Chapter 51: Rumors start with a staff

The gloomy and pitch-black hall, the terrifying skeletons made creaking and crunching sounds.

The flames burning on the skull lamp holders flickered over the dried blood and fat on the ancient stone slabs.

Even for a demon, seeing this scene that looked like hell, it was hard not to shiver and fold their wings.

Damn—

Too scary!

Swaying down from mid-air, Mixi touched the ground with her toes, shrinking her body timidly, and walked into the hall tremblingly.

Even though she had made ten thousand psychological preparations, she still almost couldn't hold back leaking.

This was definitely not because she was timid.

It was purely because demons are small, and their bladders are also small.

The skeletons around made creaking sounds, both as if they were chewing something and as if they were muttering to themselves.

"Demon!?"

"Wrong—it's a succubus!"

"Clearly a demon! Obviously a little demon!"

"Do you want to fight?!"

"Mine! Mine!!!" (Scream)

"Sss—hehe—"

Although she couldn't understand what they were whispering, her intuition told Mixi it should be terrifying content.

Waiting for a long time without the Demon King appearing, she, standing in the darkness, was almost crying.

Damn—

Why was she sent to the Demon King's territory as an envoy!?

Thinking of the gloating, treacherous smile on that bitch Youxi's face, she was jealous to the point of madness, wishing she could knock that guy out and throw her here to experience it.

Sensing the aura of the dead approaching, Mixi shuddered, crawling on the ground like lightning.

"Re, re, respected Lord Demon King, the little, little one comes from the Land of Nightmares on the second floor of the labyrinth, pay, pay, pay respects..."

That stuttering voice was incoherent; Luo Yan, looking down at her from top to bottom, touched his chin thoughtfully.

So that's it.

It's a little demon.

Then it's not strange.

According to what he saw and heard in the Demon Capital, these guys are not only small in stature but also small in brain, and most of them don't use their brains when they speak.

At the Demon King Academy, they mainly play the role of bombers sweeping the cafeteria.

Not only that—

They naturally worship high-tier demons, especially nightmare demons and succubi who look more like them.

Calling themselves the "Land of Nightmares" is probably a cosplay of nightmare demons.

In addition, they are like nightmare demons and succubi, good at mental spells. However, the difference is that they themselves are not as tolerant of mental spells as the latter, often being beaten dizzy by human priests with a backhand magic feedback or mental shock.

And now.

He just set up a simple "Blood Ritual" in the hall, combined with fear spells and mental suggestion, and scared this guy to the point where her soul was almost gone.

Spending three seconds conceiving the lines, Luo Yan read his opening with a slow and deliberate voice.

"Not long before you arrived here, the four-legged snakes had just come here..."

As the words fell, heavy and slow footsteps passed through the floor into Mixi's ears.

In the shadow of the stone pillar.

Okto and Zerik, exuding blood and corpse odor, walked out from left and right.

That lifeless appearance looked like walking corpses, and the fear exuding from their blood-blurred faces was suffocating.

Without a doubt—

That was the envoy of the Earth Dragon Tribe!

Looking at their fate, Mixi's soul was almost scared away, clenching her trembling legs, her face even whiter than paper.

Luo Yan, hiding in the shadows, looked down at her, the corners of his mouth curling into a playful smile, and continued with the hall's echo effect.

"Aren't you curious... what they said?"

Probably because she was scared, the little demon crawling on the ground couldn't say a complete sentence, just like a crashed computer.

"I, I, I... don't taste good."

Don't taste good?

Hearing this irrelevant answer, Luo Yan frowned, but didn't take it too seriously, following the script he had thought of and continuing slowly.

"They wanted to sign a peace agreement with me... tsk tsk, a group of rebels, actually treating themselves as the masters of the labyrinth."

When he said this, his tone changed, the cruel tone carrying a bit of ill-intentioned evil.

"Then what about you from the Land of Nightmares? I want to hear... what interesting jokes the little guys from the second floor can bring me."

Hearing that the Earth Dragon Tribe's envoy had died just by mentioning a peace agreement, Mixi was so scared that she couldn't even speak.

What to do?!

If she proposed an alliance, would she be thrown to feed the cave spiders?!

Definitely would, right!

"Al, al, al..."

Luo Yan's brows twisted together, not understanding what this guy wanted to say.

"Alliance?"

Mixi stammered for a long time, finally successfully short-circuiting her own brain cells.

"Ma, ma, marriage!"

"...?"

Luo Yan, who was putting on airs, almost choked on his own saliva, and only after recovering did he angrily shout.

"Do you dare to tease this king?"

Which lunatic would propose marriage to a little demon?!

No—

Which little demon with a problem in their brain would marry another race?

Or is this some method of humiliating demons that he doesn't understand from the hell bumpkins?

"No, no, no, re, re, respected Lord Demon King, I, I, I didn't mean that—"

Mixi was almost crying, her little head banging against the floor, wishing she could slap her own mouth.

