Chapter 165 It’s not just the Demon King who is unfathomable, but also the Demon King’s minions
The flying snow shrouded the Silver Pine Forest, and the thick pine trees made a low moan in the strong wind. The thick snow bent the branches, and from time to time snow fell, raising fine white mist.
And among the tree trunks that were frozen into ice sculptures, a group of ragged refugees huddled in the wind and snow.
Their figures were covered with a thin layer of white snow, and their curly fur coats could not withstand the severe cold. Their skin was turned blue from the cold, and their eyes were filled with exhaustion and even despair. Some people were stamping their feet to try to keep warm, some were rubbing their frozen arms to try to regain consciousness, and some were so frozen that their whole bodies were so stiff that it was extremely difficult to even move their arms.
They are all villagers of Hollyoak Village, from the easternmost part of Dusk Province - the border of the kingdom adjacent to Brass Pass.
In order to get here, they endured hunger, climbed over forests and mountains, and almost exhausted all their strength.
With such a ragtag group of people, even muskets cannot improve their combat effectiveness much, let alone whether the frozen launcher can fire sparks. There is still a question mark.
If it were not for the large number of them, there were two to three hundred people, the patrolling players would not be able to sound the alarm bell for them.
And when the alarm bell rang, a group of skeleton soldiers emitting ghostly light appeared behind the fence wall. Despair was already written on the faces of the ragged refugees.
This is not an opponent they can defeat.
They came to the wrong place.
"Damn...it's undead! There's a necromancer here!" Brooke's shoulders, carrying a bow and arrow, couldn't help but tremble, and panic was written on his wide-eyed face.
He used to be an adventurer, and he was active in the Thunder County area before retiring. He even once went deep into the fifth floor of the labyrinth under Thunder County... It can be said that he knows this place as if it is his second home.
It was precisely for this reason that he volunteered to be a guide and led everyone through the eastern part of the Silver Pine Forest to arrive here.
However, he did not expect, let alone heard of it, that there was actually a Necromancer entrenched here!
More than that——
He clearly remembered that the Demon King here had been killed by Archduke Campbell, and every adventurer he asked told him so on the way here!
Why is it that now that he has returned to his hometown, all the demons in the labyrinth have come to the surface outside the labyrinth? !
The shivering Orion walked to Brooke’s side through the snow up to his calves, and shouted anxiously and angrily, Didn't you say you wanted to take us to a good place?! Why? "Why are there undead here?"
"I, I don't know," Brook swallowed nervously and said with difficulty, "We'd better go back first..."
"We have nowhere to go back."
The hobbling old man walked up to the two of them on crutches. There was broken snow hanging on his eyebrows, and his dry lips were cracked by the frost. Although his appearance was still strong, anyone could tell that he was on the verge of running out of fuel and might collapse at any time.
Just like those old people who fell on the migration road.
"Have you forgotten what the knight master said? If we appear near Silverpine Town again, he will chop off our heads and send them to the lord as the heads of bandits to receive rewards."
"Holy Saint Sith...how could they...how could they do this!" Orion's lips trembled, and his voice could no longer tell whether it was anger or despair.
The old man remained silent and did not answer.
He is the village chief of the Elephant Tree Village, his name is Pierre, and he once served in the army of the Kingdom of Lane. Since he had dealt with local lords and participated in suppressing bandits, he knew that this was a normal thing.
The two words "refugee" and "roving bandit" are not much different in syllables. A group of hungry people can do anything to survive, especially when this group of people has hands, feet and weapons, no one can bear the price of trust.
There were not a few lords killed by the refugees.
· Of course, the latter also has a reason to strike first. Anyway, dead people cannot speak, and no one can tell clearly who will strike first.
An atmosphere of despair permeated the crowd. Some people began to pray for a miracle, while others cursed the local lords.
Even if they don’t even know the guy’s name.
"These guys deserve to go to hell!"
"A necromancer appears at the door of our house, isn't the lord here not worried at all?!"
"Someone has to take care of this..."
Listening to the chatter behind him, Pierre stared at the fence wall in front of him, silent, struggling in his heart.
