The Demon King is unfathomable

Chapter 295 That is the Empire’s Territory
With the goodwill of the "Baron of Deadwood Harbor", Kadson turned around and ran quickly towards the "Broken Ship Camp", calling on the sailors who were starving to death to pack up their luggage and prepare to move.

"Hurry up! Pick up everything that can still be used!"

"There's also some usable cargo in the hold... those tools might come in handy!"

As early as when the imperial soldiers appeared in the forest just now, the boys had already gathered around them out of curiosity.

Upon hearing that the captain had reached an agreement with the local nobles, they were so excited that they couldn't help but shed tears, and secretly felt fortunate that they did not hang on the mast the fool who had led them into the storm, and saved his life.

A group of people quickly got busy.

They turned the cabin upside down and carried out all the usable goods inside.

Looking at those busy figures, Teach fiddled with the spinning silver scepter with his index finger and winked at the black-robed servant beside him with a smug look on his face.

"Do you think I acted like that?"

Lumire, who was wearing a black robe and a hood, looked back at him calmly and said lightly.

"It's OK. It would be better if you could omit all the irrelevant nonsense."

Just now, for a moment, he thought that this guy was still his old nature and wanted to extort money from these poor people.

Now it seems like it was just his histrionic personality acting up.

Teach didn't care about Lumir's opinion. He grinned, revealing white teeth that were rarely seen on pirates.

"You don't understand. That's the most important thing that can't be omitted... If you want others to believe that you are a noble, you must first do what a noble should do. Do you expect me to pick my nose while hooking the shoulder of Captain Kedesan and ask him, 'Brother, do you want a bottle of rum to calm your nerves?' He will see through me at a glance and will never treat us like this."

He shook his head and spoke reasonably.

"We must suppress the opponent's momentum, so that they no longer think about the question of "if", but instead occupy their minds with the question of "what should we do?"

He would never admit that he just wanted to satisfy his desire to be a noble.

There was a hint of ridicule on Lumir's face, but he ignored him and just quietly thought about the next plan.

After the Demon King had formulated a general direction, he handed the entire matter over to him.

This is a great opportunity for him to demonstrate his abilities.

He had to think carefully about how to make this thing as beautifully as possible, impeccably done...but he didn't have the time to chat with a tool.

Seeing that he didn't respond, Tikki could only laugh dryly, put away his teasing tone, and changed the subject to a serious one.

"But seriously - what do we gain from doing this to them? They don't have as much gold as we do, and they don't have as many people as we do. If the Demon King doesn't want outsiders to know about this place, can't he just kill them?"

As if he had guessed he would ask this, Lumire smiled faintly and answered in a slow tone.

"It's simple. The Demon King needs a chess piece."

"The lifting of the Great Barrier triggered a huge storm. Judging from their description, the impact on the outside world is probably no less than what we felt. The fleet of the Imperial Colony will come here sooner or later to investigate the cause, and Keldsen and his sailors can send a clear signal to the Imperial Colony on our behalf—"

"The prince has arrived. This is an owned land."

After a pause, he continued.

"By the way, we can also use these sailors to mislead the Empire's investigation into this incident. The Demon King hopes that the outside world will believe that it was the 'Great Storm' that destroyed the Great Barrier, rather than the 'Great Barrier' causing the Great Storm... This is crucial."

Tikki suddenly realized.

It seems like...

He had been in the colony for so many years, and he had only heard that there was a sea area in the vast ocean that could swallow ships, but he had never heard of any large barrier, let alone what the so-called Janna Continent was.

Most people in the empire have a very vague impression of what happened a thousand years ago.

Moreover, the Church of Saint Sith was also editing its memory, downplaying the presence of the Dragon God and his descendants in that war, and attributing all the glory to Saint Sith and the Emperor. If he hadn't seen too many historical relics while collecting scraps in the pirate ship tavern, he would have almost believed it - Saint Sith and the Emperor defeated the underworld on their own.

In fact, if you think about it carefully, you can still see some clues.

The First Era was clearly an era ruled by the Gods of the Elements, a point acknowledged by the Church of Saint Sith itself. But how could the Church of Saint Sith inexplicably start a war with the God of the Underworld? After the war, the Gods of the Elements and the Dragon God disappeared as well.

It is obvious that too many things were cut off, resulting in incoherent memory.

If they don't take the initiative to confess everything, it will be impossible for people outside to know the real cause of the storm.

