Thousand-Faced Dragon

Chapter 196 Changes in the Times
The chance encounter was perhaps just a minor incident for both of them, as they were both busy with their own work.

Rean, however, also received some good news from Suliman.
"A mirror demon? That lady is really generous."

The Mirror Demon's combat power is negligible, but its ability to traverse space clearly touches upon the realm of gods, and is a rare and precious space-based ability.

The seemingly comical little mirror spirits have virtually no fighting power, but they are actually divine beings. Don't think of divinity as something lofty and unattainable; a drop of water and the ocean are both water, but they are on completely different levels.

In the realm of the gods, in their kingdoms, in their independent planes, their essence and their divinity are abundant, much like the unique air and water of that place. Life growing up in such an environment often possesses special abilities derived from the gods.

After leaving their home, they will inevitably weaken. Celestial beings, demons, monsters, and elemental beings are all, in a sense, examples of this.

However, the planes/gods they inhabit are too powerful. Even though these beings retain considerable power after leaving their original planes, they will inevitably weaken over time and eventually return to their native planes.

In the divine realms of some deities, the more a divine being relies on "local rules," the more special its authority tends to be.

For example, the Wax Melting Fairy attendant of the former Dark Elf chief god has legendary, ever-changing characteristics.

The Mirror Demon possesses both the concepts of "shadow" and "mirror," and thus has the ability to tear and connect spaces, which is quite precious in the multiverse.

However, they are still creatures that can only live in the Mirror Goddess Kingdom, and living in the main plane would naturally cause them to weaken or even die.

If one constantly uses their innate abilities, they will weaken even faster. Therefore, in order for the Mirror Demon to serve the entire underground exploration, it is necessary to constantly replace these "divine creatures".

Simply opening the gates of the shadow plane repeatedly, letting these creatures go back to replenish their blood and rest, and then opening the gates again to send them over for overtime work, will consume the power of the gods.

After all, in a sense, these "derived creatures" are all part of the divine realm.

They are the retinue of the gods, and outsiders cannot control them. You can't persuade the cells of a god to betray Him, can you?

Even if a few occasionally defect and leave the nourishment of the divine kingdom, they will soon die. In theory, these mirror demons are entirely Silver Bottle Mirror Girl's exclusive business.

"They should be able to significantly accelerate the exploration. At the current pace, it's simply too difficult to break through this unknown depth of the ruins in two years."

Rean, however, knew that reality was even crueler than estimated; the area that people on the surface had explored was only a tiny fraction of the entire underground ruins.

The further down the mountain you go, the more important logistics and order become, and these issues cannot be resolved through normal means.

"They can shorten the distance between above-ground and underground."

Compared to other teleportation spells, this "divine authority" brings more stable spatial teleportation (unless interfered with by beings of the same level), and the to-and-out teleportation consumes almost zero resources.

The Mirror Demon's teleportation ability is its basic characteristic; it doesn't require any magic power and is considered an instinctive innate ability.

Clearly, this can greatly increase the speed of conquering underground ruins and even help achieve the goal of reinforcing the "evil god's seal".

Dania subconsciously fiddled with the ring in her hand. She had tried it on several fingers, but it always felt subtly unsuitable. It wasn't because she couldn't wear it; many high-end magic rings have built-in adaptability.

However, it just didn't feel right no matter which finger she wore it on.

"Click." She switched to another finger, feeling a little annoyed. She noticed the knights' strange looks, but when she glanced over, they were all busy wiping their swords.

So, with the help of her maid, she took a necklace, hung the snake-patterned gold ring around her neck, and put it inside her clothes.

Behind her, someone kept glaring at Rean, occasionally extending his empty left hand, which the young man pretended not to see.

The innocent will remain innocent; I really didn't mean anything by it!

Dania didn't really believe in the ring's effects either, thinking it was more of a comforting and friendly scam. If your neighbor's young man casually pulls out a broken stone and says it's a divine artifact from some god, no normal person would believe it.

What a coincidence! She had just mentioned her needs when the other party immediately produced a corresponding super artifact. In Dania's opinion, an item that could so easily deceive a god was more than just a divine artifact.

The name of the god he mentioned was one I had never even heard of.

Especially the last god's name, which is a bit too wicked, seems like a comforting joke or prank.

"Hmph, did you ask my mother before you asked if you wanted to be my father?"

In Dania's opinion, Rean was probably just trying to comfort himself because he felt he had no other choice.

"Since we're destined to walk this path of no return, at least let's walk it with a smile."

Dania carefully tucked the ring to her chest and smiled sweetly.

At least someone genuinely cares that there shouldn't be any problems after I become one of God's chosen people. Let's just take this as a joke and see how it goes.

"Let's continue. We'll return once we reach the 'Traders' Hall'."

It wasn't easy to come down here. Now that they had confirmed that the Mirror Demon's ability would work, Dania and the knights decided to proceed as planned.

