Chapter 238 A name echoes in a corner that no one cares about
Magic City, Cabinet Building, Office of the Minister of Military Affairs.
The magic flame lights cast shadows on the walls, and the obsidian desk stood calmly in the center of the room, exuding an unspoken majesty.
The Balrog Councilor Atlan Hephis, who was dressed in formal attire, walked slowly in. The ruby on his collar shone with a faint firelight, and the soft leather heels made a light and steady sound when they stepped on the floor. The angular face was covered with flame-like lines, and his pupils shone with the fiery light of magma. Under the dim light in the room, his figure looked like a silent volcano.
Behind the desk, Prince Caesar Colin, wearing a black military uniform, sat quietly on a chair. His calm eyes glanced at the visitor, and then continued to flip through the documents in his hand.
His movements were leisurely and his expression was calm. Although he had a human face, his aura completely overshadowed the Enma Councilor in front of him, like an endless mountain range.
As a demigod-level strongman, one of the agents of His Majesty Bayeli's mortal power, and one of the six cabinet ministers, he stands at the apex of hell in terms of strength and power.
However, when facing Councilor Hephis, who was weaker than him, he was not as condescending as 90% of the steel-level demons were when facing ordinary demons. Instead, he was quite approachable.
"Please sit down, Councilor Heffith." Colin said in a steady voice and tapped his fingers on the table.
Atlan nodded slightly and sat down on the chair opposite.
He did not make any pleasantries, but went straight to the point: "The hearing has just ended, let me report to you on the progress."
"Oh?" Colin put down the document in his hand, with a flash of interest in his eyes, "How is the situation?"
Atlan collected his thoughts for a while, and said in a deep voice: "The Demon King of the Thunder County Labyrinth performed better than expected at the hearing. He wanted to be even tougher. Not only did he promise to solve the mobility problem of the magic crystal cannon within three months, but at the end of the hearing, he also asked the Ministry of Truth to investigate General Sebes's negligence in the Battle of Port Saldo. His reason was, uh... to seek justice for the 80,000 soldiers who died. "
At the end of the sentence, Atlan hesitated, because this was indeed very rare.
Colin raised his eyebrows slightly, his expression still as calm as a mountain. He raised his hand and picked up the silver pipe on the table, lit it casually, took a deep breath, and slowly exhaled a wisp of white smoke.
"Oh? He actually dared to mention this matter..." He chuckled, with a hint of joking in his tone, "We underestimated him."
Atlan observed Colin's expression and continued: "Indeed, he took action more decisively than I thought, and did not let the logistics go at all. The officials of the ministry led him by the nose, and he turned against the enemy several times and made Harvick, who was trying to make things difficult for him, very passive. Moreover, the transformation plan he proposed, "to activate the magic crystal cannon and give it the mobility of an abyssal war beast," successfully attracted the attention of many military generals, including me... At least for now, the advantage is on his side."
Of course, the premise is that he can round up the pie he drew at the hearing.
If that guy was just bragging, then he was undoubtedly doing something stupid.
Colin did not respond immediately, but slowly tapped the pipe, letting the ashes fall into the silver tray.
His eyes still stayed on the report in front of him, and he did not seem to be fully involved in the conversation, but Atlan knew that Colin had always been like this - he did not need too many words, nor did he need to express his stance directly, his silence itself was an attitude.
Atlan paused briefly and said with a deep look: "However, regarding the Battle of Port Saldo... I have to say that there is indeed something strange about this defeat."
Colin finally put down his pipe, folded his fingers together, leaned back on the chair, and said calmly: "Speak."
Atlan leaned forward slightly and lowered his voice: "It is indeed windless weather on the battlefield. It is feasible for the Imperial Navy to use bombardment smoke screens as cover, but it is strange that if the smoke screen is really thick enough to completely block the sight of the highlands, the Griffin Knights should also be invisible. Yes, it is impossible to accurately attack the artillery position in the thick fog. What is even more strange is that not a single Goblin artillery survived the battle... It is difficult for me not to doubt that they may have encountered something before their death."
Both of them have been on the battlefield, and this is the biggest difference with those bureaucrats. They can stand in the shoes of both the offensive and defensive sides and see things that are invisible in the battle report.
Atlan's words have two meanings.
