The ruin entrance Rona had discovered was indeed not far, just a single turn away from the temporary outpost.
However, Lin Gui frowned as he looked at the narrow crevice half-hidden by rubble, which barely allowed one person to squeeze through.
“Given this height and width, the raft must be dismantled and the wooden boxes moved individually to pass through.”
Theia didn’t say a word, leading the way by squeezing through the cramped entrance to scout.
Elvia also began to disassemble the ropes securing the wooden boxes without needing Lin Gui to remind her.
If possible, she actually preferred to leave the raft and boxes here under her guard.
This outpost chosen by Rona was deep and well-hidden enough.
The demons active in the outer area were generally low in strength, making it relatively safe to stay here.
Leaving the wooden boxes here would also relieve the pressure of mana consumption for Lin Gui.
After all, Lin Gui’s mana was equated with their safety.
Unfortunately, Lin Gui would not do such a thing.
Having spent these days together, Elvia had figured out Lin Gui’s temperament.
These wooden boxes, or more precisely, the letters inside them, were nearly as important to him as his life.
They were so important that he refused to be separated from them.
They were so important that if she, a tender and noble princess, were placed on a scale against these letters, the weight of a single letter would likely be enough to send her side flying.
The wooden boxes were dismantled one by one, and the ropes were carefully stored.
Lin Gui chanted a spell in a low voice, and light flickered at the tip of his staff.
As he finished, several heavy wooden boxes began to hover steadily one after another, floating half a foot above the ground.
Luo Youyou watched this scene with envy, unable to help but sigh.
“If only that stupid pig Catherine knew this trick, our Dreamweaver group wouldn’t have to run everywhere carrying heavy supplies...”
Elvia chimed in coldly from the side, her tone carrying its usual mockery.
“Heh, even Count Alexis from the Royal Capital, the most powerful fire mage and a High-tier Legendary, once publicly stated he couldn’t master this spell.”
“As for Catherine, she’s just a High Rank mage who hasn’t even reached the Transcendent Rank.”
“How could she possibly learn this novice spell that has stumped countless powerful mages?”
“But isn’t Lord Lin Gui just a Low-tier High Rank mage?” Luo Youyou asked in confusion, blinking her cat-like eyes.
Elvia was choked up, momentarily unable to think of how to retort.
Before long, Theia’s figure squeezed back out from the narrow opening.
With a heavy expression, she spoke to the group.
“The internal structure of the passage is wider than the entrance, so the boxes can pass through, but...”
As she spoke, she cast a suspicious gaze toward the tightly bound Luo Youyou.
“Are you certain only Rona and Catherine went in?”
Luo Youyou was stunned by the question and nodded instinctively.
“Yes, that’s right! Is there a problem, meow?”
A flash of gravity crossed Theia’s emerald eyes.
“Inside the passage, I found the footprints of at least ten people.”
“The prints are clear, and based on the traces, they were made very recently.”
“How is that possible?!” Luo Youyou cried out in shock, her cat ears instantly standing straight up.
Elvia reacted with extreme speed.
With a metallic ring, she drew her honorary saber.
The cold blade instantly pressed against the cat-girl’s slender neck as she questioned sharply.
“Speak! Why did you lie to us?!”
Cold sweat immediately began to pour down the cat-girl’s face, and her body trembled with fear.
In her currently bound state, she couldn’t even struggle.
Could this half-demon be lying?
After all, she was a notorious half-demon, and the gene for betrayal was etched into their bones.
But why?!
Luo Youyou was just a cat-girl with no power or status; what could she possibly stand to gain?
If she wasn’t lying, it meant that many others had entered the ruin after Big Sis Rona.
But how?
In this section of the rift leading to Caran, there should have been no one else besides their Dreamweaver group, Lin Gui’s party, and the defense force that had recently crossed the Whispering Forest.
Suddenly, Luo Youyou remembered something, and her pupils contracted!
“Wait... could it be... them!”
