Chapter 297: Got there first?

The conversation ended quickly.

Whether it was because that massive amount of information needed time to digest, or because the councilor's time was too expensive to stay long, Count Kalan Watusi did not keep Luo Yan for long.

After confirming that the "servant swept into the storm" mentioned by Luo Yan was not in danger of his life, this elegant and steady Director-General stood up to see him off, personally sending Luo Yan to the door.

However, just as he reached out to grasp the doorknob, about to open the door for Luo Yan, a stuttering impact was transmitted through the doorknob—

There seemed to be a not-so-smart ear hidden behind the door.

"—Ouch!"

A short, sharp cry of pain, and a certain pink-haired girl fell to the ground, sitting on the floor, her nose red, tears almost coming out from the pain.

It seems that even for a succubus, the bridge of the nose is a fragile place.

Looking at the "little ancestor" sitting on the ground, Count Kalan's face, which had been as calm as still water, twitched slightly, but he still maintained a polite smile.

"Miss Mi Ya, I think... you probably knocked on the wrong door, right?"

Mi Ya was originally opening her mouth, not knowing how to explain. Seeing the ladder handed over by the other side, she immediately rolled down the donkey.

"I, I... that's right!"

Eavesdropping on the conversation between the Director-General and the Demon King was originally a fairly serious disciplinary problem. Another demon would have had to report to the funeral home in the suburbs the next day... but there was no way, she was Feisiting's daughter, and Kalan and that gentleman were old acquaintances, always treating Mi Ya as half his own daughter.

Giving Mi Ya a meaningful glare, Kalan dropped a light "don't let it happen again," then bid farewell to the headache-ridden Luo Yan and turned to leave.

Until the back of this Count disappeared at the end of the corridor, Luo Yan looked at the succubus lady whose cheeks were almost smoking... he didn't expect her to be embarrassed too.

Running around in her own backyard, he thought this guy would be more righteous.

"You've got some nerve, even daring to listen to your superior's door." Reaching out to pull Mi Ya up from the ground, Luo Yan teased with a smile.

"I, I didn't wait too long," Mi Ya slumped her mouth, lowered her head aggrievedly, and kicked her heels with her toes, muttering. "You were taken away as soon as you came back, and didn't come out for a long time..."

She didn't have the face to say the real reason.

Count Kalan Watusi rarely appeared in the Demon King Management Department, and every appearance meant something big had happened.

Seeing Luo Yan being taken away, she subconsciously didn't think in a good direction.

Especially since Luo Yan always didn't tell her anything. After everything ended, she suddenly realized how terrible a danger he had experienced.

So in her anxiety, she resorted to this desperate measure, just not expecting that as soon as her ear was pressed against it, her head would have an intimate contact with the door panel.

In normal times, no matter how lawless she was, she was willful within the rules and would never do something like eavesdropping.

Didn't expect that the first time she did it, she was caught on the spot.

And it was by her father's old friend.

Thinking of this, Mi Ya couldn't help but feel a sense of discouragement in her heart, feeling that she was becoming more and more useless... no wonder he didn't tell her anything.

Luo Yan subconsciously took out his pocket watch and looked at it. Seeing that only ten minutes had passed, he wanted to tease her, but saw that behind those aggrieved eyes, it seemed to be more than just the pain on her nose.

Putting away the pocket watch, he placed his hand on Mi Ya's head and patted it gently.

"Alright... I didn't mean to blame you."

Pausing, he continued.

"I didn't talk about anything with Count Watusi; he just asked if the great storm had any impact on my Demon King territory... because it involved the subspace issue, the Demon Capital attaches great importance to it, which is not a bad thing for me."

Mi Ya raised her head blankly, not expecting Luo Yan to take the initiative to tell her these things that were clearly unrelated to her.

Why?

Could it be... afraid I'd worry?!

Wait!

How did he know?!

That fire cloud burning on her cheeks climbed all the way to her ear tips, and her voice stuttered along with it.

"You, you you..."

"What's wrong with me?"

Mi Ya stammered for a good while before saying in a low voice.

"Can you read minds..."

Luo Yan was stunned for half a second, then laughed.

"... What stupid things are you saying? There's no such magic."

In this world where spirit can interfere with matter, that is the only realm that even gods cannot invade.

Mi Ya's face turned completely into a lantern, steam seemed to be drifting from her ears, and in her panic, she changed the subject, speaking without thinking.

"By, by the way, it's almost mealtime! You haven't eaten yet, right? Why don't... go to my house to eat, eat? My mom misses you."

