Chapter 23
"Seris?" That night, Zong Qinyuan couldn't help but smile after hearing their report, "You young people, really are..."
Gu Liangyi regained a glimmer of hope. He struggled to say, "Principal Zong, you also think this name is inappropriate, right? I think we should change it to——"
"It's not impossible," Zong Qinyuan changed the subject, strangling Gu Liangyi's budding hope in its cradle. "The students' idea is very good, but I still need to consult the headquarters. After all, if we really want to use this name, it may involve a wide range of people."
Gu Liangyi: “…………”
He stared blankly at the disconnected call, feeling that his life had fallen into complete grayness.
"After we return to Earth, we can introduce ourselves to others like this," Jin Xuan touched her chin and said solemnly, "I graduated from Mobei University of Technology. I was once a classmate of Gu Liangyi, who is the representative of Earth, the light of mankind, and the demon god of another world—" She took a deep breath before continuing, "and we were classmates."
"...and they fought side by side together."
After a pause, she added.
The legendary demon god who could stop children from crying at night silently took off his glasses and buried his head in his palms.
Looking at Gu Liang's red earlobes, Yi Yan folded his arms and chuckled beside him. He took the initiative to come over, put his hand on his shoulder and said, "Okay, you know Gu Liang is shy, don't hang around him, and get back to work."
After everyone left, Gu Liangyi took two breaths and raised his head again.
He looked at Yi Yan gratefully: "Thank you, Brother Yi."
"Instead of thanking me," Yi Yan said, "you should get ready."
"From what Principal Zong said, this is very likely to become a reality. After all, with the name of the Demon God, our shop will quickly become famous, but it will also easily cause trouble. By then..."
Gu Liangyi nodded silently.
He naturally understood the ins and outs behind this. It was not just a joke among his classmates. Once it was decided to use this name, it would mean that their shop would be pushed to the forefront, and he himself would be forced to become the "demon god" that all races in the other world feared.
The reason why the command chose to take a risky move was ultimately due to only one reason -
Humanity doesn't have much time left.
"If you really feel embarrassed..."
When Yi Yan saw Gu Liangyi's thoughtful expression, he couldn't help but lower his voice.
A slight feeling of thirst came from deep in his throat, and his Adam's apple rolled slightly. He changed the gesture of holding hands to hugging shoulders. Gu Liangyi's shoulders were originally thin, and being hugged by Yi Yan, who was a head taller than him, almost completely encircled him in his arms.
Gu Liangyi froze slightly, and he quickly turned his head to look, but Yi Yan frowned slightly, looking at him seriously, as if he was really worried about him: "If it really doesn't work, then I'll help you talk to Principal Zong."
This posture made Gu Liangyi feel a little uncomfortable, but then he thought that Yan Beichen and Zhuge Xiao often did this, although it was Yi Yan's first time... but it seemed quite normal between friends?
He thought about it, sighed, and shook his head.
“My opinion is not that important,” he said, “as long as everyone agrees it’s OK.”
"Who said that?" Yi Yan asked back.
Gu Liang was stunned for a moment, and then he frowned and said, "Don't be so self-deprecating, Gu Liang. Do you really think that the special operations team protects you wholeheartedly just because of Principal Zong's order? And even if there are no additional identities..."
Yi Yan lowered his eyes and looked at the dazed Gu Liangyi. The curly hair scattered on his forehead slightly softened the overly sharp contours of the young man's eyebrows and eyes, making him look particularly deep and gentle at this moment.
For some reason, Gu Liangyi couldn't take his eyes away.
Because he suddenly discovered that Yi Yan always looked cold and distant in front of others, but it seemed that every time he was present, no matter when he looked at him, he would be able to meet Yi Yan's gaze.
He seemed to be...very focused on himself from the beginning.
Gu Liangyi felt that this was not his illusion.
"Why?" he asked suddenly without any context.
"...Why?" Yi Yan spoke a long paragraph with rare patience, but found that Gu Liangyi was not listening at all, and he couldn't help feeling helpless.
