Chapter 451: The Demon King has arrived at his loyal Thunder City

The shrill sound of a steam whistle pierced through the gossamer-thin morning mist; the benevolent and wealthy Prince Kelin had finally arrived at the port of his loyal Thunder City.

Without a doubt, the royal family of the Campbell Principality were the lords who ruled this port.

But equally without a doubt, that Imperial Prince, who possessed vast territories in the world overseas, was the true spiritual home of the citizens of Thunder City...

He had finally returned!

On the deck of the steamship, that brilliantly colored butterfly had vanished, replaced by a well-tailored, dark blue woolen long coat.

It was a handsome young man.

His nose bridge was high and straight, his figure slender; his right hand rested casually on the oak railing, the silver clasps shimmering in the grey morning light.

A snow-white ruffled collar set off his slender neck, and the chain of a gold pocket watch hung from his waistcoat, swirling in the boisterous sea breeze along with the hem of his coat, which had been dampened by the morning dew of the forest... he looked just like a man who had stepped out of a painting.

Also swirling in the boisterous sea breeze were the fluttering Purple Moon flags and the port, which had fallen into chaos due to the steam whistle.

The crowd on the pier was like a disturbed anthill; officials shouted themselves hoarse directing guards to maintain order, yet they still could not stop the citizens running between Queen Street and the port.

The only ones who did not move seemed to be the female workers squatting by the pier shucking oysters, and the stevedores who were stunned, watching the commotion.

They were likely the few people at this port who had no direct connection to Prince Kelin.

After all, the work in these nooks and crannies was usually not done by locals, but by those farmers or farmwives from the countryside.

Having muddled through and dropped their hoes, most of them had only just arrived at this port, and had only gained their bewildered freedom a short while ago.

"Pfft, pfft, pfft... It seems your reputation here isn't very good, my friend; everyone runs for their lives the moment they see you."

Crouching next to Luo Yan's trouser leg, Ta Fu covered her mouth with her paws and let out a gloating laugh.

This little creature was so desperate to win that she wouldn't miss any chance to see the Demon King make a fool of himself, to the point that she had instead become one of the Demon King's pastimes.

Looking at Ta Fu, who was always gloating too early, Luo Yan smiled slightly and said in a conversational tone.

"You don't understand."

"What don't I understand now?"

"You can't just look at the surface of a problem. Running for their lives doesn't mean they aren't welcoming; it could also be a running start for a greeting. Just like raising your hands above your head doesn't always mean surrender; it could also be to embrace the sun."

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"What kind of twisted logic is that?"

"I call it—Demon King Studies! If you learn it, you can be a Demon King too."

"???"

Alright.

Luo Yan was actually bluffing with that last sentence.

Even if one learned his "twisted logic," not everyone had the chance to become a Demon King; at the very least, not every demon could get into the Demon King Academy and stand out.

At most, one could just become a bit sharper, so as not to be harvested like leeks by those who play dumb while knowing the truth.

Just as Luo Yan was admiring the crowd on the port, which was as dense as an anthill, the shadow of You You appeared silently beside him.

Its voice carried a hint of confusion as it asked in a low voice.

"Lord Demon King, didn't you say you were going to find Ailin Campbell? Why did you fly to Thunder City instead?"

"Does that even need asking?" Luo Yan smiled slightly and answered in his heart, "We left from here in the beginning, so naturally, we have to return from here."

When he first arrived at Thunder City, he had woven a beautiful story for the name Prince Kelin.

And this time, on his journey from the Shengcheng to the Academy Alliance, and then to the Kingdom of Lei En, he had finally rounded out the story.

If he met Ailin in the Kingdom of Lei En, the story he had woven would lose its meaning.

It was true that he intended to find Ailin.

But before that, he had to land at the port of Thunder City, even if he just rubbed against the edge without going in.

Only in this way could the story he had meticulously woven and the footprints he had left along the way form a closed loop.

Just as Luo Yan was quietly waiting for the brewing crowd to surge toward the port, heavy footsteps came from deep within the deck.

