Atlantis Chronicles Episode 16

Episode 16: Demon Territory

Synopsis:
Cover Character: Donna Zenobla.
Rigg, ostensibly investigating news from the fallen northern part of the Saint Valon Empire to avoid his womanizing entanglements, fearfully enters the demon-occupied territory, only to find himself in a real-life version of "Gods and Demons"?
Rigg, who must obtain "resident status" to share information on the demon network, is surprisingly respected by the demons… How will Rigg prove his innocence? What information will the female knight, weakened by demonic possession and still managing to reach the south bank, reveal?

Donna Zenobla: Real name Donna King, a female knight of the Saint Valon Empire's Royal Knights. After being demonized, she became a god and was the first brave woman to break out of the demon realm to report to humanity.
Hecate: A mysterious being in the demon realm, possessing hundreds of different types of avatars, sometimes mechanical puppets, sometimes humanoid demonic dolls; her true identity remains a mystery.
Rig Ampa: A rogue mage empowered by the core device of the Demon Core, a near-Celestial Rank mage coveted by international powers, unwittingly drawn into a complex vortex of war.
Divirachi: A dark-skinned, tall bard, who has always followed Rig, recording heroic deeds.

Chapter One: Entering the Demon Realm
The southwestern plateau of the Saint Hualong Empire is inhabited by a large number of Maomin people who worship snow-capped mountains and lakes, calling the largest snow-capped mountain "Holy Mountain," and building magnificent temples at its foot called "Holy Temples." The vast river formed by the melting snow of the Holy Mountain is called the "Holy River."
The Holy River flows for a long time, traversing vast lands and mountains, cutting across the entire territory of Saint Hualong, dividing this vast country in two, and finally merging into the sea at the easternmost edge of the empire. Legends and stories about this great river are countless on the Eastern Continent.
The most glorious legend is that the Holy River is the birthplace of humankind. Before the establishment of the Great Hua Empire, humans inhabited the Jianghu region south of the Sacred River. North of the river lay the territory of orcs and other races, while the Scorpion Tail region to the southwest was the Elven Forest, and the mountains to the southeast were home to the Dwarven Empire.
Approximately a thousand years ago, Sheng Huarong led his human army across the great river, beginning the holy war that paved the way for the rise of the human empire. He drove out the orcs and other races, conquered the fertile northern plains, and seized the richest pastures and grasslands. With warhorses, he established the knightly system that has endured for millennia. Thanks to countless valiant human knights, the orcs and other races were gradually defeated, eventually retreating to the perpetually icy and snowy continent of the Northern Continent.
The history of the Great Hua Empire, and indeed, the entire history of human dominance over Atlantis, began from that moment. Today, a thousand years later, countless human armies once again gather on the banks of the Sacred River south of the river, their dense camps stretching to the foot of the mountains, a dark mass of people stretching as far as the eye can see. Caravans of laborers carrying provisions converged from all directions, while blacksmiths stoked their furnaces, forging weapons day and night.
Humanity was once again facing a life-or-death crisis. The earth-shattering news that all lands north of the Sacred River had fallen to the demons sent a chilling panic through every human in Atlantis.
The demons! That evil race, described in the Bible as possessing world-destroying power. The evil race, imprisoned in Hell by the gods, had reappeared in Atlantis after a thousand years, and seemingly overnight, had conquered the entire northern six provinces of the vast empire of Saint Hualong, annihilating a human army of two million—it felt like a dream.
All humanity knew that the demons' desires and ambitions were insatiable. Everyone believed that the demons' sole purpose was to conquer all of Atlantis and enslave all humanity.
The church says so, the empire says so, the government and officials say so, even the wandering artists and bards say so. Of course, except for that imposter, Divirachi.
"I think the tension on the south bank right now, with everyone on edge and seeing enemies everywhere, is a bit exaggerated, isn't it? Where are the demons? I haven't seen a single one!"
Divirachi lay in the grass, his head covered in tangled weeds, straining to see the wide river across the river until his eyes ached, but he didn't see a single demon. The charcoal-headed man was greatly disappointed.
"Forty-eight scouts! Forty-eight scout teams have been sent to the north bank in recent days. They are all elite troops, including many mid-level and even high-level mages, but not a single one has returned. Anyone who crossed the river is like throwing meat buns to a dog—gone without a trace."
Rig sat on the grass, looking thoughtfully at the empty riverbank opposite. The south bank of the Holy River is now teeming with hundreds of thousands of Holy Hualong troops, tens of thousands of allied troops from various small countries, and millions of laborers and artisans. This famous riverbank, ideal for a large-scale military landing, has essentially become a fortified city.
However, despite this massive concentration of human troops, the demons occupying the six northern provinces of the Holy Hualong Empire remain shrouded in mystery. Not a single reconnaissance team sent from the south bank has returned, and no powerful detection magic can reveal anything about the north bank.
Faced with the massive army amassed on the south bank, the demons have not only failed to send troops to defend the north bank, but haven't even sent a single scout.
Are these demons truly as arrogant and domineering as the Bible describes, completely disregarding this million-strong army?
It makes sense, considering that two million troops were wiped out in their attacks; how could the demons possibly take a million-strong army on the south bank, whose fighting strength is far inferior to that of the northern army, seriously?
"They're not demons, absolutely not!"
The ominous voice of Lord Bead echoed in Rig's mind. The little rascal rubbed his forehead in pain, sighing inwardly, "Saler, whether they're demons or not is useless to me! Although there are few refugees who escaped, there are still some. They've all confirmed that they are demons, exactly like the demons described in the Bible. Okay, even if Yesu, the author of the Bible, never saw demons, he must have seen that Demon Core Thirty-Six, right? Besides, you didn't say the demons in the 'Gods and Demons Century' magic mirror game didn't look like demons!"
"If they really are demons, I'll sense it, no matter which continent of Atlantis they're on!" Lord Bead repeated his old saying.
The young rogue felt his head throb even more, groaning, "Saller, I wish they weren't demons more than you do. But thousands of years have passed, and now that demons have reappeared in Atlantis, can't you allow them to make some progress? Are you
still judging them by the standards of thousands of years ago? Logically speaking, if demons have mastered such a difficult magic as time travel, it's only natural that they could change or evolve their demonic aura so that you, old man, can't sense it! Even those super-level and divine realm beings couldn't detect the slightest situation on the North Shore; every scout and reconnaissance team they sent out disappeared without a trace. Lord Saler, you are a great and wise core of the demons, but please don't be such an old stubborn person, okay?"
Yes, Rig had long accepted the fact that demons had suddenly invaded, or rather, returned to Atlantis. He had even speculated with the particularly imaginative bard, Black Charcoal Head, that these demons were banished to some other world during the war between gods and demons, due to some kind of magic that caused the gods to perish together. After thousands of years of research, the demons finally mastered the method to return to Atlantis. So these two armies couldn't wait to return and start afresh, determined to seize the throne of Atlantis.
A mass transmigration! The bard, who had always longed for transmigration tales, had complained bitterly, "Why isn't it a single person transmigrating?" According to Black Charcoal Head, novels about multiple transmigrators generally sell poorly because readers don't feel a sense of identification!
This theory deduced by Rig and Divirachi was the most accepted by the Southern Army. After all, it was the only explanation for why these demons descended from the sky and why the scouts sent to scout were completely wiped out.
So these past few days, those high-ranking officials, gods, kings, nobles, generals, and so on, have been looking at Plato's magical little mage with even more kindness and ingratiation, which has satisfied the little hooligan's shallow vanity.
Divirachi pulled a raft made of branches from behind him and pushed it into the river, saying worriedly, "Reg, are we really just the two of us going to scout ahead? Why don't we call one or two of them, like Kona, Audrey, or Vice Dean Susan? Their fighting power is much stronger than ours, is
n't it?" "I'd like to! But if you record such a great achievement in the future, writing that Atlantis's most outstanding hero and genius infiltrated the demon territory to gather intelligence, and you don't forget to bring your girlfriend along, wouldn't that easily be mistaken for a harem novel? So I've decided to reluctantly give up my love and rely on myself!" the little hooligan replied with a righteous expression.
Divirachi's eyes immediately turned to the gray sky, and he exclaimed with sudden realization, "Oh, so that's how it is! I thought it was some philandering man, caught in the middle of a bunch of women he'd been flirting with lately, almost driven crazy! That's why he volunteered to investigate the demons' strength and come out to find Qingjing! Turns out I was completely wrong!"
"Of course you were wrong! The food's been terrible lately, just steamed buns and no meat, you're severely malnourished, it's understandable you're having auditory and visual hallucinations!" the hooligan said righteously.
Black Charcoal Head had already pushed the leafy raft into the river, then jumped on, hiding himself among the branches, and waved to Rig.
The hooligan jumped onto the raft, then glanced back fearfully, and before Black Charcoal Head could speak, he picked up a branch and started paddling.
Although he put on a brave face in front of Black Charcoal Head, the hooligan himself was filled with apprehension. Last night was truly terrifying! He sneaked into Grand Duchess Taqis's tent, but somehow, that wretched Audrey discovered him. The blue-haired sorceress even gathered Susan and Kona to catch them in the act.
Luckily, he was quick-witted and escaped from under the tent, only to be met by Ing Mulan wielding a gleaming sword. It was truly a near-death experience! Chased by Ing Mulan with her sword, the rogue finally managed to escape back to his tent, only to find two blue goblins confronting the glaringly white Kana.
At that moment, the rogue had only one thought in his mind: I can't live like this anymore!
So at daybreak, the rogue decisively approached King Lear and Sven, the two highest-ranking sorcerers on the South Bank, volunteering to go to the North Bank to scout. The two sorcerers were moved to tears, and in the process, they were swindled out of a large bag of top-grade magic crystals and magic scrolls.
Only when he stepped onto the raft did Rigg feel like he had escaped death. Women going mad is a terrifying thing, especially a group of strong women going mad—it's practically deadly!
Of course, the reason the rogue volunteered to cross the river to scout wasn't entirely to avoid a group of jealous females—it wasn't just about women. The main reason was that the rogue also wanted to confirm for Lord Pearl whether the people on the other side of the river were truly demons.
Because demons are not only proficient in powerful magic but can also fly, for safety's sake, Rig and Divirachi chose the most cautious way to cross the river: rafts.
At the same time, to confuse the enemy, the Grand Mage Sfan ordered hundreds of rafts, also made of wood, to be launched into the sacred river simultaneously to create confusion.
Just like the empty north bank, which was completely undefended, the Grand Mage Sfan's carefully arranged raft formation didn't cause any disturbance on the opposite bank.
When Rig and Divirachi, soaking wet, climbed onto the north bank, they looked at each other, both feeling they had made a mountain out of a molehill. If only they had just rowed a small boat from the navy, they wouldn't be soaking wet now.
After getting dressed, Rig and his companion cautiously crept forward. After walking a long way, they found that there was no one in sight. Gradually, their courage grew, and they began to walk normally.
