Chapter 54: Far Gate

"You're late, Mr. Luo De."

At the gate of Shi Ying Town.

The carriage stood still; the tall, brown horses flicked their ears to shoo away mosquitoes, Zhuanxin grazing on the grass stems.

A female goblin sat on the shoulder of a magic golem, standing beside the carriage, her face showing slight annoyance.

Luo De arrived in a hurry, carrying his luggage.

His hair was still disheveled, a tangled mess.

"My apologies, Miss Gaima. A minor mishap occurred—we can depart now."

"Wasn't there supposed to be another lady, a succubus?"

"She's resting inside my shadow—no concern."

Gaima muttered something under her breath, inaudible to all; she then began commanding the magic golem to untie the horses.

She was the guide for this journey to Cuiyu City, and also the cousin of merchant Pete; both she and Pete rode the same model of magic golem.

Goblins are a highly family-oriented intelligent race; they often develop as unified clans. Indeed, as soon as Pete learned Luo De needed a guide, he immediately recommended his own cousin.

Gaima sighed inwardly.

She had already heard from her cousin that this employer was a human who kept a succubus; she had prepared herself mentally as best she could, yet still felt a small shock now.

That overwhelming scent of women, that thick aroma of heather—surely last night involved some unspeakable party?

Luo De had no idea what Gaima was thinking.

He plopped down into the carriage.

As his awareness cleared, fragments of last night’s events returned to him.

Inside a room nearly filled with pink mist, figures of a treant, a succubus, and an elf had appeared.

"Probably Tally’s doing..."

The first two were no issue—he knew them well—but Kali Site was the problem.

Kali Site belonged to the traditional elf lineage, which was extremely conservative; though not quite to the extent of “better starve than lose one’s virtue,” such transgressions often ended in mutual destruction.

The Snow Hill Evening News once reported a merchant who illegally purchased an elf lady, abused her, and accidentally let her escape—only to have his entire family slaughtered by her tribe.

Though the journalist likely exaggerated, it still proved how seriously elves take this!

Upon realizing this, Luo De went straight to Kali Site ’s magic treehouse that morning.

Unexpectedly,

Kali Site appeared in the treehouse as if nothing had happened.

Her face was still sour, but otherwise unchanged.

"Did I just misremember?"

Since today was the day to depart for Cuiyu City, and the person herself showed no issue,

he had no choice but to suppress his doubts.

As for Tally,

Luo De found her on the ceiling beam.

The idiot had passed out from overindulgence, her belly swollen, burping and rolling her eyes.

After waking her, she also remembered nothing of last night.

"Hold tight, Mr. Luo De—we’re departing."

Gaima’s magic golem sat at the front of the carriage.

"One last reminder: have you packed all your supplies? We won’t enter Windstorm City—we’ll stop only at Scorching City, then proceed directly to Cuiyu City."

"Understood. Let’s go."

With that,

the whip cracked sharply; hooves pounded the ground.

Luo De officially set foot on the path to Cuiyu City.

One week later.

Luo De’s carriage appeared on a distant hilltop outside Scorching City.

He leapt out and stretched his body with a loud yawn.

The journey was even more boring than he’d imagined.

No bandits attacked, no noble lady was injured.

Gaima was a highly skilled guide, and she seemed to possess a flying device capable of scouting the road ahead—often veering off the planned route. Perhaps that was why the journey felt so dull.

Dusk had fallen; golden light filtered through the clouds, forming a swirling white vortex above the massive Scorching City in the distance.

"That’s Scorching City’s signature natural phenomenon, Mr. Luo De. It appears only at dawn and dusk—we’re perfectly positioned to see it."

Gaima said.

Immediately, those at higher elevations felt a wave of stifling heat rising from below.

Luo De and Tally showed no reaction.

Gaima’s forehead quickly beaded with sweat.

Autumn had arrived; unlike cool Shi Ying Town, Scorching City lived up to its name—seasons were meaningless, the air thick with heat, only cooling slightly when the sun set.

"Are humans really this heat-resistant?"

Gaima muttered.

Luo De had high fire resistance—this was nothing to him.

As for Tally—he didn’t quite understand her.

"Succubi adapt better than you imagine, my master. Otherwise, how do you think we conquered fire lizards, fire spirits, and fire demons?"

"Fire demons? You’re exaggerating again—they’re as big as giants."

"We have shape-shifting, silly~ One of my grandmothers could turn into a female fire demon... hehe, compared to that, your tiny form is adorable too."

Luo De’s lip twitched; he pinched her cheek hard, making her lips puff out cutely.

Perhaps sensing Luo De’s strict control over his diet, Tally had shifted her tactics—now she teased him with sharp words instead.

But shape-shifting? That might actually be true.

Since reaching the sixth tier, Tally’s shape-shifting had improved somewhat.

A few days ago, to avoid Gaima, she transformed into enormous white wings, snatched up Luo De, and flew into the air to feed.

They nearly crashed off a cliff.

"Pay attention, Mr. Luo De."

Gaima pointed toward the nearly red land behind Scorching City.

"That’s one of the continent’s rare open-air mazes. Neither the monsters nor the maze’s peculiar rules can be handled by outsiders—and worse, it’s our only route."

"Can’t we go around it?"

An open-air maze? That sounded like trouble. Luo De just wanted to reach Cuiyu City and ascend his realm.

"Unfortunately, no—it’s far larger than you imagine. We must hire a local guide from Scorching City. Of course, this expense is already covered in our contract."

"You’re the most professional guide I’ve ever met, Miss Gaima."

"Thank you for the compliment."

Moments later,

the rising heatwave gradually faded.

The temperature cooled to the appropriate evening chill—though, against the backdrop of the heat, it felt even colder.

They set up camp.

Gaima sprinkled beast-repelling powder around the campsite in a circle.

Even though they were close to the city, this was still wilderness—anyone who underestimated the wild would meet a grim end.

Luo De closed his eyes and began practicing the [Night Hunter Breathing Method].

This perception-based breathing technique progressed especially well at night.

A spiritual breeze spread outward from him, reaching beyond three hundred meters.

For a warrior focused on close combat, this range was more than sufficient.

Soon, the Night Hunter Breathing Method successfully entered its second stage.

(End of Chapter)