Chapter 477: The Demon King

The heavy oak door closed softly, shutting out the clamor of the lounge downstairs. The spacious room fell silent in an instant, leaving only the bustling lights outside the window.

This was the top-tier suite of the "Dawn's Embrace" hotel.

Ever since Prince Kelin had stayed here, injecting it with "Imperial style," the wealthy merchants and nobles along the entire east coast of the Whirlpool Sea had come to view its decor as the epitome of nobility and luxury... coming here was just like arriving in the Shengcheng.

And it was at the very moment he stepped into this "Little Shengcheng" that the temperament of Sak Jifeng underwent a world-shaking change.

A second ago, he had still been acting with a bold, unrestrained demeanor; upon arriving here, he instantly transformed into a lizard even more obedient than Cici.

"My lord... what business do you have with me?"

He bowed his head respectfully, standing behind Luo Yan, waiting for his master's inquiry.

Looking at the trembling Sak, a smile as warm as the sun appeared on Luo Yan's face, and he said in a gentle tone.

"No need to be so nervous. Raise your head a little; let me see the respect in your eyes, not submission."

Sak's shoulders relaxed slightly, and he raised his head, but the scales on his body remained visibly tense, terrified of offending this noble Demon King in any way.

Others might not know this lord's true identity, but he knew it all too well.

In front of him, let alone the chieftain of the Wind Roar Tribe, even the Queen of the United Kingdom of Gu Ta Fu was no different from an insect.

Watching Sak's "facing a formidable enemy" expression, Luo Yan couldn't help but sigh inwardly; if Cici could have even half of his sense of awe, that would be for the best.

If he hadn't kept her by his side, that little one would surely have suffered a great loss.

At the very least, Alakto had always been coveting the taste of dragon meat.

"Tell me, how have you been feeling during this time?" Luo Yan walked to the window and pulled the open curtains shut a bit, leaving only a sliver of a gap, just enough to see outside.

Sak followed closely, reporting cautiously.

"According to your instructions, I have been active in Lei Ming City under the identity of the cousin of Urga Wind-Split, chieftain of the Wind Roar Tribe, and have engaged in extensive exchanges with various circles of Lei Ming City society. The important figures you mentioned on the list, including His Highness Edward, Grand Duke of the Campbell Principality, and Mr. Yang Andi of the Andi Group... I have already met them all and established preliminary connections."

His report was concise and to the point, like a soldier fulfilling a mission, not daring to have the slightest bit of nonsense or superfluous personal opinion.

Sak had assumed the Demon King would next instruct him on the next step of the plan, such as how to utilize these connections to thoroughly pull the Campbell Principality into the game.

However, his respected Demon King threw out a question that caught him completely off guard.

"Sak," Luo Yan asked casually, looking at the bustling street scene outside the window, "you've been here for quite some time now; what are your feelings about this Lei Ming City?"

Feelings?

Sak was stunned; for a moment, he couldn't keep up with the Demon King's train of thought.

Was this a check on his work?

Or...

A test for himself?

He was silent for a long time before replying in a deep voice: "My lord, there are many things I can feel. For instance, the humans here are completely different from us lizardmen, whether in living habits or ways of thinking. However... I know that is certainly not what you are asking."

Luo Yan smiled without explaining, waiting for Sak to continue.

Seeing that the Demon King was indeed not satisfied, Sak became even more anxious and hurriedly organized his words, attempting to dig for an answer from a deeper perspective.

"Taking the Imperial people of Deadwood Port on the north coast of the Jiana Continent as an example... they are ambitious, pious yet cunning, and always like to talk about future prospects. But the people here... uh..."

This burly lizardman envoy scratched his head and ears for a while, finally squeezing out a deflated answer with a bitter face.

"Alright, my lord, I'll tell the truth... although they are clearly different from us, they don't seem to be any different from the people of Deadwood Port."

Without a doubt, this was a load of nonsense.

After finishing, Sak lowered his head, waiting for the Demon King's reprimand. However, the expected rebuke did not come.

The room was quiet for a moment, followed by a soft chuckle.

Luo Yan turned around to look at him, his face showing not the slightest displeasure, but rather a smile of approval.