"Something's really wrong! There's not a single person, not even a bird. The crops are ripe but unharvested, and the fallen fruit is left unpicked. Could it be that after the demons returned from the other world, they no longer need Atlantis's food?"
Looking at the vast fields of ripe rice and orchards by the roadside, Rig asked疑惑地问道, "The residents of the six northern provinces who escaped the Holy River only make up a small portion. What about the others? Even if the demons don't need to eat, don't they need to eat people? There must be at least tens of millions of humans stranded in the north, right? Did the demons kill them all?" "
The demons wouldn't be so heartless, would they? Even if all the residents here fled, there's not a single animal or bird left. That's not normal, is it?" Blackie also looked puzzled. "Shouldn't we go back?"
"Are you kidding me? Let's keep going." Rig's eyes widened. The army on the south bank was eagerly awaiting the intelligence he had gathered.
Going back like this would be incredibly embarrassing!
Furthermore, those high-ranking beings had spared no expense for this reconnaissance. They had several bundles of instant teleportation scrolls for long-distance escape, not to mention other things. They had to make sure those old guys felt it was worth the price.
Rig and Divirachi cautiously continued along the main road, but even when they reached the nearest town, they found it deserted, devoid of any wildlife. Apart from plants, there wasn't a single living creature to be seen.
"Lord Saler, what's your opinion?" Seeing such a bizarre scene, even the usually daring rogue felt uneasy and asked quietly to himself.
Lord Bead paused for a moment before replying, "I don't know. To analyze this, we need at least one living subject."
"Judging from this, it doesn't seem like this place has fallen, but rather it was abandoned voluntarily," Rig muttered to himself.
"Insufficient data, unable to analyze!" Lord Bead gave a brief reply and fell silent.
Hearing Rig's mutterings, Blackie shook his head and said, "Giving up isn't right either. Look at these houses, the doors aren't even closed, and many people have food on their tables that they haven't had time to eat. Would refugees be so panicked as to leave without food and money? What will they eat on the south bank?"
"Keep going, until we see something alive!" The rascal thought for a moment and finally made up his mind.
Things were too abnormal; without investigating, it would be difficult to explain back to the high-level mages he had extorted. Of course, safety was paramount; the rascal had no feelings of loyalty to the Saint Hualong Empire.
Based on the strange scene in the town, Rig and Divirachi even thought they might walk for days without seeing a single living animal, but unexpectedly, they saw their target half a day later.
It was also a small town, equally deserted. But a gigantic creature, as tall as a person, roamed the town's streets, with four legs and two enormous claws, resembling a crab magnified many times over.
"A mechanical puppet!" Even without Lord Bead's reminder, Rig gasped.
The monster's crudely made skin and exposed gear-laden machinery were far more rudimentary than any prop from a magical play!
But it was undoubtedly a real mechanical puppet, not an illusion conjured by artistic magicians, nor a prop created for a magical film, pulled by ropes.
It moved freely through the town's streets, as if on patrol. Its sharp feet struck the cobblestones with a crisp sound.
"No magic circles are operating, and no magic crystals are being consumed!" Looking at the enormous monster, Divirachi exclaimed in horror, "How...is it moving?"
Rig also carefully examined the monster. Although it was far away, his eyesight allowed him to see that there were no magic circles carved on its body, and Lord Bead had stated with certainty that there was no magical fluctuation from it.
A thought flashed through his mind, and Rig suddenly said, "Could it be something left behind by those goblins?"
"That's quite possible, but judging from its skin and limbs, it must have been created recently, right? Could it be that goblins also traveled back from another world with the demons?" Divirachi's expression changed drastically: "If that's the case, then it makes sense that several northern provinces of Saint Hualong fell in the blink of an eye, and millions of troops vanished. Even the strongest flesh and blood body can't defeat these puppet armies that are purely mechanical!"
"Anyway, let's take a picture and let them see it!" Rig took out a ghost crystal, preparing to use magic to record the monster.
As soon as he activated the magic crystal, the crab-like monster immediately sensed it, turned around, and hissed towards their hiding place. Its four sharp feet then rapidly pounded the ground, and seven or eight more identical monsters leaped out of the houses lining the town's streets, charging towards them.
"These guys have magical detection devices!"
Divirachi snatched the ghost crystal from Rig's hand and tossed it far away. However, the monsters didn't follow the magic crystal as expected; they continued their frantic charge towards their hiding place.
"Run!" Blackie urged Rig urgently, but the thug shook his head and stood up.
Watching the enormous mechanical monsters draw closer, until they were only a dozen meters away, Rig waved his hand, and the flagstone road suddenly transformed into a soft, quicksand-like substance.
Caught off guard, the monsters' sharp feet sank into it. In an instant, the flagstones returned to normal, but the monsters were now embedded alive within them.
Before the hooligans could even feel smug, the monsters swung their giant pincer-like claws, smashing the bluestone slabs that bound them to pieces. Amidst the flying dust, several monsters crawled out from the rubble and charged straight at the hooligans.
"Freeze!" Seeing this, Rig immediately snapped off another magic scroll, though a pang of regret gripped him. All of this cost money!
A flash of blue light appeared, and several monsters were frozen into ice sculptures. Divirachi couldn't help but exclaim, "Rig, you're going too far! These few mechanical puppets, and you used quicksand first, and now freeze? This is a magic scroll given to you by Vice-Dean Susan! The magic in a magic scroll consumes three to five times the normal amount of magic! You're such a spendthrift!" The
hooligans, now mages, though far less enthusiastic about their new identity than they were about being a gang leader, still felt compelled to uphold their mage's dignity upon hearing the charcoal-headed man's words. He snorted, "This place is a bit strange, it seems to have some kind of influence on magic."
He wasn't just making this up. Lord Bead had just reminded him that after leaving the riverbank, there seemed to be something interfering with magical elements around them, though Lord Bead hadn't yet figured out what it was.
"Strange?" Divirachi paused, tilting his head slightly, his expression becoming odd. "It is a bit strange, I didn't even notice until you pointed it out!"
The little rogue glanced at the charcoal-faced man and deliberately asked, "You noticed it too? What's strange about it?"
"The magical elements seem to be interfered with by something, no wonder all the animals have fled. It seems there's something terrifying around here!" Divirachi muttered to himself.
"Have you ever seen anything like this before?" Rig asked curiously. This charcoal-faced guy was a bard, well-traveled and knowledgeable; he'd probably seen all sorts of strange and unusual things!
Divirachi curled his lip and said, "It's normal for the casting of magic to be affected by the environment. For example, you can't use water magic in the desert, it's difficult to use fire magic at sea, and dark magic is naturally limited in temples. These are common sense, right? Oh, I forgot, you're not a formal magic apprentice."
"Why do you know so much? Are you a formal magic apprentice?" the hooligan asked with great interest, completely unconcerned about the sarcasm in the charcoal-headed man's words.
For the first time in a millennium, Divirachi's dark face flushed slightly, and he coughed, "Well... I'm a bard! Although I didn't pass the magic apprentice exam, I've seen pigs walk even if I haven't eaten pork, right? With more experience comes more knowledge."
Rig, unconcerned by the man's boasting, lazily asked, "You, with all this experience, guess what's going on here? Is this the situation in all six occupied northern provinces? Where did all forty-eight scouts go?"
The charcoal-faced man's eyes widened immediately: "I'm just a bard, do you think I'm a god?"

Chapter Two Hecate
"Mechanical puppets have no intelligence and a very limited range of movement, so the control center for them should be nearby," Divirachi mumbled, his words carried on the wind.
Rig didn't speak, but instead tightly manipulated the giant crab beneath his feet. Two sturdy iron rods were driven into the gears on the mechanical monster's back, occasionally flashing with a blue arc of light.
"Destroy the remote control receivers of these mechanical puppets, and they can be requisitioned!"
This was Divirachi's suggestion, but to the little rascal's dismay, the charcoal-headed guy was only offering a suggestion; he clearly didn't know how to implement it.
Fortunately, there were many frozen mechanical puppets. After several attempts, the two finally destroyed the monster's remote control, but the monster immediately became an inanimate object, which greatly annoyed the little rascal.
Finally, on the advice of Master Bead, the little rascal carefully damaged some of the mechanical gears on three giant crabs. One was destroyed on the spot, while the other two struggled fiercely.
After the little rascal dispelled the freezing, the two damaged monsters immediately rolled over and ran wildly towards a certain place.
The well-prepared hooligan and the charcoal-headed man clung to the back of a monster, letting it carry them forward. "This wounded mechanical puppet is probably heading towards their control center for treatment,"
Divirachi muttered, watching the scenery rush past. "As long as we're on its back, we can penetrate deep into the tiger's den!"
"This guy's swallowing all that cold air, doesn't he get a stomachache?" the hooligan rolled his eyes and scoffed. "Maybe he's just being sarcastic, like he says, trying to explain things to his readers? But to me, this charcoal-headed man is just too talkative." The bead-lord's casual voice rang out.
Although she was quite surprised by the mutations in northern Saint Hualong and harbored deep suspicion about the appearance of the demons, the bead-lord was, after all, the great and wise Demon Core Number Forty-Seven, and rarely let external factors affect her emotions.
"Is this guy really that strong?" Lady Bead had always been deeply wary of Divirachi, while the little rogue, no matter how he looked at him, thought this burly, dark-skinned, simple-minded man was a complete fraud.
Although he always trusted Lady Bead's words, he felt that Lady Bead had been blinded by her wisdom in the matter of Divirachi.
"With all forty-eight scouts vanished without a trace, he dared to accompany you alone into this strange place. Do you think he's just a big, simple-minded guy? Or is he exceptionally strong? Don't forget, from the first day you met this dark-skinned man, has he suffered any losses?" Lady Bead calmly analyzed.
"Yeah, this guy's so poor he doesn't even have pants, yet he eats like a glutton! He's clearly starving. To get food, he sold him to that silly little girl, Lophis, as her personal property. To get into the Platinum Magic Academy, he even tricked Bao'er into becoming a gardener..." The little hooligan rattled off Divirachi's crimes effortlessly, his words flowing like a torrent!
Master Bead fell silent, too lazy to analyze anything with her symbiote. His words were too complicated; this ignorant fellow would never understand. Ignorance is bliss! Two mechanical puppets escaped after being destroyed. The other one, perhaps... its balancing mechanism was broken, wobbling and staggering across the fields. When it crossed a narrow irrigation ditch, it plunged headfirst into it, black smoke billowing from its belly. A few blue arcs flashed, and it lay motionless, clearly completely broken.
The remaining one, however, traversed mountains and valleys, moving with incredible speed towards the north. The massive body carrying two humans didn't hinder its speed in the slightest.
However, lying on such a huge monster was anything but comfortable; the two rascals almost threw up their dinner from the previous night!
"That's the control center of the mechanical golems!" Divirachi suddenly exclaimed excitedly, as if seeing a savior.
Rig turned his head and saw a dark tower abruptly appear in the middle of a large hilly area, with shadowy figures darting around its base.
