The Demon King is unfathomable

Chapter 317 The kings come to the audience!

To the Imperial Navy Command:
Saint Sith, I wish His Majesty the Emperor good health. I would like to report to the Navy Command on the initial results I have achieved during my stay in Deadwood Port on the Jana Continent.

First of all, regarding alternative solutions to the supply problem, I have successfully contacted the local lord, Prince Colin.

This distinguished gentleman is a true nobleman. I am impressed by his noble character. Even though his family has been separated from the Empire for 500 years, his heart is always with the Emperor and he has expressed his genuine concern for our situation, even though his territory has also been severely affected.

According to him, 500 years ago his ancestors were ordered to go to the depths of the Vast Ocean to search for new land, but unfortunately encountered a shipwreck. They then settled down in the continent of Janna and established a colony in the northern coastal area, taking in those who had suffered the same miserable fate as him. It was not until recently that a sudden storm destroyed the barrier of the Dragon God Gutaf, which allowed him to regain contact with us.

Putting aside these trivial matters, with the introduction and assistance of His Royal Highness, we have initially drawn up a plan to reach a grain import agreement with the United Kingdom of Gutaf. Although the relevant agreement is still under negotiation, according to Prince Colin, there should be no big problem... As long as we can solve the transportation problem, he will provide the grain we need.

The main reasons why I chose this solution are as follows:
First, this move can effectively alleviate the current food supply shortage problem facing Saint Ilburg. By purchasing food from the nearby Lizardman Kingdom, we can significantly shorten the supply route that originally required a long voyage across the Vast Ocean. This not only saves precious shipping resources, but also redistributes the surplus transportation capacity to more important weapons, equipment and strategic materials.

Secondly, through this grain trade, we can effectively test the true national strength and economic status of the Gutaf United Kingdom. Previously, we knew very little about this suddenly rising Lizardman regime, but through large-scale trade, we can take this opportunity to fully understand their production capacity, economic structure, and deeper political and military power, laying the foundation for the Empire's further actions in the future.

Third, and more importantly, we can establish a solid diplomatic relationship with the United Kingdom of Gutaf in the name of trade, driven by economic interests. According to my observation, the ruler of this kingdom is quite pragmatic and has a great interest in interests and economic development. If we can form an alliance with them, even if it is just a trading partner, it will form a huge strategic advantage for the empire in the future, whether it is to fight against the threat from hell or to contain other hostile forces.

Especially now that Hell has also shown interest in this continent, I think it is necessary for the Empire to strengthen its military presence here.

With all the above benefits, this move can be said to kill three birds with one stone. It is also the most appropriate and stable strategy I can think of under the current circumstances.

In addition, during my stay here, I was fortunate enough to witness the astonishing industrial capabilities of the United Kingdom of Gutaf, and their achievements in the field of steam machinery far exceeded my previous expectations.

Their mastery and use of steam engines has reached a level of perfection. Previously, the boiler of our steam sailing ship "Grace" was severely damaged in a storm, and it was repaired by Lizardmen engineers in Deadwood Harbor. The precision mechanical skills they demonstrated were amazing. Not only did they perfectly repair the damaged boiler, they also greatly improved the steam efficiency of the boiler!
Later, I drove the fleet to Deadwood Harbor for repairs, and the final result proved that what Captain Derek saw was not accidental - there was indeed something on those reptiles!
In terms of the technical strength they have demonstrated, it is no less than the top mechanical workshops in the empire! And their use of steam technology is not limited to navigation. Just like our use of magic, it has been integrated into every aspect of their lives!
Including food production!
There is no doubt that this situation deserves our high attention and further investigation and research to ensure that the empire can always maintain its technological advantage or at least not be surpassed.

I will continue to pay attention to the progress of construction and trade here, and report to the command again after further results are achieved.

——Commander-in-chief of the New World Eastern Coast Fleet, Hamelton!

