Lin Gui was not entirely sure how Elvia had "interrogated" the Eldest Princess the previous night.
He only knew that as dawn broke, this princess of his came to his door and solemnly requested that he immediately lift the "Demon's Poisonous Kiss" from her.
Her reasoning was that she had successfully pried the specific location of Avalon out of Eldest Princess Diana's mouth.
However, the moment Elvia spoke her first sentence, Lin Gui knew she was lying.
"I've figured out the route to Avalon!"
Elvia struggled to make her expression look sincere.
"You need to take a ship across the Silent Sea, resupply at Shield City, and then head northeast, bypassing the outskirts of the Elven Forest..."
She babbled on, describing a route that seemed detailed but actually bypassed all the key locations.
Lin Gui didn't say a word; he simply watched her quietly, his gaze so calm it was unnerving.
Elvia's voice gradually trailed off, and fine beads of cold sweat began to form at her temples.
Under his scrutiny, she felt as though all her pretenses were being stripped away.
"Ahem," she forced a dry cough and defended herself.
"The... the route I interrogated out of her really doesn't pass through the Wall of Sighs. Look, maybe you got your information wrong somewhere else before?"
Lin Gui looked wordlessly at this person who could lie so casually and questioned the system in his mind.
"System, can the route she's talking about actually reach Avalon?"
【No】
【Based on known geographical information recorded by this system, this route will eventually lead to the eastern edge of the Elven Forest.】
【It deviates significantly from Avalon's direction and is extremely distant from it.】
So this girl was still trying to stall for time by leading him in the completely wrong direction.
Lin Gui crossed his arms and quietly watched Elvia's performance.
Nearby, Theia blinked.
She mimicked his posture, crossing her arms and setting her small face in a serious expression, staring fixedly at Elvia just as Lin Gui was doing.
Elvia felt extremely uncomfortable under their gaze.
But she continued to hold her ground, wearing a "righteous and undaunted" expression.
That was until Lin Gui bluffed her.
"I forgot to tell you, I know a High Rank Light magic spell called the Word of Truth."
Elvia's expression changed instantly.
"Oh!"
She immediately switched to a playful, flirtatious look, as if her previous nervousness had never existed.
While speaking, she naturally moved forward, taking Lin Gui's arm and pressing him down into a nearby chair.
She sat down close beside him, nearly pressing herself against his body.
"Dear, listen to me,"
Her voice was soft and sweet, carrying a seductive tone.
"Why do you insist on looking for that illusory Avalon? Wouldn't it be better to stay in Carter and help me?"
"If you help me take the throne, I promise you that I will become a benevolent monarch dedicated to eliminating classes and poverty!"
Her golden eyes flashed with a mixture of ambition and sincerity.
"I will also immediately issue a decree declaring that half-demons enjoy the same rights as other races, ensuring that Sister Theia will never face discrimination again!"
As she spoke, she even leaned toward Lin Gui's ear, whispering in a tone only the two of them could hear.
"When that time comes... I can even let Theia become one of your concubines, you know? We sisters can accompany you together..."
"Pfft—!" Theia, who was drinking water nearby, spat it all out.
Her face instantly turned as red as a ripe apple, and she pointed at Elvia, stammering "Y-you... you... you..." for a long time.
She was unable to get a single complete sentence out.
Lin Gui expressionlessly reached out, placed his hand against Elvia's smooth forehead, and pushed her too-close face away.
"For Theia's sake, Avalon is a must." His tone didn't waver in the slightest.
Elvia was confused.
"Why? With the mask, Theia's wanted appearance is hidden, and she's getting better at controlling her demon energy."
"In the Royal Capital, with my protection, she can come and go as she pleases! She won't have to face the discrimination and persecution she experienced in other city-states!"
Lin Gui countered calmly, "A disguise is, after all, just a disguise. She can't live her entire life wearing a mask."
He turned his head to look at Theia, whose cheeks were still flushed crimson.
"I promised Theia that I would take her to a place where she can show her red eyes without shame—a place that can truly accept her identity."
Theia trembled slightly, a glint of moisture flashing in her emerald-like eyes.
She bit her lip hard and lowered her head, her fingers unconsciously twisting the corner of her clothes, but her heart was filled with a massive wave of warmth.
