Chapter 517: Not just vampires, this time even succubi have come

The melodious steam whistle pushed away the sea fog outside the port of Lei Ming City, and seagulls danced around the smokestacks of the steamship, forcibly dressed in formal wear by the coal ash that rushed toward them.

The port of Lei Ming City was always this busy; even the cries of the seagulls were as exhausted as if their throats were smoking.

Wooden cranes rose and fell tirelessly, picking up wooden crates from the cargo piles. Porters with towels draped over their shoulders went back and forth, moving them into the warehouse.

And there were laundry women, scavengers picking up coal chunks, newsboys running through the streets and alleys, and brokers looking around for opportunities...

If Queen Street was a gorgeously colored oil painting, then the tone here was closer to the charcoal sketches of black and white.

However, into this gray sketch, a splash of color that could not be ignored intruded.

That was a lady wearing a white long dress; she stood on the deck of the steam passenger ship, her smooth pink long hair rising and falling with the sea breeze.

The skirt blown askew by the wind outlined graceful curves, just like slender willow branches hanging with the fruits of harvest.

She just stood there quietly, and the noisy crowd around her couldn't help but leave a blank space for this beautiful oil painting.

Gentlemen glanced sideways frequently, yet felt inferior before such dazzling beauty. And the gazes of the ladies were closer to naked jealousy—

Why could this guy get the favor of Sheng Saint Xisi?

In reality, that was not the case.

The god who could favor the Padric family had nothing to do with Sheng Saint Xisi.

Mignis took a deep breath, straightened his neatly ironed bow tie, and squeezed a confident smile from that face which had been stiffened by the sea breeze.

As a cotton merchant from Wulan Port, he considered himself to have seen plenty of the world, and his family fortune was also quite substantial. Coming to Lei Ming City this time, he came with the ambition to do something big in this emerging hot land.

Although somewhat abrupt, he felt that a young and promising gentleman like himself might have the qualifications to get to know this beauty traveling alone.

There were no servants by her side.

Based on his experience, such a lady mostly had a famous surname, just that her luck was bad and her family had fallen.

Just right, this was exactly what he lacked.

"Good day... beautiful miss. The wind and waves on the sea are somewhat large; I hope I haven't disturbed your interest." He gathered all his courage and walked to the side of this slender lady, a practiced, appropriate smile hanging on his face.

Seeing that this lonely lady did not respond, Mignis was not discouraged, but bowed slightly and handed over a gold-stamped business card.

"I am Mignis, operating a cotton firm in Wulan Port; the business is not bad. Arriving in this prosperous Lei Ming City for the first time, I am unfamiliar with the place; I wonder if I have the honor to know you?"

That lady with pink long hair still did not respond, only subconsciously moving her gaze after hearing his voice.

'Are you calling me?'

That polite gaze seemed to mean this.

However, those two pools of clear autumn water were just one glance, and they made Mignis's heartbeat skip a beat, almost forgetting his own name.

She did not take the business card representing wealth and status from his hand.

Seeing him frozen in place without response, she politely pursed her lips and smiled, then continued to cast her gaze toward Lei Ming City, which was waking up from the morning glow, as if there were something more precious there that surpassed everything in the secular world.

Clearly, that practiced movement was not the first time she had refused.

Mignis's hand holding the business card stiffened in mid-air, and a sense of frustration could not help but rise in his heart.

But he was, after all, a person who had struggled in the business sea; he wouldn't be defeated by one setback like a little virgin. He soon followed the lady's gaze to look into the distance, trying to find a new topic.

"Looking at you, this is also your first time in Lei Ming City, right? This is truly a city full of miracles... Although this is my first time taking a boat here, I have been looking forward to this trip for a long time."

He weighed his words and asked tentatively.

"May I ask... are you here alone? Are you here to rely on relatives, or... visit friends?"

This time, that lady finally had a response.

The sea breeze blew the hair at her temples, and also blew the soul-stirring arc of her mouth, blowing that longing into the noisy sea breeze.

"To be precise, I am here to find my... sweetheart."

This word was like a basin of cold water, instantly extinguishing the small flame that had just ignited in Mignis's heart. But he still wouldn't give up; that so-called "sweetheart" might just be an ethereal excuse, or perhaps just an ambiguous object that hadn't been settled yet.

"Sweetheart?" He raised his eyebrows in feigned surprise, his tone carrying a bit of sour probing, "So, you are already engaged?"

"Not yet."

The lady's answer made Mignis's eyes light up again, but her next words plunged him into the abyss.

"But soon there will be."

She said it so firmly, as if that man... or rather, prey, was already a subject under her skirt, an object in her bag.