The most intuitive meaning can be understood as that the battle mage of the Griffin Knights cast illusion magic on the Goblin artillery, and penetrated the defensive barrier of the artillery position across an extremely long distance.
∣ The second meaning is——
∣ Those artillerymen may have been interfered with from the rear, and even the barrier that protected them from abnormal conditions at critical moments was cancelled.
Colin was silent for a moment, tapping his fingertips lightly on the table, as if he was thinking or testing the other person's patience. The air in the room seemed to become more oppressive, as if there was a sleeping beast hidden that could be awakened at any time.
Finally, he spoke slowly, his voice indifferent and calm.
I know.
Atlan's pupils shrank slightly. He was not surprised that Colin already knew the inside story, but the other party's attitude was too calm.
"So," he said tentatively, "how are you going to deal with it?"
Colin thought for a while and shook his head.
"It is not suitable to go online."
Atlan's eyes changed slightly, and he immediately understood what Colin meant -
He did not want to get involved in this matter!
The reason is actually not difficult to guess.
80,000 lives itself is the result of adding up layers of information. In order to attract the attention of the rear, there are countless goblins and little devils mixed in the battle report, and maybe even undead cannon fodder with incomplete souls are included.
As the Minister of Military Affairs, Colin certainly cannot say that these 80,000 soldiers are unimportant, but for the demons who truly understand the front line, they are indeed just a fraction of the larger battle report, and they are not worth writing about at all.
As for the installation of the magic crystal cannon that Colin personally promoted, nothing will change because of this hearing. Even the dispute between the Logistics Department and the War Department is just the tip of the iceberg floating on the sea. The real gamers are actually the Demon King of Thunder County and his political opponents in the Magic City from the beginning.
No matter which side of the struggle has the last laugh, it only affects the distribution of the cake, not the overall situation.
Atlan slowly leaned back in his chair, sighing secretly.
Of course he understands Colin's position. After all, Colin is promoting the popularization of magic crystal cannon technology, rather than focusing on winning or losing a specific battle.
For the cabinet minister of military affairs, this matter is only part of the interests, not the core.
He nodded slightly, and did not continue to ask, but changed the topic to a more relaxed topic: "Speaking of which, Mr. Colin, what do you think of this kid Luo Yan?"
Colin's lips raised slightly, and his tone was calm but with a hint of amusement: "An interesting young man."
He stood up, walked to the window of the office, overlooked the gloomy sky in the distance of the Magic City, thought for a moment, and said slowly: "He is more decisive than I thought and can seize opportunities better. I am not surprised that the Padridge family would choose him. As for his strength, It may be a little weaker, but that's the least important thing. "
Ordinary people in hell often take the strength of extraordinary power too seriously, but the real ruling class knows very well that although that thing is important, it is not important in an absolute sense.
That thing is like the test score of Demon King Academy.
To put it bluntly, they themselves are "extraordinary beings", so how can their fate be determined by extraordinary power?
When he said this, Colin paused for a moment and said in a half-joking tone.
"To be honest, I don't even think Miss Padridge is worthy of him, and Vivian is more suitable. If he is willing to marry the Colin family, their advantages can complement each other. Especially this young man is a human who grew up in a temple, haha... I was just joking, don't tell it, Mr. Padridge and I still have a very good relationship."
Atlan sweated profusely and said hurriedly.
"I will definitely not tell anyone..."
Colin smiled and continued.
The surface of the highly‐mobile magic crystal cannon was drawn for the hearing, but perhaps not for myself who stood behind the hearing.
And to be honest, Colin was really interested in this, even to the point where he couldn't help but want to get involved.
How about you guys stop fighting and at least let someone make this thing first?
The magic crystal cannon can be maneuvered on the battlefield, and has a defense that is not inferior to the abyss beasts... He can even imagine that the soldiers of the empire will have an expression of seeing a ghost after seeing it.
Atlan frowned slightly and became serious again.
Out the window, the night of the Magic City fell quietly, and the quiet atmosphere spread silently in the room.
Today's night is particularly gloomy.
A storm is brewing quietly...
...
Hitchhiker, a tavern in the slums.
The dark lights swayed on the ceiling, and the Blackscale Tavern was filled with a mixed smell—the pungency of spirits, the residue of sulfur, and the dull smell of flesh and tobacco.
This is the favorite place for veterans of the Magic City to gather.
