By the time dawn broke again, Silvermoon City appeared on the horizon.
It was not the gleaming, golden spectacle from the game.
Instead, it was like a heavily wounded beast, slouched on the hillside and gasping for breath.
The city was still white, its tall towers and arched bridges shimmering like pearls under the morning light.
But the outer ring was completely ruined, covered in massive patches of charred black.
The city walls had collapsed in several places, and through the gaps, piles of broken tiles and ruined bricks could be seen.
That black scar crawling all the way from the Dead Scar was like a blunt knife, hacking violently straight into the southern district of the city.
Yet, the city was still alive.
Even from miles away, Luo Xun could “see” the energy in motion—the entire city was shrouded in a cracked, golden eggshell of a barrier, with thousands of golden currents flowing along the streets, lining the walls, and coursing beneath the earth, weaving a grid so dense it made his head spin.
And to the east of the city, at the furthest edge of the sky, there was a void.
It wasn’t black, but an emptiness where everything had been utterly drained.
A massive, swirling vortex of gray and gold loomed there like a pierced heart, pumping out blood mixed with pus.
The remnants of the Sunwell.
Or rather, the corrupted Sunwell.
The game didn’t have this effect.
*Terrible graphics by comparison,* he thought.
“This is our capital,” Halduron’s voice rose in the morning breeze, his tone complex.
“Once the most beautiful city in the world.
Now…
you see it.” The group quietly watched the wounded city in the distance.
No one cheered, no one got excited; there was only the exhaustion of having reached the end of the road.
They continued forward.
The closer they got to the city, the clearer the details became.
Elves were moving in the ruins of the outer ring.
They weren’t soldiers, but civilians, rummaging through the rubble—perhaps looking for leftover belongings, perhaps searching for the bones of loved ones.
Every single one of them wore tattered clothes, their faces gray as ash, their eyes frighteningly hollow.
Catching sight of Halduron’s group, they raised their heads.
A spark of light first flashed in their eyes, thinking it was supplies or reinforcements.
But when their gaze landed on Luo Xun, that spark instantly went out, replaced by blatant hatred and disgust.
“A human…” “Why did they bring a human…” “Filthy, short-lived thing…” Whispers slithered out from the cracks of the ruins like snakes.
Luo Xun’s face remained impassive, his gaze sweeping over them as if they were stones by the side of the road.
Inside, however, he was analyzing: *Looking at this, the high elves must have just reclaimed the city.
That means the timeline…* Alice walked at the front, her face veiled.
But the civilians recognized her—her attire was far too prominent, and so were her guards, who bore the crest of House Sunfire.
“The Lady of House Sunfire…” “She’s alive!” “My Lady!
Save us!
Give us food!
Give us some mana!
We’re almost—” Pleading voices rose.
Several elves stumbled out of the ruins, reaching for the hem of Alice’s cloak.
At a glance from Halduron, two rangers stepped forward, silently blocking them.
“Stand back,” Halduron’s voice was freezing.
“Lady Alice has just returned from the front lines and needs to rest.
For supply matters, go to the civil magistrate.” Those who had been stopped kept their eyes locked onto Alice.
In their gazes were despair, hope, and…
a trace of resentment.
*Why did you get to come back alive?* *Why didn’t you die out there?* Luo Xun could read those looks.
On Earth, after a disaster, the survivors looked at each other the exact same way.
The problems this race faced were far more complex than what met the eye.
Alice didn’t look back.
She walked steadily, her spine straight.
But Luo Xun noticed that her knuckles holding the reins were white.
Finally, they reached the main gate—or rather, what was left of its frame.
The massive white archway, which should have been grand, now bore a gaping crack down the middle.
The gates forged from magical metal were long gone, leaving only charred hinges hanging from the frame.
The head of the sun phoenix carved atop the archway had been completely sheared off, leaving only half a bare neck.
There were guards on both sides.
They weren’t the polished Silvermoon City guards from the game, but battle-worn soldiers—their chainmail was patched, they held spears, and their faces were worn with fatigue and wariness.