"Holy crap! So many mechanical golems?" The rascal's face clearly darkened.
"It's alright, the controller must be on the tower. We'll just rush up and avoid getting entangled with these machines, saving us a lot of magic scrolls!" The bard, also from a poor background, naturally knew what the rascal was worried about and quickly comforted him.
Rig snorted coldly, but his expression softened slightly.
After the giant crab carrying them rushed into the Black Tower's control area, its speed suddenly slowed down, and then the mechanical golems patrolling all around slowly surrounded them.
They were all enormous and bizarre in appearance; some resembled mantises, some centaurs, and others had three heads, six arms, and ten tails.
Although their shapes varied, their workmanship was extremely rudimentary and crude. Some even had visible gears turning inside their bodies, and unknown oil dripped from them, making them look terrifying.
"Holy crap! What the hell?! There must be at least a thousand monsters here!" Rig and Divirachi exchanged bewildered glances, their faces simultaneously turning pale.
The mechanical golems swarmed around them, emitting strange and varied hisses from their throats.
The thug felt a chill run down his spine and couldn't help but reach for his magic scrolls again, but Divirachi grabbed him. "How many scrolls do you have? Are there as many as the monsters here?"
"I'm pulling them out to escape. If I can't beat them, I can at least run away!" the thug retorted irritably.
Before leaving, he had begged Audrey, the goddess of space magic, to make several life-saving teleportation scrolls, just in case.
“If we can escape, there’s no need to rush.” Blackie’s expression immediately relaxed. “Don’t you think these mechanical puppets are strange? They’re surrounding us but not attacking, and they’re making those strange noises. Hmm, very suspicious!”
Rig still pulled out a teleportation scroll, nervously clutching it in his hand, ready to run away at any moment. Hearing Blackie’s words, he couldn’t help but say irritably, “What? Strange noises are suspicious? Do you think they’re talking to us?”
“Talking?” Divirachi immediately became excited. “Yes! How come I didn’t think of that! They’re talking to us! Rig, aren’t you fluent in many lost languages of Atlantis? You can even speak dragon language, hurry up and talk to these machines, ask them what they’re doing?”
The little hooligan almost fainted, angrily saying, “Are you crazy! Can you even understand what these machines are saying?”
“All languages are used to express emotions. Whether you understand them or not doesn’t matter; what matters is being able to tell what emotions they’re expressing. For example, this big crab is fearful right now. That centaur is angry… Strange, this mantis is so big, yet it seems to be begging us!”
Blackie, as expected of a well-traveled bard, could distinguish many different emotions just from the cries of these mechanical puppets.
“What do you mean?” The little hooligan looked completely confused.
“Clearly, these mechanical puppets are more than just machines. Their ability to express so many emotions can only mean they are definitely intelligent beings!” Divirachi’s expression turned serious.
"Intelligent life?" Rig, already dizzy from the chattering, was startled. "These really are intelligent life?"
"Plato's magical little wizard is truly amazing! He actually recognized these mechanical puppets as intelligent life."
A gentle voice echoed in the sky, and all the mechanical puppets, as if receiving a command, fell silent, completely still.
"Who are you?" Rig, standing on the crab's back, shouted.
"I am Hecate Number 123, the administrator of the newly developed thirteenth district of the Demon Realm." The voice from the sky was gentle and sweet, like a charming girl next door.
"The Demon Realm?" Rig asked in surprise. "The administrator of the newly developed district?"
"Yes, the newly developed thirteenth district, welcome to my district!" Hecate chuckled sweetly.
“District…” Rig remembered something and shouted, “Where are those scouts? Didn’t you see them?”
“Oh, those outsiders! Their ingrained thinking prevented them from accepting the new management system of this district. I’m sorry, they’ve been expelled,” Hecate said regretfully.
“Expelled?” the thug asked, puzzled. “You mean they were kicked out? But none of them went back?”
“Expulsion means they left my newly developed District Thirteen. They’ve gone to other districts.”
Hecate’s voice still carried a hint of regret. “I hope they’re doing well in their new development.”
“They’re still alive?” Regardless, hearing that the scouts were still alive, the thug breathed a sigh of relief and then asked curiously, “Who are you?”
“Huh? Didn’t I already say? I’m Hecate Number One Hundred and Twenty-Three, the administrator of the newly developed District Thirteen! By the way, are you willing to accept the new management system of this district and become residents?” A soft female voice in the sky asked excitedly.
Rig and Divirachi exchanged glances, both looking quite surprised.
"Have you thought it through? Becoming a new resident of this district now not only comes with extra gifts, but you can also participate in a lucky draw!" Hecate tempted them.
If they were regular soldiers or mages of the Saint Hualong Empire, in this bizarre situation, they naturally wouldn't bother with the cowardly Hecate; they might have already drawn their weapons and started fighting.
But Rig and Divirachi weren't from the orthodox lineage, and hearing such an absurd request, both of them started racking their brains.
"How do I become a new resident of District Thirteen? What are the benefits?" Rig asked slowly.
"Oh, please follow the main road forward; I'm in the plaza in front of the central tower," Hecate said with a cheerful smile.
The surrounding mechanical puppets immediately parted, revealing a dirt path that could barely be called a road.
"I apologize, the newly developed Thirteenth District is still quite rudimentary. However, I believe that as more and more new residents join our Thirteenth District, we will quickly prosper and become a large residential city in the demon realm!" Hecate's voice was full of anticipation and hope.
Rig and Divirachi followed the dirt path to a field, and when they saw the administrator, Hecate, they both froze.
Even if this administrator of the demon realm were more beautiful than Aegris, Rig and Divirachi wouldn't be too surprised. After all, in the legends of Atlantis, demons, regardless of age or gender, were all very beautiful.
But this administrator, Hecate, was not only not beautiful, but she was also a mechanical puppet, and a half-finished one at that! This made it difficult for the two to understand.
Like all mechanical puppets, Hecate was covered by a crudely made skin, and this skin wasn't even completely covering her, leaving gears and wires exposed in many places, making Rig's hair stand on end.
Fortunately, the administrator's face was relatively intact, but only partially. She had all her features, and a head of long, jet-black hair. If it weren't for her bizarre body, she would have gone unnoticed on the streets of any city in Saint Vallon.
"You...are you a demon?" Rig asked incredulously.
Hecate's two dark eyes stared at Rig's face, and the skin on her throat trembled as she spoke: "I am Hecate Number 123, administrator of the newly developed thirteenth district of the demon realm."
"I'm asking you, are you a demon?"
Although he knew she was a mechanical puppet, the thug dared not underestimate her in the slightest. After all, a humanoid mechanical puppet that could control nearly a thousand mechanical puppets was definitely not a simple mechanical puppet.
Hecate paused for a moment before seemingly understanding what Rig had asked, then exclaimed in realization, "I am a native demon in a semi-biological state. If you're asking about demons in a fully biological state, then... I'm not now."
Divirachi interjected sharply, "Not now, but will be in the future?"
"Yes, you're very clever." A slight smile even appeared on Hecate's rough-hewn face. She said gently, "Whether it's a semi-biological demon, a non-biological demon, or a demon in a mixed biological or multi-biological state, the ultimate goal of evolution is to become a fully biological demon. My answer is complete. Now it's my turn to ask you, are you willing to become new residents of the newly developed Thirteenth District?"
Divirachi and Rig were stunned by the series of biological states, and didn't recover for a long time. Hecate's face immediately showed displeasure, and her voice hardened: "Are you willing to become new residents of my newly developed Thirteenth District?"
Rig was currently having a rapid conversation with Lady Bead. Even the most authentic Demon Core Lord was completely baffled by everything this mechanical puppet said; he understood nothing.
This, of course, further confirmed Lord Bead's suspicion that these suddenly appearing fellows were not demons at all, but a group of swindlers waving the demon flag to deceive people.
This made Lord Bead very angry, extremely angry—Lord Bead's demonic pride and sense of honor were extremely strong.
Rig and Bead were talking, oblivious to the anger rising in the humanoid mechanical puppet before them. However, Blackie, who had been watching closely, noticed Hecate's displeasure and quickly asked, "Excuse me, Administrator, what are the requirements to become a new resident of your development zone? What rights and obligations do we have as residents?"
The humanoid mechanical puppet replied in a deep voice, "Becoming a resident of the newly developed Thirteenth District of the Demon Realm is simple: you open your brain connections and merge with the Thirteenth District Management Office. As for rights, you can share all the data and information of the Thirteenth District Management Office and receive their strong support. Your obligations are that you must also provide the Thirteenth District Management Office with relevant data and information, and fulfill your corresponding duties when needed. Do you understand?"
"This… what does opening brain connections mean?" Rig asked cautiously.
“It’s about establishing a two-way communication channel. Hmm, it’s similar in principle to your two-way magic mirror, except our communication channel is directly established in the biological brain, which is much more advanced than the two-way magic mirror.”
Hecate spoke with great enthusiasm, a rather smug expression on her face, which made Divirachi and Rig both stunned.
Divirachi, from the Second Army, thought for a moment, then asked worriedly, “Um… will it hurt?”
“No, developing brain connections is basically about opening your consciousness and connecting to the mental network of the demon realm. It’s very simple, very fast, and there’s no pain or discomfort.” Hecate tried to entice him.
"Is there a salary? Are there benefits? Does the Thirteenth District Management Office provide housing, three meals a day, and late-night snacks? Are there any publicly funded trips or double pay for annual holidays?"
The hooligan suddenly asked with great interest, "By the way, does the management office pay for all the pension and medical insurance, or only reimburse a portion? Regarding marriage, does it follow the monogamous system of the former Saint Hualong Empire, or the free marriage system of the Plato Duchy? When children enroll in school, is it more appropriate to register them with an urban or rural household registration? Is the milk powder all imported from the Western Coconut Continent, or is it produced by local dairy cows? I heard that dairy farmers in Saint Hualong add all sorts of random things to the milk powder. Does the Thirteenth District Management Office have any reasonable explanation for this? If someone really has a problem with the milk powder, will the government provide compensation?"
The humanoid mechanical puppet immediately fell into a daze. The hooligan and Black Charcoal Head could even see her exposed gear parts, which began to operate uncontrollably at high speed.
After a long while, with a few crisp snapping sounds, several gears broke apart, and blue-glowing oil dripped from the broken oil pipes and wires.
"Warning, warning! Administrator number 123 is overloaded! Administrator number 123 is overloaded! Your message search volume exceeds database storage! Warning, warning, Administrator number 123 is overloaded! Administrator number 123 is overloaded..."
Another series of crackling sounds came from the humanoid mechanical puppet's skin, sending gears and broken pipes flying everywhere, large bursts of blue light flashing like lightning.
After a loud bang, a plume of smoke billowed from Hecate's body, and the humanoid mechanical puppet froze, motionless.
The surrounding mechanical puppets immediately panicked, their terrified screams echoing through the sky. They fled aimlessly into the surrounding fields, as if some terrifying thing was chasing them, disappearing in the blink of an eye.
