Chapter 576: The Great Artist Prince Kelin

Deep within the Royal Prison, the air was thick with the stench of blood, and screams echoed one after another; even the rats hiding in the shadows trembled, not daring to grind their teeth or make a sound.

Dim torches cast twisted shadows on the walls, and the clatter of chains filled the entire gloomy space.

This was the interrogation room.

In the center of the interrogation room stood a behemoth cast from granite and black iron; the jailers of the Royal Prison called it the "Flesh Grinder," and it was said that Lord Cassius had invented it himself.

Clearly, they knew nothing.

Lord Malus had already used it to kill countless Laine people, and Cassius was merely picking up the ready-made convenience; his only innovation was, at most, moving it out into the open and dropping the pretense.

At this very moment, this execution machine was in operation.

The meshing of gears emitted a teeth-grinding creak, like a tireless beast chewing on its dinner.

"Damn it... what exactly is the reason! What exactly is missing?! The holy water is not this color at all! Damn it!"

Cassius stared fixedly at the diversion trough beneath the machine, his voice becoming sharp and piercing due to extreme agitation. He still wore pristine white gloves, but the composed, effortless look was gone from his face, leaving only madness.

The only things flowing from the slot were dark red blood and greasy yellow fat, and a nauseating, fishy stench filled his nasal cavity.

No matter how he filtered it, he could not see a trace of holy water.

There was no doubt—

It was because the souls of these commoners were too filthy.

"This is not what His Majesty wants at all! Trash! A bunch of trash."

Cassius turned abruptly and kicked the jailer responsible for operating the machine.

The jailer screamed and rolled far away, but he scrambled to his knees, his whole body shaking like chaff. Even though he had broken several ribs, he did not dare to look at the "Death Knell" standing in the interrogation room.

Goblins were likely the same in front of demons; the only difference was that the demons were already bored and couldn't be bothered to play with the goblins, while Cassius had only just begun.

"Heh..."

A weak mocking laugh came abruptly from above the grinder's feed inlet.

It was an insurgent who had been tortured beyond recognition; his lower body was already fixed in the grinder's crushing trough, and the sound of bones shattering rang out every few seconds.

An ordinary person would have died of pain long ago.

And perhaps it was a flash of clarity before death, or perhaps he had lost the sense of pain, but he did not pass out; instead, he lifted his blood-stained face.

There was no fear in those eyes, only the contempt of someone who wanted to swallow him alive.

"Is this... all you've got? The King's lackey."

The maddened Cassius sneered and was about to say something, but a mouthful of bloody spit landed on his spotless leather shoes.

His complexion darkened at a speed visible to the naked eye, just like someone who had accidentally stepped on a stink bug.

And the insurgent continued to mock him.

"Your master is thirsty... why haven't you fed your blood... to him to drink? Is it because it's dirty? Haha..."

There was deathly silence all around, save for that bold laughter.

The jailers standing around had long since been scared out of their wits, and this time they even held their breath.

Even the elite Gravekeepers standing in the corner couldn't help but swallow their saliva, their faces tense...

They had underestimated the mob's hatred for the royal family.

And they had underestimated Cassius's madness.

Those contemptuous eyes were like a rusty pitchfork, stabbing fiercely into Cassius's already crumbling sanity.

"Shut up! You sewer rat! You gutter maggot! What soul tier are you, to be worthy of talking about me?"

The mask of elegance was completely torn apart, revealing a twisted and hideous face.

He stepped forward, so fast that no one saw it clearly, and his right hand had already gripped the neck of the traitor, blood flowing through his fingers.

There was no interrogation.

Because there was no need at all.

With just a casual squeeze, he snapped that neck, which was lighter than a feather, as easily as pinching an ant to death.

Crack—

With a crisp sound, the mocking laughter stopped abruptly. The rebel soldier's head hung limply to the side, but those eyes remained open.

Waiting—

As long as there is a next life, I will still come to find you.

Perhaps that resentment was too straightforward; this dead soul did not turn into an undead, which actually caused the priests preparing to perform the rites for him to lose their chance to show off.

Fear is faith, and resentment is too.