"Your observation is very meticulous; they are indeed no different at all."

And this, precisely, was the root of all contradictions—

Whether it was the Dewalu family guarding the pastures for Saint Xisi, or the Campbell family suppressing the labyrinth for Saint Xisi, or their respective counterparts, the Laine people and the Campbell people. They were born bearing sacred duties, yet they did not enjoy any of the grace bestowed by the Holy Light.

However, the Imperial people were different.

Especially the subjects of the Shengcheng.

At least in the eyes of the Campbell people, they were bathed in the Holy Light from birth, not needing to face the encroachment of Chaos and the Netherworld, and could safely enjoy the wealth of the entire Empire.

The series of problems currently faced by the Campbell Principality, both inside and outside the court, fundamentally lay here.

The Campbell people were essentially no different from those Imperial people living in the center of the Empire; they also yearned for the Holy Light and were equally passionate, yet their status was worlds apart.

Edward's ambition was less his personal ambition and more the collective thought of everyone in the entire Campbell Principality.

They longed to become stronger, strong enough to break free from these ancient shackles and become upright people capable of mastering their own destiny just like the Imperial people, rather than being puppets destined to die young for the sake of a so-called "sacred duty."

Therefore, merely defeating a Laine King was not enough to quell the "evil fire" of yearning for change in their hearts.

Soon, once they defeated the secular monarch, they would realize that the "Holy Word Book" held tightly in the hands of the Church, along with the final right to interpret it, was the thing that truly bound their souls.

Not only that, but that thing also bound the Empire's other vassal states, as well as all the colonies in the distant New Continent.

And he, as it happened, could help them avoid some detours.

The "New Testament" was exactly the thing they were looking for.

Generally speaking, this thing required countless blood to irrigate before it could be born. Without his help, at least one or two "prophets" would have to die.

Sak's face was full of confusion, feeling that he had said a load of nonsense, completely unworthy of such high praise from the Demon King.

Luo Yan did not explain further, because there was no need; as an envoy, he only needed to handle the tasks he had been assigned.

"I need you to do two things."

Hearing this, Sak immediately straightened his body, his expression solemn.

"Please instruct me!"

Luo Yan cleared his throat and said.

"The first thing: respond to the expectations of the Campbell people. After spending this time together, you must be clear about what they want. I need you to help them open a shipping route from Lei Ming City to the north coast of the Jiana Continent, sharing the good things of the Gu Ta Fu Kingdom with them... just as we taught you those things hand-in-hand back then."

Exporting directly from Beifeng City to Lei Ming City was still a bit too difficult; after all, making the pious Campbell people accept labyrinth creatures was no easy task.

At this time, it was necessary to export and then sell internally.

After a pause, Luo Yan continued.

"The second thing: there is a vast swamp to the southwest of Lei Ming County, where a group of lizardmen lives. Strictly speaking, they also flow with the same blood as you, only the Dragon God did not take all the lizardmen away, and they are the batch that was left behind."

Lizardmen without Gu Ta Fu were just a pile of loose sand; during the Ai Sa Ke Dynasty, they were beaten by the firearms of transmigrators, and now they huddled in the swamps at the southwest corner of the Wan Ren Mountains.

Back then, the Dragon God created them, brought them here, and then took them away, and now he had brought them back.

But this time, he would not take them away again.

"Go find Edward and ask him for a promise. Tell him you hope to establish a 'Special Zone' on that swamp land, with the goal of helping those subjects abandoned by the Dragon God live the lives of normal people, and bringing the children among them who have embraced civilization back to the land where the Dragon God descended... that is the hometown of all lizardmen."

Although a portion of players had already infiltrated Lei Ming City, they were, after all, only a minority of "pseudo-human" players.

Once this Special Zone was built, all players except for the undead would be able to walk openly in Lei Ming County.

Everything in the name of the Dragon God!

Whoever Cici said was a lizardman was a lizardman; anyway, whether it was said or not was just a matter of his own words.

Actually, the undead weren't impossible, but they still had to wait.

Once Kalian successfully started her business with her "New Testament," even demons would be able to walk openly under the sun.

Hadn't Wheat Field Village already succeeded more than halfway?

