Chapter 178

Click— click— click—】 (maybe need to keep the curly quotes exactly as in source? We'll keep them as is: '【Click— click— click—】'? Actually we need to include opening 【 and closing 】. Let's output: 【Click— click— click—】. That includes the Chinese quotes. We'll keep them.

The crisp footsteps sounded like high-heeled wooden clogs, but Luosen faintly felt something was off.

Laifu, analyze the audio track.

A few seconds later, Laifu replied: "It's the sound of some kind of keratinous object hitting the floor, slightly harder than hooves."

Luosen's heart gave a slight jolt: "A woman with long hooves?"

He immediately went on guard.

【Click——】 (maybe two em dashes). We'll output: 【Click——】.

The door opened, and an ordinary-looking woman walked in from outside.

She appeared to be about thirty, with dark reddish-black hair, dark reddish-black eyes, slightly dusky skin, completely ordinary features, and wore a somewhat faded, wrinkled cheap cotton summer dress.

The dress was thin, so her figure looked equally ordinary—everything was flat, making her as dry as a stick.

If this were the aristocratic era of Weilan, someone with such attire and demeanor wouldn't be allowed near the duke's study, let alone the castle.

But now it's the era of citizens; everyone is a citizen.

Although many feudal notions of high and low still linger among the populace, as the duke who founded this new era, he naturally ought to set an example.

Luosen narrowed his eyes, sensing carefully, but he only detected five-ring mana; yet faintly he felt something was off, as if she were hiding something.

But this was baseless intuition; Luosen found no evidence.

After thinking, he told Alai: "Close the door, open the barrier; I want to speak privately with Lady Mediana."

Alai did as instructed.

【Click—】.

The door shut, the switch was turned on, and the charged arcane lattice instantly released power, automatically forming a four-ring arcane wall in the room.

Luosen stepped behind the desk, one hand gripping the improved third-model Vulcan repeater rifle hidden beneath it.

Its power had already reached ten-ring peak, capable of six successive shots—it was practically a small cannon; anyone hit six times would drop dead on the spot.

"Lady Mediana, you've fooled my eyes, but not my danger sense—show your true form."

The woman before him displayed a slightly strange smile, as if a force were pulling her skin to force the expression.

Such an expression usually appears on faces that have undergone a shoddy transformation technique.

With that smile, her body indeed began to change rapidly.

After ten-odd seconds, the thin, plain-faced woman became a tall, buxom figure nearly bursting out of her clothes, with delicate features and a wild, untamed expression—an exotic woman.

This time she truly is an otherworldly being.

She wasn't a forest spirit or a demoness; she was an otherworldly woman with hooves on her feet, two upward-curving dark red horns behind her forehead, and milk-white skin.

Yet strangely, Luosen still sensed only a five-ring mana aura from her.

"My lord duke, could you lower the pistol under the desk? Be careful of an accidental discharge."

She spoke; despite her large stature, her voice was surprisingly sweet, like many burly women on Earth who nevertheless have sweet voices.

Of course, this exotic woman's largeness differs from mere bulk.

She had hardly any flesh where it shouldn't be.

Since she pointed it out, considering he was merely a clone, Luosen also lowered the gun.

He asked: "Are you a succubus?"

He had read many of this world's ancient myths, and succubi appear frequently in them.

Some illustrations in those myths look just like the woman before him.

The woman smiled: "To be precise, I am a Serela."

"Of course, in your plane and many others, we are indeed called succubi."

She sighed: "Probably because our appearance makes it hard for you De Rui Tan people to restrain yourselves."

"But that's not our fault, nor yours, De Rui Tan people—it's the Creator's fault."

Luosen glanced over her exotic form and nodded in agreement: "Your figure indeed matches what most men desire in the opposite sex."

"Of course, that's irrelevant. What I want to know is, lady, what brings you here?"

Mediana bowed slightly to Luosen in greeting.

This motion made her bosom quiver and heave, also confirming to Luosen that she wore no restrictive undergarments.

"I've come to seek your protection, my lord duke," the succubus said.

Luosen responded noncommittally: "You must be from another plane; isn't it just a matter of where you came from and where you'll go back? Why seek my protection?"

Mediana immediately countered: "If you had escaped from hell, would you willingly return?"

