Chapter 252: Settlement!

The office on the third floor of the Serrated Chamber of Commerce was now a mess.

The walls were covered with charred cracks, and the air was filled with the smell of burning.

The heavy desk was overturned diagonally to the side, and outside the shattered window was a dark silence.

However, more chilling than the night was the deafening roar coming from the street in the distance.

"Smash the Chamber of Commerce Alliance!!!"

"Black Wind Fortress is the Demon King's Black Wind Fortress! Not these blood-sucking maggots!"

"Long live the Demon King!!!"

Geluoke knelt on the ground, trembling all over.

Looking at the almost destroyed office, and then looking toward the angry tide surging in the night, fear unprecedented appeared on his face.

He finally understood.

Why the Demon King kept him until now.

That lord wasn't afraid to kill him, not at all concerned about the Delagong family behind him, but to keep him as bait to drag the Delagong family into the mud, and to let him take all the blame and die after everything was over.

As early as the Lord's Council meeting more than a month ago, that person had already decided how to kill him.

"I... I, please wait a moment!" He jerked his head up, as if grabbing the last straw, his eyes staring fixedly at Gelake standing before him.

That burly orc warrior shouldered his double-edged battle axe, the firelight reflecting in his pupils, making him look like a god of death walking on the battlefield.

Geluoke crawled forward a step, his tone carrying desperate pleading.

"Ge, Lord Gelake, please—give me a chance! I can be loyal to the Demon King! I can bite the Delagong family to death for the Demon King! Please let me serve the Demon King—"

"Loyal to the Demon King?" Gelake sneered, baring his fangs, revealing a grim smile. "Are you worthy?"

A mere goblin!

As soon as the words fell, the double-edged battle axe in his hand smashed fiercely onto the floor, the huge impact causing the entire ground to tremble, dust falling down.

Geluoke's face turned pale instantly, his lips trembling, unable to say a word, his face panicked as he retreated.

He had to escape!

He couldn't die here!

Driven by the instinct for survival, he finally moved his legs, stumbling as he turned to run.

Bloodblade Demon General Gelake looked at the fleeing goblin with a playful expression, as if looking at a corpse, not even chasing him, merely shouldering his battle axe.

Not daring to stop for a second, Geluoke rushed out of the back door like crazy, drilled into a narrow alley, trying to escape this battlefield that had already ignited. However, his footsteps suddenly stalled—

The road ahead was already blocked by a group of goblins.

They were wearing old clothes, holding simple weapons in their hands, however, their eyes burned with unprecedented anger.

These were the laborers of Black Wind Fortress—goblins who had once been exploited, oppressed, and enslaved by the Serrated Chamber of Commerce.

Of course, not all of them were exploited by the Serrated Chamber of Commerce, but that kind of thing no longer mattered.

Geluoke's lips trembled, his footsteps retreating slowly, attempting to turn and run, however, the alley behind him also gradually flooded with more goblins.

He was completely surrounded.

"You... what do you want to do?"

His voice was hoarse, carrying a hint of desperate pleading, "I was framed! You can't touch me! Please wait, I was used by the Delagong family! It was them—"

Slap!

A hand full of calluses slapped fiercely on Geluoke's face.

"Delagong family? I knew it, it really was you guys!"

They wore tattered clothes and held crude weapons in their hands, yet their eyes burned with unprecedented fury.

"Do you know how many brothers we lost?" The old goblin's voice was low and angry, "And now you actually have the face to say you were framed?"

"You running dogs of the Delagong family, splashing dirty water on the Demon King! It was you! Making our children, our neighbors, our brothers drink poisoned water!"

"Pay with your life! Make him pay with his life!!"

The surrounding goblins erupted in roars, raising the weapons in their hands one after another, knocking on the ground, making a dull echo.

Geluoke completely collapsed; he knelt on the ground, kowtowing frantically, his voice carrying a cry: "No—don't kill me! I'm the chairman of the Chamber of Commerce! I... I can compensate you! Gold! And Kaila... I'll give you whatever you want!"

However, his pleading was met with pairs of eyes full of hatred.

"Gold?"

"I spit on that! That was ours to begin with!!"

"Hang him up!"

With a violent shout, several thick ropes suddenly looped around Geluoke's neck and limbs, dozens of goblins exerting force together, dragging him toward a rusty street lamp post at the end of the alley.

Geluoke struggled frantically, his mouth emitting desperate screams.

"No—stop! Stop it!!!"

But no one paid attention to his screams.

Click!

The rope was tightly tied to the street lamp post.