It was a tall Wind-Roar Lizardman.

He was over two meters tall, with bone-wing-like membranes stretching behind his back, swaying slightly with the sea breeze.

His scales shimmered with a cold, blue-grey luster in the misty light, and his chest, waist, and arms were adorned with heavy gold ornaments; every step seemed to be accompanied by the low clashing of metal.

The Wind-Roar clan actually didn't like wearing gold and silver; that was something the bumpkins of the Sacred Armored Dragon clan would do. Cumbersome metal accessories would only hinder a free soul from flying in the sky.

However—

It just so happened that the Demon King liked it.

As an envoy of the Wind-Roar State of the Ancient Gustav United Kingdom, Ai Sa Ke Jifeng dared not defy this true Majesty.

He knelt on one knee, lowered his broad chest, and crossed his arms over his chest to pay the highest respects, saying in a low and respectful voice.

"Greetings... Prince Kelin."

Hearing the voice from behind, Luo Yan turned to look at the envoy of the Wind-Roar clan, nodding with a smile.

"Get up, Mr. Ai Sa Ke. Just use the Imperial etiquette here; there's no need for that set from the Gana Continent."

"Yes, Your Highness."

Ai Sa Ke stood up respectfully and stood to the side with his hands down.

Several months ago, the Ancient Gustav United Kingdom received news from the Great Graveyard. The respected Lord Demon King required them to send a steamship to the northeast coast of the Whirlpool Sea to establish diplomatic relations with the Campbell Principality, located on the eastern frontier of the Empire.

Because the Temple Knights from the Shengcheng had been busy with construction, building ports and settlements on the territory of the "Kelin Principality" some time ago, the Lizardmen of the Gana Continent were no longer as unfamiliar with this "alien species" of humans as they had been over a year ago.

Establishing diplomatic relations meant being able to sell corn to further places, which was naturally something the chieftains and priests of the United Kingdom were happy to see.

After some intense discussion, this glorious and arduous task finally fell to the Wind-Roar clan, and thus Ai Sa Ke Jifeng appeared on this ship.

In fact, Aisemata, the matriarch of the Sand-Ridge clan, was also extremely eager to send her own clansmen to serve Lord Demon King.

It was a pity that the Sand-Ridge clan had already received too many benefits from the Demon King, causing dissatisfaction among other chieftain states, so Aisemata could only regretfully step aside.

In order to show the prosperity of the Ancient Gustav United Kingdom, Ulga Fenglie also put in 120% of his effort, taking this visit seriously.

As an envoy accompanying Prince Kelin to visit the Campbell Principality, Ai Sa Ke Jifeng not only brought the gold and jewelry that the Gana Continent was rich in, but also brought quite a few advanced industrial products "imported and then re-exported" from Beifeng City!

For example, further improved steam engines, pocket watches with smaller margins of error, and more precise spring mattresses, etc...

After all, in the story woven by Prince Kelin, the natives of the Gana Continent were not "native" at all.

The diligent and brave descendants of Gustav not only established a highly prosperous civilized nation but also shared improved steam turbine and boiler technology with Imperial merchant ships suffering in the Great Storm!

With the Great Graveyard supporting him from behind, Ai Sa Ke had full confidence that he could complete this mission beautifully and stun the bumpkins of the Campbell Principality!

Looking at the confident Ai Sa Ke, Luo Yan smiled and asked him about some recent news regarding the Gana Continent, such as how the various tribes were getting along after he left, and so on.

Although he had already learned about this news from the official website, he still cared enough to ask a few questions from the perspective of the Demon King.

So that the subjects of the Gana Continent wouldn't feel that he had neglected them.

And it was during the time he was chatting with Ai Sa Ke that many familiar figures had already appeared on the port not far away.

Including the Mayor and Viceroy of Thunder City, and Luo Yan's old friend, Yang Andi—the important promoter of the Kelin Group's listing!