Like the high-level demons in the Demon City, the demons living at the bottom also have their own ways to relieve loneliness, but they are not as luxurious and elegant as the former's banquet looks.
Faded battle flags and damaged battle armor hung on the dirty walls, as if they were telling the aftermath of countless fierce battles, and the sounds of people drinking, laughing and cursing seemed to echo the cries of death on the battlefield.
At this moment, the tavern was filled with demons or hell creatures from all directions.
Among them are hell dwarves who still have old scars on their shoulders, demons who wear tattered armor and whose eyes have been dimmed by the flames of war, and undead officers who are silent and whose fingers are covered with bandages.
They are either veterans who survived the battlefield, wounded soldiers who were abandoned by the war, or mercenaries who just can't find work.
But there is one thing in common.
They all contributed their flesh and blood to the fighting machine of hell, and were devoured by it in the future.
Since night has just fallen, it is far from the busiest time of the pub, so the atmosphere in the hall is still a bit stiff.
At this moment, in the corner of the tavern, a Goblin waiter was skillfully wiping the wine glass, while the Majin bartender beside him was wiping the table while looking up at the newspaper nailed to the wall.
————Those are the "Modu Daily" and "Abyss Times" that were just delivered today.
He glanced at the headlines of the "Magic City Daily":
【Battle Report of Saldo Port - The Logistics Department and the Ministry of War held a hearing on the mobility of the magic crystal cannon】
He curled his lips.
The same bureaucratic tone as always, with a lot of arguments and shirking of responsibilities, but not a single word that can make people's blood boil, just like the wrangling among the bureaucrats in the parliament hall can make the boots of the soldiers of hell step onto the old continent.
"It's really hopeless."
He shook his head, looked away, and was about to concentrate on his work, but soon his eyes were attracted by the headlines of the "Abyss Times" beside him.
【The Demon King angrily criticized the bureaucrats for being cowardly and incompetent at the hearing, claiming that he wanted justice for the 80,000 soldiers who died on the front line! 】
This sentence is like a burning flame, exploding in the cold tavern, bringing a touch of warmth that should not belong to hell to this dark little nest.
"Fair?"
The bartender couldn't help but murmured.
This word is so rare in hell that when he saw this word, his brain shut down for a moment.
Here, there is only the will of the strong, only the power of the winner. No one will discuss what is right and what is wrong.
It doesn’t matter if you are a veteran on the front line, any living or dead creature growing up in hell knows that disappearing on the battlefield is just a matter of course. No one will argue for you, let alone find out the reasons behind it.
They will be forgotten soon anyway.
At this time, the voice from behind woke him up from his daze.
"Is this true?"
The speaker was a hell dwarf named Bulger, whose red rosacea was like an overloaded flame crystal.
This guy is a well-known drunkard in the neighborhood. Regardless of whether he has money or not, he will appear in this pub every day.
The bartender, who came back to his senses, continued to clean the table, covering up the flash of loss on his face, and muttered an answer without raising his head.
"...It is said to be an unnamed Dream Demon staff member, who probably heard something inside the hearing. Whether it is true or not, you can judge for yourself."
Bulger did not speak, just stood silently, after reading the headlines pinned to the wall, he then looked at the Demon bartender and said.
"Bring me a copy...of that Abyss Times."
The bartender looked up at him in surprise, but quickly came to his senses, hurriedly fetched a newly delivered newspaper and handed it to Bulger.
These guys rarely pay for anything other than drinks, but today they are willing to buy a newspaper?
The Crystal Dome really lights up at night!
With the snacks he bought for 5 kela, Bulger returned to the wooden table wordlessly.
While he was pouring low-quality beer into his mouth, he was reading the contents of the newspaper. The nose buried in his beard twitched from time to time, as if he was driving away the flies beside his beard.
The drinkers sitting next to him looked at each other with surprised expressions on their faces.
A Goblin veteran said jokingly.
"It's strange, Bulger, since when did you like to read newspapers?"
Burger looked at the goblin with disgust and sneered.
"I've always watched."
The one-eyed demon burped and said mockingly.
“Why are you looking at the nonsense of those politicians? I can guess with a wine bottle that it must be some bullshit.”
Burger suddenly laughed out loud.
"Haha! Then I'm sure, you must have guessed wrong this time!"
There were two blushes on his weathered face. He spoke loudly, as if he was drunk, although he had just started drinking.
