Chapter 183: Unexpected Changes

187. Chapter 187: Unexpected Changes

The so-called "demon" from another world is merely a derogatory term used by the royal family.

The purpose is to arouse the spirit of unity and hatred against the enemy among the vast commoner fairies.

The enemy indeed comes from another world, but they are not necessarily "demons".

So far, the enemy has not raised the slaughter knife to carry out mass killings; they have shown great restraint.

Just as their initial strange envoy indicated, they came here to develop the fairy world, not to bring destruction.

Deep down, the Third Prince sincerely believes that if the other side can truly fulfill their promise, the royal family representing the fairy world could become their vassal without issue.

Unfortunately, the two sides are destined to be enemies.

Because the will of the fairy world cannot allow the fairy royal family, especially the fairy king, to surrender to the other side.

When you receive a gift from fate, the price has already been secretly marked.

Over a thousand years ago, the royal family chose to accept the newly awakened world will's 'assistance', ascending to rule the world.

This has destined today's situation.

When facing an external enemy from another world, we cannot retreat or compromise; we must resist to the death alongside the world's will.

We must fight to the bitter end.

Fight until the last soldier falls, until the last breath is gone.

The fairy king's attitude determines the stance of the fairy royal family.

If so, the Third Prince can only bury his appeasement thoughts deep in his heart.

Stand firm, rack your brains, think of every possible way to resist the enemy from another world.

Including some risky moves that could cause greater harm to the fairy world.

For example…

The Third Prince looked at the altar before him, feeling immensely hesitant.

This altar was discovered by the Third Prince by chance in an abandoned holy site.

At that time it was already broken, in an unusable state.

After research and attempts, the Third Prince repaired the altar and discovered that it was linked to a demon sealed within the fairy world's boundary!

Not the derogatory "demon" from another world, but a true demon!

After several brief communications, the Third Prince figured out the demon's demand: it wants to escape the fairy world's boundary and gain freedom.

As payment, the demon will deliver precious knowledge capable of boosting the royal household, the royal family, and even the entire fairy species' strength, accelerating civilization's development, to the Third Prince.

It even generously prepaid a portion of that knowledge.

The Third Prince intuitively felt that once this demon is brought into the fairy world, the consequences would be unimaginable.

However, the knowledge given by the demon cannot be faked.

Merely a light touch enabled the Father King to devise a method to enhance the fairy's innate talent abilities.

Unfortunately, the timing is not opportune, and there is no leeway.

If the "demon" from another world had arrived a little later, the Father King could have perfected the enhancement method.

And they wouldn't have suffered a devastating blow from the enemy in one strike!

"Ah!"

The Third Prince let out a faint sigh, temporarily setting aside the thought of contacting the demon.

The situation has not yet deteriorated to the point where one must rely on demonic power.

What he should consider now is how to stop this elite squad of the "demon" from another world.

Pushing his wheelchair out of the secret chamber, the Third Prince prepared to deploy, trying to see if he could thwart the arrogant "demon" from another world that had penetrated deep into King's Forest.

Even if he cannot thwart it, he must still make the fairies' voice heard.

Tell the "demon" from another world, this is the Fairy King's Forest, not a backyard for them to come and go as they please.

As for the target of the elite squad of the "demon" from another world:

No need to think much—there are only three: the Royal Court, the "Biochemical Factory", and the holy land where the Father King sleeps.

Only these three places possess strategic value.

As for the Royal Court, let them come as they will.

Here still stands a large force of elite troops of the fairy royal family guarding the Royal Court, capable of making a death-defying resistance.

Even if they cannot annihilate that elite squad, they are not devoid of any ability to resist.

Even if the enemy disregards martial decorum and summons that heaven‑shattering, earth‑crushing colossus to bombard the Royal Court, it cannot be withstood.

At worst, we would drag those few scheming grand dukes down with us into destruction.

I'm tired.

Let's leave it at that.

The "Biochemical Factory" needs more attention; we should transfer additional troops there for joint defense.

If really necessary, we could blow up the entire area where the "Biochemical Factory" is located.

Anyway, the Father King possesses more complete and superior transformation and enhancement techniques there.

Even being able to take away a single "demon" from another world would be a gain.

Any additional sacrifice would be worthwhile.

As for the holy land where the Father King sleeps, the Third Prince feels no further deployment is needed.

Currently, the two strongest military forces of the fairy world have, through covert means, been relocated there.

Aside from sending out a notice telling them to be more careful and cautious.

The Third Prince can do nothing else.

Just after the Third Prince had finished arranging the elite squad targeting the otherworld demons,

The Eldest Prince, who should have been out visiting the dukes of each tribe, hurried back.

The Eldest Prince's face was grim, his eyes showing panic and fear.

His steps were quick and hurried, completely losing the usual composure he valued most.