Seeing that the time was about right, Luo Yan interrupted Ai Sa Ke's endless chatter and gave him the first task after they met up.

"From now on, your identity is not just an envoy of the Ancient Gustav United Kingdom, but also concurrently the cousin of the Wind-Roar State chieftain, Ulga Fenglie."

"If anyone asks what a chieftain state is, just use the Empire's provinces or principalities as examples to explain; you must not let the Campbell people look down on you."

Ai Sa Ke was stunned upon hearing this.

Although he obeyed Lord Demon King's orders absolutely without any hesitation, this sudden change in identity still left him stunned on the spot.

Chieftain Ulga's cousin?

Can this thing be held concurrently?

Cold sweat broke out from the sweat glands under his scales, and he lowered his head in fear and trepidation, saying.

"Your Highness, Chieftain Ulga... he doesn't have a cousin."

As if he had guessed he would say that, Luo Yan's expression didn't change in the slightest, and he just threw out a sentence in an unquestionable tone.

"Is that so? Well, now he has one."

"But, but..."

"That person is you, I said so."

Although Luo Yan didn't doubt Ulga's loyalty, using someone else's lackey naturally wasn't as smooth as using his own.

First, give this guy some intensity.

Besides, this identity wasn't a bad thing for Ai Sa Ke himself; at the very least, it could allow him to integrate into the upper-class society of Thunder City more naturally.

Even without his own help.

That's right.

The Demon King, who was good at time management, was going to "skip points" again.

It wasn't a spur-of-the-moment decision; Luo Yan had planned it this way from the beginning—just rub against the edge of Thunder City without going in, show his face, and then jump back to the Twilight Saint Saint Xingsheng.

Just after Luo Yan finished explaining the matters that needed attention to Ai Sa Ke, Sarah, who had disappeared for a while, was walking over from the back of the deck.

In her hand, she held a freshly printed newspaper, which had just been bought from the port of Thunder City, and it was still warm.

Taking the newspaper from Sarah's hand, Luo Yan took a look at it, and a satisfied smile appeared on his face.

The headline of the newspaper was exactly the news he was looking for—

A heroic and spirited magic photo of Ailin Campbell was vividly printed on the front page cover, with the military flag of the Northern Rescue Army and soldiers with loaded guns behind her.

Compared to over a year ago, this young girl had matured a lot; she seemed to be growing along with the constantly developing Thunder City.

Whether it was her temperament or her bosom.

Luo Yan took the newspaper and only looked at it symbolically, then handed it to Ai Sa Ke, who was still struggling to digest the massive amount of information.

Clearing his throat, Luo Yan began to speak.

"Prince Kelin is worried about the safety of Princess Ailin. He said she is an important friend of his and he cannot leave her alone, so he didn't stop for a moment, and after getting off the ship, he immediately took his personal guards and rushed to the Twilight Saint Saint Xingsheng."

"He instructed Ai Sa Ke Jifeng, who was traveling with him, to say hello to his old friends on his behalf, telling them not to worry about him, that he would be back soon, and that the Holy Light would bless me... What do you think of this story?"

"I..." Ai Sa Ke opened his mouth, unable to say whether it was good or bad at all.

After all, where had he ever heard such a complicated story? Therefore, he hadn't remembered it at all, but he didn't dare tell the Demon King in front of him and beg the Demon King to say it again.

"Don't be nervous. When you don't know, just keep your mouth shut and speak only after you've thought it through. As for excuses, I believe those who trust us will naturally think of them for us, and there's no need for you to convince those who don't one by one."

Luo Yan smiled and patted Ai Sa Ke Jifeng on the shoulder, giving this sweating guy an encouraging look.

"Work hard, I believe you can do it well!"

Actually, it didn't matter whether Ai Sa Ke remembered it or not.

Anyway, he believed that with Andi's intelligence, everything would be understood upon seeing the newspaper in that guy's hand; at most, he would just supplement the details.

He had witnessed Ai Sa Ke's bravery; this guy was the first envoy to come before him after the Great Graveyard set foot on the Gana Continent.