"Hell?"

Mediana nodded: "The plane controlled by the great demon Asherma, where all living beings are his toys."

"And any being that defies him will have its flesh brutally slaughtered, its soul impaled on blazing-spike thorns, dying amidst endless wails."

"You, my lord duke, surely don't know what blazing-spike thorns are, but I'll explain."

"This is a dreadful soul artifact, covering an entire wailing plain—there are a hundred million of them!"

"My lord duke, you heard right—it's a hundred million!"

"Fifty percent already have souls impaled—more than the entire population of Weilan! And the remaining fifty million are continually receiving new souls."

"When a mortal soul is impaled, it does not die instantly, for the blaze on the thorn grants the soul power, yet the thorn's destruction of the soul's structure makes the soul feel an incomparable, inescapable agony."

"Such torment lasts at least a century, so the whole plain resounds with soul‑shaking wails."

"My lord duke, if you were fortunate enough to escape such a world, would you still wish to return?"

Luosen truly never imagined such a horrifying place existed.

Just thinking about it gives a chilling feeling down the back, and at the same time I'm also very curious.

Why is Yasema doing this?

I'm not a great demon, so I don't know. In any case, he just likes it, and he also has the terrifying power to do so.

Luosen grew more curious: "Isn't anyone resisting him?"

Meidiyana smiled wryly: "If you were a group of ants, and someone poured scalding hot water to destroy your home, you would naturally think of resisting, but would it be meaningful?"

She let out a light sigh: "Yasema is a great demon! Or rather, a great demon god of the Huan Wai Xu Kong!"

"Huan Wai Xu Kong"—as soon as this term appeared, Luosen fully understood the great demon's strength.

Since such an entity can survive in Huan Wai Xu Kong, it must possess power surpassing the Eleven Rings; just this alone makes the present Luosen look up in awe.

Meidiyana's voice came: "Duke, your plane is fortunate, for here mortals are the rulers. But some planes are unfortunate, for they are not only discovered by cruel demon gods, but also invaded, even destroyed."

Luosen grew ever more interested: "Tell me in detail about the situation beyond the Rings."

Meidiyana shook her head: "Sorry, Duke, I am also a mortal. I don't know much about the situation beyond the Rings."

"I only know that there are three kinds of planes in the world: a divine realm, a demon realm, and a mortal realm."

"I fled from the demon realm. There is also a divine realm, which is controlled by various mild-mannered Huan Wai Xu Kong deities. And this world."

She tapped her hoof, producing a "ka-ka" sound.

"It is simply a mortal realm with neither demons nor gods."

"Of course, that's just how it is now; no one knows what the future holds."

Luosen then asked: "Do you know the Great Demon King Bak?"

Meidiyana nodded: "You mean the one across the sea, right?"

Luosen nodded.

Meiliyana's face showed a thoughtful expression: "To be precise, it is called the Great Demon King Bak. Bazernal, the mortal incarnation of the great demon god Bazernal."

Having said that, she again tapped her hoof on the ground: "So, to be precise, this world is half demon realm, half mortal realm."

This made Luosen's heart tremble slightly: "Explain in detail."

Meidiyana then began to explain: "So far, it is known that there are seven great demon realms, five great divine realms, and twelve mortal realms."

"Yasema is one, and Bazernal is another."

"Yasema likes soul-piercing, while Bazernal enjoys conducting various fusion experiments."

"He likes to merge and reorganize the various races of the mortal realm by all kinds of strange means, creating new races, and is therefore also called the Fusion Great Demon."

Luosen's eyes widened: "You really know a lot."

"Of course, because I am a traveling mage."

She then let out a long sigh.

"Probably because of our racial advantage, many of my kin are often captured by great demons to be used as bait to lure mortals, so our reputation has never been good, even earning the infamy of succubi."

Luosen nodded in understanding: "Similar to the relationship between gangs and prostitutes."

"It's good that the Duke understands."

Meidiyana let out a slight sigh and began to explain her situation.

"I am a Seven-Ring traveling mage; seven rings is the minimum requirement for a traveling mage."

"You see I have five-ring power, because I used a secret art that hides power. As for what secret art, please forgive me for keeping it secret, for this is my trump card."