Everything is difficult at the start.

As long as you make a start, everything is easy to handle!

Hearing the Demon King's plan, Sak's face showed obvious confusion for the first time, and he hesitated for a moment before asking.

"His Highness Edward... will he agree?"

Although he wasn't a chieftain, he still understood the principle of "how can one allow others to snore beside one's bed."

And during his time in Lei Ming City, he could clearly feel that the people here did not like his scales and tail.

What they liked was only the gold on his body, and "Prince Kelin" who possessed everything.

However, one sentence from the Demon King dispelled his concerns.

"He certainly will; someone is willing to pay to solve his troubles, why wouldn't he be happy to do it?"

Luo Yan smiled and continued in a gentle tone.

"And the most critical point is that he needs power more than anyone else right now; disputes between heretics can be surrendered halfway, but disputes between heresies are always a matter of life and death. Especially since the Campbell people have gradually realized... the Church no longer trusts them."

"How does that saying go? When someone suspects there is a devil standing behind you, you had better really have a devil standing behind you."

"This is their current situation."

... Just as Luo Yan was instructing the envoy of the Gu Ta Fu Kingdom on the next step of the plan, Sarah, far away in Dusk City, reported new progress to the "Butterfly of All Things" he had left there.

And just as he had expected, upon seeing the Holy Light of the Tribunal, Princess Ailin finally gave up the idea of compromising with the Tribunal.

However, there wasn't much for her to do at the moment; at this stage, his game of chess with the Church was still confined to corners where the Holy Light could not reach.

His main energy would be placed on her brother, Edward.

The Campbell Principality was an important chess piece.

This bridgehead that once suppressed the forces of the Netherworld would become the arsenal for the Demon King to export the fire of change to the Old Continent...

He needed to make this fire burn even brighter.

The next morning, according to the Demon King's instructions, Sak Jifeng, in the capacity of an envoy from the United Kingdom of Gu Ta Fu, went to the Andi Manor again to visit the Grand Duke who was staying there.

It was said that things hadn't been peaceful within the Principality recently; just as Edward was reaching out to the minor nobles in the Dusk Saint Saint Xingsheng, His Majesty Dewalu was also flirting with his vassals.

The counts of the Principality had never been very satisfied with their Grand Duke getting too close to the citizen class, and furthermore, he had not inherited the "Light of Praise" of the former king, so there had always been many people secretly making an issue of the legitimacy of his position as Grand Duke.

At first, they wanted to support Princess Ailin.

★cO

However, it was a pity that that simple girl seemed truly simple, without any secular ambition at all; instead, she made those who were plotting for her very miserable.

As for Edward, that ambitious man, although he guarded against his sister in his heart, hadn't actually done anything to her.

At most, he wanted to find her a good family, let her give up the Campbell surname, and then the Light of Praise would naturally return to his hands.

This group of traditional nobles couldn't drive a wedge between the siblings, so they turned their attention to Edward's younger brother—Jelock Campbell, commander of the Trident Knights.

Like Princess Ailin, Jelock was also dissatisfied with his eldest brother's approach, and his views were closer to those of his father, Aaron Campbell.

Like many traditional nobles who couldn't get much soup to drink, he believed that the Campbell Principality should adhere to ancient and glorious traditions, rather than letting a group of commoners whose souls were like grass sit at the table.

How could there be any reason for a king to discuss taxes with citizens?

They should be proud to be able to contribute their own strength!

As for the farmers, they should work in the fields, then honestly hand over the harvest to the castle, and let the lord's servants decide what they would eat tomorrow.

Instead of like now, where they actually had to spend money to buy the food they grew themselves; what kind of system was this!

This was also why the ones who went on the expedition to the Dusk Saint Saint Xingsheng with Princess Ailin this time were citizen cavalry, not the famous Trident Knights.

Although no one said it out loud, many nobles were actually hoping Princess Ailin would die quickly, preferably after Edward hit a wall.

As long as Princess Ailin died, the Light of Praise would have to re-choose its master, and when the time came, whether to choose Jelock or Edward, that would be a matter of debate.

