Chapter 266 Echoes of the Aftermath
Magic City, Cabinet Building, Office of the Minister of Military Affairs.
The magic flame lamp lengthened the shadow of the candlestick and illuminated the battle map spread out on the table. The air was filled with the smell of old books and withered tobacco.
Sitting behind the desk, Caesar Colin, wearing a black military uniform, had a pipe in his mouth, with a rare smile on his old yet majestic face.
Happy news came from the direction of the bloody wasteland.
The army of the Aussie Empire was dazzled by the victory in Port Sardo, and organized a huge battle half a month ago, trying to eat up the Red Flame Legion retreating in the Bloody Wasteland.
They may have obtained information about the inside of hell, or they may have seen clues from some clues. In short, when the empire learned that the notorious General Sebes had been captured due to internal struggles, they immediately organized three legions with a total of more than 150,000 troops and launched an offensive against the Bloody Wasteland from three directions.
In order to ensure the foolproof advancement of the operation, they even transferred General Hamelton, the "Imperial Griffin" who advocated a steady attack, and replaced him with a Duke with diamond-level strength.
· It is extremely rare for a Duke to personally go to the front line. After all, the hardest parts of the human body are the femur and skull, but who would use these two places to fight?
General Barlow was ordered at the critical moment, and led the remaining troops to organize a defense. Faced with the pursuit of the human archduke, he fought and retreated, and finally supported the nearby hell lord who came with reinforcements.
Two diamond-level warriors are fighting together. One is a diamond-level warrior two hundred years ago, but has not done anything serious for half a century. The other is a fifty-year-old who is strong and strong, but he really doesn’t go to the front line very much.
The two sides were fighting in such a dark manner that they had no time to care about anything else, and others could hardly intervene.
Just when the battle between the two sides was getting intense, twenty "Hell Flame" magic crystal tanks charged towards the human cavalry in the wilderness!
The bones and flesh were rolled into pieces by the steel. The thick tracks were like teeth rolling on the ground. The magic crystal cannon that fired at close range cut an abyss-like gap in the waist of the 200,000-strong army.
Seeing the roaring steel behemoth, all the human soldiers were stunned, as if they had seen the Doomsday Judgment described in the Book of Holy Words.
They slashed with swords, used scrolls to release fireballs, smashed with hammers and bitten with their teeth... all of which were of no use to the thick armor.
What's even more terrible is that the tide-like army of goblins, little devils, and ghouls followed closely and launched a charge, eventually causing the entire army of 200,000 to collapse.
Occasionally, one or two Silver-level vanguards tried to break through the tank's armor, but they were all defeated by the magic crystal cannon.
To withstand the bombardment of that thing, you must have at least gold-level strength. Even with gold-level strength, it is extremely difficult to break through the sea of people and paralyze the opponent's war machine on this chaotic battlefield.
After all, for both Hell and the Empire, the gold level is considered a watershed.
General generals are at this level, and knights below are mostly made of fine steel and silver.
The ones going up are either the clergy who serve the gods or the nobles who serve the emperor... These people will not take risks on the battlefield easily. After all, if there are too many ants, an elephant can be killed, and dying on the opponent's territory will be very troublesome, and there is a risk that the soul will not be able to return.
Caesar Colin could even imagine how embarrassed the diamond-level Duke was when he escaped.
200,000 troops were killed and abandoned...
I don’t know what kind of turmoil will be caused in the Holy City of the Os Empire after learning this news.
Caesar's mouth had a playful smile, and there was a hint of meaning in his narrowed eyes.
Just as he tapped his fingers on the table and was lost in thought, light footsteps came from outside the door, and then there was a knock on the door.
He extinguished the pipe in his hand, threw it into the drawer, regained his composure, and then spoke calmly.
"Come in."
The door was pushed open, followed by a wave of heat.
The Balrog Councilor Atlan stepped into the office. There was a faint red molten light under his decent tuxedo, like a piece of living molten iron forged by a volcano.
He respectfully placed a plan on the table and said with a smile on his face: "Dear Prince, this is the new design plan submitted by Baron Luo Yan of Black Wind Castle. Although I think there is no problem in passing it directly, you said before that all the drawings of the "New Arms Plan of Black Wind Castle" must be seen by you personally, so I brought them over for you."
