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  Xī Fēi ěr jiàng qǐ shuǐ bēi, lǎng xiào dào: "Jūn yíng zhōng shì bù xǔ yǔ de jiǔ de, jīn tiān wǒ jiù yǐ shuǐ dài jiǔ, wèi wǒmen guāng míng hǔ jūn zhī qián duì zhǎng lǎo de mào fàn dào qiàn." Jī hū suǒ yǒu guāng míng hǔ jūn de gāo jí jiàng lǐng quán dōu zài zuò, bāo kuò píng shí bù zěn me hé jūn duì jiē chù de mó fǎ shī tuán tuán zhǎng sī ruì zài nèi, dà jiā yī qǐ zhàn qǐ le shuǐ bēi.

  Ah-Dai hastily stood up and awkwardly said: "I understand that you also have difficulties, how can I blame you?"

  The senior generals of the Guangming Tiger Army lavished praise on Ah-Dai's powerful strength with extravagant words, and a grand feast ended after two hours in a joyful atmosphere.

  Xī Fēiér personally led his men to escort the three of ā Dāi to the border. "Elder, if you encounter any danger in the Luò Rì Empire, immediately return. As long as you arrive here, we will definitely be able to guarantee your safety. However, my worries should all be for nothing. With your powerful abilities, those despicable guys from the Luò Rì Empire wouldn't be able to harm you."

  Suri said: "Ah-Dong Elder, you are the most powerful magician I have ever seen. You can maintain your summoned creature for more than an hour, and even in magic books, I haven't seen it before!"

  Yan Shi had already heard enough of their praise and said somewhat impatiently, "Alright, no need to see us off, we have a long way to go. Ah Dai, let's go."

  Xī Fēiěr and others watched as the three of ādāi disappeared from view before returning to the military camp. With a nervous heart, he went to write a report letter to àoěrdūosī.

  Finally entered the territory of the Empire of Sunset, Ah-Dai took out the Spirit Bracelet from the Dragon's Blood and said: "Those generals are really too enthusiastic, my head is dizzy!" Socializing for Ah-Dai can be said to be the most unskilled, today in the military camp he spoke more than ten days' worth of words.

  Yanli burst out laughing: "Who allowed you to summon such a powerful silver dragon? No wonder they keep flattering you. Brother Astupid, from now on when we encounter enemies, just summon the dragon and who can be our opponent? Those nobles of the Empire of Sunset are nothing."

  "Actually, Sheng Xie is just a small dragon, its strength is very limited, it's just been exaggerated by Western Field Commander and the others. Dragons are powerful, but not invincible." He clearly understood how strong Sheng Xie was, if he used his full power with the Xuan Tie Bow, Sheng Xie would be unable to withstand it. The reason why it caused such a huge shock in the military camp was mainly due to the intimidation brought by this powerful and mysterious creature.

  Yan Shi Dao said, "Ah Dui is right. No matter what we do, we must have enough strong power to guarantee our safety. The dragon can't be summoned every time either. We need to work hard to cultivate ourselves while searching for the spirit." As they spoke, the three of them had already entered the Dark Province of the Sunset Empire. Unlike the large army stationed in the Light Province, the Dark Province was very quiet. The three of them passed through a hilly area and entered the plain. They didn't dare to move too fast, advancing in a circuitous route, using the spirit ring's ability to explore whether there were any spirits around.

  The Imperial Palace of the Dark Province of the Sunset Empire, the residence of the Lord of Dark City.

  Five dark mages and four assassins who remained from the surprise attack on the Mages Guild sat scattered in a large, dimly lit room.

  The door opened, a ray of light shone in from outside, and a middle-aged man wearing magnificent clothes walked into the room. He turned his hand to close the door, and the room was plunged back into darkness. The assassins were still scattered around, while the five dark magicians stood up.

  The middle-aged man asked faintly, "What's the outcome of this trip? Why did the bright and wise Ordos concentrate all his troops on the border? Did you guys reveal the purpose of this trip?"

