Hello, is this a letter addressed to Demon Fortress?

Under the perfect concealment of the [Night Veil].

Lin Gui and Elvia, like two ghosts, silently infiltrated Duke Joseph's mansion.

Upon entering, Lin Gui immediately experienced firsthand the astonishing wealth possessed by a top nobleman in the capital.

The road beneath our feet is paved with whole pieces of white jade with natural cloud patterns, so smooth that it reflects our images.

The paintings hanging on both sides of the corridor are not ordinary oil paintings, but epic scrolls with dynamic light and shadow effects fixed by magic.

The battlefield in the painting even faintly echoes with sounds of fighting and bugle calls.

Everywhere you look, you can see exquisite porcelain pieces that are taller than a person and lifelike monster specimens.

And armor and weapons inlaid with various gemstones as decoration.

The maids and butlers coming and going were all dressed in the same clothes.

The fabric was even better than what wealthy businessmen wore, and they moved silently, demonstrating their excellent training.

The air was filled with a rich aroma of precious spices and flowers.

Elvia lay on the back of the Forest Ghost, almost pressing her face against his shoulder, greedily taking in everything before her.

He sighed softly, his tone tinged with barely concealed envy and even a hint of jealousy:

"Nobles should be like Joseph... Compared to him, my princess's residence is like the mansion of a nouveau riche in the countryside."

"Perhaps only the Carter Palace, located at the summit of 'Starry Mountain,' can surpass him in terms of grandeur and luxury."

Lin Gui had no interest in these sentiments and cut straight to the point.

Where is his treasured collection stored?

Elvia composed herself and, somewhat reluctantly, told the truth:

To be honest, I'm not too sure either.

"Joseph is such a cunning old fox that even my informant in his mansion has only heard some rumors about him."

She lowered her voice, as if sharing a secret:

"Some say the entrance to his treasure trove is behind the huge floor-to-ceiling mirror in his bedroom."

"Some also say that there is a mechanism in his private study that leads to a secret underground vault."

"There are even more outrageous rumors that he hid his most valuable treasures under the huge artificial lake in the mansion..."

After listening, Lin Gui commented indifferently.

"If only Shia were here."

"With her sharp eyesight and keen perception of energy fluctuations, she should be able to discover hidden mechanisms or secret compartments in the shadows much faster."

Elvia nodded in deep agreement.

"That guy's eyes are indeed sharp, like searchlights, especially when it comes to finding treasure, but the guards at Joseph's mansion are no pushovers either."

She began to list the defensive measures here, her tone grave:

"There are a total of twenty-six extraordinary high-ranking knights residing in the manor alone!"

"There are a total of 249 warriors and mages at the transcendent level!"

"And this is just inside the manor! Next door is his private army camp of three thousand men, with two thousand seven hundred and eighty-nine high-ranking warriors!"

"This number is almost equivalent to a regular knightly order or a city defense regiment in the capital!"

Lin Gui suddenly asked, "Gorn, is he also from here?"

Elvia nodded.

"That's right. Ghosn was essentially groomed by Joseph, who invested a huge amount of resources in him."

"To train Gorn, this legendary archer, Joseph spent no less than 500,000 gold coins just on the blueprints and materials for the 'Demon-Slaying Arrow'."

"We also hired two legendary rangers from the transport team to take turns providing guidance, which cost an astronomical sum."

"Not to mention the semi-divine artifact longbow tailor-made for him, and various secret elixirs to enhance his perception and agility..."

Elvia gave a wry smile.

"Now you know why the vast majority of adventurers are stuck below the Upper Transcendent level, right?"

Lin Gui replied calmly, "I know. Warriors need to accumulate resources to improve their strength, while the advancement of mages is even more of a money pit."

This is true.

Whether it's the precious materials and medicines needed for warriors to hone their bodies and break through bottlenecks.

Or perhaps it's the ancient scrolls, experimental materials, and guidance from magic mentors needed for magicians to study advanced magic.

Or perhaps they are both indispensable, powerful equipment that must be updated as strength increases...

Each of these requires a huge amount of gold coins to support it.

Moreover, as strength increases, many things can no longer be bought with money.

Elvia sighed, feeling a deep empathy.

"That's right! Just training one knight to break through from the extraordinary to the legendary level has almost drained this princess's private stash of money!"

"Not to mention adventurers from commoner backgrounds."

"For someone of humble origins with exceptional talent, there are basically only three paths to further advancement."

"Either join the nobility, become a guard or knight, and exchange your freedom for resources."

"Either go and risk your life in those ancient ruins where survival is nearly impossible, like Rona did."

"Either you join a transport team with extremely high returns, extremely high mortality rates, and equally high entry barriers."

These words made Lin Gui realize once again how valuable the system was.

If the system hadn't directly infused magic into his body...

He will probably have to work hard, just like other mages, for a high-level magic scroll or a potion to increase magic power.

They even take risks.

Ordinary magicians need to spend a lot of time meditating to accumulate magical power.

It requires spending a huge sum of money to purchase or copy higher-level magic books.

Practicing magical manipulation requires expensive materials.

Furthermore, one must pay substantial tuition fees to higher-ranking mages in order to acquire knowledge…

And they've been traveling all the way from New Testament City to where they are now.

Lin Gui has hardly ever practiced "properly" like a traditional monk.

However, his strength has steadily improved to the mid-high level.

This was a full six months ahead of his original plan.

Moreover, the magic reward for delivering the message over such a long distance from Kalan to the capital is expected to be as high as thousands of points!

Although it's not enough for him to immediately break through to the high-level, he's not far off.

Hmm... it won't be long before he reaches the rank of "Postman Mage".

They're probably about to catch up with the guy who's currently lying on his back.

A certain princess knight was so envious of Joseph's wealth that she was practically on the verge of a plasmolysis.

The two stealthily circled the heavily guarded duke's mansion several times.

They even risked sneaking into Duke Joseph's extremely luxurious bedroom, which was as big as a small square.

Here, Elvia's gaze was firmly drawn to several documents on the desk concerning troop movements and mineral approvals.

If she could get her hands on these things, they would be of great benefit to her future power struggles.

She forcibly suppressed the urge to steal, gritted her teeth, and with tears in her eyes, followed Lin Gui away.

Even if she took it, she wouldn't be able to use it and it might even provoke the Duke's furious attack.

We came from the mansion to the spacious garden.

They found the Duke's mansion unusually lively tonight.

In the huge garden behind the mansion.

A grand aristocratic party is being held.

The soft, magical lights illuminated the garden as if it were daytime.

The elegantly dressed and graceful noblemen and women gathered in twos and threes, chatting and laughing.

Dancers, dressed in light gauze dresses and with graceful figures, danced on a makeshift stage.

The long dining table was set with exquisitely presented "food".

In the center of the crowd, the figure of the third prince was clearly visible.

He was having a pleasant conversation with a slightly overweight, ruddy-faced middle-aged man dressed in a formal suit embroidered with gold thread.

That was the owner of the mansion, Duke Joseph.

Elvia narrowed her eyes, like a lioness who had spotted her prey.

She gently patted Lin Gui on the shoulder.

She leaned close to his ear and whispered, with a hint of excitement, "..."

"Let's sneak over and listen to what they're saying."