"What happened? Don't panic, speak slowly."

The Third Prince pushed his wheelchair forward, speaking softly to try to calm the Eldest Prince's emotions.

"They've attacked! They've launched an attack!"

It's a dire emergency—how could the Eldest Prince not panic, how could he dare to speak slowly?

He shouted loudly, "Three directions, three fortresses, at the same time, they are about to be attacked. They've deployed three of those monster-like airborne fortresses! How can we fight? How can we possibly fight?"

His voice was so loud it was almost a roar.

The urgency and terror in his tone needed no close listening to be understood.

The calm and gentleness on the Third Prince's face froze instantly, his complexion stiffening.

All his plans came to nothing.

Before absolute strength, schemes and tricks might help but cannot play a decisive role.

Whatever sowing discord or forcing troop deployment, all became empty talk.

The enemy does not come in vain.

Sending a squad deep into the royal forest is nothing.

Immediately after, they launched a full-scale attack.

This intensity, this fervor, exceeds the combined total of the previous two campaigns.

The huge disparity in strength, the stark contrast, made the Third Prince feel a suffocating pressure.

After taking several deep breaths, the Third Prince forced himself to calm and asked, "Who else knows this news?"

The Eldest Prince opened his mouth wide, gasping heavily to steady his disordered breathing and his pounding heart.

After opening and closing his mouth a few times, his breathing steadied somewhat, and the Eldest Prince said with difficulty, "All the fairies know; outside is already in chaos."

Those otherworld demons advance on three fronts, without concealment, with mighty momentum and great commotion.

Any fairy who lifts their head can see the three colossal airborne fortresses blotting out the sky.

? ￠o

The news had long been transmitted from the front to the rear, spreading completely.

When I returned to the palace, those old fellows were all planning to leave the royal court and return to their own tribal lands.

In the emergency, I ordered the royal court to enter an emergency war readiness state and closed all entrances and exits.

"Without my and your order, no one is allowed to go out."

The Third Prince frowned: "Did they just agree like that?"

"Do they dare not to agree?"

The Eldest Prince's eyes widened, killing intent palpable: "If they dare not agree, I'll slaughter them myself before the enemy even reaches the door."

"Alas!"

Hearing that, the Third Prince couldn't help but sigh in disappointment.

Under these circumstances, how could we forcefully keep a few disunited nobles in the royal court?

They wouldn't fight to the death defending the court, and they might even become insiders.

Or they could pass along information, leak the deployment;

Or they could spread rumors, shake morale;

Or they could stir up trouble inside the court, cooperating with the enemy's attack.

However, the Third Prince did not blame them; since they stayed, he would handle them differently.

The Third Prince composed himself, gathered his thoughts, and said:

"Given the current situation, the royal family must step forward, firm in confidence, command all fairies, unite all forces that can be united. Elder brother, Father King is asleep; this matter must be handled by you."

"You will soon go out for a public appearance, gather nobles, officials, officers, soldiers, and commoners, and give a speech,"

"You must display the royal family's resolve to fight to the end, sharing life and death with the court."

"As for those few dukes, immediately send troops to bring them to the palace; I will personally detain them, giving them no chance to cause trouble."

With the Third Prince's decision made, the Eldest Prince regained a bit of composure, nodded firmly, and said, "Good!"

The Third Prince then made further arrangements.

"Order the garrisons of the three fortresses to hold firm to the end, no retreat."

"Hmm."

"Order the retinues brought by the dukes to fully support the front lines."

"Sure."

"Order the stationed troops, nobles, and commoners everywhere to launch attacks on the otherworld demons on their own."

"No problem."

The Third Prince stated three points in succession, and the Eldest Prince answered each in turn.

Afterward, the Third Prince fell silent for a moment, then said wistfully, "As for the rest, elder brother, deploy as you see fit."

The Eldest Prince sensed something different and immediately asked, "And you?"

An unusually complex expression crossed the Third Prince's face as he said softly, "I intend to do something I may or may not regret later."

Hearing that, the Eldest Prince fell into silence.

The Eldest Prince also knew of the existence of the altar and the demons.

As soon as the third prince said that, the eldest prince immediately understood.

Those who wished to intervene believed that cooperating with true demons would do more harm than good.

But the situation had deteriorated to this extent, and in a moment there was danger of annihilation.

The eldest prince could not utter a word to stop it.

After a moment, the eldest prince said nothing, turned, and walked out of the palace.

He intended to implement the third prince's arrangements.

He placed several dukes under house arrest, directed the ducal guard to reinforce the front, and mobilized garrisons, nobles, and commoners everywhere to harass the otherworldly "demons"……

Only names and implements must not be lent to others.

Many affairs must be overseen by him, the eldest prince, after the Supreme Honored King falls asleep, as the first in line to inherit the throne.