However, it was too late to change her words now.

If Lord Demon King knew that it was her own mouth that slipped just now, would she be beheaded and made into a specimen in an instant?!

Damn—

Although being known by Her Majesty the Queen is also death, living one second is one second.

Mixi, forced into a corner, went all out, blurting out cleverly.

"Ou, ou, our Queen... admires your evil and divine power! So, so, so she sent me to express the goodwill of the Land of Nightmares... proposing marriage! A bit presumptuous... it doesn't matter if you don't agree... can start from being friends first..."

Luo Yan: "..."

So...

This is actually not some diplomatic humiliation?

Although he couldn't imagine at all that a little demon who had never seen himself would admire him, a human.

Wait—

Luo Yan suddenly realized something.

Precisely because they hadn't seen him, or only glanced at him from afar, they didn't know he was a human at all, but treated him as a hell noble like a vampire or a terror demon?

If so, he could understand why the other party made such a brainless proposal.

After all, they are little demons.

Too normal.

"... If so, I forgive your rudeness."

Looking at the sweating Mixi, Luo Yan breathed a sigh of relief, quietly wiping the sweat on her cheeks.

So close...

Almost died.

Because she sweated too much, she was a bit thirsty.

Luo Yan continued expressionlessly.

"Anything else?"

Mixi shuddered, quickly sticking her head to the ground.

"No, no, nothing."

Luo Yan pondered for a moment, saying.

"Give my regards to your Queen, and say... I accept her kindness, but my family has already arranged a marriage contract for me; this matter need not be mentioned again."

The marriage contract and family are fake, but it need not be mentioned again is true.

"In addition, hell is very dissatisfied with the situation here... very, very dissatisfied. Only one Demon King died, and you are scurrying around like headless flies, even starting a separatist regime in the labyrinth... this makes His Majesty the Demon God very annoyed."

"However, although His Majesty the Demon God told me that I can dispose of you as I like, I don't intend to barbarically destroy the order you have already established."

"In other words, as long as this order remains loyal to hell, loyal to His Majesty the Demon God, loyal to me... then keeping the status quo to a certain extent is not bad."

"If the Land of Nightmares hopes to prove its loyalty, then fulfill your obligation as a 'vassal' and send me twenty little demon eggs every month."

It is worth mentioning that although little demons are often called mice with wings, they are actually not like bats and mice.

Especially in the way of reproduction.

Little demons pregnant for 28 days will produce "little demon eggs" containing the fetus, and through natural growth or magic array acceleration, they can hatch into mature little demons.

As long as you get little demon eggs, you can let the players' soul mirrors reincarnate into little demons.

The panel attributes of this unit are not high, but they can fly and have good mobility, which can be considered a spellcasting unit that can truly be used in the early stage.

And for the Land of Nightmares, twenty eggs a month is not too difficult for them; when resources are sufficient, the reproductive ability of these guys is quite amazing.

It's not good to collect too much tax at once; collecting it and then slowly adding it will be more appropriate.

Before solving the problem on the first floor, he still mainly adopts a soft approach to the forces on the second floor.

Looking at the trembling envoy, Luo Yan was too lazy to scare this little guy again, waving his hand to send her away.

"That's it, I still have to clean up the mess left by Lei Ji Delagong."

"If there's nothing else, go down."

The second floor of the labyrinth, the Land of Nightmares.

Mixi, flapping her wings with a mournful face, flew shakily to the steps of Her Majesty the Queen's stone cave hall.

This time she didn't jump up and down, nor did she scream loudly, but consciously crawled on the ground obediently.

Seeing that the one who returned first was actually Mixi, a trace of surprise couldn't help but float in the Queen's eyes.

Especially since this guy exuded a smell of being scared, simply like returning from the nest of a fear demon.

Recalling the way this idiot jumped up and down in front of her, her scarlet eyes couldn't help but narrow.

Not good...

It seems that Demon King is scarier than her.

Of course.

This was originally within her expectations.

Changing her sitting posture on the rock seat, Xixi the Queen made a look of being unperturbed, opening her mouth with a lazy voice.

"How is it? Did you see clearly the background of that Demon King?"

At this moment, Mixi was still thinking about the matter of "saying alliance as marriage".

Hearing the question thrown by the Queen, her whole body stiffened, and the CPU in her brain was burned again.

"Saw, saw... it's a very majestic old man, simply like a De, Demon King... no, he is the Demon King!"

Sweat pouring from her face, Mixi didn't dare to look at Her Majesty the Queen's eyes at all, continuing to make up with sweat on her face.

"You, you, what nonsense are you talking about; who asked you what he looks like," Xixi sitting on the rock seat hissed, saying impatiently, "How do you think his strength is? Compared to me."

Her pupils shook like an earthquake; Mixi didn't dare to look at Her Majesty the Queen's eyes at all, continuing to make up with sweat on her face.

