All the preparations were finished before dawn the next day.
Cui Ciyou stood in the middle of his room, checking the items in his pack one by one-a habit he had developed before every long journey.
Coins accepted on the Demon Continent, tucked into a leather purse;
A dozen or so medium-quality Magic Crystals, carefully wrapped in soft cloth, to serve as backup energy sources or, when necessary, currency;
A map of the teleportation ruins, provided by Perugius and compiled overnight by Nanahoshi Shizuka, marking every known ruin on the Demon Continent;
A detailed map of the Demon Continent, along with five Light Elf scrolls that Sylphy had insisted he take.
Besides those, he had a longsword at his waist and several hidden pockets sewn into his inner clothing.
The pack on his back weighed just enough-not so much that it would slow him down, but enough to keep him alive in the wilderness for at least half a month.
"Everything's here."
He murmured to himself and tightened the straps of his pack.
With all his gear ready, it was time to leave.
The Teleportation Magic Circle had been set up on the lowest level of the Floating Fortress's castle, and Shivalier led the way.
Cui Ciyou silently counted the floors-they had descended three full levels from the ground-floor hall.
"Here we are." Shivalier stopped before a heavy stone door.
The door bore no ornamentation, only a simple dragon emblem carved into its center.
Shivalier pressed her palm against the emblem and channeled magic power into it. With a low grinding sound, the stone door slowly swung inward.
The room beyond was more spacious than he had imagined.
It was about half the size of a basketball court, with a high vaulted ceiling.
There was no furniture inside, only a