Lin Gui’s Shroud of the Gloomy Night could mask the frantic humming that occurred when the Flame Blade condensed.
However, it couldn't mask the sounds from the entire gathering place.
Although the Hyena’s Fang gathering place was relatively secluded, there were still people living in the vicinity.
Lin Gui’s Flame Blade had achieved instant kills before the enemies could even scream.
But the sounds of destruction caused by hitting the walls and beams were very loud.
The sounds of shattered stones and collapsing wooden beams echoed far through the night.
Rustling noises were already coming from outside.
Some were whispering in hushed discussions, while others tentatively moved closer to investigate.
Lin Gui knew he couldn't stay any longer.
After sweeping up all the valuables in the gathering place...
He returned to the first-floor hall, took one last look at the corpses and bloodstains covering the floor, then pulled open the door and stepped out.
The night wind hit his face with a hint of blood, and he slipped into an alleyway, vanishing into the darkness.
Not long after Lin Gui left...
Several thugs living nearby bolstered their courage and pushed open the front door of Hyena’s Fang.
The one in the lead held up an oil lamp, its light illuminating the floor littered with corpses and blood.
The walls were covered with dense, crisscrossing cuts.
There were broken crossbeams and tables and chairs sliced into fragments.
The oil lamp slipped from his hand, crashing onto the ground and shattering.
His mouth hung open, unable to utter a single word.
Behind him, two others collapsed directly onto the floor, their legs too weak to stand.
“Quick... quickly... go report... report to the Dalton family...”
Someone took off running toward the Whitecliff City noble district.
They stumbled repeatedly, nearly falling several times.
The following day.
The atmosphere within Whitecliff City was far more oppressive than usual.
At the same time, it carried a hint of surging, hidden excitement.
The news of Hyena’s Fang’s annihilation spread through the city like wildfire.
That Gold Rank adventure group, which had acted with such arrogance in Whitecliff City for nearly a decade...
That Hyena’s Fang, which was backed by the Dalton family and deemed untouchable by anyone...
Overnight, from top to bottom, all forty-plus members were dead.
When the news hit the streets, some were in disbelief, others cheered in low voices, and some hid in their homes, afraid to step outside.
Many were speculating about who had destroyed Hyena’s Fang.
Was it the Dalton family cleaning house? Unlikely.
Hyena’s Fang was their dog. If they killed the dog, who would do their dirty work for them?
Perhaps it was retaliation for offending some powerful noble.
Hyena’s Fang had been accustomed to acting arrogantly on a daily basis—bullying commoners, plundering caravans, and kidnapping daughters.
It was inevitable that they would eventually offend someone they shouldn’t have.
In that sense, paying the price in blood was only logical.
However, those adventurers who were intimately familiar with the various factions of Whitecliff City...
Instead turned their gazes toward that newly opened shop located on the inner side of the main street.
The 7-Copper Post Office, Whitecliff City Branch.
Inside the window, behind the counter.
A black-haired mage was leaning lazily against the back of his chair.
A few sheets of paper were spread out before him, and his hand gripped a pen.
They understood the various factions of the city and Hyena’s Fang too well.
It couldn't have been the work of some noble power.
If those big shots wanted to deal with Hyena’s Fang, they would have done it long ago; they wouldn't have waited until today.
The most likely possibility...
Was that person who had opened the 7-Copper Post Office.
An outsider who had a direct conflict of interest with Hyena’s Fang.
They of course understood that a High Rank mage couldn't possibly wipe out the entire Hyena’s Fang.
But the identity of the person who had forced Cohen to leave in a dejected state made anything seem possible.
The sound of orderly footsteps echoed from the street corner.
A squad of knights marched from the far end of the main street, their iron boots making a heavy thudding sound against the stone pavement.
Leading them was a middle-aged man wearing a full suit of plate armor.
His helmet was tucked under his arm, revealing a face with sharp, distinct features and eyes as cold as iron.