"I mistakenly answered the summons of a mage from the Radiant Empire, who deceived me by saying he needed a transaction."

"At that time, I was trapped in the demon realm, fleeing everywhere, and when I saw someone from the mortal realm summoning, I immediately responded."

"As a result, as soon as I appeared, I discovered that this was a dissolute mage who actually wanted to make me his slave."

"After a struggle, I killed him, and the matter blew up completely. I could only keep running."

"I could not stay in the Radiant Empire, so I fled to the Natural Alliance; within the Alliance, the place farthest from the Radiant Empire is Weilan, so I came here."

"But I can feel that the Radiant Empire's hounds are still tracking me; for self-preservation, I can only seek your protection."

Luosen listened carefully, and narrowed his eyes to observe the succubus's facial expression.

But because the other party is a true alien race, Laifu's facial analysis ability becomes less usable.

Thus, after observation, Luosen did not obtain much valuable information.

Since that's the case, we can only understand a little bit.

"I don't fully believe your words. Moreover, I want to ask: if I grant you protection, what will you bring me?"

"Some knowledge on how to break through the Tenth Ring to become a legendary mage."

Luosen raised his brows: "I didn't understand."

Meidiyana narrowed her eyes and smiled: "You definitely understood, Duke, for you possess Ten Ring peak power."

"Also, don't be strange; knowing a target's true strength is every traveling mage's trump card, otherwise you'd die quickly."

"Among the great planes, mages who, like you, reach Ten Ring peak at a young age generally seek to break through the Eleventh Ring to become legendary mages capable of opposing the void gods and demons."

"Hmm~ I know you consider Seven Rings to be legendary in this world, but we both know that saying is somewhat laughable."

"Without experiencing true danger and beholding true supreme scenery, what qualification is there to be called legendary?"

Luosen nodded in agreement: "You're not wrong."

Promotion before the Ten Rings is too simple—just 'jump high enough' to advance; but the Eleven Rings make Luosen feel like walking a tightrope on a cliff.

Meidiyana's face showed a hint of reverence.

"The path of the legendary is a very dangerous road, but it is the only way for us mortals to oppose the void gods and demons."

Luosen felt his heart race, but at the same time grew more wary, for this succubus knows too much, and succubi have a bad reputation.

"Who knows whether this woman might be a minion of some great demon? He clearly knows that the most terrifying demons in this world often possess the most perfect disguises."

"Usually she is the best of the best, only at the last moment does she reveal her demonic true form to deliver the deadliest blow."

This succubus before us, right from the start, lays out her harmlessness bluntly, then immediately offers a deal targeting our deepest thoughts, showing the quality of a professional con artist.

After pondering for a few minutes, Luosen asked: "After advancing to Legend, what kind of power could one have?"

"I don't know, after all I'm only a Seven Ring Mage. I can only provide you with some possibly useful methods, basically all things I heard during my travels."

Luosen nodded to show he understood, and was not disappointed because of it; instead, he thought it was fine.

Because he had originally planned to set up a laboratory, now that he had the succubus's methods, he could avoid many detours and save a lot of money.

"How long do you need my protection? Or will you stay in this world forever?"

"Protection for half a year. In half a year, the Amen Tu Plane will closely intersect with the De Rui Tan Plane, and I need to go to the Amen Tu Realm."

Saying this, Meiliyana narrowed her eyes and smiled: "The Atumen Realm is a divine realm, belonging to the Sun Lord Atumen, a benevolent god, and also the god that the great demons hate and fear the most. I need to go there to rest for a while."

Luosen became curious again: "Then why is this place called the De Rui Tan Realm?"

"Because this place used to be the plane of the Lord of Truth De Rui Tan, but for some reason De Rui Tan disappeared and has not appeared for five thousand years."

"He probably fell, which is also common, after all nothing in the world is eternal, and conflicts often occur among the Void Demon Gods."

Pausing, Mediayana said: "Duke, I would like to obtain a residence with a clean bath and sufficient safety, then have delicious food and mellow wine, clean clothes—would that be alright?"

"Of course, I will personally arrange it for you."

This succubus is quite formidable; Luosen hasn't figured out her background, and if he handed her over to others to handle, he wouldn't be at ease.

(End of chapter)