They have no retreat.
Although he knew in his heart, as Brooke, who had been an adventurer, said, they had no chance of winning. They could only pray that after sacrificing their lives for their faith, the apostles of Saint Sith would take them to the legendary kingdom of heaven.
Just when he was about to make a decision, the fence gate not far away suddenly opened, and two teenage children appeared under the fence wall made of nailed logs.
Seeing the children appearing behind the door, the villagers of Hollyoak Village were stunned, and soon someone recognized the two familiar faces.
"Andy! Maggie?!"
A middle-aged man holding a musket opened his eyes in surprise, and his frozen face glowed with hope again.
His child is still alive!
After searching in the forest for a whole day, he almost gave up!
"Dad!" Maggie shouted excitedly and wanted to run forward, but was held back by her brother standing aside.
Because at the same time, dozens of bows, arrows and flintlocks were aimed at her, and a pair of eyes were filled with fear.
"Wait a minute, don't go there yet!" Andy shouted, pulling his sister behind him, looking nervously at his fellow villagers who were facing a formidable enemy.
At the same time, seeing his child being pointed at a gun, the man holding the musket seemed crazy and pointed the gun at the fellow countryman beside him.
"That's my child, what the hell do you want to do?!"
There was a commotion in the crowd!
The villagers standing next to the man immediately pounced on him, scrambling for the weapon in his hand, and tried hard to take the musket out of his hand.
“Are you so fucking crazy?!”
"Put down your weapon!"
"You are the ones who are crazy!" the man roared angrily, holding on to the musket and refusing to let go until he was knocked to the ground by the butt of the gun.
"No——!" Looking at her father who was knocked to the ground, Maggie let out a scream and her eyes became red.
"Calm down! Dave! That's the devil's illusion!"
Brooke grabbed the man's collar with force, pulled him up from the ground, and roared with spittle flying everywhere.
"These demons are all things that eat people without spitting out their bones! Look at their rosy faces, and then look at your own! Is that what it looks like after spending a whole day in the snow! Wake up! Your child is dead!"
That was not just his idea, but also the first reaction of everyone present.
Hhearing the sound coming from the translation crystal, Shark Drops flying behind the two children suddenly showed a surprised expression.
"Do I still have this ability?!"
Maggie looked at Uncle Brooke who was roaring blankly, with sadness written all over her face.
She didn't understand why Uncle Brooke, who always had endless stories to tell and would wear a pumpkin head to make her and Andy laugh, turned into such a look scarier than the devil...
At this moment, a majestic voice suddenly floated out from behind the fence wall and fell on the heads of everyone outside the door.
"What are you doing at the gate of my territory?"
At the same time as those words fell, a cloaked figure appeared on the fence wall at some point.
That man has dark purple hair, sharp and cold eyes, an angular face that does not look like a human being, and a straight nose like a spire on a castle.
The heavy goose-feather snow was as if it didn't exist for him. It fell on his shoulders and disappeared without a trace. He didn't know where he went.
The moment he saw that face, Brooke felt every hair on his body stand on end, and a bone-deep fear crawled throughout his body.
As a former adventurer, his intuition told him that even if another hundred - or even a thousand - of himself were to come, they would never be a match for the person in front of him!
This guy is terrifyingly strong!
Looking at the Demon King who suddenly appeared on the wall, all the players had different expressions on their faces. Some people showed expressions of eating melons, some looked expectant, and some even screamed in surprise.
"Good guy!"
"He actually led the Demon King out!"
Andy and Maggie stared blankly at the man standing on the wall, with a hint of fear on their blank faces, and behind that fear was a trace of piety and reverence.
Children's intuition is sometimes more accurate than that of adults.
From the eyes of the surrounding undead and demons looking at the man, they could feel the respect from the bottom of their hearts.
In this way, there is only one possibility——
That man is the leader of these monsters! That is, the legendary Demon King!
At the same time, he was also the savior who gave them the magic potion...
Luo Yan, who was standing on the fence wall, looked down at the refugees outside the wall, especially the few guys who were struggling with each other, his majestic face expressionless.