In a sense, deep-seated hatred could replace Saint Xisi, stuffing his soul into a bottle beside his enemy.

Even if his memories had dissipated along with the soul matter returning to the hive, and he had forgotten who the person he hated was, that intense obsession would still be planted in the soul matter for a long time.

That was karmic force that even gods would fear, but ignorant and fearless transcendents were instead not afraid.

The person was dead.

Cassius's fear did not disappear; instead, it grew wildly like weeds, gnawing at the last bit of sanity in his mind.

He let go of his hand and somewhat neurotically took out the dark gold pocket watch from his bosom, glanced at the time, but his pupils did not focus on the unimportant hands.

Soon.

He could feel that his nightmare was approaching.

Spies outside the city sent definite news that the Radiant Knight Hage Mo had gone completely mad. That guy was no longer satisfied with taking in a group of useless beggars; this time he directly drew his sword and led the main force of the Knights to conquer the outer defense line of Roland County, marching toward the city.

That guy ignored the King's orders and absurdly regarded himself as the treacherous official who deceived the King.

Saint Xisi above, what virtue or ability did he, Cassius, have to deceive the King? Even Lord Malus had only wrapped around the King's wrist.

Which thing he did was not tacitly approved by Hage Mo's elder brother?

And Hage Mo was a true demigod, the strongest sword of the Devalu family; even the hero of the Campbell family lost to him by a point in martial prowess!

That man, majestic as a lion, was the natural enemy of all rats in the gutter, and also the natural enemy of loyal officials.

Once he could not prove his value, the King would truly abandon him, and he would become the first scapegoat thrown out by Xioden to appease everyone's anger.

The truth was just that cruel.

As long as the blame was shifted to a gambler who had lost the bet, whether it was copper coins or bread, they would all become yesterday's problems.

And those insurgents instigated by Edward would also face a crumbling defeat because the internal anger had subsided.

Cassius knew very well that he only had one chance to survive, and that was to extract "holy water" from these "human juices."

However, the problem lay right there.

"Where exactly did it go wrong!"

Looking at the grinder that was still idling, Cassius pulled at his meticulously groomed hair, muttering madly in his mouth.

"It was clearly according to Malus's technique... why could it only produce a pile of rotten meat? Where are the souls? Where did those damn souls go?"

The people standing around did not dare to make a sound.

Even those "priests" who acted as accomplices were trembling and did not dare to speak, unable to explain the reason.

They were only there to perform rites for souls; where would they understand what a soul was? Saint Xisi did not support his followers in studying these side-door paths; let alone the blasphemous act of dissecting souls, even dissecting flesh was regarded as a taboo by the Saint Clement Church.

It was just that in the last hundred years, the Church's influence had been waning, and it could no longer manage these blasphemous things.

The "poor" Cassius did not know that those Malus loyalists who had sworn to teach him the "holy water production method" had only compiled a set of plausible nonsense to follow his wishes in order to seek a quick release from his hands.

Actually, let alone those confidants.

Even Malus himself had never truly understood the core technology of the mages of the Academy, but had only copied some experimental logs from peripheral researchers.

The King sat in his own dry well and could only hear the echoes in the dry well. And as the dry well that "cared for" the King, he was also sitting in his own well.

"What a... clumsy imitation show."

Just as Cassius fell into the abyss of incompetent rage, a light laugh suddenly came from the shadows.

That laughter was clear and elegant, echoing in this blood-filled dungeon, but it sounded particularly harsh.

"Who?!"

Cassius turned his head abruptly.

He saw that in the corner of the interrogation room where the light could not reach, a figure had appeared at some point.

It was a young man wearing azure mage robes. Intricate and complex silver runes were embroidered on his robes, flowing with a faint light under the dim firelight.

He stood with his hands behind his back, his temperament refined, looking at the hellish scene before him, there was not the slightest discomfort in his eyes, but rather the cold arrogance of a superior.

"Whoosh—"

The surrounding Gravekeepers and jailers reacted, drawing their weapons one after another, surrounding the man. But the man did not look at them at all, as if what they held in their hands were just toys.

And that was indeed the case.

