The giant bird carrying Merlin and the others finally arrived near a city called Dunvale.

That place was also their destination to investigate the Dark Tunnel Organization.

The bird spread its wings and swooped downward. To avoid drawing attention, Victor deliberately had it land about three hundred meters from the city.

Once they landed safely, Merlin jumped down, followed by Leina, Jason, and Victor.

"Thanks for the ride," Victor said as he gently stroked the bird's soft feathers.

Croak!

The bird let out a soft cry and affectionately rubbed its head against Victor.

Moments later, it flapped its wings, took to the air, and disappeared into the sky.

"Let's go," Jason said.

Merlin, Leina, and Victor nodded. They put on the brown cloaks they had prepared and headed toward the city gate.

They had a single goal—to gather as much information as possible.

Coincidentally, the city that had fallen victim to the Dark Tunnel Organization's atrocities was only about thirty kilometers from Dunvale.

However, when they reached the city gate, they were stunned by the sight before them.

The gates of Dunvale were tightly shut, and numerous merchants and refugees from other cities were lined up outside.

Anger and frustration were etched across their faces as they continued to pound on the gates with all their strength.

"Open the gates! I need to deliver the goods I promised my clients!"

"Damn it! What is this? My daughter is inside the city! Hurry up and open the gates!"

"Please, guards, let me in! I need to make a living in this city!"

Shouts of anger and frustration rang out from every direction.

Merlin, Leina, Jason, and Victor exchanged uneasy glances.

"Why is Dunvale sealed off like this?" Jason asked hesitantly. "Are they shutting themselves away from the outside world?"

He remembered clearly that just two months ago, Dunvale had still been open to visitors.

Now, everything had changed. The city had closed itself off from outsiders.

"It's probably connected to the Dark Tunnel Organization," Merlin said seriously. "You all remember how they managed to launch their attack, don't you?"

His words stunned the others. Of course, they remembered.

Those bastards had posed as refugees, earning the city's trust.

No one would have guessed they were wolves in sheep's clothing.

Instead of repaying the residents' kindness, they had captured them and used them as sacrifices to summon demons.

"Your reasoning makes sense," Leina said, her tone admiring. "But if that's the case, gathering information will be difficult. Dunvale is the closest—and best—city for learning about the Dark Tunnel."

A small sigh escaped her lips. In truth, there were several other cities where information could be gathered.

However, all of them were quite far away—sixty to a hundred kilometers from the city where the Dark Tunnel Organization was located.

Because of that, Dunvale was the only suitable choice.

"Don't worry. I don't think the leader of Dunvale City is that stupid," Victor said, adjusting his glasses. "It seems he deliberately gathered the newcomers for a reason. As for what that reason is, I suspect they'll conduct a selection to decide who is allowed to enter."

It was impossible for a city to stand on its own without the support of merchants.

After all, merchants brought food supplies and other daily necessities needed by the city's people.

"You're very smart." Jason smiled in satisfaction. "Then let's join them and wait for the gates to open."

The three of them didn't object. They walked toward the crowd and waited quietly.

Just as Victor had predicted, the city gates finally opened. However, fifty soldiers appeared with swords at their sides, clearly prepared for battle.

Their sudden appearance surprised everyone present.

The crowd hurriedly suppressed their anger and waited for an explanation.

One of the soldiers stepped forward. He was a man in his early thirties.

He was tall, with a strong aura radiating from his body.

He was Klein—the leader of the Dunvale City army.

Klein looked at them one by one, then spoke coldly. "Forgive us for our recent actions. However, I hope you understand our intentions. The fall of Helvar City into the hands of evil people has made us wary. We don't want the same thing to happen here, so please don't take offense."

Although he apologized, his tone remained firm and indifferent, as if he didn't care whether his words were accepted.

Everyone noticed this, yet no one dared to point it out.

After all, the soldiers before them were the legitimate guardians of Dunvale City.

More importantly, the swords at the soldiers' waists were enough to intimidate anyone.

Seeing the fear on their faces, Klein nodded in satisfaction and continued, "All right. Line up. I'll begin the inspection."

Everyone nodded and began lining up in the order they had arrived.

Since Merlin and his group had come last, they inevitably ended up at the back.

The inspection was strict and time-consuming, and before they realized it, two hours had passed.

"Next," Klein ordered in a flat tone.

Jason stepped forward first, followed by Leina, Merlin, and Victor.

"Remove your hoods."

The four of them obeyed. After that, Klein and the soldiers began questioning them about their identities and purposes.

Because their journey had to remain secret, Jason was forced to lie, claiming they were from another city and were simply seeking a livelihood.

Of course, Klein and the others did not immediately believe his words.

The fall of Helvar City itself had been caused by the arrival of mysterious, unknown immigrants.

Because of that, every question and identity check was carried out with extreme caution.

Fortunately, Leina was with them—a mage who had reached the Second Spirit Core stage.

With her help, they passed all the inspections without issue.

Once they were allowed to enter the city, a soldier approached Klein and whispered, "Captain, I'm still suspicious of them. What if we drive them out?"

Klein considered those words. In truth, he shared the same doubts.

The four of them looked suspicious, especially the boy.

His face was too handsome and clean, as if he came from a distinguished background.

There was no sign at all of someone who had traveled to another city in search of a livelihood.

Unfortunately, Klein had already granted them entry. If he revoked it on his own, it would only anger the city leader.

"I understand your concern. However, I can't do that," he said calmly. "But…"

A faint smile appeared on his face as he continued, "We can keep an eye on them. Gather ten soldiers and watch them from a distance. If anything suspicious happens, report it to me immediately. Understood?"

The soldier bowed respectfully.

"Understood, Captain!"

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