That kind of confidence and composure made a strong jealousy surge in Mignis's heart.

What kind of gentleman could make such a peerless beauty so devoted, even not hesitating to cross the ocean, coming to this strange city all alone?

"May I know who that lucky guy is?"

Mignis asked almost subconsciously, his heart full of unwillingness. He wanted to see, in this Lei Ming City, what other young talent could be more competitive than him.

He didn't even realize himself that he, who should have been as steady as the Wan Ren mountain range, had actually become a competitive teenager ten years younger.

Desire and ambition would make people young.

And the succubus of the Padric family was mastering this power that made people lose their wits; spreading corruption was as easy as breathing for them, and countless legends who had once dominated Hell had become their captives... only the madmen of the Kelin family made them feel tricky.

The pink-haired lady finally withdrew her gaze from looking into the distance.

She turned around; it was the first time she looked directly at this young businessman, the smile in her eyes becoming even richer, carrying a trace of unfathomable cunning.

"Mr. Kelin."

A certain deadbeat scoundrel seemed to have been playing a bit too happily away from Hell recently.

As someone's nominal superior, let her add a bit of harmless seasoning to this bad guy's script.

Kelin?

Mignis was stunned for a moment, and after a brief blankness in his brain, he quickly searched for this surname in the list of "prominent people" in Lei Ming City.

In this city, there might be many gentlemen named Kelin, but the one who could be mentioned like this was probably only that one.

That "Prince Kelin" who was said to have the power to summon wind and rain in the Empire, and whom even Grand Duke Edward had to treat as an honored guest.

A sense of powerless hesitation instantly pierced Mignis's chest; he stumbled back a few steps, just like other people who had come here and been ruthlessly repelled.

So it was Prince Kelin's lover...

If the opponent were other wealthy merchants, or even some fallen noble, he would definitely not have given up so easily. Not being able to catch up didn't matter; at worst, he could just queue up.

However, if the opponent were that legendary Prince, he didn't even have the thought of taking over; that was simply not an opponent from the same world.

He might really be heartbroken.

The whistle of the passenger ship docking sounded again, waking Mignis from his lost soul.

The ship had already docked, and the lady standing on the deck had already disappeared; no one knew when she had left.

Passengers carrying suitcases had already lined up in long queues before the gangway; they held their heads high, their eyes bright, preparing to kill their way into this booming market before their eyes.

Although Prince Kelin's peach-blossom news had nothing to do with them, they believed that by relying on their own struggle, they would definitely be able to kill a piece of their own kingdom here through their own efforts.

Hearing that the Grand Duke of Campbell was co-governing his Principality with commoners, the commoners of the entire northeast coast of the Vortex Sea were boiling.

Different from the newly born concepts of "nation" and "sovereignty," "republicanism" was not unfamiliar to the commoners of the Aus Continent; many city-states and autonomous cities were republican, yet a republic in the land of a whole country was something that had never happened before on the Aus Continent.

This was the first time in history.

Looking at the figure disappearing into the depths of the sea of people, Mignis's heart, besides loss, also had a trace of inexplicable sympathy.

Not for himself.

But for Princess Ailin.

He remembered the rumors in the streets that the Princess of the Campbell family seemed to have a not-shallow relationship with Prince Kelin, and the marriage of the two was supported by Grand Duke Edward.

But if it were an opponent with such astonishing beauty and means...

Princess-my lord probably had big trouble.

Miss Padric of course didn't need to queue with the passengers to disembark, let alone that this miss was now a Gold-tier powerhouse.

Standing on the stone brick road of the port, Mia slightly narrowed those peach-blossom-like eyes and looked around, searching for the road signs to the Labyrinth.

It was just a pity that the current Lei Ming City was simply more degenerate than the Demon Capital of Hell; there weren't many adventurers aiming for the Labyrinth anymore.

If one could earn money properly, who would still be willing to carry their head to be a temporary worker?

Especially since Grand Duke Edward's work focus had long since not been on the "leaderless" Labyrinth, the scattered soldiers and brave adventurers who brought their own dry rations certainly couldn't be the Demon King's opponent.

The bravest adventurer couldn't beat one of Mixi's little fingers.

They just took advantage of the Demon King not paying attention to smuggle some mysterious potions from Mist Town on the fourth floor of the Labyrinth, or pick some herbs that the Dark Elves didn't look down on in the Mist Forest.

Those potion materials were generally also collected by the Adventurers' Guild in Mist Town. And the Adventurers' Guild there was just like the church in Yinsong Town, having long since been infiltrated by the Demon King's forces.