Only when mortals formed legion-level strength could they truly pose a threat to high-tier transcendents.

Cassius narrowed his eyes and raised his right hand, signaling his subordinates to put away their weapons.

As a peak Amethyst-tier powerhouse, he had not sensed this person's aura at all. This meant that the other party's strength was either above his, or they carried a secret treasure he did not understand.

And that robe... seemed to belong to the Academy.

Cassius took a deep breath, trying to regain some of the majesty belonging to the leader of the Gravekeepers.

"When did you come in?"

The young mage tidied his slightly wrinkled cuffs in a leisurely manner and said in a calm voice.

"I have always been here, Cassius 'Lord'."

Cassius narrowed his eyes, sized the guy up twice, and a smile suddenly hooked at the corner of his mouth.

He felt a familiar aura from this person, exactly the same as Professor Edgar Kaufman who had always appeared around Malus in the past.

Now that Malus was missing and Edgar was no longer showing his face, it was likely that this pair of bitter lovers had been buried in the ground together.

The smile on Cassius's face made the young mage feel a touch of annoyance. Although he didn't know what this monkey who didn't know propriety was thinking, he figured it must be something rude.

However—

A monkey's attitude didn't matter anyway.

Lord Aomeng needed a reliable talent to replace the traitor Edgar Kaufman who had been taken down. As long as he could handle the Roland City project, he would be the next black hand standing under Lord Aomeng's cloak, standing out from the crowd of mages.

"Let's speak plainly, Lord Cassius."

Looking at Cassius who had been slow to speak, the young mage took the initiative to break the silence, saying in a tone that did not hide his arrogance at all.

"My name is Eddie, from the Northern Wasteland. Although you may not know us, we have always been watching you. Even as early as when your former boss Malus was still alive, we were already 'old friends'."

Hearing the other party take the initiative to reveal his identity, the smile on Cassius's face finally carried a touch of surprise, although that fake sincerity was still nauseating.

"So it's friends from the North! Welcome! What wind blew you here?"

He opened his arms exaggeratedly, as if he had seen an old friend he hadn't seen for many years, stepped forward pretentiously, and kept chattering in his mouth.

"I knew it... that traitor Malus left a backup! You are the true instruction manual for this machine! Quick, quick teach me! Which step did I do wrong? Why can it only squeeze out blood, but not the soul inside?"

Facing that near-manic enthusiasm, Eddie did not respond; instead, he frowned slightly and took a step back, avoiding the thick, bloody smell.

That look was like a civilized person with matches in his pocket watching a primitive person laboriously drilling wood for fire with stones.

"Instruction manual?"

Eddie scanned the huge grinder that was still creaking with contempt, and a mocking smile hooked at the corner of his mouth.

"Lord Cassius, your misunderstanding of magic seems to be a bit deep; do you think the soul is the red wine in your cellar? Forgive my bluntness, the gap between us is not just an instruction manual, but a whole Northern Wasteland. This thing you've made, let alone touching the sacred soul, even a half-baked alchemist would laugh out loud if they saw it."

The smile on Cassius's face stiffened for a moment, but he quickly ignored this layer of humiliation. As long as he could get what he wanted, this bit of sarcasm was nothing at all.

"Then what should I do?"

Cassius stepped forward again, his eager voice becoming more and more manic, like a magical beast forced into a corner, "As long as you can help me get the holy water, any price can be discussed! Gold coins? A title? Or people? Right, don't you need population? Everyone in this prison can be given to you!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the jailers who were already trembling around held their breath instantly.

Even the Gravekeeper elites standing in the shadows, and even those seemingly irrelevant priests, had undisguised panic on their faces.

Saint Xisi above—

They knew their boss too well.

Although Lord Cassius probably meant "people locked in cages," if this noble mage lord really asked for their lives, or the lives of their wives and children at home... this Lord Death Knell would definitely not frown.

Everyone was a bargaining chip that could be placed on the scale.

He was completely mad.

Looking at this group of ants shrouded in fear, Eddie just shook his head uninterestingly.

But just in case, he still raised his hand in detail, his index finger casually drawing in the air, cutting open a faint blue crack.