Divirachi looked at the little hooligan with admiration, exclaiming, "Reg, you truly deserve your extraordinary future super-tier strength! You stumped this development zone administrator with just a few questions. I'm really impressed! How did you know to use these random questions to trap her in an intellectual dilemma?"
The little hooligan scratched his head, somewhat embarrassed, and said, "I really wanted to know what the benefits and perks were for becoming a new resident of this development zone! I just asked a lot of questions, and who knew this half-biological administrator only knew how to recruit people, not even knowing the most basic benefits! Honestly, what a waste of time!"
"Are you really planning to join the demon race?" Divirachi asked blankly.
"Yes! If there are enough benefits, why wouldn't I join?"
The little hooligan had always considered himself a glorious member of the demon race. After all, with the perverted symbiote, Lord Bead, constantly brainwashing him, the little hooligan had subconsciously come to believe that the demon race was the only superior race in Atlantis.
"They are demons! Demons!" Divirachi exclaimed in surprise, "The brutal demon race that caused the entire northern part of the Holy Hualong Empire to fall, that will plunge the entire Atlantis into annihilation!"
"Nothing ventured, nothing gained!" The little hooligan casually quoted a Holy Hualong proverb, then glanced sideways at Divirachi and said, "If it's really as this machine says, that the forty-eight scouts weren't killed but driven away, then these demons aren't as brutal as people imagine, are they?"
Divirachi paused for a moment before slowly saying, "Perhaps this mechanical puppet is lying?"
The little hooligan looked at the charcoal-headed man with surprise and asked, "If she were lying, would she have gotten herself all smoked?"
The charcoal-headed man immediately fell silent.
The thug ignored him, looked around, and said with some regret, "It's a pity those mechanical puppets have all run far away, otherwise it would be nice to catch one as a mount. Now we have to walk on two legs, what a miserable life!"
Divirachi asked curiously, "Where are we going?"
"To another development zone, of course! Didn't Smoke mention that this is District Thirteen? Were those scouts driven to other zones? Let's find them first!"
The thug looked around hard, trying to see if there were any lone mechanical puppets: "There's no food or clothing here, just a pile of wood, what's the point of staying? Let's go!"

Chapter Three Another Hecate
Rig and Divirachi had walked along the trampled fields for less than half an hour when they heard a deafening scream.
The two stopped in their tracks, horrified to see the mechanical puppets that had vanished without a trace rushing back in panic, densely packed and jostling each other, as if some monster a thousand times more terrifying than before was chasing them.
Before Rig and Divirachi could react, they heard a very familiar, earth-shattering roar.
"Kona Mi?"
The thug paused for a moment, then the enormous black shadow appearing behind the hills overturned his guess: it was a black dragon far larger than Kona Mi's green dragon prototype!
The dragon raised its enormous wings high, each heavy step causing the earth to tremble, charging towards them like a moving mountain.
The smaller mechanical puppets, unable to dodge in time, were crushed to dust by a single stomp. The larger ones were swept up by the dragon's wings, rolling across the fields, puffs of black smoke rising from their heels.
Seeing the colossal dragon, Divirachi grabbed Rig in terror, urgently shouting, "Teleport! Teleport!"
Rig shook his head, his expression strange as he looked at the massive black dragon.
"Are you scared out of your wits? A magic scroll!"
the charcoal-headed man cried out in alarm. The fleeing mechanical golems surged towards them like a tidal wave; it seemed that before the dragon even reached them, the two would be trampled into mincemeat by these diverse mechanical golems.
Rig remained unmoved, and as the golems drew near, he suddenly let out a low, deep roar, his entire body radiating a chilling aura.
The fleeing mechanical golems were instantly swept away like by a giant wave, scattering in all directions with a whoosh. Some even turned and charged back at the black dragon, their minds clouded.
Divirachi paused, a blush creeping across his dark face. He quickly released Rig's grip, chuckling awkwardly, "Heh... I forgot, you're someone with dragon might, after all! You've ridden a dragon..."
The black dragon seemed to sense the oppressive aura emanating from Rig. It froze, stopping in its tracks, ignoring even the mechanical puppets that bumped into it, simply facing Rig from afar. Its massive wings flapped, sending the surrounding mechanical puppets swaying wildly. Divirachi noticed the dragon
's odd behavior and said strangely, "This dragon... seems a bit off—"
Rig coldly chuckled, "It's not a dragon at all!"
"Not a dragon?" Divirachi's eyes widened, pointing at the dragon and jabbing it, "What? Not a dragon? Look at that nose, eyes, body, tail—everything about it looks like a dragon! Except for the color and size, it's exactly the same as your girlfriend, the little green dragon!"
"It only resembles a dragon, but it's not a dragon!" Rig said calmly. "If it were truly a dragon, these mechanical puppets wouldn't even dare to run away; they'd just lie prostrate before it, letting it slaughter and ravage them. Why would it need to chase after them like this?"
The little hooligan added with a sneer, "Besides, have you ever seen a dragon that can't fly and only runs on the ground? When Kona is in her dragon form, she hates walking the most!"
Divirachi suddenly realized and nodded repeatedly, "Yes, yes, even this tiny bit of dragon might you got from Kona is enough to terrify these low-intelligence mechanical puppets. If it were truly a dragon, and a black dragon at that, far superior to a green dragon, its dragon might would be enough to make these mechanical puppets lie prostrate before it, letting it slaughter them! Why would it need to go through all this trouble chasing after them?"
"It's not a dragon at all, so it has no dragon's might! It can't intimidate these semi-biological mechanical puppets. A fake is a fake, no matter how much it tries to resemble one!" Rig sneered.
Divirachi paused for a moment, then asked in a low voice, "You think it's a magician in disguise?"
There are many art magic schools in the Saint Hualong Empire, and the task of transforming into a dragon is something that art magicians can basically do, but there are many limitations, such as magic circles, magic crystals, range, size, and time.
To be able to transform into a giant dragon and maintain it for a long time without the aid of magical tools, and to be able to fiercely hunt down mechanical puppets, is beyond Divirachi's understanding.
"Have you ever seen a magician conjure a dragon that can't fly?"
Rig's expression turned somewhat strange. "Besides, the objects conjured by art magicians only have form; they can't possibly possess such great power. Otherwise, there wouldn't be so many special effects artists working on magic scenes. This dragon, though fake and unable to fly, truly possesses the power of a dragon, and it wasn't created by shapeshifting!"
"What did you say? I'm completely confused!" The charcoal-haired man scratched his messy hair, looking utterly bewildered.
Rig didn't bother explaining further, but suddenly let out a loud howl, his voice high-pitched and slow-paced, filled with supreme majesty.
The mechanical puppets that had been frantically fleeing all around suddenly collapsed to the ground, curling into a ball, their bodies trembling violently, regardless of size. The black dragon, however, stood there blankly, staring at Rig with utter bewilderment.
"Damn, a dragon that can't even speak dragon language!" Even the charcoal-headed guy noticed something amiss. He stood up straight, head held high, glaring at the dragon that had just embarrassed him with utter contempt.
"Excuse me, is this Lord Rig Ampa?" A familiar voice drifted over, startling both Rig and Divirachi. "Isn't that Hecate's voice?"
"Excuse me, is this Lord Rig Ampa?" Hecate's voice rang out again, still gentle and unhurried.
Rig nodded and said loudly, "Yes, that is. Who are you?"
"Is it really Lord Ampa?" Hecate's voice was filled with joy as she cheerfully replied, "I am Hecate No. 77, the inspector of the five newly developed districts of the Demon Realm. I discovered unrest in District 13, and since I couldn't contact the administrator, I came here specifically to check it out. I didn't expect to run into Lord Ampa!"
"Hecate No. 77? Inspector of the five districts?" Rig and Divirachi exchanged bewildered glances.
"Lord Ampa, may I come closer to speak with you? I am very sincere; please don't harm me,"
Hecate pleaded gently.
Rig nodded without speaking. He was also eager to see what kind of powerful figure this so-called Inspector No. 77 was! This strange Demon Realm seemed to be getting increasingly bizarre. The
black dragon let out a low roar, its entire body sprawling on the ground, before a small figure slid swiftly down its massive back.
The figure appeared tiny against the backdrop of the dragon; one of the dragon's claws was larger than her body, yet the black dragon obeyed her like a tamed hunting dog.
As the small figure drew closer, Rig and Divirachi realized that Hecate Seventy-Seven wasn't actually small; the dragon's massive size simply made her appear smaller. She was even taller than Rig. What astonished Rig and Divirachi even more was that Hecate Seventy-Seven was a quintessential female demon. She
possessed long, snow-white hair, an exquisitely beautiful face, and black wings. Black armor accentuated her curvaceous figure. Above her knee-high boots was a pair of smooth, shapely, and long legs, the exposed skin seemingly shimmering with a crystalline light.
“Lady Ampa.” The demon inspector approached Rig, bowed deeply, and said softly, “Hecate No. 77, Inspector of the Five Districts of the Demon Realm, greets you.”
Looking at this polite and beautiful woman, the scoundrel was momentarily stunned. He instinctively shrugged and said, “Hello, hello, no need to be so polite. Um, what brings you here?”
“Lady Ampa, I am an inspector of the five newly opened districts nearby. I just discovered that residents of District 13 have suddenly and erratically fled, and we can’t contact the District 13 administrator. To prevent the residents of District 13 from invading other developed areas, I brought them back, and also investigated why the District 13 administrator, Hecate No. 123, lost contact. I never expected to meet the renowned Lady Ampa here; it is truly an honor!” Hecate No. 77 replied politely.
“Hecate number 123, Hecate number 77,” Rig muttered unconsciously, then asked curiously, “May I ask, how many numbers are there in Hecate?”
Hecate number 77 smiled gently on her beautiful face and said softly, “Although this is top secret, it’s something Lord Ampa can know. According to my magic network data, there are currently 529 Hecates of various models, distributed across all aspects of the demon realm. Some hold leadership positions and are administrators, while others work as residents.”
“529 Hecates…” Divirachi muttered to himself, “Okay, I admit, I’m completely stunned, utterly dumbfounded, utterly speechless.”
Clearly, the dark-skinned demon wasn’t interested in the number 77 Hecate; she simply smiled sweetly at Rig, still maintaining her impeccably polite expression, and asked, “Lord Ampa, do you have any further questions?”
"Being handsome is really an advantage!" the hooligan exclaimed to himself, then looked at the beautiful demon sister and asked seriously, "Do I know if the forty-eight scout teams sent from the south bank of the Holy River are alive or dead? Where are they?"
After a pause, the hooligan, though finding it absurd, couldn't help but ask, "Also, where did you come from? What are you planning to do? Are you going to cross the Holy River and conquer the entire Holy Hualong Empire or Atlantis?"
Hecate Seventy-Seven closed her eyes briefly, then quickly opened them again, looking at Rig quite frankly and saying, "Lord Ampa, I'm sorry. Although I know the answers to these questions, since you don't have a legitimate authority in the magic network, I can't tell you for the time being. Please understand."
