The Demon King is unfathomable

Chapter 346: The Residents of the Holy City Urging for Updates

New World

[Front page headline: The glory of the temple: Prince Roxel Colin holds funeral for his father, the Pope comes to pray in person to highlight the family's honor!

At noon yesterday, the Holy City of the Empire witnessed a funeral of the century that will go down in history amid the solemn ringing of bells!

His Royal Highness Prince Roxell Colin, the heir of the Colin family with ancient and noble blood, held a grand memorial prayer and burial ceremony for his late father, Prince Nanfu Colin, at St. Clement's Cathedral.

The ceremony was presided over by the respected Pope Gregory IX himself, and the scene of the ceremony was solemn and elegant. The distinguished guests attending the funeral included Regent Granville Botta, Duke Albert of Valencia, Count Cassiter Hilfen, Marshal Laco Aberg, etc. They jointly expressed their respect and condolences to the Colin family and highly praised Prince Roxel Colin's piety and noble character.

Prince Colin said in his eulogy: "My father has been loyal to the Empire and believed in Saint Sith all his life. In the future, I will inherit his wishes and continue to contribute to His Majesty the Emperor and the people of the Empire."

The touching scene made all the citizens in the square cry. Under the prayers of everyone, the light of divine favor appeared in the sky above St. Clement's Cathedral!

Good things will be blessed by God. Let us bless His Royal Highness Colin and the wandering souls outside, and hope that they can find the way home under the guidance of the holy light!
At present, Nanfu Colin's coffin has been buried in the cemetery of St. Clement's Cathedral with the blessing of Gregory IX.

In addition, Prince Colin announced the charter of the Knights Templar at the end of the funeral, and presented it as a gift to the people of the empire in the name of the late prince!
】

[Second Edition·Exclusive Series: "The Adventures of Baron Cosia"

——The bizarre adventure story of Imperial Baron Titch Kosiah: how he survived a shipwreck, drifted alone to the coast of Janna, lived on a beach near the Stairway to the Sun Mountains for nearly ten years, and was miraculously rescued by the Imperial Navy in the end. Written by himself.

"Prologue"

I, Tichi Kosia, was born on a sunny day in a respectable baronial family in the suburbs of the Holy City. Although my family is not extremely powerful, it has enough assets to allow me to receive a good education and live a comfortable life without worrying about my livelihood. My father always hoped that I could be like him, content with the status quo, manage the family's land well, and eventually marry a lady of equal status and live a plain and decent life.

However, there seemed to be an invisible flame burning deep in my heart, and an ambition that was not satisfied with the status quo drove me. I was not satisfied with the limited income from the farm, so I invested my family property in business trade, which was full of risks and opportunities. I did have some success at first, but a wrong judgment made all my previous efforts go to waste, and even left me with heavy debts.

In order to regain my lost honor and wealth, I gambled all my remaining assets, purchased a sturdy merchant ship "White Whale", and personally led a fleet loaded with special products of the Holy City, sailing to the legendary New World full of gold.

The day I set sail was calm, and the seagulls at the harbor sang songs to bid me farewell. I was full of confidence, thinking that this voyage would be the beginning of my recovery. Sadly, the messenger of fate seemed to have arranged another completely different script for me... to punish my endless desires and greed.

When our fleet sailed to the depths of the boundless ocean, an unexpected storm pounced on us like a vicious dog from hell, and the sky instantly became darker than the deepest night.

The wind howled fiercely, and it rolled up huge waves as big as mountains, which easily tore our sturdy ship into pieces!
My mainmast broke with the first impact, making a teeth-grinding cry; the sailors' shouts and prayers were soon drowned out by the thunder and the roar of huge waves smashing the side of the ship, and finally I was the only one left on the deck.

I held on to the broken rudder tightly and watched the "Moby Dick" being torn into pieces by a series of huge waves like a landslide.

The freezing cold water swallowed me and I struggled in endless darkness and chaos until the last plank slipped from my hands and my consciousness sank into the abyss.

I don't know how long I drifted in the dark and cold water, maybe a moment, maybe an eternity. When I regained consciousness, I was lying on an unfamiliar beach scorched by the scorching sun.

The salty sea breeze blew around me. There was no sign of human life except the wreckage of broken ships and the endless sound of waves.

I struggled to stand up and looked around the desolate coast with only one thought in my mind - I was still alive.