Hum—

An invisible ripple spread instantly, shrouding him and Cassius inside, isolating the increasingly noisy panting.

Cassius frowned slightly, then a smile hooked at the corner of his mouth. A sound-insulation barrier.

Magic really is a useful thing.

No wonder the Empire let them go to the Land of Knights to study those powerful but useless sacred powers, while he closed the door to study magic.

Without the ears of outsiders, Eddie spoke slowly, saying something that went straight to the point.

"You are so eager for holy water, nothing more than wanting to use it to please that aging mad king, so as to protect your crumbling status, as well as grasp secular power. Secondly, you are eager to break through the bottleneck through this power, become a true powerhouse, and no longer fear that Radiant Knight who is rushing over like a dog... am I right?"

Cassius stared at Eddie and sneered.

"I don't deny it. In this chaotic world, who doesn't want to be an existence above ten thousand people? Aren't you the same?"

"Of course, I am like you, both wanting to be such a great person."

Eddie nodded, and a thought-provoking smile suddenly appeared on that refined face, just like a venomous snake spitting its tongue.

"But forgive my bluntness, your method is a bit too roundabout."

Cassius frowned.

"What do you mean?"

"Literal meaning."

Ignoring Cassius's frown, Eddie continued in a leisurely manner.

"We can help you achieve both of these goals, why pin your hopes on an old madman who is about to die? Don't you want to... become the god who controls everything yourself?"

"We can even skip the 'holy water' step and make that supreme King become your possession."

Cassius held his breath abruptly, looking at this madman in front of him in disbelief, unable to believe that he actually said such blasphemous words.

However, soon, the astonishment in his eyes turned into a touch of uncontrollable greed.

Let the King... become my possession?

This sounded like putting the crown on his own head. Although it was a bit crazy, he actually had no choice, right?

If he didn't take a gamble, he would soon die as a traitor and become a medal on the chest of the "Radiant Knight" Hage Mo.

"What do you want?"

Looking at this big fish that had finally taken the bait, Eddie nodded happily.

"Very simple, Roland City."

Ignoring those violently contracting pupils, his gaze crossed the transparent barrier, looking at those ants who had just dug their own graves but were unaware of it, and softly spat out the answer that was like a devil's whisper.

"We need a great fire, that will be a fire ten times more violent than the 'Winter Moon Fire,' it will swallow everyone in, turn everyone's faith into firewood, and breed a new god from those ashes."

"And you, are the god we have chosen."

The late autumn in Lei Ming City was always accompanied by continuous overcast rain, and the wind and rain in the upper reaches of the Running River seemed to have nothing to do with this place.

Rainwater dripped continuously along the eaves of the manor, knocking out a pattering sound on the marble steps. The fox-eared maid yawned, listening to the rhythmic sound of rain and falling asleep peacefully, drool hanging from the corner of her mouth, seemingly dreaming of delicious things.

Life in the human world is really not bad—

Although the Demon City is not bad either.

And in the study not far away, the respected Demon King was sitting at the desk, having not gone anywhere in the past week.

However, this did not mean that the Demon King was very idle.

On one hand, he needed to consolidate his power through meditation and reading magical classics, and on the other hand, he also needed to study the notes seized from Malus.

This guy had stolen quite a few things from the Soul School by swallowing them whole, and the Soul School had also turned a blind eye to the puppets they intended to support... Now these things had all become the Demon King's spoils of war.

Luo Yan was full of interest in the research on soul matter and spirit matter. He was not doing it to extract any holy water, but to figure out what exactly this so-called reincarnation was all about.

Or to put it more philosophically, where do people go after they die?

This related to his rebuilding of the Netherworld, and how to use limited resources to patch up this leaky hive under his feet.

That was one of the many side quests on his path to becoming a god.

After all, if the surroundings were all "wild grass" that was reincarnated for the first time, hanging ignorance, fearlessness, lack of virtue, and lack of heart on their chests as certificates of merit, this was definitely not a good thing for him, a future god.

Planet Kao was a warning for the Os Continent.

Of course, besides these distant things, Luo Yan was also pondering some realistic problems.