Under the firelight, the goblins surrounded him in a circle, watching Geluoke, who was about to face death.

At this moment, Geluoke was already on his last breath, not even having the strength to struggle, looking desperately at the goblins surrounding him.

The only consolation was that he wasn't the only one hung on a street lamp; the entire street was full of goblins, as well as some hell-dwarves, or demons.

They were all from the Chamber of Commerce Alliance, some were his accomplices, some were not... but these didn't matter anymore.

Sini'ke walked forward slowly, looked at him deeply, and said in a low voice: "This is what you deserve."

His hand waved abruptly—

Crack!

The rope tightened abruptly, Geluoke's body was hung high amidst screams, his legs kicking frantically, his mouth opening helplessly, tongue sticking out, eyeballs bulging, his complexion gradually turning from green to purple, until completely stiff.

Geluoke, who had once been a force to be reckoned with, now hung like a dead dog.

Looking at the goblin who died before him, the surrounding goblins were silent for a moment, then erupted in deafening cheers.

The Serrated Chamber of Commerce was completely destroyed from then on.

Under the raging fire, the once arrogant chairman of the Chamber of Commerce finally turned into a cold corpse, hung on the street of Black Wind Fortress, waiting for the wind to dry him out.

And on the street not far away, the Delagong family's servant Night Song, under the siege of two Demon Generals, finally ran out of strength and fell heavily amidst a roar of unwillingness.

Tanuosi's dagger sank into his heart, draining his blood. Night Song tried to burn his body with all his might, but was sealed by a pitch-black thorn, finally swallowing his last breath and turning into a cold stone statue.

It was a pity this wasn't a labyrinth, so it couldn't imprison his soul, only letting the Demon God judge him.

Bulanshi'ya yawned, retracted the black thorns that were twisting like tentacles all over the alley, then licked the corners of her crimson mouth with lingering interest.

Although she didn't taste the blood of the Delagong family members, as an appetizer for revenge, Zakeluo's confidant was not bad.

Raging flames burned on the streets of Black Wind Fortress, and the prosperous commercial street completely turned into ruins.

The hell-dwarves living around tightened their expressions, hiding in their homes one after another, closing their doors and windows tightly, fearing being affected by the aftermath of the fire.

And at this moment, the guards of Black Wind Fortress began to enter the scene, arresting some of the guys who were making the most noise, confiscating the property they had robbed, part of it turned over to the public, part of it stuffed into their own pockets.

As for Sini'ke.

The Demon King still needed him to stabilize order, so they naturally turned a blind eye and let him go, including the gold bars and banknotes he moved from the vault of the Chamber of Commerce Alliance.

Leaving behind the mess of the Chamber of Commerce Alliance, the goblins scattered under Sini'ke's greeting, carrying their spoils into the goblin community that looked like a fortress.

As before, the fruits of victory were not enjoyed exclusively by their boss, but distributed to the supporters.

Whether it was the beer and bread robbed, or the gold and silver treasures robbed from the vault of the Chamber of Commerce.

Due to this beautiful victory, the prestige of Sini'ke and his Neighborhood Committee rose to an unprecedented height.

Not satisfied with the victory before his eyes, he took out the list he had prepared earlier while the iron was hot, and launched a second round of settlement within the goblin community—this time targeting the enemies hiding beside them.

Those guys who had long been targeted by the Demon King but hadn't had time to deal with!

This night, the power structure of Black Wind Fortress was completely rewritten, and the pawns buried by the Delagong family in Black Wind Fortress were almost all gone, dead, fled, or confessed...

The magic crystal cannon factory therefore stopped production.

But in the face of even greater losses, this most important thing became the most insignificant trivial matter.

Facing massive human and material evidence as well as iron-clad facts, this time even if the Delagong family had heaven-reaching abilities, they couldn't escape.

Although this chaos broke out on Luo Yan's territory, the impact on Luo Yan was the smallest.

Even if he considered the overall situation and handled it properly, this could even turn into a not-so-small merit...

In a quiet corner of the Demon Capital's Higher Demon Academy, a huge round egg-shaped greenhouse stood in the center of the obsidian building complex. Its crystal-clear shell was like living crystal, refracting faint magic luster, shrouding the scattered plant communities inside, so that the entire magic workshop was like a secret realm of its own.

This was the place most like the surface in all of Hell.

Inside the secret realm, the moist air was mixed with the fragrance of plants, and imperceptible magic power rippled in the air, like gentle water waves. The seven-colored jellyfish by the pond floated slowly, the fluorescence like a dream, and in a quiet pavilion, a woman was quietly flipping through ancient books, just like a girl in a painting.