Caesar raised his eyebrows and reached out to pick up the document and read it.
The title of the document clearly reads - "Hell Flame Car No. 2" improvement plan.
While Caesar was flipping through the pages with interest, Councilor Atlan stood beside the desk and introduced with excitement.
"Compared with the previous "Hellfire" model, this tank has added multiple shooting holes while maintaining the original armor thickness, so that the soldiers in the vehicle can shoot more effectively in close combat."
Speaking of this, he paused for a moment and added later.
"In addition, based on the recommendations of the Ministry of War, he optimized the embedded magic pattern, reduced the energy consumption of magic feedback and gas shield by 20%, and adjusted the triggering method... The magic circle will only be activated when a bronze-level or higher attack touches the vehicle body, thus avoiding the mis-touch by the goblin operator. To be honest, this is really a genius design... He used only a piece of fragile ceramic to solve the problem that our engineers racked their brains to solve."
Caesar looked down at the documents, pondered for a moment and then nodded, with obvious satisfaction in his voice.
Report, "In addition, the first batch of 'Hell Flame' tanks have been deployed on the front line and have been widely praised by officers. Especially in the battle in the bloody wasteland, their powerful off-road performance and heavy firepower caused heavy losses to the enemy... I think you have already seen this from the battle report."
Caesar raised the corners of his mouth slightly when he heard this.
He does not praise others easily, but this time, there was a clear hint of approval in his sharp eyes.
"Haha, you are indeed the young man I like."
He said something casually, closed the document in his hand, leaned on the back of the chair, and crossed his fingers.
"Does he have any other new plans recently?"
Atlan nodded with a smile: "Indeed. Your Excellency the Prince should have heard about Black Wind Castle's recent railway plan, right?"
Caesar did not speak, but motioned for Congressman Atlan to continue.
The latter paused and continued.
h "Currently Blackwind Castle is advancing the railway plan that was previously shelved due to the plague. The goal is to connect the mining area of Greystone Ridge and the densely populated western city of the Demon City."
Hence Atlan said this, heartfelt approval could not help but show on his face.
"The goblin engineers in the Logistics Department are full of praise for this new method of freight transportation, especially after they returned from their visit to the maze of Thunder County. I originally thought he was just a scheming guy, but I didn't expect that he also has such far-reaching insights in industry. This is simply..."
"It's incredible, right." Caesar smiled and filled in the second half of his sentence.
"Yes."
Atlan nodded seriously, his pupils that flickered in and out not only with admiration, but also with a hint of complexity.
I don’t know since when, a rumor suddenly began to spread among the people of the Demon City - saying that "the Demon King" who was born in the temple was the chosen one sent by the Demon God to the lower world, and he came with a mission.
The Ministry of Truth did not comment on this. After all, Councilor Luo Yan’s identity is too sensitive. If the Minister of Religion did not speak, it would be inappropriate for the people below to say anything.
Atlan has always taken the news circulating in the market seriously, but this time he could not completely ignore it.
With the obvious protection of Golgo Sauron, he killed Elder Zakro who was completely upset...
The only explanation he could think of was divine help.
Caesar was silent for a moment, and then slowly spoke: "...He is indeed better than I thought."
It's a pity.
The little girl from the Padridge family was given a bargain.
To be honest, he disliked the women of the Padrich family very much. They didn't look like demons at all, so much so that the succubus ethos of the Demon City was distorted by them.
What kind of pure love does the succubus play?
What is the difference between a vampire drinking milk and a terror eating steak?
Of course, he didn’t like the Melusine family either. The look in his eyes always made him feel a pain in his butt.
Sure enough——
Him The evil spirits of hell must be saved by the Colin family.
Caesar was very satisfied with his precious granddaughter Vivian, and wished he could skip the good-for-nothing Roxelle and pass the throne directly to her.
Of course, he didn't know what his precious granddaughter was doing at this moment.
Otherwise, it is hard to say whether this respected blood prince would still be as optimistic as he is now.
He closed the file and tapped his fingers on the table unconsciously, as if he was thinking about something.
After a moment, he suddenly sighed and changed the subject.
"To be honest, Zakro's death made me feel a little bit. I've thought about it a lot these days."
Atlan was stunned for a moment and looked up at him, with a hint of hesitation in his eyes.