"I'm asking why you want to join the special action team." Gu Liangyi hesitated, "Actually, I've always been curious."
Most of the members of the special action team are students with sports expertise, as well as those who have returned to school after retiring from the army. However, Yi Yan's grades are not bad in Tang's class, and he does not have a special status like him that requires him to participate. Why should he take the risk?
Yi Yan was silent for a moment, his eyes falling on the area on Gu Liang's forehead that was blocked by his hair.
"For a promise."
His voice sounded deeper and hoarser than usual, and the five fingers on Gu Liangyi's shoulders tightened slightly: "Although the person I made an appointment with is no longer here, but since I promised him, I will always keep my promise."
Gu Liangyi's expression was a little dazed.
"Really?" he murmured. "If only..."
Just hope that person keeps his promise like you do.
He did not ask Yi Yan what the agreement was specifically about, after all, it was his sad story. Gu Liangyi raised his head again and forced a smile: "Let's not talk about this, Brother Yi, just keep busy with your work."
"……good."
Yi Yan looked at him for a few seconds before slowly standing up.
He did not show any abnormality throughout the whole process. No one, including Gu Liangyi, noticed the subtle influence of this spell mark, which seemed to have temporarily lost its threatening effect, on Yi Yan.
But at the moment of separation, his fingertips couldn't help but stay on Gu Liangyi's shoulder for a few more seconds.
Recently, Gu Liangyi has not been able to move around the city too much due to his special status, so he was assigned to the team that was renovating shops; the rest of the people were dispersed nearby to collect intelligence.
After the last encounter with the Undead and the discovery of the high practicality of the Taser, the school immediately equipped each special forces member in the city with one.
The purpose is also to prevent a situation like Yi Yan, where someone was cursed after killing a wizard, from happening again.
At present, there is still no good way to remove the brand on Yi Yan's body. According to the central priest, the only person in the world who can remove the mark of the death row slave, besides the magician who planted the mark, is probably the demon god Seris himself.
However, there are still many ways to temporarily stop the countdown.
Yi Yan has been taking online classes with the elves teaching in the school recently, learning some basic rules of the operation of magic power in order to alleviate the impact of the brand on his body.
So far, the results are quite good.
Although the mark on the neck was still there, at least every time Gu Liang opened the light screen, the words "No Resurrection" on it would become dimmer.
However, not everyone can learn magic. It seems to be closely related to the unknown particles discovered by Earth experts in magic crystals. The essence of magicians' spellcasting is to mobilize them and turn them into their own power.
However, there are no such particles on Earth, which means that even if they learn magic, they can only use it in this world, or carry a bunch of magic crystals as consumables.
I have to say this is quite regrettable. Zhuge Xiao's dream of becoming a great magician was shattered on the spot.
Yan Beichen said that he howled in the dormitory all night long, thinking that the world was unfair, and then he had to get up early the next morning to attend the morning class, and he was so sleepy in class that he was staggering.
And now when Zhuge Xiao walks in the school, he even dislikes the weeds growing in the cracks of the stones on the roadside.
Because the content of the course the elves taught them was how to manipulate magic particles to make the grass germinate quickly, but he killed eight out of the ten control groups, and almost all of their homework failed, while the weeds outside exposed to the wind and sun grew even more lush than those he had catalyzed.
In short, life was quite difficult.
Gu Liangyi also heard that Instructor Jiao was preparing to recruit another group of special action team members. This time the selection criteria would be different from those for Yi Yan and his group. They would specifically select some extraordinary people in the school and try to make them useful in future operations.
Gu Liangyi was naturally very curious about the unknown power of magic. He took several online classes with Priest Yang and meditated in the middle of the night to try to find that kind of "inspiration".
Unfortunately, not only did I not have any reaction at all, but I also woke up the next day with muscle soreness that lasted the entire day.
Priest Yang was also very surprised by this, because in his opinion Gu Liangyi should be a very talented human being, and the reason for his failure could only be temporarily attributed to his personality factors.
