Chapter 301 Enjoying It (4)
"Use the War Plant - Wicker Man to attack the Fiery Swordsman, Bo." Guli Bo delivered the final blow. "The difference in attack power is 2000 points. And thanks to the Wicker Man's effect, I can attack again. I win, Bo!"
The wicker figure on the card table swallowed the opposing fighter whole, swinging his massive fist at him. "Damn it, I lost!" The loser slammed his cards down, and the audience roared.
"Ten consecutive wins! Congratulations to Gulibo for achieving his first ten-game winning streak this month. Here's a Legendary Card, 'Big Lily', for this month's Duel King!"
"Thank you~"
Gulibo took the cards from the host and happily left the stage. Applause continued throughout the colorful square, and the spotlight quickly shifted to another dueling table, where the host explained the new battle situation.
Colorful Plaza, a themed venue within Feiyan Amusement Park dedicated to card duels, is a popular venue both day and night. Gulibo put away his cards and jumped onto the miniature table reserved for smaller guests. He generously bid five green branches (a bonus for winning consecutive duels) and said proudly, "I want a sticky banana milkshake, Bo!"
"Please~"
An employee who resembled a yeti put down his milkshake and struck up a conversation. "This customer's card skills are incredible! This is the first time I've seen such a skilled war plant enthusiast."
"Right, right, right," Gulibo said, feeling elated but also a bit depressed. "It would be great if the war plants had some reinforcements, but there aren't many universal plant-based accessories..."
"There's the big lily you just won."
"Big Lily is a powerful terminal, but not a powerful subordinate."
"In that case," the Yeti blinked mysteriously, "I do have two powerful, versatile lower-level fighters that can be recovered during the opponent's graveyard turn. Would you like to see them?"
"So powerful?! Let me see!"
Baited. The Yeti chuckled.
Card trading is a common occurrence among Extreme War players, and these innocent little creatures are natural swindlers. In the past, I often used beautiful cards to earn Green Branches, but now using these guys to meet my quota is the best option...
It pulled out a card with a cute demon on it and pushed it towards Gulibo: "This is the latest trendy 'Entertainment Demon' deck. Take a look."
Gulibo took a big sip of the milkshake and said happily, "Great, I'm hooked, Bo."
The Yeti felt his shoulders sink, and then he began to tremble unconsciously. A terrifying blonde woman was pressing down on his shoulders. Gulbo jumped off his seat, and a slippery eyeball replaced it.
"Tell me." Vander sneered, "What kind of demon are you?"
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"I am a prankster demon... please spare my life..." the snow monster said pitifully.
Even though Ji Huaisu was experienced in dealing with demons, he still choked out, "Are you kidding me? Can Tricky be a demon?"
The snow monster said with a sad face: "There are so many strange emotions in the sea. I also want to have a more famous name..."
"What are you talking about? Prank is a very scary emotion that can kill people in the middle of a conversation." Mr. Gray trembled.
"What kind of standard is that? Is it for a funny comic?"
Demons are like cults on Earth, preying on inexperienced animals and minors. Chu Hengkong knew this trick well, so he brought Gulibo along specifically as a bait.
The Yeti obediently led the way, stopping before a manhole cover. It pulled out its ID card, swiped it open, and turned around with a smile, "It might be a little damp..."
Gulibo exclaimed, "The lower city is really connected by sewers, right?"
"Demons love damp environments, so this kind of passage is exactly what they want." Mr. Gray jumped down first. "The sewage pipe isn't here, so feel free to come along!"
Vander took a look and jumped up when he saw the boat, life jackets, and the sign "Sharp turn 20 meters ahead": "This is basically whitewater rafting!"
"We are an amusement park after all~"
To be fair, ignoring the entrance that looked like a sewer and the fact that Vander was thrown out during the sharp turn, the rapids itself was quite interesting. They rolled down for hundreds of meters, twisting and turning, and pushed open another manhole cover to look out. They saw the artificial ceiling full of lights and the flashing neon lights illuminating all kinds of inhuman passers-by.
This was a strange, almost haphazardly constructed place. The roof of a bar was a carousel shed, a Ferris wheel cabin had been converted into a single-person den, and faded glass panels from a haunted house were hung in front of shops, painted over and used as signs. Rusty tracks ran down the middle of the road, and a small train, packed with passengers, chugped along, occasionally stopping to emit a puff of smoke.
Recreational facilities that were eliminated countless years ago are now erected here in a dignified manner. They are houses, vehicles, and everything available in this underground area.
"Congratulations, you found the hidden area!" Mr. Lan imitated the system announcement.
"It has a unique flavor." Chu Hengkong said.