About twenty of them stood on either side of the gate.
Seeing Halduron’s group, they clearly breathed a sigh of relief.
“General!” The guard captain, a middle-aged elf with an eyepatch over his left eye, quickly stepped forward.
“You’ve returned.
And this is…” His gaze landed on Alice, and he froze.
In the next instant, he dropped to one knee with a heavy thud, a reflex so fast it seemed like instinct.
Behind him, all the guards knelt in unison.
“Lady Alice!” The captain’s voice trembled.
“Sunwell above…
you’re safe!
Magister Rommath has been looking for you for half a month.
We all thought you…” “Rise, Alasir,” Alice said, her voice flat, devoid of emotion.
“I am fine.
My father…
how is he?” “The Magister…” Alasir stood up, hesitating for a moment.
“He worries for you.
But he is…
busy.
The Convocation, and stabilizing the Sunwell…” The words were vague, but anyone could read between the lines: Rommath Sunfire was currently overwhelmed and up to his ears in trouble.
Alice nodded, pressing no further.
She turned to Luo Xun.
“This is Luo Xun.
He saved me in the Ghostlands.
I am bringing him into the city.” Twenty pairs of eyes instantly pinned themselves onto Luo Xun.
Unlike the hostility of the civilians in the outer ruins, the soldiers’ gazes were more complex.
There was scrutiny, doubt, and bewilderment, but at least they didn’t openly show disgust—they were exercising restraint because this was someone Alice had brought.
“A human?” Alasir’s brow furrowed.
“Lady, this…
violates regulations.
Non-elves entering the inner city requires a special permit from the Convocation, or at least a joint guarantee from three councilors.
Ever since the war, the rules have become even stricter…” “He saved my life,” Alice interrupted, her tone calm but carrying an undeniable weight.
“An exception can be made.
If my father or the Convocation has any questions, tell them to come to me directly.” Alasir’s mouth twitched as if he wanted to say more, but facing Alice’s unyielding stance, he ultimately bowed his head.
“…As you command, My Lady.
However, his weapons must be temporarily confiscated.
It is the rule, and it applies to everyone.” “Fine,” Luo Xun spoke up, using the elven tongue.
His accent was strange, but his phrasing was perfectly clear.
He unslung the composite bow from his back and handed it, along with his quiver, to Alasir.
His movements were swift, without a shred of hesitation.
Along the journey, he had already realized that Alice’s status was likely far higher than he had anticipated.
Since that was the case, it meant there would be far more resources at his disposal.
Getting into a conflict with these low-level guards was both foolish and unwise.
Alasir was stunned, clearly not expecting this human to speak elven so well, let alone cooperate so easily.
He took the bow and arrows, looked them over, and frowned again—likely scoffing at how crude the bow was.
*Scoff all you want, it’s not for you anyway.* “And this blade,” Alasir pointed to the hunting knife at Luo Xun’s waist.
Luo Xun unbuckled the sheath and handed it over.
Alasir handed the weapons to the guards behind him and stepped aside to clear the path.
“Please enter, Lady.
The Magister…
should be waiting for you at home.” Alice nodded and stepped through the city gates.
Luo Xun followed her over the threshold.
From the corner of his eye, he could feel the guards’ gazes still glued to his back.
Once inside the city, he would likely have even less freedom than outside.
But to gain something, one must give up something.
He withdrew his gaze and looked ahead.
The streets of Silvermoon’s inner city stretched out in the morning light.
The white marble pavement was relatively clean, but the buildings on both sides bore visible signs of repair.
Occasionally, well-dressed elves walked past in a hurry.
They paused briefly to bow to Alice upon seeing her, and then their eyes swept over Luo Xun with various expressions.
A faint smell of burning hung in the air, mixed with a familiar, ozone-like scent of magical overload.
Luo Xun took a deep breath.
Alright, he was in the city.
Next came the real test.
A thought suddenly bubbled up in his mind: *What expression will that father, Magister Rommath, make when he sees this ‘human savior’?* *Gratitude?
Suspicion?
Or…
something else?*