It's so hard being a hero!

The woman stared at her intently for a few seconds, then let go, shook her head, and continued picking vegetables.

"You can't help it, and nobody can help it."

She muttered to herself.

Seeing that she was unwilling to say anything more, Sophia did not press her further.

She continued walking down the street.

The further I walked, the stronger the fire burned in my heart.

Because Sofia actually saw with her own eyes that young women were being dragged away by several soldiers like livestock.

She saw a seven or eight-year-old boy squatting on the ground by the roadside picking up food that others had dropped.

A passing soldier walked by, kicked the little boy to the ground, and then laughed as he walked away.

She also saw several women in tattered clothes kneeling by the well drawing water. A passing soldier casually groped one of the women's buttocks, and the woman didn't even lift her head, as if it were a habit.

This isn't some kind of legion fortress, it's hell!

She was puzzled. Where were the men? Were all the men in this place dead? Why were there only children and women?

Sophia found a secluded corner, closed her eyes, and released her magic.

The magic, like ripples on water, spread outwards in concentric circles, sweeping across the entire town before extending towards the dark fortress.

Just then, a particularly deep-seated dark aura leaked out from somewhere deep within the fortress.

That power was weak, but it was Lilith's power.

Sophia suddenly opened her eyes.

"It's Lilith's power again. No wonder the God of Fate said that Lilith's power has spread to a wider area."

With that in mind, Sophia was even less likely to let the matter go.

This Baird, a fortress legion commander, not only allows his soldiers to bully civilians, but now he has also become involved with Lilith's power.

Sofia leaned against the wall, her mind racing.

The fortress has 20,000 troops stationed there, and Baird himself is a Diamond-level officer, with a bunch of Gold and Silver-level officers under his command.

She's only at the Bronze level right now; even if she could unleash Silver level strength, it wouldn't be nearly enough.

A head-on confrontation would be nothing short of suicide.

She needs help.

Looking for Frey? Sophia thought for a moment and shook her head.

Frey just helped her settle things at the mine, and she's going to see her again so soon? She's probably going to get a real dressing down.

To be honest, she didn't want Frey to keep getting involved in Lilith's messy affairs.

But she couldn't handle this alone.

After thinking for a long time, Sophia realized that she could only turn to Vic.

That guy is in the same boat as her, knows her background, and is a high-ranking officer in the military. It should be more convenient to ask him to handle the situation.

So Sophia then took out a palm-sized round crystal plate from her magical storage item.

This is a communication magic item that Vic gave her, similar to Frey's.

She channeled her magic into the crystal plate, and soon, a smug and obnoxious voice came from the other side.

"Oh, my little Sofia? What brings you back to your uncle?"

Sophia's face darkened instantly, and her lips twitched wildly, but now was not the time to argue with him.

"I've encountered a major problem and need your help."

Then Sofia recounted everything she had seen and heard at Truk Fortress.

Chapter 62 Governor Hinoya

After a brief moment's thought, Vic said, "Understood, I'll find someone to help you right away."

Sophia immediately made a sarcastic remark.

"Can't you come in person? I don't trust anyone else."

Vic on the other side rolled his eyes.

"Did your brain stop working properly after you became a woman?"

“I’m not a magician. It would take me a lot of time to fly there. It’s much more effective to send someone I trust than to come myself.”

Sofia gritted her teeth; every word this guy said was unpleasant to hear.

But she endured it.

"Who?"

"It is the highest military commander of the Texas province, to which Truk Fortress belongs, Hinoya."

When Vic uttered the name, a face immediately popped into Sophia's mind.

She was a woman with long, fiery red hair and a personality even more fiery than a man's.

Sofia's lips twitched slightly.

"You mean that little girl, Xinuoya, is the highest-ranking official in this area?"

"What? You have a problem with that? Do you think she's still the same little girl who used to throw tantrums?"

Vic chuckled.

“She is my personal disciple, a master-level Flame Swordsman. She currently oversees the military affairs of the entire Texas province, and Baird happens to be under her jurisdiction. It is perfectly legitimate for her to investigate.”

Sophia thought for a moment and then didn't say anything more.

"Okay, when is Xinuoya arriving? Tell him to hurry up, I can't stand it for even a minute longer."

"Okay, okay, I'll let her know right away. She'll be there before dark."

After saying that, Vic clearly took out a magical communication device, said a few words to a woman, and then hung up.

After hanging up, Vic reminded Sophia.

"However, listen to me carefully. Before Xinuoya arrives, don't act recklessly on your own. Baird is a diamond-level guy, and you're no match for him right now. Besides, since he's connected to Lilith, he must have a lot of tricks up his sleeve. Just figure out the situation; you don't need to take action."

Sophia wanted to retort, but hearing the unusual seriousness in Vic's tone, she swallowed back the words she was about to say.

"Alright, I'm not a fool."

"Heh, aren't you a greenhorn? You think you can just go and challenge Lilith all by yourself?"

Vic retorted without holding back.

Sophia's face darkened again.

Don't bring up things you don't want to talk about.

"Okay, okay, let's not talk about it anymore."

Vic surrendered immediately.

"Just remember what I said, wait for the person to arrive."

After he finished speaking, the light from the crystal plate slowly faded, and the communication was lost.

Sofia put the crystal plate back into her arms, leaned against the corner of the wall, and stared at the black fortress in the distance.

She took a deep breath, suppressed her agitation, and then found an abandoned, dilapidated house to hide in.

After hiding, she closed her eyes and continued to explore the fortress.

Time passed slowly, and the sun gradually moved from noon to afternoon.

Suddenly, Sophia sensed a violent surge of power coming from the sky, approaching rapidly from afar.

She immediately opened her eyes and looked up at the sky through the cracks in the dilapidated house.

In the distance, a hundred black dots appeared on the horizon, rapidly approaching the fortress.

As the black dot grew larger, it transformed into a group of enormous flying mounts.

The one at the very front is a Firefeather Griffin, with a wingspan of over ten meters, its dark red feathers gleaming with a metallic sheen in the sunlight.

A woman in a white military uniform sat on the back of a griffin, her long, fiery red hair flying in the wind.

The person who arrived was none other than Xinuoya.

Behind her followed a hundred knights, all of whom were officers, riding flying mounts.

Instead of landing in the town, Shinoya swooped down toward the main gate of the fortress.

Finally, it landed on the ground, whipping up a gust of wind that sent several soldiers at the entrance tumbling about.

Hinoya flipped off her mount, her white military boots making a dull thud as they hit the stone pavement.

She was tall, towering over most of the soldiers present, and exuded a fiery aura.

"Go, tell Baird to come out and see me," Shinoya commanded in a deep voice.

The soldiers at the gate looked at each other in surprise when they saw so many officers arrive. One of the officers, who looked like a captain, quickly ran over and saluted Xinuoya.

"Ah, Lady Hinoya, why have you come all of a sudden?" the man stammered.

Hinoya glanced at him, clearly displeased.

"What? Do I need to report to you before coming to my own territory? Who do you think you are?"

Just as Xinuoya was about to continue her tirade, a blue-haired female mage behind her coughed a few times.

"Ahem, Your Excellency, please mind your image."

Upon hearing this, Xinuoya took a deep breath.

"No, no, no, that's not what I meant."

The officer shook his head and waved his hands repeatedly, beads of sweat appearing on his forehead.

“I will go and report to General Baird right away.”