"What? Authority? How do I obtain authority?" Hearing that he didn't need to risk his life as an undercover agent, but could obtain the information he wanted simply by obtaining an authority, the hooligan immediately asked without any politeness.
"Well... I'm not an administrator, so I don't have the authority to grant you legal status. However, I can take you to one of my subordinate administrators. I believe any development zone management office would be honored to issue you resident status. With official resident status in the Demon Realm, Lord Ampa will have the corresponding access to the Demon Network to check all information and data," Hecate Seventy-Seven answered in great detail.
Rig glanced at Divirachi, whose charcoal-headed self nodded vigorously without hesitation, clearly agreeing with this "nothing ventured, nothing gained" plan.
Rig looked at Hecate Seventy-Seven and slowly nodded, saying, "Take us to your subordinate administrator!"
"Yes, please follow me, Lord Ampa and this gentleman."
Hecate Seventy-Seven immediately bowed again excitedly, turning slightly to the side, his black wings unfurling slightly, gesturing for them to proceed. His attitude was extremely respectful and polite, making the thug somewhat uncomfortable.
“Um… Hecate, no need for this formality.” The rascal couldn’t help but remind him. Coming from a humble background, he felt extremely uncomfortable with such overly polite etiquette.
“Lord Ampa is the most respected guest. We can’t be casual with him, otherwise the other Hecates will laugh at us for being ill-mannered,” Hecate Number Seventy-Seven said earnestly and stubbornly, leading the way sideways.
Divirachi couldn’t help but ask curiously, “Um… is the competition among you Hecate series very fierce?”
Hecate Number Seventy-Seven was clearly not as respectful as he had been to the charcoal-headed man. She subconsciously straightened her body and answered, “To obtain higher-level privileges, all residents of the Demon Realm are constantly competing. The prosperity and development of the Demon Realm is due to the healthy competition among its residents, which is why it has been so rapid.”
Hecate Number Seventy-Seven had already led Rig and Divirachi to the black dragon. Although the rascal had restrained his dragon might, the dragon still trembled slightly before him, terrified.
Hecate 77 pulled a rope ladder from the dragon's back and then gestured for Rig and Divirachi to proceed.
Seeing the fear in the eyes of the mountain-like dragon, Rig and Divirachi naturally didn't take this fake dragon seriously and climbed up the ladder.
Once the three were seated, the black dragon stood up and galloped away like a swift horse.
Its massive body made its running surprisingly smooth. To appease its passengers, it even folded its wings to block the strong winds. This made Rig think that compared to the little green dragon, the black dragon was like a world apart – one on the ground, the other in the sky.
Thinking of the sky, Rig asked curiously, "Hecate, why can't you fly? And this dragon can't fly either?"
Hecate smiled slightly. Even while sitting there, she gave Rig a slight bow and said gently, "It's not that we can't fly, it's just that we haven't obtained permission to fly yet."
Rig's eyes widened in surprise: "Do we need permission to fly?"
“Of course. Magic Network resources are extremely valuable, and only residents who make significant contributions can obtain higher privileges. Higher privileges mean more resources to allocate. For advanced privileges like flight, I need to be at least at the level of the Grand Administrator of a United Province to even have a chance to apply.” Hecate sighed softly.
“How high is the Grand Administrator of a Province?” Divirachi asked curiously, but Hecate No. 77 glanced at him without speaking.
“Oh, my privileges aren’t high enough!” The charcoal-headed man was quite tactful, turning to the rascal and saying, “Then ask!”
“Does my privileges really need to be high enough?” Rig asked in surprise, but this female demon inspector treated him noticeably differently, something even a blind man could see.
“Although Lady Ampa doesn’t have the privileges, she has a high reputation in the demon realm, so as long as it doesn’t involve information about the core of the Magic Network, it’s fine to tell Lady Ampa everything else.” Hecate No. 77 replied with a smile.
The young rogue was startled to hear that he actually had a "high" reputation among the demons. He thought that the demons had discovered his symbiotic relationship with Lord Bead, and asked in horror, "Why? Why do I have such high prestige?"
"This is a core secret of the magic network. Without the appropriate authorization, please forgive me for not being able to tell you," Hecate bowed slightly to Rigg as an apology.
"Is that... the governor of that great province... also a core secret?" Rigg asked casually, out of curiosity.
This time, Hecate 77 was quite straightforward: "For other residents, yes; but for Lord Ampa, it's not. Our demon realm is divided into thirty-two development zones. Each zone, depending on its size, has one to three administrators forming a development zone management office. Then, based on the different terrains and environments of each development zone, eleven provinces are established; each province has three to seven administrators. Within these eleven provinces, three joint provinces are established, each with two chief administrators; and within the three joint provinces, there are public decision-making councils and joint meetings to oversee the daily operations of the entire demon realm."
While Rig was still processing what Hecate 77 had said, Lord Bead said with great suspicion, "This administrative mechanism… is our demon race's joint meeting mechanism!"
"Is it the demon race's government mechanism from three thousand years ago?" Rig asked in astonishment.
"Yes! Back then, our demon race was divided into 128 administrative districts, 42 administrative states, 12 provinces, and 3 large provinces, followed by a joint decision-making council. How did these guys know about the demon race's administrative system?"
Lord Bead was also full of confusion.
"What about the magic network access? And what about resident status? Did you have that before?" Rig asked.
"We had magic network access, but not resident status. If you're a demon, you're born a demon. Otherwise, you're a vassal race. What resident status do you need?" Lord Bead said somewhat dejectedly.
"Hmm, it seems these newly appeared demons really do have some connection to the demon race, right?" Rig reaffirmed his speculation.
"No. This so-called number seventy-seven in front of us looks exactly like a demon, but it's definitely not a real demon. Do real demons have wings but can't fly? The magic network doesn't care whether demons can fly or not. This demon is just like this black dragon, purely an empty shell!" Lord Bead said decisively.
"It seems we need to join that... resident status to have any chance of getting real intelligence from their magic network. Saler, why are these demons so respectful of me? Did they find out about our relationship?" Rig asked worriedly. "
That's absolutely impossible. Even Number Thirty-Six only knows I exist, but he doesn't know where I am or who I'm with. Otherwise, do you think the Holy Church would let me experience 149 symbiotes without asking any questions?" Bead sneered. "After Number Thirty-Six was purified by the gods, many of his important functions degenerated!"
"Do you know where Number Thirty-Six is and who he's with?" Rig asked with great interest.
If Bead was a step ahead of the Holy Church's "Heart of the Angel" in this regard, it wouldn't be bad to find an opportunity to snatch the first Thirty-Six of that demonic core and play with him!
"Don't be foolish! If the demon cores have the ability to locate each other, and the gods capture one demon weapon, the entire demon race will be wiped out. Do you think the demon joint decision-making body would make such a basic mistake?" Lord Bead said coldly.
"Didn't you say that as long as there are demons in Atlantis, you'll feel it even if they're at the ends of the earth?" Rig said dismissively, "So you were just bragging?"
"Feeling and locating are two different things!" Lord Bead said angrily, "Every human can feel the wind and rain, the sun and fire, but only mages can use these most basic magical elements of nature. That's the difference, understand?"
"I don't understand! But once I get that... resident status, I'll understand!" The little hooligan said smugly, not ashamed of his lack of knowledge at all.
"That resident status is probably not easy to obtain!" Lord Bead sighed and said cautiously, "You need to be careful. If necessary, let that guy Divirachi join first."
"Huh? Why?" Rig asked in surprise.
"Because I always felt that guy had some secret. If this so-called resident identity, magic network sharing, and brain connection are really as powerful as these fake demons claim, then the big black guy's secret will be exposed first. Using him to scout ahead is the most convenient thing to do!" Lord Bead said casually.
The little rogue paused for a moment after hearing this, then chuckled coldly, "Lord Saler, you really are quite dark!"
"Better safe than sorry," Lord Bead said without any embarrassment, "I've been able to experience over a hundred symbiotes, all thanks to the word 'caution'!"

Chapter Four Hunting Grounds
The black dragon ran like the wind, quickly leaving the hilly area behind and entering a mountain range.
Rig was surprised to find that after crossing the ditch that seemed like a boundary, this verdant mountain range was teeming with all sorts of animals.
Horses, mules, cattle, sheep, cats, dogs, chickens, ducks, rats, grasshoppers, even mosquitoes and flies, all gathered in the mountains, densely packed everywhere, with the ditch as the boundary. Looking up, one could see beasts on the ground and birds in the sky—a truly magnificent sight.
"What's going on here?" Rig asked, puzzled.
Hecate Seventy-Seven smiled and said, "The newly developed District Thirteen, established by Hecate One Hundred and Twenty-Three, is a completely semi-biological residential area. This is the newly developed District Sixteen, a multi-biological residential area, so there are more creatures in District Sixteen!"
"So that's what multi-biological means?"
Rig suddenly understood. Looking at the various animals covering the mountains and fields, even a few tigers and leopards, peacefully coexisting with cattle, horses, pigs, and sheep, he couldn't help but ask, puzzled, "Is this forced gathering of creatures voluntary?"
"The Demon Realm has strict divisions of various residential areas. As for how it operates, Lord Ampa, once you obtain resident status, you'll have the authority to know," Hecate Seventy-Seven explained. The
black dragon had already rushed into the mountains. Its body was so enormous that even when it slowed down and didn't rampage around like it had with the mechanical puppets, it still caused chaos and commotion among the animals all over the mountain.
"Where are we going?" Rig asked, somewhat bored. Divirachi was already fast asleep, drooling, oblivious to the noise of the animals. The little rascal thought the black-haired guy's abilities were truly remarkable.
"We're heading to the newly developed District Seventeen, where we'll process Lord Ampa's residency status," Hecate Seventy-Seven replied. Rig
asked, puzzled, "Isn't this District Sixteen? Why not here?"
"This is a multi-creature area! It doesn't suit Lord Ampa's noble status," Hecate Seventy-Seven said matter-of-factly, as if Rig had asked a strange question.
Rig was completely dumbfounded: "What noble status do I have?"
The little rascal was just a small-time hoodlum from the tiny Scorpion-Tailed Kingdom. Even though he was now famous throughout the world, surrounded by layers of dazzling halos, the little guy had never cared about any of that, because he knew perfectly well where those halos came from!
"Your Highness Ampa's status is, of course, extremely noble," Hecate repeated solemnly, but refused to elaborate, leaving Rig increasingly confused.
After crossing the mountain ridge, the number of gathered animals suddenly decreased, and the dragon's pace quickened considerably.
Rig and Hecate chatted for a while, but Rig found that this female demon always seemed to lack something in her speech, frequently using excuses like "gaining status," which the little rogue found rather uninteresting.
Seeing the charcoal-headed man sleeping soundly with drool drool, Rig also felt drowsy and sat down to doze off.