As soon as this sentence came out, she tightened her toes in embarrassment, wishing she could find a crack in the ground to drill into and cover herself to death.

What does mom miss you mean...

What kind of talk is this?!

Luo Yan didn't think much of it, especially thinking that there were indeed some things to talk about with Mr. Feisiting Padirichi, so he nodded along.

"Alright, let's go."

"... Ah?"

Mi Ya was stunned, seemingly not expecting him to agree so readily, and the expression on her face was actually a bit... embarrassed.

"Th, then let's go!"

She turned her head and trotted a few steps, then as if remembering something, buried her flushed face and returned to Luo Yan's side, walking side by side with him.

Perhaps Miss Mi Ya's appearance was too rare, and along the way, demon colleagues frequently cast strange—or relieved—glances in this direction.

Finally, someone can cure this plague god.

In normal times, Mi Ya would definitely not endure this, but now all she could think about was how to explain the misunderstanding just now—to make Luo Yan understand that it was she who invited him, not the Lady Seruina she blurted out in a slip of the tongue.

However, it was a pity that this topic seemed to have ended, and her speaking abruptly would seem abrupt, so she could only worry about it herself.

Luo Yan looked at her strangely. This time he really couldn't guess what she was thinking, so he could only silently follow her all the way to the downstairs of the Demon King Management Department.

Just as they were about to leave the gate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and sit on the carriage parked at the door, a familiar voice suddenly came from not far away.

"Luo, Luo Yan senior?!"

It seemed only one person would call him that.

Luo Yan stopped his footsteps and subconsciously looked not far away, only to see a delicate-looking boy standing under a street lamp, excitedly waving at him.

That was a face beautiful enough to make women jealous, thin lips slightly red, eyelashes long, especially the puppy eyes with drooping corners, looking harmless, like a little deer in the forest.

Most people, upon seeing him for the first time, would probably mistake his gender, even if he was wearing a fairly masculine military uniform.

As for why Luo Yan recognized him at a glance, it was naturally because he was a straight man who was harder than steel and straighter than a ruler.

And at the same time, this was also one of the few friends he had when he was studying at the Demon King Academy—

"Ige?"

Looking at the trotting Ige, Luo Yan said in surprise.

"You're back from the front line?"

Demon Capital, Cabinet Building, Minister of Military Affairs' office.

The heavy oak door was tightly closed, and the slowly burning fireplace flame cast a long, straight shadow on the bookshelf.

Facing the map hanging on one side of the wall, Caesar Prince Kelin frowned, his sharp gaze like a dagger, nailed to the red cross drawn in the middle of the Vast Ocean.

That was the location where the great storm occurred.

There was no specific coordinate, only a general direction.

Surrounding that red cross was a vast gray fog, just like Hell's intelligence on that sea area—

They knew nothing about it.

Not to mention reaching out, even their gaze was difficult to reach.

However, in such a place isolated from Hell's sphere of influence, the Minister of Religion, Geligao, showed extraordinary persistence—

That old thing insisted that the Ministry of War do everything possible to push the front line over before establishing contact with the so-called Dragon God's people.

Caesar scoffed at this.

This guy simply hasn't woken up.

How could the Ministry of War cross the Empire's front line, project troops to a completely unfamiliar battlefield, and defeat an opponent not inferior to the Empire in a head-on decisive battle?

This is simply impossible to achieve!

Moreover—

Prince Kelin didn't feel that the Dragon God's people were Hell's enemies... if that storm really blew those guys out.

According to the intelligence department, the aftermath of the "Great Storm" swept through almost all the ports on the eastern coast of the Empire's New World, so much so that the logistics supply of the front-line troops was seriously affected, and the direct and indirect economic losses were immeasurable!

Just because of this point, the Empire could not be in the same boat as the Dragon God, but would instead regard this trouble that suddenly appeared in its own backyard as a new threat.

There is no doubt that this is an opportunity.

An enemy's enemy is not necessarily a friend, but definitely worth winning over. Instead of provoking them, it would be better to win them over to Hell's camp and deal with the Empire together.

Not to mention that even without considering this factor, this is definitely not the time to open a new front.

Currently, the Empire's ports in the New World are paralyzed, and the front-line troops are facing a shortage of supplies. It is the time to launch a large-scale offensive to expand the advantage and compress the Empire's sphere of influence in the New World!

This is the most correct decision!

However, Geligao disagreed, and the reason was nothing more than the old set—1000 years ago, Saint Xisi defeated the Underworld with the help of the Dragon God, banishing them from the surface to the underground.