"Mana power does not come from ourselves," he once said to Gu Liangyi, "It comes from the gift of the Beast God and is closely related to the faith of ourselves and our believers. You need to use a certain kind of paranoid and desperate belief to control it, manipulate it, and make it respond to your call and condense into shape. This is why the power of a fallen mage is often stronger than that of an ordinary mage."
"People with too soft personalities will find it difficult to truly become a mage, even if they have the talent to become one."
Gu Liangyi understood.
After careful consideration, he decided not to fight against magic anymore and go to bed at a certain time every day, because he knew that he did not have the firm belief that the central priest said.
And there was something more important before him.
Go to the Chamber of Commerce in the city to register the name of your shop.
Although Morton Mechanical City is full of exiled criminals and corrupt wizards, and can be regarded as the base camp of bad guys, but as the sociologist on Earth said before, no matter how chaotic a place is, as long as it can survive for a long time, it must have its own set of social operating order.
After the city lord came to power, he only issued three iron laws:
First, all citizens in the city pay taxes based on a percentage of their income, and those without income also pay taxes per head;
Second, before doing business in the city, you must first register with the Chamber of Commerce and obtain a qualification certificate before you are allowed to operate;
Third, all spies from the Magic Guild and the Fermat Kingdom must be killed without mercy.
In addition, all plundering, robbery, fraud and even killing each other are legal. As long as you have the strength, you can even directly rob the shops that have been established by others. As long as you inform the Chamber of Commerce after the robbery and change the name of the registrant, it will be ok. It can be said that "free trade" has been taken to the extreme.
It was precisely because of this understanding that Gu Liangyi and his team took so much effort to dig two more floors downwards to store various weapons for precaution. They also installed infrared cameras in every corner from the store entrance to the interior to ensure that there were no blind spots from the inside to the outside.
“Does the store owner have to be present in person to register?”
Gu Liangyi still had some doubts about going to the grade in person.
"We can also ask the envoy of the Chamber of Commerce to come to our door," a member of the special action team replied, "This Chamber of Commerce is the power of the city lord. During the registration process, the mage himself has to take off his mask to leave a portrait. Almost all the shops in the city are registered under the name of the mage, and a small number of them are owned by ordinary races to prevent others from snatching them."
Gu Liangyi understood.
No wonder the skeleton soldier killed the goblin boss here so easily. Obviously, they are the kind of soft persimmons who have neither backing nor magicians, and they are very easy to be manipulated at first glance.
"But why do I feel that this city lord seems to value mages so much?" Jin Xuan interrupted, "Look, the double standards have been clearly arranged since entering the city. Mages don't have to give anything to enter the city, while ordinary races have to pay a large amount of protection fees. After entering the city, he lets the mages be the superiors. What is he planning to do?"
"Probably a rebellion."
Gu Liangyi answered casually.
However, if the city lord is really an ambitious person, then that would be exactly what they want.
A person who can be moved by benefits is always better than a leader who is simply high and mighty and indifferent. Gu Liangyi did not forget the important task that Zong Qinyuan had told them before he entered the city.
It is imperative to find the whereabouts of the crashed drone, and then follow this clue to find the center of the base of the alien civilization!
Gu Liangyi raised his head and looked through the window at the strange-looking sacrificial tower outside.
The huge bone dragon was still resting at the highest point. The tightly closed windows on each floor of the tower were like countless pairs of densely packed black eyes, constantly watching the city below from a long distance.
Will there be any clues to the core of the base here?
*
Today, the Morton Chamber of Commerce is still deserted.
The last time someone came to register was exactly half a month ago.
The mages who arrived first had almost divided up all the shops in the city, and the ones who came later could only take a share of the spoils - unless they had the courage to challenge their own kind.
If there is a conflict between mages, hey, that would be fun to watch!
The dwarf Creeley who works here is slumped in his seat, lost in thought. He holds a handful of nuts in his hand, his fat yet short body huddled among the piles of sundries. In front of him are several stacks of registration books that are almost taller than him. The moonworm fluorescent capsule above his head, used for lighting, continues to make an annoying buzzing noise.
