Chapter 251: The Pawn at the End of the Road

Deep in the prosperous street block of Black Wind Fortress, an inconspicuous warehouse was brightly lit, the wooden doors locked, and heavy curtains kept all prying eyes from the outside. The air was filled with the scent of incense, masking the smell of rotting wood. Ledgers, notebooks, and untouched wine glasses were scattered on the long table, and more than a dozen representatives of the Chamber of Commerce Alliance sat around the table, each with varying degrees of anxiety on their faces.

Geluoke stood at the end of the long table, his hands pressed against the surface, his shadow cast on the wall by the swaying candlelight, making his short figure appear exceptionally tall.

"Gentlemen, our situation is more dangerous than ever before."

His voice was low and oppressive, appearing exceptionally heavy in the dim room. His gaze swept slowly over the faces of the merchants present, capturing their unease and hesitation.

"I know some of you still harbor illusions, thinking you can remain safe under the Demon King's rule and continue making money, just like before," he paused, his eyes sharp as knives, "however, the situation has changed; Black Wind Fortress is about to undergo a huge transformation, and if we don't make a choice first, we will be completely left behind by the wheels of the era... you all know what I'm talking about."

The warehouse was silent.

Those sitting here naturally knew what he was talking about.

If a month ago, most merchants were still suspicious about what was happening in Black Wind Fortress and the Demon Capital, then now even the drunks in the taverns had heard about the conflict between the Delagong family and the Demon King of Lei Ming County.

This actually wasn't surprising.

After all, whether it was the labyrinth in Lei Ming County or the territory of Black Wind Fortress, strictly speaking, they had once been the Delagong family's territory, but now they were in the hands of that human named Luo Yan.

A fat goblin merchant wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and broke the silence at the conference table after a moment of hesitation.

"Mr. Geluoke, the Demon King is the lord of this city after all; if we are too aggressive, won't we be inviting disaster?"

The merchants at the conference table whispered to each other.

This was what they were most worried about.

No matter how much wealth they possessed, the Demon God could not support them in opposing their lord.

Geluoke sneered, his tone disdainful.

"Are you afraid?"

"I... I'm not afraid," the fat goblin merchant's eyes turned, saying, "it's just... we must consider future matters."

"What I'm talking about is precisely future matters," Geluoke stared at him, continuing in a measured tone, "He is the Demon King of Lei Ming County, his foundation is in the Graveyard, in that gloomy and terrifying territory of his! As for Black Wind Fortress, it's merely his subsidiary industry, a marginal area! In other words, he doesn't understand this place at all. Although the Demon God will not support us in opposing our lord, He will also not allow His subjects to be plundered at will. And I am not asking you to rebel, just to cooperate with me at critical moments."

Several merchants exchanged glances, their brows furrowing, harboring a trace of doubt about this statement, but unable to pick out too many flaws.

Geluoke's meaning was very clear: the Serrated Chamber of Commerce would act as the spearhead, and they wouldn't need to take too much risk.

As for why he wanted to do such a dangerous thing, they could actually guess.

It was nothing more than this guy having a new backer, and that backer was likely the Delagong family.

In fact, the one negotiating with them here was the Delagong family.

Some goblin merchants showed uneasy expressions, while others fell into thought.

Finally, someone coughed lightly, bringing the doubts piled up in everyone's hearts to the surface.

"... Mr. Geluoke, even if the Demon King's focus isn't here, we cannot let our guard down. Although he is isolated and helpless, he is still a lord officially conferred by Hell." Another elderly goblin merchant stroked his beard and spoke cautiously, "Perhaps he is indeed isolated, but if we openly oppose him, won't we be putting ourselves in danger?"

Geluoke revealed a smile of victory; he had been waiting for this sentence.

"Gentlemen, what about the Delagong family? Have you forgotten their existence?"

The room was silent.

The Delagong family was the former master of Black Wind Fortress, a deep-rooted noble family! Even if they were temporarily defeated by the Demon King, their influence still occupied the Demon Capital, and they were by no means ordinary people.

Geluoke's gaze burned as he continued: "We cannot win this victory alone, but with the help of the Delagong family, it's hard to say. They will not allow themselves to lose Black Wind Fortress; they will definitely take back what belongs to them! And us? Should we continue to pin our hopes on an unstable, isolated Demon King, or stand with the true powers?"

Having said that, he scanned everyone, his gaze firm.