  The dark magician with his hands behind his back said in a somewhat hoarse voice, "The Magician's Guild is more powerful than we imagined. This sneak attack did not succeed."

  The middle-aged man frowned and said, "Didn't you succeed? To what extent did you fail? Was it because of you that the Bright Tiger Army of Ordos gathered?"

  The dark magician snorted, saying: "Don't use the tone of questioning subordinates to talk to me. This operation was indeed a complete failure, and not one of the Magic Guild's people died at our hands. It was only when the garrison of the Radiant Province chased us that we killed several hundred ordinary soldiers."

  The cold light in the eyes of the middle-aged man could still be seen clearly even in a dimly lit room. "A complete failure? With such careful planning, why did it end in complete failure. The Magician's Guild couldn't have been prepared beforehand, losing so many men, how am I supposed to explain this to the Grand Duke. Tell me what happened."

  "Hmph, no need for you to mediate, I'll go talk to the Grand Duke myself. No need to explain further, prepare the carriage immediately, we're heading back to Sunset City."

  The middle-aged man exuded an aura of coldness all over his body, his tone icy and devoid of any emotion. "Why can't you explain it to me? Don't forget, I'm the one who planned this operation."

  The black-robed magician wasn't intimidated by the other's appearance at all, and disdainfully said: "Because you're not worthy of hearing my explanation. Don't forget what status I hold either. Not to mention that you're just a small viscount, even dukes treat me with courtesy. I don't have time to argue with you here, hurry up and prepare the carriage, I need to return and report to the Pope."

  The middle-aged man's body trembled slightly, and he barely suppressed his boundless anger. The forces behind the dark magician were not something he could afford to provoke, even if it meant relying on them for the sake of the duke. He tried to keep his voice calm as he said, "The carriage is ready, you can leave now."

  The black-robed magician said calmly, "Let's go." He walked towards the door first. Opening the door, he stopped under the light outside and his long back cast a shadow on the middle-aged man. With his back to the middle-aged man, he said, "Considering you are the legitimate child of the Duke, I'll remind you. In the Magician's Guild, there is a young magician with exceptional martial skills. This time's action was ruined by him. I didn't see how his magic was, but his martial skills were very impressive. Moreover, I used the devil's summoning in the Magician's Guild, and later when waiting for news, we found that the forbidden devil summoning did not bring any casualties to the Magician's Guild. Think about it carefully." After finishing speaking, he left with four magicians and the remaining assassins. With a bang, the last person out closed the door forcefully, leaving only the middle-aged man called Viscount alone in the room.

  The anger in the middle-aged man's heart was dispelled by the dark magician's last words. He muttered to himself, "Devil's summoning? That guy actually used devil's summoning. Doesn't he know how dangerous this magic is? And yet the Magician's Guild accepted this magic. The young martial artist and magician, it seems that this operation can't be said to be a complete failure after all. At least they were able to investigate Huasheng's true intentions. Who would have thought that they also had hidden forces?" As he thought about this, his somewhat pale face revealed a sinister expression.

  "Come in." The middle-aged man shouted loudly. A slender figure pushed the door open and slipped inside through a narrow gap. A pleasant but cold voice sounded, "Master."

  "Pass on my orders, all previous deployments are cancelled, and everyone returns to their posts to await further instructions. Also, order the Eagle to infiltrate Guangming Province, gather information about a young magician skilled in martial arts, and report back immediately upon discovery. Additionally, have our scouts keep an eye on the movements of the troops gathering in Guangming Province, and report back quickly if anything unusual is detected."

  "Yes, master." The slender figure flashed and disappeared. A middle-aged man's mouth curled into a wicked smile as he followed the slender figure out of the room. The dark room fell silent once again, devoid of any signs of life.

  The sky had darkened, and Ah Diao and his two companions stopped at a wind-sheltered mountain ridge.

  Yan Li sat on the ground with a thud, discontentedly saying: "It would be better to stay overnight in the military camp. Why rush out in the evening? Now look, there's no village ahead and no shops behind, we'll have to sleep in the wilderness again."