He nonchalantly rested his legs on the old wooden table, which had only a little edge left, and used his sharp teeth to pry open the nuts, getting the shriveled flesh inside.
The fact that he was able to get such an easy and low-risk job in Morton was thanks to Cleary's uncle, who was a fairly capable wizard who had worked for the city lord before and was considered a force under the city lord's command.
Therefore, even if Creeley was an ordinary dwarf, the mages of that level who came here would not make things too difficult for him, and the other bastards who coveted this position would not easily attack him.
Before the sun had completely set, Cleary impatiently jumped down from his seat, ready to pack up and go home.
While locking the door, he muttered to himself, "It's already this late... no one will come anyway, so I might as well go back early."
"Is this the Morton Chamber of Commerce?"
When he heard the voice, Cleary, who was about to slip away, froze.
He cursed in his heart why it was such a coincidence that he came at this time, but he immediately put on a flattering smile and turned around and said, "Yes, yes, Master Mage, you have - you are not a mage?"
When he saw that the other person was not wearing a silver mask, Cleary's face fell instantly.
It is almost an unwritten rule in the city of Morton that mages wear silver masks.
Because there have indeed been examples of corrupt wizards successfully cursing others with just their faces, and although the caster himself paid a huge price, after that, all corrupt wizards became cautious - everyone is not a good person, and no one knows what evil spells their fellow wizards have learned.
Therefore, although few of the mages on Fermat's side wear masks, these corrupt mages who usually act recklessly are much more cautious than them in protecting their privacy.
"I'm here to make an appointment," the man said. "I heard you offer XXX?"
Cleary snorted disdainfully, "Yeah, what's the name of your shop?"
"Seris."
"Oh, who did you say that was?!" Cleary almost jumped up from where he was standing. He screamed, "Seris? That demon god Seris?"
"You are not allowed to call my master by his name. You just need to tell me if it is okay."
The other party said with an unfathomable look on his face.
But Cleary always felt that his expression was strange. Although it was serious, it seemed as if he was... holding back laughter?
He didn't care about this. After realizing what this human meant, Cleary took a deep breath:
This audacious shop not only dared to use the name of the Demon Lord, but also claimed that the wizard behind it was Seris himself! ?
How is that possible!
Seris had clearly been sealed for thousands of years! Even many races on the continent of Ansel firmly believed that he was completely dead!
Cleary was suspicious by nature, and he was the type of person who was half-believing and half-doubting the theory of the Demon God's death. But if someone told him that the Demon God was still alive and even opened a shop in Morton Mechanical City, he would definitely not believe it.
But if it's fake...
It is rare to find someone so bold even among mages.
Cleary thought that no matter what, he had to go and see it with his own eyes.
After looking the other person's attire up and down suspiciously, he quickly turned back and reopened the Chamber of Commerce door that had just been locked, and took out the oath quill and a blank parchment scroll from inside - this was a register specifically used to register powerful wizards.
Then he walked out of the gate, raised his head with great effort, and said to the unusually tall human: "Don't keep Master Mage waiting for too long, let's go over now!"
Although he acted very attentive, Cleary was also muttering in his heart:
What is Seris? Could he be another fallen wizard coming from a remote place under the name of the devil?
Because of the city lord's lenient treatment of the mages, there have been many ignorant guys over the years. Some bold ones even want to challenge the city lord's position as soon as they enter the city. What is the result?
It just adds an inch of height to the skull decoration at the fortress entrance.
With such half-believing and half-doubting thoughts in mind, Cleary followed the human all the way to the location of the shop.
If I remember correctly, there should have been an inn run by a goblin couple nearby, right?
This thought flashed through Krilli's mind, but he didn't find it strange. It was a miracle that a weak race like ordinary goblins could survive alone in the city until now.
"So what do you sell in your shop?"
he asked the human breathlessly before turning the corner.
There was no way. The opponent's legs were too long. One step was equivalent to three steps for him. He also showed no intention of slowing down and waiting for him. Cleary could only bite the bullet and jog to keep up.