The royal family does not want to perish like this; they must struggle to the end, not letting slip even the slightest opportunity.

As for the demon affair, everything will be left to the third prince to handle.

Let's try a desperate cure.

Hope it will be useful.

Secret chamber.

The third prince's wheelchair stopped before the altar; after a moment of thought, he resolved himself.

He drew a sharp dagger from the hidden compartment in the wheelchair's armrest.

Holding the dagger in his right hand, he slit his left palm.

Jade-green blood dripped onto the altar, flowing along the intricate patterns and drawing a strange diagram.

The third prince bled excessively, and the luster in his eyes faded considerably.

After a moment, the blood was gradually absorbed by the patterns, eliciting waves of strange fluctuations.

They were emitted toward the barrier of the fairy world.

The third prince lifted his head, following the direction the fluctuations emanated, and stared into the dim void.

The Fairy King in the forest.

The special squad's convoy sped along; whether they encountered the fairies' open or hidden sentries, settlements, or military blockades, they did not get entangled but simply sped away.

If anyone insisted on attacking relentlessly, they would simply crush them.

There was no need for Boss Otis to intervene; the twins Ankes and Marco took care of it.

While speeding along, Captain Otis, who was at the rear of the convoy responsible for covering the rear, suddenly lifted his head.

He gazed wistfully toward a direction in the sky.

On the third off-road vehicle.

Asande reacted a bit slowly, but also sensed this special fluctuation.

Both of their hearts simultaneously stirred with ripples.

What's going on?

Why does the fairy court possess a method for contacting across realms?

In the academy's preliminary investigation report, they didn't even mention this point.

Before the legion formally entered the fairy world, the vanguard they dispatched also failed to uncover this information.

How did the fairy court suddenly issue a contact request to some existence beyond the realm or another world?

Who are they contacting?

Will it affect this campaign?

Various speculations surfaced, stirring the heartstrings.

"Accelerate forward!"

Boss Otis withdrew his gaze, and his voice suddenly sounded over the team channel.

The off-road convoy's speed suddenly increased another notch; the frenzied advance's arrogance grew even more.

In the high sky.

Inside the most advanced airborne fortress.

Seated in the central command hall, monitoring progress in all directions, the Paro Sage suddenly lifted his head and, following that strange fluctuation, looked toward the fairy world's barrier.

His eyes burst forth two divine lights, piercing the void and seeing through the barrier.

A bat-like abyssal demon appeared in the Paro Sage's view.

The demon was sealed and sleeping, and did not sense the Paro Sage's scrutiny.

The Paro Sage promptly ended his scrutiny and withdrew his divine light.

"Mm..."

The Paro Sage pursed his lips, his mood inexplicably becoming somewhat irritable.

Those old fogeys from the academy aren't really old.

How could such a huge oversight occur?

They actually couldn't find that a demon was sealed in the illusory barrier.

Nine out of ten they had known from the start, just deliberately not telling him.

Moreover, they let him develop this world in a relatively peaceful manner.

The Paro Sage thought carefully about the old fogeys' various tricks and past misdeeds.

Instantly he began to guess and think in the direction that those old fogeys were digging a pit for him.

If the Paro Sage really were to slowly conquer the fairy world,

or lacked the patience, and upon entering the fairy world just went on a killing spree, taking the violent conquest route,

As the situation develops, in the end there is an eighty or ninety percent chance of facing a fourth-rank Abyssal Demon that has opened an Abyssal Passage, as well as an endless army of low-rank demons pouring out of the Abyssal Passage.

By then, Paro Sage will be unable to complete the academy's mission and will have to sign a supplementary 'body-selling contract' with the academy.

The academy's old immortals step in to clean up the mess.

Not only can they take over a fairy world that has already been mostly conquered, but they can also harvest a wave of Abyssal Demons as fertilizer to cultivate many special plants.

This could be called killing several birds with one stone.

"Old immortals!"

Paro Sage gritted his teeth and spat out a curse.

Fortunately he had kept a backup plan; even without Linke Grand's undoubted push, the third campaign would still launch in a few days.

In terms of progress, it won't be much slower.

He won't let those old immortals' schemes succeed.

But thinking about how those old immortals have arranged things in this regard is like seeing several flies on a delicious cake—utterly disgusting.

"You, come over."

Paro Wizard suppressed his disgust, waved to summon the captain of the guard, and began making arrangements.

He plans to surprise the fourth-rank Abyssal Demon that is about to awaken, whose consciousness will descend upon the fairy world along that surge.

Tell it that, before a wizard, the so-called Abyssal Demon is nothing but a bug that can be stepped on at will.

Be sensible, keep sleeping, and don't fucking disturb my business.

Otherwise I'll scatter your ashes.

Bury you in the soil as fertilizer.

Thanks to reader Jiuqi Xin Huaitian for the tip, thank you!