Chapter 477 The Demon King's Layout
The thick oak door closed gently, cutting off the noise of the lounge downstairs. The spacious room instantly became quiet, leaving only the bustling lights outside the window.
This is the top suite of the "Morning Embrace" hotel.
Since His Highness Colin moved in, he has injected "imperial style" into this place. The rich merchants and nobles on the entire east coast of the Whirlpool Sea regard the decoration here as a model of nobility and luxury - coming here is like coming to the Holy City.
The moment he stepped into this "little holy city", Sac Gale's temperament changed drastically.
One second he was acting bold and bold, but here he instantly turned into a big lizard even better than Tuff.
"Sir - what do you want from me?"
He lowered his head respectfully and stood behind Luo Yan, waiting for the master's question.
Looking at the frightened Sak, Luo Yan's face showed a smile as warm as the sun, and he said in a gentle tone.
"Don't be so nervous, raise your head a little, let me see the respect in your eyes instead of submission."
Sark's shoulders relaxed slightly and his head was raised, but the scales on his body were obviously still tight, for fear of offending this noble Demon King.
Others don't know the identity of this adult, but he knows it very well.
In front of him, not to mention the chief of the Windhowl tribe, even the queen of the Gutav United Kingdom was no different from an insect in front of him.
Looking at Sak's face as if facing a formidable enemy, Luo Yan couldn't help but sigh in his heart, it would be great if Tafu could have half the awe he did.
If he hadn’t taken her with him, the little guy would have suffered a big loss.
At least Arakdo has been coveting the taste of dragon meat.
"Tell me, how do you feel during this time?" Luo Yan walked to the window and closed the open curtains, leaving only a gap, just enough to see outside.
Sak stepped forward and reported carefully.
"According to your instructions, I have been operating in Thunder City as the chief of the Windhowl Tribe, Ulga Windsplitting's cousin, during the following period, and have had extensive exchanges with all walks of life in Thunder City. The important figures you mentioned on the list before include His Royal Highness the Grand Duke Edward of the Principality of Campbell, and Mr. Jan Andes of the Andes Group. I have already met them all and established preliminary relationships with them. "
His report was concise and straight to the point, like a returning soldier, not daring to have any nonsense or extraneous personal opinions.
Sark originally thought that Lord Demon King would tell him the next plan, such as how to use these connections to completely pull the Campbell Principality into the game.
However, his respected Demon King asked him a question that he did not expect.
"Sark," Luo Yan asked casually, looking at the bustling street scene outside the window, "You have been here for a while, how do you feel about this thundering city?"
Feelings?
Sark was stunned, unable to follow the Demon King's thoughts for a while.
Is this checking your work?
Or——
A test for yourself?
He was silent for a long time and replied in a deep voice: "Sir, there are many things that I can feel. For example, the humans here are completely different from us lizard people, whether it is living habits or ways of thinking. But - I know that is not what you want to ask."
Luo Yan smiled and did not explain, but waited for Sack to continue.
Seeing that Lord Demon King was indeed not satisfied, Sack suddenly became more anxious and quickly organized his words, trying to dig out the answer from a deeper perspective.
"Take the imperial people of Deadwood Port on the northern shore of Janna continent as an example - they are ambitious, pious yet cunning, and always like to talk about future prospects. And the people here - well -"
The burly lizardman messenger scratched his head and ears for a while, and finally sullenly choked out a frustrated answer.
"Okay, sir, let me tell the truth - although they are obviously different from us, they seem to be no different from the people of Deadwood Port."
There is no doubt that this is nonsense.
After saying this, Sark lowered his head, waiting for the Demon King's reprimand. However, the expected rebuke did not come.
The room was quiet for a moment, and then there was a chuckle.
Luo Yan turned around and looked at him. There was no displeasure on his face, but a smile of approval.
"You have observed very carefully, and there is indeed no difference between them."
And this is precisely the source of all conflicts, whether it is the Devalou family who guards the pasture for Saint Sith, or the Campbell family who suppresses the labyrinth for Saint Sith, or their respective counterparts, the Lane people and the Campbell people. They were born with sacred obligations, but did not enjoy any benefits from the Holy Light.
However, the Imperial people are different.
Especially the people of the Holy City.
At least in the eyes of the Campbells, they have been bathed in the Holy Light since they were born, and they can enjoy the wealth of the entire empire without having to face the intrusion of Chaos and Hell.
The root of the series of problems currently facing the Principality of Campbell, whether inside or outside the palace, lies in this.
There is essentially no difference between the Campbell people and the Imperial people living in the center of the Empire. They also yearn for the Holy Light and have the same enthusiasm, but their status is very different.
Edward’s ambition is not so much his personal ambition as it is the common idea of everyone in the entire Principality of Campbell.