Hearing Bulger's voice, the surrounding Goblin veterans looked at each other, jumped down from the wine table, and came to the side of the smelly hell dwarf.
Not all of them are literate, but you and I pieced together the contents of the headlines one by one.
When they read the key title, a goblin couldn't help but sneered.
"Justice? Is this Lord Demon King drunk?"
"Seeking justice for the 80,000 soldiers who died in Porto Saldo? Ha, don't be ridiculous, I lived for three years. This is the first time in more than ten years that I have heard such nonsense... 80,000 brothers are nothing.”
"A group of guys without dreams."
The goblins didn't listen to what he said, they just talked about it.
But they were talking, talking... the wind gradually turned another 180 degrees.
"I don't know, but no one has mentioned the word "justice" before. Maybe, this time... it's different?"
Someone muttered something in a low voice, and the tavern was silent for a few seconds.
The veterans looked at each other, their originally joking expressions gradually becoming a little subtle.
They are not naive young goblins. They know that many words are just political performances, but this time...it seems not so like before.
They have seen countless lords, generals, and parliamentarians. Every time a war fails, they either remain silent, or they are busy modifying data in battle reports, or they compete for responsibility. But no one has ever stood up in parliament and said that they want justice for them.
This is ridiculous, so ridiculous that it makes people want to laugh, but it makes people unable to laugh for some reason.
酒馆里，一个头上缠着绷带、缺了一只耳朵的哥布林舔了舔嘴唇，眼神有些复杂地说道：
「……如果是真的，那这个魔王，还挺不寻常。」
"It may be true." A demon whispered, recalling the rumors he heard recently, "The goblins over at Blackwind Castle seem to really trust him. Before he came, the entire goblin community was in water, and he was the only one who really solved their problems."
No matter why the Goblin community is soaked in water, this problem is indeed solved by the Demon King.
He has also heard of more distant legends.
It is said that in the distant labyrinth of Thunder County, there lived a group of powerful and powerful nuggets. They butterfly stroked in the barn, took a bath in beer... Even if it's a rumor, it's half true, right?
Hell dwarf Bulger slowly put down the newspaper. He raised his head and looked at the half-drunk bottle of strong liquor. He was silent for a few seconds, then suddenly picked up the cup and drank it all.
Then, he slammed the empty cup on the table and said in a deep voice:
"...A toast to the devil!"
For a moment, the whole tavern fell into silence, and pairs of strange eyes looked at this weird guy.
It took about half a minute.
A certain undead person who was sitting silently in the corner suddenly spoke.
"This cup is mine... A drink to the devil! Bulger drank it for me!"
There was a commotion in the tavern, and even Bulger looked at the undead in surprise.
He didn’t know the guy’s name. He only remembered that on the first day he came to the tavern, the undead spirit was sitting in the corner of the tavern. No one had ever seen the undead spirit speak, so he even wondered if the undead spirit had forgotten its name and the way home... But he didn’t expect that the undead spirit could even remember his own name.
The demon bartender came to Bulger's side with a bottle of beer and placed it firmly on the latter's table.
After about half a minute, a Goblin veteran stood up and raised the cup in his hand.
"Damn it, I also... give a toast to the Demon King of Lei Ming County! Not for anything else, just because he is a man and dares to bite those high-ranking men!"
He seemed to have forgotten that the Demon King was also a member of the master, but it was obvious that they were different.
They had a quarrel in the newspaper!
That high-pitched voice was like a match thrown into the coffin, igniting the fire with a bang.
The air in the tavern instantly became hot.
Where there is the first, there is the second, and in the end every cup is raised.
"Honor the Demon King!"
CEcessular ’ sincerity 的 ‖ I did it!'
In the tavern, the experienced veterans were grinning, laughing and shedding tears.
What they drank was not just wine, but more like the souls of those who were drowned by the impassioned voices.
Those high-flying guys finally stopped just singing about their deaths.
But rather ask whether their death was worth it.
The Goblin waiter standing behind the bar looked at the people in the tavern in surprise, and couldn't help but be infected by the emotion overflowing from the beer foam.
This night, a story began to be told in the lowest level community of the Magic City.
The protagonist of the story is not the chosen one by His Majesty the Demon God, nor is he a great commander...
But a Demon King whom he has never met before.