Chapter 209 208. Elder's Memories (Extra 4K)

"You guys can come in." The tall guard with ten eyes waved his scaly hand and stepped aside to make way.

As soon as you step in, the noise hits you!

The wide main road was crowded with people of all kinds of strange races, and the air was filled with a mixed smell of food, spices and some kind of magical energy.

The buildings on both sides are tall, decorated with glittering magic crystals and fluttering flags.

"Wow! What a scene..." The companions stared with wide eyes, "Compared to this, Shenxue Port looks like a small country town!"

"It's probably because of the bicentennial celebration," another person said calmly, "Even in the Demon King's Castle, there probably aren't so many people on normal days."

Wo did not say anything, but his inner shock was no less than that of his companions. The prosperous scene he had never seen before made him subconsciously tighten his clothes.

"Wo, let's split up first," his companion patted him on the shoulder, "Remember, meet at the city gate in the morning three days later!"

"Understood." Wo nodded, watched his companions merge into the crowd, and turned into an alley next to the main street.

The main reason he came along this time was that he heard that the Demon King's City had the most complete collection of magic arrays and potion books, and he wanted to choose some that suited him.

But before that...

Wo touched his stomach and gnawed on the hard dried salted fish along the way. He finally arrived in the legendary Magic City, so how could he not try the local delicacies?

Following the alluring aromas and voices, he picked a pub that was almost full and bustling with activity.

Before I could squeeze in, I could hear the heated discussions inside:

"Hey, hey, can we meet the Demon King at this celebration?"

"I think so. I heard that the Demon King was there in person during the Centennial Celebration. It should be the same for the Bicentennial Celebration!"

"Oh my god! To be able to see the Demon King in person... this journey is worth it!"

Obviously, there are many outsiders like Wo who come from far away.

However, when he finally squeezed in through the door, the noisy voices in the pub suddenly became quieter as if they were being strangled.

Countless gazes - curious, scrutinizing, and even carrying a hint of imperceptible rejection - were like fine needles, piercing the blue magic pattern on his bare arm.

A buzz of discussion sounded in the corner:

"The demon clan... the guards..."

"But... why is the magic pattern blue? I've never seen it before..."

Behind the bar, the boarman boss, whose fangs were almost poking his face, was wiping the counter with a rag expressionlessly, ignoring the subtle silence.

Wo calmed himself down and walked to the bar: "Boss, do you have any authentic signature dishes to recommend?"

The boarman boss paused while wiping, raised his thick eyebrows, and looked at Wo Shen: "You... are not a local demon?"

"I just entered the city today!" Wo tried hard to force a smile.

"Oh - a stranger!" The boss seemed to suddenly realize something, and his huge fangs seemed to open up into an arc, and his enthusiasm instantly replaced his indifference, "No wonder the color of the magic pattern is different! Since you are a guest coming from afar, you must try our treasure - red-tooth wild boar ribs! Slow-roasted with a secret sauce over charcoal, I guarantee that you will never be able to taste this taste anywhere else!"

He patted his chest and began to introduce himself with saliva flying.

This sudden change in enthusiasm made Wo feel a little confused. He couldn't help but wonder: Is the reputation of the local demons not very good?

The noise in the tavern, which had been suppressed due to Wo's appearance, began to boil again after hearing his conversation with the boss.

Although the focus of discussion still revolved around the celebration, some people also mentioned another topic:

"...Speaking of which, will that 'God of Plague' take the opportunity to cause trouble?"

"What plague god?"

"Who else could it be! It's that human who has been elusive and wreaking havoc on the border in recent years!"

"Him? Give him ten times the courage! For this celebration, Marshal Mad Wolf, Grand Duke of the Blood Clan, and Commander of the Devil Clan will all be present. His Majesty the Demon King may even be present! That coward who can only take advantage of loopholes only dares to act wildly in remote places! He dares to come to the Demon King's City? We can just deal with him!"

…

A wonderful meal.

Although the red-tusk wild boar ribs are not the only ones in the world as the owner boasts, they are definitely delicious!

Wo thought that this was probably due to the rich variety of spices in the imperial capital.

Leaving the noisy pub, Wo set out again on his journey to find a bookstore.

However, at the corner of a relatively quiet street, two guys in city guard uniforms approached him.

On their skin were scarlet magic patterns that were the same as Wo's, but in completely different colors!

"Hey," one of the demon guards crossed his arms and looked at Wo with contempt, "A new face? Where did you come from?"

Wo didn't want to cause any trouble, so he whispered, "Deep Snow Harbor."

"Oh? The group on the beach?" Another guard sneered, and suddenly grabbed Wo's wrist. His rough fingers vigorously stroked the dark blue magic pattern on his forearm. "Heh, this dark blue... is probably cold resistance, right? Tsk tsk..."