"Although the Demon King once made the youngest son of the Dragon family stumble in the dueling arena, this time is different. This time, the entire Dragon family is taking action! Although the Demon King of Lei Ming County holds a title personally bestowed by His Majesty the Demon God, he is, after all, not a true noble, but merely a human who grew up in a temple..."

"I'll just say it straight: he has no chance of winning! Perhaps he can luckily win one or two rounds, but as long as this game doesn't end, the Delagong family can keep playing with him! And what we need to do is stand on the side that is about to win!"

Silence lasted for a moment; the hesitation on the faces of several merchants had been shaken.

Several goblins nodded lightly, clearly already considering this possibility.

However, a hell-dwarf merchant raised a question: "But the Demon King is an officially recognized lord after all; if our Chamber of Commerce Alliance stands too clearly, what if he wins..."

"Wins?" Geluoke sneered, his tone carrying bone-deep sarcasm, "Just by relying on that arrogant guy?"

He snorted coldly, his gaze sweeping sharply over everyone present.

"I once proposed three suggestions to the Lord's Council on behalf of the Chamber of Commerce Alliance; how did he answer us?"

He paused, waiting for their response, but no one spoke.

After all, that kind of proposal...

Even if they were the lord, they couldn't possibly agree; no matter how you looked at it, it would be this guy dragging everyone to play with fire together.

However, Geluoke's words weren't entirely wrong either.

The Demon King really didn't care about them.

This was something they could clearly feel.

Therefore, they chose silence.

Or rather, acquiescence.

Geluoke's mouth hooked into a cold smile, continuing.

"He doesn't trust us at all! In his eyes, we are merely a group of greedy parasites, a group of wild dogs that need to be managed! He won't give us real power, only using the tax money we earn to feed the group of crazy servants under him!"

The atmosphere in the room grew increasingly tense, inscrutable expressions flickering on every face; clearly, it wasn't just Geluoke who was dissatisfied with this lord, just to varying degrees.

"Gentlemen." Geluoke's voice was low, carrying a hint of seduction, continuing while the iron was hot. "Are you really willing to be bossed around by a guy who crawled out from the very bottom of Hell? Are you really willing to be exploited by a tyrant who doesn't even have noble blood? I actually don't oppose working for nobles, but he must make me feel it's worth it, and truly provide help for our business, instead of causing us trouble."

His gaze swept over those angry merchants, and finally, a smile of victory hooked at the corner of his mouth.

"We should choose a more secure future! The Black Wind Fortress of the future should not be ruled by a Demon King from the countryside; it should return to the Demon Capital and become a city controlled by reason and order!"

"This is also what the Delagong family, who truly cares about Black Wind Fortress, is pushing for... This land should be directly administered by the Demon Capital and personally managed by a governor appointed by the Demon God; only this conforms to the overall interests of Hell!"

His voice echoed in the warehouse, and the representatives of the Chamber of Commerce present had already changed from hesitation to being moved.

Indeed—

This was the choice that truly conformed to the interests of Hell, and at the same time, the situation that most conformed to their interests!

Desire burned in their eyes; some nodded frequently, some exchanged low voices, and some even excitedly clenched their fists.

Geluoke looked at this scene in satisfaction.

He knew he had succeeded.

However, what he didn't know was that in the goblin community a few streets away, another, more massive storm had already been ignited.

Those cannon fodder he considered insignificant hadn't been defeated by the plague, nor had they run around like headless flies as he expected, pointing their spears at their nominal master. Instead, under the intentional guidance of the Demon King's minions, they had united, turning fear into anger, anger into strength, and pointing their spears at the Chamber of Commerce Alliance that was staying out of it...

With the reaching of a consensus, the atmosphere in the conference room gradually became relaxed.

Geluoke then announced what they were going to do next, including buying people's hearts while the plague was spreading, inciting goblin laborers to point the conflict toward the Lord's Mansion, and manufacturing bigger troubles while pretending to cooperate with the Lord's Mansion in disaster relief... and all of this was to cooperate with the Delagong family to initiate another hearing through the parliament to hold the Demon King accountable, questioning his governance ability, and taking back the barony of Black Wind Fortress from the latter's hands.

The entire plan could be said to be foolproof.

With a smile of victory on his face, Geluoke picked up the wine glass that no one had touched since the beginning of the meeting, watching the clear wine sway slightly under the candlelight, as well as the faces of firm determination reflected in the wine glass.

"Gentlemen, thank you for standing on my side. I will not forget your contributions today, and the Delagong family will not forget—"

"Let us toast to the future of Black Wind Fortress!"

