to be choked by an invisible hand.

The spectators, who had been thrown back by the aftershock of the legendary sword swing, scrambled to their feet, brushing off the dust and splinters.

The knights and city guards besieging Elvia instinctively sheathed their weapons and took a half-step back.

Everyone turned their heads to look in the direction of the city gate.

A black carriage slowly drove out of the city gate.

The car body is simple, without any unnecessary decorations.

But the two black horses in front had a steady gait, each step carrying an undeniable weight.

The carriage door opened, and a middle-aged man dressed in a dark gray robe stepped out.

He was not particularly tall, nor was he particularly handsome.

But those eyes were calm, as calm as a bottomless pool of water.

Lord of Copper Gate City, Aldrick Winston.

Harold's mother, Mrs. Rostov, was the first to rush forward.

She lifted her skirt, staggered, her face a mess of tears and makeup, and her voice was so shrill it almost pierced eardrums.

"Lord City Lord! Lord City Lord!"

She rushed to Aldrick, pointed in Elvia's direction, her fingers trembling slightly with excitement.

"That woman! She kidnapped my son! Killed my family's guards! And she impersonated a transport team!"

"You must do me justice! Let her die! Let her die!!"

Her voice was shrill and urgent, and spittle flew everywhere.

Aldrick didn't look at her.

His gaze passed over her shoulder and landed on the post office that had been split in two.

It landed on Harold, who was standing at Elvia's feet.

Finally, it landed on the shield that still shimmered with a faint golden light.

His expression remained unchanged.

The aristocratic circle of Tongmen City was neither too large nor too small.

Although there is no shortage of power struggles and infighting among the various factions.

But their attitude towards the outside world has always been consistent.

Moreover, the Rostov family and the city lord's mansion are, to a fault, allies in some areas of interest.

Mrs. Rostov clearly thought so too.

She thought the city lord had come because of her son, to stand up for her.

She straightened her back slightly, and the expression on her face changed from hysteria to a confident arrogance.

Two of Harold's cronies rushed forward, their faces plastered with fawning smiles, bowing and nodding.

"Lord City Lord, you've finally arrived!"

"This madwoman not only kidnapped young master Harold, but also openly committed murder at the city gate, killing several city guards—"

"What's even more outrageous is that she actually impersonated the Lieyang Transport Team! That's a grave offense of disrespect—"

They were only halfway through their sentence.

Aldrick raised his hand.

Two slaps.

The movements were swift and decisive, without the slightest hesitation.

"Slap—slap—"

Two crisp sounds echoed through the city gate.

The two young masters were slapped so hard that they turned their heads to one side, and bright red handprints instantly appeared on their faces.

They stood there, frozen, covering their faces, staring blankly at Aldrick.

Mrs. Rostov's expression also froze.

She stared at Aldrick with her mouth agape, as if waiting for an explanation.

A figure emerged from behind Aldrick.

The rough gray robe was washed until it was somewhat faded, and the edges were still stained with dried mud and demon blood.

Black hair, black eyes.

He walked up to Mrs. Rostov and stopped.

He looked at her calmly.

"Madam, do you know the consequences of attacking a transport convoy under Alliance law?"

Mrs. Rostov was taken aback.

She opened her mouth subconsciously, as if searching through her memories of legal provisions.

"He shall be executed and his body hung on the city wall; all those involved shall be held accountable as well."

Her voice was a little hoarse.

Lin Gui nodded.

He looked past her, his gaze falling on Elvia, who was surrounded by swords, before looking away.

"Then what crime is it to attack a member of the Alliance Council?"

Mrs. Rostov's pupils contracted slightly.

The members of the Alliance Council are the most powerful people in the entire alliance, and they have the right to vote in the council.

In the entire Copper Gate City, only the city lord Aldrick has a vote.

This is also why he was able to suppress all the forces in Copper Gate City.

She opened her mouth, as if she had thought of something, or as if she was completely afraid to think in that direction.

"Then...at least..."

"Everyone related by blood will..."

Aldrick's brow twitched violently.

Mrs. Rostov frowned as she looked at the young mage before her, whose attire was rough, even shabby.