Wo was just about to compliment the other person by saying he was "well-informed", but before he could finish his words -

Bang!

Without any warning, a heavy punch hit his abdomen!

Wo groaned, curled up in pain, and his stomach churned.

“Ahhh!”

Then, fists rained down like raindrops, and Wo was knocked back and hit against the stone wall. He was unable to defend himself, and even his cry of pain was blocked in his throat.

"Why...why?!" Wo raised his head with difficulty, blood oozing from the corners of his mouth, and asked with difficulty.

"Why?!" The guard kicked him in the chest, pinning him to the wall, and spat, "You still have the nerve to ask? You are a disgrace to the demons! You actually got a tattoo like this? To be a lowly businessman?!"

He grabbed Wo by the collar, his eyes burning with twisted anger, "It's because of cowards like you that the reputation of the Demonic Clan is declining year by year!"

"I... I was born..." Wo coughed up blood and smiled bitterly, "... I can't choose this magic pattern..."

He never expected that he would be beaten for something like this.

"Can't choose?" The guard grinned and raised his fist again, "Then choose a decent way to die! Die by yourself! Use your blood to wash away the sins that tarnished the name of the Devil!"

Just as the fist was about to fall, the two guards suddenly froze.

At the entrance of the alley, a figure was standing quietly.

He was completely enveloped in a wide hooded robe, and his face was covered with an expressionless metal mask, with only two deep gazes piercing through the shadows.

"What are you looking at?! The city guards are doing their job! If you don't want to get into trouble, get out of here!"

"He's hiding his head and showing his tail, acting sneaky! There must be something wrong!" another one also echoed.

However, when their eyes met the gaze from the eye sockets of the mask, a chill as cold as if it could freeze the bone marrow instantly crept into their hearts.

"Forget it... Forget it!" The leading guard let go of Wo as if he had been electrocuted. His voice was dry and he tried to remain calm. "Today is... a celebration. You're lucky!"

Before leaving, he did not forget to glare at Wo fiercely, as if his eyes were saying "You won't get so easy next time". Then he and his companions hurriedly disappeared from the alley as if avoiding the plague god, and their backs even looked a bit... fleeing.

"Are you okay?" A gentle voice sounded, and a hand wearing pure white gloves stretched out in front of Wo.

"Thank...thank you!" Wo stood up with the help of his strength. Through the unusually soft silk gloves, he could hardly feel the existence of the other person's bones, as if he was holding a ball of warm clouds.

"Why are they bothering you?" The voice behind the mask was concerned.

“Heh,” Wo smiled bitterly, raising his bloodstained hands. The bright red bloodstains meandered on the dark blue magic patterns, forming a striking contrast. “Because my magic patterns are engraved with cold resistance, not combat skills. Perhaps in their eyes, this tarnishes the reputation of ‘the devil’s strongest creation’…”

"What a narrow-minded view." The masked man shook his head gently, "Has no one ever thought that the Demon King gave the demon descendants this magic pattern of infinite possibilities, perhaps hoping that you can shine in all fields, not just fighting on the battlefield?"

These words made Wo look up suddenly and look at the masked man in astonishment - he had never heard of such a point of view!

Catching Wo's incredulous gaze, the masked man said calmly, "Surprised? You are a descendant of the Demon from Deep Snow Harbor, right? I've heard about it. You opened up the northern route and connected with the Tabu Continent. You have made an indelible contribution to the prosperity of Deep Snow Harbor. Isn't this another kind of honor?"

"You...you know so much." Wo unconsciously used honorifics.

The other party's conversation and demeanor all indicated his extraordinary identity. Wo felt a warm current in his heart to be recognized by such a person.

But then he became disappointed again: "Unfortunately... that waterway has also been shrouded in fog since the year before last. I'm afraid it will never be navigable again. We have to find another way out."

"Sigh... yes, fog..." When mentioning the fog, the masked man also let out a long sigh, his tone filled with the same helplessness.

"Sir! You are here!"

A figure in a pure black robe came quickly, and his appearance clearly showed that he was a vampire.

"Sir, I've been looking for you for a long time. The celebration is about to begin!"

"Got it. I'll leave now." The masked man responded helplessly.

Before leaving, he turned around and looked at Wo again, and said solemnly: "Don't let those people's prejudices shake you, do what you should do, and stick to it. I believe..." He paused, his voice filled with a strange certainty, "The Demon King must also expect this!"

Looking at the figure in a wide robe blending into the crowd, and the other party's confident tone that sounded like an "endorsement", Wo could not help but laugh and shake his head.

However, given this person's status and position, perhaps... he had really listened to the teachings of the Demon King in person?

This thought made Wo feel a little excited.

However, there is only one question: the vampire servant just now seemed to be wearing a pure black robe without any decoration?