And all of this may be Saint Sis's test of me... (To be continued)

】

……

The funeral at St. Clement's Cathedral has come to an end, but in the next one or two days, this funeral of the century will still be the focus of heated discussion on the streets of the holy city.

The nobles praised Prince Colin's emphasis on tradition, grace and elegance, while the citizens talked about the supreme honor of the Pope's visit and the newly established Knights Templar.

The young men who dream of expanding the territory for the empire are already excited and can't wait to board the ship to the continent of Janna to fight for the glory of the empire and the holy light!

However, in this quiet and bustling daily life, a new wave has quietly penetrated into the lives of the citizens of the holy city.

Holy City, Sage Street.

The afternoon sun was warm and gentle, and the "White Dove Café" on the street was filled with the rich aroma of coffee and the buzz of people chatting and laughing.

Mr. Clark, an accountant, is a frequent visitor here. He usually orders a cup of black coffee and then spends an hour reading the Holy City Daily Chronicle to learn about business trends in and around the city.

However, unlike in the past, the newspaper in his hand today was replaced by a little-known newspaper called New World.

The front page of this newspaper reported in detail the funeral that shocked the whole city yesterday. The content was detailed and informative, and the writing was easy to understand, so it was worth reading.

However, what really attracted Mr. Clark was the second page of the newspaper - the "The Adventures of Baron Cossiah" whose title was so long that it could almost be regarded as a short article.

He read the prologue almost in one breath, completely forgetting the cup of coffee in front of him that was gradually getting cold.

"Oh my god, that storm...it was like the roaring of hell!"

He muttered unconsciously, leaning forward, his eyes fixed on the words on the paper, as if he were on the "Moby Dick" struggling in the huge waves.

Especially when he read that the baron was swallowed by the sea and finally miraculously woke up on the beach, he couldn't help but exclaimed "Saint Sith!"
A citizen sitting at the next table was obviously a fellow traveler. He raised his head, gave Mr. Clark a knowing look, and lowered his voice.

"Sir, are you also reading the story of Baron Cosia? That story is really thrilling...isn't it?"

“Yes, it’s incredible!”

As if he had found a soulmate, Mr. Clark responded excitedly, "I really want to know what the poor baron will do next! And what is in that strange land?"

His fingers trembled slightly with excitement, and he turned the newspaper to the next page expectantly, his eyes searching the page eagerly.

However, no.

The next page contained some insignificant city anecdotes and a few small advertisements.

Mr. Clark was stunned. He quickly flipped through the newspaper again until he returned to the end of the preface of the second edition. Only then did he see the words that sounded like the devil's whisper:

(To be continued)
???

"Damn it! Where's that below? Why is it gone?!"

An uncontrollable groan came out of Mr. Clark's throat.

He felt as if his heart was being tightly grasped by an invisible hand, and then hung high up, unable to go up or down.

The suspense of the story, the worry about the baron's fate, and the curiosity about the unknown continent all turned into ten thousand ants, crawling on his heart and making him feel uneasy.

He put the newspaper down irritably, but couldn't help picking it up again, looking at the words "To be continued" over and over again, as if he wanted to burn through it with his eyes so as to see the words behind it.

And he wasn't the only citizen here cursing the line "To be continued".

Although some newspapers would serialize short stories in the past, they always had a beginning and an end, and would never disappear with an ambiguous ending like this irresponsibly.

Soon after, Clark heard a curse in the distance.

"Damn it! What newspaper company is behind this New World? They actually use such a shameless method to whet people's appetite!"

The man in the bowler hat cursed indignantly, but his body made an honest decision, "They'd better put the sequel of the story in the next issue of the newspaper! I swear, after they finish telling this story without a beginning or an end, I will never buy another issue of this crappy newspaper! Not even one!"

Hearing his curse, the man sitting not far from him took a sip of coffee and said with a wry smile.

"My friend, I think you'd better worry about whether you can buy it. This kind of tabloid sells out very quickly. I just wanted to buy another copy from the newsboy to take back to my wife, but the boy told me that it was sold out... Saint Sis, they only printed 2000 copies of such a wonderful story! Did they do it on purpose?!"

Mr. Clark absentmindedly finished his already cold coffee, carefully folded the New World, and put it neatly into his briefcase, as if it were some precious treasure.

He made up his mind that the first thing he would do when he went out tomorrow was to grab a copy of the latest edition of the New World from the newsboy so as to learn about the fate of Baron Cosia and the mysterious continent.