The faded robe was still covered in dust.

The staff's oak shaft was completely undecorated.

He looked like a wandering mage struggling at the bottom of society.

Her displeasure was evident on her face.

"Who are you?"

Her voice rose a few decibels, reverting to the condescending tone that aristocrats often used when speaking to the lower classes.

"one--"

She didn't finish her sentence.

Blood splattered.

The two young men who were standing to the side, covering their faces, had their heads blown off in an instant.

Their bodies remained standing for two breaths, then collapsed with a thud.

Two jets of dark red blood spurted from the headless body, splattering onto the gray-white stone floor.

Mrs. Rostov's mouth was still open, and the scream in her throat had not yet escaped.

A hand reached out from the side, pressed down on the back of her head, and then slammed it down hard.

"boom--"

Her forehead slammed heavily against the stone slab, making a dull thud.

Her body went limp, and she lay on the stone slab, her face pressed against the cold ground, her hair disheveled.

Elroy knelt beside her, his hands still in the pressing position.

His face was deathly pale, his lips were trembling, and beads of sweat were streaming down his forehead and nose.

He knelt on the ground, his knees landing heavily on the stone slabs, his forehead pressed against the ground, his voice squeezed out from his throat, hoarse and trembling.

"Spare your life...Sir, please spare your life..."

A legend, lying on the ground, kowtowing and begging for mercy to a high-ranking mage.

Lin Gui didn't look at him.

Behind him, figures dressed in black cloaks stepped down from the carriage, their footsteps silent.

The black hood was pulled low, obscuring her face.

They passed the forest ghosts, passed Elroy kneeling on the ground, and headed towards Elvia.

They paused as they passed the knights and city guards who were still holding their weapons.

There were no superfluous words, no superfluous actions.

A black dagger slid out from the sleeve and flashed in the morning light.

Then the knights and city guards collapsed one after another, as if their bones had been removed.

Someone was clutching their neck, blood gushing from between their fingers.

Someone knelt on the ground and then fell forward.

Some people lost consciousness before they even had a chance to turn around.

Even the most extraordinary knights couldn't last more than a few rounds against these men in black robes.

It's as fast as mowing grass.

The crowd of onlookers were frozen in place, their mouths agape, unable to utter a sound.

Someone instinctively took a step back, only to have their retreat blocked by the people behind them.

Someone covered their mouth, their eyes wide open.

Some people's legs went weak, and they slowly slid down against the wall.

The newspaper staff were still holding up their projector cameras, but the shutter sounds had stopped.

The writer's pen hovered over the paper, forgetting to drop it.

Blood spread across the stone floor.

Seeping from beneath the fallen bodies, it formed thin streams that flowed through cracks and over rubble, eventually converging in front of the post office that had been split in two.

Dark red, shocking, it occupied a large area of ​​the ground.

Lin Gui stepped over the bloodstains and walked up to Elvia.

He took a package out of his pocket and handed it over.

Elvia took it and released her foot.

Harold scrambled to his feet, rolling and crawling backward, his obese body trembling like a shaking jelly.

Lin Gui did not give chase.

He stood still and raised his hand.

The spears, short swords, and arrows scattered on the ground were lifted up by an invisible force the moment he raised his hand.

A dozen spears hovered in mid-air, their tips all pointing in Harold's direction.

Harold crawled backward, his mouth agape, uttering a series of incoherent pleas.

"No...don't kill me...I was wrong...I was really wrong..."

He crawled over splinters of wood, over rubble, and over the bloodstains scattered on the ground.

"Mother……"

He turned his head to look at his mother, who was being held down on the ground by Elroy, his voice filled with desperate sobs.

Mrs. Rostov pressed her face against the stone slab, not daring to look up.

Elroy remained kneeling, his forehead pressed against the ground, not daring to move an inch.

Harold's back slammed into the tattered wall of the post office.

He was blocked by a broken beam, and he huddled in a corner, his hands covering his head, his large body curled up in a ball.

He looked up and watched the black-haired mage walk towards him step by step, his black eyes seemingly frozen in ice.

"Please, let me go... I beg you..."