】

……

The faint light of morning light passed over the highest steps of the Stairway to the Sun mountains, turning the tranquil Holy Lake into a sparkling golden color.

The sky was just getting light and the morning mist had not yet dispersed, but among the broken walls of Assam City, there was already a clanging sound that was no less loud than that of Deadwood Port.

A loud cry was heard in the distance, pushing away the thick clouds.

"Just send me here."

Luo Yan, riding on the back of the wind lizard, gently patted the back of its neck. The lizard responded to him with a long cry, then sank its body and dived into the milky white cloud.

Luo Yan took advantage of the situation and flew into the air, his mind moving slightly.

A gentle breeze tugged at his body, bringing him back to the ground from a height of thousands of meters, until the soles of his boots sank into the soft grass by the lake.

Including the time spent in the Wind Howling Tribe, hundreds of kilometers of mountain roads were covered in just one day.

In fact, if he used the teleportation array, his speed could be even faster, and he might even need less than a day. Maybe he said goodbye to General Hamelton in the morning, and sat down with the chiefs of the chiefs' meeting at noon.

As early as when he first set foot on this continent, he asked Alacdo to build fast-passing teleportation arrays on both sides of the Sun Stairs Mountains to transport important military supplies and small military forces to attack Assam City. Today, this channel is still in use, mainly used to help players travel quickly and transmit important intelligence.

Unfortunately, although the players can ignore the impact of the subspace, Luo Yan himself is already at the platinum level, and the losses from traveling through the subspace are becoming increasingly difficult to ignore.

If it is not a long journey across the ocean or even across the planet, or if there is some urgent matter that requires immediate transfer, it is better not to use the teleportation array if possible.

He has just recovered to the peak of gold level, and it will take another three to five days to get back to the platinum level.

Standing by the lake, Luo Yan cast his gaze towards the city of Assam located in the center of the holy lake. His sight passed over the misty lake surface and saw the lizard people busy shuttling among the broken walls.

As the aftermath of the storm ended, the residents of Assam City moved back, and the professional players active in this area gradually moved from front-line jobs to first- and second-line management positions.

From the perspective of physical work alone, these lizardmen are simply born beasts of burden.

After all, every gene in them is the result of the Zeta Empire's biotechnology. If the supernatural power is not involved, the Stoneman race is probably the only one in the cemetery that can compete with them.

But then again, the Stoneman race itself was created by supernatural power and cannot be considered a typical creature. If this point is taken into consideration, the Lizardmen of the Janna Continent are indeed worthy of the title of "the strongest cattle and horses on the surface of the earth".

Relying on the experience accumulated in the reconstruction work, a skilled life professional player can often command 5 to 10 Lizardman workers and be responsible for 1 to 2 reconstruction projects.

The two sides complement each other's strengths, one provides brains and the other provides physical effort. The entire construction progress can be described as having wings.

It is worth mentioning that Luo Yan also noticed that the Lizardmen of Assam City built some simple inland river docks on the shore of the island in the middle of the lake and on the edge of the city wall ruins, shuttling back and forth between the shore of the holy lake and the river connecting the holy lake.

They use some raft-like sampans to transport non-recyclable construction waste to the outside of the holy lake, and then transport the processed wood and stone back to the holy city.

In addition to relying on human rowing, some larger sampans are equipped with small steam engines, which look like a small boiler with a propeller blade inserted. They are tied to a raft made of logs with hemp ropes and are at risk of falling apart at any time.

However, it is undeniable that this simple and crude method is indeed very effective. It has greatly improved the speed of material transportation and is more than twice as fast as animal-powered carts and human-powered trailers!
Luo Yan knew without guessing that this was definitely an idea thought up by the players.

After all, the lizardmen of the Janna continent didn’t have such things as ships before, let alone installing steam engines on ships.

Perhaps in the future, Assam will become a water city similar to Venice, with a prosperous urban area surrounding the vast holy lake.

This is also possible.

Floating beside Luo Yan, Youyou said with emotion in a low voice.

