The guild hall remained deathly silent after Suki's heartbreaking story. The little girl was still clinging to Luo Feng's chest, her small body shaking with quiet sobs that hadn't fully stopped.
At that exact moment, the grand doors of the Adventurers Guild swung open. Duke Harlan walked in, dressed in his usual fine robes but with a tired, worried expression. He had come to check on the latest reports about the demon movements.
Luo Feng gently lifted Suki into his arms and walked straight toward the Duke. His voice was calm, but there was a cold steel edge beneath it that made several nearby adventurers tense.
"My lord," Luo Feng said, bowing his head slightly while still holding the child, "can you look after her for a few days? I have to go back to my village… to see if anyone survived."
Duke Harlan's eyes widened as he recognized both Luo Feng and the small girl. He had heard the story spreading through the hall in whispers. Without hesitation he stepped forward and carefully took Suki from Luo Feng's arms, holding her gently against his chest.
"Of course," the Duke said, his voice thick with emotion. "She will stay in my mansion. My wife and I will take care of her as if she were our own. Go, Feng. Do what you must."
Suki looked up at the Duke with tear-filled eyes but didn't resist. She was too exhausted to fight anymore.
Before Luo Feng could say anything else, a heavy wave of movement rippled through the guild hall. Thirty-two powerful adventurers — a mix of S-rank and A-rank fighters — stepped forward at once. Their faces were grim, eyes burning with quiet rage after hearing what the so-called "blessed heroes" had done.
"We're coming with you," one burly S-rank warrior growled.
Another nodded. "No one uses civilians as meat shields and walks away. Not while we're still breathing."
Luo Feng looked at the group, his expression unchanging, but he gave them a single respectful nod.
He turned to the Guild Master, who was standing at the front of the hall, face pale.
"Guild Master," Luo Feng asked calmly, "does the guild have any teleportation magic that can take us to my village?"
The Guild Master exhaled slowly, rubbing his scarred face. "We do. A high-grade teleportation circle in the back courtyard. It was made for emergencies like this."
"I will pay whatever the cost is," Luo Feng said.
The Guild Master shook his head. "No need. After hearing what that little girl just said… I feel sick. The heroes we're supposed to trust did that?" He waved a hand. "Take it. No charge. But listen — this circle only works twice. One trip there, one trip back. After that it needs a full month to recharge. Understand?"
Luo Feng bowed deeply. "Thank you."
The Guild Master led the entire group — Luo Feng and the thirty-two volunteers — out to the large stone courtyard behind the guild building. A complex magic circle glowed faintly on the ground, runes pulsing with silver light.
All thirty-three warriors stepped onto the circle together, standing shoulder to shoulder, weapons ready. The air hummed with power.
The Guild Master placed his hand on the activation stone and looked at Luo Feng one last time.
"May the gods watch over you… though after today, I'm not sure which gods are worth praying to."
The circle flared bright white.
In a flash of light and swirling magic, Luo Feng and the thirty-two powerful adventurers vanished from the capital — heading straight toward the ruins of what was once Eden Village.
None of them spoke.
The only sound was the faint crackle of the teleportation magic… and the distant echo of a little girl's tears still lingering in Luo Feng's heart.