Her skin was crystal clear, like the purest crystal, yet carrying a soft jelly texture, shining with a luster like flowing liquid. It wasn't just her skin and every smile, her hair and robes also flowed with imperceptible ripples of light, but it was hard to see if one didn't observe carefully.

This was Professor Emperor Shi Shi Laimu Aidoniya, a grandmaster-level powerhouse of the Shi Shi Laimu clan, and also a leader in the alchemy field of the Demon Capital's Higher Demon Academy; the "moon" above the entire Demon Capital was designed by her. And compared to the Golden Shi Shi Laimu, her bloodline as an Emperor Shi Shi Laimu was more noble, even traceable to a certain royal family of the First Epoch. And in an era not too long ago, she had also had an unknown past with Vivian's grandfather.

Perhaps it was precisely because of that past that she treated Vivian like a real granddaughter, and her attitude toward Luo Yan was also quite special.

At this moment, her gaze fell on the two people approaching, a faint smile on her mouth.

"Vivian, why do you have time to see me today?" Her voice was warm and long, carrying a hint of doting.

Vivian, who had put away her parasol, stepped forward with joy, hugging her arm and shaking it coquettishly.

"Professor Aidoniya! I missed you!"

"We see each other every day, what is there to miss about me," Professor Aidoniya teased her, unable to hold back a laugh, "Next time you ask me for help, remember to make up a better excuse."

Vivian, whose excuse had been exposed, felt her cheeks flush slightly.

But she was the future little master of the Prince Kelin Principality after all, her skin was much thicker than ordinary people's; her eyes turned, she coughed calmly, and muddled through the matter.

Her skin was crystal clear, like the purest crystal, yet it carried a soft, jelly-like texture, shimmering with a luster like flowing liquid. It wasn't just her skin and her every smile; her hair and robes also flowed with imperceptible waves of light, though it was hard to see without careful observation.

"Oh?" Aidoniya looked at her with smiling eyes, not exposing her, then looked at Luo Yan standing not far behind Vivian—the child recommended to her by Headmaster Aiwen.

She continued in a teasing tone.

"It turns out the renowned Demon King of Lei Ming County has something to find me, then I must listen carefully to his troubles."

Walking forward from behind Vivian, Luo Yan nodded slightly, saying humbly.

"Professor Aidoniya, you are overstating it, I am merely a junior, it's really embarrassing to trouble you."

Professor Aidoniya smiled, continuing.

"How could it be trouble, it's my honor to serve you; I heard you planted quite a few flowers and plants in the labyrinth of Lei Ming County, maybe in the future if my magic workshop lacks any rare materials, I might have to trouble you for help."

The pleasantries were over.

Professor Aidoniya paused for a moment, a hint of scrutiny and interested light in her eyes.

!

"Then, Mr. Luo Yan... may I ask what kind of difficult problem has actually made you run to find me in person?"

Luo Yan didn't speak, his index finger swiping lightly, taking out a crystal bottle from his space ring.

The bottle contained a water sample from Black Wind Fortress, the transparent liquid swaying slowly in the bottle, looking no different from ordinary water.

Aidoniya took the bottle, her slender fingers stroking it lightly, a trace of subtle magic fluctuation instantly conducted to the bottle, permeating into the bottle along the edge of the cork.

She frowned slightly, her palm flipping lightly, prying open the cork, while simultaneously driving the magic power to change, and then a wisp of water mist rose from the clear water surface.

Smelling the bad odor, Vivian frowned slightly and took half a step back.

Professor Aidoniya fell into thought, then her pupils condensed, whispering to herself.

"It's actually the power of a curse..."

Having said that, she plucked a translucent leaf, pouring a drop of water from the bottle onto it. The moment the liquid drop touched the leaf, the translucent leaf instantly stained with pure black, struggling violently at Professor Aidoniya's fingertips like a living animal, finally completely withering and disintegrating after a few seconds, turning into fragments.

Luo Yan watched the withered leaf at her fingertips with interest.

This thing seemed quite good for testing poison; he, a top student at the Demon King Academy, hadn't seen it before.

"Sure enough." Aidoniya sighed, looking up at Luo Yan, saying seriously, "This is a battlefield magic potion from the late First Epoch, known as 'Corruption Blood,' once used for behind-enemy-lines sabotage operations to spread fear. Even after dilution, it can still make the drinker gradually weaken within three days, until completely losing the ability to act. If practicing the breath power of the Dragon God sect, and having strength above bronze-tier, one can rely on one's own resistance to suppress it. If it's an ordinary mage, I'm afraid one needs to be above silver-tier to temporarily suppress it by one's own power."

