The Demon King is unfathomable

Chapter 559 That's a good question. I'll tell you after I've thought about it.

"Vivian."

The morning breeze swept through the camp, carrying away the lingering smells of herbs and blood that permeated the tents.

Upon hearing the Demon King's voice, Vivian, who was inspecting her territory, turned around instantly, her ruby-like eyes filled with surprise.

"Brother!? What brings you here?"

She lifted the hem of her nun's habit and ran over with small, quick steps, her face beaming with a bright, almost dazzling smile, like a squirrel that had found a pine cone.

"Did you sleep well last night? Did you sleep alone? You must have, right? I hope those naughty little mice didn't disturb your rest. If they did, Vivian will smear them!"

Looking at Vivian, who was babbling on and on, Luo Yan's lips curled up slightly as he patted the restless little head with a smile.

"You've been doing well lately."

Whether it was the Knights' affairs or what happened last night, Vivian was unusually useful.

He wanted to say that last night, but the timing wasn't right, and he was also busy with the aftermath and other work, so he got delayed.

"Hey..."

Vivian's cheeks flushed slightly, and she scratched her purple hair peeking out from the edge of her headscarf with her index finger, but her crescent-shaped eyes clearly said, "Praise me more."

"Thanks to your guidance, Vivian was merely riding on her brother's neck!"

This guy is surprisingly easy to understand, but the way he talks is a bit strange.

Luo Yan then praised her a couple more times to satisfy her vanity, before turning his gaze to Eileen, who was helping out not far away.

"Also, can I ask you for a favor?"

"Brother, just give the order! Vivian would gladly be tickled while hanging motionless on the bookshelf—"

"I don't remember doing that kind of thing."

Luo Yan coughed, interrupting her rambling thoughts, and continued speaking quickly.

"The thing I'm asking you to do is mainly related to Eileen. I hope you can get along well with her. Can you do that?"

The air froze for a moment.

The squirrel that found the pine cone transformed into a fully armed hedgehog in almost half a second.

"Why!"

Vivian's eyes widened instantly, her gentle and sweet smile vanished, and her ruby-like eyes transformed into a murderous crimson.

Although it was only for a moment, that blatant killing intent was suppressed by the Demon King's slightly raised eyebrows, turning into a trembling fear and a dam about to burst with grievance.

"What's so great about that guy? Vivian could do that too..."

"Can what?"

"No, it's nothing... Anyway, I need a reason!"

Looking at Vivian, who was sulking, Luo Yan remained silent for a while.

reason?

To be honest, he hadn't thought it through.

It's unlikely that Vivian, this little darling, would care about things like ancestral glory or extraordinary power. Therefore, excuses like "you two are mutually beneficial," "the Colin family has never corrupted such a powerful chosen one," or "to make you even more awesome" are obviously not going to work.

Coercion and bribery only work on naive investors.

However, the Demon King is a master of deception.

He looked thoughtfully toward the Wanren Mountains, his gaze distant, as if drifting to a place even farther than Huangtong Pass.

“I’m playing a grand game, and every move is crucial. And Eileen… is my pawn.”

"piece?"

“That’s right,” Luo Yan nodded, looking at the bewildered Vivian. “I can’t tell you now, but I will when the time is right.”

Vivian was indeed stunned.

Looking at the Demon King's handsome profile, brimming with wisdom, the crimson gleam in his pupils gradually transformed into a blush on his cheeks.

I see……

That woman was just a pawn, not a close comrade-in-arms, much less a friend with whom a bond had been formed!
As for that kiss that night, it was nothing more than a pretense!

"Kukuku..."

A series of suppressed, strange laughs rolled out of Vivian's throat, and her slender, pale fingers gently covered her lips.

"As expected of my elder brother, Vivian was worried that you would be corrupted by mere human women, but it seems that Vivian was overthinking it."

Ok?
Did I act too excited?
Luo Yan pondered for two seconds, but quickly put this trivial matter out of his mind and focused on the present.

"Then, may I ask you for a favor?"

"No problem, leave it to Vivian with confidence!"

The smile beneath the pristine headscarf grew increasingly sinister.

The little devil in Vivian's heart called "jealousy" was kicked away and replaced by the ecstatic joy of being an "accomplice".

awesome!
They manipulated that self-important "family member" at will, squeezed out all her value, and then kicked her away like trash.

This is the real demon!

No wonder he's Vivian's brother!
By then, Eileen will probably be crying and calling for her mother.

However, Vivian's smugness was as short-lived and weak as ever; the smile on her face had just begun to spread when it suddenly froze.

A bead of cold sweat slid down her fair forehead and dripped onto her black nun's habit, her crimson pupils trembling as if in an earthquake.

etc--

How to...get on good terms with Eileen?
Not a long time ago, a memory flashed into Vivian's mind: a restless early summer night.

The restlessness wasn't just from the cicadas chirping in the woods, but also from two bodies overlapping each other, and a nightgown as thin as a cicada's wing that covered absolutely nothing.

Vivian's face gradually turned pale.