「Zakro?」
He didn't understand what Prince Colin wanted to express, so he said nothing quietly, but waited for the latter to continue.
Caesar raised his index finger and rubbed his forehead, his majestic voice was a little deep.
"Since I broke through the demigod-level bottleneck, there are very few things in this world that can scare me. However, recently I suddenly discovered... I am not as omnipotent as I thought."
Atlan quietly pondered his intentions, and an easy-going smile suddenly appeared on his face.
"Oh? A young man who has just emerged, has he left such a deep impression on you?"
"It has nothing to do with him," Caesar smiled faintly, looking at the crackling flames in the fireplace, and continued expressionlessly, "I just... saw something familiar in Zacro."
He looked down on Zacro.
When he was still young, the Dragon family was still at its peak, not losing to the Colin family at all.
However, ever since he took over the power of the Principality of Colin and emerged on the big stage of the Magic City, the Dragon family has been on a decline, until now it has completely fallen to the bottom, almost falling out of the core power circle of the Magic City.
However, looking down upon him is nothing but contempt, which does not prevent him from looking at his still young self and the future of the Colin family through this mirror that has endured for more than five hundred years.
Zachro is a good reference point.
They all have a distinguished past, determination to achieve their goals by any means necessary, ambitions beyond ordinary people... and their faith and desire to control everything that have become weaker with the passage of time.
If nothing else goes wrong, his lifespan will not be shorter than this guy's. Even if he wants to, there is no problem in living forever.
It is difficult for him not to worry that one day in the future, he will become what he once hated.
There is no way to know what will happen in the future.
But there is no doubt about one thing, that is, if this happens, it is almost impossible for anyone to stop him...
This is true whether it is from the perspective of power or strength.
That is both his coat and his cocoon.
Atlan understood the expression on Caesar's face, nodded slightly, and said firmly.
"Your Excellency, you are worrying too much. I think if it were you, it would not be like that."
Caesar waved his hand and chuckled: "No need to flatter me. I often reflect on it. "Are you too stubborn sometimes...or too controlling?"
He leaned back on the chair, his eyes fell on the map depicting the territory of the Demon City on the wall, and his fingertips slowly tapped the armrest.
"I didn't feel this way just today, it's just that I didn't start to seriously consider this issue until recently... Our world belongs to young demons after all."
Demons' lifespans are too long.
In the blink of an eye, human beings have gone through several generations, but they are still the same.
Perhaps this is the reason why they were unable to defeat the Austro Empire.
Even if they had the upper hand in the battle in the Bloody Wasteland, he could not be optimistic that this would be a turning point in this war that would last for a thousand years.
After all, too many similar accidents have happened in the past time. They took advantage time and time again, and even brought the war to the edge of the Holy City again and again, but in the end it became a chapter in the epic of the Ost Empire's everlasting prosperity.
How long can the advantage of the magic crystal cannon last?
He couldn't say well either.
Atlan was silent for a while, and finally said softly: "Your layout is already much wider than that of most demons. I think you don't need to be too anxious... just leave the future to time. This is how we have been here for a thousand years. Not only It's us, isn't it true for humans on the surface? "
"Perhaps."
Caesar sighed softly, and after a moment of pause, his sharp and deep eyes suddenly looked out the window.
"Also, I've been thinking these past few days that maybe it's time for Roxey to inherit some of my things."
The cabinet is still too far away for him.
But the title of the Principality of Colin should be just right.
That title is not that important to me anyway, but it is a good training opportunity for Roxai.
As for himself.
It is enough to have a baron title in hand.
Hhearing Caesar's words, Atlan's eyes flashed with surprise.
He pondered for a moment, then carefully considered his words and said, "It's not convenient for me to interfere in your family affairs... But is that child not mature enough?"
He used the word "child", which clearly showed his attitude - he did not think highly of Roxey.
Although the Colin family has a mature elders' house mechanism, which can greatly restrict the weak family head, a weak family head will still inevitably make the allies of the Colin family feel uneasy.
Falling in love with a human is not a problem, it is not a problem that this human is a clergy, and even playing affectionate characters is not a big deal... The Padridge family are all old players in this regard, and no demon thinks they have a problem.
However, Roxey's problem is that he can't get out of a mere emotional setback... Who can bear this?
Caesar could hear the hesitation in his words, but he just smiled lightly and said in a soothing tone.