They could even blame the problem on the dragon god whose whereabouts were unknown, and point to the sea to the priests who came looking for them - saying "It's over there, go find it", and then sit on the shore and watch the show.

The more Teach thought about it, the more likely it seemed.

However, although the problem of the great barrier has been resolved, the problem of "the prince has arrived" has not yet been solved.

Compared with the grand narrative of the former, the latter is the most direct problem they may face.

Everyone who sets foot on this land, whether an adventurer, a priest, or an ordinary colonist, will repeatedly ask about the name of Prince Colin.

Who is he?
At least Teach had never heard of such a person in the imperial aristocratic circle.

"Will they believe it?"

Lumiel knew what he was suspecting, but he just smiled.

"It does not matter."

Teach was stunned, looking at him like a monster.

"you sure?"

He thought this was the most important issue.

Looking at Tikki who looked confused, Lumire nodded slightly and spoke in an affirmative tone.

"of course."

If he had not seen with his own eyes how the Demon King, relying only on a fictitious title and a wealthy persona, could fool the entire Principality of Campbell and make them indulge in the dream of wealth... he would probably have suspected that this lie with obvious loopholes would be exposed in an instant and would not even be able to fool a slightly cunning farmer.

But the reality is quite the opposite.

The truth is a person's justice, and being kept in the dark is pitiful.

But for one group of people, the truth never matters.

Consensus is what matters.

As for those high-sounding reasons...

Only when you lose will it become evidence of ridicule and regret.

When they win, they tacitly agree not to say anything.

He smiled faintly, his face full of piety, and spoke in the tone of His Majesty the Demon King.

"It does not matter."

His eyes looked towards the edge of the dense rainforest in the distance, the wild continent hidden between the mountain mist and the forest waves.

“So-called legal principles are never written in black and white on paper.”

“It is a fait accompli after the game.”

"The Demon King will make them believe that all this is true."

"And believed it willingly."

……

Demon City, Demon King Management Department, Director’s Office.

Luo Yan pushed open the heavy wisteria wooden door and finally met Senior Green's superior - the director of the Demon King Management Department, Count Karan Watus.

He was an elegant old gentleman, wearing a sophisticated high-collared suit with a silver-embroidered collar and black gemstone buttons on his cuffs. He had a gentle temperament and seemed to always have a respectable smile on his face.

Apart from the striking pair of nightmare horns, he looked no different from the nobles in the human world. He was even more of a noble than Teach who had become a pirate.

The previous department meetings were basically chaired by Green, so strictly speaking, this was also the first time that Luo Yan met the top management of the Demon King Management Department.

But although they are high-level, they are just that.

The Demon King Management Department itself is a department with a very low sense of existence, just like the various associations under the Ministry of Internal Affairs, it does not have much power. Although they are nominally managing the Demon Kings for the Demon God, this "name" itself is very abstract, so that any Demon King who has grown strong will not give them too much face, but will directly report to other servants who are closer to the Demon God - such as the parliament and the cabinet who directly have legislative and decision-making power.

Perhaps this is why Karan Watus does not often appear in the Demon King Management Department.

What’s interesting is that Karan Watus’s title of earl is one level higher than Luo Yan’s title of baron, and he is Luo Yan’s nominal “superior”. However, because the parliamentarians of the Magic City and the ministers of the bureaucracy serve the same ecological niche, Karan has become Luo Yan’s subordinate in another system.

This is the first time this has happened in the past thousand years.

Just when Luo Yan was thinking about how to address the other party, Count Karan Watus took the initiative to extend his hand and said with a smile.

"I've heard of your name for a long time! Mr. Luo Yan, I've heard of your legendary stories for a long time, and Green always tells me about you. It's a pity that I never had the chance to meet you. But after meeting you today, I find that you are as extraordinary as the rumors say! I wish we had met earlier!"

Omit the title.

That means we are on the same level. Luo Yan smiled slightly, shook his hand, and said in a friendly manner.

"I am also very happy to meet you, Mr. Karan Watus. It is a pity that I missed you several times before. Please come to my manor for tea when you are free."

When he had a conflict with the Dragun family before, few nobles in the entire Magic City were willing to have contact with him. After the dust settled, the Black Wind Castle manor became crowded with people.

But he doesn't care about such things.

It is better to be a fence-sitter than to kick someone when he is down. He has no relationship with the other party and there is no reason for him to take risks for him.

Count Karan Watus also said with a smile.