He has always been a nostalgic person, preferring old craftsmanship to new technology. The urban area under the amusement park is like another castle eliminated by time, but it still exists vividly in the present: people are constantly coming out of the passage, bringing in new and obsolete equipment, short sub-humans are moving around among the machines, demon-possessed people are sitting on the scrap metal shed, puffing out smoke, and the loudspeakers are playing popular music from ten years ago, with people always joining in intermittently.
Just like the dilapidated old town of Huilong City, like the old house where he lived when he was a child, this kind of place that evokes a sense of familiarity is actually to his liking.
"The demons living in such a shabby place, isn't this the result of the government forcing the people to rebel?" Ji Huaisu muttered.
Finder pointed his tentacles to the side, and saw a new batch of "garbage" rolling out of the transport channel. The demons rushed over, throwing aside the chairs and leather suits that had obviously been discarded not long ago, and instead grabbed a few tattered iron baskets and praised them endlessly.
"It's a 20-year-old model!" "It's amazing." "Oh, I'm drooling just by smelling it..."
Several short demons joyfully carried the basket away, leaving Ji Huaisu stunned. Vander explained, "Demons are spiritual beings. What use are material splendors to them? Old equipment often holds a reservoir of longing, and that's what demons need."
"They live in a very environmentally friendly way," said Gulibo.
At that moment, they saw another manhole cover open, and a fat man, two men tall, climbed out with some difficulty. He was the employee who had been handing out balloons at the entrance not long ago. The fat man's suit trembled and suddenly deflated. A demonic figure emerged from the suit, chewing something in its mouth.
"Not hungry. Not hungry. Changed!"
"This is the Sharing Demon," the man in gray told them. "He's quite old, and his hands are weak, but he's still a respectable figure. He works in the amusement park, feeding himself by sharing happiness."
"To me! To me!"
A cricket-like shadow jumped into the leather case, but its appearance and shape changed, becoming a bald, big-nosed, blue-skinned man. It jumped into the sewer impatiently, cheering and heading to the surface.
"And this honest friend is a humor demon," Mr. Lan said with a smile. "He loves to tell jokes, but his jokes are terrible. So he works as an entertainer at parties and in the queues, specializing in the dry joke segment."
Ji Huaisu looked at the lively little demons around him and felt a headache: "There is really no reason to attack them... Each one is more harmless than an old octopus."
"It seems that your companions are all good people." Chu Hengkong looked at the snow monster. "Why do you, a trickster demon, become a lackey and work for the lower party?"
The Yeti chuckled, freed himself from the suit, and transformed into a demonic shadow. "You don't know, warrior, but we demons need contractors to survive. These suits are enough to keep us fed, but it's hard to get enough to eat... You see."
It pointed at its deflated belly and said pitifully, "I used to be a very wealthy devil, but I've become like this after working part-time for so long. If I keep going like this, day after day, in a few months, I might become like them, blundering over words."
"I want to make progress." Chu Hengkong nodded, "What else?"
"And of course, the boss assigned me this job, so I dared not refuse," Tricky said with a sad face. "Also, even though I'm a Tricky Demon, I'm a serious person and can't play pranks... But I have to play pranks all the time to make ends meet! Even if I had a job at the amusement park, I wouldn't be happy. Helping to distribute the cards, the profit share alone would be enough to make me rich. I really can't resist."
"You really were born into the wrong family," said Vander. "It seems your last contractor was a rather rigid person."
"The previous prank was contracted specifically to play a prank on him..." The prankster demon frowned.
"This is entirely your own fault."
Chu Hengkong gave the prankster a few mild scoldings before letting him go. He knew very well that this little guy had no concept of good and evil, so criticizing and educating him was useless. If he could kill the source, he would naturally stop causing trouble.
Gulibo didn't quite understand: "Why are you talking about Contractor Bo?"
"Because a demon's personality is shaped by its contractor," Vander said nonchalantly. "A fantasy demon is a pure spiritual being, essentially a mass of emotions endowed with the ability to act. And how can simple emotions have a 'personality'?"
Therefore, demons are always seeking contractors, needing their bodies and experiences. It's like pouring water into a container. Once the container breaks, the water returns to the sea. But it still remembers its previous way of life. This memory gradually causes the invisible water to resemble the container, giving it a similar mindset and a seemingly plausible personality...
"And that's the 'Aspect' of the Devil," Vander explained. "Only a Contractor who deeply influences or even changes a Devil can become the Devil's Aspect. For example, that guy just now, although he's a prankster, he has a very rigid demeanor. I guess he has a good relationship with his former Contractor."
Gulibo muttered to himself as he listened to Fander's explanation, feeling a bit sad. "Those demons are quite pitiful, like duckweed carrying a legacy... Why are they called heretics..."
Fander stared with wide eyes: "Bobo, you've only had a few days of peace and quiet and you've already forgotten about Jinye City?"