Wo vaguely remembered that in the strict hierarchy of the blood clan, only the supreme Grand Duke was qualified to wear pure black...

Maybe I missed the other colors on the robe...

…

…

…

The torrent of celebration engulfed the entire square, and Wo could only grab a spot in a remote corner.

Amid the deafening cheers, he stood there in a daze, his eyes fixed on the figure on the podium - His Majesty the Demon King!

Although the mask was different, that posture, that temperament... was clearly the "masked man" who had just rescued him!

Look at the vampire duke next to him. He looks exactly like the "vampire attendant" who came to find the masked man just now...

In other words…

Wo lowered his head in disbelief and looked at his right hand—the Demon King actually helped him up with his own hands!

Thinking of what His Majesty said to him, a surge of burning power instantly filled Wo's limbs and bones!

Buzz——

A huge amplifying magic circle lit up in the sky, and the demon king's majestic voice was like thunder, rolling across the entire demon king's city:

"My people!" The once gentle voice now contained supreme pressure, "It has been exactly two hundred years since we broke free from our shackles and regained our freedom!"

“I have stood on the scorched earth and watched you dig through the rubble with your sharp claws and pick up the broken beams with your long tails;

I once stood guard in the bitter winter, and saw wolves using their body temperature to keep their cubs warm, and vampires using magic to heal their comrades.

Two hundred years!

You built a mighty city on the ruins and dug a moon well in the desert!

Back then, humans whipped our backs and cursed us as "brutal beasts who eat raw meat and drink blood"!

But look at it now, our magic crystal lighthouse illuminates the entire continent, and our forges can already smelt star iron!

This is not the glory of a certain tribe; it is the claws of the wolf tribe, the magic of the blood tribe, the wings of the eagle tribe, the wisdom of the snake people, and the bones and flesh of all the demons that have together created today's prosperity!

This prosperous era will not stop for two hundred years!

The next hundred years, the next hundred years, and forever!

The demon race is eternal!"

"The Demon King is eternal! The Demon King is eternal! The Demon King is eternal!" Wo roared at the top of his lungs along with countless demons, his blood boiling!

He firmly believed that under the guidance of such a demon king, eternal glory would be achieved!

The demon king's voice continued to echo, announcing the future direction of the empire:

"In the past, we defeated the humans who were our overlords, but we mercifully drove them into the dense forests of the south. However, humans did not know how to be grateful, and instead deliberately harassed our borders. After the empire, these hidden dangers will be completely resolved. This world cannot tolerate these pests!"

"Destroy humanity! Destroy humanity! Destroy humanity!" The thunderous roar pushed the celebration to a boiling point!

However--

"What is that?" A puzzled voice came into Wo's ears, bringing him back down a little from his frenzy.

Following the sound, I saw more and more people looking up in astonishment, gazing towards the distant sky.

Wo narrowed his eyes—a tiny black dot was tearing through the clouds and approaching rapidly!

"Big bird?" someone guessed.

The winged guards had already flown into the sky to try to intercept it, but the black dot was so high and so fast that it passed over the Demon King's Castle in the blink of an eye!

Just as it passed the highest point——

whoosh!

A figure separated and fell down, falling like a meteorite!

boom--!!!

The solid stone slab in the center of the platform exploded!

Amid the smoke and rubble, there is a human figure!

In an instant, the magic patterns on the Demon Leader's body burst out with blinding light, the Mad Wolf Marshal's body swelled to a four-meter giant while roaring, and the Blood Clan Grand Duke turned into a scarlet afterimage, and his fingers were like swords, piercing the throat of the intruder!

However, the next heartbeat has not yet fallen——

The magic core on the chest of the Demon Leader was shattered, and a huge blood flower suddenly exploded on the strong chest of the Mad Wolf Marshal. The stabbing arm of the Blood Duke flew high in full view of everyone!

The man casually shook off the blood beads on the blade and put the sword back into the sheath with smooth movements.

Only then did he raise his eyes and look at the only figure still standing on the platform.

"You must be the Demon King, right? Nice to meet you. My name is Link, and I'm a brave warrior!" Speaking in poor demon language, his voice also resounded throughout the city through the magic of amplifying sound.

As if nothing had happened, he walked to the edge of the platform and looked down at the countless angry demons below, even with a bit of curiosity.

"Is this a holiday? Sorry, sorry, I really didn't mean to disturb you," he grinned, revealing his white teeth, "I'm just stopping by to do a small task."

"...Mission?" The demon king's voice was as low as ice.

"Yes, yes! Mission!" The brave warrior Link nodded enthusiastically, frantically rummaging through his tattered backpack, and finally pulled out a crumpled piece of parchment that looked as if it had been gnawed by a mouse.

"Ahem! Collection mission: The head of the demon king. The reward..." He paused and shook the parchment, "——1 copper coin!"

(End of this chapter)