They long to become stronger, strong enough to break free from this ancient shackles and become upright people who can control their own destiny like the people of the Empire, instead of being a puppet destined to die young for a so-called "sacred obligation".
So, just defeating King Ryan is not enough to quell the "evil fire" in their hearts that longs for change.
Soon, after they defeat the secular king, they will realize that the "Book of Holy Words" held tightly in the hands of the Holy See and the final right to interpret it are the things that truly bind their souls.
Not only that, that thing also bound other vassal states of the empire and all the colonies in the distant New World.
And I can help them avoid some detours.
The New Testament is what they are looking for.
Generally speaking, this thing requires countless blood to be born. Without his own help, at least one or two "prophet" would have to die.
Sark's face was full of confusion. He always felt that he had said nonsense and was completely unworthy of the Demon King's high praise.
Luo Yan did not explain further to him, because there was no need. As an envoy, he only needed to do what he had told him. "I need you to do two things. ”
Hearing these words, Sak immediately straightened his body and looked solemn.
"Please give me your orders!"
Luo Yan cleared his throat and said.
"The first thing is to respond to the expectations of the Campbell people. After this period of getting along, you must have understood what they want. I need you to help them open up a route from Thunder City to the north coast of Janna continent, and share the good things of Gutav Kingdom with them. Give them - just like we taught you those things back then."
It is still too difficult to export them directly from Beifeng City to Thunder City. After all, it is not easy for the devout Campbell people to accept the maze creatures.
At this time, it is necessary to switch from export to domestic sales.
After a pause, Luo Yan continued.
"The second thing is that there is a vast swamp in the southwest of Thunder County, where a group of lizard people live. Strictly speaking, they have the same blood as you, but the Dragon God did not take all the lizard people away, and they are the ones who stayed."
The lizard people without Gutav are just a piece of loose sand. During the Isaac Dynasty, They were beaten violently by the traverser's muskets, and now they are huddled in the swamp in the southwest corner of the Wanren Mountains.
The Dragon God created them, brought them here and then took them away, and then brought them back again.
But this time, he will not take them away again.
"Go to Edward and ask for a promise from him. You have to tell him that you hope to establish a special zone in that swamp. The purpose is to help the people abandoned by the Dragon God to live a normal life, and to bring the children who have embraced civilization back to the place where the Dragon God descended - the hometown of all lizard people."
Although some players have sneaked into Thunder City, after all, they are only a few "pseudo-human" players.
After this special zone is completed, players other than the undead will be able to walk in Thunder County openly.
All in the name of Dragon God!
Tuff said who is a lizard man is a lizard man. Anyway, he has not said it, it is just a matter of his own words.
In fact, the undead are not impossible, they just have to wait.
When Kallen succeeds in starting a business with her "New Testament", even the devil can walk openly under the sun.
Isn’t Maitian Village already more than half successful?
Everything is difficult only at the beginning.
As long as you make a start, everything will be easy!
Hearing the Lord Demon King’s plan, Sak’s face showed obvious doubts for the first time, and he hesitated for a moment before asking.
"Your Highness Edward - will he agree?"
Although he is not a chief, he still understands the principle of "no one should be allowed to sleep on the side of the couch".
And during this time in Thunder City, he could clearly feel that the people here did not like his scales and tail.
What they like is just the gold on him and "Prince Colin" who has everything.
However, Lord Mogan dispelled his worries with just one sentence.
"Of course he will. If you are willing to pay to solve his trouble, why wouldn't he do it?"
Luo Yan smiled and continued in a gentle tone.
"And the most important thing is that he needs strength more than anyone now. He can surrender and lose half of the disputes between heretics, but the disputes between heretics have always been life and death. Especially the Campbell people have gradually realized that the Holy See no longer trusts them."
"What does that sentence mean? When someone suspects that there is a devil standing behind you, it's better that there really is a devil standing behind you."
"This is their current situation."
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Just as Luo Yan was telling the envoy from the Kingdom of Gutav about the next plan, Sarah, who was far away in Twilight City, reported the new progress to the "Butterfly of All Things" he left there.
As he expected, after seeing the Holy Light of the Tribunal, Irene finally gave up the idea of compromising with the Tribunal.
However, there are not many things that she needs to do at the moment. At this stage, his game with the Holy See still remains in a corner where the Holy Light cannot shine.
His main focus will be on her brother Edward.
The Principality of Campbell is an important chess piece.
This bridgehead that once suppressed the forces of hell will become the arsenal for the devil to export the fire of change to the old continent...
He needs to make this fire burn brighter.
In the early morning of the next day, according to the instructions of Lord Demon King, Sac Gale, as the envoy of Gutav United Kingdom, went to the Andes Manor again to visit His Majesty the Grand Duke who was staying here.