These were all things written in the reports submitted by the Demon King to the Demon King Management Department.

And now, Mia saw it with her own eyes, and it was indeed so.

The current port of Lei Ming City was filled with the stench of coal ash mixed with sweat, the air humid and sticky, just like the white fog spat out by steam engines.

If they were ordinary low-tier succubi, perhaps they would enjoy this aura filled with desire, but could the succubi of the Partridge family be those vulgar, flashy sluts?

Mia only felt it was noisy.

Thinking that "poor little Luo Yan" actually had to be a Demon King in such a terrible environment, the resentment that had already piled up to Mia's chest instantly dissipated by half, replaced only by the heartache that slightly stung her chest.

Truly too pitiful!

A sharp-eyed carriage driver had long since noticed this lady dressed in luxury.

Seeing that no one came to pick her up, he immediately approached the carriage diligently, took off his hat, and performed a non-standard etiquette.

"Respected lady, where are you going?"

Mia looked left and right, seeing that there were no "Goli-carts" common in the Demon Capital, so she spoke softly in accordance with the custom of the place.

"I am looking for Mr. Kelin; do you know where I should go to find him?"

In the current Lei Ming City, the fame of Prince Kelin was known to everyone, and there was no need to say his full name.

The smile on the carriage driver's face instantly became more diligent, and he immediately opened the carriage door, while at the same time the gate of gossip in his brain also opened.

"That is natural; there is no one in this city who doesn't know where that Prince-my lord is!"

Mia got into the carriage.

The carriage wheels rolled over the stone slab road, crossed the tributary of the Benliu River, and soon stopped at the entrance of a manor surrounded by green shade.

Mia casually threw a gold coin to the driver; it was a huge sum enough to buy his carriage.

Before the driver could recover from the happy surprise, that elegant and dignified lady had already disappeared from the carriage like lightning.

He didn't even see clearly how she left.

The servants on duty at the manor gate didn't see clearly either; they were not powerful extraordinary beings, only defending against gentlemen and not against villains.

A pink lightning bolt passed through the iron fence gate aggressively, making Nan Fu, who was reading under the hedge, feel a chill on his neck.

What's the situation?!

Mia didn't knock on the door.

The reason she didn't use the teleportation array of the Demon King Management Department and endured the bumps of the sea and the shaking of the carriage like an ordinary human was for this effect of hitting the target in one strike!

This time it was a true "surprise inspection"; Miss Superior wanted to investigate to the end, whether it was the Demon King's problem or Miss Vivian's academic qualifications!

What is going on with this guy?!

Clinging to her brother all day without even reading books!?

Does the Campbell Principality want an illiterate person to be Prince?! Moreover, she was not just the future Prince, but also the Minister of Military Affairs two hundred years later!

The Padric family cannot accept such a mediocre official!!

Those frightened servants tried to block her, but were deterred by the aura belonging to a high-level demon on Miss Padric and didn't dare to move.

Of course—

They were not entirely scared by the aura of a high-level demon; there were also some people who were scared by that familiar pink hair.

These demon-people were all from the Demon Capital; others might not recognize the eldest miss of the Padric family, but they all recognized her.

They had also heard of that dance she danced with the Demon King.

Under the operation of the Padric family, that birthday banquet was a sensational scandal in the Demon Capital, and it was also a symbol of the alliance between the Lei Ming County Demon King and the Padric family.

The sound of high heels passed through the corridor; having found no one in the bedroom or the study, and neither in the entrance or the basement, Mia, who had made a wasted trip, turned around and killed her way to the back garden.

The afternoon sun was spilling through the gaps in the leaves onto the lawn; Luo Yan was sighing while holding black tea, while Vivian was stuffing small cookies into her mouth without a heart or lungs.

"Brother, what are you sighing for?"

"I am thinking..." Luo Yan glanced at the white clouds in the sky, watching the clouds being slightly blown by the wind, "What should come has come."

Could it be that he really awakened the divine power of "words following deeds"? Otherwise, why was it that the more he worried about something, the more it came?

The only thing he couldn't understand was why she went to the bedroom and study, but what was she doing looking for him in the basement? If he really wanted to hide, he could completely hide back in the Labyrinth; it wouldn't be to the point of finding a basement to hide in.

Vivian tilted her head, temporarily not realizing the severity of the problem, until the disgusting perfume smell drilled into her nose, only then making her delicate brows knit tightly.

"Tsk... how did a bug fly in?" She muttered in a low voice, threw another cookie into her mouth, and bit it with a crunch, as if venting her dissatisfaction at her leisure time being disturbed.

