Withered Wood Town, afternoon.
The afternoon sunlight shone obliquely onto the town's staggered roofs, baking the cobblestone streets until they were warm to the touch.
People flowed back and forth along the streets. Peddlers shouting their wares, the rumble of carriage wheels, and children's laughter blended together into a noisy, vibrant tapestry of life.
Amidst this ordinary afternoon bustle, no one noticed that the tall Mage Guild located in the heart of Withered Wood Town was undergoing a change.
The ash-white stone tower stood proudly in the center of town, its spire pointing straight to the sky—the tallest structure in Withered Wood Town.
Faint magic runes rippled across the tower's surface, pulsing rhythmically like breathing.
This was a magic tower, symbolizing the authority of the City of a Thousand Towers and extending the city-state's power into this realm.
A fruit peddler was stooped over, organizing the shelves of his stall while humming an off-key tune.
He reached out for an apple that had rolled into a corner. Just as his fingertips touched the skin, suddenly—
Boom.
A dull explosion burst from the direction of the Mage Guild, as if an invisible behemoth had abruptly awakened inside the tower.
The ground shook violently. The peddler's hand jolted, sending the apple rolling even further away.
He shot his head up.
A massive breach had exploded right through the midsection of the ash-white stone tower.
Rubble and bricks rained down from the sky, slamming into surrounding buildings with a rapid succession of heavy thuds.
Flames and thick smoke gushed from the gap, engulfing the upper half of the tower.
The magical runes flickered wildly before dimming section by section.
The spire tilted precariously and collapsed onto the neighboring bell tower with a deafening metallic crash.
Out on the street, everyone froze in their tracks.
A woman holding a child stood frozen in place, her mouth agape without a sound coming out.
A blacksmith lowered his hammer, his eyes bulging wide.
Several adventurers drinking outside a tavern scrambled to their feet, dropping their wooden glasses to shatter into pieces on the ground.
Nobody spoke.
Everyone stared at the burning magic tower, their faces filled with sheer disbelief.
"Someone actually dared to attack the Mage Guild?"
This was within the domain of the City of a Thousand Towers.
The Withered Wood Town Mage Guild represented the authority of the Thousand Towers—the will of those high-and-mighty mages.
Attacking this place was equivalent to declaring war on the entire City of a Thousand Towers.
The peddler's legs were shaking.
Instinctively stepping back two paces, he knocked over the display stand behind him. Fruit scattered all over the ground, but he didn't care in the slightest.
The surrounding commoners began scattering in chaos.
Some fled home screaming, some collapsed to the ground wailing, while others stood rooted to the spot trembling, unable to take a single step.
The adventurers were somewhat calmer than the commoners, though "calmer" merely meant they hadn't fled.
Their expressions were grim as they exchanged uneasy glances, yet none dared approach the ruins.
No one dared.
Several registered mages stationed around Withered Wood Town rushed over from different directions upon hearing the explosion.
Charging into the ruins, they discovered the corpse of the stationed Legendary in the mound of rubble.
The body had been blown into two sections, mangled beyond recognition.
The lead mage froze, his face draining of all color.
"It's... it's the stationed Lord..."
His voice trembled.
Behind him, a young mage covered his mouth, his eyes reddening.
"How... how could anyone dare lay a hand on the Mage Guild?"
Another mage knelt down, checked the corpse's pulse, then yanked his hand back and shook his head.
No one said a word.
They looked at each other, their faces painted with equal horror.
It wasn't fear of the attacker's power, but fear of the act itself.
Someone had dared to strike the Mage Guild.
And had killed a Legendary mage.
Within the domain of the City of a Thousand Towers, such a thing had never happened before.
The leading middle-aged mage took a deep breath and pulled a Transmission Stone from his robe.
"This is Withered Wood Town."
His voice was hoarse.
"The Withered Wood Town magic tower has been attacked. Stationed Legendary... confirmed dead."
The other end of the Transmission Stone went silent for a brief moment before a hurried reply came through.
The middle-aged mage disconnected the communication, looked up, and gazed at the burning ruins of the tower in the distance.
Meanwhile, far off...
At the window of the third-floor attic of the 7-Copper Post Office.
Morgan stood before the window, his expression grim.
Sunlight streamed in from outside, highlighting his short silver-white hair, but his blood-red eyes held not a trace of warmth.
He remained silent for a long time before speaking.
"It won't be long before Edwin notices we're here."
His voice was low, carrying a suppressed weight.