His mind was now filled with the beach, the deserted island, and the baron stranded in the wilderness...as if he were the poor man who was abandoned on the beach by the storm and was suffering from the scorching sun.

On this day, in countless corners of the holy city, many citizens like Mr. Clark were experiencing that sweet and painful "torture".

Such an interesting story has never been published in the newspapers of the holy city, especially since the protagonist of the story is no longer a princess and a knight, but an ambitious and even rebellious man.

He was unwilling to be protected by his ancestors and wanted to start his own business. He was punished by fate, but with his own wisdom and courage, he opened up a road to wealth in the wilderness.

Not only that, this marketing method of serializing novels in newspapers and ending the story at the most exciting part was something that the citizens of the holy city had never seen before.

In this way, an unknown newspaper successfully entered the vision of the citizens of the Holy City with its bizarre and fascinating adventure story, and in an irresistible manner, became their most eager expectation the next morning...

……

Just like the heated discussions on "The Adventures of Baron Cosiar" on the streets of the Holy City, the place where the story originated - the New World newspaper - is also at the center of a noisy storm.

This fledgling newspaper is located on Kassen Street, a street in the holy city known for its run-down and depressed character, but its office is quite different from its surroundings.

Bright sunlight shines through the spotlessly clean glass windows, illuminating the neat office, where the floor is swept clean and the files and papers are neatly arranged in categories.

All this is thanks to the group of hardworking children taken in by Mr. Dinge Kayona.

Now, in addition to the orphans who came to help with odd jobs, the newspaper also hired some young people who graduated from nearby community colleges. Cosell kept his promise and offered the former a monthly salary of 1200 copper coins, and the latter a monthly salary of 3000 copper coins.

Although this amount of money is not a huge sum, compared to their not-so-arduous workload and the average salary level in the Holy City, it is already an enviable and generous treatment.

An officer's salary was certainly not enough to support the newspaper's expenses, but fortunately they soon received sponsorship from "Baron Cosia" himself.

Including the novel currently being serialized in the newspaper, it is also part of the Baron's sponsorship.

He did not ask for any royalties, but only asked for a share of the publishing income after the story was serialized.

In short, thanks to the help of Baron Cosia, Cosell's newspaper was able to open up the situation so quickly and carve out a path in the red ocean of the newspaper industry.

Considering that he would be leaving the Holy City for the Empire's academic capital in a few days, Luo Yan planned to come and check on the newspaper's operations before leaving.

This is an important chess piece he left in the Holy City, although it is still very small at present.

As soon as his carriage stopped at the intersection of Kasen Street, he was attracted by the scene before him.

A large crowd of people gathered in front of the newspaper office, blocking the already narrow street.

Among these people, there are well-dressed, shrewd and capable publishers, other newspaper reporters holding notebooks and sharp eyes, and more are ordinary citizens with anxious faces - they are obviously loyal readers of "The Travels of Baron Cosia".

"When will the next issue be released? We are willing to pay double the price to pre-order it!"

"I'm from Lion Publishing House, and I hope to talk to your president about the publishing rights of this book!"

"Can't you write more? This short paragraph every day is really too much of a torture!"

"Did Baron Cosia really write this? Why is the version I heard at the port different?"

Noisy requests and inquiries came one after another, surrounding the small newspaper office like an iron barrel.

At this moment, someone in the crowd was sharp-eyed and saw Luo Yan getting off the carriage.

"Look! It's His Royal Highness Prince Colin!"

A sudden exclamation drew everyone's attention.

After a brief silence, the crowd suddenly erupted in an even more frenzied commotion than before.

"Oh my God! Even His Highness Colin is here!"

"I didn't expect that Your Highness is also a reader of "Baron Cosia's Adventures"? Do you think Baron Cosia can survive?"

"Are you out of your mind?! The Baron was conferred the title by this prince!" "Hiss... I remember now! Your Highness, in which episode did you appear? I'll start watching from the episode you appeared!"

They excitedly rushed towards Luo Yan, hoping to have a few words with this distinguished figure who was also "chasing the update".

Looking at the crowd in an uproar, Luo Yan was at a loss whether to laugh or cry for a moment and could only appeal to them to calm down.

Sarah and two guards of the manor stood closely in front of him, with sharp eyes and ready for battle.

The situation was about to get out of control, but fortunately Centurion Kossel arrived in time with two cavalrymen from the city defense force.