For example, for the soon-to-be-established Mage Guild, he, the first president, had also put in quite a bit of effort, paying attention to the design of the organizational structure and the decoration of the guild.

In addition, because of this matter, Ailin also found an excuse to stay overnight, the reason being to assist in the preparatory work of the Mage Guild.

The relationship between the human race and hell had never been so "harmonious."

And the Grand Duke of Campbell not only tacitly approved of this, but also specifically asked Prince Kelin to take good care of his sister, not to leave any regrets, and so on...

Although Luo Yan always felt that the earnest "take care of" also entrusted many other meanings.

Including the aunt-like smile when Lady Andong left, it also hid some other expectations... or curiosity about the development of the situation.

Honestly, Luo Yan didn't want to consider these things for the time being.

On one hand, the "mask" he wore on his face was a bit hard to take off, and on the other hand, the atmosphere in the Prince Kelin Manor recently was indeed a bit "weird."

Mi Ya and Vivian seemed to have brought the crooked atmosphere of the Demon City here, hissing at each other every few days.

On this point, Miss Padriqi was indeed not very smart; why bother competing with a brat whose mind was not yet mature?

For a guy like Vivian, the more intense the sanctions, the more energetic she would become.

Conversely, if you ignored her for a while, she would instead feel itchy all over and crawl in the dark.

Speaking of this, I have to praise Nan Fu; he was the most law-abiding person, having already turned into a college student with clear eyes.

Every day, he was either holding a book and sitting in the corner reading it himself, or reading picture books to Miss Linuo who occasionally visited here.

Or, being ridden like a horse by that human.

Luo Yan sometimes felt that the reason why these demons were ridden on their heads by humans had something to do with them fighting among themselves all day long.

But when he thought about it, wasn't the Shengcheng the same?

Although he only passed by with a fleeting glance and casually laid down a few chess pieces before leaving, the undercurrents surging beneath the calm were also visible to the naked eye.

Tang Taisi and Tichi often wrote to him, telling him what fresh things had happened in the upper-class society of the Shengcheng recently.

If the problem was attributed solely to infighting, it would be too hasty. The truth was actually very simple; the balance between the Empire and Hell was only because both sides had found their respective comfort zones.

Of course, these grand propositions were too distant for the respected Councilor Luo Yan; what he cared about had always been the people around him.

As for how Hell was, and how the Empire was, let those who really had nothing to do worry about it.

For example, recently, he was very concerned about the atmosphere in the Prince Kelin Manor.

Mi Ya's inexplicable jealousy toward Vivian was fine; having a problem with one's head was indeed contagious, and succubi were sensitive constitutions.

What really made him uneasy was that recently even the cat he raised had raised its tail, and in those loyal and gentle eyes, ambition had actually gradually emerged.

The reason for this was that the demons were all too weak. From the perspective of a demon, that was of course "my sword has not been sharpened."

Of course, Luo Yan was not just picking on others' faults, but also "reflecting on himself three times a day."

In the final analysis, it was because the persona of this guy "Luo Ke Sai Prince Kelin" was really not good, and the father was backlashed by the son.

"Demon King, are you reflecting on your own problems?" A seemingly cautious voice sounded deep in Luo Yan's mind.

And Luo Yan of course retorted unceremoniously.

【You You, shut up.】

Ah—

That was the taste.

Hearing this familiar morning greeting, You You turned over in the air with satisfaction, floating away like a whale doing the backstroke.

Luo Yan rubbed his slightly sore eyebrows, forcibly pulling his thoughts away from those messy trivial matters, and refocusing his attention on the long table in front of him.

There, a city model that was taking shape was placed, about one meter in length and width.

That was the miniature Lei Ming City he had pieced together bit by bit by using source power to finely manipulate sand and gravel, combined with the shaping of earth element magic.

Although it could not be said to be a 100% replica, it still had 80% of the charm.

As for the aerial view of the city, it was captured by the "Butterfly of All Things" perched on the tip of the clock tower.

At this moment, Luo Yan was like a creator sitting on the clouds, overlooking the city under his feet while constructing its reflection at his fingertips.