Having said that, he drank the red wine in his cup in one gulp.

However, just as he was about to put the wine glass down, a rush of footsteps came from outside.

Accompanied by a "bang," the wooden door of the warehouse was slammed open, the sound of the impact causing the liquid in the wine bottles to sway violently.

A goblin covered in sweat rushed in, almost falling to the ground, his face pale as paper, unable to even speak clearly.

"Ma, Master! Something happened!"

Geluoke frowned, putting down the wine glass with displeasure, staring coldly at the small goblin.

"What's the panic?" His voice carried a hint of impatience. "Don't you see we are discussing important matters?"

The goblin servant was almost kneeling on the ground, his voice trembling as he said.

"The goblins have gone crazy! They, they are gathering on the street and rushing toward us!"

The air in the room suddenly solidified, and everyone's expressions changed.

"What?!"

Geluoke's face turned ugly instantly, and he stood up with a "whoosh."

Looking at Chairman Geluoke, whose face was livid, the goblin instinctively shrank and shivered, his voice trembling as he continued.

"It's true, Master! They are like crazy, gathering on the street, shouting to settle accounts with the Chamber of Commerce Alliance! Even, even worse, the guards of Black Wind Fortress haven't reacted at all; they are like they've gone blind, letting those guys smash things on the street... now only the guards of each chamber of commerce are blocking them, but there are too many of them, and some despicable and cunning guys have taken off their clothes and joined them! You, you had better go out and avoid the limelight first... I saw an unlucky guy hung on a street lamp."

The air seemed to be squeezed tight by an invisible hand, suffocating.

After a moment of silence, the conference room exploded.

"This is impossible! How dare those guys?!"

"We are the economic lifeline of Black Wind Fortress! Have they gone crazy?"

"The guards didn't intervene?! This bunch of good-for-nothings... what are they thinking?!"

The representatives of the chambers of commerce were pale, the sound of chairs falling, the sound of rapid breathing mixed together.

Everyone thought of one possibility—

This might be the Demon King's intention!

Black Wind Fortress was too close to the Demon Capital, so even the lord couldn't mess around in his own territory, especially with others watching covetously from the side, but it would be different if he incited those bottom-tier goblins.

The ridiculous Geluoke was still planning to buy people's hearts through the plague, cooperating with the Delagong family to put pressure on Luo Yan at the next hearing, but he hadn't realized at all that this thing he planned to do next had already been done by a guy who had just returned from Lei Ming County more than a month ago.

They seemed to always be a step slower than the other party—

Even if they were the ones who made the first move!

Realizing this, those who had been calm all panicked, jumping off their chairs.

"Quick! We have to go home and pack our things!"

A hell-dwarf merchant stood up abruptly, pushed away his chair, and ran toward the door. Others followed suit, rushing toward the door in a swarm, scrambling to escape this warehouse about to be surrounded by angry goblins.

Geluoke stood stunned in place, cold sweat breaking out on his forehead, his head buzzing.

Riot?

How is that possible!

He never expected that those weak goblins would jump out to resist, and even less expected that they would point their spears directly at him. Wait—

What about the evidence?

The Delagong family did indeed use their power to poison the water source in the goblin community, he was clear about this... but how did those guys find out?!

But now wasn't the time to think; he had to leave here immediately!

If he were caught by that group of guys, even if he didn't do it, it would become his doing!

He pushed away the servant, ran wildly, and headed straight for the headquarters of the Serrated Chamber of Commerce along the narrow alley.

This three-story building was located in the core commercial area of Black Wind Fortress, as sturdy as a towering fortress, yet facing that surging wave, this fortress was like a small boat sailing in a storm, floating in an atmosphere of unease.

Geluoke ran wildly all the way, panting, pushed open the door of the chamber of commerce, "bang!" hitting the marble floor, looking incredibly disheveled as he scrambled up!

The staff in the lobby were startled by his movement, stopping their work one after another, their eyes terrified.

Geluoke had no time to care about them; he grabbed the wall to steady his steps, his gaze fixed on the third floor, running wildly upward with all his strength.

At the same time, on the third floor of the Serrated Chamber of Commerce, in front of the window of the chairman's office.

!

Night Song, wearing a tuxedo, quietly watched the street outside.

The scene there exceeded his expectations.

Only to see that in the pitch-black street, densely packed goblins were holding simple weapons, roaring and rushing toward the chamber of commerce area. Their eyes burned with flames of anger, like an uncontrollable torrent, swallowing everything blocking their path.