His voice grew softer and softer, more fragmented.

Lin Gui stood in front of him, head bowed, looking at him.

"Why didn't you let them go?"

His voice was very faint.

Then, he raised his left hand.

Harold's body floated up from the ground and hovered in mid-air.

His obese body trembled violently with fear, like a fat rat being grabbed by the scruff of its neck.

Lin Gui manipulated his obese body, suspending it behind him, then turned around and raised his right hand.

The spears suspended in the air all turned their tips and aimed at Harold's body.

Then, a burst of fire.

More than a dozen spears shot out simultaneously, whistling through the air, piercing Harold's chest, abdomen, and limbs, and embedding themselves in the towering city wall behind him.

"puff--"

A dull, penetrating sound.

Harold's body was nailed to the city wall, his limbs outstretched, like a butterfly specimen nailed to a pedestal.

Blood flowed down the spear shaft, leaving dark red streaks on the gray city wall.

His mouth was still open, and his eyes were still open, but his pupils had already dilated.

Beneath the city wall, it was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

The refugees stood at a distance, looking up at the figure nailed to the city wall.

Harold, who was as inviolable as a god in their hearts, was now like a worm on a skewer, hanging on the city wall they saw every day.

Not moving at all.

No one speaks.

Some people had their mouths open, some covered their mouths, and some stood there as if they were nailed to the spot.

The heir of a great noble family was nailed to the city wall in public.

Many people were nailed to the ground on that towering city wall.

Adventurers, refugees, small merchants...

Most of them were people from the lower classes who offended nobles, leading to the destruction of their families and the deaths of their loved ones.

The nobles used this method to make an example of others, but they never imagined that one day a true heir to a great noble family would be nailed to it.

Lin Gui turned around.

He walked up to Aldrick and stopped.

Aldrick's face had returned to calm, and his unfathomable eyes showed no emotion.

Lin Gui looked at him.

"I'll need to trouble you with the post office matter, Your Excellency Aldrick."

The unfathomable calm on Aldrick's face, like thin ice melting in the sunlight, vanished in an instant.

"Lord Lin Gui, you're too kind."

"The post office incident was due to my inadequate oversight. Copper Gate City is so big, there are always some clueless people who break the rules."

"Rest assured, I will personally oversee this matter. From today onwards, no one in Tongmen City will dare to touch a single brick or tile of yours."

He turned his head to look at the wooden building that had been split in two, then looked at Lin Gui.

"This area near the city gate is still too remote. I have an empty courtyard in the city center, near the main street. It's a three-story stone building with courtyards in the front and back."

"If you don't mind, that courtyard is my way of expressing my apology to the post office on behalf of Copper Gate City."

Lin Gui was silent for a moment, then nodded.

"Then thank you very much, Lord City Lord."

Aldrick waved his hand, turned around, and glanced at the city guards who were still standing there in a daze.

"What are you all standing there for? Clean up these corpses and wash the bloodstains off the city walls."

The city's defense troops immediately sprang into action.

Aldrick turned back and smiled at Lin Gui.

"You can move in by tomorrow at the latest."

After he finished speaking, he nodded slightly and turned to walk towards the carriage.

Lin Gui watched the carriage disappear into the depths of the city gate.

He then looked at Elroy and the woman lying on the ground.

"If you still want to cause trouble because of this, your family's name will appear at the Alliance Council at the end of the year."

He did not wait for their reply.

He turned around, stepped into the post office that had been split in two, and pushed open the broken wooden door.

The men in black robes followed behind him, disappearing one by one into the post office.

There were no superfluous words, no pauses.

The newspaper staff were the first to come to their senses.

The shutter sounded again, so dense it was like raindrops hitting roof tiles.

Several reporters squatted on the ground, their cameras pointed at the nailed corpse on the city wall, and kept pressing the shutter.

Someone was writing a manuscript at lightning speed, the pen tip slicing across the paper with a rapid, scratching sound.

More people ran towards the city wall, wanting to get a closer look.

In the direction of the refugee area, the crowd surged like a tide, with more and more people pouring out of the alleys and shacks and heading towards the city gate.

The entire city of Tongmen was shaking.