Hello, is this a letter addressed to Demon Fortress?

And so, Shia temporarily joined Lin Gui's itinerary.

With this extraordinary elf ranger by their side, traversing the perilous Aldor Canyon became unexpectedly smooth.

Lin Gui gripped the reins tightly, feeling the steady gait of the giant lizard beneath him.

At the same time, he also took this opportunity to witness Shia's true strength.

Especially her terrifying eyesight.

When Shia suddenly raised her hand to signal to stop, she pointed to a seemingly peaceful hillside in the distance.

When Lin Gui clearly stated the exact location of the three petrified lizards lurking four kilometers away, he couldn't help but secretly marvel.

With no obstruction, her vision could penetrate such a vast distance.

This is simply a born top-notch scout.

Under Shia's precise guidance, Lin Gui rode the giant lizard along a winding, hidden path.

She would sometimes listen intently to the sound of the wind, and sometimes squint her bloodshot eyes to gaze into the distance.

They can always detect potential threats dozens of breaths in advance.

They cleverly used the terrain for cover, managing to perfectly avoid all the demons' areas of activity.

The relatively open view of the Odo Canyon allowed Shia's far-sightedness to be fully utilized.

Just half a day later, they arrived at their destination—Kalan City.

The vast city nestled cleverly among the rolling hills.

The towering city walls gleamed with a cold, hard luster in the sunlight.

Like a lurking beast, ready to awaken at any moment.

After showing his adventurer's badge, the guard gave a cursory look at the conspicuous, stuffed envelopes in his backpack, without giving him much trouble.

Lin Gui followed the endless stream of people.

We passed through the magnificent city walls, which were over fifty meters high and made of giant, dark obsidian rocks.

We officially entered this real city-state.

As soon as they entered the city, Xia turned around first.

The cool shade inside the city gate, and the first warm ray of sunlight shining down from inside the city.

The fabric wove together on her body, outlining her slender figure.

She smiled at Lin Gui, her blood-red eyes appearing exceptionally clear in the light.

"How's your first time in Karan?"

After passing through the last checkpoint, Lin Gui looked around, his sharp eyes scanning every detail.

Apart from being several times larger than New Testament City, there doesn't seem to be much difference in essence.

A wide main road, paved with huge stone slabs.

The lord's castle stretches straight up the distant hills.

On both sides of the main road are countless narrow, potholed, and muddy paths.

It extends to every corner of the city like blood vessels.

The path was crowded with haphazardly built stone or wooden houses.

They were packed tightly together, making it appear dark and damp.

All I could hear was a cacophony of sounds.

The vendors' desperate cries and the rumbling of wheels rolling over the stone slabs filled the air.

The mercenaries' rude laughter and curses, and the impatient neighing of the monster mounts.

And the ceaseless clanging of metal being hammered from the blacksmith's shop in the distance...

All these sounds intertwine to form a chaotic urban symphony.

The civilians, their faces blank, carried heavy loads, their backs hunched.

He avoided eye contact as he made way for the patrolling guards.

A weary adventurer openly embraces a scantily clad, vacant-eyed prostitute.

They teased each other without restraint.

The obese merchant sat in a sedan chair carried by ragged slaves.

He covered his nose with a silk handkerchief in disgust, showing extreme aversion to the filth around him.

They're all the same, no different from the New Testament City.

"There is no difference."

Lin Gui's voice was calm, but a barely perceptible hint of annoyance flashed deep in his eyes.

"The same barrenness, the same chaos... the same... "

The word "unhappy" was ultimately left unsaid.

He composed himself, turned the backpack full of letters to his front, and hugged it tightly with both arms.

Here, one must be extra careful of those insidious hands that can find their way in.

This action made him look like a country bumpkin who had just arrived, but he didn't care at all.

Lin Gui's reaction was somewhat unexpected for Xia.

She tilted her head slightly, her silver hair cascading down her shoulders like a waterfall.

"Aren't you from a small town? Shouldn't you feel a sense of novelty upon seeing such a large city-state?"

Her tone carried a genuine sense of doubt.

"Novel?? Heh." Lin Gui sneered.

Is it strange to talk about novelty to someone who used to live in a modern city?

Shea nodded as if she understood, then smiled and said with great enthusiasm.

"Would you like me to show you around? I've lived here for five years now, after all."

Her words carried a hint of self-deprecation, but she quickly regained her relaxed demeanor.