He originally wanted to take advantage of the situation in secret and did not want to come forward. He planned to leave everything to the players themselves. However, unfortunately, the subjective initiative of this generation of players was really poor. They were all watching the show and waiting for the plot to develop on its own...
Seeing this group of desperate refugees trying to catch up with each other like moths, he finally couldn't help but get involved.
No way.
He still can't be completely impersonal, and he also admits that he is indeed not as good as Reggie Dragon in this regard.
Looking at Luo Yan standing on the fence wall, Pierre, the village chief of Holy Oak Village, had fearful eyes and moved his lips.
"Who are you..."
He has actually guessed that the guy in front of him is most likely the necromancer who is entrenched in this area.
However, what he did not expect was that the facts before him were even more shocking than he had imagined...
"Who am I?" Luo Yan smiled softly and spoke with a slight smile. He said in a frivolous tone, "I am the ruler of this Demon King's territory. Guess who I am?" Pierre looked at him in astonishment, his fearful eyes gradually turned into horror, and he couldn't help but take a step back.
Not only the old village chief, but also the surrounding villagers, whose frightened faces were gradually marked with despair.
Demon King!
The person standing in front of them was actually the Demon King!
They no longer have the extra energy to distinguish whether this sentence is true or false, and can only let the fear spread in their hearts.
..." Brooke's clenched teeth could not help but tremble, but thinking of the fellow villagers behind him, he mustered up the courage to pull out the dagger from his waist and held it in his hand.
Looking at the aura overflowing from the sword's edge, Luo Yan was slightly surprised and glanced twice at this middle-aged man who was suspected of being an adventurer.
This guy actually has black iron level strength. It seems that he was one of the best in a hundred when he was young.
However, this level of strength is still a bit unsightly in front of him.
Luo Yan thought for a moment, and suddenly an idea came to his mind. Looking down at the guy who seemed to be the strongest among the refugees, he spoke in a slow voice.
"Your name."
Brooke said alertly.
"Brooke..."
Luo Yan continued in a casual tone.
"Brooke... I appreciate your courage. Since you still have the courage to draw your sword, let's play a game."
Brooke was stunned. Although he felt there was fraud, he still asked subconsciously.
「What game...」
Luo Yan said with a smile.
"You can pick any one of my subordinates. As long as you can win, I will forgive your offense and let you leave here safely with food and fuel. Of course, if you lose, your soul will belong to me."
"Can anyone do it?" The look on Brook's face was tense, and he struggled to squeeze out this sentence from his mouth.
Luo Yan smiled and nodded.
"Yes, anyone will do."
"That's what you said," Brooke's face flashed with joy, as if he was afraid that the man in front of him would regret it, he pointed to the skeleton soldier standing on the fence wall without hesitation, "I choose that guy!"
Among all undead creatures, skeleton soldiers can be said to be the weakest existence. Although he hasn't been an adventurer for several years, it's still not a problem to deal with a skeleton soldier!
"Me?!"
Which [Wanwansu is in the office] who was watching the excitement was slightly startled, his index finger subconsciously pointed at himself, and then the soul fire swaying in the skull shone with excitement in the next second.
Hence before His Majesty the Demon King could speak, he jumped under the fence wall in the eyes of a group of players with envy and hatred.
Looking at the skeleton soldier who jumped down from the three-meter-high wall but did not fall apart, Brooke, who was holding the dagger, was slightly startled, and suddenly had a bad feeling in his heart.
This guy may not be as easy to deal with as he thought!
But having said that, it is too late to regret now.
Looking at the middle-aged man who was facing a formidable enemy, Luo Yan continued in a gentle tone.
"Then, the game begins."
At the same time he said these words, he motioned to Yuyou to issue the Demon King's mission to the eager little player——
[Mission: Defeat the adventurers who try to challenge the majesty of the Demon King! 】
【Reward: Basic reward is 8,000 ghost coins and 100 contribution points. Disarm the adventurer without killing it to gain an additional 300 contribution points! 】
It is said that under a heavy reward, there must be a reckless man. [Whichousu is in the office] The moment he saw the mission reward, his eyes in reality wanted to glow green.