“Them?”
Elvia narrowed her eyes as an ominous feeling welled up in her heart.
“About a week ago, Big Sis Rona said a very powerful knight order passed through the rift.”
“Without even seeing them, she moved our outpost deep into the rift to this secondary temporary outpost.”
“Then that great battle broke out, the ruin was revealed, and Rona and Catherine went inside.”
“And just a day or two before you arrived, our scout didn’t return.”
“While searching, we found the City Guard coming from Caran.”
“We heard from them that a knight order had entered the rift, so maybe...”
“It’s John’s Holy Knights!” Elvia’s expression became incredibly grim.
Her voice contained an imperceptible tremor.
She never imagined that even though they had left Caran so long ago, she would catch up to them here!
No, thinking carefully, it actually made sense.
Given Lin Gui’s absurd speed in traversing the wilderness with his peerless concealment and constant Levitation, catching up was logical.
He could easily surpass a large force that had to move cautiously to avoid demons.
When she had first come from the Royal Capital to Caran, the knights had spent five full days traversing the perilous Whispering Forest.
Yet with this monster Lin Gui, it had only taken a single day!
Thinking of this, Elvia felt a chill of fear.
If they hadn’t discovered this ruin and entered it, and had instead continued along the original Golden Route to the Royal Capital, they would have definitely run right into this Holy Knight order before long.
She rushed to Lin Gui, her expression more serious and urgent than ever before.
“en Gui! Listen! We must leave here right now while John’s Holy Knights are busy searching the ruin for treasure!”
“This is no longer a simple rescue mission! This is suicide!”
Theia asked in confusion.
“You are the Princess, and they are knights of the royal family; why are you afraid of them?”
“What do you know?!” Elvia nearly roared, interrupting Theia.
“John’s Holy Knights are loyal to the Third Prince, my nemesis!”
“They would love nothing more than to kill me out here in the middle of nowhere without anyone knowing!!”
“Then why didn’t they act while they were escorting you before?” Theia pressed.
“Because safely escorting me to Caran was a mission personally handed down to them by my father!”
“At least during the mission, they couldn’t do anything to me openly!”
Elvia irritably clawed at her long golden hair.
“Every direct descendant of the royal family is implanted with a soul magic stone at birth!”
“If I had met an unnatural death before the knight order completed their report, the Third Prince would never have been able to clear his name.”
“Then what are you afraid of now?” Theia tilted her head.
“What am I afraid of??”
Elvia was completely dumbfounded.
She wondered if she had gone mad or if the world had turned upside down.
The opposition was a full-strength Holy Knight order! A terrifying force consisting of one Mid-tier Legendary, one Low-tier Legendary, and eight High-tier Transcendent individuals.
That configuration was enough to crush many city-states.
And facing such a terrifying existence, you’re asking me what I’m afraid of?!
Damn it!! Shouldn’t we be terrified?!
Our strongest member is just a single Low-tier Transcendent Ranger.
“In know that with your cooperation with Lin Gui, you can sweep aside everything in the Transcendent Rank.”
“But the other side has Legendary ranks; even if you stood right in front of them and shot an arrow, you couldn’t break through their protective qi.”
“And we’re talking about Legendaries; do you really think you can sneak up on them for a surprise attack?”
As soon as Elvia finished speaking, Lin Gui’s voice came over.
“It is possible, but we must save Rona first.”
He glanced at the proficiency of Shroud of the Gloomy Night LV9 on his system panel, and his mana capacity which was just a single step away from advancement.
Every jump in sub-rank was accompanied not only by an explosive growth in mana capacity but also a deeper understanding and control of mastered magic.
If he could break through to the Mid-tier High Rank during this adventure, then the single tiny flaw in Shroud of the Gloomy Night when facing the Legendary rank might be completely eliminated.
With that thought, Lin Gui took the lead and entered the secret passage, controlling the wooden boxes and raft.
Rate on N.U.