She had finally completed Brother's task; now it was reward time, couldn't she be allowed to quietly enjoy a moment of two-person world?

She had specifically chased Nan Fu away.

"Hahahaha!"

Hearing You You was already rolling on the grass laughing until she choked; in a sense, the Demon King's ability to hold his composure was also trained by this drag-oil-bottle.

Also at the same time, a pair of fair hands pried open the hedge, and then a grumpy head drilled out from behind the hedge.

That pink hair was covered in leaves, and the silk skirt was scratched by branches.

Not a shred of elegance could be seen on her face anymore, only a demon-like ferocious smile, and the murderous aura of wanting to tear a certain vampire to pieces.

"Mia?"

Looking at the uninvited guest who "suddenly" appeared beside the shrubbery, Luo Yan's hand holding the teacup stopped in mid-air, his face carrying just the right amount of surprise.

"..."

Mia, pursing her lips, was just about to speak.

However, the moment she met the gaze of those deep purple eyes, the last bit of resentment piled up in her chest dissipated into a pool of spring water in her peach-heart-shaped pupils.

"Why did you come?" Luo Yan put down the teacup, the just-right surprise on his face gradually turning into concern, "Are... are you okay?"

"I, I am okay..."

Actually, not okay at all.

Mia, with a flushed face, subconsciously let go of the hedge she had pried open; only then did she remember that her current image was not elegant enough and wanted to tidy up her messy hair.

However, Miss Padric clearly forgot her current situation.

Her index finger had just wrapped around the hair tail at her temple for less than a second before it was caught by the suddenly closing hedge from left and right, and slapped in the center.

Slap—

Luo Yan didn't expect that his old classmate from the Demon King Academy would be trapped by two hedges; it wasn't until Mia, whose skirt was caught, screamed that he remembered to cast a spell to save her.

"Kuku—hahahaha!"

Vivian, who had completely lost her composure, burst into laughter; this time she forgot the restrained elegance and almost laughed until she drilled under the table.

Mia, whose anger had originally subsided slightly, had her anger ignited once again after hearing this wanton laughter.

Only to see her tear off the tattered half of her skirt and stand up from the ground with a flip.

Miss Padric completely stopped hiding her strength, even revealing that peach-heart-shaped tail tip, which swayed under her raised skirt.

Looking at those white thighs and the fullness that was about to burst out, Vivian, who had been laughing thunderously a second ago, instantly couldn't laugh anymore.

Her little face was tense, her eyes were unprecedentedly solemn, and even her lower legs wearing long socks were tangled together nervously.

Didn't expect this succubus to be so cunning!

Fell into the trap!

Thanks to the demons of the Padric family never being able to guess the thoughts of the demons of the Kelin family, otherwise Mia's anger value would probably have to rise a bit more.

Really unable to handle the panic brought by looking at Luo Yan, Mia could only pour that "evil fire" that had nowhere to vent onto a certain gloating little brat.

"Kelin!!"

Her voice rose by a full eight degrees, her eyes staring fixedly at Vivian, as if wanting to nail her to a cross with her gaze.

"Tsk, I didn't run, why are you shouting so loudly?"

Vivian threw a cookie into her mouth without a care, but her eyes were darting around, pondering where she could let herself be saved by her brother as well.

It was a pity that the Kelin Manor didn't have that kind of trap; her brother still didn't pay enough attention to her personal safety.

Seeing that Vivian had no reflection at all and her eyes were still darting around, Mia's teeth were almost bitten to pieces, and she said word by word.

"I remember when you approved the use of the Demon King Management Department's teleportation array, you said you just wanted to take a look at Brother's territory from afar, didn't want to go directly to disturb him and make him worry, so you didn't use the Demon King territory's teleportation array... but what does skipping school mean? I haven't heard that you wanted to stay here. Truly wasted my kindness, I actually had a moment of sympathy for you!"

Vivian, who was eating a cookie, froze in her movements.

Her eyes were evasive, she still had half a cookie in her mouth, she guiltily turned her head to the side, and blew a clumsy whistle, fertilizing the lawn with a mouthful of cookie crumbs.

This matter was indeed her fault.

No matter how thick her face was, facing this kind of accusation of exposing lies to her face, Vivian also couldn't hang onto her face.

Until that word drilled into her ears.

Skipping school?

Joke!

As if grabbing a straw, Vivian jumped up like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, and applied the "concentrate superior forces to attack the weak point" taught to her by the Demon King.

"Skipping school? Pay attention to your wording, Miss Padric; not asking for leave and not going is skipping school! I asked for leave!"