Hearing the Lord Demon King announce the start of the competition, Brooke did not dare to underestimate the enemy in the slightest, and took a preemptive strike at the skeleton soldier with his sword.
Him was already prepared when he chose the duel partner!
With a loud roar, the dagger in his hand danced with a half-moon arc, and smashed the skeleton soldier's head with great momentum!
"Behead——!"
The boiling sword energy surged out!
If hit by this blow, even a big tree that can be hugged by one person will be cut into two pieces, let alone a withered skeleton that has been dead for who knows how long!
In his impression, these silly gadgets don't even have the instinct to parry in the face of oncoming attacks, let alone dodge!
However, just when Brooke swung the sword with confidence, a scene that surprised him and everyone present happened.
The seemingly stupid skeleton soldier did not dodge, but he did not stand there stupidly and let him chop him as he imagined.
I saw him suddenly and deftly take a lunge forward. The rusty dagger in his hand thrust forward with the sound of breaking through the air, and the hilt of the sword was directly at his chin!
The skeleton soldier seemed to be deliberately humiliating him. He didn't even use the blade, and used the dagger in his hand completely as a blunt weapon.
"Be careful!"
Village Chief Pierre, who was watching the battle, subconsciously exclaimed, trying to remind Brooke.
However, Brooke seemed not to have heard it, and he bumped straight towards the hilt of the sword, receiving the lightning-fast blow with his face!
In fact, it wasn’t that he didn’t hear Mayor Pierre’s voice, but that even if he heard it, it was too late.
The most fatal weakness of the "Beheading" combat skill is that the forward swing of the attack is too long. Before the sword hits the target, there are holes all over the body, and it cannot be recovered without using twice the strength!
It is precisely for this reason that few adventurers will use this move in battle unless they are 100% sure of hitting their opponent!
Or, face the undead creatures with no intelligence like skeleton soldiers!
However, Brooke never expected that the skeleton soldier in front of him could actually use the footwork that can only be seen in human swordsmen, let alone that it had wisdom that ordinary undead creatures did not have.
And when he realized his mistake, it was already too late!
In a daze, Brooke seemed to hear the sound of some bones breaking, and then he lost consciousness in his jaw, and he fell headlong into the snow.
【Wheewansu is in the office】looking proudly in the direction of the Demon King, eagerly waiting for the latter's reward.
Not long after, a pop-up window showing the task completion and reward appeared in his eyes, and then he returned to the team with satisfaction.
Although he is a professional player in life, his level is not given by paying for phone calls, but has been raised bit by bit in countless battles.
Not to mention that as early as n versions ago, Yiye Zhiqiu had already summarized the techniques and weaknesses of common skills in this game. Even though he was relatively new to fighting and hadn't thought much about it, he had learned some skills by watching the big guys discuss it all day long.
"Brother," [Emotional Stability] looked at the handsome return of [Wheeshu in the office] in surprise, and couldn't help but admire and said, "I didn't expect you to have such a unique skill."
"Hehe," [Wheeshu in the office] smiled sheepishly, and said in a very cool way, "Low-key, you're so basic."
There was deathly silence outside the fence gate, the boundless silence was like dark clouds pressing on the sky, and the only sound left in the woods was the rustling of falling snow.
Looking at Brooke lying in the snow, all the refugees present remained silent, with fear deeply imprinted in their eyes.
So strong!
It’s simply terrifyingly strong!
The most powerful, bravest, and most experienced warrior among them could not defeat even the weakest skeleton soldier under the Demon King...
He could not even survive a round!
In their eyes, that battle could no longer be called a sparring match, it was completely a one-sided crushing!
Looking at the expressionless Demon King and the completely defeated Brooke, Village Chief Pierre's face turned ashen, and his lips had completely lost all color.
Especially when he recalled that just ten minutes ago, he actually had the idea of killing everything...
He was only glad now that he did not do that.
Looking at the refugees who had completely lost their will to fight, Luo Yan continued in a slow voice.
