The city was now like a giant furnace, with the houses and residents being roasted within it. "What's going on..." The clothes in Lux's hands had turned to ashes, while she, wearing the Demon Hunter's black robe, was spared from the flames.

  The purple city, once somewhat repulsive, had transformed into a destructive monster, devouring those it had deceived. Lux tried to escape the street, but suddenly, a burning wooden plank crashed down. Lux used the shadow cloak to block it, and several people, looking like burnt-out matchsticks, stumbled out of a house. They gesticulated wildly at Lux, seemingly trying to say something, but their vocal cords were burned, unable to produce sound. They struggled for a few moments before collapsing.

  Lux looked around. She wondered if everything today was a hallucination... or if her previous life had been the illusion, and this was the true awakening. "Help me!" A voice came from behind Lux.

  Lux saw a fat middle-aged man running naked. This bald fat man was like a roasted pig, his skin charred yellow in patches. The tattoos on his body were ulcerated from the burns. This person was Pony. "It's hot! So hot! Help..." Suddenly, Johnny saw Lux and ran towards her. "Adult, sir! Please help me! I can give you a lot of money or treasures!"

  But as he got closer, he shouted in shock, "You're Lux!?" Pony was shocked for many reasons, but he quickly regained his composure and said to Lux, "If you can get me out of this hell, I can give you a lot of money, or make you my right-hand man." "Oh... Do you know what's happening right now?" Lux asked slowly.

  "How could I possibly know what this fucking situation is?! Let's get out of here quickly, or you and I will both burn to death!" Pony shouted anxiously. Because the ground was almost glowing red, he frantically stomped his feet, as if doing a tap dance. Lux didn't speak, just looked around, seemingly thinking.

  "Hurry up! Hurry up and use your ability to get us out of here! I'm about to die!" Pony was almost crying. "No rush, Boss Pony . I have a question I want to ask you," Lux said, stroking her chin and looking at Pony.

  "What else is there?! What's more important than our lives?! Can't it wait until we escape?!"

  "The question is," Lux said, her voice growing colder, "Was it you who informed the Demon Hunters to come and kill me?"

  Although his feet were as hot as if he were standing on a barbecue grill, Pony felt a chill run down his spine. "How could it possibly be me?! If I hadn't seen you alive and well, how would I have known you were... a natural-born magic user?!" Pony shouted, pointing a finger at Lux.

  "Hmm..." Lux closed her eyes, then she removed the Shadow Cloak. A red flower appeared on her chest. Then she took a deep breath. Her nostrils were filled with the pungent smell of heat, the acrid odor of burnt wood, the stench of roasting human flesh, and...

  "The scent of lies. You're lying, Johnny," Lux said, opening her eyes.

  "I... I..." Pony tried to argue, but at that moment, Lux extended a black cloak from her back, and black tendrils immediately pierced into Johnny's limbs, pinning him to the scorching ground.

  "Aaaaaaah!" Pony felt his body sizzling underneath him. He would likely be charred in no time.

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  "Spare me, please. I can give you anything you want, as long as you can..." Pony couldn't finish his sentence because he felt Lux step onto his body. Then she said, "Are you ready?"

  "For what?" Pony didn't know what she was talking about, but suddenly, the black shadows binding him launched him into the air, and Lux stepped on him.

  "Ah!" Pony slammed onto the ground, and the black shadows continued to propel him, sliding, jumping, and landing. Pony had become Lux's human skateboard.

  Lux controlled the 'skateboard,' dodging the falling wooden planks and collapsing buildings. And the 'Pony skateboard' was smooth and round enough to glide easily on the burning hot streets.

  With only a few more turns, Lux skated to the city wall. Lux used the black shadows to firmly bind her feet and the skateboard together. Then, she concentrated the remaining shadows in her hands and launched them towards the ground with all her might. The powerful reaction force propelled Lux into the air, and the 'Pony skateboard' slid up the city wall. Then, with a spin and flip in the air, Lux jumped over the city wall, riding the 'skateboard.'

  Afterward, Lux landed on a grassy field outside the city, and the 'skateboard' was now just a charred piece of skin.

  "One transit permit, and you still owe me another one," Lux said, staring at the black leather-like skin on the ground, then looked around.

  It was a lush green field, with a long, wide dirt road stretching into the distance. Further away were dense forests and rolling mountains.

  Lux turned to look at Purple City. The smoke from the flames had formed a massive black tower above the entire city. Firelight engulfed the city. Everything was caught in the flames, torn apart, and ultimately destroyed. The city was dead.

  "This is so absurd," Lux felt like she still hadn't come to her senses. She stood there for a while, then walked along the dirt road with a mix of countless complex emotions.

  Lux walked and walked. She didn't know where she was going. She didn't know why she was walking this way. Perhaps it was simply because there was a road here.

  Lux felt like she'd been walking for a long time. The burning Purple City was almost out of sight behind her. The sky also seemed to finally tire and slowly began to darken.

  "Cough cough." A sound came from the distant thicket.

  Lux heard the sound. She turned her head and approached the source of the sound.

  Passing through some bushes and trees, Lux arrived at a small clearing surrounded by trees. She saw a man lying next to a tree, with only half his body left.

  This man had blue skin with a faint blue glow and short white hair. He was one of the merchants Lux had encountered that morning. Of course, Lux knew that "merchant" was just a disguise.

  Now, this man was missing his left leg and left arm. There was a large hole in his stomach. Most of his blue skin was burned away, revealing a dark blue color.

  But he was still alive. After seeing Lux, he turned his head, coughed twice, spat out some blue blood, and said to Lux, "Hey, girl, I need you to do me a favor..."

  Lux looked at the man. She didn't intend to say anything, just waiting for him to finish.

  "Cough cough, I have some things here. I need you to take them to the Theater Capital in the north." The man pulled out a piece of cloth, as if something was wrapped inside.

  "The things inside are important, but you can't sell them for money. Because selling them will only bring you danger." The man emphasized, "Trust me."

  "I remember you stole a lot of money from me this morning. You'll be given money when you get there. You can use it for lodging or learning magic," the man continued. He seemed to have a lot of strength left, even astonishing Lux with his vitality.

  "Anyway, run now. Those people are about to catch up." The blue man tossed the bundle in his hand to Lux. After saying that, he gasped heavily, and his breathing immediately weakened.

  'What a pity. In the end, Narara still got the better of me...' Then he closed his eyes.

  "Wait." Lux, having patiently listened without interrupting, finally asked, "Where is the north?"

  Unfortunately, the man was already dead and didn't reply to Lux's question.

  "The north, huh..." Having lived in Purple City, Lux only knew directions based on the city gate and the inner city – up, down, left, and right. She had never known about the so-called east, west, south, and north. And now, she had no one to ask.

  "Oh well, you look so pitiful, I'll help you out," Lux found a reason and headed deeper into the forest with the bundle.