Chapter 130: The Times Have Changed

The fifth floor of the labyrinth, a wilderness covered with yellow soil.

Two skeletons, one tall and one short, passed through the thorn bushes and mushroom forest, bypassed a beach of jagged rocks, and finally stopped behind a protruding giant rock, placing their wooden staves beside the protruding giant rock.

"... Should be here."

Both are players.

And the reason they are here is naturally to complete the Demon King's mission.

Ye Zhiqiu, wearing a silk robe, unfolded the paper scroll in his hand, on which was drawn a circular magic circle.

The patterns of that magic circle were extremely complex, composed of countless fine lines and symbols intertwined. Every stroke was meticulously designed, and even the curvature of every arc and the spacing of every intersection point were studied. Even if one detail was wrong, it might make it completely unable to function.

However, having said that, there must be brave men under heavy rewards.

Looking at the amazing 500 contribution points and 100,000 Underworld coins reward, Ye Zhiqiu didn't hesitate to pull Hu Wan to take the mission.

Although neither of them had the ability to draw a circle with their bare hands, they had received nine years of compulsory education, so they knew the principles of geometry.

Any complex figure can be broken down into multiple simple geometric shapes, and a magic circle with rules to follow is no exception.

For example, on another picture held by Ye Zhiqiu at this moment, the original whole magic circle was broken down into straight lines and the centers of auxiliary circles.

All he needed to do was calculate the distance between each point, poke them on the ground in order, and then use ropes and wooden sticks as auxiliary tools, connect the lines that should be connected, draw the circles that should be drawn... and finally fill the magic crystal powder into the grooves outlined on the ground with sharp stones.

However, theory is theory. Even if they mastered the technique, the two of them still spent several hours before barely reproducing this magic circle.

"Done!"

Patting his hands in accomplishment, Ye Zhiqiu placed the magic crystals in various parts of the magic circle, and then chanted the spell to open the magic connection between the eyes of the formation.

Thanks to the practice during this period, he became more and more proficient in the use of magic. He couldn't do such complex spellcasting when the server first opened.

Soon, the neatly placed magic crystals bloomed with dark green light, and then transformed into emerald green light spots, flying up and down in the air, intertwined into a gorgeous and three-dimensional image.

Emerald green nether energy continuously surged from the eyes of the magic circle, and after reaching a certain critical value, it suddenly disappeared with a "pop" along with the light particles flying all over the sky.

Only the pattern with crisscrossing grooves remained in place, exuding a gloomy and weird aura under the illumination of the flickering fire.

"That's... gone?" Hu Wan looked at the task bar, the task reward had already arrived, and there should be nothing for them to do next.

"Should be... I can feel that something has left a mark in this area, maybe that is the so-called teleportation gate."

While saying this, Ye Zhiqiu stared at the eyes of the magic circle without blinking, his index finger rubbing his chin as if thinking about something.

Looking at his actions, Hu Wan asked curiously.

"What are you thinking about?"

Ye Zhiqiu didn't hide it, and answered truthfully.

"I'm thinking... whether this kind of teleportation array has a distance limit, and what factors affect energy consumption."

And, assuming that this game world has the concept of other planets or planes, will the civilization on this planet be easier to carry out interstellar adventures than material civilizations that have never been in contact with magic? This is actually a very interesting question.

Because if it can be done, logically speaking, the Hell forces don't need to fight to the death with surface humans for that bit of living space at all, they can completely put the technology tree on astrology and teleportation technology, and directly use more advanced teleportation arrays to conquer distant worlds.

Of course.

After thinking so much, he also knew that all this was just his own brain supplement. Even if the game developer's ambition is great, it won't be realistic to that extent.

After all, if that were the case, this game wouldn't be called "Catastrophe OL", it should be called "Starry Sky OL".

After listening to his words, Hu Wan was stunned for a long time, and couldn't help but complain:

"What are you doing with that stuff?"

Ye Zhiqiu smiled and said:

"Just curious, don't mind."

The two were talking, when the teleportation array suddenly flashed a light.

Only to see the mid-air as if it had been pierced by something, tearing a crack the size of a palm, releasing a transparent bird that rushed into the sky.

That bird was like a ghost, flying straight toward the sky above the Skull-Crusher tribe.