Although those guards of the chamber of commerce were well-trained, facing a riot of this scale, they were powerless to resist, and their defensive line was already crumbling.

There were at least fifty thousand goblins charging at them—

The goblins of Black Wind Fortress had never been so united!

Night Song frowned, his gaze flashing with the light of thought, whispering to himself.

"This is... not quite the same as the plan."

The rebellion in Black Wind Fortress was part of the plan, but it should have been the final step. This fire burned too fast, so fast that it even exceeded their expectations, catching him off guard.

Those mercenaries planted in the goblin community to fan the flames hadn't had a chance to act, and this fire had burned on its own.

Not only that, this fire, which should have erupted in a disorderly manner, didn't burn toward the Lord's Mansion as they expected, but instead swept straight toward the direction of the Chamber of Commerce Alliance.

Why?

Night Song couldn't understand.

It was true that the poisoners were arranged by the Serrated Chamber of Commerce, but this group of irrational mobs should have known nothing; how did they find their way here?

The Delagong family had envisioned many possibilities, including Luo Yan directly sending guards to suppress them, including Luo Yan requesting more support from the Padeliqi family, etc., but they never expected that guy to take the lead in inciting a rebellion on his own territory and harness this power.

At this moment, a panicked shout broke his train of thought, and at the same time caused him to turn his head.

Only to see the chairman of the Serrated Chamber of Commerce—Geluoke—rushing in, covered in sweat, his eyes full of despair.

"Mr. Night Song... where are your people? You can't let them wait any longer; now is the time to act! Didn't you say you planted some pawns in Black Wind Fortress? How much longer are you going to wait?"

Looking at Geluoke, who was wailing like a dead dog, Night Song's indifferent eyes carried a hint of scrutiny.

"We did indeed plant some pawns in Black Wind Fortress, but they were used to incite this kind of chaos, and now this chaos has clearly exceeded our control."

Geluoke froze on the spot, staring at him, mouth open, unable to say a word for a long time.

"Then... what should we do?"

"Hmm, what should we do."

Night Song repeated this question thoughtfully, then his gaze fell on Geluoke.

In an instant, Geluoke felt the blood throughout his body freeze, his hands and feet trembling uncontrollably, feeling faintly cold.

He suddenly realized a possibility, and looking at Night Song standing by the window, panic flashed in his eyes instantly.

"Wait, wait a minute... I... I'll think of another way, I still have a way!"

Looking at Geluoke, who was struggling on the verge of death, Night Song sighed lightly, and under the gaze of those terrified eyes, said slowly.

"Mr. Geluoke, I am very disappointed in you; we originally wanted you to be the true master of Black Wind Fortress, but it looks like you messed things up."

"No! Wait, it's not over yet! We can still think of other ways!" Geluoke knelt on the ground and begged.

"It's too late."

Night Song extended his index finger expressionlessly, casually pointing out a red glow, shooting toward Geluoke's head.

This chaos had spiraled out of control, the Chamber of Commerce Alliance would likely be uprooted by that group of angry goblins, and the Demon King, who had indulged all of this, would definitely take this opportunity to completely cleanse the influence of the Chamber of Commerce Alliance in Black Wind Fortress.

Now he could only pray that this chaos was large enough to affect the supply to the front line.

As for now—

Geluoke was the only one who had seen him and knew his identity; the traces of the Delagong family's activities in this must be erased.

And then, just as that lightning-like red glow was about to hit Geluoke's head, a huge axe blade suddenly crashed head-on into the flickering red glow.

Night Song was slightly startled, dodging half a step to the side, only to see the huge air wave pass by his side, directly tearing apart half the wall behind him.

The whistling dust dissipated. A burly orc with bulging muscles stood before him, grinning at him.

Looking at that seemingly familiar face, Night Song frowned, his pupils suddenly contracting.

"Gelake... Bloodblade Demon General, I remember your name."

Geluoke, sitting on the ground, had already been scared to the point of wetting himself, looking tremblingly at the guy whose name was only one syllable different from his own.

That terrifying pressure didn't fall behind the platinum-tier demon at all!

This guy was also a platinum-tier powerhouse!

Gelake spat a mouthful of saliva, grinning as he shouldered his battle axe, looking provocatively at the gargoyle before him.

"Heh, the Delagong family's servant actually remembers a small character like me, what an honor."