"Corruption Blood?" Luo Yan frowned slightly.

"Yes, its refining process is extremely complex, and the alchemist who can make it must have at least diamond-tier strength, and also go through a special magic ritual." Aidoniya said slowly, her eyes falling into memory, continuing in a nostalgic tone after a moment, "I remember the last time I saw it was five hundred years ago... so many years have passed, I didn't expect to see this thing again, and it's near the Demon Capital."

It seems Professor Aidoniya should have used it.

However, Luo Yan didn't want to ask what she used this thing for a long time ago; after all, in that era of demons dancing wildly, all things were sprouting, and demigod-level powerhouses were still fighting on the front line. When eyes turned red from killing, humans and demons didn't kill each other's cities less, and wearing formal suits and ties was all later.

The further back the era, the less constrained extraordinary power was, especially in that era when epics appeared in clusters, destroying a city and ruining a country were common occurrences.

"Are there very few people who know the formula for this magic potion?"

"Very rare, after all, curse-type magic potions aren't actually that useful for surface humans anymore; they can easily dispel the magic potions we rack our brains to concoct with holy light, and even leaving them alone wouldn't matter, and in the end, we helped them consolidate their faith," Professor Aidoniya nodded lightly, saying terrifying things in a light tone, "And, from the perspective of spreading fear and cost-effectiveness, there are more efficient means now... even, spreading corrosion silently like you is the best strategy."

Luo Yan nodded, understanding Professor Aidoniya's implication—

The one who concocted this thing was an old guy.

And also an old antique living in the past.

But actually, there was no need to guess.

Except for the Delagong family, no one had a reason to do this.

Luo Yan's reaction was still calm, but Vivian's willow brows stood up upon hearing this, burning with anger, her small fists clenched tightly, red pupils flashing with dangerous light.

"Damn it! Someone actually dared to poison the goblins!" She said this through gritted teeth, her magic power surging faintly around her.

Aidoniya couldn't help but laugh upon hearing this.

She hadn't heard that the Prince Kelin Principality had goblins.

"Vivian," Luo Yan placed his hand on Vivian's shoulder, his peaceful tone carrying unquestionable majesty, "Calm down."

"I, I'm worried about you!" Vivian glared at him aggressively, but her momentum quickly weakened, muttering through gritted teeth, "It must be the Delagong family again... I should have, told my father about that matter..."

The Delagong family had once used her.

At that time, she had thought about confessing to her father, but was persuaded by Luo Yan.

"I hope you don't do that," Luo Yan looked straight into her eyes, saying softly, "This is a grudge between me and the Delagong family, I don't want you to get involved."

Although dragging the Prince Kelin family in was indeed a strategy, it wasn't a good thing for either himself or Vivian.

He had better ways, no need to cause extra trouble.

Besides, it had already reached this point; in his eyes, the Delagong family was no different from dead people.

It was already time to wrap things up.

Vivian puffed up her cheeks in anger, but finally deflated like a punctured ball.

Aidoniya looked at the interaction between the two, raising her eyebrows with interest, a motherly smile on her face.

Luo Yan always felt she knew something, but couldn't be sure how much she knew, so he coughed lightly to change the subject.

"May I ask... is there a way to dispel this magic potion?"

It wasn't that he couldn't use holy light, but he couldn't cast it in Hell.

And he couldn't scan so many goblins one by one.

Aidoniya smiled.

"It's not very difficult, I can directly concoct an antidote for you."

Luo Yan was slightly startled, then revealed a gentle smile: "Then thank you, Professor."

Not expecting Luo Yan to agree so readily, Aidoniya raised her eyebrows in surprise, teasing, "Eh? I thought you would be polite."

"If it were someone else, I would indeed be polite, but you are Miss Vivian's mentor, and also Headmaster Aiwen's friend... they are all important people to me, and you naturally are too," Luo Yan said with a smile, his tone frank, "However, at least collecting materials, let me do it."

Appropriately owing favors was more conducive to bringing people closer than giving favors, especially for powerhouses and elders, people tended to help those they had helped before.

It was precisely for this reason that Luo Yan had never been polite about troubling elders for help.

His first sponsorship was gotten from Headmaster Aiwen and Professor Lilith, and later Professor Lilith helped him once more.