She glanced in horror at her brother, who was nodding in satisfaction, and then at the "chess piece" who was enthusiastically helping out in the camp not far away. Her lips trembled.

By Bayeri, what blasphemy this is!
For the sake of his own ambition, his elder brother actually wants... to make Vivian sacrifice herself?!

That kind of thing...

Seeing Vivian's suddenly tragic expression, Luo Yan frowned slightly in confusion.

"Are you alright? If you're really not okay, then forget it..."

His initial intention was to eliminate the misunderstanding or barrier between the two of them, and he didn't mean for Vivian to feel wronged.

"Chirp, chirp, we're here!"

"...?"

"I will work hard!"

Luo Yan glanced at Vivian, who had almost bitten her tongue from exerting too much force, with a puzzled look, but ultimately said nothing and patted her head encouragingly.

"Yeah, good luck... but don't push yourself too hard. This isn't a mission, it's just... a suggestion."

Just in case, he added a sentence at the end.

Although Vivian's reaction was a bit off, he decided to believe her for the time being, knowing that this guy's head had never been in the right place.

As he watched the "nun" stagger away, a milky-white ghost silently appeared beside Luo Yan.

Tilting its semi-transparent head, it asked softly and leisurely.

"My Lord Demon King, speaking of which, I've always wanted to ask you... what exactly is this grand strategy you mentioned? Why haven't I figured it out even after following you for so long?"

"There's no need to be polite with your own divine essence," Luo Yan replied casually.

"That's a good question. I'll let you know when I've thought about it."

long:"???"

……

The flesh-and-blood royal court echoed with shrill roars throughout the blood-soaked hall, causing the skull chandelier overhead to sway precariously.

"Dead? All dead? Damn it! How could this happen!"

"Soul Shatterer" Moke had never been so panicked. He never expected that the gravedigger's so-called "getting serious" would actually be banging his head against the wall.

well.

Now, not only is Merlin's head smashed to pieces, but even his underling Shrek is nowhere to be found, dead in some corner.

He had initially felt a sense of relief upon hearing that Shrek had been captured by Merlin, hoping that the rats on Burial Peak might be able to hold on a little longer.

Now, all he felt was panic.

"Edgar! What about your plans? What about your promises? Is this what you call 'something to look forward to'?"

Professor Edgar Kaufman stood by the brazier, the flickering firelight illuminating his ever-changing face, as if he were illuminating a corpse.

He ignored the fat rat's hysterical roars, his expression remaining perfectly unchanged, yet the slight trembling of his fingertips hidden in his sleeve betrayed his inner terror. Merlin was dead…

The ruthless "gravekeeper" executor vanished silently into the forest outside Raven City!
Edgar felt a chill run down his spine when he thought about his encounter with Professor Colin that night; thankfully, his real body wasn't there at the time.

otherwise--

His fate will probably be no better than Merlin's.

Roxie Collin...

Edgar clenched his fists tightly, wishing he could chew the name up and swallow it whole.

However, more than cursing Colin, he is now worried about something else—the secrets hidden within Merlin.

Using newborns to produce pure soul matter is the latest technology developed in his laboratory. Previously, the holy water produced was a product obtained by repeatedly "distilling" the souls of adult Ryan people.

The "original liquid" obtained through the flesh-and-blood grinding wheel will produce a large amount of waste residue during the purification process, which is the unusable "spiritual substance".

Previously, they would just leave these things in the sun and let them decompose naturally, but Merlin suddenly had the idea to collect them and make them into weapons.

This is a highly innovative invention.

To be honest, Edgar did not approve of this approach.

Although this thing is incredibly powerful and can corrupt the most sensitive souls of extraordinary individuals, it is not so easy to obtain.

That chilling coldness that seeps into your bones can be felt even from a distance, let alone smelled up close.

It's not poison that can be applied to arrows; only by voluntarily ingesting it will one suffer a backlash from its spiritual properties. Even if it were used for poisoning, it would likely only affect lower-level superhumans and ordinary people.

But then again, do you really need this thing to deal with lower-level superhumans and ordinary people? Can't you just chant a spell?

Unless, of course, that guy wants to indiscriminately kill hundreds of thousands of people at once and disguise it as a mass psychotic episode.

That it can indeed do.

Edgar just hoped that Merlin hadn't taken that thing with him, and that he'd rather left it in some cave and forgotten about it.

If it falls into Colin's hands...

Whether his boss goes under or not, he's doomed!

“Speak up, Edgar! You damned wizard, I knew there wasn’t a single truth in the mouths of you humans!”

Seeing that Edgar ignored him, Mok jumped down from the throne. His foul-smelling mouth was almost touching Edgar's nose, spitting everywhere.

"Don't think you can get away with this! If the Carrion Clan is finished, you won't get away with it either! I'll expose all the filth you've done! We'll all die together! Nobody will survive!"

It's that same old, tired threat again.

Edgar frowned in disgust and took a half step back to avoid the suffocating stench of bad breath.

"Shut your filthy mouth! I'm trying to figure something out. But if you keep yelling like a shrew, I don't mind letting you experience the taste of silence first."

