Chapter 190: The Negotiation Begins

"An eye demon?"

An eye demon is a spherical creature that naturally floats, its body split evenly between an eye and a massive mouth—grotesque and terrifying.

Most striking are the ten eye stalks on its sphere, each ending in a small eyeball.

Eye demons are master-level beings of magical rays, launching various rays from their eyes.

As for the Observer Eye Demon Patty mentioned in the newspaper, she is in fact a well-known high-tier creature of the Misty Forest.

Patty was summoned here by a high-rank mage, entrusted with the duty of guarding something within the forest.

Yet this eye demon guardian of the treasure does not stand in outright hostility toward humans.

Patty is a chatterbox—and a lonely one at that.

She speaks to nearly every passerby, openly discussing her duty and her summoner, repeatedly and repeatedly whispering complaints about her summoner's irresponsibility.

Of course, provided you do not lay a hand on the treasure she guards.

Patty enjoys an excellent reputation in the Misty Forest; she is a magical being of eighth-rank, yet local residents fear her not—even wish to host an Eye Demon Carnival around her.

But as more people gather, complications arise; some are misled by her cheerful nature and develop desires for the treasure.

In the end, the forest merely gains another statue or a charred corpse.

The local town hall collects bodies from the forest every year; as Patty grows more famous, the corpses multiply, forcing them to abandon the carnival idea to avoid drawing the kingdom's attention.

Patty's guardianship term is 101 years; this year marks the hundredth year—and unexpectedly, she was murdered before her release.

The newspaper brimmed with regret over the incident.

The bard who wrote this report gathered statements from Patty's fans, who reportedly plan to form a Vengeance Alliance to avenge Eye Demon Patty.

Luo De suddenly recalled the reward the Bone Dragon Megan had returned that day—a piece of eye demon flesh.

"Probably just a coincidence."

He didn't dwell on it.

He had waited under the canopy for an hour.

Kali Site brought back the unconscious Xiao Ke and immediately placed her in the temporary hospital.

Fortunately, her mental burden was not heavy; two days of rest would suffice.

"Xiao Ke's talent may be far better than I imagined. According to calculations, she needed at least three hours to fully activate the 【Book of Fate】."

As Kali Site spoke, she handed Luo De a blue water sphere.

Luo De: "Maybe she was desperate to protect Weiwei? What is this?"

But the elf gave no answer.

"I don't know what Xiao Ke saw inside the 【Book of Fate】. She took this out and told me to give it to you before collapsing."

She shrugged. "Even if Xiao Ke wakes up, she won't be able to tell you. The flow of fate must always remain mysterious. Allowing even a half-deer race to glimpse it is already the limit. Just carry this with you on your journey—it will surely prove useful."

Two days later.

Yiku Hill.

A tense negotiation was underway.

The Fangxian City side consisted of the Tooth Fairy Rosalia, the witch Dimia, and the old gentleman Humbert.

The Coral Bay side consisted of two tieflings and one human.

Each side had a group of followers behind them.

Coral Bay's group was a mix of towering golems, humans, and tiefling soldiers.

Luo De's group stood at the very back of Shi Ying's town guard, watching the negotiation table from afar.

The Tooth Fairy Rosalia had invited him to attend, but he had no interest—here, he was merely background.

The negotiation up front quickly shifted from polite inquiries to sharp verbal clashes and heated exchanges.

Clearly, most of it was posturing; neither side's troops moved at all.

"So boring, Master~ Let's slip into the small woods~"

Tally peeked half her head out from Luo De's shadow.

Kali Site warned: "Stay hidden, succubus. The plague mage Amel hasn't shown up yet."

Tally retorted: "I'm not as useless as you. My master spoils me rotten; with abundant essence poured into me, my shadow magic has improved greatly—even a mere seventh-rank can't detect me~~"

Hearing this, the elf glanced at Luo De, who was studying the zombie Selina's prosthetic limb, and snorted coldly.

"Hmph! You indulge yourselves so freely—you'll die in bed someday!"

"Really?! Then I can finally taste what my dead master tastes like!"

Kali Site grew irritated and simply stopped talking to her.

Meanwhile, Luo De held Selina's alchemical prosthetic, eyes gleaming.

Let's be honest.

That brass-colored armor design! That intricate mechanical feel!

Alchemical prosthetics are damn cool!

Maybe I should get one too?

Selina: "You're hurting me."

"Sorry, sorry, got carried away—wait, didn't you dull your sensation and pain?"

The zombie moved her hands; the mechanical joints emitted precise whirring sounds.

"Alchemical prosthetics require neural connections. I'm a zombie—my bodily nerves have weakened. To use it properly, the dwarven craftsmen had to re-stimulate sensation and pain to reactivate them."

"I see."

Luo De reached out and pinched her cheek. "Does it hurt?"

". A little."

"Perfect. Next time you sass me, I'll hang you up and beat you—pants-down style."

"."

For the first time, Selina wondered if agreeing to be enslaved had been a mistake.

Luo De: "Any trouble using magic?"

"Hardly different from having intact arms."

Selina seemed reluctant to discuss this further and lowered her voice: "The Overload Ring's progress is decent. The first batch of prototypes should be ready in a month."

Though both arms were severed, this former student of Bahadur, obsessed with magical research, had not slackened.

Whenever she had time, she used 【Mage Hand】 to flip through her notes and study, claiming she simulated scenarios in her mind.

"Good work."

"All thanks to my master. Once this project ends, I'd like to resume research on cosmic beings and labyrinths."

"Do as you please—as long as you don't damage the forest or affect those nearby."

"Thank you, my master."

Luo De patted her head and smiled. "And don't harm yourself either. I can't rest easy knowing you turn yourself into a zombie for research."

Selina looked up at him, expressionless and silent.

Tiefling Saixier walked over and smiled. "Mr. Luo De, you and your companions have such a good relationship."

Earlier that morning,

they had encountered this tiefling girl who had joined the forest.

Upon hearing they were going to the negotiation, she eagerly offered to help, saying she wanted to lend a hand.

Luo De had wanted to refuse—it was a confrontation with a seventh-rank plague mage.

But then he reconsidered: at least she was fifth-rank, and could serve as a distraction alongside Shi Ying's incompetent guards, so he agreed.

"Heh."

Luo De leaned his elbow on Selina's head. "Many in the forest were once villains—I won them over with love."

(End of chapter)