However, no one expected that the combat power of the Lei Ming City militia would actually not be weak, beating the rebel army of the Dusk Saint Saint Xingsheng into a hasty retreat, scaring the King into sitting straight up on his throne.

And Princess Ailin did not die.

Not only did she not die, but because of the slaughter with the Chaos Chosen, she grew at an incredible speed; it was said that she had faintly reached the same level as the former king, Aaron Campbell!

In short, things within the Campbell Principality during this time were no more peaceful than in the Laine Kingdom.

To avoid those treacherous undercurrents, Grand Duke Edward simply moved the court from Campbell Castle, where traditional forces were deeply rooted, to Lei Ming County, which supported him.

Sak, waiting in the reception room, chatted with the manor's servants for a while, not asking anything sensitive, just inquiring about the Grand Duke's preferences.

Although the Demon King had revealed some inside information about the Campbell Principality to him, he was an outsider after all, so it was better not to appear too concerned about the Principality's affairs.

He only needed to do his own job well.

Just as Sak was using his "bold and generous" persona to get along with the Andi servants, Edward finally finished his official business.

Arriving late, as soon as he walked into the reception room, he had a warm handshake with Sak, who had risen to greet him, as the opening for a friendly meeting.

"Welcome, Mr. Sak Jifeng, it is a pleasure to see you; what wind blew you to me today?"

After the handshake, Sak bowed slightly, restraining the casualness he had shown earlier when facing ordinary people, and said in a subtle voice.

"Your Highness Grand Duke, regarding the cooperation you discussed with me earlier, my... Majesty has already sent me a message. He said you are a wise monarch, and it is his honor to be able to cooperate with you."

Edward's heart stirred, and he smiled and made a gesture of invitation.

"Please follow me to the study; we can talk in detail!"

"Very well, Your Majesty." Sak nodded happily, followed behind Edward, and came to the place where this Grand Duke usually worked.

Because they had already talked for more than one round, both sides knew how many cards the other held, so this meeting was very pleasant from beginning to end.

Edward praised the foresight and noble character of Chieftain Urga Wind-Split, although he had never met that lizardman noble.

And Sak, representing his "cousin" Chieftain Urga Wind-Split, expressed the cherishing of the deep friendship with the Campbell Principality, as well as the position that the Gu Ta Fu Kingdom would stand firmly with the Kelin Principality.

After finalizing a series of win-win terms including technical assistance, mineral exploitation, and trade navigation, Sak finally threw out the last, and most special, proposal of his trip.

He took a crude map from his bosom and unfolded it on the table.

It was a map depicting the southwest region of Lei Ming County, with a large area marked as "dangerous" circled in purple ink—

That was the Southwest Swamp.

Looking at this map, which was suspected to have been issued by the Adventurers' Guild, Edward's expression was a bit unnatural, secretly pondering in his heart, this guy couldn't be here to seek justice for the lizardmen of the Southwest Swamp, could he?

This was actually human thinking; Sak Jifeng really didn't have this idea.

If the Demon King hadn't pointed at those lizardmen and said they were his own kin, he would never have admitted that those guys rolling in the mud were his own kind.

Besides, they couldn't fly either?!

Looking at them, they looked a bit like the Sand Ridge, Ankylosaurus, or Tide tribes, but they were definitely not of the Wind Roar clan!

"Your Highness Edward," Sak pointed to the swamp and said in a sincere tone, "After arriving in Lei Ming County, I accidentally discovered that our compatriots actually live here. A wise gentleman told me that they... uh, are a lizardman tribe that got separated from us during the migration a thousand years ago."

"Mr. Sak," Edward coughed, "I don't know who you heard this from, but I want to say that their affairs... have many complex reasons, and it's not something that can be explained in a few words; I hope this will not affect the friendship between us."

"I know, Your Majesty, I have no intention of letting this matter affect our friendship, but their current situation truly makes me, as a subject of the Dragon God, feel heartbroken."

Looking at Edward, who seemed to be a bit ashamed, Sak, although surprised, seized the opportunity and, enduring his discomfort, continued.

"They have forgotten the glory of their ancestors, lost the fire of civilization, and are struggling to survive in the mud like beasts. As a member of the United Kingdom of Gu Ta Fu, I cannot sit idly by and watch my... kin, my kin degenerate like this; we want to do something!"

