Chapter 312: New Race

The Atheron front is under heavy pressure, and taxes have risen across the board.

It's obvious the state is out of money.

Oona's claim that she cannot afford to pay may be true, but it's unjustifiable.

Atheron has studied the beastification disease and knows full well how dangerous its spread within the country would be.

Is it truly impossible to handle?

Or is it deliberate?

Or perhaps Atheron is colluding with Bahadur, trying to create a god to turn the tide of war?

Luo De didn't know—he simply lacked the power to influence the current situation at all.

He sighed silently in his heart.

At the same time, he grew even more eager for the Seventh Stage.

"So why did Oona come here?"

"I'm personally quite interested in the beastification disease. Since Lady Yulia is away and I'm bored, I figured I'd come over to study it—and help you out along the way."

"Thank you."

Luo De smiled slightly.

As they walked and chatted, he bought all the supplies he needed.

"Of course, besides the beastification disease, I have another reason."

Oona poked up a thin crisp biscuit from the small paper box and savored it in her mouth.

The crisp biscuits from Shiying Town are infused with herbs and spices unique to the mineral region—more fragrant than those elsewhere on the continent, with a faint sweet aftertaste.

The rabbit-girl's cheeks bulged as she looked utterly enchanted.

"Do you remember the eruption of the Twilight Mountain volcanic cluster?"

"Yeah, they said it had something to do with Hell."

"Hardly related to demons—it's just some wandering minstrels misreporting. The real cause was ratmen planting dimensional bombs. Who knows what's going on in their heads? They not only triggered the super-volcano buried in the mountains, but also blasted open a hidden maze dimension within."

The two finished their shopping.

Then they headed for Claw Valley.

Luo De pulled out the ceramic swan and cast 【Group Flight Spell】.

"Huh? That's a treasure? And this design—it's from a girl, isn't it?"

Oona teased with a mischievous grin.

"It is—but it was given to her by her runaway fiancé, and later passed on to me."

"Such a complicated relationship?"

Back to the matter at hand.

The two continued speaking as they braved the wind and sand in the sky.

"A previously unseen cosmic lifeform dwells within the dimension. They're exceptionally skilled in psychic abilities—call them spiritual magic, though slightly different."

"The sudden influx of spiritual energy rapidly altered them. Their former food no longer sufficed—they now feed on the brains of humanoid creatures across the continent. Some mages speculate these brain tissues provide them with essential enzymes, hormones, and spiritual energy."

Uh.

Interested in brains, skilled in spiritual and psychic abilities—doesn't that sound like the Igo?

Luo De felt a bit nauseous.

"Sounds a bit like the Igo…"

"Not just sounds—it looks like it too. They have octopus-like heads with four serpentine tentacles writhing from them, but below the neck they're humanoid, and highly intelligent. They fled en masse before their bodies stabilized under spiritual transformation. The Magic Control League and local nations quickly contained them, but some still escaped to various parts of the continent."

"Did any escape to Shiying Town?"

Oona looked slightly embarrassed:

"They reached Dusk Hills, but the exact location hasn't been pinpointed yet. I need time, so I plan to stay temporarily in Shiying Town, where things are relatively stable."

"Alright, I'm not surprised."

A cosmic lifeform skilled in psychic abilities? That's precisely Oona the rabbit-girl's specialty.

But—

A newly emerged maze, its inhabitants instantly transformed by spiritual energy, free to roam the continent at will—

Doesn't that mean a new race has appeared on the continent?

No—when did spiritual energy become so generous?

Other cosmic lifeforms have tried for millennia to settle here and failed. You just got it overnight?

Luo De shared his thoughts with Oona.

Oona gave a bitter smile.

"Since you've figured it out, I won't hide it anymore. In the ongoing divine struggle within Hell, one Infernal Duke currently leads: Asmodiels."

"Has the outcome been decided?"

Luo De couldn't help but tense up.

If an Infernal Duke were to become a god first, it would be disastrous for the people of the continent.

"Not yet. The nine-stage beings are still locked in fierce pursuit and battle. Asmodiels hasn't fully fused the blood droplet, but he's temporarily gained a spark of divinity. Scholars speculate this is the continent's first appearance of a 'possible deity,' and thus spiritual energy itself has subtly shifted."

As they spoke,

they arrived at Claw Valley.

Luo De's perception pierced through the thick smog and sensed far ahead that the ghoul Pan Ni had assumed a kneeling posture to greet him.

After all, she was a mage—her perception was quite sharp.

Yet when he and Oona appeared through the smog, Luo De clearly saw a flicker of stiffness on her fawning face.

"Another one???"

"Be polite, Pan Ni. This is our guest, Oona, Deputy Director of the Magic Control League's Containment Division. You've met her before, haven't you?"

Oona had visited the Windwall Forest during the Insertion Maze incident—she must have crossed paths with the girl.

The rabbit-girl was straightforward.

She waved cheerfully at Pan Ni: "Hello, Miss Ghoul! You've gotten even prettier!"

"Really?!"

The ghoul was easily flattered.

"Of course. Look at that skin—softer than any living person's. And your hair—Miss Pan Ni, did you get that trendy Haster-style highlight?"

"Hehehe—Shiying Town has a mage girl who's great with hair. And I've spent a fortune on skincare. You wouldn't believe how hard it is for a ghoul to take care of her skin. Before, a zombie girl came to the forest—I thought I'd finally find someone who understood me. Turns out she's just a magic nerd who hides in her wooden cabin all day."

Luo De gave the girls pocket money.

He didn't pay much attention to their private little expenses—they didn't cost much in Shiying Town anyway.

He let the two chatter on.

Luo De climbed up what was clearly a newly built watchtower.

In just two days, the mountain pass defenses had changed dramatically.

Key passes and high points now had watchtowers equipped with 【Arcane Vision】, and invisible magical alarms surrounded the entire line.

The defenses were no longer just piles of stones—they now featured sturdy walls built with earth and wood magic, complete with observation windows and spellcasting ports.

Luo De saw several unfamiliar mages busy setting up magical traps.

The tooth fairy Rosalia leapt up and landed lightly beside Luo De.

"Not bad."

"Thanks to Mr. Luo De. The figures active on Ke's Plain the day before yesterday scared off many beastified, giving us time to set up."

(End of Chapter)