Chapter 70: Youxi on the Table and Sodo in Wilderness Survival

【Faith Value: 96085 (-1000)】

【Daily Growth: 3624 (+560)】

【Daily Consumption: 1000】

After returning to the Great Graveyard, Luo Yan immediately fulfilled his promise and upgraded Arakdo from a Black Iron-tier Cave Spider to Bronze.

The whole ritual process was very simple.

As the core of the Demon King territory flashed a dark green light, Arakdo, standing in the Demon King territory, was immediately shrouded in a dark green evil energy.

No spell needed.

No sacrifice needed.

As Luo Yan consumed faith points here, Arakdo's eyes, mouthparts, and even the fluff all over his body immediately lit up like light bulbs, beginning to accept that dark green energy.

One side gave without reservation, the other side accepted with piety.

As the contract was completed, the dark green light dissipated, and Arakdo's body expanded a circle. Although it didn't expand to the bloated

Not only that—

Its eight eyes became even more profound, as if burning with undying soul fire. Its long spider legs became even thicker and sturdier, the blade-like tips carving deep marks into the ground, and every joint of its body radiated a suffocating pressure.

Clearly.

This guy, just like himself, had been stuck at a bottleneck for a long time, and leveled up the instant its soul rank increased.

The changes in appearance were secondary; Luo Yan was more curious about how he felt himself.

"How do you feel?"

"I feel... like I have an endless supply of power in my body." Inspecting his brand-new body, Alakto's deep voice was filled with surprise and ecstasy.

"This, this is incredible! It's too magical!!!"

He kept repeating this sentence in his mouth, like an eleven or twelve-year-old child who had just received a new toy, unable to contain his excitement.

At this moment, he seemed to remember something, restrained his excited expression to face Luo Yan, and prostrated himself on the ground in heartfelt submission.

"Respected Demon King, thank you for your boundless divine power bestowing me with a new life! From this day forward, you are my father, my master! I am willing to follow in your footsteps forever, no matter where you go, no matter what you command me to do... Alakto will forever be your claw and tooth, serving you until my soul is annihilated!"

It was clear that he was truly excited in his heart.

Luo Yan smiled faintly and accepted his oath.

"Very good, Alakto. I will remember your oath, and I hope you will remain as loyal as you say from now on."

Alakto trembled all over with excitement and said loyally.

"Yes! I will certainly not fail your expectations! If I speak a single false word, please erase my soul from this world!"

Luo Yan nodded, signaling for him to rise.

Perhaps because he had accepted the baptism of his divinity, Luo Yan discovered that he could actually see Alakto's attribute panel.

【

ID: Alakto

Race: Cave Spider

Soul Rank: Bronze (Level Cap LV30)

Level: LV. 11 Constitution: 13 Strength: 12 Agility: 8 Intelligence: 4 Spirit: 3】

Not bad.

Although his intelligence and spirit were a bit weak, his constitution and strength were quite good. If he trained more, it shouldn't take long for him to surpass his own Steel-tier self, making up for his own shortcomings in close-range output.

At this time, a brisk voice drifted into Luo Yan's ears, and Hearing You You, who had been watching the players cook in the kitchen, wandered over.

"Demon King, your dinner is ready. When do you plan to dine?"

"Right now."

Having not eaten all day, he was indeed a bit hungry.

"Alakto, go call Mixi over, and that guest she picked up. Tell them the banquet has begun."

Alakto respectfully lowered his large head.

"As you command! Demon King!"

The banquet was held in the dining room next to the Demon King's kitchen.

Although the Demon King's dining room was slightly shabby, not much wider than a bomb shelter, the food laid out on the long table was not shabby at all.

The main dish was the Big Plate Chicken that Mixi had been thinking about.

Besides that, there were Honey-Glazed Demon-Roasted Wild Boar Ribs, Creamy Mushroom Demon-Energy Stewed Wild Rabbit Legs, Classic Braised Pork, and Clear-Stewed Lion's Head Meatballs... highlighting a fusion of East and West, and even incorporating the magic-energy technology of another world.

Not only that.

There were even mouth-watering desserts on the table... judging by the shape, they should be Cheese Honey-Roasted Apples and Strawberry Jam Snow Ice.

Not to mention Mixi, who was staring dumbfounded, even Luo Yan was stunned for a moment... he, the lord himself, didn't even know there were such rich ingredients in his own kitchen?!

As for those roasted sausages, roasted pork knuckles, bread, and wine, they became the least noteworthy garnishes.

"Is, is this the Demon Capital of Hell?!"

