The knights were also somewhat frustrated with Andrew's interview.

Many even felt that Andrew might be mocking them.

Fortunately, Andrew's attitude was very sincere.

Gradually, the knights, who initially didn't want to speak the truth, finally began to "confess": "If we were just traveling in a carriage, it wouldn't be much of a consumption. But don't we have to stay alert and wary of any potential dangers and ambushes? After all, the Double Fire battle just ended. Being vigilant requires keeping our professional power running. A whole day of this, constantly powering our strength and keeping tense, it's normal to feel a bit fatigued, right?"

At this point, the leading Knight Commander wanted to say to Andrew, "Why don't you try it too? See if you can maintain your professional power running all day like us, constantly staying alert!"

But the words didn't come out.

Because, from the Wildfire Territory to now, the one who has been the busiest on the road is Andrew himself!

Andrew is not only curious about almost everything, but he also asks questions nonstop.

As soon as he sees anyone feeling sick, uncomfortable, thirsty, short of water, parched, or if there's any fire, Andrew is always the first to rush over!

In other words, Andrew has been maintaining high-level mental focus all day, just like the knights, constantly activating his magic power!

Even so, Andrew is still not tired! Just not tired! It's incredibly infuriating!!

"I see, so in this world, not only is ordinary people's physical strength lacking, but even professionals' physical strength is much weaker compared to the experts in those fantasy novels I read where they didn't need to eat or sleep?!" Andrew realized.

Now he truly understood.

The mainstream professions in the Flame Realm are naturally Warm Fire Mage, Earth Fire Mage, Crimson Knight, and Flame Warrior, these four fire element professions.

In terms of explosive power, fire element professions are very strong. This is true for any fire element profession.

Among them, the Earth Fire Mage has the most terrifying instant explosive power!

But in endurance, physical ability, and sustained power, these fire element professionals in the Flame Realm are just like ordinary people, not very competent!!

Simply put, the "people" of the Flame Realm, whether professional or ordinary, have obvious shortcomings in physical ability and endurance!

"And this... is just wonderful!" Upon confirming this, Andrew murmured, "I seem to understand what the greatest—if not the greatest, then definitely a very significant—'market demand' in this Flame Realm is!"

To put it simply, every world has its needs, whether it's the world before crossing over or this Flame Realm Andrew arrived in.

Essentially, wherever there are people, there will inevitably be demands.

The environment in the Flame Realm is not very good, but there are still many people.

So, without investigation, it's obvious that this is a world full of "demands".

The real focus is: "Water Magic! My Water Magic perfectly fits the many demands of this world! That is what's most important!"

Thus, the demands observed and investigated currently are not just demands in Andrew's eyes.

They are heaps and heaps of enticing Fire Extinguishing Value!!

"Phew." Andrew let out a gentle breath.

He felt as if he understood what to discuss with the Warm Fire Commerce Association upon reaching Warm Fire City.

And what he and his Water Magic could bring to this Flame Realm next.

...

...

That day, the group reached the final stop before Warm Fire City.

A large city named "Shield of Flowing Fire".

"'Shield of Flowing Fire'? Isn't that the name of a high-tier Warm Fire Magic?"

Andrew looked at the outline of the city in the distance, which felt different from the cities they passed before, and curiously asked.

In low-tier Warm Fire Magic, a common defensive magic is the "Shield of Flowing Fire", which advances into a high-tier, naturally becoming a "Shield of Flowing Fire" with defense capabilities countless times stronger.

Although it's just a difference in wording, the defensive effects are worlds apart.

It's like the difference between the most basic "Fireball Technique" and the top-tier "Pseudo-Sun".

So is this city named after a magic spell?

Or is it the other way around, with the magic named after the city?

"It is indeed the name of a high-tier magic,"

Barbara, next to him, explained with a smile, "But it's hard to say whether the city or the magic was named first. It's too long ago to trace."

"I see."

Andrew gazed at the city.

Even from afar, the distinctly different aura could be felt clearly.

If previous cities like "Qi Lan City" exuded a rich commercial atmosphere typical of cities governed by the Warm Fire Commerce Association,

then this "Shield of Flowing Fire" exuded a completely warlike aura.

"Compared to the cities we've passed, this 'Shield of Flowing Fire' seems quite different?" Andrew turned his head and asked again.

"Nonsense, of course it's different!" Havier sneered at Andrew every chance he got along the way, "This is one of the two largest military strongholds under the Warm Fire Commerce Association, equally famous as the 'Crimson Battle Lance'! Don't you even know that?"

"Nope, I didn't know," Andrew chuckled, "You seem to know so much, why not tell me about it?"

So, he pursued a series of questions about the two major military strongholds.

He kept grilling Havier with questions!

Havier, this guy, had a nasty temper and a foul mouth.

But one good thing was that he answered every question!

He would snap back at Andrew with each answer, but couldn't resist answering more due to a compulsion.

Barbara and Leia exchanged glances, both finding it somewhat amusing.