"That's not necessarily true. I really didn't think much of him before, but recently...I suddenly found that this brat is not that unpleasant to look at anymore."
Atlan was speechless for a moment, and couldn't help but complain in his heart - that's your son, Your Excellency.
It’s okay even if you don’t like it yourself.
However, he did not continue to say anything, but nodded respectfully.
"In any case, take your time. I didn't say that I would let him take over immediately starting from tomorrow, but there are some things that he can gradually try to do. This can be regarded as my inspection of him."
When speaking here, Caesar paused for a moment and answered what Atlan had said before.
h "...And if I never take this step, he will always be just a child."
h "He should be my continuation, not another me."
…
The butterfly of destiny flapped its wings silently.
At this moment, Roxey didn't know that the only thing he had decided to do desperately in the past ten years, instead of making his situation worse, had made his father change his long-held prejudice against him——
This kid was still tough when he should be tough, and he was not always a mother-in-law.
This is something he had never imagined.
More than that, Roxelle also did not expect that although Vivian gave the key to her first embrace to Luo Yan, the latter did not use the key to embrace the bloodline of the Colin family, but instead used other methods to increase the level of his soul... In the end, the same effect was achieved by accident.
It is precisely because of this that when Vivian discovered that her dear "brother" did not obey her orders because of the constraints of blood ties, she instantly encountered an unprecedented breach of defense.
Although Luo Yan was dissatisfied that Vivian did not tell him the "side effects" of his first embrace, he was an adult after all and was not as knowledgeable as a child.
Besides, that kind of non-binding contract is nothing compared to the need to drink blood regularly.
In the end, the whole thing ended with Vivian kneeling down to apologize, and Mia also believed his explanation——
Although Luo Yan didn't feel that he needed to explain anything, let alone any reason to explain.
The devil can bear witness.
He is innocent!
The episode in the study came to an end like this.
The original schedule for two people turned into three people. Luo Yan took Vivian, who was "fearful", and Mia, who was "relieved", to the first hot pot restaurant in Black Wind Castle - Fendi Lao.
Although Mia doesn't seem to be able to eat spicy food, there are also two options: double dip and clear soup.
As for why he chose to go shopping there, firstly, it was because there was really no place to visit in Blackwind Castle, and secondly, he also wanted to take a look at the new tricks his little players had recently come up with...
As soon as the three guests appeared in the market near the industrial area, they immediately caused a huge sensation.
Although few people in Black Wind Castle recognize the faces of Miss Padridge and Miss Colin, the identities of succubus and vampire are already quite rare in a place like Black Wind Castle, to the extent that they will be looked at twice when walking on the street.
As for the figure sandwiched between the two, he is no stranger to the surrounding demons -
That is their respected Demon King!
Vivian didn't like the feeling of being stared at. She glared back at every guy who stared at her.
What to see?
Look again and I’ll pluck out your eyeballs!
Some goblins looked away in fear, while others were inexplicably happy...but they quickly looked away.
After all, it is the glare of a gold-level powerhouse. Even without the bonus of status, it is still quite a deterrent.
Different from the "Evil Ghost of Colin's House", Mia actually enjoys the feeling of being watched by everyone——
Especially the kind of eyes that clearly misunderstand something.
Not bad, not bad.
Please misunderstand a little more!
She had a charming smile on her face, and her green-white fingers gently held Luo Yan's arm. The proudly erect mountain peak unconsciously got close to the green pine that seemed to hold up a sky.
Luo Yan's expression was slightly stiff, not because of Mia's intimate actions, but because the other arm was holding the hand of a gold-level vampire - the nails were deeply dug into the flesh.
by Vivian.”
He felt it was necessary to remind someone of their propriety, so he scolded him in a low voice.
Hearing the stern voice, Vivian's shoulders suddenly trembled with anger on her face, and she hurriedly released her tightly held hands, looking aggrieved, like a kitten who had broken a vase.
"Yes, I'm sorry..."
Luo Yan couldn't bear to blame her, she was his sister after all, so he left it at that.
Not far away, several young players were staring at the three distinctive figures, whispering with envy and hatred.
This game has been open for so long, and they haven’t experienced the succubus in the promotion at all. After a long time, the devil has experienced it for them.