The tall horses and the cold armor on the soldiers immediately calmed the fanatical crowd.

"Citizens, calm down! The publishing house hasn't started printing yet. It's useless for you to stay here. The newspapers won't be delivered to you from here!" Looking at the citizens who surrounded Prince Colin, Kossel was sweating profusely, fearing that something might go wrong.

Fortunately, His Royal Highness Colin was a calm and easy-going person, and he was not offended by the enthusiasm of the citizens.

Under his gentle yet dignified persuasion, the tumultuous crowd finally dispersed reluctantly.

"Your Highness, are you okay?" Kosel dismounted and trotted to Colin, his serious face full of concern.

Luo Yan smiled and waved his hand.

"I'm fine. I just wanted to come here to check things out on a whim. I didn't expect to cause such a big commotion... I'm sorry to have caused trouble for your work."

"No way...it's us who scared you." Kosel said embarrassedly with a red face.

It was obvious that those citizens came for the newspaper, but His Highness Colin took the initiative to take the cause of the incident, which undoubtedly helped him a lot.

After the chaos subsided, a young man in his twenties walked out of the newspaper office quickly.

He is Dingge Kayona, who now also serves as the president of the newspaper.

Looking at Luo Yan, he rubbed his hands unconsciously, with a bit of shyness and embarrassment on his face, but more of it was enthusiasm and gratitude from the bottom of his heart.

"Your Highness Colin... I am so sorry to have caused you so much trouble. Thank you for your kindness in rescuing us."

Luo Yan smiled and shook his head, indicating that he didn't need to worry about it.

"It's just a small favor, President Kayona. Seeing that the newspaper is so popular, I am sincerely happy for you... It means that you have lived up to my kindness."

"Of course. How dare we let you down?" Caiona's face flushed, and he hastily made a gesture of invitation, "Are you here to inspect our work? Come this way!"

"Don't be so nervous. I can just go shopping by myself. You can go about your business."

Smiling and comforting him, Luo Yan walked into the newspaper office with the taciturn Sarah.

This three-story office building was converted from a private residence. The office rooms are very narrow and seem a bit cramped, but the decoration is very warm and the floor is very clean... It is obvious that the people who work here regard this place as their home.

Walking into the office on the second floor, Luo Yan's gaze passed over the rows of crowded and busy desks and chairs, and soon stopped on a familiar face.

He was a boy of about twelve or thirteen years old.

His young face showed a maturity that was inconsistent with his age, and a cane was leaning against the table.

At this moment, he was meticulously checking the documents on the table. He seemed to be helping with some simple clerical work, and learning as he went along.

Luo Yan raised his eyebrows.

It is rare to see someone at this age being able to read.

"…Your Highness?! Why are you here?"

White noticed Prince Colin walking into the office at a glance. He was so surprised that he quickly held onto the table and tried to stand up and salute.

Luo Yan smiled, stretched out his hand, and gently pressed it on his shoulder to stop him from getting up.

"No need to be polite, I'm just here to take a look." His voice was gentle, and his eyes swept over the other young editors and children in the office who stood up at the sound, "You guys continue to be busy with your work, and don't disappoint the expectations of the readers outside the door."

His words carried a reassuring power, and everyone, who had been a little nervous, breathed a sigh of relief and sat back in their seats.

Luo Yan's gaze returned to the young man with a rosy face.

Just then, he suddenly noticed a manuscript next to White, on which were some familiar doodles.

"What is this?" he asked curiously, looking at the manuscript.

"It's an abstract painting, Your Highness! You should be familiar with it!"

Seeing that His Highness noticed his work, White immediately introduced it familiarly with a gleam in his eyes.

"This concept has been very popular in the art world of the Holy City recently, especially among young people. It's just a pity that not many people are willing to invest in this new style... You know, those great nobles will only invest in painters with real potential and reputation, and most of those who are willing to follow this new trend are unknown young people."

Luo Yan raised his eyebrows, and had some guesses in his mind: "Are you writing a report about this art trend?"

“I guess so,” White said excitedly, “but it has more to do with an exhibition with the theme of abstract painting!”

When Luo Yan heard this, he almost choked on his own saliva.

"Abstract paintings...art exhibition?"

"That's right!"

White's tone was full of recognition of the new things, and he nodded excitedly.

"There is a kind-hearted lady who is willing to give money to those unknown young artists to showcase themselves. She invested in this exhibition... Well, I think this is also related to the fact that her budget is not sufficient."

