Chapter 315 I want to do something for the people of the empire who are enduring the aftermath of the storm
Deep in the Sun Staircase Mountains, the messy battlefield can no longer be seen, and the thick smoke raised by the artillery fire has been obscured by the dense bushes.
Seeing that he was far enough away from the battlefield, Thanos finally stopped and placed the Ig on his shoulders in the grass beside him. While laying out defensive spells in his shadow, he placed a map next to him.
This should be fine.
He clapped his hands and stood up from the ground. At this moment, the sound of venomous snakes swimming in the grass came from the grass. Soon, several green vines entangled upwards and transformed into a noble lady wearing a black dress.
That person is Brancia, the lord of Impasse City and the "Thorn Demon General" under the Demon King.
"Have you seen His Majesty the Demon King?"
"Yes." Hearing the condescending tone, Thanos replied coldly.
Blancia looked at her nails and continued to ask casually.
"Did he give us a new mission?"
Tanos answered in a hoarse voice.
"No, the Lord asked us to wait here."
Blancia had a trace of sadness on her face, and she couldn't help but complain.
"How long are we going to stay in this sweltering place... I'm about to get prickly heat all over my body."
Devils afraid of heat?
Thanos grinned.
This is the funniest joke he has ever heard.
Reading the ridicule written on that face, Brancia narrowed her eyes slightly.
"Are you thinking of something rude?"
"No."
Branthia's eyes narrowed to a slit, and she stared at Thanos with fearful eyes for a while, and her eyes suddenly fell on Ige lying flat in the grass.
"Is this the demon from the Demon City? The Demon King of Janna Continent? It doesn't feel like..."
He doesn't understand.
Why does hell do this, or is there any benefit to hell from doing this?
It’s really incomprehensible!
As for being the Demon King, he is actually a better choice, at least more suitable than this guy!
However, unlike Thanos, Brancia doesn’t care at all about the things that bother him.
On the contrary, she was more interested in his appearance.
"...Tsk, what a cute little face, no wonder the Demon King is fascinated by him." Looking at that beautiful face carefully, Brancia showed a hint of jealousy in her eyes, and she wanted to cut it off and stick it on her face.
Of course——
This is the Demon King's guest after all. She doesn't dare to disobey him, so she can only think about it.
Looking at the cold light on the nails, Thanos was not sure what the old woman was going to do, so he could only cough and warn her in a hoarse voice.
"By the way, there's one thing... I'd better remind you, our Majesty has become stronger again."
"Stronger again?!"
Blancia was stunned for a moment, her whole body froze in place, and admiration and intoxication gradually appeared on her pale face.
His Majesty the Demon King who defeated Elder Zakro has taken another step forward in strength!
What is above the Grand Master?
Demigod? !
As expected of the Demon King...
Now let alone the parliament, even the cabinet is probably within his reach!
Seeing that this crazy woman seemed not to take action against Ig, Thanos breathed a sigh of relief, and his shadow disappeared into the woods.
His words to remind Brancia were definitely not out of an inexplicable desire to protect...
Mainly for the sake of the Demon King.
The sound of cannons that echoed along the coastline could no longer be heard, and the originally panicked residents had also quieted down, sitting in the tavern with a broken wooden bridge to toast the empire's victory.
It’s not just the residents who are immersed in the joyous atmosphere -
It’s also the Imperial soldiers from St. Ilburg.
They who have been on the front line all year round have never fought such an easy battle. Their opponents did not even see their faces clearly and were wiped out in the overwhelming rain of guns and bullets.
"It's not all ugly things. For example, that Demon King looks pretty good."
Hence "Ah, you said that... I saw it too."
Hich "I heard it's a succubus."
"Succubus?!"
"Hey, it's a pity, it would be nice if I could be captured alive..."
"Wipe your saliva, don't be seen by the chaplain!"
At the temporary station of the St. Ilburg Navy, the imperial soldiers who had just returned from cleaning the battlefield were still talking about the easy victory just now.
At this time, a rapid sound of horse hooves came from far to near.
The soldiers looked back and saw a rider galloping towards them.
His riding skills are skillful and steady. He reined in the reins and dismounted neatly under the gaze of everyone.
When his cloak was lifted, revealing the purple moon badge that symbolized his identity, all the soldiers present subconsciously stood up and saluted respectfully.
They may not recognize that face, but they still recognize the purple moon badge. After all, the same purple moon flag is flying on the roof of the Governor's Mansion in Deadwood Port.
Luo Yan nodded slightly to them, then looked around solemnly, with a rare hint of worry on his handsome face.
"I heard that Deadwood Port was attacked by demons... What's the situation here now? Where are the demons? And what are your casualties? Where is Baron Tich Kosia! Let him come to see me!"