"If General Hamelton saw this scene, he would probably be shocked."

No one could still see the milky white body.

However, Luo Yan was already able to observe this guy's existence without the help of a mirror.

"Maybe... maybe I'll be disappointed." Luo Yan replied without comment, then gently waved the magic wand in his hand, summoned a skeleton horse emitting the aura of the underworld from the rising purple mist, turned over and rode on it, heading towards the direction of the holy city.

The lizardmen who saw him along the way stopped and nodded, casting awe-filled glances at his back.

After seeing the miracle of the Dragon Temple rising into the air and then falling from the sky, almost all the residents of Assam willingly surrendered to him and offered their faith and loyalty to him.

As for the players, some looked at him curiously, while others showed surprised expressions, with different expressions.

Luo Yan nodded slightly to his believers without disturbing their work and life. He went straight through the city wall where only one gate was left. Behind the gate was a different world.

Lizardmen carrying baskets full of stones were running on the streets, little demons flapping their wings were handing wrenches to the undead standing on the scaffolding... There was hardly a single idle person in the entire city.

Steam cranes puffing out white mist pulled ropes to bring materials up from higher places. Wooden masts wrapped in vines lined the streets, looking out like an expanding metal jungle.

The water vapor dripping down the copper pipe was like the sweat of the giant beast of Assam City, moistening the charred stone roads and the melt marks along the stone roads, and stitching up the ugly scars imprinted on this land bit by bit.

Continuing along the street, there is a dilapidated market, surrounded by several temporarily divided sheds.

Lizardmen laborers from all over the Janna continent all temporarily live here, exchanging their work wages for corn porridge and other daily necessities including cloth from goblin merchants.

Not far away, there were a few players using iron hooks to lift up the bent corrugated iron sheets. There was a simple stall next to it, and on the notice board next to the stall was written - [Limited Time Mission: Collect recyclable construction materials, and get 100 ghost money as reward].

A lizardman laborer was holding a slate in his hand, seemingly arguing with the player about the size. Even with the help of the translation crystal, the languages ​​of both sides were not exactly the same, so they had to use their hands and feet to gesture, and even use their tail to draw lines on the ground.

Luo Yan was very pleased that his clever little players were no longer satisfied with simply issuing tasks to other players, but had now learned how to issue tasks to NPCs!
A long time ago, he had to do this himself.

Not only that, he was also pleased to see that beneath their arguments there was a surge of vigor and eagerness - as if the reconstruction progress of Assam City was more important than anything else, because everyone was betting their future on this city.

Not just your own.

It's the entire ethnic group.

"Although they have lost their old traditions, they will surely live a better life than before as time goes by... It's really cause for celebration." Youyou nodded her abstract head in appreciation, feeling sincerely happy for these hardworking reptiles.

"That's true." Luo Yan nodded, and rarely did he add anything to Youyou's point of view.

At least--

The slave class was completely eliminated.

Including the bad habits of blood sacrifice and cannibalism.

As they move towards the future, they will certainly face new problems, but as long as they don't stop, those new problems that arise one after another will definitely be solved over time...even if the process may be full of twists and turns.

But isn’t that how the world works?

If you just open the real historical materials and read a little, you will know that there has never been a so-called one-step, perfect optimal solution in this world.

He makes promises to his believers because he stands on the side of the gods and must do what the gods should do.

Those who do not believe at all will go to his hell, and those who believe completely will naturally be his leeks, and they will not know it. However, being his leeks is not too miserable, at least he comes from a civilized society, and his bottom line is far higher than the average level of this world, but he is not like Taf, who is completely out of the horizon and seems very high, but is actually low to the other side of the center of the earth - making his believers suffer in pride and fanaticism, and finally making his bones into a scepter, exposing his body to the public and not allowing it to be buried.

Luo Yan walked through the market and came to the temple where his statue was enshrined. The temple, which was made up of broken granite stones, was still solemn and majestic. Having been bathed in the sight of believers for a long time, the moss-covered stone bricks were coated with a layer of mystery and solemnity that was even greater than before.

