However, Theia was likely going to be disappointed.
Although Lin Gui was highly displeased with the man's direct shot earlier, he did not want to dwell on the matter.
At the moment, he only wanted to send the man on his way as quickly as possible.
With that in mind, Lin Gui quickly brought out the remaining elixirs.
Cass did not stand on ceremony and took nearly half of them.
Then, he placed a heavy bag of gold coins on the table, which landed with a dull thud.
Without another word, he motioned for Rosa and Maren to follow.
The three of them walked past Lin Gui and the others, bringing with them a slightly chilly draft.
Just as they brushed past each other and were about to step out the door—
Cass's footsteps faltered for a barely perceptible moment.
He turned his head, his gaze sweeping over Eve's face almost imperceptibly.
It was an incredibly swift look, yet it carried a sharp, scrutinizing edge.
Eve raised her eyes slightly and returned a very faint smile.
The corners of her mouth curved into a perfect arc.
Yet, there was not a single trace of warmth in that smile; instead, it felt as though it were covered in a thin layer of ice.
It was serene, yet it sent a shiver down one's spine.
Cass retracted his gaze and stayed no longer.
The wooden door creaked open and shut, and the figures of the three completely vanished into the gloom of the street outside.
Lin Gui and the others watched them leave.
Roger, the owner of the Oak Barrel Inn who had been cowering behind the counter the entire time, finally let out a long sigh of relief.
Wiping the cold sweat from his forehead, he trotted over, his face filled with an apologetic, wry smile:
“I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, everyone...”
“When that esteemed Demon Hunter arrived, he only asked if you were staying here.”
“I... I thought he was your friend...”
He rubbed his hands together, keeping his voice very low:
“Who knew he'd draw a weapon the moment he walked in...”
Lin Gui could clearly see that Roger's fingers were still trembling as he spoke.
It wasn't ordinary nervousness; it was a fear that had penetrated to his very bones.
He turned to the innkeeper and asked directly, “Do you know him?”
Roger's face turned pale, and he instinctively glanced toward the door before lowering his voice to a near whisper:
“I... I do.”
“Master Cass... has been in the City of Bounties for eight years now.”
“There's no one in the City of Bounties who doesn't know him.”
Roger lowered his voice even further, as if afraid of being overheard:
“He is one of the only two remaining Legendary experts in the city.”
“The other is Master Blackbeard, who was sent by the Dwarven Royal City.”
Lin Gui grew thoughtful and continued to ask, “Is he also here for the dwarves' bounty?”
The innkeeper quickly shook his head:
“No, he's different from the other hunters.”
“He's not here for the bounty.”
He licked his dry lips and leaned in closer:
“Actually, the long-time residents of the city all know why this master came here.”
“He came here to hunt down a... white-haired, red-eyed... Demon King.”
Upon hearing the words “white-haired, red-eyed Demon King,” both Lin Gui and Theia froze simultaneously.
The air seemed to solidify for an instant.
White hair... red eyes...
Elvia's voice suddenly rang out in both of their minds—those were the words she had spoken back in the Royal Capital when mentioning the truth behind the defection of the knight, Roger:
“Roger was saved by a white-haired, blood-eyed Demon King and went to Avalon.”
To their surprise, the piece of information they had once deemed insignificant resurfaced at this very moment.
Inside the room, the wooden door had been carefully locked.
Theia was the first to speak, her voice trembling with irrepressible shock: “The demon Cass is hunting down... is the same Demon King who saved Roger?”
Lin Gui nodded: “That should be correct. The timeline fits perfectly.”
“The Demon King saved Roger and headed to Avalon.”
“Cass then pursued him all the way here and has stayed in the City of Bounties for eight years.”
He paused, his tone turning solemn. “This means...”
Eve softly finished his sentence. “It means the Demon King has been inside the wall all along. And that Demon Hunter has a way of tracking his location.”
Lin Gui nodded once more.
He took out his map, his fingertip resting on the marked spot for Avalon.
It was about two hundred kilometers away from the City of Bounties.
A tracking spell capable of precise localization over such a distance...
The only thing Lin Gui could think of was advanced soul tracking.
However, Cass didn't radiate any strong fluctuations of mana, making it unlikely that he was skilled in such magic.
Perhaps it was some secret technique unique to Demon Hunters.
Theia's eyes lit up slightly, carrying a hint of excitement: “In that case, can we cooperate with him? If we follow him to track down the Demon King, maybe we can find Avalon!”
Lin Gui shook his head, however: “There's no need. We've already determined the location of Avalon.”
He looked at Theia, his tone calm but serious: “Besides, Theia, don't forget your current identity. It has only been a few months since you advanced from a half-demon to a true demon.”
“Even though he is a Traditionalist Demon Hunter, he is still renowned for hunting down the Demon Race.”
Hearing this, Theia's shoulders slumped slightly as she grumbled speechlessly: “Advanced? Only you would be happy about gaining demon energy and advancing to a demon, Lin Gui. Personally, I'd rather not have this kind of 'advancement'...”
“At most, everyone treated me like a pariah when I was a half-demon.”
“Now... I'm afraid that the moment my demon energy leaks, the guild's bulletin board will be covered with commissions to subjugate me.”
Upon hearing this, Eve's lips curved into a soft smile as she added gently: “The bounty starts at a minimum of one hundred thousand gold coins.”
Theia's eyes instantly lit up.
She blinked and looked at Eve, her tone filled with surprise and eagerness: “It's that high?”
Lin Gui shook his head as he listened, speaking speechlessly: “Don't tell me... you're thinking of claiming your own bounty?”
Theia nodded vigorously, a cunning smile appearing on her face: “Lin Gui, you can capture me and turn me in for the money!”
She grew more excited as she spoke, her eyes shining: “Once you get the bounty, you can quietly sneak into the prison and break me out. With that single trick, we'll walk away with one hundred thousand gold coins. It's pure profit!”
“Then we'll have the funds to pay the guide for the selection meeting in a few days!”
Securing the funds to hire a guide had indeed become an issue.
Lin Gui's funds had run dry back in the Carter Royal Capital.
The gold coins he had obtained in exchange for resources from Shield City had also been completely depleted during the construction of the flying vessel.
To build the ultimate flying vessel, he had selected the finest materials for everything, which caused the construction cost to skyrocket, becoming so expensive that even the value of a demi-artifact paled in comparison.
Unwilling to owe a favor because of this, Lin Gui had paid a substantial difference out of pocket.
As a result, by the time he left Shield City, his newly fattened coin purse was entirely empty.
He had even ended up owing Theia ten thousand gold coins when purchasing the elixirs.
Sitting by the table, Lin Gui massaged his temples and asked, “Theia, how much money do you have left right now?”
Hearing this, Theia's eyes darted around.
She walked to a corner of the room, moved an inconspicuous wooden chest aside, and carried it over to place it on the table before opening it.
Inside, it was packed to the brim with glittering coins.
There were gold coins, silver coins, and even some copper coins.
Some were standard kingdom gold coins with edges worn shiny;
others were irregularly shaped, bearing traces of seawater corrosion, clearly originating from underwater treasures;
and there was also a small pile of commission rewards that Lin Gui had shared with her previously.
Theia poked through them with her finger, her eyes curving into crescent moons: “Everything I've saved over the years is right here.”
“Including the shares you gave me before, plus the ones salvaged from the seabed...”
She tilted her head to calculate, her tone carrying a hint of pride: “Probably... just over twenty thousand gold coins?”
Rate on N.U.