Although he was tied up and sent over.

Ta Fu looked at the big guy in front of the Demon King in surprise.

These Lizardmen were all molded by her own hands in her previous life; it was true that they had sweat glands, but it was rare to see them sweat so profusely.

Could it be that they had evolved again when she didn't know?

This was just too incredible...

The dark blue woolen long coat vanished into the sea breeze, and that brilliantly colored butterfly reappeared on the deck, flapping its transparent wings and flying to the top of the mast.

Although the "Butterfly of All Phenomena" didn't fly very fast, Luo Yan, who possessed Diamond-tier strength, could operate multiple Butterflies of All Phenomena simultaneously and deploy them in advance where they were needed.

Physical distance was not a problem.

After all, according to the "Curator," this thing could even span galaxies, so this little distance on the home planet was naturally a piece of cake.

Just as Luo Yan was pulling away, the fanatical citizens of Thunder City finally squeezed to the edge of the port, blocking the pier completely.

"Oh! Damn it! Move aside! I was here first!"

"My shoe! My shoe!"

"Are you all crazy! I'm a Baron!" Victor Guss, standing by the terrace of the port square, was so angry his face turned red.

He shouted loudly, waving his cane, trying to squeeze further to the front.

A long time ago, the Guss family had moved from that countryside place of Silver Pine Town to Thunder City, completely distancing themselves from the morally corrupt right-and-wrong place of Silver Pine Town, and had made a fortune relying on the hot real estate market of Thunder City.

He couldn't wait to shake Prince Kelin's hand and express his gratitude to that gentleman!

It was a pity that this was the Grand Duke's Thunder City, not his baronial territory, and he really couldn't kick the unruly mob blocking the way downstairs.

Because Grand Duke Edward was a "pro-people" Majesty, and even broke the precedent of agreeing to borrow money from citizens instead of raising taxes, many things that didn't matter at all during the Aaron Grand Duke period suddenly became important today.

Not to mention that there were many nobles here like him who also harbored the same idea of wanting to squeeze to the front, and he was really afraid of kicking the wrong person.

At this very moment, Victor Guss, who was obsessed with Prince Kelin, did not notice that his wife, Marina Guss, behind him, had a flushed face and looked so excited she was about to faint.

She still remembered that day when she shared a room with Prince Kelin—

Alright, actually nothing happened that day; she just personally took that gentleman to the guest room of the villa, and everything else was her own business after she returned to her room.

Although the relationship between Prince Kelin and Princess Ailin was known to the entire upper-class society of Thunder City, this did not prevent the ladies and misses who were interested in Prince Kelin from becoming even more excited.

What you can't get is always the most charming.

It had to be said that the foundation of the citizens of Thunder City was still a cut below that of the citizens of the Shengcheng; there were too many nouveau riche here, with more enthusiasm than restraint.

Mayor Lu Lu Lu Xiusi looked anxiously at Viceroy Wilson, using his eyes to hint at the latter to quickly think of a way.

However, the latter also had a helpless expression, turning to cast a look of help toward the Grand Duke's right-hand man, Yang Andi.

This guy was the one with the most ideas in the entire Campbell Principality; his resourcefulness had solved quite a few urgent problems for the Grand Duke.

Including the recent national debt, which was Andi's idea.

With pairs of eyes focused on him, the crafty Andi had actually thought of a few win-win solutions.

It was just that when he saw the person walking down the gangway, he was stunned on the spot, his jaw dropping.

To be precise, that was not a person.

It was a Lizardman.

Those blue-grey scales emitted a cold luster, the thick tail was like a python caught between two legs, and the pterosaur-like wings were folded behind his back. However, compared to his scales and muscles, what was even more eye-catching were the gold-glittering accessories... to the point that the shareholders of the Kelin Group couldn't help but twitch their eyebrows.

About a dozen Lizardman servants followed behind him, and accompanying them were about twenty human servants curiously looking at their surroundings.