"must!"

The two exchanged pleasantries.

Count Karan Watus warmly invited Luo Yan to take a seat and asked the little devil secretary to pour him a cup of hot honey tea.

The mist rises up, just like the peaceful atmosphere in the house.

Looking at Count Karan Watus who was sitting opposite him, Luo Yan created a rough portrait of him in his mind, while thinking about the following conversation.

The reason why he came back at this critical moment was certainly not because he missed home, nor because he had already figured out how to fool the parliament and cabinet of Magic City, but purely because of the call of the cabinet ministers -

To be honest, the aftermath of the great barrier was a little beyond his expectations.

He didn't expect that the tsunami not only swept through the empire's colonies, but even the Demon City under the New World was affected by the earthquake.

According to Miss Mia, the cabinet takes this very seriously.

It's not just because there's a subspace disturbance behind this storm, but also because the religious minister Goligo also felt the breath of the Dragon God from it!
Nowadays, not many people in Hell hold a grudge against the Dragon God, but the liches are different - these paranoid and long-lived guys are like smelly and hard stones, and they have an extremely stubborn stance on the grudges from a thousand years ago.

On the contrary, the warlike military minister Caesar Colin, from a strategic point of view, felt that it was not appropriate to rashly show hostility. First, the vast ocean was the sphere of influence of the empire, and even if the hand of hell wanted to reach out, it would be powerless. Second, they were not clear about the attitude of the empire. They still didn't know why the Dragon God suddenly disappeared, just like they didn't know why that guy suddenly appeared again.

If the relationship between Saint Sith and Dragon God is not harmonious, they may try to win over those forces whose positions seem to be wavering.

The other ministers had no objection.

But Coligo objected.

In short, there are huge differences in the cabinet's decision on this matter.

In order to make more accurate judgments, they need more intelligence.

Thus, the door of the most famous political black box in Shanghai, the "Supreme Council Chamber", was opened again.

And unlike the last time, the one who opened the door this time was not the minimum threshold of two ministers, but four!

This alone is enough to show the cabinet's enthusiasm for this matter.

In addition to the many congressmen who were invited, twenty-seven demon kings whose territories were located in coastal areas were also invited to return to the Demon City to report the losses of their territories in the "Great Storm" and attend the hearing as observers.

They may not be present in person, but they will basically send their trusted aides.

As a member of parliament and a demon king whose territory is located in the coastal area, Luo Yan naturally received an invitation from the Supreme Council Chamber, and will be the only demon king sitting at the main table to participate in the meeting process and the final vote.

Although he could entrust his office secretary, Karisman, to attend on his behalf, or delegate other confidants to vote...but that would be tantamount to giving up the opportunity to declare his own interests.

Of course he couldn't give up such a great opportunity.

He wanted to use this meeting to win over all the forces he could, while weakening those forces that might hinder him.

As for the specific operations, it involves the art of balance.

He had to spread the word that he had a vested interest and had participated in the game of "Hell and Empire", but he couldn't let everyone think that he had eaten up all the chips and become a dish on the table.

After a few pleasantries, Karan got straight to the point.

"I'm really sorry to bother you at this critical moment, Mr. Luo Yan. I believe you have already learned the whole story through the channels of the parliament, but I still have to repeat it as a routine matter... The cabinet attaches great importance to the 'big storm' that occurred in the vast ocean. The top leaders will need to evaluate the impact of the 'big storm' on the surface outposts of His Majesty the Demon God and the empire based on the intelligence feedback from various demon kings, and use it as a reference for future decision-making."

Luo Yan nodded calmly.

"I understand. After all, that 'storm' was beyond everyone's expectations."

Karan sighed, his eyes looking a little tired for a moment.

"Yes... It seems that you already know it. I have nothing to hide from you. All signs indicate that the storm was not a simple natural phenomenon, but was caused by the energy overflowing from the warp. If it was just an earthquake, the cabinet would not have such a big reaction, but our respected religious minister insisted that it was done by the Dragon God... And a thousand years ago, our relationship with the Dragon God was not harmonious."

Luo Yan nodded, hiding the intriguing smile on his face.

Dragon God?

That guy who is still breastfeeding doesn't have such a supernatural ability.

Since the DNA of the meat lizard could not activate the landing capsule of the "Conqueror", and her previous corpse was picked up by herself, this guy who lost his identity as a "noble citizen of the Zeta Empire" and "Dragon God" and became a "livestock" is now facing a double collapse of mind and body, and a complete breakdown of defense.