"Traders' Hall? You mean that underground giant's banquet hall?"

It was a rather spacious area within an underground ruin, said to be structured like a giant's dining hall. It was later cleared out and used as a temporary transit point. Some merchants sold supplies or provided appraisal services there, naturally making it a gathering trading area.

However, it is said that the supplies have reached thirty times that on land, making it a paradise for black market traders.

"Yes, we plan to build it into a base and establish direct teleportation with the upper levels."

This is undoubtedly very good news. If there is a teleportation point that leads directly to the surface in the middle of the journey, it will not only mean that the consumption of the journey will be greatly shortened, but also that a large amount of resources can be more easily transported in and out of the underground ruins.

At the same time, if soldiers and knights from the kingdom are stationed at the outpost, it also means that the order on the surface is beginning to infiltrate this underground world.

"I see. So these tents and planks are for setting up camp?"

The knights also protected some artisans who would set up camps and shops in open areas, turning temporary camps into permanent towns.

Under normal circumstances, it might take more than a day to get here, and you'd encounter enemies along the way. If the Great Mirror Demon establishes a teleportation point here, the elite team can set off and return directly from here.

If supplies can be sold directly within the ruins, it can provide significant support to frontline soldiers.

"Uh, just to use it as a legendary portal and communicator?"

Rean, however, was somewhat surprised.

Since we're all going down this road, we'll naturally walk together.

"What's your opinion?!" The good mood from receiving the gift came to an end. When her "creativity" was questioned, Dania immediately started to glare at her.

After thinking it over, Rean finally spoke up. No one was any less intelligent than anyone else; there were just some things they hadn't experienced yet and needed some time to adapt and explore.

But what we lack most right now is time! Wasting a few more months could completely change the situation.

“I thought you were planning to have the little mirror spirit travel with the elite team to maintain real-time communication,” Rean finally spoke up.

“That’s what we intend to do.” Dania said smugly. She had already thought of it; the little mirror spirit could be used as a long-term communication tool.

"We can transmit the squad's battle footage and strategies directly to the rear, allowing professionals there to analyze them, provide intelligence support, and guide the squad in real time." What Rean said had precedents in the other world.

"For example, if Team A encounters a tough opponent and Team B is nearby, they can coordinate their efforts. If they encounter an opponent they can't defeat, they can also guide them on an escape route. For example, if they encounter a difficult monster in a certain place, they can gather several small teams to snipe it and have the Mirror Demon deliver counter-supplies to it."

"Uh, we're still considering it." Dania thought for a moment, and it seemed like it might actually work.

The emergence of bugged items like the Little Mirror Demon directly made real-time battlefield command systems a reality, and even allowed for the "airdrop" of supplies and weapons.

There were some things Rean didn't intend to say too clearly, but they were very important. With the little mirror demon's live stream, those "underground bandits/ambushers" and "team traitors" would be more restrained.

Deeper underground, seeing human figures is more frightening than seeing monsters.

The lack of trust makes most adventurers afraid to go too far or hire people casually, because who knows what might happen down there.

“Indeed, it can effectively reduce crime. Do you have any other suggestions?” Dania nodded, putting aside her personal emotions as the matter concerned the most important thing at hand.

After thinking for a moment, Rean realized that perhaps he could go a little over the line and speed up the progress a bit.

"Adventurers go down to explore, but many of them are not just doing it for money. Their greatest fear is dying silently down there. In the end, they are just trying to make a name for themselves. For many young people, honor equals future status, recruitment by other organizations, and a good life in the future."

The kingdom has repeatedly increased the bounty for underground monsters, but the effect has been rather mediocre, because it's truly a matter of risking one's life for money, and it's too unpredictable (the cycle is too long and you have to rely on luck to find them).

At this moment, not only was Dania listening to Rean, but the knights and servants around them also noticed Rean's words.

"Create a giant mirror demon and, in the most densely populated area of ​​Radiant City, broadcast the battle situation in those underground ruins, allowing ordinary people and surface warriors to observe the current state of their battles."

Rean shrugged. This kind of thing was quite common in his previous life. Some countries would not only broadcast their wars live, but also wage various propaganda wars and engage in mutual insults.

Actually, it's a bit better than that, since this is PVE rather than PVP, so there's no need to worry about a sudden "consolation" or "big surprise" falling from the sky during an online live stream.

However, this choice was not made solely for the sake of immediate gains.

"They want fame, so give it to them."

Similar dueling tournaments and arenas also provide opportunities for young people to make their mark, and they involve life-or-death PvP battles, but there are usually only a few such events a year, and not many powerful figures attend them.

"And when the mirror brings fame, profit, and opportunities for advancement to the victors, those who watch those below them get rich will naturally join in."

Rean has already seen the future.

"Heh, there might even be very powerful professionals who have traveled thousands of miles just to make a fortune and become famous here."

"And they might become the free, ready-to-fight force we need most."

(End of this chapter)