Foreseeing that something big was about to happen, Ye Zhiqiu and Hu Wan both retreated, leaving enough safe distance.

At the same time, in the largest and most luxurious arena in the Demon Capital, the circular auditorium was bustling with noise and excitement! Only to see two half-human-high cubic cone crystals standing in the center of the open-air arena, projecting equal-ratio enlarged four-sided screens directly above.

At this moment, on the four screens of one of the four-sided screens, what was presented was the overhead view of the fifth floor of the Lei Ming County labyrinth—the ghost bird soaring on the edge of the sky above the Skull-Crusher tribe was like a reconnaissance plane, taking in the whole picture of the Skull-Crusher tribe with its own eyes! That is the projection magic in the gas magic, it is said to be the same principle as the mirage, initially used for battlefield reconnaissance, later the Demon Capital's theater and arena also introduced this set of equipment, and expanded its functions to the current appearance.

Looking around at the crowded auditorium, Luo Yan also discovered for the first time that the demons of the Demon Capital were so fond of watching the fun.

In this world without "Internet marketing", 50,000 live tickets were snapped up in just one day.

Of course, perhaps precisely because there is no Internet, the demons of the Demon Capital are even more bored than imagined.

"Dear live audience friends! Friends watching the game through broadcast! I am the host of this duel—Agnes!"

On the high rostrum, the demon with four arms roared excitedly at the stone tablet carved with the amplification magic circle, successfully stirring up the atmosphere of the whole scene.

"The first to appear is the Demon King of Lei Ming County, a top student who graduated from the Demon King Academy! Although his own strength is suspected to be only Bronze, according to the data provided by the Demon King Academy, he is the only Demon King who graduated with full marks in all subjects in recent years! Let's send applause to him!"

"Ooooooh!!!"

With the host's voice falling, the scene erupted with deafening cheers and whistles.

Strange-looking demons waved their arms and applauded, looking so blood-boiling as if the person standing in the duel arena was not Luo Yan, but them.

"Dry him! Demon King!"

"Beat that stupid cow down!!"

"Hahahaha! Let that stupid cow see the horror of the Demon King!"

It wasn't just the auditorium that was sensational, the VIP box in the best viewing position was the same.

Mi Ya, who was shouting for refueling, wished she could flatten her nose on the floor-to-ceiling glass window, opened her mouth and shouted at the window.

"Come on!!! Luo Yan! Cut off his bull horns! Stuff them into his nostrils! Force him to eat them!"

That excited and rude shouting didn't look like her at all, but rather like a twin sister who looked exactly like her but had a completely opposite personality.

Sitting on the sofa in the vip box, tasting black tea, Fistin Padriqi choked on the tea, gave a light cough and teased:

"I think Terror Demons shouldn't be able to eat with their noses."

"This is just a metaphor!" Mi Ya turned her head and said indignantly, "Dad, you don't know how excessive he is! A Bai Yin-tier Terror Demon, actually had the nerve to initiate a duel with a Bronze-tier human! It's too shameless!"

And what's more hateful is that the guy also took advantage of Luo Yan's affection for her, and initiated the duel specifically when she was beside him!

Although she didn't dare to say that 100% of the reason was because of her, but at least 30%... or even 50% of the reason, she still had that confidence! Just like before—

This time it was also after she went home and carefully reviewed it that she tasted it out!

"Bronze..." Fistin smiled meaningfully.

He didn't mention to his daughter that he had seen the young man in the library.

Although he couldn't see his soul tier, judging from the shape of his spiritual entity, that child was definitely not just Bronze.

Most likely Bai Yin.

Thinking of this, even he, a master-level person, couldn't help but feel a few expectations in his heart.

There will be a good show in a while.

"Restraint, my child, how many times has mother told you, you must maintain restraint and elegance in front of the person you like. You must pretend to be prey to approach, and then strike like a hunter, instead of being led by the nose by the prey, and finally falling into the prey's trap... Didn't Professor Lilith teach you? What you can't get is the most precious."

Not far behind Mi Ya, a graceful, mature, and dignified noblewoman smiled and said.

She had a head of pink hair, the tips of which hung to her waist, and two delicate braids were coiled in the middle of the waterfall-like long hair, as charming as spring willow branches, and as generous as a princess.

Unlike Mi Ya, her temperament was obviously much more mature and steady.