"As expected of the Demon King, I have only returned to the Demon City for a few months, and I actually have a child!"
"Aren't the children all grown up?!"
It's a pity that Vivian couldn't understand the crickets behind them, otherwise there might have been a few more sad figures at the resurrection point...
Coming to Fendi Lao's stall, Luo Yan ordered a mandarin duck pot, and then took the two of them to sit down in a secluded corner.
The [Gluttonous Sword God] who was in charge of picking up the guests came over with a smile, the soul fire shaking in his skull was like a wagging tail, "Dear Lord Demon King... what are your orders?"
"What are your signature dishes here?"
"Signature dishes? There are so many! For example, freshly cut Minotaur Snow Beef Slices, Hellfire Wolf Leg Meat, Thunder Lizard Snake, Ogre Brains, Hill Rat Tail, Abyss Ice Fish Fillets and various blood-rich foods." [Gluttonous Sword God] looked excited and spoke with familiarity.
As soon as Vivian heard the blood, her whole body suddenly became energetic and her eyes sparkled.
"Blood-rich?! What is that!"
Bewildered by this guy's cute appearance, [Gluttonous Sword God] immediately explained diligently.
"So is there any blood?"
“There are some! We also support on-site ordering, but you have to wait for a while... What do you want, please?” [Gluttonous Sword God] held the pen and paper seriously and prepared to record it with great enthusiasm.
Luo Yan felt his neck tighten, as if a mosquito had landed, so he coughed and took over the topic.
"If there is any, let's have some of the blood of the Minotaur, as well as slices of beef and mutton..."
He ordered a dozen dishes in a row, and ordered all the normal-looking things on the menu. As for things like ogre brains, hilly rat tails, etc., he ordered them.
【Gluttonous Sword God】After confirming the menu, he immediately ran to the kitchen in a hurry.
Vivian's face showed a disappointed expression, as if she was regretting that she had missed the unique taste of the world.
Luo Yan didn't want to know what she was regretting, so he focused on the menu in front of him and asked Mia sitting next to her if she wanted to add anything.
I don’t know if she was stimulated by something, but Mia changed from her usual normal state and became abnormal.
She was seen holding her chin in her hands, looking at Luo Yan and shaking her head gently. Her voice was soft and weak, and she could not tell the silver level of strength at all.
"You decide, I like whatever you like."
It is worthy of being a silver-level succubus——
Luo Yan is okay. His research on tea art is at an entry-level level. It can be seen that this scumbag has indeed returned all Professor Lilith's authentic works.
However, unlike him, Vivian, who was sitting next to her, seemed to have received a critical hit of 10,000 points. She pretended to be severely injured and wiped the non-existent blood at the corner of her mouth.
Hateful...
Is this the strength of the Padridge family?
It’s really scary!
Mia looked at her with a smile, as if she had a winning chance and firmly grasped the future.
Although bullying a child is a bit unkind, Mia now no longer intends to treat her like an ordinary sister and must strike hard.
And she has gradually mastered the trick to let this guy break through the defense——
Just show dear classmate Luo Yan a little color!
Mia, who was thinking this way, ultimately underestimated Vivian’s jealousy and revenge.
This guy is probably a Scorpio.
The eyes of the two sparked sparks in the air until a skeleton walked up carrying a huge iron pot.
"Here comes the Yuanyang Pot! Help yourself to the ingredients!"
The charcoal fire was lit, and bubbles started to bubble in the pot.
Vivian, who ran to get the condiments in a hurry, just happened to trip over a stool at the next table and let out a mournful "Eaaah" sound.
Luo Yan quickly grabbed her with quick eyes and hands, but did not notice the sly smile on the corner of his mouth.
I saw the delicate white index finger swiping gently, and a whole plate of chopped dried chili peppers and chili oil were accurately delivered to the bottom of the clear soup pot of the Yuanyang Pot.
The originally clear color of the soup was quickly dyed a strange red, and even the air was filled with a spicy smell.
"Ah... Oops..." Vivian's face turned pale, she looked at Luo Yan nervously, and whispered, "Pigeon, pigeon... I... I seem to have accidentally poured the chili pepper in..."
Her tone was full of annoyance and uneasiness, and her index finger was hooked behind her back, like a child who had made a mistake, looking forward to her brother's forgiveness.
