The route marked on the system map was incredibly simple: Caran City → Withered Rift → Carter Royal Capital.
However, zooming in on that border map revealed several crucial nodes hidden between those two seemingly simple points.
Beyond the incredibly long and narrow "Withered Rift"—a terrifying Forbidden Zone that occupied nearly three-quarters of the journey—there were other stages.
Setting out from Caran, they first needed to cross the open, rolling terrain of the "Molan Hills" and a dense woodland known as the "Whispering Forest."
After crossing the Withered Rift, the route didn't lead directly to the Royal Capital; they still had to pass "Eagle Fortress," an abandoned military outpost.
According to Elvia, not a single living person remained there; it had completely devolved into a nest for a group of ferocious sky demons.
Departing from Caran, the floating raft sailed into the Molan Hills. Once a vital grain-producing region for Caran City, it now held nothing but desolation and demonic shadows.
In the open terrain, the demonized sights were shocking.
Packs of demon wolves with rotting fur and crimson eyes were frantically chasing and tearing into "Blood-Horned Sheep Demons," a species with dark red horns and equally violent temperaments.
Since the descent of the demons, the original ecology had been brutally destroyed. In its place was a cruel new food chain built on chaos and bloodshed.
Lin Gui operated 【Levitation】, his mind focused intensely.
Whenever they encountered the aura of powerful demons or a patrol, he immediately activated 【Shroud of the Gloomy Night】, concealing the entire raft and all its auras within it.
At open areas where the terrain allowed for a brief rest, he would lower the raft, racing against time to recover his nearly depleted mana.
Theia's sharp gaze acted like a precision radar, constantly scanning the surroundings to provide early warnings.
She guided the raft to avoid the vast majority of powerful demon clusters.
Elvia, relying on her memory, continuously adjusted their general direction. This ensured the team remained within the safe zone of the "Golden Route."
The primary value of this path, blazed by Holy Knight John, was not its brevity but its ability to bypass terrifying nests centered around Legendary demons to the greatest extent possible.
It prevented them from stumbling straight into the heart of demon-controlled territories.
Just as it had been when he first met Theia.
Even with Theia's superb vision, Lin Gui had still nearly been surrounded by a sudden demon riot.
Large-scale demon movements weren't always caused by human campaigns. They often stemmed from territorial disputes between demon lords, the appearance of high-energy treasures, or spontaneous group hunts targeting specific objectives.
Thus, a reliable safety route was worth its weight in gold.
Elvia's importance became undeniably apparent at this moment.
Of course, the "Golden Route" was not an all-purpose insurance policy.
It had an expiration date.
The core activity range of a Legendary demon was not static; their will defined the boundaries of their territory.
According to the City-State Alliance's protocols, intelligence regarding these Golden Routes theoretically required updating every two months.
Forty-one days had passed since the Holy Knight first blazed this trail.
This meant that the initial section of the route was highly likely to remain valid. However, the further they progressed, the greater the variables would become, requiring Lin Gui and the others to be increasingly cautious.
In the latter stages of the Molan Hills, on a concealed hillside where demonic traces were relatively sparse.
A slight rustle came from the dense grass.
The final few blades of grass were smoothed over as if by an invisible hand, perfectly concealing the last gap.
Beneath the grass was a pit that had been forcibly "constructed," and the raft sat quietly inside.
Lin Gui put away his staff and leaned against a wooden crate, somewhat exhausted, letting out a long sigh.
He hadn't expected the day to come when he would actually find a use for these seemingly useless novice spells. 【Soil Loosening】 paired with 【Growth Acceleration】.
Working with the materials available on-site in these open hills, he had managed to create this cave hidden by a grass blanket.
Beside him, Elvia's gaze grew increasingly complex and unreadable.
Mages typically specialized in one or two elements, at most three, in pursuit of mastery.
Yet the man before her had demonstrated over five different branches of magic since they left Caran.
Wind-type 【Levitation】, Dark-type 【Shroud of the Gloomy Night】, Light-type 【Illumination】, Water-type 【Water Creation】, Fire-type 【Ignition】, plus the Earth and Wood types from just now...
He had practically sampled every common magic element! Although they were all novice spells.
Judging by the casting speed, the precision of control, and... the bizarrely creative combinations, it was clear he had invested a tremendous amount of effort.
What kind of monster was this guy, anyway?
While Elvia was lost in thought, Lin Gui stood up.
"Let's rest here for today," he said.
Having said that, he began to start a fire for cooking. Watching him, Elvia and Theia felt their scalps tingle with dread.
Even with Lin Gui's repeated assurances, their hearts remained in their throats, pounding with anxiety.
Through the gaps in the grass camouflage, Theia's disguised emerald eyes stared intently at the distant, wandering silhouettes of demons, not daring to relax for even a second.
Elvia hesitated, wanting to stop his near-suicidal behavior several times.
Starting a fire to cook in a wilderness infested with demons? Even the elite knights led by Holy Knight John wouldn't dare do such a thing!
Yet Lin Gui did it anyway.
A tiny 【Fireball】 precisely ignited the dry wood.
【Levitation】 was used to float an iron pot, seasonings, and ingredients out of the supply crates.
Among the ingredients were actually several slices of bright red pork!
In the City-State Era, livestock farming had become almost the exclusive domain of high nobles. The price for a commoner or an ordinary adventurer to taste meat was exorbitant.
For example, one hundred gold coins.
These pieces of meat were items Lin Gui had "intercepted" while confiscating the assets of those wealthy gentry. He had carefully preserved them using 【Freezing】.
Lin Gui tossed a piece of meat to Elvia and floated a kitchen knife in front of her, instructing, "Chop the meat and prep it."
Elvia stared blankly at the pork in her hands, then at the glinting kitchen knife, her mouth twitching.
"I am a Princess! I have never done such a thing! Make that half-demon do it!"
However, Lin Gui merely shot her a cold glance. Elvia instantly backed down.
She silently picked up the cutting board and the meat, walking to the side to chop clumsily while muttering grumbles and complaints under her breath.
Pork, various spices and seasonings, and the rapidly improved culinary skills Lin Gui had been forced to develop over his years in this world...
He had figured out how to handle all the seasonings and ingredients entirely on his own...
Soon, an indescribably rich aroma filled the cramped space.
The scent made both Theia's and Elvia's mouths water, but it also sent their hearts into their throats.
They stared intently at the wisp of cooking smoke rising! The smoke and the aroma drifted with the airflow, attempting to escape the cave.
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