However, the cunning hanging in the depths of her eyebrows was exactly the same as Mi Ya's, and the two didn't look like mother and daughter, but like sisters carved from the same mold.

"It's okay, mother, he can't see here!" Mi Ya puffed out her chest proudly, "And I can feel that he can't live without me anymore, heh heh heh."

"Oh? Really?"

Serina Padriqi's face floated with a playful smile, her index finger pointed at her bright red lips, "How about we test him for you."

"Mom!!!"

"Cough."

Not only did Mi Ya shout excitedly, but this time even Fistin, who was drinking tea on the sofa, gave a light cough.

"Hee hee, dear, don't be jealous, I'm just joking... by the way, demonstrating."

Sticking out half her tongue playfully, Serina giggled and floated to her husband's side, her slender jade hands wrapped around the "hunter's" shoulders.

"Speaking of which, time flies so fast, so many years have passed, and even my precious daughter has found someone she likes."

"Yeah, so many years have passed in a flash."

Fistin put the teacup on the tray, looked at the young man standing calmly in the arena, and a smile curled up at the corner of his mouth.

"Let's see how our daughter's vision is."

As the fortress designated by the red side appeared, the judges in the auditorium gave difficulty scores one after another according to their subjective views, in order: 4, 6, 4, 5, 5... taking an average score of 4.8!

The so-called difficulty score is a comprehensive evaluation made by judges based on their experience, according to multiple dimensions such as manpower, fortress level, and maximum combat power.

Since most of the invited judges were generals who had been to the front line, their opinions still had certain reference value.

In addition, not only will the defensive side have an evaluation score, but the offensive troops will also have a corresponding score as a reference.

When both sides cannot capture each other's fortresses, or both succeed and cause a draw, the final winner will be determined according to the positive and negative difference of the score.

Although Hell respects strength, these demons are obviously also recognized—battles that win with less are more valuable than winning by crushing.

When seeing the Ogre tribe appearing on the screen and the 4.8 score, Xinuo Dragoon, who was waiting in the back, curled his lips in disdain, and didn't take the opponent in front of him seriously at all.

Without even a defensive fortification, how much does he look down on him?

But no matter what, he was determined to win this duel! Whether for the glory of the Dragoon family or for his dead father, he definitely had no possibility of showing mercy!

"The defensive side's score is 4.8, do you want to consider reducing the number of people?" At the entrance of the duel arena preparation area, the person in charge of the arena looked at Xinuo Dragoon and asked the final question.

Anyone with a discerning eye can see that his combat power is a bit excessive, and even if he wins in the end, it is likely to be a negative score.

"No need." Xinuo replied arrogantly, pushed away the person in charge, and walked toward the duel arena with the heavy armor legion behind him.

Standing on the high rostrum, the host with four hands saw the blue side stepping into the duel arena and continued to shout loudly with a loud voice.

"The next player to appear is Xinuo Dragoon! He is the second son of Demon King Regi Dragoon! The rising star of the Dragoon family! In order to take back his father's legacy, he didn't hesitate to challenge the current Demon King! Oh, challenging the Demon King chosen by His Majesty the Demon God, this is what kind of bravery! Let's send applause of blessing to him!!"

"Ooooooh!!!"

The boiling applause and excited cheers resounded through the entire arena again, and this time it seemed even louder than before!

Xinuo, wearing heavy armor, walked to the middle of the duel arena with big strides, waving to the auditorium where cheers and applause were boiling.

And following behind him was the heavy armor legion that was also arrogant—those gleaming armor and swords all exuded an unstoppable edge.

Looking at the unstoppable lineup, many demons in the auditorium almost reached a climax on the spot, and the shouting became more and more enthusiastic.

"Come on!!! Xinuo!!"

"Good job! Crush that human!"

"Twist his head off! Offer it to His Majesty the Demon God!"

"Let the Demon God see who is worthy of being the Demon King!!!"

Luo Yan could see that these demons must have placed heavy bets on Dragoon.

If that's really the case, the crying sound in a while should be loud enough.

Just when Luo Yan was thinking this, the judges in the auditorium also lived up to expectations and gave this well-equipped, high-spirited heavy armor legion a high score of 6.6! Two generals even showed envious eyes, probably thinking about how great it would be if such troops appeared on the front line.