  "Sorry, Rocky, but those generals are just too enthusiastic. I'm afraid if we don't leave, they'll keep us up all night."

  Yanli HaHa smiled and said, "Good pull, no need to explain, just kidding with you. Hurry up, use your fire magic to ignite the bonfire now, it's only March and the cold air is still quite strong." As he spoke, he pointed to the branches and leaves that the three of them had just gathered from the ground.

  A'Doh responded with a murmur, chanting an incantation he hadn't used in ages. "Fire elements that permeate the heavens and earth! Grant me your warm power, condense into a sphere, and manifest before me!" A'Doh clearly felt the fire elements around him gathering towards himself, those tiny red sparks continuously converging, and with a soft whooshing sound, his hand lit up. A deep blue fireball, about ten centimeters in diameter, blazed to life as if from the depths of hell itself. A'Doh was startled - had his spiritual power advanced once more? How did this fireball become so large, and its heat seemed to have increased by a lot too?

  His magical power had increased, no, it was his spiritual control that had improved. Over the past six months, he had been practicing transforming his life force into solid forms and changing its shape at will, which allowed him to constantly cultivate his spiritual energy. Although he hadn't deliberately meditated, his spiritual energy had still made some progress, making it easier for him to control magical elements. Ah-Dai stretched out his left hand, mobilizing his life force, and a faint white glow flickered on his fingertips. With a light tap on the fireball, a small blue spark flew out, which, although tiny, ignited the entire pile of branches when it landed on them, illuminating the dark night. The three felt their bodies warm up at the same time. They placed their hands beside the fire to warm themselves up. Yan Li said, "Ah-Dai, I'll go find some more branches. The fire is too small; I think these won't be enough for a whole night." After speaking, he turned and headed towards a nearby thicket.

  Because all three of them ate too much today, they are not hungry now. Ah-Dai and Yan Shi found some dry leaves left over from winter and piled them together as a temporary bed to sleep on.

  "Ah, stupid brother, this time finding the spirit tribe won't be that easy. If we want to set foot in every corner of the Empire of Sunset, two years might not even be enough. Moreover, who knows if there are other countries involved with those kidnapped spirits? That would make things even more troublesome."

  "Ah-Dai thought for a moment, then said: 'Brother Rock, we discussed this before. Since those elves were kidnapped by the Thieves' Guild, they must have been sold to some wealthy noble who could afford them. I think that since it's a wealthy noble, they shouldn't be in some remote place. Although the Empire of Sunset is vast, there shouldn't be too many cities where wealthy nobles reside. If we make those big cities our primary target and search through them first, we should have some gains. As long as we can find an elf, we'll definitely learn something from them, and it will be much easier to find the rest afterwards. What do you think?'"

  The rock stared at Ah Diao for a long time before reacting, then laughed and said: "Ah Diao, when did you become so clever? This is indeed a good idea!"

  Ah-Dai scratched his head, looking somewhat embarrassed, and said: "I'm not saying I'm clever or anything, it's just that this idea suddenly came to me and I blurted it out. Big brother, do you think it's feasible?"

  Yan Shi laughed and said, "Of course it's feasible. This might be the best way now. Come, let me take a look." He took out a map from his pocket and spread it on the ground, first finding their current location, then searching around. "Ah, that's it! We're in the Dark Province, and the provincial capital of Dark City is the largest city near here. It's already very close to us. Let's start from here, then we'll search every provincial capital city, and our final target will be the imperial capital of the Sunset Empire."

  "Alright, let's hurry up and head to the Dark March Province tomorrow. Hopefully we'll gain something from this first stop."

  "Let me go, let me go! Let me die, let me die! What's the point of living?" The wailing sound kept coming, Ah-Dai and Yan Shi stared in shock, only to see Yan Li running out of the woods with someone under his arm, that person struggling constantly, and the wailing sound seemed to be coming from him.