In his hazy state, Rig saw the halos of many magic crystals flowing, brilliantly colorful, reflecting each other, extremely dazzling. Just as the little rogue was drooling over his sudden wealth, he was suddenly awakened by a commotion. Disturbed from his sweet dreams, the little rogue opened his eyes unhappily, but the question on the tip of his tongue wouldn't come out.
He had just dreamt of a vast expanse of dazzling crystals, and when he opened his eyes, he was startled to see a sea of shimmering light.
"Wild Green Tile! You've crossed the line! This is District Sixteen, not your District Twenty-Four!" Hecate's voice boomed.
"Um... Great and handsome Inspector, it's our tribe's Wild White Tile who was bitten by a five-step snake, and we've come to find the antidote!" A rough voice boomed like thunder.
The little rogue then realized that the shimmering light was simply sunlight reflecting off axes; the people carrying these axes were actually a group of tall, burly orcs.
Although orcs had always lived in the icy wilderness of the Northern Continent, their image was widely known in Atlantis. This was because in most war-themed magical dramas, orcs were the villains!
At the beginning of the establishment of the first unified human empire, Saint Huarong fought its most arduous battle against the orcs.
At that time, there were hundreds of orc tribes, and the entire population was a soldier, with a total military strength exceeding ten million.
Saint Hua Rong, leading human knights and mages, waged a sixteen-year war against the orcs entrenched on the Eastern Lai continent, finally annihilating most of the orc tribes and driving the remaining orcs to the Northern Che continent.
This history of the Great Hua Empire's valiant struggle is one of the most talked-about topics among humans, so both Mei Di and Saint Hua Rong were extremely fond of filming magical dramas featuring related content, thus spreading the image of the orcs far and wide.
"Biten by a five-step snake?" Hecate paused, somewhat impatiently asking, "Looking for what? The antidote?"
"A six-step snake!" a rough voice roared confidently.
Even the petty thug was stunned. Bitten by a five-step snake, looking for a six-step snake as an antidote?
“Yes! Wild White Tile was bitten by a five-step snake. It took four steps, and one more step and it would die. We were thinking of finding a six-step snake to bite it again, so it could take one more step!” Wild Green Tile explained logically.
The little hooligan was stunned for a moment, then said, “According to this, you should have found a nine-step snake or a ten-step snake! Wouldn’t that have made it walk even further?”
The big orc looked at the little hooligan with disdain and said scornfully, “Where did this idiot come from? Don’t you know there are no nine-step snakes north of the Great River?”
The orcs called the Sacred River “Great River,” which Rig knew, but he really didn’t know there were no nine-step snakes north of the Sacred River. But the key point of this question wasn’t whether there were nine-step snakes on the north bank of the Sacred River, was it?
“What happened after we found a six-step snake and it bit that tile brother?” Rig asked with great interest.
"Hmm... let's follow it!" The big orc offered a seemingly perfect suggestion, then said with great anticipation, "I've heard that in that...tail region, there's a very venomous snake called the Hundred-Pace Snake. If we find it, Little White Tile can walk over ninety steps." "
The Hundred-Pace Snake is more venomous than the Five-Pace Snake?" The hooligan was speechless at this answer. Having grown up in the Scorpion Tail region, he naturally knew that the dense forests of the Southern Frontier were full of venomous insects and snakes.
The so-called Five-Pace Snake and Hundred-Pace Snake refer to the fact that their venom, after biting, can kill a person within five or a hundred steps at most, not that walking five steps will kill you and walking four steps will save you.
But faced with these unrealistic orcs, even the uncultured hooligan was too lazy to correct them.
He looked up at the sky, thinking: No wonder the orcs number over ten million, yet they were driven to the icy and snowy Northern Continent by Saint Hua Rong. If they occupied the rich Eastern Continent, it would truly be an injustice.
Hecate, the inspector of the five districts, was also driven to despair by the group of orcs. She said weakly, "So, according to this logic, one five-step snake can make that wounded man walk four steps. If you catch ten snakes a day to bite him, wouldn't he be able to walk forty steps? If you catch a hundred, they can bite him together and he can walk four hundred steps. A thousand snakes, that's four thousand steps!"
"That's right, Inspector Commander, you're right!" the big orc exclaimed excitedly.
"What a load of rubbish! A thousand five-step snakes biting him, before he can even walk four thousand steps, will that guy still have any good flesh left?" A similarly rough voice rang out impatiently; it was Divirachi, awakened by the clamor of the orcs.
"Who are you? How dare you question the Inspector's words?" The orcs were instantly enraged, raising their gleaming axes. "Do you have a better way?"
"There isn't a better way, but there is an easier one." Black Charcoal Head completely ignored the orcs' axe threat, coldly snorting, "The simplest way is for you to catch a five-step snake, hang it on your brother's waist, and let it bite as it walks. You can walk tens of thousands of steps a day without having to do math."
The orcs fell silent. Just as Black Charcoal Head stood up, smugly preparing to receive the worshipful shouts of these hairy creatures, Hecate roared, "What do you think you're doing?!"
Immediately afterward, dozens of gleaming axes flew over!
The distance was too close, and the black dragon, caught off guard, flapped its wings amidst a deafening roar, knocking most of the axes away. However, a few axes still managed to avoid the wind from the wings and land on the dragon's back.
Even the thick-skinned black dragon was smashed to pieces by the spinning axes.
The dragon roared and charged at the orcs, ignoring Hecate's shouts.
Seeing the mountain-like black dragon approaching, the orcs scattered in terror. The enraged dragon ignored the others, relentlessly pursuing its largest orc leader.
Seeing this, the other orcs quickly pulled out all sorts of strange and wonderful weapons to help their leader: javelins, darts, bows and arrows—you name it.
Although most of them were knocked down by the dragon's wings, quite a few arrows and javelins still landed on the dragon, making it even more enraged.
Rig and Divirachi were dizzy from the jolting, watching the poor demon girl Hecate shouting orders at the top of her lungs, but the dragon ignored her, chasing after the orcs, smashing through countless trees and kicking away countless animals along the way, leaving a trail of destruction like a tornado.
"Are these orcs crazy?" Divirachi, who was spewing nonsense, could still manage to utter a complete sentence, a skill that Rig truly admired.
Perched on the jolting back of the dragon, glancing sideways at the charcoal-faced man, the little hooligan sneered, "Isn't it because of that... what? snake that was biting you as it moved around your waist, that you angered them!"
"Tch, anyone can see they're talking nonsense. If the orcs were really this stupid, how could they have established a federation in the Northern Continent?" Divirachi said disdainfully, "Even if humans dominate Atlantis, they shouldn't underestimate any intelligent race on the Atlantean continent! Otherwise, it will be humans who are driven to the frozen wastelands sooner or later!"
"Sooner or later? I think it's about time!" Rig chuckled, "Mechanical puppets, orcs, demons, dragons, and maybe other races occupy the six northern provinces of Saint Hualong, and humans can't even react. They might really be driven to the frozen wastelands!"
"Save it! Is there such a good thing as frozen wastelands left for humans? Where do you think these orcs came from?" Divirachi sneered.
The thug froze, stunned. "You mean..."
Divirachi pointed to several axes embedded in the dragon's back and sneered, "Didn't you see? A complete weaponry!"
Before the thug could say anything, the black dragon suddenly staggered, its massive body going limp. The surrounding orcs immediately let out a loud "Oh oh!" and rushed forward, weapons in hand.
"What do you want?! I'm an inspector from the Five Districts!"
Hecate's shouts had no effect. More orcs emerged from the forest, their weapons gleaming, knives and axes flashing, and they all pounced on the dragon.
"Run!" Seeing the situation was dire, Blackie leaped down and fled into the forest along the dragon's tail, his speed and ferocity incredible.
Rig, from a humble background, naturally wasn't going to fall behind and quickly followed Divirachi into the woods. To their surprise, Hecate was silently following behind.
"Why are you running?" Hiding behind a large rock, Divirachi looked at the demon girl with curiosity. "You didn't give those guys any advice."
"They're crazy!" Hecate gasped, her pretty face filled with panic.
"They are crazy!" Rig, peering in, nodded. His exceptionally sharp eyesight, enhanced by the Bead, allowed him to clearly see the orcs slaying a dragon!
To be precise, they were killing a dragon. The black dragon lay there, at the orcs' mercy, its body soaking into the ground.
"Let's run! These orcs dare to kill dragons; it's too dangerous for us to stay here!" Rig said worriedly.
Divirachi also peeked out, then shrugged. "They're not killing a dragon, just a beast that looks a lot like one. Inspector Hecate, am I right?"
Hecate's face was pale. She bit her lip, lacking the courage to even glance in that direction, and whispered, "Let's hurry, get to the provincial administration office as soon as possible. These orcs might really be chasing us!"
Although the little rogue didn't take these axe-wielding orcs seriously, he had no interest in getting involved in the infighting between these strange creatures. He glanced at Divirachi, and seeing that Blackie nod as well, said, "Alright, let's go. How far is the provincial administration office?"
"Not far." Hecate's answer brought relief to Rig and Divirachi, but after two hours of hiking, looking at the endless mountain range, the two suddenly became unhappy.
"Hecate, how much further?" The little rogue felt like he'd been tricked by this demon girl and asked angrily.
After walking a long way, Hecate's pale face finally regained some color. She gasped, "It's not far... we'll be there once we cross this mountain range..."
Looking at the endless, towering mountains stretching into the distance, the little rogue gasped and cautiously asked, "How long will it take to get out of this mountain range?"
"Ten days or half a month," Hecate lowered her head and said softly, "Mainly because we don't have mounts or transportation."
Before the little rogue could react, Divirachi, who had been silent until now, coldly said, "Ten days or half a month probably won't be enough, will it? Those orcs ahead are already setting up checkpoints!"
"Those shameless bastards! They've finally openly invaded our newly developed area!" Hecate clenched her fists, her face flushed red with indignation.
Rig frowned. "What? You mean 'finally openly'? And an invasion?"
"Didn't you understand? These orcs are actually allies of the demons, right? After conquering the six northern provinces, the demons gave the orcs some territory, but obviously the orcs weren't satisfied, and now they're invading demon territory." Divirachi said, shaking his head, while taking a swig from a water bottle at his waist.
The rascal was secretly delighted. "Demon internal strife?"
"Probably. But if we don't figure out why magic can't be used properly here, even if a human army attacks, it's still 'death'!" Divirachi said casually, as if he had completely forgotten that there was a female demon inspector beside him.
Hecate immediately fell silent. Rig, however, looked at the charcoal-headed man with surprise, thinking: We two are here as spies! How could this guy let slip so easily? Unprofessional people are so unprofessional!
Seeing Rig's surprised expression, Divirachi pulled out a cold steamed bun, took a bite, and said nonchalantly, "What are you looking at? What do you think we're here for? We really don't know! You, number seventy-seven, do you even know what we're here for?"