Without waiting for His Highness to speak, White continued with a sharp gaze: "Regardless of whether anyone invests or not... Don't you think this is great? I've learned that this is a very low-threshold way of painting. Whether it's the use of colors or the paint itself, you can splash it on paper in any way. My sister even said that she can paint this kind of painting!"

"Me! I didn't say that!"

Diona, who was standing aside helping to sort out documents, blushed when she heard her brother's words.

She glared at her brother fiercely, then immediately looked at Prince Colin nervously, fearing that he would be angry because of these words.

After all, she had heard from others that this trend sweeping the young art circle seemed to be brought about by the lecture given by His Highness at the Imperial Academy of Arts.

Normally, my brother has a very high EQ, but today, for some reason, he forgot to be so reserved.

Luo Yan is not that petty.

But to be honest, he did feel a little embarrassed, especially because he didn't expect that the nonsense he said in class would have such a big impact on the young people in the Holy City.

but……

This is a good thing.

He pondered for a moment and gave his opinion.

"I think... this is indeed a good thing. Expressing oneself should not be the exclusive domain of the rich and powerful. This world is full of discipline for the powerless. Young people like you should also make your voice heard. This is the right given to you by Saint Sith."

"I knew you would think so!"

White's voice was trembling with excitement, and he looked as if he was about to bow to His Royal Highness the Prince in the next second. "So, our newspaper plans to promote this exhibition for free, and the way is... let those young artists who will be exhibiting their works at the exhibition draw illustrations for our serialized "The Adventures of Baron Cosia"... That's it!"

As he spoke, White rummaged through the documents on the table and carefully displayed a four-frame illustration in front of Luo Yan.

Luo Yan took a closer look and was dumbfounded again.

Holy shit... a four-frame comic?!

This was the first word that came to his mind.

The drawing paper is divided into four squares, and a story segment is outlined with simple lines.

The protagonist in the painting, the little man with a head painted like the letter "Q", is undoubtedly the unfortunate Baron Cosia.

He suddenly realized that this creative idea of ​​using simple colored abstract sketches to represent characters was simply amazing!

It not only cleverly avoids the trouble that might be caused by hastily publishing the portrait of aristocrats in newspapers, but also, through this minimalist combination of elements, makes the image of Baron "Little Q" more vivid, interesting and deeply rooted in the hearts of the people.

This is something that even magic photos can't do!

only……

The more Luo Yan looked at him, the more he felt that this "Little Q" lying on the beach with an exaggerated expression looked so familiar.

He stared at the painting for a long time, and a name that had been buried deep in his memory from his previous life suddenly popped up -

"The Adventures of Tintin".

Grass!
Can't say they are somewhat similar!

They are exactly the same!
"Your Highness?"

Looking at Prince Colin who was in a daze, White waved his hand in front of him in confusion.

Luo Yan quickly came back to his senses.

He cleared his throat to hide his inner turmoil, and said solemnly: "I think... this is very creative. Although I didn't expect you to understand 'abstract' art in this way, but... this concept of not sticking to authority and boldly trying is exactly what I advocate. You've done a great job, just go for it."

"Thank you! You are so kind! Thank you for supporting our cause so generously. We will definitely repay you in the future!"

White got a positive answer and smiled sheepishly.

His expression became a little embarrassed and he hesitated for a while, but he finally plucked up the courage and looked at the respected His Highness Colin with a glimmer of expectation in his eyes.

"Come to think of it, Your Highness, I think our ideas are quite compatible. You...you really don't want to consider adopting me as your son? I'm easy to raise, really."

Diona's heart tightened when she heard this. She looked at her brother nervously, then quickly glanced at Prince Colin.

There was a hint of worry in her eyes, as if she was afraid that her most important family member would be taken away by this big shot.

However, the little girl's worries were obviously unnecessary.

Luo Yan had no interest in the little boy. He just smiled gently and reached out to pat his head gently.

"It's better for the legend of the Holy City to stay in the Holy City and shine. I'm leaving here soon."

White's face showed disappointment, but soon he showed an innocent smile and looked at him expectantly.

"Will you come back to see us?"

"Of course. Besides, it won't take long."

There was a hint of encouragement and expectation in Luo Yan's eyes, and he continued with a smile.

"Before that, let me see how far you can go in handling this 'trivial matter'."

(End of this chapter)