However, if you observe carefully, it is not difficult to find a mischievous smile hidden deep in her eyes.
It’s okay if it’s not intentional.
That can only be intentional.
"...As long as everything is alright."
Not wanting to expose this guy's trick, Luo Yan sighed and looked at Mia, whose tail was tightened.
"How about I change the pot?"
"Hey, hehehe..." Mia smiled stiffly, as if to prove something, she quickly poured a piece of meat into the pot and swallowed it immediately, "Who said I can't eat spicy food?"
No one said she couldn't eat it.
But the moment she clumsily held the tongs and stuffed the cooked meat into her mouth, her already bright lips instantly turned blood-red, as if they were about to spit out fire in the next second.
"Pfft...hahahaha...ouch!"
The uncontrollable laughter completely exposed Vivian's ambition, which also earned her a blow on the head.
"You guy——"
Looking at Vivian, who was holding her head and pretending to be pitiful, Mia was so angry that her teeth itched, and she angrily picked up another piece of beef that was fully soaked in spicy oil and stuffed it into her mouth.
Vivian was caught off guard and was silenced by Mia.
She opened her eyes wide and wanted to hide away, but it was too late!
The spicy oil melted on the tip of her tongue, and a hot burning sensation instantly swept through her entire mouth. Before she even had time to chew, she felt hot lava rolling through her throat.
「Water——!! I want water!!!」
Tears welled up in her eyes. She grabbed the tea cup on the table in panic and drank it down in one gulp, which only added fuel to the fire.
That is a cup of hot tea.
Although it is not hot, for Miss Vivian's delicate mouth at this moment, any slightest bit of temperature will be infinitely amplified.
"Oh oh oh!! I'm going to die!!"
Is it so exaggerated?
Luo Yan waved his magic wand wordlessly, and dropped frost on the steaming cup, saving Vivian from the unprepared chaos.
But at this moment, the tip of his staff suspended in mid-air suddenly paused slightly, and immediately turned his intriguing eyes to the player standing aside holding the tray.
"Did you add anything... that shouldn't appear in hell?"
The moment he heard these words, the soul fire in the burning skull swayed instantly.
【Gluttonous Sword God】his eyes dodge and his voice stuttered.
"Demon, Lord Demon King, you misunderstood... I, we, uh... are to develop... a hell hot pot that even gold-level experts can feel, so..."
So the power of the Holy Light is integrated into the pepper?
The demons in the magic city may not have seen that thing. It is really difficult to distinguish the two similar burning sensations when they are mixed together, but it becomes difficult to tell after a long time.
Especially Vivian, this guy has experienced it.
"Is it okay to change the pot?" Luo Yan looked at him with a half-smile, but there was an unfathomable coldness in his eyes.
"No, no!" [Gluttonous Sword God] was so frightened that he trembled and nodded nervously.
He was about to leave with the hot pot, but suddenly lost control of his body, and his entire skeleton froze in place.
"...I hope this is the last time, do you understand what I mean?" The emotionless voice floated into his ears, making all the bones in his body tense.
「Yes!」
Listening to the scream coming from the depths of his soul, Luo Yan nodded lightly and let go of the player who experimented on him without authorization.
Although it makes people angry, this is his own territory after all.
"This will not happen next time."
A food safety crisis that almost swept the entire Demon City was strangled in the cradle by the Demon King.
The new hot pot was served again. This time the three young players did not dare to make any "innovations". The Yuanyang Hotpot was really just a spicy pot and clear soup.
Mia was surprised to find that she could suddenly eat spicy food. Even though she still couldn't say she liked it very much, at least she didn't have sore throat and smoke.
Vivian looked puzzled. She took a bite of chili pepper and put another mouthful of spicy soup into her mouth. She always felt that something was missing than before, but she couldn't tell where the missing thing was.
Luo Yan was tasting the food calmly, and at this moment, a long voice suddenly floated into his ears.
"Lord Demon King, something bad is going to happen!"
Putting down the tableware in his hands, Luo Yan, who finally rested for a while, sighed and said silently in his heart.
"No, it's not me, it's your servant Lumil! The captain who was sent by you to roam the western part of the vast ocean!"
Lumir?
Luo Yan frowned slightly, and just as he was about to ask, the anxious voice continued to come in non-stop——
"...His ship ran aground on an unknown coast!"