"We sell everything," the other party glanced at him and replied coldly, "but as a reward, we only want magic crystals, or exchange them for intelligence of equal value."
I have a big appetite.
Cleary finally couldn't help it, sneered, and said with a curled lip: "Do you know the value of magic crystals? Ordinary goods are still being sold at the price of magic crystals, even if it's-"
His voice stopped abruptly.
Cleary stopped abruptly and stared blankly at the storefront that appeared before him.
It was already late at night, the light on the street was dim, and the scenery was blurry, but everything in front of him made him feel as if he had fallen into a bizarre dream:
Facing him was a tall transparent arch entrance.
For a dwarf, the height of this gate is so high that it can be described as "out of reach"; the surrounding walls are decorated with various gorgeous rippled light bands, and the cold-toned light sources give people a mysterious and gorgeous impression in the night, as if as long as you enter this door, you can step into a magic tunnel that travels through time and space.
The originally low and dangerous building was transformed into a magnificent white loft that was more than 20 meters high. The crystal chandeliers hanging inside the hall were so beautiful and brilliant even across the street. The bright light shining through the glass curtain wall made Cleary, who was across the street, fascinated.
For a moment, he even felt that he had arrived at the legendary heaven.
"This...what is this?" He asked stutteringly, pointing at the crystal chandelier inside the hall that was more than ten meters long.
The people around him answered without surprise: "Crystal chandelier."
crystal!
Cleary took a deep breath, his two long ears almost stood up like a rabbit—
Such precious crystals, so many dazzling and exquisite rare treasures, actually... they were used to make lighting! ?
What a waste of natural resources! What a luxury!
Cleary now began to believe that the owner behind this shop might really be the legendary Demon God.
Moreover, in comparison, he suddenly felt that the moonworm fluorescent capsule lighting that he was usually proud of was simply not worth mentioning.
Before entering the hall, he looked up and found that every window on the second floor was covered with scarlet curtains. Cleary paid a little attention and was about to continue asking the human why there were no curtains on the second floor when he was frightened by the glass door that automatically opened when it sensed the arrival of the guests and almost fell to the ground.
"Be careful," Jin Xuan, who was about to come out to pick them up, quickly picked up Cleary and asked with concern, "Are you okay?"
It’s not that Jin Xuan is kind-hearted, but when she sees Cleary’s appearance, especially his small eyes widened in fear, she can’t help but think of the bull terrier she raises at home.
Alas, after being away for so long, I do miss home a little.
Cleary looked at this woman who in his eyes was as tall as a giantess. Jin Xuan was a former basketball student, 1.81 meters tall. He swallowed hard and asked cautiously, "Master Mage, are you the owner of this place?"
Jin Xuan laughed. She had been misunderstood many times during this period. In order to maintain her mystery, she said ambiguously, "I'm not saying that, Gu—I'm saying that my master is waiting for you upstairs. Come with me."
After saying that, she winked at the special task force member who brought Cleary over, indicating that she would take the lead in the next process.
Cleary had no doubts. Although Jin Xuan was not wearing a mask, he had already assumed in his heart that this tall and kind young lady was a magician.
It’s not that there are no mages cooperating with each other in the city of Morton, but these fallen mages are not all good-tempered and kind people. There are many who cooperate with each other, but there are also many who break up or even become enemies.
So when it comes to matters involving interests such as running a shop, Cleary has basically never seen two wizards register as a partnership.
But soon, the even more shocking scene made Cleary forget to speak.
He followed Jin Xuan like a wooden man, crossing the hall with flickering candlelight and going up the spiral staircase surrounded by crystal chandeliers.
An unknown rich fragrance wafted in from all directions. Cleary had never smelled anything so fragrant in his life. Even the fresh stamens of the flowers just blooming in spring could not compare to one ten-thousandth of it. He sniffed his nose and could not help sneezing. He could no longer control his embarrassing expression of intoxication on his face.
"Tsk, I told them not to spray so much perfume, a bunch of straight guys just don't understand," Jin Xuan complained, and then asked, "Isn't this smell a bit strong?"
"No! Absolutely not!"