Behind him, Lin Gui sat lazily in a battered wooden chair, his expression as calm as stagnant water.
"By the time they arrive at Withered Wood Town, that will give me enough time to rescue all the captured half-demon warriors."
Morgan turned his head to look at the black-haired youth.
His expression was complex, disbelief surging within his blood-red eyes.
Indeed.
What he said was right.
With his ridiculously absurd speed, it was more than enough time to enter the field a second or even third time before Edwin could react.
He recalled his reaction when he had first heard the plan a few hours ago.
Relocating everyone from the sanctuary to Withered Wood Town—a distance of nearly four hundred kilometers.
He had thought it would take at least two days, or one day at the very fastest.
Yet that train made from crude wooden planks and woven ropes had somehow taken less than an hour.
Less than an hour, over four hundred kilometers, carrying over 5,000 people.
That figure practically shattered all of his common sense.
As a Mid-tier Legendary three-element mage, he understood what that speed signified better than anyone.
Even top-tier assassins might not necessarily be faster than him.
"When do you expect your Legendary Assassin to reach the target location?"
Morgan swallowed hard, then replied.
"At Freeman's speed, it will take him at most one hour to travel from the Sovereign of the Wasteland to the coordinates I marked for him."
Lin Gui nodded.
A set of hurried footsteps echoed up the attic's wooden stairs.
Elvia's head popped out from the stairwell, a smudge of dust clinging to her cheek.
Twisting her lips, she wiped the dust off her cheek and spoke to Lin Gui and Morgan.
"All the half-demon commoners are settled, hidden in the basement beneath the post office."
"The commoners are in terrible shape. Many of their bodies couldn't withstand moving at that high speed, so quite a few passed out."
"Luckily, we let them eat their fill before leaving, so fewer passed out than expected, and most are still conscious."
Lin Gui nodded slightly, then asked,
"And that magic prodigy?"
Elvia's expression suddenly grew somewhat subtle.
The corners of her mouth curled up involuntarily before she quickly pursed her lips, but her golden eyes still betrayed a hint of gloating amusement.
"Irene... She's puking her guts out in the alley behind the post office."
"She's been at it for a long time."
"It feels like she's going to turn her stomach inside out."
Lin Gui gave her a glance.
Elvia quickly reined in her expression, though her lips still couldn't help curving upward.
"Honestly, I don't get why she feels so awful."
"I actually quite enjoyed that thrilling high-speed flight."
Morgan's face turned somewhat pale.
He didn't speak, but Lin Gui noticed his Adam's apple bob, as if suppressing something.
In fact, when they first landed, this Mid-tier Legendary mage had also vomited for a long time.
It wasn't ordinary vomiting; it was the kind where a person sprawled by the roadside on hands and knees, dry-heaving long after all their stomach acid had been expelled.
For Morgan, the initial straight-line sprint had been manageable.
Though fast, the direction was constant, and once his body adapted, he could barely tolerate it.
However, to evade several Legendary demons and prevent collisions that might harm the commoners inside the train, the vehicle had executed sharp, forced turns at high speeds multiple times.
One was fine, two were manageable.
But after five or six sharp turns in a row, Morgan, who was responsible for accelerating from behind using Hurricane Propulsion, nearly passed out on the spot.
His head spun, and darkness flickered before his eyes.
By some miracle, he managed not to vomit on the train.
Yet after stepping off, he still couldn't escape his fate.
Morgan took a deep breath, suppressing those unpleasant memories, and looked at Lin Gui.
"What do we do next?"
Without realizing it, even Morgan had gradually begun treating this mage—whose personal strength was unremarkable—as their pillar of support.
Lin Gui stood up and dusted off his robes, though no dust was there.
"You and Elvia stay behind to protect and treat the commoners here."
"Irene and I will head back to the hunting ground to meet up with Freeman."
"Then, we will leave every magic family participating in the hunt buried in the wasteland."
A Legendary mage's attacks were far too destructive and wide-reaching. A single Legendary spell would cause all the demons in the region to go wild, making them unsuitable for operations in the wasteland.
Assassins were different; what they excelled at most was silent hunting.
Especially Legendary Assassins.
If a Legendary Assassin had assisted Lin Gui, the magic tower in Withered Wood Town wouldn't have collapsed and caused such a massive commotion.
Morgan paused. He knew Lin Gui's concerns, but he still objected.
"No."
"Let me come with you."
He looked directly at Lin Gui, his blood-red eyes filled with an unquestionable firmness.