Hearing Luo Yan's words, Professor Aidoniya's face bloomed with joy, magic light flashed in her hand, and a piece of parchment fell into Luo Yan's hand, then elegant handwriting automatically appeared on the paper.

"This material list is for you, many things are not rare, only the Blazing Flame Flower, which can only be found on land where magma has flowed, might be a bit difficult."

Blazing Flame Flower, huh?

Luo Yan smiled slightly.

This thing was exactly in the magic mine near Beifeng City; long before the Magic Plant Frenzy event started, his little players had already transplanted this thing to his backyard.

He scanned the materials on the list, reported them to Hearing You You for verification, and basically found them all on his territory.

Luo Yan put the list into his space ring and nodded.

"I will bring it to you as soon as possible."

"I await your news." Professor Aidoniya nodded in approval, put the crystal bottle into her storage space, then changed the subject slightly, continuing: "Speaking of which, you came just in time. If it were any later, this magic potion would likely have completely decomposed, and it would be hard to fix the evidence by then."

While saying this, she placed a pinch of withered leaves on the table.

That was the trace of curse corrosion.

Although she didn't know what kind of magic crop this was, with the guarantee of the vice-headmaster of the Higher Demon Academy, she thought the Truth Force would be able to accept this evidence.

Of course.

Actually, even without this physical evidence, Luo Yan had other evidence.

Just as they were talking, he had already learned from Hearing You You about the situation in Black Wind Fortress—

A riot broke out in the goblin community of Black Wind Fortress, and the mighty flames burned the weeds in his backyard precisely as he had expected.

Actually, according to his original expectation, this fire would have come later, at least after he made public the evidence of the Delagong family's collusion with the Chamber of Commerce Alliance, and let that fear ferment for a while.

But now it seems, as long as the governor does a good job, evidence isn't that important.

Luo Yan smiled slightly, saying humbly.

"Fortunately, the Professor is here."

"You are too polite."

Professor Aidoniya blinked, didn't continue to chat with the two, but sent them out of this huge magic workshop.

Luo Yan needed to prepare the materials for the antidote as soon as possible, and she also needed to make some preparations in advance to concoct the antidote.

Standing at the door of the magic workshop, Vivian pouted lightly, her expression seeming to say—what about me?

In an instant, reading the expectation hidden behind the unhappiness, Luo Yan smiled and reached out to rub her hair.

"Of course, thank you too, Miss Vivian."

Vivian's cheeks flushed involuntarily, the corners of her mouth unable to hold back from lifting lightly, squinting her eyelashes to enjoy it.

This guy didn't blush at all when lying, but his body was unexpectedly honest... or rather, faithful to his own feelings.

Was this also inherited from the Prince Kelin family?

Luo Yan couldn't help but reflect on himself, whether he had had similar situations inadvertently.

And just as he fell into thought, Vivian captured the silence on his face, couldn't help but misunderstand, and couldn't help but whisper.

"Do you really not need my help? I actually..."

Looking at the worried Vivian, Luo Yan knew she must have misunderstood something again, so he smiled and shook his head.

"This little thing doesn't need it, when the day comes that I need your help, I won't be polite. Besides..."

When he said this, Luo Yan paused for a moment, his gaze deep as night, "They are finished."

Before tonight, the upheaval in Black Wind Fortress would shock the entire Demon Capital, and set off a huge storm from top to bottom.

He had once promised to provide the Truth Force with evidence of the Delagong family's involvement.

And now, this evidence was complete.

Although this might not be the one the Truth Force was expecting.

Vivian was startled, although she didn't fully grasp the deep meaning in Luo Yan's words, she read the murderous intent hidden in that sentence.

The Delagong family was finished.

Whether it was the demon standing in the foreground, or the guy hiding behind the scenes.

Her shoulders trembled slightly involuntarily, her eyes filled with excited and admiring light.

As expected of my brother—

Truly unfathomable!

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 253 =====

Before tonight is over, the upheaval at Black Wind Castle will shock the entire Demon Capital and trigger a massive stir from top to bottom.

He had once promised to provide the Truth Department with evidence of the Dragon family's involvement.

And now, this evidence was complete.

Although it might not be the one the Truth Department was expecting.

Vivian was stunned for a moment; although she didn't fully grasp the deeper meaning of Luo Yan's words, she read the murderous intent hidden within that sentence.

The Dragon family was finished.

Whether it was the demon standing in the foreground or the guy hiding behind the scenes.

Her shoulders trembled slightly, and her eyes were filled with excitement and admiration.

As expected of my elder brother—

Truly unfathomable!

(End of chapter)