Obviously, they were all from the New Continent, arriving at such an eastern place for the first time.

Baron Guss, who was trying to squeeze forward, stopped his steps, his two small eyes staring at the gold on the Lizardman, and he couldn't help but swallow his saliva.

Before, he had cursed his neighbor for being a nouveau riche; now he had to sincerely take back those words.

Because it was very clear that in front of this guest from the Gana Continent, his neighbor who loved to show off was just a small fry...

"Liz, Lizardman?"

"How could a Lizardman be on Prince Kelin's ship..."

"I seem to have seen in an issue of the newspaper that there are quite a few Lizardmen on that New Continent where the Kelin Principality is located."

"Holy Saint Xisi above... I thought those guys were savages!"

In the Campbell Principality, Lizardmen were not something people liked, but "stink bugs" in the southwestern swamps.

The grievances between the two sides had nothing to do with hell.

It was purely that a thousand years ago, during the Isaac Dynasty, the Lei En people had territorial conflicts with the descendants of the Dragon God who remained locally.

This actually wasn't anything strange.

Although the Campbell people always complained that the Empire had snatched all the colonies, they obviously didn't realize that before they turned from Lei En people into Campbell people, they were also a group of colonists who rowed small boats and sang songs, crossing the Torrent Pass to go south.

At that time, the descendants of Gustav had lived happily along the coast of the Whirlpool Sea, because Gustav suddenly ran away with a large group of Lizardmen.

As for how the land of this group of Lizardmen came about, that would have to go back to the blood and tears history of the Orcs and Elves.

Just as the human race was not born possessing this Old Continent, the Lizardmen's territory naturally didn't fall from the sky.

That's going too far.

In short, the vast majority of people didn't remember such distant things; they only remembered that on the northeast coast of the Whirlpool Sea, Lizardman equaled bug.

Looking at those pairs of eyes staring straight at him, Ai Sa Ke Jifeng felt a bit of fear in his heart, and could only keep the Demon King's teachings in mind: when you don't know what expression to make, just be expressionless; when you don't know what to say, just keep your mouth shut.

What was interesting was that his "aloofness" really worked, bluffing the group of Thunder City citizens who didn't think much of Lizardmen in the first place.

Taking advantage of the crowd falling into an eerie silence, Viceroy Wilson hurriedly seized the opportunity to order the guards to step forward and open a path from the crowd.

Lu Lu Lu Xiusi secretly looked at Andi and communicated with the latter in a low voice.

"Where is Kelin? Why don't I see him?"

"How would I know... he didn't tell me in advance when he came back." Andi said in a low voice, unable to help complaining in his heart.

Although he welcomed Prince Kelin's return with both hands, this was too sudden, to the point that he didn't have any preparation at all.

Not to mention anything else, at least give him a few days to prepare and let him raise the stock price of the Kelin Group in advance, right?

Of course, these were all secondary.

Andi didn't care about the floating profit in the secondary market; what he really cared about was why Prince Kelin chose to come back at this time.

"Why don't you go ask?" Mayor Lu Lu Lu Xiusi said in a low voice.

"Why don't you go?"

"I... I'm not as familiar with him as you are."

I'm not familiar with Lizardmen either!

Andi complained fiercely in his heart, but facing Mayor Lu Lu Lu Xiusi's pleading gaze, he finally sighed and walked out.

Everyone at the port held their breath and watched him.

Whether it was Mayor Lu Lu Lu Xiusi who instigated him to go forward, the female worker squatting by the pier shucking oysters, or the Guss family standing in the crowd...

Seeing someone walking toward him, Ai Sa Ke Jifeng felt his heart relax, even though the expression on his face remained tense.

Being stared at by that sharp gaze, Andi only felt his heart crawl, but he still restrained the trepidation in his heart, cleared his throat, and took the initiative to speak.

"Hello, excuse the intrusion, my name is Yang Andi, may I ask... how should I address your side?"

When he said this, his heart was pounding, especially when he saw that tightly closed "blood basin mouth" open a slit.