He asked a series of questions in succession, as if he was really anxious. The soldiers standing around looked at each other, and then a non-commissioned officer came out and answered respectfully.
"Reporting to Your Highness the Prince, the demons that attacked Deadwood Port have been defeated by our General Hamelton, and peace has been restored to the port... Please do not panic."
After a pause, he continued.
"Baron Teach Kosia should be with General Hamelton, I can call him here for you."
"Already defeated?"
Luo Yan looked at the noncommissioned officer in slight surprise, as if he had heard the news for the first time.
His frown relaxed slightly, he calmed down and continued.
"That's not necessary... Since they are together, take me there. I want to personally express my gratitude to your general for what happened today."
After saying that, he looked at the servant of the Governor's Mansion sent by Captain Cadson to reward the army, and ordered.
"How can there be no wine at the triumphal banquet? Go to the Governor's Palace and bring ten barrels of rum over and distribute them to the soldiers!"
Originally they were not allowed to drink alcohol.
But if it is a reward from the prince, it is different. Even if General Hamelton is blamed, they can still blame the matter on the prince.
"Oh oh!!"
"Long live Prince Colin!"
"Long live the Empire!"
The soldiers cheered His Royal Highness the Prince for his wisdom, and then separated out a few young and strong boys to follow the servants of the Governor's Mansion to get wine from the warehouse.
Luo Yan then looked at the sergeant on the side, who immediately understood, nodded and said.
"Your Highness, please come with me... I will take you to see the general."
Luo Yan nodded slightly, got on his horse again, followed the sergeant, and rushed towards the fortress on the nearby hills.
On the walls of the fortress, the ghoul soldiers on duty have withdrawn and been replaced by the militia of Deadwood Port.
They also did not recognize Luo Yan's face, but like the navy of St. Ilburg, they all recognized the purple moon emblem on his cloak, guessed his identity, and bowed in salute.
"Your Highness the Prince!"
Luo Yan did not greet them, just nodded slightly, and then handed the war horse to the militiamen guarding the gate.
"Just send me here, and then I can go by myself."
He nodded towards the sergeant who was leading the way. After Luo Yan thanked him, he strode towards the camp in the fortress.
In the main tent in the center of the camp, a bonfire is burning.
Hamilton was leaning back on his seat comfortably, tasting the delicacies that he had not had time to finish before.
It is said that he is full, warm and lustful. The baron of Kumu Port has served him well these days, but he still feels that something is missing.
Kumu Port is a place with beautiful scenery and rich resources, but it is a bit deserted. The tavern was full of old men, and just like St. Ilburg, there wasn't even a dancer to accompany the drinks.
Is this appropriate?
It’s too inappropriate, isn’t it?
General Hamelton couldn't help but think about the Governor of Deadwood Port, why not open a brothel here?
This does not seem to be what an imperial general should do, but... isn't this a matter of urgency?
He has even built a port and a quarry, but still lacks a place for soldiers to drink wine?
Hmm, one is indeed missing.
General Hamelton has started planning again. Why not simply use Deadwood Harbor as a resort for the Imperial Navy - oh no, repair the base. It just so happens that the lizard people here are also quite good at repairing ships.
Let professionals do the wrong thing, and it will end up like "a hammer in one place and a stick in the other". The admiral was completely unaware that his plan had deviated from the original track.
His thoughts continued to wander, thinking and thinking, and for some reason he thought of the rookie Demon King he met this afternoon.
Speaking of it——
That little face is so handsome, especially the shy and angry look, which makes people want to put him in a dungeon and bully him severely.
In the past, he couldn't figure out why the nobles of the empire left beautiful girls unused and kept some male favorites. Now he understood a little bit, it wouldn't be impossible if it was that guy...
General Hamelton woke up suddenly, a drop of cold sweat streaked on his forehead, and he suppressed the evil thoughts in his heart after taking a sip of rum to suffocate it.
It's so dangerous——
It is indeed a succubus!
I almost got caught!
Seeing that General Hamelton's wine glass was empty, the unsuspecting Teach refilled it without stopping, and earnestly encouraged him to drink.
"The general has a good drinker! Let's continue! Haha! I won't come home until I'm drunk tonight!"
His advice to drink was not to take advantage of Hamelton, but mainly to make this guy drunk so that he would not be questioned.
All lies are almost always due to inconsistency. The more he tells, the more flaws he gets. If you want to avoid exposing any flaws, you can only try not to say anything yourself and let the other party speak.
Just as the two were pushing cups and changing cups, a report suddenly came from outside the tent.
"His Royal Highness is here!"
Teach and Hamelton were both startled when they heard this. Then they put down their wine glasses and stood up to face the door of the tent.
Almost at the same time that the two stood up, the tent door curtain opened, revealing a face with sharp edges and majesty.