This is true.

But he still wanted to say that those were all things from a thousand years ago.

Just as Caesar Prince Kelin was deep in thought, two rhythmic knocks came on the heavy oak door.

Having already heard the footsteps outside the door, Caesar said casually.

"Come in."

The door was pushed open, and a middle-aged official wearing the dark blue uniform of the Ministry of Internal Affairs walked in.

He held a brand-new document in his hands, which was the outline for the upcoming Supreme Meeting, and there were still traces of wet ink on the inner pages.

"... This is the latest meeting agenda, respected Mr. Prince Kelin." The official bowed slightly and placed the document on the table.

"Leave it." Having no mind to look at this thing for the time being, Caesar's gaze remained on the map, his brow furrowed, his tone perfunctory.

However, the official did not intend to retreat just yet, and after a pause, carefully added a sentence behind it.

"When completing the meeting outline, the Demon King Management Department unearthed an important piece of intelligence, I think you will definitely be interested..."

"The Demon King of Lei Ming County, that is, our councilor—Mr. Luo Yan, he has a servant who went missing in the storm."

When he heard the name "Luo Yan," Caesar's eyebrows lifted slightly, he withdrew his gaze from the map, and signaled the official to continue.

The official did not dare to neglect, and continued at a fast pace.

"That person is named Kaidesen, the president of the Aosi Empire's Golden Seagull Chamber of Commerce. The cargo ship Traveler he was on was swept into the storm while passing through the Vast Ocean..."

"According to Captain Kaidesen's own statement, he lost consciousness in the storm, and was subsequently washed onto... an unfamiliar land."

"An unfamiliar land?" Capturing the key information in this sentence, Caesar Prince Kelin's gaze fell on the official's face, sharp light flickering in his pupils.

The official subconsciously held his breath, and continued with a solemn tone.

"Yes... and not only that, he claims that there are lizardmen settlements there, temples worshipping the Dragon God, and a kingdom composed of the Dragon God's descendants—the name of that kingdom is the Gutafu United Kingdom. And the locals call the continent they live on 'Jiana', meaning the place where the dragon dwells... that seems to be the place where the Dragon God and His people lived in seclusion in legend!"

Temples worshipping the Dragon God.

Lizardmen settlements...

Gutafu United Kingdom?

An expression of astonishment flashed across Caesar's dignified face, and the look of interest in his eyes grew stronger.

"Actually let that old guy Geligao guess right..."

This giant tsunami that swept across the entire Vast Ocean really was related to the Dragon God and the Dragon God's descendants!

Just don't know if they did it on purpose or by accident.

"Councilor Luo Yan... can you determine if what his servant said is true?" Caesar asked in a deep voice, his thoughts turning rapidly at the same time.

The official hesitated for a moment and answered truthfully.

"This... we cannot be one hundred percent sure, including Mr. Luo Yan himself, he is still communicating with his servant. However, according to the intelligence provided by his servant, the relationship between the local lizardmen and the Empire does not seem harmonious, and there are constant conflicts between them."

Great!

There was no ripple on Caesar's face, but a trace of joy surged in his heart.

However, his good mood didn't last two seconds before the official's next sentence made his mood sink to the bottom again.

And the temperature of the room dropped a few degrees accordingly.

"Their conflicts are not just about faith, but also involve territorial disputes... According to Captain Kaidesen's description, there is already an Imperial colonial outpost on that land. And the colonial port closest to him is named 'Deadwood Port', belonging to an Imperial Baron."

"Although I don't know how the Empire's colonists set foot on this land that doesn't exist on the sea charts, their flags are indeed fluttering there..."

"They... seem to have gotten there first."

"We're here, this is Deadwood Port."

Jiana Continent, northern coast, the quiet sea breeze licked the beach, and the scorching sun seemed to want to ask for the warmth owed for seven days.

Facing that messy beach, Kaidesen was stunned for a long time, until the pretentious voice drifted into his ears, and he woke up from his confusion.

At this moment, he finally truly understood what Tichi meant by "a mess."

Shattered trees were scattered across the beach, and one could vaguely see the wreckage of giant ship hulls and masts.

There were giant gullies left by the impact of the waves everywhere, damp mud and sand piled up between the chaotic rocks, and not a shadow of cultivation could be seen... let alone a pier, not even the kind of small pier for fishing boats.

To describe it in one word, it was a mess.

Except for the Imperial flag fluttering reluctantly on the beach and the simple fortress standing on the nearby hills, he couldn't see that there had ever been a port here.