Although the Ogre tribe has an absolute advantage in numbers, it is clear that Xinuo Dragoon's heavy armor legion is more dominant in both equipment and overall strength.

Cannon fodder and regular troops are simply incomparable.

The judges on the scene have all been to the front line, and they know very well that this group of mobs is only scary when they are downwind, and when they are upwind, they are stepping on each other.

Perhaps it won't take a round, and Xinuo's heavy armor legion can completely crush them!

Just when the shouting and calling in the auditorium continued, in the VIP box in the best viewing position, an elderly Lich was chatting and laughing with a Vampire Prince sitting not far away.

Both are demigod-level strengths, one level higher than Fistin in the next box.

Looking at the lineup appearing in the duel arena, Caesar Colin's face showed a playful smile, and he said to the old Lich beside him in a chatty tone.

"The Demon King you recommended seems to be in danger."

As a member of the Demon God's Cabinet, Caesar was originally not interested in this level of duel.

However, when he heard from Principal Aiwen that the participants of the duel were the Demon King he specially approved two months ago, and the challenger was the Dragoon family's youngest son, interest ignited in his heart.

Such an interesting thing, he hadn't encountered it for at least twenty years!

Facing his old friend's teasing, Principal Aiwen smiled faintly, and the dark and deep soul fire flickered with unfathomable light.

"That may not be the case."

Caesar raised his eyebrows and said with interest.

"Oh? Do you think that kid still has a chance of winning?"

"I know him better than you."

"I know him better than you do."

Headmaster Aiwen gave Caesar a look of absolute certainty, his expression unfathomable as he continued in a measured tone.

"I don't know if you've heard, but he has quite a close relationship with the little girl from the Partridge family."

Caesar sat up straight, his interest piqued.

"Are you saying the Partridge family has made a move?"

"Quite the opposite," Headmaster Aiwen smiled mysteriously, "I heard he politely declined the olive branch extended by the Partridge family and decided to win using his own strength."

Upon hearing this, Caesar's expression finally shifted slightly.

If he had won by borrowing the power of the Partridge family, it wouldn't have been worth Caesar's surprise; after all, while the Dragon family had a decent foundation, they were still far inferior to the Partridge family.

However, what he hadn't expected was that this young man, rumored to be an orphan, had actually refused the helping hand extended by the Partridge family...

"Interesting..." Rubbing his chin with his index finger, Caesar couldn't help but feel a glimmer of admiration in his eyes, and even a slight intention to recruit him.

This boy had quite the air of his own younger self; regardless of his courage or his handsome appearance, it wouldn't hurt to develop him as an outer member.

The Kelin family had many cadet branches that served as a reservoir for "fresh blood"; for instance, the daughter-in-law he was immensely satisfied with came from one of them.

His precious granddaughter wasn't young anymore, and sooner or later, she would need a partner; most candidates for marriage into the family were chosen from these cadet branches.

But it was still too early to talk about this; the Kelin family wasn't as casual as the Partridge family, and as the head of the clan, he still had to observe him further.

Just as Caesar's eyes were fixed intently on the dueling arena, Headmaster Aiwen, sitting to the side, was secretly amused while watching this former student and old friend.

This old thing didn't seem to realize that the child standing in the dueling arena was highly likely his own flesh and blood...

Was this what they called being blind to what's right under one's nose?

Of course, one couldn't rule out that this was just his own misunderstanding, but judging from all the current circumstances, it didn't look like a misunderstanding at all.

Headmaster Aiwen held back his laughter, forced to cover it with a cough.

What a wicked sense of humor!

He found himself becoming increasingly evil.

Just as the two were waiting for the duel to begin, each harboring their own thoughts, an ancient castle nestled in the mountains was projected above the second cubic cone.

That was the Dragon family's barony near the Demon Capital, situated between underground valleys known as the Black Wind Valley; it was a fortress easy to defend and hard to attack, named Black Wind Castle!

Looking at the thousand-plus orc mercenaries standing in battle formation on the city walls and the banner of the "Crown of Malice" mercenary group, the judges conferred and gave a fair rating of 6.5 points.

Although the quality of these soldiers was far inferior to the "Hellfire" heavy infantry regiment personally led by Xinuo Dragon, the terrain of Black Wind Castle, easy to defend and hard to attack, provided it with a huge defensive bonus.