Even the usually composed Falk couldn't help but show a slight smile.

However, Ivan remained ever vigilant and didn't pay much attention to Andrew and Havier's exchange.

Andrew asked Havier nearly twenty questions, and through Havier's incredibly annoyed yet detailed replies, he gradually pieced together an increasingly clear understanding in his mind—

The 'Shield of Flowing Fire' and 'Crimson Battle Lance' are indeed, next to Warm Fire City, the most important cities under the jurisdiction of the Warm Fire Commerce Association.

One defensively focused, the other offensively, inside and out; they truly function as a shield and spear pair, arming the vast eastern territories of the Flame Realm under the commerce association's control.

Among them, the 'Shield of Flowing Fire' mainly serves a defensive role, essentially as a guard city for Warm Fire City.

The 'Crimson Battle Lance' is a front-line stronghold, positioned on the east-west divide, standing against the Magic Guild's super fortress 'Dragon's Nest'! Spear to duel with dragon!

"But as of now, the 'Dragon's Nest' has fallen into our association's hands," Barbara timely interjected, otherwise, if Andrew continued his questioning, Havier might have been questioned to the point of collapse, "We owe thanks to you, Andrew."

"What? Our family taking the 'Dragon's Nest', what's it got to do with this guy?!" Havier, already close to losing his cool from Andrew's barrage of questions, instantly protested upon hearing Barbara crediting Andrew for taking the 'Dragon's Nest'.

Leia by his side couldn't help but show a puzzled expression.

In the team, only Falk knew that the association capturing the 'Dragon's Nest' was indeed significantly related to Andrew!

It was because Andrew had relayed the news of turning the Desolate Beasts back into Flame Warriors to the front lines and the Magic Guild, which caused internal chaos within the guild, allowing the commerce association to suddenly strike and seize the 'Dragon's Nest', turning the previously dire battle situation around!

However, Andrew didn't want to make a fuss about it; rather, he chose to keep a low profile, which is why his name, Andrew, is not well-known in the whole Flame Realm right now.

Barbara, knowing she misspoke, merely smiled silently.

Andrew also didn't respond and continued to ask, "Taking down that 'Dragon's Nest' must have been no easy task, right?"

"It was indeed very difficult." Falk, who rarely spoke along the journey, finally opened his mouth, "Capturing a super fortress is as hard as ascending to the heavens! What's even harder is to hold onto it and maintain control after its capture.

Now, a large number of elite forces are continuously advancing to the front line, being supplemented into the 'Crimson Battle Lance' and the 'Dragon's Nest'.

At the same time, a large number of wounded from the Twin Fire War are retreating back to the 'Shield of Flowing Fire' to receive treatment."

Those last two lines were explaining the current situation for Barbara.

"A large number of wounded, huh..."

Andrew listened intently beside him, seemingly lost in thought.

Along the way, Andrew, accompanied by Ivan, conducted thorough market surveys in each of the cities they passed.

By now, Andrew already had a rough idea of the "common market demand" in the cities under the Warm Fire Commerce Association.

Considering that the Twin Fire War had just ended, during this "extraordinary period," one cannot only look at the "common demand," and conveniently, next, they could get a good understanding of the most urgent needs of this military stronghold, the 'Shield of Flowing Fire,' and see what they could do.

Therefore, by ensuring that both "common demand" and "post-war demand" were at least accounted for, Andrew felt that the necessary groundwork before arriving at Warm Fire City was roughly complete.

The group soon arrived outside the gates of the 'Shield of Flowing Fire.'

Sure enough, they saw magic airships coming from the horizon, landing outside the city gates.

Even for the wealthy Warm Fire Commerce Association, these airships were extremely rare and were currently all being used to transport the wounded, as human lives were at stake. Barbara, as the third miss of the association, didn't manage to get one for herself on the return trip from Wildfire Territory to Warm Fire City.

When the airship landed, a large number of injured were carried down on stretchers.

A large group of medical personnel waiting at the site immediately rushed forward.

"Are there really this many wounded?" Andrew exchanged a glance with Ivan.

If the previous cities they passed gave Andrew a sense of the advanced nature of the Flame Realm's magic civilization as well as many existing problems, which also equaled market demands,

it was only now that Andrew truly felt how brutal the recently concluded Twin Fire War had been!

Previously, every city they arrived at, Andrew and his team could instantly enter without obstruction.

But this time, they voluntarily waited in place to let this batch of wounded enter the city first.

Because there were just too many of them!

And this was only a batch brought back from the front lines.

Havier, having answered Andrew's barrage of questions earlier, felt a parched throat from all the talking.

Now, he had recovered after drinking some 'Celestial Mountain Water' produced by the Royal Court.

His gaze shifting, Havier snorted and suddenly spoke in a mocking tone, "Some people, didn't they set up some hospital in their own territory? Specializing in chronic terminal illness 'pulmonary burn'? Now with these 'fire injuries' brought back from the real battlefield, why don't you treat one for everyone to see!"