"You want to find a solution? What can you possibly think of—"

Moke's voice stopped abruptly.

In a corner of the Flesh and Blood Royal Court, the previously still shadows suddenly seemed to come alive, with eerie ripples spreading around them.

That was not an illusion caused by the flickering firelight.

Because the instant the ripples spread, an immense and suffocating pressure also descended upon this place without warning!

Edgar turned around abruptly and saw a figure standing in the corner that had been empty.

It was an old man wearing a gray cloak.

He looked ordinary, like any old man keeping vigil in a country church, with a string of old-looking brass keys hanging from his waist.

Even so, no one dared to ignore his presence. Especially "Soul Shatterer" Moke, who instantly revealed an expression of wild joy upon seeing him.

Edgar took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the pounding in his heart, and whispered in a hoarse voice.

"You've finally shown up."

Marius —

The "Hand of the Former King" of the Kingdom of Ryan!
A true master-level assassin!

Few assassins can train to the master level, but Marius is an exception.

He possesses a noble lineage, an innately resilient soul, and unwavering perseverance—three things that are almost impossible to find in one person at the same time.

At the same time, he is also the only true superhuman who broke through the bottleneck of his soul and obtained the strength of a grandmaster by relying on "holy water".

A flicker of excitement crossed Edgar's eyes, though a hint of wariness lingered beneath the surface.

He knew very well that their alliance was as fragile as paper, and that paper was now facing an unprecedented test.

Merlin is dead. If that old, immortal king of the Kingdom of Ryan wants to cut his losses...

With just a flick of his finger, Mr. Marius could silence him and that stinking rat forever, making them disappear from this cave.

"I kept you waiting."

Marius's voice was hoarse and soft, like a robe sweeping across a tombstone.

He didn't make a move, nor did he even glance at the trembling rat-man. He simply emerged slowly from the shadows and continued speaking in a soft voice.

"His Majesty has some personal matters to attend to, and I've only recently had some free time... Tell me, what's the situation now?"

Upon hearing this, Edgar's tense shoulders relaxed slightly; it seemed the king had no intention of giving up.

certainly--

Perhaps it was Mr. Marius's own idea.

"It's a bad situation."

How bad is it?

"Merlin is dead, and the things he possessed have disappeared. Our enemy is actually a prince of the empire. He has somehow gathered a large group of people, and there are already three forces openly attacking us. We don't know how many more are hiding in the shadows."

Edgar waved his wand, and a map flew out and unfolded in front of them. With another wave of his wand, a red circle appeared on the mountain peak in the southeast corner of the map.

"The allied forces of the Duchy of Campbell and the Kingdom of Gutaf are continuing their northward advance. They have spun off a force deep into the northeast, which is also the target of the Kingdom of the High Mountains."

“Once they open up the corridor to the High Mountain Kingdom, our second line of defense in the south will become an isolated island in the mountains. Not only will the rats there suffer, but we will also have to lose several more workshops that refine holy water.”

Marius listened quietly, his face expressionless, as if he were calmly considering a solution.

Edgar waited patiently.

After about five minutes, just as he was about to lose his patience, the old man in the gray robe finally spoke.

"Leave that prince to me... I'll go and have a talk with him."

Edgar's lips curled into a sarcastic smile.

"Talk?"

Marius spoke in a very soft voice, his mouth like a leaky whistle.

"Let's talk first. If we can reach a happy ending, that would be best. If not... we also need to know who's backing him."

The most troublesome thing in the world is when we are intertwined, with each other in our own space.

Neither the Kingdom of the High Mountains, the Duchy of Campbell, nor the distant Kingdom of Gutaf, were the greatest threats in Marius's eyes.

The real threat is Colin.

This guy had already come into the gravediggers' sights during the Winter Coup. And the more they investigated, the more alarmed they became.

What's more terrifying than unfathomable depth is bottomless depth.

He preferred to believe that there was a bottomless hand behind this guy, encompassing both the Old World and the New World.

Otherwise, it's hard to explain why there are so many contradictory legends surrounding him...

Marius turned around, seemingly ready to re-enter the darkness.

However, just before he was about to disappear, he stopped, turned his head, and a barely perceptible chill flashed in his cloudy eyes.

"Also, Professor Edgar."

"The Kingdom of Ryan has already sacrificed the life of a Diamond-level transcendent for our common cause. I don't want to see the Academy standing by like a spectator, waiting to reap the benefits."

Edgar's face darkened.

"I know what to do without you telling me."

Sit back and enjoy the fruits of others’ labor?

These guys are really bold!
If the Kingdom of Ryan hadn't made such a huge mess, he would be in the lab conducting experiments right now, instead of helping this incredibly stupid fat rat come up with ideas.

Marius nodded slightly.

"very good."

The next second, his voice, along with his very existence, vanished into the bloody and gruesome cave...
-
(I had some things to do during the day, so I didn't finish writing the rest. I'll continue tomorrow... I feel completely drained from updating so much lately ==)

(End of this chapter)