It wasn't that he distrusted Lin Gui.
Quite the contrary—after witnessing this black-haired youth's almost absurd capabilities,
he knew better than anyone how frightening this young man truly was.
Yet precisely because he understood, he felt even more compelled to tag along.
Transporting over five thousand people from the sanctuary across four hundred kilometers in under an hour—
this miracle wasn't something Lin Gui could have accomplished alone.
Lin Gui's ridiculous Levitation spell and Morgan's Hurricane Propulsion were both indispensable pieces.
Without either one, that speed could never have been achieved.
And the core of this black-haired mage's plan was speed.
To end everything before Edwin could react.
If they weren't fast enough and Edwin cornered them midway, only death awaited them.
Before Morgan could voice these thoughts, Elvia saw right through him.
She let out a soft laugh, her golden eyes filled with unhidden pride.
"Rest assured, Lord Morgan."
"As long as there's sufficient mana support, Lin Gui can burst out with equal or even greater speed without needing your Legendary magic."
Morgan turned his head, looking at her in surprise before shifting his gaze back to Lin Gui.
Lin Gui nodded.
"Don't worry."
"My vehicle is fitted with a dwarven wind pressure cannon; it will only be faster."
"The mana Irene provided me is also more than enough to sustain me all the way to the hunting ground."
His gaze landed on Morgan, his voice steady.
"You and Elvia just focus on protecting the commoners to guard against any accidents."
He paused.
"The Legendaries in Withered Wood Town aren't limited to the stationed Legendary—there's also the transport team."
"Although the Transport Guild and the Mage Guild don't get along, in case they decide to do them a convenient favor... and don't forget the rewards offered by the City of a Thousand Towers for hunting demons."
Lin Gui didn't know whether those rewards were restricted to mages or accessible to outsiders as well.
However, a single half-demon could be exchanged at will for items at a City of a Thousand Towers auction, even grand finale items. That temptation was simply too sweet.
Lin Gui believed that even Legendaries would be drawn to it.
Morgan remained silent for a moment before finally nodding slowly.
Lin Gui turned around and looked at Elvia.
His expression turned serious.
Elvia was startled by his look, her smile fading somewhat.
"You're in charge of scouting."
"If a Legendary approaches, remember to notify Lord Morgan."
Elvia froze for a second, pointing to herself as if asking:
Scouting?? Me, a knight, doing scouting??
Her doubt vanished the moment she saw what was inside the pouch Lin Gui handed over.
What caught her eye inside the pouch was a glass bead.
...
Elvia's expression instantaneously became extremely subtle.
It was the kind of face where she wanted to grimace like a bitter melon, yet somehow forced herself to suppress it.
Elvia sighed, then reached her hand inside the pouch to feel around.
Her fingers touched another object.
Opening the pouch slightly to peek inside, her expression abruptly changed.
Her golden eyes widened slightly, her lips parting and closing as if she had seen something completely unexpected.
She looked up at Lin Gui, opening her mouth to speak but holding back.
Lin Gui said impassively,
"At most one day. When you need to use it, don't hesitate."
Elvia took a deep breath, tied the pouch shut, and tucked it into her breast pocket.
The corners of her mouth gradually curled up, a clear look of confidence returning to her golden eyes.
"Don't worry. If it really comes to that, I won't hesitate."
"After all, I can always buy them wholesale from you."
Lin Gui turned around and walked downstairs.
By the post office entrance, Irene leaned against an exterior pillar, looking like a limp heap of mud.
Her face was pale as ash, her lips devoid of color, and wisps of hair clung wetly to her forehead with sweat.
Her eyes were half-closed, her chest heaving violently, every breath looking like a battle against something internal.
Hearing footsteps, she forced her eyes open, glanced at Lin Gui, and closed them again.
Lin Gui offered no words of comfort.
He raised his hand, his slender fingers tracing an arc in the air.
Spatial ripples spread outward like water's gentle waves.
A flying vessel slowly materialized from the center of the ripples. Its hull was long and narrow, faint magic light coursing across its surface, hovering half a meter off the ground.
Irene's eyelids twitched.
She opened her eyes and looked at the flying vessel, her face turning a shade paler.
Lin Gui walked up to her and extended his hand.
"Can you hold out a bit longer?"
His voice wasn't loud, but every word was crystal clear.
Irene raised her head and looked at his hand.
Grit her teeth, she reached out and took Lin Gui's hand.
"I can."
Her voice was hoarse, but resolute.
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