  Yan Li's body flew up and landed beside Ah Dai and the rock, his hand relaxed, and he threw the person who was stuck in his hand to the ground. It was a middle-aged man, with many tears on his clothes, pale face, and a disheveled appearance. After being thrown to the ground, he suddenly cried out in pain, got up, pointed at Yan Li's nose and scolded, "You dwarf, who asked you to interfere? Do I not even have the right to die? What are you to control me?" He spoke in fluent Holy See language, which all three of them could understand.

  His insults had touched Yan Li's reverse scales, and with a flash of black light, a battle axe was already placed on his neck. Yan Li said in a hateful tone: "Who did you call a dwarf pumpkin?"

  The middle-aged man snorted and said: "Of course it's you, go ahead and kill me, killing me would be great, I've long since not wanted to live."

  A'Dai and Yan Shi stared at the middle-aged man in surprise. Yan Shi asked, "A Li, what's going on? You went to find firewood and brought back a person instead."

  Yan Li angrily said: "This guy is simply a scoundrel, I just saw him trying to hang himself in the woods and kindly saved him, but he actually scolded me. If I had known better, I would have let him die."

  The silly man stood up, walked to the middle-aged man's side, put down the war axe of Rock Power, and said in a gentle voice: "Uncle, what are you thinking? Why do you want to go die? Once you're dead, you can't come back to life."

  The middle-aged man glared at Ah-Dai, "Nonsense! If I wanted to die, I wouldn't have thought of coming back to life. What's the point of me living anymore? I've lost everything, everything!" As he spoke, his emotions became agitated again. Ah-Dai pressed down on the middle-aged man's shoulder and poured a thick, pure life energy into his body. The energy brought a vigorous vitality that nourished the middle-aged man's body, his face reddened slightly, and his emotions gradually calmed down. He sat down on the ground with a thud, his eyes becoming dull and expressionless.

  The silly man looked at the rock and squatted beside the middle-aged man, asking: "Uncle, what exactly drove you to take this desperate path? Tell us, will you? We'll definitely do our best to help you."

  The middle-aged man looked at Ah-Dai, and only then did he realize that he was wearing a magician's attire. A glimmer of hope ignited in his eyes as he muttered to himself: "I used to be a wealthy merchant in the Dark City, with a wife and many concubines, and my family's wealth was immense. But just within this past year, I've lost everything! What's the point of me living on? I'm already over 40 years old, it's impossible for me to make a comeback." As he spoke, he recounted his experiences.

  It turned out that this person's name was Vatana, and he had originally been in the business of selling medicinal herbs within the Dark Province. After more than ten years of hard work, he had established a vast family enterprise. As he entered middle age, his drive to succeed gradually waned, and he began to rest on his laurels. He bought a grand mansion and shops in the provincial capital of the Dark City, continuing to do business selling medicinal herbs.

  Due to the poor law and order in the Dark City, fights often broke out, resulting in a high demand for medicinal herbs. His business flourished, attracting customers from other provinces and cities. Over the years, he became somewhat famous in the Dark City. As his wealth grew, so did his decadence. He developed a taste for beautiful women and gambling, marrying over ten concubines and starting to gamble under the influence of some friends.

  Gambling was addictive, and Vatana's addiction quickly grew stronger. At first, he could still control himself, but as time passed, his bets became larger and larger. Soon, he became a big spender, throwing away money like water. Within a year, not only did he lose all his family's wealth, but he also accumulated a large amount of debt from gambling. Even his concubines left him, leaving him alone.

  Two days ago, the people from the gambling den came to collect debts again. To escape with his life, Vatana had no choice but to flee the Dark City. He spent two days and nights in fear, bringing him to the brink of collapse. He felt that he had lost everything, and living on would only mean being pursued by creditors. It was better to end his own life.

  Just as he was about to hang himself from a tree with his belt, he encountered Ah-Dai, who happened to be gathering firewood in the forest.

