Once Theia had recovered some of her strength, they set off once again.
There was only a short distance left to completely cross the Withered Rift.
Based on their current speed, Elvia estimated that it would take two hours at most to reach the exit on the other side.
Inside the rift, the information she had about the Golden Route was basically useless.
As long as they kept moving forward along the main path of the rift, they would eventually reach their next destination—Eagle Fortress.
Thanks to the breakthrough improvement of the 【Shroud of the Gloomy Night】, Lin Gui's method of travel became even more brazen.
He directly controlled the raft, flying in a straight line over the bottomless rift.
The demons clinging to the cliff walls on both sides, radiating powerful auras, became mere background scenery as they flew past.
Beside him, Elvia had already grown accustomed to this.
During the time Theia had been asleep and recovering, she had witnessed firsthand the sheer variety and terrifying strength of the demons in the rift.
There was no shortage of heart-stopping Legendary Rank entities among them...
...like the Netherworld Predators, whose forms were elusive and whose claws could tear souls apart;
...the Shadow Spider Kings, lurking within the web of shadows, their breath laced with corrosive poison;
...and many more demon lords whose names she did not know, but who exuded similarly terrifying pressure.
Yet Lin Gui simply led her straight through, traversing the territories of one Legendary demon after another without even a change in his expression.
Only in the deepest center of the rift, where an Epic Rank demon lord exuded its terrifying pressure, did he finally choose to take a detour.
It seemed that what this guy had said back in the tomb chamber about being able to traverse a Forbidden Zone crowded with thousands of Legendary demons was not a lie at all.
As for their previous discovery beneath the tomb, it was purely bad luck from bringing along Rona, who had been impaled with soul steel needles by Gorn.
Otherwise, that Legendary archer alone would have stood absolutely no chance of seeing through the concealment of the 【Shroud of the Gloomy Night】.
At the mention of Gorn, Elvia's eyes darted around.
She cleared her throat and leaned in close to Lin Gui.
Speaking in a voice so sweet and tender it could practically melt, she said:
“Um... as your loyal guard, I blocked a fatal blow for you down there. With such a massive contribution, shouldn't you show a little appreciation?”
Lin Gui didn't even turn his head as he replied flatly:
“I was the one who stuffed that inner armor into your hands. Technically speaking, you could say I saved your life.”
“Cough, cough!” Elvia choked on her words.
In truth, she had been careful enough when setting up the trap.
Not only had she worn that lusterless Stellar-tier Armor, she had also equipped a magic amulet.
But Lin Gui had felt it wasn't enough.
He had insisted on stuffing the inner armor—which was also lusterless and found in the crystal coffin—into her hands.
As it turned out, that very item had indeed saved her life at the critical moment.
Elvia was driven crazy. Refusing to back down, she pressed even closer, deciding to launch a charm offensive.
Flipping her golden hair, she blew gently toward Lin Gui's ear.
“Don't be so stingy~~”
“As a leader, you should hand out more rewards to your subordinates. That's how you get people to work harder for you!”
Normally, Theia would have been the first to pull this clinging girl away.
But right now, the silver-haired elf's mind was completely preoccupied, and she had no energy to pay them any attention.
“Fine, here. This is your reward.”
Lin Gui seemed a bit annoyed by her relentless pestering.
He rummaged around the bottom of his bag for a moment, pulled out something he had almost forgotten about, and handed it over.
Elvia took it and looked.
It was a somewhat withered, dark red flower.
She was instantly speechless.
“I say... you're brushing me off with a lousy flower?”
“That is the flower from the top of Moragus's head,” Lin Gui added.
Instantly, Elvia's words caught in her throat, her eyes widening in astonishment.
“What does this flower do?” Lin Gui asked curiously.
Elvia didn't answer immediately.
She stared at the flower for a long time, her expression incredibly complex.
Ultimately, she carefully stored the flower away, tucking it into a pocket close to her waist.
Then, she silently walked to the back of the raft.
Just like Theia, she sat down with her knees hugged to her chest, staring blankly into the distance, silent.
“???”
Lin Gui looked at the two who had suddenly gone quiet, several question marks popping up in his mind.
Two hours later, at the end of the Withered Rift, the view suddenly opened up.
In its place was a dense forest and a rolling range of towering hills.
Lin Gui steered the raft lower, casting his gaze into the distance.
Between the cleft of two steep peaks, the silhouette of a massive, ruined fortress gradually became clear.
Right at that moment, a shrill, piercing shriek of a banshee—one that seemed capable of penetrating the soul—suddenly echoed from the direction of the fortress, reverberating through the mountains.
“Once we pass through that fortress, we'll be able to see the Carter Royal Capital.”
Elvia sat on a wooden crate, swinging her fair legs as she pointed toward the fortress, her tone flat.
There wasn't a single trace of excitement or emotion on her face about returning to her homeland.
Instead, it held an indescribable complexity.
Lin Gui frowned and asked, “Do we have to go through it? Can't we bypass it?”
“We can bypass it,” Elvia shrugged.
“But it will probably add a day or two to our journey.”
“Or you can fly over the mountain ranges on either side.”
She paused, then added, “but don't say I didn't warn you—those are uncharted areas. The map is completely blank.”
Lin Gui nodded and didn't push the matter further.
After steering the raft to a relatively hidden spot at the boundary between the forest and the rift, he landed, deciding to set up camp and rest.
Once they had built a campfire, Lin Gui asked about the fortress again.
Poking at the fire, Elvia explained in that same flat tone:
“That is the first line of defense for the Carter Royal Capital, the Eagle Fortress.”
“Back then, the branch of the Dark Tide that surged from Giant's Chasm was ultimately stopped and dispersed right here.”
“A vast number of the Defense Force died back then...”
Her voice grew slightly quieter.
“The only Epic Rank expert of the Carter Royal Capital, Duke Louis, also fell in battle here.”
Lin Gui caught the key piece of information. “There's an Epic Rank demon inside?”
Elvia nodded. “There is an Epic Rank Dread-Faced Banshee Queen.”
But immediately after, she changed the subject. “But she isn't dangerous.”
Seeing Lin Gui's puzzled look, Elvia didn't seem to know how to explain either. Finally, she waved her hand vaguely:
“Oh, you'll see when we get there! She's actually... pretty easy to talk to.”
“???”
Lin Gui looked at the vague and evasive Elvia, several invisible question marks popping up over his head.
An Epic Rank demon... easy to talk to?
Are you kidding me?
Rate on N.U.