She put her hands on her hips, as if the one kneeling on the ground begging for mercy a few days ago was Nan Fu.

Mia was shocked by her crooked logic, her mouth wide open.

"Your father... no, does your grandpa know you are like this?"

Vivian became even more proud upon hearing this, putting her hands on her hips with righteous indignation.

"He said I did a good job, didn't lose face!"

Mia: "???"

Luo Yan: "..."

Against the heavens.

This was simply too against the heavens!

Councilor Luo Yan silently took a sip of black tea, looking at the tea leaves rising and falling in the cup, and couldn't help but worry about the future of Hell.

It seems the demons of the Demon Capital are truly beyond saving.

Besides finding excuses for their own degeneration, do these demons have nothing else to do?

The credit system and winter vacation homework probably won't save them either; only a thorough change can make the second-generation demons perk up.

However, thinking of this, Luo Yan suddenly changed his mind; he, a Demon Capital councilor who didn't care about the life or death of the goblins in the Demon Capital all day and soaked in the human world every day, didn't seem to have the qualifications to talk about fellow villagers far away in the Demon Capital?

At least they didn't go to the Holy City to buy a house.

Emmm...

Alright.

Since the most degenerate person was himself, then the problem wasn't big.

Thanks to Councilor Luo Yan deeply reflecting on his own problems, the second-generation demons of the Demon Capital could finally breathe a sigh of relief, without having to endure the rain that the "Temple Orphans" had endured.

Seeing that she couldn't argue on the "academic" problem with this thick-skinned little brat, Mia took a deep breath and decided to put pressure on her "feeder."

She changed into a serious tone and looked at Luo Yan, who was silently drinking tea, with bright eyes.

"Student Luo Yan!"

"I am here."

Mia was stunned for a moment, not understanding this response, but wasn't sidetracked by him, and entered the main topic aggressively.

"Do you think this is right?"

Luo Yan moved his gaze away subtly.

"I... in principle, I am opposed to it; I plan to write a letter to Prince Kelin to mention this matter. But you know, a small councilor like me can't manage the Minister of Military Affairs, let alone Vivian's studies are an internal affair of the Kelin family."

Councilor Luo Yan's business in Black Wind Castle also relied on Caesar Kelin's support; he indeed had no reason to chase Vivian away.

Moreover, chasing her away wouldn't be of much use either.

As everyone knows, blowing up a latrine won't make the dung disappear, it will only make the dung bloom everywhere. Luo Yan never did that kind of stupid thing; blocking is not as good as dredging.

Rather than chasing Vivian back and letting her sneak back, it was better to keep her in this manor and raise her, at least under his own eyelids.

This place was no different from the Great Graveyard.

The church that Vivian was shouting to blow up all day had long since been replaced by his own corpse ghosts, and those original priests and nuns had also happily moved to a new church that was big and beautiful.

As for the church property like nearby vineyards and wineries, they had also long since been bought by him in the name of Prince Kelin.

As an exchange for promising not to chase Vivian away, Vivian also reached a gentleman's agreement with him; she would take Nan Fu and hide when Ailin came here, not meeting her own "dependent."

Besides the neckless dwarves who could smell the scent of blood clans, Ailin, who had already become a blood clan, could also smell it.

Moreover, she was still her own "master."

Looking at the troubled Luo Yan, Mia lowered her head and said in a low voice.

"I, I am not talking about Vivian's academic qualifications; I mean, letting a human and a vampire live under the same roof, don't you think this is very dangerous? You also know that people of the Kelin family are all missing a root, what if... she can't control herself?"

She was not a woman who would make unreasonable trouble, and she could also understand Luo Yan's difficulties.

As a human with no one to rely on, wanting to survive in a place like the Demon Capital where wolves and tigers looked around, one must be able to handle things flexibly among the major forces.

However, having said that, that sour vinegar smell still drifted from her, almost drifting outside the garden.

Looking at Mia, who was muttering in a low voice, Luo Yan couldn't help but ponder.

Saying that the Kelin family is missing a root in front of the Kelin family, would this really not trigger a dispute between the Padric family and the Kelin family?

However, although he thought so, Miss Kelin didn't feel offended, only feeling she had heard some very funny joke.

Only to see Vivian puff out her chest, her face revealing that missing-a-root pride, and she announced triumphantly.

"Kuku-ku... you don't need to worry at all! My brother is very strong, I haven't gotten to eat until today!"

The air in the garden solidified for three seconds.

The expression on Mia's face first turned from blankness to astonishment, then turned into unbelievable shock, and finally turned into a broken-defense scream.

"You really did it?!"

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 518 =====