Noticing the Demon King, a robed acolyte came forward and bowed respectfully to him.

Luo Yan motioned for him to stand up, then gave the order in a majestic voice.

"Go tell the chiefs of Sandridge, Tide, Windhowl, and the other tribes, and the King of the Chosen whom they have chosen."

"I want them to arrive at this temple before sunset to meet their master."

“I will give them a new mission.”

The lizardman monk kept his tail pressed against the stone slab, clasped his hands together, nodded, and left.

After giving the order, Luo Yan dismounted, dispersed the skeletal warhorses crawling at his feet, then walked straight into the temple and came to the audience hall on one side of the temple.

Compared to the audience hall he had in the Thunder County maze, this hall was obviously smaller.

However, although it is small, it has everything and the sense of ceremony is everywhere, whether it is the candlesticks on the wall or the granite throne on the stairs... they are all reproduced one-to-one.

When he is not here, it serves as the meditation chamber for the Chieftain and the Chosen King.

And when he was here, this was the place of worship - or "court" - of the United Kingdom of Qutaf.

Luo Yan walked to the granite throne and sat down. He closed his eyes and was about to meditate when he suddenly felt a faint warmth coming along the angular chair and pouring into his body...so that the granite that should have been cold was like a warm unpolished jade.

That was certainly not because his throne had been sat on by someone else and still had someone's body temperature left on it, but because the pure power of faith, after coming into contact with his body, gathered into a force like a hot spring.

Affected by this force, he felt that the supernatural power that had been damaged by the subspace was slowly recovering!
not only that!

When Luo Yan closed his eyes and meditated, he clearly felt that his mental power was more condensed than usual!

It was as if a single-core processor was plugged into countless tiny processing units, and as if the meditations of thousands of believers were condensing into star-like cells in his vast sea of ​​consciousness!

He was not alone in his meditation at this moment——

What he thinks is what everyone thinks!
Realizing the mystery behind this, Luo Yan's face gradually showed an expression of surprise.

"Youyou, what's going on?"

"I, I don't know either... There is no record of similar situations in the information left by Lint Isaac. What do you think, Lord Demon King?" There was a hint of confusion in Youyou's voice, and it was obviously the first time he had seen such a situation.

Luo Yan closed his eyes and continued to feel it for a while, the surprise between his brows becoming more and more obvious.

"I feel like my meditation has been accelerated, and my efficiency has increased by more than three times... But it's strange. I also meditated in the audience hall when I was in the labyrinth of Thunder County, but this situation did not happen."

Youyou circled around him several times, touching the abstract little head with her chubby hands, and suddenly proposed a possibility.

"Could it be... related to the spiritual characteristics of the lizardmen on the Janna continent?"

Luo Yan's heart moved, and he vaguely thought of something.

"Spiritual traits?"

He nodded hurriedly and continued.

"That's right... although I'm just speculating. Just like the power of faith can create the underlying code for the rules of this world, the thoughts of the people who gather the power of faith should also have an underlying code."

"This has nothing to do with belief. It's like a collective subconscious, or 'consensus'. For example, the people of the Empire believe from the bottom of their hearts that their emperor is immortal, so when their emperor sits on the throne, he really gains the power of immortality!"

When Luo Yan heard Youyou say this, he immediately understood what it meant.

Since the Lizardmen of the Janna continent became their believers, while they accepted the creed of the Great Necropolis, the power of faith of the Great Necropolis also absorbed the spiritual characteristics of these Lizardmen.

such as--

They believed from the bottom of their hearts, and had believed for thousands of years, that their Holy King possessed supreme power in the world.

That is why, when the person with the title of "Holy King" sits at the "highest position" in the hearts of all Lizardmen and meets the triggering conditions of the buff, he automatically obtains the blessings bestowed by tens of millions of Lizardmen in their subconscious.