Mixi, swallowing her saliva, was still relatively restrained, only expressing the excitement in her heart with a trembling voice.

Beside her, Youxi, who was so hungry she saw stars, had turned into a zombie that wouldn't stop being "hungry," her two arms flapping forward as if sleepwalking.

If it weren't for Mixi pulling her back tightly, she probably would have already pounced on it.

"Mixi... let go of me..."

Trying desperately to stop this guy, Mixi closed her eyes and pleaded.

"Wake up! Youxi, this is the Demon King's palace! If you get locked up by the Four-Legged Lizard, someone might save you, but if you get locked up by the Demon King, then, then, then only the Demon God can save you!"

"Hehehehe, how embarrassing." Alakto's calmness and fox-borrowing-tiger's-might were as usual, and having reached the Bronze tier, he was even more puffed up than before.

Besides Alakto, the calmest one here was probably Sarah.

However, judging by the frequency of her cat ears twitching and her eager-to-move appearance, the only thing restraining her hunting instincts was probably just respect for the Demon King himself.

A skeleton wearing an apron stood beside the dining table, fingers intertwined, looking shy and bashful.

As a chef, for her, there was nothing more heart-fluttering than the mouth-watering expressions of the guests.

But then again, the cooking system of this game was too realistic.

She had originally been worried about being unable to replicate the effects of reality, but in the end, she found her concerns were completely unnecessary.

Not only that.

Those magic-driven cooking devices and utensils made many originally complex things even simpler than in reality.

Out of curiosity about the technical prowess of this game, and wanting to know where the limit of this game's "cooking system" was, she accidentally made too much.

Watching the Demon King walk into the dining room, she stepped forward and said in a shy voice.

"Respected Demon King, as you commanded, I have prepared the food for the banquet. Since I wasn't sure of your and your guests' appetites, I made a little of every style of dish. I hope I haven't caused you any trouble..."

"How could it be trouble! It's simply perfect!"

Looking at the player named 【Little Xiao Xiao Yu Gao Zhi】, Luo Yan laughed happily, gave a thumbs up, and said, "Well done! Thank you!"

While saying this, he signaled Hearing You You to distribute the quest rewards.

【Nether Coin +10000】【Contribution Value +100】

【Favorability +10】

Seeing the series of pop-ups flashing before her, Little Xiao Xiao Yu Gao Zhi felt a surge of joy in her heart, especially the +10 Favorability, which made her blush uncontrollably in reality.

What's the situation? Haven't heard that NPCs could add favorability? Or does accumulating enough favorability unlock hidden quests?! Not only did the players not understand, Hearing You You was also a bit confused and asked in a low voice.

"Demon King, what is the favorability parameter?"

Luo Yan said in a voice only Hearing You You could hear.

"It's a hidden attribute, for this Demon King's reference only, it's not very useful in practice... Wait, don't write these words into the players' system."

Hearing You You chuckled.

"Don't worry, Demon King, Hearing You You is the roundworm in your stomach! Once you say that, Hearing You You knows you intend to 'free-ride' them."

This guy is quite understanding.

Luo Yan glanced at the air beside him in surprise and nodded approvingly.

"As long as you understand."

Because she was still a beginner-level skeleton soldier, Little Xiao Xiao Yu Gao Zhi couldn't taste the delicious food she cooked for the time being. After turning in the quest and seeing there was nothing to do, she hummed a brisk song and left.

A huge profit of 10,000 Nether Coins! Rounding it up, that's like digging 10,000 jin of coal! Plus contribution and the Demon King's favorability.

As expected of a plot quest—

This profit is simply invincible!

Watching the guests who could no longer hold back, Luo Yan didn't let them wait any longer, walked straight to the main seat, and then signaled Bond, who was standing to the side, to pour wine for himself and the guests.

When the blood-like red wine filled the cups, he waved for Bond to step aside, then raised his glass and said solemnly.

"Let us toast to victory!!!"

Including Alakto, who held up his cup with a pair of forelimbs, all the guests present raised their cups with excited hearts.

"Cheers!!!"

The banquet celebrating victory—

Officially began!

Just as Luo Yan and his guests were enjoying the delicious food at the banquet, there was also a group of people starving in the labyrinth.

The reason a labyrinth is called a labyrinth is because its intricate routes are highly deceptive, and inexperienced people find it hard to find the exit once they enter.

As for monsters and traps, those are just to increase the intensity for adventurers, and bait to lure adventurers down to explore.

Generally speaking, even experienced adventurers would not venture too deep into unfamiliar territory, let alone rashly enter unknown entrances.