Nearby commoners and refugees scrambled to get out of the way in terror.
Some dove straight into alleyways, while others lowered their heads and hurried away.
The few customers at the post office entrance also retreated to the side in a panic.
An adventurer recognized the knight and raised an eyebrow.
“The Knight Commander of the Dalton family, Victor.”
A person nearby whispered in response, “Whitecliff City’s strongest expert, a High-tier Transcendent.”
“Even he’s come...”
Several Gold Rank adventurers stood beneath the eaves across the street, watching the scene from afar.
A tall warrior with a cigarette in his mouth took the cigarette out, narrowing his eyes.
“It seems the Dalton family is quite concerned about this matter as well.”
Standing beside him, the female mage Selena’s eyes flickered, her face filled with excitement.
Her gaze shifted past the knights and landed on the black-haired mage behind the post office window.
“This guy’s background is definitely not simple,” she whispered.
...
Inside the post office.
Lin Gui sorted the letters on the table without even looking up.
“Next.”
The sound of armor being slammed onto the table echoed.
It was iron and very heavy; the tabletop let out a groan under the pressure.
Lin Gui looked up.
A middle-aged man in a full suit of plate armor stood before the counter, looming over him.
Behind him stood four other knights, their hands resting on their sword hilts and their gazes cold and hard.
“You were the one who killed Hyena’s Fang.”
Victor’s voice was low, but every word hit like a hammer on an anvil.
He wasn't asking a question; it was a statement of fact.
An invisible wave of perception radiated from him, like a net covering Lin Gui’s entire body.
It was the pressure of a High-tier Transcendent, carrying scrutiny, probing, and warning.
Lin Gui didn't block it.
He calmly released his own magic.
The fluctuations of High-tier High Rank magic rippled gently between the two of them.
He met Victor’s gaze, his tone flat.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about. Nor do I know what this ‘Hyena’s Fang’ you speak of is.”
Victor frowned.
He had personally visited the Hyena’s Fang gathering place.
Those cuts, those scorched wounds, and those traces of fatal, one-strike kills...
The killer’s strength was definitely above his own.
He was already a High-tier Transcendent; the only ones stronger than him were those at the Legendary rank.
But the mage before him was a High-tier High Rank.
It couldn't be him.
However, Victor’s gaze slowly swept across the post office.
The counter, the chairs, the delivery route map pinned to the wall, and the neatly stacked letters on the desk.
An outsider who had just arrived in Whitecliff City...
Had gotten into a conflict with Hyena’s Fang, and then Hyena’s Fang was wiped out.
It couldn't just be a coincidence.
He retracted his gaze and looked back at Lin Gui, his voice turning several degrees colder.
“Without the permission of the City Lord, no one may privately operate a letter delivery business.”
He paused, his tone carrying an undisguised warning.
“Those are the rules of Whitecliff City.”
Lin Gui let out a scoff.
The sound wasn't loud, but it was exceptionally jarring in the quiet post office.
The expressions of the knights behind him changed, and they stepped forward with their hands on their sword hilts.
Victor raised his hand to stop them.
He stared at Lin Gui, his eyes narrowing slightly.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
Lin Gui leaned back against his chair, a lingering trace of that smile still on his lips.
“Letter delivery is a transport commission; it falls under the jurisdiction of the Transport Guild.”
“This is an explicit law passed by a vote of the Alliance Council, and it supersedes the laws of all city-states that have joined the Alliance.”
His tone was very calm, as if he were reciting a clause he had long since memorized.
“Should I take your previous words to mean...”
“That the city-state administrators behind you wish to break free from the Alliance’s jurisdiction?”
He paused, leaning forward slightly as his voice dropped a pitch.
“Or perhaps... do you intend to rebel?”
He looked at Victor with a calm gaze.
“Just like Spark did three years ago.”
The forbidden name slipped casually from his mouth, landing like a needle on the floor.
Victor’s back was instantly drenched in cold sweat.
Rate on N.U.
