Chapter 588: Soldier Scum

All five of these conscription squad members are candidates for hero status.

They swore solemnly that they were good soldiers dedicated to punishing evil and restoring order.

The witch Demia could not refuse.

She could only agree to take them to the Kula Slope to deal with the bandit nest there.

Luo De looked at these five men.

They had sneaky, rat-like eyes, constantly darting back and forth over Demia.

Their speech was slick and flippant, the very image of soldier scum.

He sighed: "I happen to have some business to discuss with Pan Ni—I'll come along too."

Upon hearing this,

the squad's junior commander frowned over.

The junior commander was a man with a scar across his face, high cheekbones, and a slightly pointed chin.

He didn't look like any human ethnic group from the eastern side of Aitheron.

At least, Luo De couldn't name him.

"Who is this?"

"I'm Luo De, forest warden of the Windwall Forest."

"Forest warden? Heh, what qualifications do you have to be a forest warden?"

He paused mid-sentence, as if remembering something.

Along with his companions behind him, his expression shifted: "Forest warden Luo De? The one who killed two dragons and drove back the Infernal Duke?"

"I'm not worthy—it's just newspaper exaggeration."

Luo De shook his head.

The junior commander's expression flickered several times.

Finally, he relaxed completely—and let out a scoff.

"If it's our brave Mr. Luo De, then by all means, come along. Good company, right? We'll get to see your methods firsthand."

"Unfortunate."

Luo De tapped his carved wooden cane against the packed ground.

Since his injury and taking over Coral Bay, he didn't carry gear when on his own territory.

He preferred to wander about with just a cane, like a landlord.

He pretended to pound his lower back, which had been battered from twenty straight battles in the cannon room last night.

"Since my battle with the Infernal Duke, I've been injured and not yet recovered—I'll leave it to the young ones."

Dusk Hill, not far from the Kula Slope.

Sain stared at the forest warden and witch leading ahead, occasionally sneering.

"Big Brother Sain, why's this forest warden being such a nuisance by tagging along? How are we supposed to act on the witch?"

His first subordinate grumbled.

"This is classic self-importance. What's the point of being handsome if you're dumb?" the second subordinate spat.

"Exactly. Not nearly as smart as the folks around Longhu Lake—without even needing Big Brother Sain to say a word, the local lord there voluntarily sent over his sixth wife and twelfth wife to bed."

The third subordinate chimed in.

"Shh, don't talk like that—I miss the second madam of Ivory Town, hohoho, women who just gave birth really have that flavor."

The fourth subordinate's expression turned lewd as he sank into nostalgia.

"Only you like married women—I still prefer Demia up front. Great figure, and her face is plump, cute."

"What do you mean only you like them? Big Brother Sain likes them too!"

The fourth subordinate glanced at his big brother.

Seeing he wasn't joining the conversation, he guessed the man was wary of the forest warden.

He quickly reassured him:

"Big Brother, don't worry—we've got plenty of time to check accounts. We've got many chances. Just build rapport for now."

Forest warden Luo De's reputation was huge, his achievements terrifying.

But they were all seventh-rank too; the idea of driving back the Infernal Duke felt beyond reason.

Instinctively, they didn't believe it.

Yet they were also cowardly, and bullied the weak while fearing the strong.

Even if the news was exaggerated, the man was still a peak seventh-rank—genuinely higher in rank than them.

"You think I'm afraid of him?" Sain said coldly.

"No no no, Big Brother, you know me! I didn't mean that!"

The subordinate hurried to explain.

"This Luo De dares not directly seize Coral Bay—he insists on 'joint development.' Clearly a coward, fame greater than power. Bet you I order him to do work, he won't dare utter a word."

"I totally believe you, Big Brother!"

Sain snorted.

He felt he'd maintained his authority as the group's leader.

Of course,

actually ordering Luo De to do work was unlikely.

He'd been doing wrong for a long time.

He knew such things couldn't be forced openly—had to preserve everyone's face.

These hypocritical rich men or bureaucrats? A few hints and they'd understand!

When the time came, wouldn't they gladly send Demia over?

By the way,

he'd heard Luo De kept a succubus.

Borrowing her for a few days wouldn't hurt.

A few days might be too many—two days, maybe. Succubi aren't easy to handle.

Besides,

Luo De was arguably the most renowned person here.

Helping the conscription squad's commander test this man's limits was a worthy deed!

The five conscription soldiers trailing behind laughed loudly without restraint, their speech always revolving around women—and full of vulgar remarks.

"Sorry, Luo De, I didn't mean to drag you into this."

Demia glanced back with disgust and apologized to Luo De.

Dealing with these soldier scum

was beneath both her and Luo De.

But troublesome brats had to be handled carefully.

"We've all been through so much—what's this?"

Luo De smiled. "By the way, why not call Sharon to keep you company? These guys aren't weak."

Demia was still deep in her legendary path research.

Due to the magical contract, she couldn't reveal the legendary ritual's details to anyone—she had to handle the parts she wasn't skilled in alone.

Progress was mediocre at best.

The dog-people Sharon planned to return to Faye only after Demia fully ascended, to continue her research on the plague domain.

"Can't call her—Sharon's temper is explosive! If she kills someone suddenly, it'll be trouble."

"Then you can't wander alone as a sixth-rank rookie."

"Rookie?!"

Luo De didn't wait for her consent—he directly sent a message through the 【Far-Link】.

Sharon was now high-stage seventh-rank.

Her power was greatly amplified by the 【Plague Mark】, Amel's memories, and ether energy manipulation.

Her spirit-sphere reading reached 355—nearly equal to the peak seventh-rank tree spirit Vivian.

She could kill weaker eighth-rank initiates with ease.

In Luo De's view,

above all else, people mattered.

Sacrificing lives for survival would never appear in his dictionary.

Even if he ended up offending the conscription squad, that was unavoidable—the worst-case scenario.

As they spoke,

the group arrived at the target location: the Kula Slope.

Far ahead, they saw the ghoul Pan Ni waving at him.

She wore a form-fitting white robe, its hem flaring out with a provocative silhouette.

Her once-dull hair was now coiled neatly at the back, giving her a distinctly married-woman aura.

Too bad her skin was purplish-blue, with black veins faintly visible beneath, her entire body radiating negative energy—unnervingly frightening.

"Master!?! You came to see me?!"

The moment she saw Luo De, her face lit up with delight.

She even considered slipping open her collar, but seeing other men present, she gave up.

She was just about to go over and snuggle up to her master.

One of the men in the group sneered with contempt.

"Good heavens! You've got a ghoul as a pet?!"

(End of Chapter)