  After listening to Wattana's story, Ah-Dai took a deep breath of cold air. Although he still didn't quite understand what gambling was, he was deeply shocked by the harm it had caused. "Uncle, is gambling that scary? It can actually drive you to desperation. Wouldn't it be better if you just didn't gamble?"

  Wattana smiled wryly and said, "You're right, it's easy to get hooked. Gambling is more addictive than beautiful women. It can make you rich overnight or leave you penniless. Although few people win, most are obsessed and can't control themselves. As soon as they have money in their hands, they feel an itch. The gambling industry in Dark City is very developed, from 80-year-old seniors to teenagers, almost everyone gambles. People like me who have lost everything aren't just one or two."

  "The rock snorted disdainfully, saying: 'You all brought this upon yourselves. You had a comfortable life, but you insisted on throwing yourself into the abyss of gambling. It was you who forced yourself onto this path.'"

  Wattana let out a sigh, his voice filled with pain: "Yes! I forced myself. But little brother, you don't know, when someone has too much money to spend and has enjoyed everything they should have, their soul is so empty. In search of spiritual comfort, that's why I took this path of no return. Now I regret it, but what's the use? I've lost everything, it can't be undone. For me now, maybe death is the best release. If there's another life, I definitely won't gamble again. Just let me go die, I have no hope left."

  "Hey, don't talk about the next life, you're not that old yet! You can still start anew and it's not too late. Uncle, you need to cheer up, you can go back to your old profession, who knows, maybe you'll regain your former glory!" He couldn't just watch Watanabe commit suicide, so he tried his best to comfort him.

  Wattana sighed and said, "It's impossible now. I no longer have the vigor of my youth, nor do I have children to care for. You can say that I am free from all attachments. Thank you for listening to me pour out my heart. I should leave now. Find a place to end myself, so as not to trouble you further. Death is probably my best release. Perhaps the debt collectors from the casino are already closing in on this place."

  Ah-Dai grabbed Watan's arm as he tried to stand up and said, "Uncle, don't be like that, it's just a matter of money, we'll help you pay it back!"

  Wattana glanced at Ah-Dai and said, "You may be a magician, but the amount I owe is not small, it's over 10,000 gold coins! That's not something that can be easily repaid. Alas, in the past, more than 10,000 gold coins wouldn't have been a big deal for me, but now it's different. Even if I were to sell myself by the pound, I'm afraid I wouldn't be worth one percent of that amount."

  He was taken aback for a moment, then said: "Over ten thousand gold coins?" This number made him recall what Kari had told him when he was in the City of Light. As an elder of the Mage Guild, he could mobilize any amount of money under ten thousand gold coins at any branch. Didn't that mean he already had over ten thousand gold coins? Since it was to save someone, it wouldn't be considered reckless spending either. Thinking this way, he resolutely said: "What's just over ten thousand gold coins? Don't worry, Uncle, I'll help you pay it back. Then you can start anew and still have a chance to begin again!"

  Wattana's eyes lit up and he grabbed Ah-Dai's shoulder, his voice trembling as he said: "Little brother, what did you just say?"

  "Listen, I'll help you pay off your gambling debt. That way, you won't have to die, okay?"

  The rock beside him shook his head secretly, thinking that Ah Diao didn't even know the details of this person, but after listening to only one side of the story, he was willing to help him so unreservedly.

  Wattana's body went limp, and she collapsed to the ground, with tears of excitement streaming down her face. She muttered: "Child, you are a good person, you are a good person! I...I have been saved again. It seems that the gods really are watching over me, letting me meet noble people like you."

  Ah-Dai helped Wata Na up and comforted him, saying: "Uncle, don't be like this, we can't just watch you go to the end of the road! You come with us and rest here for a night, tomorrow we'll head to Dark City."

  Wattana panted ceaselessly, staring blankly at the fiery flames in front of her, muttering incoherently.

  Ah-Dai took out dry rations and water, handed them to Wattana, saying: "Uncle, you eat something first, then rest early. When tomorrow comes, everything will be better."

  Wattana took over the dry food and water, choking with sobs: "Little brother, how can I repay you!"

