Are you kidding me?! The boss of the Hell Dungeon is a loli!

Jiang Luo stopped chewing the candy.

"Are you waking up soon?"

The woman raised her hand, the chains clanging crisply, and pointed at Jiang Luo's chest.

"You've been reaping fear points from both humans and the supernatural during this time. These negative emotions are the greatest nourishment in the supernatural world."

Jiang Luo looked down at her chest.

"All the fear points you accumulated have been absorbed by Red Moon Castle as nourishment." The woman's voice took on a warmer tone. "He should wake up soon."

Jiang Luo's mind raced for a couple of seconds.

Then her face darkened.

"You mean, all the terror points Lolo painstakingly collected were stolen by that broken metal shell?"

"It wasn't stealing food, it was—"

"Lolo's panic level!"

ヽ(#`Д´)ﾉ I'll fight you to the death!!

Jiang Luo sprang up from the ground, her black leather shoes landing on the altar, and calamity patterns exploded from beneath her feet.

"No wonder that lousy metal guy has been exploiting Lolo the whole time! He takes a cut of every bit of fear he collects, he adds a markup to every item you buy, and he charges you to open every door. Lolo thought he was a heartless boss—"

She took a deep breath.

"So it was saving up for its own nutrition expenses!"

o(▼皮▼メ;)o

The woman smiled slightly as she watched Jiang Luo's furious outburst.

"So do you understand now? He's not exploiting you; he's using you to gather nourishment."

"Then why didn't it tell Lolo?"

"Would you still help him save if you told him?"

Jiang Luo opened her mouth, then closed it again.

will not.

Absolutely not.

If the broken metal shell told her, "Lolo, collect more fear points, I need nutrition while I'm sleeping," she would definitely uninstall the system immediately, take a scythe, dismantle the castle, and sell the bricks.

"So it lied to Lolo."

"It just wasn't telling the truth."

"That's called lying!"

Jiang Luo pulled the lollipop stick out of her mouth and flicked it hard towards the wall.

The candy stick hit the brick and bounced to the ground.

"When it wakes up, the first thing Lolo will do is settle accounts with it."

The woman didn't reply, but looked at Jiang Luo with a smile in her deep red eyes.

That gaze made Jiang Luo a little uncomfortable.

It wasn't hostility, nor was it a threat; it was a very warm gaze.

It's like watching a child throwing a tantrum.

"Don't look at Lolo like that."

"I'm sorry," the woman said, looking away. "You remind me of him when he was young."

"Lolo is not like him."

"Yes, you're much cuter than him."

Jiang Luo's ears turned slightly red.

She turned around, pretending to look at the crack in the wall, and popped the lollipop into her mouth and took a bite.

"Alright, alright, let's get down to business."

"you say."

"The broken metal shell is about to wake up, and then what? What happens after it wakes up?"

The woman did not answer immediately.

She reached out from the altar, her fair fingers threading through the gaps in the chains, and gently touched Jiang Luo's hair.

Jiang Luo did not dodge.

It wasn't because I didn't resist, but because that hand was too cold, as cold as a candle flame about to go out, making it impossible for me to muster the strength to refuse.

"Next, it's up to you to go to the Senate and reclaim the territory that belongs to Red Moon Castle step by step."

Jiang Luo tilted her head.

What do you mean?

Reclaim the territory belonging to Red Moon Castle?

The woman noticed Jiang Luo's confusion and smiled slightly.

"Where do you think the Senate's current territory came from?"

Jiang Luo was a beat slow in chewing the candy.

"A hundred years ago, the Crimson Moon Castle's influence extended across most of this strange world." The woman's voice softened, and the red light on the chains flickered slightly. "Otherwise, why do you think Jiang Juechen was called the Lord of Calamity?"

Jiang Luo's red eyes lit up for a moment.

"The Senate is in its current position entirely because of the Red Moon Castle."

There was a three-second silence in the hall.

Jiang Luo took the lollipop stick out of her mouth and twirled it around.

"You mean, the Senate's territory originally belonged to Lolo?"

"That's how it is."

Jiang Luo's mouth broke into a grin, revealing two sharp, white shark teeth.

She crouched down, her black leather shoes stepping on the edge of the altar, her hands supporting her knees, her red eyes filled with light.

"Then Luo Luo should go to the Senate headquarters and retrieve the things that belong to Red Moon Castle."

The woman smiled as she looked at the light dancing in Jiang Luo's eyes.

"This is what you need to do."

"Luo Luo is an expert at collecting protection money." Jiang Luo jumped down from the altar, her black leather shoes landing with a crisp sound. "Didn't Shura say he'd deliver the compensation in three days?"

"Lolo can't wait three days."

Jiang Luo slung the sickle over his shoulder, turned, and walked towards the door.

He took two steps, then stopped.

"Oh, right."

She glanced back at the woman who was bound by chains.

"What are you going to do? Stay here?"

"I can't leave." The woman shook the chains on her wrist. "This clone's energy can't last long. Wait until you're stronger before you unseal me."

"Lolo isn't exactly a saint, and how many terror points would it take to unseal him?"

"No need. The thing Jiang Juechen left inside you has now become an empty shell that can only mechanically complete tasks. Even if you really need the terror points to unseal it, you still need Jiang Juechen's consent."

"...Lolo doesn't believe it."

"Then we'll wait until Jiang Juechen wakes up to see."

Jiang Luo stared at her for two seconds, then turned and continued walking towards the door.

"Lolo, go collect the debts first, we'll talk about it later."

As the woman watched Jiang Luo's retreating figure, an imperceptible ice crystal transformed into blue light and silently flew towards Jiang Luo's body.

"Go, child, your mother will always support you..." the woman murmured.

The stone gate closed behind Jiang Luo.

She climbed the spiral staircase, her black leather shoes clicking on the stone bricks at a pace twice as fast as usual.

Jiang Xiaobai emerged from the shadows, looking at Jiang Luo with excitement.

"Big sister! Have you found anything delicious?"

"no."

"Why is my older sister laughing?"

Jiang Luo reached out and touched her face.

The corners of her mouth were indeed turned up.

She suppressed her laughter and bit down on the lollipop in her mouth.

"Because Lolo discovered something."

"What is it?"

"The Senate owes Lolo more than Lolo thinks."

……

Red Moon Castle, second floor master bedroom.

Jiang Luo kicked off her black leather shoes and, barefoot, pounced onto the bed.

The fluffy pillow bounced twice, and the white-haired loli sank into the blankets, her two short legs sticking up and swaying in mid-air.

"Finally, I can rest..."

With the ninth strawberry lollipop in her mouth, Jiang Luo turned over and stared up at the red moon pattern on the ceiling.

So much has happened lately.

The Trial Grounds, the Battle of Twilight, the truth about Jiang Juechen, the Senate's siege, and Shura being utterly defeated by her.

But the greatest gain was in terms of spiritual境界 (state of mind/spiritual realm).

SSS Rank!