As a dwarf, Cleary was particularly fond of strong scents and bright colors and shook his head repeatedly.
He had discovered that as they went higher, the scent in the air was also changing subtly:
At first it was a floral scent, mixed with a hint of grassy hazelnut flavor. When he sniffed it carefully, it gradually evolved into a ripe, juicy and sweet fruit aroma, which made Cleary uncontrollably think of the dry dwarf fruit and vegetable cellars and the orchards with a good harvest in autumn.
Jin Xuan glanced at Krili's expression as he was obsessed with the fragrance, and thought to herself, I never expected that the top, middle and base notes of a mere fruity perfume could have such a powerful effect on this world's special race.
This person is not even a target customer yet, but he has already started to linger.
In order to reflect the sense of mystery, in addition to crystal chandeliers, many smokeless candles were placed in the hall. When Cleary came to the entrance of the second floor, he saw a glass cabinet that was different from the previous acrylic glass display cabinet.
He first looked in awe at the complex, heavy-duty carpet that stretched all the way to the end of the corridor on the second floor, then looked at the two red cylinders in the glass cabinet, and couldn't help asking, "Master Mage, what is this?"
It looks like a jar, but why is the jar placed in such a conspicuous place?
Ever since entering this store, Cleary felt like he had turned into a fool all of a sudden. He didn't know this or that. If Jin Xuan wasn't a mage, he would have wanted to pull her aside and ask her to introduce every product!
"Well," Jin Xuan said casually, "because there are too many open flames in the store, it is easy to have fire problems, so I put a fire extinguisher here, just in case."
Cleary: “…………”
Because he was worried about making the other wizard wait too long, he didn't dare tell Jin Xuan that he didn't understand. He pretended to say "Oh" and waved his short legs, following her to a closed door at the end of the corridor on the second floor.
When he stopped, Cleary suddenly became nervous.
Although he was also very nervous before, but looking at this heavy crimson wooden door and thinking about the identity of the person inside, Cleary took a trembling deep breath, and his heart couldn't help beating faster and faster -
Is the wizard here really the legendary Demon Lord?
Jin Xuan glanced at his tense and stiff expression, a hidden smile appeared at the corner of her mouth. She straightened her body, put one hand behind her back, raised the other hand and knocked gently on the door.
"Master Demon," she reported respectfully, "I am here with the people from the Chamber of Commerce."
Gu Liang, who was cramming his professional homework with Yi Yan in the room, was silent for a moment. At Yi Yan's light cough, he reluctantly began to clear the items on the table.
Outside the door, Cleary spent the longest few seconds of his life.
Finally, they got permission.
"Come in."
The Demon Lord's voice is surprisingly young.
The tone is gentle and soft, just like the leaf harp played by elves by the river at night.
Cleary swallowed his saliva, without caring about being surprised, and quickly straightened his appearance, then walked into the room staggeringly with the parchment scroll in his hand.
There were two people in the room, one standing and one sitting.
The man standing there was not wearing a mask. Cleary admitted with some jealousy that he was indeed handsome among the human group. He had broad shoulders, long legs, and a strong body. He was wearing a solemn black suit that looked very convenient for him to move around in. He also had an L-shaped black hard object on his waist, but he didn't know what it was used for.
As for the other one...
The black-robed man wearing a silver mask sat quietly behind the long table with his hands crossed, looking down at him.
In the spacious room, the dark eyes were as deep as the broad plains. They appeared obscure and profound under the candlelight, as if they could penetrate the human soul.
The young human warrior stood half a step behind him. Ever since Creeley entered the room, his vigilant eyes had been fixed on him, never relaxing for a moment.
The dim candlelight could not dispel the chaotic darkness in the room. The young man's angular face was indifferent and stern, and the taut muscle lines on his arms showed that he contained explosive power that should not be underestimated.
The cold light in his eyes reminded Krilli of the legendary epic painting on the ancient rock wall, which showed the brutal and vicious dog that was only loyal to the devil and fed on bones and fresh flesh.