It is said that there has been unrest within the principality recently. Just when Edward was reaching out to the small nobles in the Twilight Province, His Majesty Devalou was also flirting with his vassals.
The count of the principality has never been very satisfied with the fact that his grand duke is too close to the citizens. In addition, he has not inherited the "light of praise" of the late king, so many people have been secretly making a fuss about the legitimacy of his position as grand duke.
At first they wanted to support Irene.
However, it is a pity that that innocent girl seems to be really innocent and has no worldly ambitions at all, but it makes those who make suggestions for her very embarrassed.
As for Edward, that ambitious man was wary of his sister, but he really didn't do anything to her.
At most, he wanted to find a good family for her and let her give up the surname Campbell, and then the light of praise would naturally return to his hands.
This group of traditional nobles could not keep the brother and sister apart, so they set their sights on Edward's younger brother, Jerrock Campbell, the leader of the Trident Knights.
Like Erin, Jerrock is also dissatisfied with his eldest brother's actions, and his views are closer to those of his father, Aaron.
Campbell.
Like many traditional nobles who don’t get much soup, he believes that the Principality of Campbell should abide by its ancient and glorious traditions instead of letting a group of civilians with useless souls sit at the table.
Is there any reason for the king to consult with the citizens when collecting taxes?
They should be proud to contribute!
As for the peasants, they should work in the fields and then hand over the harvest to the castle honestly, and then the lord's servants will decide what they will eat tomorrow.
Instead of like now, you have to spend money to buy the food you grow. How unbecoming! This is why it was the Citizen Cavalry who accompanied Irene on her expedition to the Twilight Province this time, rather than the famous Trident Knights.
Although no one said it out loud, many nobles were actually looking forward to Irene's death. It would be best to let Edward get into trouble again.
As long as Irene dies, the Light of Song will have to choose its owner again, and there will be an explanation whether it will choose Jerlock or Edward.
However, no one expected that the militiamen of Thunder City were actually quite powerful in fighting. They beat the rebels in Twilight Province into panic and scared the king to the point where he sat up straight from his throne.
And Eileen is not dead either.
Not only did she not die, but she grew up at an incredible speed because of her fight with the Chaos Chosen. It is said that she has reached the same level as the late king Aaron Campbell!
In short, during this period, the Campbell Principality was not much calmer than the Lane Kingdom.
In order to avoid the treacherous undercurrent, Archduke Edward simply moved the court from Fort Campbell, where traditional power was deeply rooted, to Thunder County, which supported him.
Sark, who was waiting in the reception room, had a casual chat with the manor's servant. He didn't ask anything sensitive, but just asked about the Grand Duke's preferences.
Although Lord Demon King revealed some of the inside stories of the Campbell Principality to him, he is an outsider after all, so it is better not to show too much concern for the affairs of the Principality.
He just needs to do his job well.
While Sac was getting along with the Andean servants through his "bold and generous" persona, Edward finally finished handling his official duties.
As soon as he arrived belatedly into the reception room, he gave a warm handshake to Sack, who stood up to greet him, as the opening of the friendly meeting.
"Welcome, Mr. Sac Gale, nice to meet you, what brought you here today?"
After shaking hands, Sac gave a slight salute, restrained his previous carelessness when facing ordinary people, and said in a reserved voice.
"Your Majesty, your Majesty, your Majesty has sent me a message about the cooperation you have discussed with me before. He said that you are a wise monarch, and it is his honor to cooperate with you."
Edward's heart moved, and he smiled and made a gesture of invitation.
"Please come with me to the study, we can talk in detail!"
"Okay, Your Majesty." Sack nodded happily, followed Edward, and came to the office of this fair man.
Since they had already talked for more than one round before, both parties knew how many cards each other held, so the meeting was enjoyable from start to finish.
Edward praised the vision and noble character of Chief Ulga Windsplitting, even though he had never met the lizardman noble.
Sark, on behalf of his "cousin" Chief Ulga Windsplitting, expressed his cherishment of the deep friendship of the Principality of Campbell and the position that the Kingdom of Gutav would stand firmly together with the Principality of Colin.
After finalizing a series of win-win terms including technical assistance, mineral mining, trade and navigation, etc., Sack finally made the last and most special proposal of his trip.
He took out a simple map from his arms and unfolded it on the table.
It was a map depicting the southwest area of Thunder County, with a large area marked "dangerous" circled in purple ink, which was the southwest swamp.
Looking at this map that was suspected to be issued by the Adventurer's Guild, Edward's expression was a little unnatural, and he secretly wondered, isn't this guy here to seek justice for the lizard people in the southwest swamp?
This is actually human thinking, and Sac Gale really doesn’t have this idea.
If Lord Demon King hadn’t pointed at the lizard people and said they were his kind, he would not have admitted that those guys rolling in the mud were his kind at all.