The correct way to explore a labyrinth is to join a local Adventurers' Guild, obtain a map of the corresponding floor according to your adventurer rank, and then stand on the shoulders of predecessors to explore a little further from known areas into unknown ones.

At the same time, if you discover changes in the labyrinth, report the updated situation to the Adventurers' Guild immediately.

This is also the reason why many labyrinth entrances become unpopular or even abandoned.

The fewer people exploring, the lower the probability of survival. Although you might discover treasures others haven't found, it's meaningless if you can't bring them back.

At this very moment, the situation Sodo was facing was almost exactly the same as those eager-for-quick-success novice adventurers.

He and his subordinates not only entered an unknown entrance and area, but they didn't even know how long they had been walking inside.

At first, he tried to find the Shadow-Weaving Nest, but soon discovered that the road, which had been unobstructed by the flood, had been sealed off with earthwork by the flood-resisting Cave Spiders.

Then he tried to find other adventurers, but let alone adventurers, they didn't even find a single monster! The unintelligent monsters had all been washed downstream, while the intelligent ones had fled as soon as the flood broke out.

Later on, Sodo began sending scouts to the surroundings, but the more people he sent, the fewer returned, and eventually, he had to give up.

This time, he really shot himself in the foot.

Without water or food, and no way out in sight, not even a spark of fire... an atmosphere of despair permeated the hearts of all the Shark-man warriors.

Looking at the river fish stranded in the labyrinth corridor, Sodo couldn't help but think of himself, feeling both angry and furious in his heart, along with a faint trace of sorrow.

I wonder how things are going with the Earth Dragon clan...

Just as he used a harpoon to spear a fish on the ground and stuff it into his mouth to satisfy his hunger, he didn't notice the flickering soul fires moving in the darkness.

That was the group from the Dragon-Walking-the-World guild.

Just as Dragon-Walking-Ten-Thousand-Li had predicted, skeletons are not afraid of water, and the soul fire burning in their skulls is not real fire.

Although they lost a few brothers in the flood, the vast majority survived, including his mount—【First Pig of the Brother Brother Guofu】.

"Brother... those guys don't look easy to mess with, are we really going to move against them?" Looking at the monsters resembling Shark-men not far away, Brother Brother Guofu Brother swallowed his saliva and whispered nervously, "I guess they are at least level twenty... maybe even higher."

"Never mind level twenty, what if they are level forty? Level doesn't mean everything."

The soul fire in his skull flickered faintly, Dragon-Walking-Ten-Thousand-Li stared fixedly at the group of Shark-men, especially the guy suspected to be the BOSS.

Intuition told him.

The harpoon in that guy's hand was much more powerful than the two-handed axe in his own hand! Longxing Baili glanced at Brother Brother Guofu Brother and said with a smile.

"Don't try to persuade him, our boss has his eyes on their equipment again, he won't give up until he achieves his goal."

"But we have to be reasonable... we only have a dozen people, and some are crippled, how are we supposed to fight?" Brother Brother Guofu said, between laughter and tears.

"On the surface, that's the case, but their current predicament is clearly greater than ours." A confident light flickered in Dragon-Walking-Ten-Thousand-Li's skull.

Like those Shark-men, they were also lost.

But luckier than those Shark-men, as undead and underground creatures, they were born with night vision, and they had the complete map of the first floor of the labyrinth!

This is a huge advantage!

And not only that—

"They are probably foreign monsters washed in by the flood, there is no fresh water here, and no food... they won't last many days."

Dragon-Walking-Ten-Thousand-Li carefully observed the team not far away and continued slowly and methodically.

"We don't need to fight them to the death, we just need to follow behind them... like hyenas on the grassland."

After saying that, he turned back to look at the brothers behind him.

"Everyone, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! If we are lucky, the experience from these hundreds of Shark-men will all be ours! Of course, we might also lose everything... If you trust me, we will take down this group of dead fish that came ashore together. If you want to go back first, I won't blame you, after all, many brothers just came in, and what they lack most is contribution, not experience."

Longxing Baili said with an indifferent smile.

"You decide, I'm with you."

Qianli also nodded.

"Strategic decisions, you decide."

The others in the guild were the same.

This group of people was exceptionally united, and once they decided on something, they would do it without reservation.

These guild guys are really ruthless!

Brother Brother Guofu First Pig admired them greatly, but soon thought of another thing and became nervous immediately.

"Brother... but, I'm not undead, I get hungry too."

Dragon-Walking-Ten-Thousand-Li: "You go eat something nearby first, and catch up in a while."

Brother Brother Guofu First Pig: "???"

Holy crap?! How am I supposed to just 'eat something' here?! (End of chapter)