"Therefore, I implore Your Majesty to allow us to establish a temporary settlement on that land, to rescue those poor subjects of the Dragon God, to bring them in and educate them, and to help them regain civilization."

Edward's expression moved slightly.

Is this the foundation of a thousand-year-old ancient kingdom?

Just because they saw children left outside living hard lives, they couldn't help but want to reach out a helping hand, regardless of the color of the other party's scales.

And by comparison, those priests from the Shengcheng should truly feel ashamed; they don't settle the problem of Chaos, but raise their butcher knives against the Laine people who flow with the same blood.

Having just reached an agreement with this market—phew, ancient kingdom—that dominated seven million square kilometers, he was full of sacred filters for this lizardman kingdom.

However, respect was respect; he still wasn't carried away by the huge profits, and asked calmly, appearing interested.

"Your righteousness is admirable, but... what about afterwards? Even if you help them leave the swamp, it will be difficult for them to live decently in Lei Ming City. I mean, will you take them back?"

"Of course," Sak nodded without hesitation, "the subjects of the Dragon God should live on the land where the Dragon God descended; they will return to the land of their ancestors."

And it was also at this moment that he changed the subject, his face showing a perfectly appropriate look of disgust... or rather, it would be better to say that this was the most real side of his heart.

The previous part was acting, while now it was a true performance.

"However, although we will take them back, we cannot take them back directly."

"Oh?" Edward raised an eyebrow, "And why is that?"

"Because they are too dirty," Sak sighed, shaking his head, saying as if he were disappointed that they hadn't lived up to expectations. "They don't know how to bathe, don't know how to use tableware, and even their accents have become shaped like yours. Forgive me for speaking bluntly, their existence is simply a blasphemy against the Dragon God Gu Ta Fu! We must correct them first, turn them into decent lizardmen, and only then can we let them board the ship home."

Decent... uh, lizardmen?

Edward tried hard to imagine that scene in his mind, but no matter how he thought about it, it felt ridiculous, and he could only look at this seemingly decent guy with a strange expression.

If hanging a lot of gold jewelry on one's body is called decent, then the cost of this decency is truly high enough...

Edward pondered for a long time, his index finger tapping lightly on the armrest of the chair, and after a moment, he asked.

"Then, what about the cost of establishing this... 'Special Zone'? Making so many lizardmen decent will cost a lot of money."

"It will be entirely borne by the United Kingdom of Gu Ta Fu!" Sak said immediately, giving that natural yet heart-pounding answer.

The Gu Ta Fu Kingdom will pay this money!

The moment he heard this sentence, the last trace of doubt in Edward's heart vanished, and a friendly and generous smile appeared on his face.

"Then there is no problem, Mr. Sak; your affection for your compatriots is moving! On behalf of the Campbell Principality, I agree to your request! Since you are willing to solve historical legacy problems for us, that swamp land will be left to you to manage! Build that... lizardman residential area!"

Although nominally the land "south of Rapid Pass, to the westernmost side of the Wan Ren Mountains" belonged to the Campbell family, generations of Campbell Grand Dukes had never truly ruled there.

It couldn't be farmed, nor could it be grazed; there was nothing there except mud and insects, and even those nobles who were busy running horses to enclose land were not interested in that place at all.

Using a piece of waste land that no one wanted to do a favor, not only could it consolidate the friendship with the "United Kingdom of Gu Ta Fu," but perhaps it could also turn waste into treasure.

Anyway, those insects were just soaking in the mud pit, and every now and then they would cause some public security problems; it would be better to have someone manage them!

Looking at Grand Duke Edward, who was smiling, Sak felt relieved in his heart, and at the same time, his face hurriedly made an expression of gratitude.

Sure enough, everything was just as the Demon King had expected; Grand Duke Edward agreed to the conditions he proposed without hesitation.

At this moment, only one thing remained in his heart to worry about.

The ethnic groups of the Jiana Continent were already rich enough; he hoped the Demon King wouldn't really take this group of beggars back to the Dragon God's old home... ===== CHAPTER 478 =====