Gulibo immediately recalled the murderous might of the Doom Jellyfish and trembled: "I was stupid!"
Ji Huaisu picked up the little mouse with a wicked smile and said, "Come here, Gulibo, it seems your ideological awareness is still not firm enough. Let me tell you a few classic stories I personally experienced in the swamp..."
"No! I don't want to listen to Bo!"
Gulibo struggled hard, but could not escape Ji Huaisu's clutches. After hearing just a few words, the tip of his nose turned as white as paper, and the aqua-blue giant salamander watching on shrank in fear.
Mr. Lan sat on the giant salamander's head and said with a smile, "But I also think the term 'outsider' isn't very good. Look at the demons in the lower city, they're all law-abiding, but because of the evil deeds of their own kind, they're firmly labeled as outsider. It's unfair to generalize like that."
Chu Hengkong didn't hesitate at all. "I don't deny that there are harmless individuals among the heterodox groups, but the number of fantasy demons is so huge, and the demons in the Lower City are only a tiny minority. Moreover, even a small lineage of demons has come up with the card contamination trick. To deny the evil of the group based on the good of an individual, isn't that just generalizing?"
"Excellent rebuttal, my friend. It seems you're more than just a fighter." Mr. Lan seemed pleased. "So, how do you plan to resolve this dilemma?"
Before he could finish his words, a loud noise erupted from the end of the street. A large sedan chair, carried by eight men, slowly approached. This eight-man sedan was quite ostentatious, painted a vulgar golden yellow. Two lackeys led the way, shouting, "Here comes Lord Gutaf! Make way for Lord Gutaf!"
The sedan chair was bare, allowing everyone to see the nouveau riche appearance of "Gutaf-sama." He was as plump as a meatball, draped in a white coat embellished with long feathers, three thick gold chains dangling from his neck, and wearing large sunglasses. As the sedan passed by the crowd, it suddenly stopped, and Gutaf pointed at the sharing demon who had just finished work.
"Have you paid your taxes today?"
The sharing demon trembled: "Entertainment, sir..."
"Gutaf!" The people in the sedan suddenly became angry.
"Gutaf, sir!" the Sharing Demon quickly corrected himself. "I paid it yesterday."
"I asked you if you paid today."
"Pay!" The Sharing Demon pounded his stomach and spat out a ball of transparent light. It was his salary from working at the amusement park today. "I'll pay..."
Chu Hengkong stopped the ball of light with one hand and looked at the man in the sedan chair. The entertainment demon Gutaf sneered in disdain.
"It's rare to see a justice messenger protecting a demon."
"It's not uncommon for villains to become arrogant and domineering when they succeed," Chu Hengkong said, "but I never expected that the demons' ugliness would be even more appalling than humans. They really can make people laugh, and they deserve the name of entertainment."
Gutaf's expression darkened immediately. He sneered, "What? You're from Huilong City, looking for trouble with me? If you're in a hurry to start a fight, why not just do it?"
Gulibo couldn't help it anymore and jumped out and shouted, "We won't fall for your tricks! I want to play cards with you!"
"Ah, it seems you are quite clever..."
Gutaf's expression suddenly changed again, revealing a warm smile: "But I don't want to play games!"
"You..." Gulibo was stunned.
"If you want to challenge me, that's your business, but if I don't accept, what can you do to me?" Gutafu sneered, "I'm afraid you can only hold my head down and let me play with you! But..."
"You low-quality little things, do you have this ability?"
Gutaf's face darkened, and a terrifying aura washed over him, freezing him in his tracks. The ferocity of his opponent's aura instantly reminded him of his days in the wilderness, those terrifying minions of the Demon King's army, whom he had been powerless to resist. Gutaf's laughter was like an earthquake to his ears.
"The vice-captain of Team Five is still lying in the temple. Those useless God Guards can't take me down! If you want to show off, let that idiot Hariloa come down and challenge me personally... Otherwise, you guys are useless!"
"You can waste time here today, and I won't charge you any taxes. But what about tomorrow? What about the day after tomorrow? Can you keep wasting time in this amusement park underground day after day?"
"That tax must be paid eventually!"
The eight-man sedan chair set off again, Gutaf's frantic laughter audible from afar. The Sharing Demon nodded gratefully at the group, then swallowed the ball of light and fled. The surrounding residents distanced themselves, daring not to become involved with the group.
Gulibo was still terrified: "I should have brought the seeds with me earlier..."
Fander glanced at Ji Huaisu and saw that she was smiling. He praised her, "Captain Ji, you maintained your mood well this time."
"Haha, I'm accumulating anger." Ji Huaisu counted his fingers one by one, "Little by little, I'm saving it up."
Fander looked at the entertainment going away and thought: "I really sympathize with him."
(End of this chapter)
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