"As you can see, you are like a swarm of ants to me. I don't even need to recite a spell to take your lives. I'm curious, why do you think I need to use conspiracy or illusion to deceive you..."
"Or in other words, are you worthy of me?"
Looking at those breathtaking purple eyes, Pierre finally couldn't help the fear in his heart and knelt down in the snow with a plop.
He put his forehead against the cold snow and said in a trembling voice.
"Please forgive our rudeness... We are really at the end of our rope."
It's not just him.
The refugees who followed him also dropped their weapons one after another, trembling on the ground and begging the devil for forgiveness.
Looking at the slowly growing faith value, Luo Yan looked down at his future subjects, with an imperceptible smile curling up at the corner of his mouth.
Fear is also a kind of belief.
At least at this moment, these desperate people no longer expect the salvation of Saint Sith, but beg for their own forgiveness and forgiveness.
This is the first step in "selling your soul to the devil".
Next, he will make them realize that "selling their souls to the devil" is actually not as desperate as they imagined, and that the Demon King's mind is broader than they imagined.
Saint Sith's agents in the mortal world shunned them in the wind and snow, but the Demon Lord's acolytes treated them like brothers and sisters.
Luo Yan looked at the two children under the fence wall, smiled and nodded to the latter, signaling them to find their parents, and then watched them run into his father's arms.
Dave climbed out of the snow and held his two children in his arms. He cried with excitement and was grateful for the miracle brought down by the Demon King.
The child who was lost in the snow and wind returned to him safely, which is undoubtedly a miracle!
In this way, Luo Yan gained his first believer among this group of refugees.
The refugees crawling in the snow quietly looked at Dave who was hugging the children, with a hint of surprise in their eyes.
They did not expect that the two children were actually real people, not some so-called demonic illusion——
Incredible!
The devil really didn’t hurt them? !
What happened before them completely overturned the perceptions of these refugees, and at the same time shook the beliefs based on this in their hearts.
"I can take you in, as long as you are willing to be my servant."
"I will give you food and fire to help you through the most difficult period, and you need to work at sunrise and pray to me at sunset."
"Cross the door in front of us, and our contract is established. I will not force those who are unwilling to leave my territory on their own and go where you want to go."
The majestic voice echoed in the snowy forest.
Andy, who was lying in his father's arms, gently tugged on his father's clothes and whispered a few words in his ear.
Without a trace of hesitation, Dave stood up from the snow, took the two children beside him, and walked towards the open door in front of him with an extremely pious expression.
Perhaps because they saw that Saint Sith did not impose heavenly punishment, the people crawling in the snow stood up one after another and walked towards the door led by their example.
Including the village chief Pierre.
In a moment, there was only one person left on the snow.
Lying in the snow, Brooke closed his eyes and quietly waited for death to come.
However, the development of things once again exceeded his expectations. The evil and aloof devil did not crush him like a grasshopper, but threw a bottle of magic potion on the snow in front of him.
The dark green liquid exuded the breath of life incredibly, and a stunned expression appeared on his face.
At this time, a majestic voice came over his head.
"You have two choices, drink it and swear allegiance to me and become my servant. Or ignore it and follow the guy who never answered your prayers."
The answer is a no-brainer.
All the fellow villagers who wandered together chose to join. Brooke had no reason to pretend to be noble, and besides, he was not a devout believer.
One more thing, he was already convinced of the strength of this Demon King.
It is a great achievement for me to be able to serve this lord.
Looking at Brooke who was struggling to drink the potion, Luo Yan continued in a gentle but unquestionable tone.
"I will leave your soul with you for the time being."
"If one day I feel that you have second thoughts about me, I will take it away."
Throwing away these words, Luo Yan turned around and disappeared into the heavy snow flying in the sky like a wisp of dissipated smoke.
The work that required him, the demon king, to personally come forward has been completed. Next, his life professional players will naturally settle in the new NPCs.
As for the matter of preaching, there is no need for Luo Yan to worry about it personally, he can just leave it to the acolytes of the Gonggong Clan.
Perhaps it won’t be long before the necropolis will be able to add a group of human acolytes.
Preaching is a job that humans are best at...