This thing was definitely much weaker than modern 3D printing technology, but in 1054, it was undoubtedly a miracle in art history.

Because no one had ever done this before.

Powerful mages mostly disdained wasting time on art.

Perhaps it wouldn't be long before Lei Ming City would give birth to a "Great Artist Prince Kelin."

"You guy's craftsmanship has some skills."

A golden little head leaned over.

I saw Ta Fu lying on the edge of the table, tucking her dragon wings behind her back, those vertical pupils looking at the model Luo Yan was rubbing with interest.

This little dragon girl seemed to have grown a circle recently, her body had grown a lot, and she was not as sleepy as before.

Especially the scales on her body had just been changed, reflecting a luster as dazzling as gold under the light, looking even more noble and compelling.

When she grew up, riding her out should be very cool.

Luo Yan did not look up, and said in a leisurely voice.

"I am very serious about doing anything."

Ta Fu leaned closer to examine the houses and carriages that were only the size of rice grains, carefully controlling her breath.

"So what is the use of this thing? Is it just to make an expensive ornament? Are you planning to put it in the clock tower?"

"That's just one of its functions."

Luo Yan smiled mysteriously.

He stretched out his hand, his palm facing down and pressing virtually above the model.

In an instant, a stream of azure mist rose from the bottom of the model, shrouding the entire miniature city.

Immediately after, an incredible scene happened; the dead sand table seemed to come alive instantly!

The azure mist floating above the clock tower model began to flow slowly, gathering and dispersing, just like real clouds in the sky.

Ta Fu widened her eyes in surprise.

She discovered that under that layer of miniature clouds, it was actually raining fine threads of rain! Even the splashing of raindrops on the miniature streets was clearly visible, exactly the same as the real weather outside the window, but when she reached out to touch it, there were no wet traces on her scales.

The raindrops were just a projection!

"How did you do it?!"

Ta Fu couldn't help but exclaim.

This looked simply too incredible; this group of natives who were still in the early stages of the industrial revolution had actually used magic to create panoramic radar?!

If her research ship were still there, she would definitely have to get these natives onto the ship to raise them!

Luo Yan looked at the flowing light and shadow, and explained gently.

"When everyone is looking up at the clock tower, what we pass on to them is not only the tenet that 'time is money,' but also through subtle power, borrowing from their eyes the scenery they saw a second ago."

Ta Fu blinked, looking confused.

"Can you speak human language?"

"This is human language," Luo Yan shrugged, "If I were to use professional terms in magic, such as 'ether resonance of visual persistence' or 'concentrated mapping of collective subconsciousness,' you would probably be even more confused."

Although the specific implementation method was extremely complex, involving high-level application of meditation patterns and analysis of rules, the principle was actually not obscure.

The clock tower was no longer just a building; under the irrigation of the faith of millions of citizens, it had already transformed into an artifact.

All areas that could look up to it had become its domain, and unlike the "open-bag-and-eat" domain of demigods, this was a permanent domain.

Luo Yan was based on this to carry out deep magic modification, and integrated the inspiration obtained from the No. 440 Void Realm—those Solipsi were masters of constructing wonders, and the "Gallery of Reverberations" they created gave him great inspiration.

This clock tower and the panoramic sand table in front of him were just his first work, and the growing Great Library and the "Encyclopedia" would be the second wonder he prepared for this world.

It's just that that one was a bit strange.

I don't know if it's because the citizens of Lei Ming City read too many novels, and the library is not that mysterious, the power of faith has been slow to condense.

Including the Prince Kelin Grand Theater as well.

Although they were also magnificent, they all seemed to be missing a "spark plug" to ignite.

"What is this thing?"

Ta Fu suddenly stretched out her claws and pointed to a corner of the model.

On the edge of that flowing azure cloud layer, a striking little brown dot suddenly appeared.

It was only a blurry color block, and the specific outline could not be seen clearly because the distance was too far, but it was moving toward Lei Ming City at a constant speed.

Luo Yan also noticed that tiny mosaic, his slightly raised eyebrows floated a touch of surprise, and then it turned into a gentle smile.

"A guest has arrived." ===== CHAPTER 577 =====