To conquer this fortress, one would need at least five times the force to even stand a chance.

The audience present grew increasingly expectant of the "Red Side's" attacking force.

Although intuition told most of the demons present that this Demon King, whose territory was deep in the heart of the human world, probably couldn't muster many men, many demons had heard of his relationship with the Partridge family, and perhaps the latter would step in to help.

Basically, everyone who bet on Luo Yan's victory, besides Luo Yan himself, placed their chips with this reason in mind.

However, the moment the Red Side's attacking force appeared in the dueling arena, almost all the spectators were stunned, and even the host was frozen on the spot, speechless with surprise for a moment.

"That is... Goblins?"

To be precise, that was a group of Goblins.

They were dressed in rags, looking crooked and ugly, and apart from the loincloths barely covering their bodies, they only carried large and small bags on their backs.

Those things looked like siege equipment... including the contraptions placed in the two-wheeled carts.

It was clear that the Demon King of Lei Ming County had prepared quite a bit for this siege, yet there was no sign of the weapons the soldiers would use... they couldn't even see where the soldiers were.

It couldn't be that group of Goblins, could it?! Looking at the shivering, pathetic state of those Goblins, one couldn't help but suspect that these guys had just been picked up from a slave market and had never been on a battlefield at all.

Watching the troops fielded by the Demon King, the audience erupted in boos, and the gamblers who had placed bets even began to curse.

"... Is he planning to give up the attack and focus on defense?" Gazing at the noisy and chaotic arena, Caesar Kelin frowned slightly and pondered in a low voice.

While lowering the score of one's own attacking force to win through score calculation after a double draw was one way to win, it was ultimately dishonorable.

What on earth was he trying to do? Caesar was surprised to find that, as a demigod, he couldn't see through this kid's intentions for a moment.

And precisely because of this, his eyes became increasingly curious; he couldn't wait for the duel to start immediately, for both sides to step into the teleportation array and head to their respective battlefields.

Unlike Caesar's anticipation, this time it was Headmaster Aiwen who became uneasy.

Aiwen hadn't bet any money, but he had bragged quite a bit to the people around him, making it sound as if Luo Yan had already won before the battle even began.

Seeing the Goblin cannon fodder appear on the field, his old face couldn't help but feel a bit embarrassed.

He had thought Luo Yan would pull out some trump card to shock everyone present, but he hadn't expected this kid to just give up.

However, the person sitting next to him right now was his prize student, and also the main target of his daily bragging.

Even though his heart was already pounding, he couldn't show it on his face at this moment, so he could only cough lightly and say, feigning unfathomable depth.

"Just wait and see; it's too early to say anything now."

The judges in the viewing area whispered among themselves, eventually giving five 1s as their final evaluation.

A total of one thousand Goblins.

The battle hadn't even started, yet it seemed to have already ended.

Looking at the noisy audience, Xinuo Dragon carried his battle axe on his shoulder and laughed mockingly.

"Luo Yan, is this your army? Hahahaha, you really disappoint me!"

An extremely annoyed Mi Ya plastered herself against the window, her teeth chattering, wishing she could enter the field herself.

Couldn't he at least find a Bai Yin-tier contestant?!

And he ended up bringing a group of Goblins...

One of which she had even gifted him.

Listening to the mockery from the other side, Luo Yan didn't pay it any mind, simply patting the shoulder of the shivering Ouke beside him calmly.

"Be more confident, Ouke. You are a Goblin destined for legend. Lift your chest... very good, just like that."

Ouke, barely managing to puff out his chest and lift his head, wore a smile uglier than crying and stammered.

"B-but Lord Demon King... Ouke has never been on a battlefield! Ouke isn't afraid of dying, just afraid of losing face for you and Miss Mi Ya."

"Who said you would die? Not only will you not die, but you will become a legend of the Demon Capital!"

Looking at the terrified Ouke, Luo Yan didn't mock his cowardice, but instead reached out and pointed at the booing audience.

"See those guys laughing at us? They don't believe we'll win, and even you don't believe it yourself..."

"But we will throw the facts into the faces of those demons and let them see with their own eyes just how foolish their arrogance is!"

"We will prove it to everyone with facts—"

"The era has changed!"

(End of chapter)