Different from those soldiers who only recognize their badges but not their faces.
General Hamelton did not see the purple moon on the cloak at first glance, but almost the moment he saw the face clearly, it was enough to conclude that this person was not an ordinary person!
This is the vision he has honed in the Holy City - a truly noble person will not use badges to show his identity.
Just standing there, they will automatically become the condensed nucleus of a group of people, the center where everyone's expectations are directed.
Teach, who was sitting opposite him, quickly confirmed his first instinct. He saw the baron respectfully and humbly performing aristocratic etiquette.
「Your Highness the Prince!」
In order not to be thought of as a vulgar person by the other party, General Hamelton also subconsciously bowed in a similar manner... something he would not normally do.
"Your Highness, since I set foot in this port, I have often heard people here mention your reputation. But when I saw it today, it is really different!"
"You are serious, General Hamelton," Luo Yan replied with a standard imperial noble etiquette. , looking at the Imperial Navy General who bowed his head humbly, he said sincerely, "I have received your letter, and I have been looking forward to meeting you. Unfortunately, I am meeting with the King of the United Kingdom of Gutav in Assam City, and it was not until recently that I rushed back to the north of the Sun Staircase Mountains... I am sorry to have kept you waiting here for so long."
"What's going on?" Hamelton smiled honestly, looked at the prince in front of him, and continued with eager eyes, "A noble person like you is worth my time and wait. What's more... what happened in the afternoon shows that my decision was correct. , Perhaps this is the will of Saint Sith. "
"Speaking of this... I have to express my gratitude to you."
Luo Yan nodded to Hamelton and continued in a solemn and sincere tone.
"On behalf of the people of Deadwood Port, thank you for lending a helping hand to us in times of crisis! Everyone here, including me, owes you a favor... I offer you this glass!"
After saying that, he picked up the wine glass on the table, took the wine flask from the waiter's hand and filled it for himself, and then drank it all in one gulp in front of General Hamelton.
General Hamelton looked flattered and said quickly.
"You are too polite, Your Highness, it is the duty of our soldiers to defend the territory of the empire. How can we leave you and your people alone? Not to mention that there are only a few hundred monsters, which are not worth mentioning. My soldiers defeated them in minutes... It is a pity that the demon king escaped!"
This statement is different from the previous sergeant.
As for which one Luo Yan believes in, of course he believes what General Hamelton said.
After all, he was watching the players on the sidelines at the time, and when it was almost over, he sent Thanos up to finish the game.
Otherwise, it would be a bit difficult to escape in front of this general with gold-level strength just relying on Ige's small body.
Demons of the same level are not yet rivals of humans, let alone one level behind.
"Demon King?" Luo Yan frowned slightly and looked at General Hamelton with a puzzled face, "Sorry... I don't understand a little bit, what does Demon King mean?"
Teach glanced at him secretly, with admiration in his eyes, and then hurriedly looked away.
"...This is exactly what I want to explain to you!"
Hamilton did not notice the look in the eyes of the baron next to him. Hamelton looked at Luo Yan with a serious face and said seriously.
"Hell has most likely set its sights on this land! And that Demon King is the one they sent here to serve as an outpost!"
The air in the tent became quiet, and the candlelight on the candlestick dimmed the uncertainty on Luo Yan's face.
He pondered for a long time, looked at General Hamelton and said.
"Sorry, General, it seems that in the past five hundred years... too many things have happened outside that the Colin family does not understand. Can you tell me in more detail? I think this is not only related to the safety of the Principality of Colin, but also to the United Kingdom of Gutav... Please tell me everything you know."
Hammerton nodded to express his understanding, took a deep breath to suppress his drunkenness, and continued.
"The so-called Demon Lord's Territory... is the nail inserted into the hinterland of the empire by hell. They usually appear in the form of mazes, sometimes castles or ruins. In short, it is not a good thing, and monsters will continuously pour out of the maze. However, on the other hand, killing monsters will drop magic crystals, and some adventurers make a living from this."
Luo Yan nodded and motioned for him to continue.
General Hamelton continued.
"From the standpoint of the empire, of course we hope to remove every single one of these labyrinths, but those demons are quite cunning. They never confront us head-on, but rely on the terrain for defense. Once our power is contained by them, they can take the opportunity to gain greater ground on the front line. advantage, so usually we can only rely on the strength of the adventurer union and local lords to deal with these demons hiding in the labyrinth... Even if we cannot destroy them, we can at least suppress them. "
"How were they born? I am more concerned about this." Luo Yan said with a frown.
General Hamelton said in a deep voice.
"At the moment we are only speculating that among the survivors who fell into the water you took in, there may be followers of the Demon God."
"How is it possible?!" Luo Yan looked at him in astonishment, "Aren't they all devout believers? How could there be followers of the Demon God among them?"