"Ai Sa Ke Jifeng, Ancient Gustav United Kingdom... Chieftain Ulga's brother. You can understand our chieftain as the King of the human race."

To Andi's surprise, what came out of that savage mouth was not the low growl of a beast, but rather a calmness and composure that surpassed his own.

A small exclamation came from the crowd.

The King's brother?!

That is to say... this one is also a Prince?!

"I've heard Prince Kelin mention you," looking at the astonished human in front of him, Ai Sa Ke gradually found his rhythm, grinning and saying.

"He said you are a smart guy, learn things quickly, and understand many things at once."

"Tha, thank you... it is my honor to be held in such high regard by that Prince." Andi nodded in a daze, but was left feeling a bit confused by these words.

It was true that he had learned a trick or two from Kelin, but when did he become Kelin's student?

And how did Kelin know about this on the Gana Continent?

However, this was not the point.

After all, he had heard that Princess Ailin often wrote letters to Kelin; perhaps they mentioned him when they were corresponding.

Looking at the "Prince Jifeng" who still wanted to say something, Andi quickly snatched the conversation and asked the question that everyone was looking forward to with great anxiety.

"Where is Mr. Kelin?! I heard someone saw him at the port! Why... didn't he come down with you?"

Ai Sa Ke was silent for a long time, then slowly opened his mouth to say.

"He... left."

Andi's eyes widened.

"Left?!"

"Hmm..."

"What else did he say?!"

"..."

Seeing that this human was relentless, Ai Sa Ke was so anxious his toes were gripping the ground, but he didn't dare show it on his face.

Seeing that the atmosphere was becoming more and more rigid, with no sign of being able to muddle through, he suddenly had a flash of inspiration and remembered another sentence Lord Demon King had instructed—

'... Don't say what you don't know, only say what you know!'

"He said, she is a very important person to him," pointing to the woman in the newspaper, Ai Sa Ke Jifeng looked at the human who was startled and said in a hoarse voice, "He wants to find her, he can't let her stay... in that dangerous place alone."

The port was silent.

Including Viceroy Wilson and Mayor Lu Lu Lu Xiusi, all the nobles and citizens standing at the port watching the commotion were stunned on the spot.

Princess Ailin... is a very important person.

He wants to find her!

Mrs. Marina Guss's eyes couldn't help but moisten.

Her eye sockets were red, and she raised her hands to cover her mouth, moved to tears of blessing for this sincere love.

What loyalty this is!

Even Baron Guss, who disdained love, couldn't help but sniff lightly after hearing this sentence.

Asking himself, if it were for Marina or the lover he kept in the suburbs, he definitely wouldn't dare go to such a dangerous place as the Twilight Saint Saint Xingsheng.

After all, the farmers there really eat people!

"Holy Saint Xisi above! His Highness... for the Princess he loves deeply, he wouldn't even stop for a moment!"

"This is the true spirit of a knight! He is willing to go deep into hell for her!"

"May the Holy Light bless them..."

The most moving deep affection is always hidden in the simplest confession; voices rose and fell in the crowd.

A wait that ended in empty joy unexpectedly ignited everyone's enthusiasm.

This romantic story of chasing thousands of miles seemed to touch the softness in the hearts of the Campbell people more than the Prince himself showing up to accept people's cheers.

The admiration of the citizens of Thunder City for this benevolent, generous, and loyal Prince seemed to have risen to a whole new level!

Although there were also some wavering guys who had already started to hesitate whether to sell the stocks they had just bought...

Heh, these two-faced guys deserve to lose money!

Looking at Mr. Andi in front of him, who was disappointed but also somewhat relieved, Ai Sa Ke finally breathed a sigh of relief and silently gave a thumbs up to his own resourcefulness in his heart.

A troublesome matter was resolved silently; just as Lord Demon King said, people would naturally fill in the truth they were willing to believe.

I really am a genius!

It's just that for some reason, Ai Sa Ke always felt his scalp itching, as if a gaze was staring at him...