She had almost forgotten that promise.
Lin Gui looked away and back at Elvia, continuing.
"Moreover, at the City-State Alliance meeting at the end of the year, the 《Half-Demon Disposal Resolution》 will be passed."
"When that time comes, the Ruling Inspectors will bring their teams to every city-state."
"They possess magic and artifacts proficient in perception and specialized in seeing through disguises."
"Theia's Legendary-grade concealment mask might not be enough to fool them."
"When that happens... what will you do? Will you dare to openly defy the inspectors of the City-State Alliance for her sake?"
Elvia opened her mouth but was ultimately left speechless.
Ruling Inspectors... their power within the City-State Alliance was immense.
So high that even her father, the nominal supreme ruler of Carter, had to bow his head before them.
She knew that even if she actually became the Queen of Carter...
She definitely wouldn't have the ability to openly shelter a half-demon that the Alliance's resolution had defined as "evil" right under the noses of the Ruling Inspectors.
Lin Gui sighed and added.
"The deterrent force of the Ruling Inspectors is something even that Fortress Lord of Shield City, the dwarf expert with an Epic title, couldn't handle."
"Let alone you?"
Elvia fell completely silent.
She understood the boundaries of power better than anyone.
Looking at the speechless Elvia, Lin Gui asked directly.
"So, what was the actual news you got from the Eldest Princess regarding Avalon?"
Elvia looked like a deflated balloon, honestly confessing in a weakened state.
"It's... it's about the truth behind Roger's defection back then."
She gathered her thoughts and began her narration.
"It refers to the 'Roger Defection Incident' that shocked the entire upper class."
"For the sake of a half-demon slave whose demon energy had awakened, he killed the First Prince, who was the strongest advocate for purging half-demons at the time."
"Roger was at the High-tier Transcendent rank then, which was very powerful."
"But Knight John and another Legendary expert were in the Royal Capital at the time, pursuing him."
"Logically, it should have been impossible for him to escape."
"But in the end, they still successfully escaped the Royal Capital." Elvia's voice dropped a little, carrying a trace of disbelief.
"According to Big Sister, it was because they encountered... a white-haired, blood-eyed Demon King on their escape route."
"A Demon King?" Lin Gui's brow furrowed.
"Yes," Elvia nodded, a hint of lingering fear on her face.
"Every Demon King possesses terrifying combat strength of at least the Epic tier."
"After that Demon King appeared, he easily forced back the joint pursuit of Knight John and the other Legendary expert."
"He then took Roger and that half-demon slave and simply vanished."
Lin Gui interrupted her, keenly catching another key point.
"What about the other slaves Roger liberated at the time?"
"They were taken as well," Elvia confirmed.
"Big Sister said that Demon King arrived riding an incomparably wide Roc-Eagle and took all the slaves who were willing to follow."
"To avoid panic among the upper class and to prevent excessive attention from the Central City-States, my father ordered the news completely sealed."
"And the information about Avalon?" Lin Gui pressed.
Elvia hesitated for a moment before speaking.
"Big Sister said the information about Avalon was told to Roger by that half-demon slave."
"She was also the one who invited Roger to go to that so-called Avalon together."
"As for the specific route, Big Sister doesn't know either."
"She only knows that the half-demon slave seemed to... have come from Avalon herself."
"She was just unfortunate enough to be captured by sky pirates while passing through the Silent Sea, and that's how she ended up as a slave in Carter."
Lin Gui followed up with several more detailed questions, and after confirming that Elvia wasn't lying this time, a trace of disappointment flashed in his eyes.
The trail had gone cold.
Theia saw this and stepped lightly to his side, whispering comfortingly.
"It's okay, Lin Gui. At least we know now that Avalon might truly exist and... that there are people who have come from there."
Elvia looked expectantly at Lin Gui, asking cautiously.
"Um... the information I provided... is it enough to trade for the antidote?"
Lin Gui glanced at her, his tone flat: "Help me find the Tomb of Catriona."
Elvia's face fell instantly, her expression completely deflated as she cried out.
"I've told you so many times! No one in the entire Royal Capital could possibly know where that Catriona's tomb is! Where am I supposed to find it?!"
Rate on N.U.