The power of faith stored in the statue will slowly and unconsciously transform into the miracle that they yearn for from the bottom of their hearts.

Although this blessing will not allow Luo Yan to truly obtain supreme power, it will at least push him in that direction and reach the limit of what this blessing can achieve.

For example, the former Holy King Iz had reached the pinnacle of the Janna continent, and his golden scales exuded a majesty that no lizardman could resist.

After the great barrier was lifted, the continent of Janna was connected to the rest of the world, and the upper limit of this power was naturally raised... As for the limit, it was naturally the upper limit of one's own soul level, which was the peak of diamond level!
In other words, he had unconsciously become the de facto "holy king" in the minds of these lizardmen? !

This sounds really strange... It's as if whoever enters Assam City is the leader of the Lizardmen, and whoever defeats the Lizardmen is a part of the Lizardmen.

And he clearly said that he was the "Devil King".

Luo Yan was a little amused and helpless for a moment, but this did not prevent him from enjoying the pleasurable feeling and the abundant strength in his body.

This tremendous force is different from any kind of magic in the world. It is the purest and most powerful supernatural power!
If his and Youyou's speculation was correct, not only would he be able to achieve twice the result with half the effort by practicing here, but he would also be able to gain a series of buffs including eternal youth, rapid recovery of HP and MP, and so on!

"This is incredible... I guess I'll have to come here more often."

Youyou, who was floating nearby, added excitedly in a low voice.

"In fact, it should be the same if you are in the Great Cemetery. After all, the spiritual characteristics of the Lizardmen have been absorbed into your share of faith. Of course, considering the number of believers, the buff given to you by the throne here may be more effective."

After a pause, it continued to instigate.

"So, Lord Demon! For the sake of your strength and health, and for you to become an eternal existence in this universe as soon as possible, we must speed up the expansion of the territory of faith! We must strive to trample both the Demon God and the Saint Sith under your feet as soon as possible!"

You don't have to step on it, but eating it in one bite is a good choice.

Luo Yan smiled faintly.

"It's a matter of time... But everything has to be done step by step. Don't rush it."

Otherwise, Lint Isaac and Gutaf are both warnings. The gods who fell from the clouds are no better than rats crossing the street.

The surging power of faith slowly repaired the damage to his extraordinary power caused by the subspace. The wound that would have taken three to five days to heal was mostly healed in just one hour.

Just as Luo Yan was quietly feeling the power filling his whole body and converging into his sea of ​​consciousness, the sound of hurried and humble footsteps was heard outside the solemn hall.

The chiefs and elected kings who stayed in Assam did not keep him waiting long until sunset.

After learning that their "Holy King" had arrived at the audience hall, they set off almost immediately, rushing from all over Assam City at the fastest speed to meet their master.

A monk walked in from the side door of the audience hall and bowed respectfully to Luo Yan who was sitting on the throne.

"Master Demon...your servants are waiting at the door earlier than expected. Would you like to meet them now? Or I can invite them to the lounge to wait."

Luo Yan opened his eyes. His strength was close to his peak, and he exuded boundless majesty.

"Let them in."

The lizardman acolyte's tail trembled slightly, and he lowered his head humbly, and spoke in a trembling voice.

"As ordered."

As soon as the words fell, the tail that was sticking to the floor hurriedly retreated from the solemn audience hall like a small snake swimming into the cracks in the stone slabs.

Then the door of the audience hall opened, and the leaders of the Lizardman tribes entered one after another and prostrated themselves respectfully under the towering throne.

Pious, loyal, and reverent!
Almost the same expressions are written on faces of different shapes and colors.

Sitting on the throne, Luo Yan could see every inch of scales on their faces, and even the subtle textures on the scales.

With the dim light of the burning candle and the magic crystal, he could see almost every little thought and expression of theirs.

Not daring to be negligent in the slightest, the lizardmen leaders spoke almost in unison, as if they were meeting real gods.

"Greetings, Lord Demon!"

(End of this chapter)