Hamlton smiled bitterly and sighed.
"Everyone claims to be a devout believer, but no one knows what they really think about. Maybe some people pray to the statue of Saint Sith during the day and sell their souls to succubi at night...Ahem, I mean demons."
"How could there be such a hateful person..." Luo Yan clenched his fists tightly, his lips trembling with anger.
"Indeed... these heinous guys will all go to hell! I am incompatible with them!" Hamelton swore a guilty oath, and then hurriedly dropped the topic, "In short, the territory of the empire is too huge, and the population is huge. We cannot guarantee that everyone believes in Saint Sith from the bottom of their hearts, especially those sailors who stay away from the church all year round... I don't believe them very much."
Luo Yan pressed his index finger between his eyebrows and said in a deep tone.
"In other words...the people I rescued who fell into the water sold their souls to the devil?"
General Hamelton nodded and said in a heavy voice.
"So far, yes... I believe in my soldiers, and your territory has not been corroded by hell for so many years. I think the aborigines who came to Deadwood Harbor have simple folk customs. So there is only one explanation - those who fell into the water and were rescued by you ran to Sun Step Mountain The teleportation array for summoning demons is drawn in the depths of the veins. Now that the matter has come to this, there is no point in cursing them. We can only take countermeasures to prevent greater bitter consequences." Luo Yan looked complicated after hearing this.
"So that's it... When I took them in, it was just out of noble responsibility. I couldn't let those who fell into the water wander without support. What's more, Deadwood Port was originally established by the survivors who fell into the water. Taking in the people of the empire who were left here was personally passed on to me by my fathers. What reason did I have to refuse them? But I didn’t expect...they would repay me like this."
Tiqi, who was on his way out, suddenly noticed that Lumil, who was dressed as a servant, was giving him a look, so he quickly stepped forward and said with a sad face.
"Your Highness! These bugs are not worth saving at all! Let us drive them out——"
"No, Baron Kosia," Luo Yan shook his head, interrupting Teach mid-sentence with a tone that could not be rejected, "Even if something like this happened, I still have to say that only a very small number of people betrayed us... Just as General Hamelton said, we cannot guarantee that everyone is loyal to us. There will always be someone who sells his soul to the succubus at night."
Hamelton responded quickly: "Yes, uh... but I'm talking about the devil."
"It's all the same, the same meaning," Luo Yan shook his head, and then cast his eyes on the bonfire outside the tent, "It is precisely because of such a regrettable thing that happened, not only should we not shut out the people of Saint Sith, but we should be kind to those compatriots who share the same faith with us. If we close the door, we will push them towards the devil. Embracing them, their resentment will turn into endless troubles for us... I think it is precisely because of their long-term neglect that they went astray. Let me bear the price. "
"Your Highness..." Tiqi looked at Luo Yan blankly, and for a moment it was like seeing the Holy Father in the Book of Holy Words.
His backside seems to be really glowing!
After a pause, Luo Yan continued.
"In order to prevent them from being corrupted by demons, we should let them live a better life. I think this is also one of the missions given to us nobles by Saint Sith - am I right? General Hamelton." When Hamelton heard these words, he was immediately in awe and couldn't help but put his fist against his chest.
"...His Royal Highness is really broad-minded and admirable! Imperial nobles like you who uphold the responsibilities of a noble are increasingly rare these days."
Luo Yan's face was calm and he nodded slightly humbly.
"The general is so complimentary. Just as you are fulfilling your obligations as a soldier, I am just fulfilling my obligations as a noble."
It would be great if the nobles in the Holy City were like this gentleman——
Hammerton had this thought flashing through his mind for a moment.
Most of those guys have forgotten their obligations, only remembering the power in their hands and the wealth they can grab with their power. They even want a share of the disaster wealth from the "Big Storm".
He hated this deeply.
Perhaps it was for this reason that he passively refused to cooperate with those businessmen.
Even as the quartermaster said, it is actually a good solution, at least it is much less troublesome than building a port and building a quarry in unfamiliar waters.
Looking at the moved Hamelton, Luo Yan continued in a sincere tone.
“I want to do something for my subjects, and I also want to do something for the people of the empire who are enduring the aftermath of the storm, but my strength alone is too small... Are you willing to help me?”
"Your Highness is serious, your idea is admirable, and it is my honor to be able to help you."
General Hamelton respectfully performed aristocratic etiquette, and his enthusiastic eyes seemed to be burning with fire.
At this moment, there was no succubus or those empty evil thoughts in his eyes.
He found the meaning of his existence here!
"If there is anything you can use me for, please feel free to tell me!"
Luo Yan nodded slightly, looked at the general with admiration, and then continued.
“My fathers taught me that if you want to solve your own immediate needs, you must first find the needs of others.”
“First, tell me what you need.”