The key is that they can’t fly either? !
It looks a bit like Sand Ridge, Ankylosaurus, and Tide Clan, but it is definitely not from Windhowler Clan!
"Your Highness Edward," Sack pointed to the swamp and said in a sincere tone, "after coming to Thunder County, I unexpectedly discovered that our compatriots actually live here. A wise gentleman told me that they - well, they walked with us during their migration a thousand years ago. "Mr. Sack," Edward coughed, "I don't know who you heard from, but I want to say something about them - there are many complicated reasons that cannot be explained in a few words. I hope this will not affect our friendship."
"I know, Your Majesty, I have no intention of letting this matter affect our friendship, but their current situation really makes me heartbroken as a subject of the Dragon God."
Looking at Edward who seemed to be ashamed, Sac was surprised but still seized the opportunity and continued to speak while suppressing his discomfort.
"They have forgotten the glory of their ancestors, lost the fire of civilization, and are struggling to survive in the quagmire like wild beasts. As a member of the United Kingdom of Gutav, I cannot sit back and watch my colleagues. Our compatriots have fallen like this. What do we want to do? "What?"
"Therefore, I implore your majesty to allow us to establish a temporary settlement on that land, rescue those poor Dragon God people, guide and educate them, and help them regain civilization."
Edward's expression moved slightly.
Is this the heritage of a thousand-year-old country?
Just because I see the hard life of the children living outside, I can't help but want to lend a helping hand, regardless of the color of the other person's scales.
In contrast, the group of priests from the Holy City should really feel ashamed. They did not deal with the problem of Chaos, but raised their butcher knives at the Lane people who were bleeding with the same blood.
Having just reached an agreement with this ancient kingdom that dominates the market of seven million square kilometers, he is full of sacred filters for this lizardman country.
However, due to respect, he was not dazzled by the huge benefits. He seemed to be interested, but in fact he asked calmly.
"Your righteousness is admirable, but - what happens next? Even if you help them leave the swamp, it will be difficult for them to live decently in Thunder City. I mean, will you take them back?"
"Of course," Sak nodded without hesitation, "The people of the Dragon God should live in the land where the Dragon God came, and they will return to the land of their ancestors."
And at this moment, he changed the topic, and there was a hint of disgust on his face - ugly, it is better to say that this is the truest side of his heart.
I was acting before, but now I am acting in my true self.
"However, although we will take them back, we cannot take them back directly."
"Oh?" Edward raised his eyebrows, "What is this?"
"Because they are too dirty," Sac sighed, shook his head, and said as if he hated iron, "They don't know how to bathe, how to eat, and even their accents have changed. Your shape. With all due respect, their existence is an affront to the dragon god Gutav! We must correct them and turn them into decent lizards before they can get on the ship home."
Respectable lizards?
Edward tried hard to imagine that scene in his mind, but it felt funny no matter how much he thought about it. He could only look at the seemingly decent guy in front of him with a strange expression.
If hanging a lot of gold jewelry on the body is called respectability, then the cost of this respectability is really high.
Edward thought for a long time, lightly tapped the boy's armrest with his index finger, and after a moment he spoke.
"So, what about the cost of building this special zone? It will cost a lot of money to make so many lizards become more physical."
"It will all be borne by the Kingdom of Gutavdan!" Sack said immediately, giving the answer that was reasonable but made the heart beat faster.
The Gutav Kingdom will provide the money!
The moment he heard these words, the last trace of doubt in Edward's heart disappeared, and a friendly and generous smile appeared on his face.
"Then there is no problem, Mr. Sack, your friendship for your compatriots is so touching! On behalf of the Principality of Campbell, I agree to your request! Since you are willing to solve the problems left by history for us, the swamp will be left to you to manage! Build that What's this--the lizard trend residential area!"
Although the land "south of Riliu Pass and to the westernmost side of the Wanqian Mountains" is nominally owned by the Campbell family, the Grand Dukes of Campbell have never really ruled there.
There is neither farming nor grazing, and there is nothing but rotten animals and insects. Even the nobles who are busy racing and enclosing the land are not interested in that place at all.
Using a piece of waste land that no one wants to create a trend will not only consolidate the friendship with the "Kingdom of Gutavdan", but it may also turn the waste into a treasure.
Anyway, those bugs are just soaking in the three pits, and they will cause some public security issues every now and then, so why not come up with a way to manage them!
Looking at the smiling Archduke Edward, Sack breathed a sigh of relief and made a grateful expression on his face.
Sure enough, everything was as the Demon King expected, and Archduke Edward agreed to his conditions without hesitation.
At this moment, there was only one thing left to worry about in his mind.
The ethnic groups in the continent of Janna are already rich enough. I hope that the Demon King will not take these beggars to the Dragon God’s hometown——
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