She will never be able to return home in this life.

And it’s best not to be found by people from your hometown.

"...Mr. Luo Yan?" Noticing that Luo Yan seemed distracted, Karan reminded him softly.

"Nothing, I'm just... surprised by the name Geli Gao." Seeing Kalan looking at him with a strange expression, Luo Yan coughed lightly to cover up the unnatural smile, and continued, "I didn't expect that he and the Dragon God actually have such a deep... hatred? Is there any grudge between them?"

"I don't know about that, but he is also an old man who has worked for the God of the Underworld. Maybe he has seen that guy on the battlefield... Well, let's not talk about him for now." Karan seemed to accept Luo Yan's explanation and quickly ended the topic.

There had been rumors in the Magic City before that Goligo was not happy with the death of Elder Zakro, and even had a dispute with the Minister of Intelligence, Karamos Melusine, because of it.

Considering that Zakro is a student of Goligo, and Karamos Melusine is a close friend of Festing Padrich, Luo Yan is Festing's favorite "prospective son-in-law", and he is also the one who directly killed Elder Zakro... Luo Yan and this religious minister must have a bad relationship. As a nobleman on the edge of the power center of the Magic City, Kalan does not want to intervene in the conflict between the two factions.

Luo Yan nodded and changed the subject.

"So, they plan to bring the dispute to the Supreme Council."

"Exactly. And... this time it's mainly a dispute between Caesar Colin and Gorigo Soren. I believe you know them better than I do, so I won't elaborate on their opinions."

Karan nodded and continued in a businesslike tone.

"In addition to these two, the neutral Chief Minister Asmon Ankein and Intelligence Minister Karamos Melusine will also attend. The Ministry of Internal Affairs attaches great importance to this meeting and requires subordinate units to prepare a meeting outline. The task assigned to the Demon King Management Department is to communicate with the summoned demon kings before the meeting begins and summarize the intelligence. The demon kings attending as observers can raise objections to any discrepancies between the summarized intelligence and the facts. If they have no objections, they will not make any additional statements. This will save time compared to every demon king speaking once..."

When he said this, he smiled embarrassedly and spoke politely.

"So... please cooperate with us and say whatever you want."

Luo Yan smiled faintly and spoke in a gentle tone.

"It's my pleasure, let's get started."

Seeing Luo Yan's cooperation, Karan breathed a sigh of relief, cleared his throat and said.

"Then I'll get straight to the point... Although we know that Thunder County is located behind the Whirlpool Sea, I still want to ask, has the storm affected your area?"

Luo Yan picked up the teacup and took a sip, then stared at the mist and thought for a moment before speaking.

"The labyrinth in Thunder County is far away from the center of the storm, so we were not affected. The only change was probably that it rained for a few days. However, the east coast of the Whirlpool Sea has a rainy summer, so there is no direct evidence to show that it was affected by the 'big storm'."

As he spoke, he placed the teacup back on the tray, and the porcelain made a slight crisp sound when it collided.

"The more imminent threat to us is the Chaos Legion from the Warp Desert."

Hearing this, Karan's brows relaxed a little and he nodded.

"Then I'm relieved... So, you don't know the details of the storm that seems to come from the warp?"

Luo Yan raised the corner of his mouth.

"Not at all."

Karan was slightly stunned, then instantly perked up, leaning forward and asking.

"Oh? What are the details?"

Luo Yan gently pushed the teacup forward and answered calmly and calmly:

"One of my servants, or believers, happened to be swept into the storm that swept across the vast ocean. When he woke up, he happened to be on an unfamiliar beach."

"...A strange beach?" Karan was stunned and frowned slightly, "Then what?"

"Then... he saw a scene that he would never forget." Luo Yan was silent for a moment, and brought Kalan, who was listening attentively, into the story he had made up long before returning to the Magic City. "It was not an island, nor was it the 'New World' we are familiar with. It was a brand new land located in the middle of the vast ocean that had never been discovered."

"He was very surprised because there was no trace of the land on any nautical chart. It seemed to appear out of thin air in the sea."

"This reminds me of the legend about the dragon's hometown. It is said that the Dragon God and his people originated from a place called Janna Continent... Maybe my servant stumbled into that place by mistake."

"And what surprised me more than that—"

"According to him."

"There are already Imperial colonies there."

(End of this chapter)