  "Never mind repaying me, just live well and that's enough. Eat quickly." Watanabe seemed to have been starving for a long time, desperately shoving dry rations into his mouth, almost choking before taking a sip of water. Ah-Dai watched Watanabe eat with satisfaction, smiling as helping others was the greatest joy for him, bringing him a sense of fulfillment.

  Yan Shi pulled Ah Dai to his side and said in a low voice, "Ah Dai, there aren't many good people in the Luori Empire. How do you know this guy isn't a scammer? Be careful. Besides, 10,000 gold coins is no small amount. Do you really want to help him?"

  "Big brother, look at Uncle Vatana, how pitiful he is! He's on the verge of taking his own life, how could it be an act? Don't worry about it anymore, one million gold coins may be a lot, but to save someone, it's worth it. I think the Magic Guild won't blame me."

  The rock sighed and said, "Then let's take it one step at a time. It just so happens that we're new here and lack a guide." He couldn't bear to put Ah-Dai in a difficult position, but he secretly paid attention to this sudden appearance of Vatana. Thinking to himself, as long as you show your fox tail, if there's any move that's unfavorable to us, I'll definitely make sure you lose your head and enter the dark province. Since entering the dark province, Rock had always been extremely cautious, after all, this was the darkest place of civilization on the entire continent. Legend had it that this place was filled with evil auras everywhere.

  The next morning, under the leadership of Wata Na, who was familiar with the terrain, the four set out on their journey to the Dark City. Along the way, Wata Na remained silent and spoke little, only occasionally casting grateful glances at Ah Dai. The closer they got to the Dark City, the more worried his expression became.

  Dark City, the capital of Dark Province, its scale seems to be even greater than that of Light City. The bustling crowds are constantly coming and going from the wide city gate, and on the surface, it is impossible to see that this is a city where dark forces are developed, seemingly no different from Light City. When he arrived at the city gate, Vatana stopped in his tracks, his face showing a painful expression, as if what was in front of him was not the city gate, but the gates of hell.

  "Uncle, don't worry, since I promised to help you pay back the money, I'll definitely be able to do it. Let's go inside." Ah-Dai comforted Vatana while taking out the Spirit Ring from his pocket. The ring emitted a faint warmth and suddenly flashed with a soft green light. Ah-Dai looked at the rock, both of their faces filled with excitement and thrill. The ring had already told them that there was a spirit in the Dark City.

  "The luck is really good, didn't expect that we would find the target so smoothly at our first stop." If they could just find one more Spirit Clan member and ask about the others, it would be much easier. At this time, Yan Li also noticed the change in Ah Dai's wristband, and was about to excitedly shout out loud, but was covered by Yan Shi's hand over his mouth, staring at him with a stern expression, before calming down. Vatana seemed to have not noticed their changes, still lowering her head thinking about her own thoughts.

  "Alright, let's go!" Ah-Dai said confidently, looking at the dark city gate. "My suffering spirit friends, you will be freed soon. I will definitely save you from your misery. You must hold on! As he thought this, a resolute glint flashed in Ah-Dai's eyes.

  As they walked to the city gate, Wattana suddenly stopped in his tracks, his body slightly trembling as he said in a low voice: "Ah-Dai little brother, I'm not going in after all. I...I'm afraid of running into debt collectors."

  Ah-Dai blocked Wattana's retreating body, "Uncle, don't be afraid, didn't I promise to help you pay the debt? Once we've paid it off, those people won't bother you again. Come on, let's go inside." As he spoke, he pulled Wattana along and headed into the city, Wattana was no match for Ah-Dai's strength. The four of them finally entered the dark city.

  In the dark city, the flow of people coming and going is more than twice that of the bright city. Everyone looks hurried, and many people have a decadent expression on their faces. After entering the city, Vatana relaxed a bit and whispered to Ah-Dai: "Look at those people with decadent expressions and tired faces. They are all gamblers who lost money after a night of betting. I used to be one of them too!"