No wonder.

They stayed on the mountain for seven days and searched nearby for a long time, but didn't find any trace of human activity.

First Mate Aiwen's Adam's apple moved, and a moment later a bitter smile squeezed out on his face.

"At least... there is food."

He originally fantasized about finding a house to shelter from the rain and a warm quilt here, but now it looks like... this place is not as good as the camp they built before.

That storm took everything away.

Unfortunately, they have to start from scratch.

"... That's right, think about it, guys, at least food is not lacking, and we won't let you work empty-handed. As for the rest, I believe it's not difficult for you to rely on your own hands."

Tichi stood beside Kaidesen, hands behind his back, his gaze slowly sweeping over the devastated coast, and sighed.

"It's terrible... fortunately we moved to the mountains, otherwise it wouldn't just be the houses that were blown away."

Kaidesen swallowed his saliva and said with difficulty.

"What about the others?"

"You mean my servants? Of course they are still on the mountain; there is nothing here, how could I let them come down now."

Looking at Kaidesen with the eyes of an idiot, Tichi continued righteously.

"The Empire's food is not free. Since you've eaten your fill, you should start working... if you want to eat this well tomorrow."

Kaidesen almost spat out a mouthful of old blood upon hearing this.

Good guy.

This is using them as slaves!

"For the sake of Saint Xisi, at least let us live with you? What if those lizardmen in the forest kill us?" First Mate Aiwen was anxious, stepped forward, and argued with Tichi, "You said you would provide us with shelter—"

Tichi raised his hand to interrupt his argument.

"Don't worry about that, you don't provoke them, and they naturally won't come to mess with you. We have been dealing with them for a while; even if you don't believe their character, you should believe mine... take a step back, if they really do something, we will avenge you."

Aiwen was so angry he wanted to say something else, but was pulled back by Kaidesen beside him.

Looking at the flushed sailor, Kaidesen shook his head and said.

"Enough, Aiwen, it's not easy for us to survive, they have no obligation to save us. Baron Tichi is willing to provide us with food and tools, and allows us to use the resources on his territory, which is already very generous..."

"As expected of a man who has been a captain, you are indeed more sensible than your subordinates." Looking at the flushed sailor, Tichi teased with a playful tone, "I'm in a decent mood today, so I won't lower myself to your level, otherwise you would be hanging on the mast right now."

A hint of fear appeared on Aiwen's face, and he lowered his head in a hurry.

Having spent too much time on the deck, he almost forgot that the other party was a noble, and he was currently no different from a refugee wandering into a noble's territory.

If the other party wanted to kill him, there were countless legal or illegal ways, purely depending on how the other party wanted to play.

Unlike Aiwen, who lowered his head, Kaidesen looked at Tichi strangely, a flash of doubt in his eyes.

What puzzled him was not the threat the guy made, but the first half of the sentence "I'm in a decent mood today."

This is his territory.

Kaidesen couldn't imagine any reason for him to be in a good mood.

However, this didn't seem to be an important matter.

Glancing at the row of Imperial soldiers carrying muskets behind Tichi, Kaidesen suppressed the dissatisfaction in his heart and said submissively.

"Then, where should we start?"

"Very simple, of course, first build a place for you and your sailors to live."

Tichi's tone was gentle and natural, like a landlord comforting his tenant, pointing to the withered rainforest by the beach.

"You can build the house there, remember to fix it neatly, after all, it's your own home, I hope you take it seriously."

After speaking, he pointed to the fortress on the nearby hill.

"See that fortress? That is my castle. In a while, I will have my servants take some convenient tools from there to support you, and then if you encounter any trouble during the reconstruction process, you can send someone to find me, and I will have someone go over to help you take a look."

Kaidesen looked in the direction of his finger, his gaze falling on that "castle"—in fact, just a simple fortress built of wood and stone, looking like it could be completely destroyed by the next storm at any time.

However, since Baron Tichi said it was a castle, let's just assume it is.

"Understood," Kaidesen sighed lightly and withdrew his gaze, "We'll start immediately."

Tichi nodded with satisfaction.

"Very good, go ahead, I look forward to your performance, I hope Deadwood Port can restore order as soon as possible... we are going to look nearby to see if there are any other guys as unlucky as you, and this place will be left to you for the time being."

As he spoke, he cast his gaze toward the sea not far away, and said with feigned pity.

"Saint Xisi above... I really can't imagine what those ports closer to the storm look like now."

"May the Emperor protect them."

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 298 =====