Upon hearing this, Lin Gui did not refuse.

Having a local guide is much more efficient than asking for directions all the way.

Does Caran have a labor dispatch center?

He asked directly, his gaze finally shifting from the surrounding environment back to Shia.

"Of course, in the slums in the southwest of the city."

Shea answered, then looked at Lin Gui with a puzzled expression.

"What are you going there for?"

"The commissions there are specifically for the poor, and the pay is pitifully low, barely a few coins."

Her tone was clearly puzzled, as if she didn't understand why an adventurer would go to such a place.

"Find someone," Lin Gui said succinctly, without offering further explanation.

Shea raised an eyebrow but didn't press for further questions. She simply gestured for her to come with her.

"Let's go then, but that's not a good place."

Led by Shia, they traversed filthy, muddy paths that occasionally reeked of a nauseating stench.

We entered the slums of Karan.

The buildings here are even more dilapidated, and the streets are piled with garbage.

Sewage flowed slowly along the roadside ditch.

Fortunately, a giant lizard led the way, and a half-demon elf followed beside them.

People along the way actively avoided the area, not wanting to be associated with bad luck.

The people looked at Shia with fear and disgust, but no one dared to openly express their dissatisfaction.

Before long, they arrived at their destination: the labor dispatch center.

It was a rather large, but very old and simple wooden high-rise building.

A crooked sign hung at the entrance, with the words "Labor Agency" written on it in a blurry way.

By this time, the place was already bustling with activity, crowded with ordinary people looking for work.

The interior of the labor dispatch center is more crowded and noisy than it appears from the outside.

The smell of sweat, cheap ale, and despair mingled together.

It condensed into an indescribable, stuffy atmosphere, almost suffocating.

Lin Gui stood at the doorway, his gaze sweeping across the room.

This place is less of a dispatch center and more of a noisy and chaotic labor market.

The crowd was densely packed, mostly with pale, thin, and ragged commoners.

They crowded in front of a few small bulletin boards, craning their necks.

I strained to make out the few yellowed sheets of paper pasted on it.

Those are extremely rare job opportunities.

A fat man wearing a greasy apron stood on a bench, shouting loudly in a hoarse voice.

"Heavy load carrying! Lunch included! Eighty copper coins per day! Only twenty needed! Strong men, come quick!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the crowd erupted like a boiling pot, with countless arms raised frantically as they pushed forward.

"I! Pick me!"

"I'm strong, boss!"

"Seventy copper coins! I only want seventy!"

Prices were instantly drowned out by cries of self-destruction.

Eighty copper coins, in the city of Caran, where black bread had risen to twenty copper coins a piece.

It's not even enough for a family of three to have two barely filling meals.

This is the tragedy of walled city-states.

Limited land cannot produce enough food.

But the taxes levied on the noble lords and the threats from the wilderness never diminished.

In the city-state era, the value of commoners was infinitely suppressed, and human life... was often the least valuable thing.

Lin Gui watched the scene unfold in silence.

A thin boy was pushed to the ground by the crowd, but no one bent down to help him.

An old man with gray hair stretched out his frail hand and tried to attract the attention of the laborers in a hoarse voice.

Shia's voice rang out softly from the side, carrying a hint of indifference that was barely perceptible, as if she had long been accustomed to it.

"It's like this every day. People will do anything to survive."

Then, she suddenly stepped forward.

An invisible energy emanated from her body, gently swaying her silvery-white hair.

She tilted her head back, and her clear, authoritative voice instantly drowned out the noise of the scene.

"Make way! The esteemed adventurer has business to attend to!"

Her voice carried clearly throughout the noisy hall.

Many people subconsciously turned their heads to look.

When their gaze fell upon her signature, eerie, blood-red vertical pupils, it instantly turned to horror and terror.

"Oh my god! It's that half-demon!"

"That red-eyed jinx... what's she doing here?!"

"Get out of the way! Don't get tainted by bad luck!"

The once impenetrable crowd was suddenly cleaved apart as if by an invisible blade.

They hurriedly retreated to both sides, creating a narrow passage.

At that moment, fear overcame the desire to work.

Shea seemed oblivious to the horrified stares around her.

He simply turned his head and gave Lin Gui a knowing smile, as if to say, "Everything's taken care of."

Lin Gui blinked, forced to admit it.

The intimidating power of Shia, this half-demon, was far stronger than he had imagined.