Hecate said calmly, "The Demon Realm doesn't care about scouts or reconnaissance. Sending as many people as you want is irrelevant to us. The Demon Realm has an independent ecosystem. The condensation of magical elements and the application of magic are completely different from the outside world. So, your magicians are no different from ordinary people!"
Hearing this demon girl so frankly reveal the biggest secret of the Demon Realm, Rig and Divirachi were both stunned.
They looked at each other: Are the demons really that powerful? Able to create an independent space in Atlantis, even possessing completely independent spatial laws?
Such fantasies abound in magical dramas, where the protagonist often somersaults into a tree hole or jumps off a cliff to another dimension. But that's just magical drama! Not reality!
"Lord Saler, are the demons really that powerful?" the little rogue couldn't help but ask Lord Bead.
Lord Bead sneered, "They are not demons at all. As for this so-called spatial law or independent space, that's utter nonsense! Creating space and establishing laws are things that even the most elite demons cannot accomplish. Even among the gods, only one or two have the potential, and they would need to gather the power of the entire god race!"
"So, this girl was just bragging?" Hearing Lady Bead's confident answer, the little rogue's fear vanished instantly, and he asked curiously, "What do you mean we can't use magic?"
"The only thing more magical than magic is magic tricks. The reason magic tricks seem more magical than magic is because they're deceitful from beginning to end!" Lady Bead said calmly, "To break these fake demons' magic tricks, you must infiltrate their ranks, find their prop pockets, and seize the hand they hide behind their backs!"
Hearing Lady Bead's explanation, the little rogue felt relieved and looked at the demon girl, saying, "Hecate, weren't you going to take us to get our identities verified? What do we do now?"
Hecate frowned, looking at the orcs ahead, and said, "These guys have already sealed off District Sixteen; the main road is impassable."
"Let's take the back roads!" Rig said indifferently. Although the mountains on the north bank of the Holy River were long, their danger was far less than the poisonous insects and miasma that filled the Scorpion Tail region, so the little rogue naturally didn't take them seriously.
Hecate shook her head: "I don't know the path!"
Seeing the two men's astonished looks, the demon girl quickly said, "I've only been a patrolman for a few days! I can't even recognize all the main roads, let alone the side paths!"
"How did you become a patrolman like this?" Although the titles of demons are different from those of humans, their functions are similar. This demon girl's patrolman position is roughly equivalent to a prefectural-level police officer in the Holy Hualong Empire, except that a police officer's patrol often involves dozens or even hundreds of people, unlike Hecate's—so meager!
"Why don't we turn back? Maybe Hecate Number 123 can be repaired..." Hecate, feeling criticized, blushed and stammered as she offered her suggestion.
"Repair Hecate Number 123?" Rig and Divirachi exchanged a glance, remembering the pitiful state of the mechanical puppet girl who was covered in smoke, and both shook their heads.
It wasn't that the mechanical girl couldn't be repaired; at least the two of them, with their self-awareness, knew that they absolutely couldn't repair it on their own. As for this demon girl, did she even know how to use pliers and a wrench?
"I said, can we get over those mountains?" Rig pointed. "Those orcs, I think they're all guarding the foot of the mountains!"
The demon girl's face turned deathly pale. She stared at the continuous mountain range, shaking her head violently, and said in fear, "No...no..."
"Why? Those mountains don't look difficult to climb?" Rig asked, quite puzzled.
Compared to the complex and rugged mountains of the Scorpion Tail region, the mountains north of Saint Vallon, though large, had much gentler slopes, making them much easier to climb!
"That's a hunting ground..." The demon girl swallowed hard, "Very dangerous...extremely dangerous...extremely dangerous..."

Chapter Five: A Real-Life Magical Game
The demon girl's armor was form-fitting, beautifully outlining every curve of her body. Combined with her sweet appearance and gentle voice, if it weren't for her snow-white hair and two purely decorative wings, this demon girl, Hecate Seventy-Seven, would be no different from any other ordinary pretty girl in Platinum City.
Hecate's body trembled violently; she was practically dragged up the mountain by Rig. She shook her head and spread her wings, her voice trembling with tears, saying, "Very dangerous...extremely dangerous..."
But she refused to say what the danger was.
This left Rig and Divirachi, eager to uncover the truth about the demon race, quite helpless. Especially when Hecate mentioned a town at the top of the mountain with an administrator who could process identity verification, the two forcibly dragged the demon girl up the mountain without further ado.
The northern mountains stretched endlessly, sparsely covered with trees and vegetation, dotted with massive rocks and bare earth.
Gusts of mountain wind blew, rustling the yellowish-green grass, making the entire mountain seem to sway. The demon girl huddled fearfully behind Rig and Divirachi, her body trembling with dread.
"What are you afraid of? Even if this mountain is some kind of hunting ground, with Plato the Magical Little Mage here, are you still worried about danger?" the charcoal-headed man asked, puzzled.
"I told you, the spatial laws here are different; magic from outside can't be used!" Hecate retorted angrily.
Rig chuckled, "Who told you that fighting always requires magic?"
Rig's body had been repeatedly modified by the Bead Master; although his magic level was still mediocre, his physical attributes were already comparable to a paladin. As for Divirachi, just looking at his body, stronger than a bandit's, one could imagine his terrifying fighting power.
Compared to the animals that roamed freely at the foot of the mountain, there was no sign of any animals on the mountain. Although Rig didn't know how the demons had managed it, he knew there must be a very strange reason.
He carefully gripped a thick, long staff. Although the staff's function was to use magic, the little rogue, who always believed in brute force, had envied King Lear's staff, which could break bones, and had acquired one.
You see, violent mages have always been a popular profession in magical plays; it's just that most real-world mages are physically weak, making the dual cultivation of magic and martial arts a legend.
The charcoal-headed man naturally didn't have a staff, but he held a thick stick in his hand. Although it was just a simple tree branch, its power was not to be underestimated.
Hecate, however, had no weapon whatsoever, and followed Rig and Divirachi trembling with fear, constantly glancing around warily, her whole body tense, looking very nervous.
Rig and Divirachi, though outwardly relaxed, were actually both on high alert. Since entering this strange demonic realm, everything they'd encountered seemed shrouded in mystery, leaving them completely bewildered.
This so-called hunting ground, in particular, was filled with an eerie aura of danger, causing both of them to become cautious. Yet,
after walking carefully for half a day, nothing happened. The rogue lacked patience, and before he could relax, the charcoal-headed man was already dragging his stick, much to Hecate's exasperation.
"Hecate, why is there nothing in this hunting ground?" the rogue asked curiously, feeling somewhat bored.
"I don't know, I don't know!" the demon girl cried out in panic, shaking her head repeatedly. "I've never been to this hunting ground before, I don't know which tribe's territory this belongs to!"
"A tribe?" Divirachi suddenly dodged to the side, catching a small arrow that had been shot towards him. Looking at the dark, gleaming arrow, the bard frowned and slowly said, "I know which tribe this is; it should be the dwarves' hunting grounds!"
Rig stared at the short arrow in Divirachi's hand, examining it closely, and asked suspiciously, "This is dwarf territory? Do you recognize dwarf arrows? What markings are on them?"
The charcoal-headed man smiled wryly, "I don't recognize dwarf arrows, but I recognize dwarves!"
A large group of dwarves had already emerged from the tall grass ahead. These dwarves wore short, grayish-brown clothes and were less than a meter tall.
As if deliberately trying to compensate for their small stature, they all wore tall, large hats, completely obscuring their faces under the wide brims. They didn't carry bows, but rather small, exquisite crossbows, their black metal bodies gleaming in the sunlight.
Of course, crossbows weren't the dwarves' only weapon; they also carried openwork battle axes or long-handled warhammers on their backs.
The distance was too great, so the dwarves unanimously chose crossbows, a ranged weapon, to maintain effective firepower.
With hundreds of crossbow bolts aimed at them, and seeing the gleaming black arrowheads in the crossbow troughs, even the little thug protected by Lord Bead couldn't help but change color.
These short arrows, though not particularly powerful, were numerous! Even ants can kill an elephant if many are fired at once! If hundreds of crossbow bolts were fired all at once, Lord Bead's protection fee would be very high.
"Who are you people? How come you don't have a Demon Star?" one of the dwarves asked. Because they weren't close, he spoke loudly.
"Demon Star?" Rig and Divirachi exchanged a glance, both seeing the same bewilderment in each other's eyes. Clearly, neither of them knew what a Demon Star was.
"I am the district patrolman, and these two are my important guests!" Hecate's voice trembled as she spoke.
"Patrolman of the residential area, what are you doing in the hunting grounds?!" the dwarf roared. "Don't you know that the Vast Mountains are a hunting ground designated for our Warhammer Kingdom? This is a serious provocation!"
Hecate cautiously replied, "The orcs below the mountain have blocked the road, and we have important business to attend to at the provincial administration office."
The dwarf paused, then exclaimed in astonishment, "The orcs have blocked the road? Why? Why have they blocked the road?"
Hecate sighed, somewhat sadly, "They've gone mad. Not only have they blocked the road, but they also killed my mount."
"Really? So these orcs are finally going to make their move?" The dwarf laughed loudly. "These barbarians from the north have waited for so many days, and finally couldn't take it anymore! Hahaha!"
"What do you mean?" Hecate asked, puzzled.
"Our Warhammer Kingdom has been preparing for so many days just to wait for these orcs!" the dwarf chuckled maliciously.
"What are these dwarves so happy about?" Rig asked, somewhat puzzled.
The demon girl said somewhat helplessly, "They want to let the orcs into the hunting grounds to seize their Demon Stars."
Rig asked softly, "What are Demon Stars?"
"Each official resident of the Demon Realm carries a Demon Crystal, marked with their Demon Star level. Within the hunting grounds, this Demon Crystal marked with the Demon Star level can be plundered," Hecate explained succinctly.
"What do they want to do with it?" Rig asked curiously.
"They can use it to upgrade their Demon Star level within their Demon Star Crystal. The higher the level of the Demon Star Crystal, the more rights and resources they receive in the Demon Network," the demon girl sighed. "In other words, the stronger their combat power!"
Rig's eyes darted around, then suddenly realized, "Damn, isn't this a real-life magic game?"
"What? A magic game?" The demon girl shook her head. "That's how life has always been in the Demon Realm. The law of the jungle is the Demon Realm's rule."
Rig was momentarily confused, thinking: Could a magic game actually reflect the demons' way of life? But Lord Bead had never had any insight into this! Or perhaps these demons, after being exiled to another world, developed rules of life similar to those in a magical game over thousands of years?
Didn't Lord Bead repeatedly emphasize that these demons were no longer demons—at least not the demons it knew!
Suddenly, the dwarves became noisy, a banner embroidered with a large iron hammer was raised, and then a steady stream of dwarves rushed in from the surrounding mountains. They greeted each other excitedly, their movements as lively as a temple fair.
Countless small and exquisite mechanical devices were brought out of the dense forest and quickly assembled in the tall grass.
Amazingly, no matter how incredibly complex the device, in the hands of the dwarves, it was eventually combined into boxes of different sizes—a skill that left Little Rogue and Blackie in awe.