"He, he, he... is a vampire! His servant, strength is far above me! As for you... I, I, I dare not discuss."

In other words... the servant is at least Steel-tier?

Then the master must be at least above Silver.

A vampire family from the Demon Capital, and also an old man... probably lived for hundreds of years.

If so, saying that guy is Gold-tier is conservative; probably have to guess higher.

Not only that.

Strong strength is one thing, but this guy is also terrifyingly cautious!

Xixi's expression became uncertain, her slender ten fingers tapping rhythmically on the armrest of the rock seat, carefully deliberating on how to play the next move.

"Did he say anything?"

"He, he, he wants your eggs—no, proposing to you!"

"...... Ah?!"

Hearing this brainless talk, Xixi's brain short-circuited in an instant, her meticulous thoughts were completely interrupted, and the whole demon was stunned on the spot.

Mixi, whose mouth slipped again, shed tears of regret, wishing she could slap herself hard.

Originally, things were already troublesome enough.

Now it's good—

Even more troublesome!

Sure enough, Xixi, who came back to her senses, was instantly furious, ejecting into the air like an angry rocket from the rock seat.

Sensing Her Majesty the Queen's anger, the little demons hiding behind the rocks all panicked and hid back into the stone holes, fearing that they would become the vent.

"Rude person! Truly absurd! Very good... very good, very good, it seems this old thing doesn't put us in his eyes at all!"

Her teeth gnashed, and murderous fierce light flickered in her scarlet pupils.

Without a doubt—

This is the way the Demon Capital humiliates other demons.

Born in a god-forsaken place, although she hadn't been there, she had heard a little bit of it!

The high-tier demons there are like human nobles, and they like to speak and do things in a roundabout way.

However—

She couldn't be provoked by a few words like the Earth Dragon Tribe, and finally lose the lives of her clansmen.

That demon did it on purpose.

If she got angry, she would fall right into his trap!

The fiery red bangs blocked her gloomy eyes; Xixi, who had calmed down, sat back on her throne, her lotus-root-like jade legs casually crossed over her knees.

"Tell Lord Demon King that the Land of Nightmares will prove its loyalty to hell, His Majesty the Demon God, and the Demon King, but please ask him to calm down; after all, it is impossible for a little demon and a vampire."

"Yes, yes, yes..."

Mixi nodded like a garlic-pounding machine, sweating nervously, responding tremblingly.

Pondering for a while, Xixi's index finger tapped twice on the armrest, continuing to open her mouth while deliberating on the wording.

"In addition, the previous Demon King exhausted the resources in the labyrinth in order to fight the surface, and the production facilities on the lower floors of the labyrinth were monopolized by warlords... the little demons of the Land of Nightmares have already tried their best just to deal with the invasion of adventurers, and our resources are so short that we can't even maintain basic defensive traps."

Since she can't beat him.

Then show weakness.

After all, the Demon King's enemies are not only inside the labyrinth but also outside the labyrinth.

If the order on the second floor is completely out of control, to the point of being easily broken by adventurers, I think that adult will also have a headache, right?

Wisdom light flickered in her scarlet pupils, the corners of Xixi's mouth curled into a faint smile, feeling that she had grasped the direction of the entire chessboard.

"Every month... we will send fifty little demon eggs to the Demon King's territory. Although they are not my eggs, they are enough for him to expand his military equipment."

"As for wanting more... then please also consider our troubles here, at least send some food over."

"Yes..." Mixi nodded tremblingly, feeling that the head she was shaken to the ground had grown back on her neck again.

Damn...

Finally alive!

However, the conditions given by Her Majesty the Queen seem to be thirty more than what Lord Demon King requested...

What should I do?!

Although she was scared to death in her heart, Mixi didn't dare to say another word, fearing that her stupid mouth would say something that shouldn't be said again.

Waiting for a long time, seeing that Her Majesty the Queen's mood seemed to have finally calmed down a little, she then changed the subject in a low voice.

"Your Majesty, that... what about Youxi? Has she returned yet?"

"Youxi? Her, ah... she hasn't returned yet... but I can roughly guess what happened."

Her cheeks lazily leaning on the back of her hand, Xixi, staring into the depths of the cave, looked indifferent.

As usual, she rubbed the fingernail of her raised little finger with the fangs at the corner of her mouth.

However, the creaking sound still exposed the irritability in her heart at this moment, which was different from the past.

This group of four-legged snakes...

Truly doesn't put her in their eyes at all!

However, this is part of hell; caring too much about such things will instead make oneself look ridiculous.

"Is that so..." Mixi, who misunderstood, sighed, a look of envy appearing on her face.

It seems the Earth Dragon Tribe is treating that guy Youxi well.

She hasn't returned at this point; she should have been kept for a meal.

Damn!

Thinking that today's dinner is probably rotten mushrooms again, Mixi, with drooping wings, was even more envious... ===== CHAPTER 52 =====