"You are Lei Ji's old subordinate," Night Song raised his chin slightly, saying coldly, "Do you know who you are opposing?"

"Hahahaha!"

Gelake suddenly looked up and laughed, staring straight into Night Song's eyes.

"It's a good thing you didn't mention this; do you know what kind of life I lived when I was under Lei Ji?"

Night Song sneered coldly.

"So you were bought off just like that? What about the glory of the Blood Axe Clan—"

"A guy who steals chickens and dogs, is he worthy of mentioning the word glory?" A cold, dark voice suddenly came from the side, making Night Song, who had been composed, feel a chill in his heart.

A dagger was silently held against his throat, and behind him was a pair of red pupils flickering with ominous light.

Tanuosi!

Shadow Demon General of the Lei Ming County labyrinth!

Night Song was suddenly startled, his magic power releasing toward the surroundings like a tsunami.

Scorching flames swept through the entire office, tearing all the furniture into fragments with destructive force, even blowing off half the roof.

Night Song jumped into the air with all his might, spreading the wings behind him, preparing to escape from this place of right and wrong.

However, just as he was about to succeed, black thorns suddenly wrapped around his ankles, dragging him fiercely toward the ground.

The violent impact kicked up huge dust in the street, Night Song rolled disheveled into the alley next to him, fierce light flickering in his burning pupils.

And at this moment, a strange laughter came from the side, striking his tense heartstrings.

"Giggle... is this the strength of the Delagong family? I feel like it's nothing much."

Night Song quickly looked toward one side of the alley, only to see a seductive figure standing there.

Her appearance was enchanting, her skin pale, wearing a thin dark purple magic robe, holding a thorn-shaped object in her hand—it looked like a magic wand, and also like a whip—a bloodthirsty grin on her mouth.

Black bat wings stretched out behind her; those were the wings of a pain-demon!

"Thorn Demon General Bulanshi'ya..."

Wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, Night Song stood up from the ground, his voice cold and clear.

"The Demon King of Lei Ming County really has good means... when did you guys become so obedient."

"That depends on who we are working for, and what kind of work it is." Bulanshi'ya said in a measured tone, an enchanting smile on her mouth. "Coming to the Demon Capital isn't easy, the respected Lord Demon King is willing to invite us over for a trip, how could I refuse? Besides, I can also teach the Delagong family a lesson."

Night Song's pupils contracted slightly.

Three platinum-tier powerhouses, and each one's strength was not inferior to his... This completely exceeded his expectations! It even more exceeded Elder Zakeluo's expectations!

That Demon King was even crazier than he had imagined.

They had planned to flip the table, but never expected the other party to intend to blow up the house from the start.

A drop of cold sweat slid across his forehead; this was the first time in over a decade he had felt death so close.

"Give up, you are no match for us, and the Delagong family behind you is even less likely to be a match for our lord. The moment you chose to make a move in Black Wind Fortress, you had already lost; the Demon King had long since set his sights on every pawn deployed here, why don't you guess why we haven't made a move until now?"

Tanuosi appeared on the other side of the alley, playing with the dagger in his hand, looking at Night Song, who was already a turtle in a jar, saying unhurriedly.

"The Demon King is a magnanimous person; he has no interest in uprooting the Delagong family, on the contrary, he will liberate you from Kamu and that stubborn old man... I think this is also a good thing for you. Serving an increasingly crazy old man for hundreds of years, don't you feel disgusted?"

As the most guilty guy among the four Demon Generals, he was also the one who performed the most diligently among all the Demon Generals.

After all, the reason Luo Yan landed in Lei Ming City at the time was because of the teleportation array he had drawn.

However, the Demon King didn't hold him accountable later, and even allowed him to continue occupying the eighteenth floor of the labyrinth as his fief.

This great grace was something he had never felt from Lei Ji Delagong.

Listening to Tanuosi's words, Night Song's blood-stained mouth hooked into a grin.

"Are you trying to persuade me to surrender?"

"Why not?" Tanuosi said expressionlessly. "Gargoyle meat doesn't taste good anyway."

"Hehe... Hahahaha!"

Night Song suddenly looked up and laughed, his expression becoming ferocious in an instant, his expanding muscles tearing his clothes, his body as huge as a griffin completely stretching out.

The surrounding buildings were crushed into debris, and bean-sized stones flew out like cannonballs, falling onto the street not far away without causing even a ripple.

"I only owe my loyalty to Elder Zakeluo!"

"Let me surrender—"

"Dream on!"

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 252 =====