Of course, the dwarves wouldn't leave Rigg and his two companions alone. After constructing a platform using various boxes, the dwarves erected three wooden stakes on it. They then politely invited Rig and his companions onto the platform and tied them to the stakes with ropes.
Seeing the sturdy ropes wrapped around their bodies, the demon girl turned pale with fright. Rig, however, smiled broadly and didn't seem to mind at all. Instead, he shouted to Divirachi beside him, "Old Black, what do you think they're trying to do?"
Divirachi curled his lip disdainfully, "Using you as bait! Just from this Hecate Seventy-Seven, it's clear you're quite well-known among these demons! If the orcs realize what's going on, they'll definitely come after you!"
"My fame?" Rig paused, stunned. "These dwarves don't know who I am, do they?"
"Didn't you hear Seventy-Seven say that having a resident status allows you to connect to the magic network? Your information is accessible to anyone on the magic network!" Divirachi sneered.
Rig looked at him strangely, puzzled, and asked, "Old Black, why aren't you scared?"
They'd been used as bait and tied to a high platform, yet the charcoal-faced guy seemed completely unconcerned—it didn't make sense!
Divirachi stared at the thug, saying matter-of-factly, "Are you kidding me? Why should I be scared? I'm following you, the protagonist! In which legendary novel does the protagonist die?"
"What if I die?" Rig couldn't help but roll his eyes.
"How could you possibly die? Do you think I, a bard, am a charlatan? I say you're the legendary protagonist, and you definitely are! Protagonists never die; only others die!"
Divirachi said confidently, "Just wait and see! Someone will come to rescue us soon, and we'll quickly escape danger and even turn misfortune into good fortune. And according to the clichéd plot, nine times out of ten, the rescuers will be a group of beautiful women."
Watching this charcoal-faced guy boast, Rig's eyes widened.
He couldn't fathom where this guy got such confidence. Divirachi definitely didn't know about the existence of the Bead!
What protagonist's halo? The little rogue didn't believe a shred of that!
"We're going to die! We're about to die!"
The poor demon girl clearly didn't possess the unwavering, death-defying spirit of the two men. After being tied to the stake, she cried out in agony, as if she were truly about to die.
It has to be said, a hysterical woman's screaming is incredibly annoying. Even if this woman is beautiful and has a pair of cool black wings, it's still incredibly annoying!
"It's giving me a headache! Sal, can't you tell her to shut up?" After enduring the noise for several minutes, the little rogue finally roared inwardly.
"If she doesn't scream this loudly, how will she guide the attacking orcs?"
The Bead naturally wouldn't say that it couldn't use magic because the arrangement of magical elements in the surrounding environment had changed, so it made up a flimsy excuse.
After all, with Lord Bead's over a thousand years of survival wisdom, finding an excuse to shut the symbiotes up would be extremely easy.
The little rogue, swayed by Lord Bead's words, immediately ignored the noise created by Hecate Seventy-Seven and asked worriedly, "Lord Saler, these demons aren't really planning to turn the entire Atlantis into a giant magical game, are they?"
"These demons aren't real demons, so what they're up to, I have no idea!"
The proud Magic Core Number Forty-Seven, as always, insisted on his point of view, much to the little rogue's dismay. If it weren't for the telepathic connection between symbiotes, the little guy would have already started cursing at this stubborn old monster.
Divirachi, probably also dizzy from the demon girl's clamor, suddenly roared, "Stop yelling! The orcs are here, what's the point of yelling?"
Hecate Number Seventy-Seven paused for a moment, then let out an even more earth-shattering howl.
Sure enough, a large group of orcs appeared from the reeds at the foot of the mountain. The reeds, which could easily conceal dwarves, only reached the orcs' waists. These orcs seemed completely unaware of the dangers lurking in the endless wild grass of the mountain, each one casually carrying their axes and spiked clubs, nonchalantly climbing up the mountain.
When the demon girl's scream reached their ears, the orcs paused, then turned in unison to see the three people bound to the high platform. Without needing a command, the orcs shouted and ran up the mountain.
The rogue stared wide-eyed at the orcs running towards the dwarves' trap, a wave of emotion washing over him. He thought, "If all the barbarians of the Southern Islands were as mindless as these orcs, how many fewer people would die in the Scorpion Tail region!"
Just as the rogue was lamenting this, he suddenly heard a shout from the orcs. Hundreds of orcs, still running, suddenly pulled out small axes from their backs and hurled them.
Hundreds of axes flew through the air, accurately striking the area around the platform where the three were bound, covering a vast area.
Caught off guard by this sudden rain of axes, the dwarves screamed in agony.
The orcs, still yelling, drew even more small axes from their backs. These orcish-specific ranged weapons were incredibly sharp, and due to the great distance, the dwarves' small bows simply couldn't hit them.
After being bombarded by two waves of orcish axes, and seeing the orcs draw their axes again, the dwarves, who had no idea how many of these small axes the orcs were carrying, finally roared and leaped out of their ambush, charging towards the orcs
. Seeing the dwarves charge out, the orcs fairly tucked their small axes back into their belts, then shouted, and hundreds of orcs, wielding axes, maces, and other weapons, launched a counter-charge up the mountain.
Neither the orcs nor the dwarves had any formation in this charge. Both sides brandished their various weapons, shouting and yelling, running forward relentlessly.
In an open hilly area, the orcs and dwarves met, like two rushing streams colliding violently.
The short dwarves were often sent flying by a single blow from an orc's spiked club, followed by the orc, who would then writhe in agony, clutching his face, after being struck in the eye by an arrow from a dwarf sent flying. A
chaotic brawl ensued. Frankly, it didn't resemble a battle between two armies. Even though both dwarves and orcs wielded standard, high-quality weapons, their fighting style was more like a brawl between two gangs of thugs.
"Damn it! Fight! Fight! Throw lime packets! Bring boiling water!" the thug shouted excitedly from the high platform. If he weren't bound, he would have been dancing with joy.
"No lime? Grab mud! So stupid! Spit on him, spit on him..."
The thug's gesticulating was naturally annoying, and even from a distance, his voice sounded particularly grating amidst the fighting. During a lull in the fighting, a short-tempered orc drew an axe from his waist and threw it at the thug.
"Crack! Crack!" Seeing the axes land on the platform, the rascal wisely shut his mouth.
Luckily, it was only one or two axes. If he angered the orcs, hundreds of axes would be thrown at him. Even with the orcs' poor aim, the rascal would be smashed into mincemeat, right?
The rascal wisely kept quiet, but the demon girl screamed in terror at the several axes flying towards her.
This... this inspector from the Five Districts was incredibly timid, yet his voice was unusually high-pitched and shrill, echoing through the mountains.
This scream undoubtedly enraged the orcs. Without any command, dozens of flying axes rained down.
Hecate was so frightened she couldn't even scream. Watching dozens of gleaming axes fly through the air, her face turned deathly pale.
"Damn it!" Rig cursed under his breath, trying to save himself, when he suddenly heard the same "Damn it!" echo from below. Then, the platform he was standing on, made of boxes of various sizes, began to creak and groan.
A series of "crack, crack, crack, crack" sounds followed, and the dozens of axes that had been thrown at him all struck a large box that had suddenly risen.
The box, still bearing the axes embedded in it, continued to rise with a "clatter," some boxes rising while others slid down.
While Rig and his companions trembled with fear and were completely bewildered, the dozens of boxes had formed a humanoid object over five meters tall, with arms and legs.
The wooden stakes binding Rig and his companions were positioned precisely at the top of the box giant's head and shoulders; the boxes that had blocked the flying axes were the box giant's arms.
"What...what's going on?" Rig shouted in astonishment.
Although Divirach's expression wasn't much better, he still managed a forced smile and said leisurely, "Didn't you see? It's a humanoid puppet. The dwarves used it as a trap to lure these orcs in!"
"A humanoid puppet?" Rig exclaimed in horror, "Like Hecate 123?" "
From what I've observed, it's much simpler than that. This thing is probably controlled by the dwarves; it doesn't have the autonomous consciousness of 123!" the charcoal-headed man explained.
At this moment, the orcs were also stunned by the giant humanoid puppet. After the box giant shakily stood up, the orcs roared and retreated a considerable distance.
Although the dwarves wanted to take this opportunity to expand their gains, their fighting strength was far inferior to that of the orcs.
After a few shouts, the crossbow bolts fired left few orc corpses.
"Which idiot activated the Warhammer God so quickly!" The blood-covered dwarf leader returned to the box giant and shouted angrily.
Although his beard obscured most of his expression, the bulging veins on his forehead revealed that the dwarf chieftain was furious.
"Your Majesty, they were yelling and screaming up there, causing the orcs to throw many axes at the Warhammer God. We were afraid the Warhammer God would be damaged, so we had to activate it first!" one of the dwarves stammered.
Seeing the axes embedded in the giant's arm, the dwarf chieftain clearly couldn't reprimand his subordinates for their recklessness, and could only say angrily, "Don't you know that this Warhammer God has already consumed all the resources of our Warhammer Kingdom?"
"Precisely because it's so important, that's why we were afraid of damaging it!" the guardian dwarf argued again, shifting the blame once more onto the three bound men: "They were yelling too loudly, which angered the orcs!"
"Throw these men down!" the dwarf chieftain roared, issuing the order. No one knows which dwarf activated some kind of mechanism, but the dazed giant in the box suddenly leaned forward, its entire body lowering down. Then several dwarves climbed onto the wooden box and hurriedly untied Rig and the other two.
"Your Majesty, the orcs are charging again!" a dwarf suddenly shouted. The dwarf leader turned around and saw hundreds of orcs charging menacingly, weapons raised, their roars deafening.
"What's wrong with these guys? Have they gone mad again?" the dwarf leader asked, puzzled.
The charcoal-headed man, thrown into the thatch, finally couldn't help but yell, "You pigs! They saw your giant fall, and if they don't come now, when will they?"
"Oh, I see!" the dwarf leader exclaimed gleefully. "We were just afraid they wouldn't come!"
Seeing the dwarves shouting and setting up their defensive perimeter, the somewhat speechless hooligan said to Divirachi, "Old Black, I don't remember the legendary dwarves being this stupid?"
"Legend my ass! Major was a dwarf too! If all dwarves were this stupid, would they have been able to build a vast dwarf empire before the human empire? I suspect these guys who inexplicably dug out this hammer kingdom have all lost their minds!" Divirachi said bitterly.
"What about the orcs? Have they lost their minds too?" the hooligan asked, gesturing with his chin towards the vicious burly men.
"No, it must be that these flimsy, easily broken counterfeit puppets have been seen by these orcs more than once in the Demon Realm, so they think they've won the lottery and are rushing in to cause trouble. It seems that the demons not only occupy the six northern provinces of Saint Hualong, but have also completely inherited the Saint Hualong people's endless counterfeiting methods!" Divirachi shouted.

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Atlantis Chronicles Episode 16

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