Cleary walked to the table tremblingly, stood on tiptoe, and presented the parchment scroll and the oath quill to the other party. He only took a glance and dared not look the other party in the eye again.
"Please...please sign your name at the top."
He hurriedly lowered his head and stared at his toes, but the fleeting scene remained in his memory for a long time.
On the right hand side of the Demon Lord was a stack of snow-white paper with countless mysterious symbols written on it, and there seemed to be a strangely shaped three-dimensional hand-painted pattern in the middle.
Krili thought in horror, could it be that the Demon Lord is planning to create a new mechanical device?
The reason why Seris was able to rule the continent of Ansel for hundreds of years was not only because of his immense magical power and extraordinary talent for spellcasting that surpassed that of his contemporaries, but most importantly, because he was also an absolute master of mechanisms.
And his most outstanding work is the city they live in.
It is said that the mechanical city in history that has not yet been sealed along with the devil is not only much more powerful than today's replica, but also that as long as Seris gives an order, the entire city can be turned into a maze cave with no way out at any time.
In this maze, any invading enemy cannot escape and will eventually become the miserable prey caught in the spider web, toyed to death by the predator like a cat playing with a mouse.
"Sir," As a soldier under the city lord, Cleary gritted his teeth and asked tentatively, "Is the painting on this paper also your work?"
The man in black robe seemed a little surprised that he would ask a question of his own initiative, and the question was not related to registration.
"I... I'm just curious," Cleary stammered, "It's totally fine if you don't want to answer! Fei, I'm so sorry!"
He was trembling all over and looked like he was about to cry from the silent intimidation of the man in black robe.
The black-robed man sitting behind the table was silent for a few seconds, then slowly replied:
"This is a complex integrated precision power mechanical device that consists of tens of thousands of parts combined in a body with strictly limited size and weight, and can work for a long time with high reliability under high temperature, high pressure, high speed and high load."
Cleary stopped shaking.
He opened his mouth in a daze, thinking that the Demon God had probably sucked his soul away. Otherwise, why couldn't he understand a single word the Demon God said when he was speaking human language?
"…What did you say?"
He squeezed out a mosquito-like questioning sound from his throat, and his expression was as weak as if he had just been beaten.
"To put it simply, it's an aircraft engine." Gu Liangyi coughed, "But this should have nothing to do with what we are going to do today, right?"
"Ah, yes, you are right." Cleary secretly memorized the term, and at the same time wanted to beat himself up for asking such a stupid question half a minute ago. What the Demon Lord is considering is something you can't just get involved in! You are so ignorant!
But he saw that the Demon Lord picked up the pen but was reluctant to sign the parchment.
"……grown ups?"
"What would happen if I didn't sign my real name?" He fiddled with the quill with his slender leather-gloved fingers and suddenly asked in a vague voice, "What would happen?"
Cleary groaned, "Actually, there have been similar situations before, but I hadn't joined the Chamber of Commerce at that time... But my uncle told me that the city lord once said at a banquet that all those who dared to fool him have gone to hell and are with the real undead."
But just as he finished speaking, the human standing behind the Demon Lord suddenly burst out with a terrifying murderous intent.
Stared at by those eyes that were as cold as ice, Cleary finally realized that what he had just said seemed to sound like a threat.
He was so frightened that his legs were shaking and trembling. He thought that he was going to be crushed into a ball of pulp by the Demon God on the spot, but he heard the other party sigh lightly: "I've signed it."
……Um? ? ?
Cleary was still a little dazed until he got the parchment scroll.
Lord Demon, you actually signed it honestly?
He unfolded the parchment in disbelief and saw the name Seris written neatly at the top. Although the strokes were too square and looked like they were written stroke by stroke with a ruler, it was indeed the real name of the Demon God.
Cleary rubbed his eyes. After realizing that it was not an illusion, he became a little bolder and said with courage: "Sir, according to the Chamber of Commerce regulations, we still need to draw a portrait of you..."
This was arguably the bravest moment of his life.
However, this time, the black-robed man wearing a silver mask just smiled faintly.
"Don't push your luck," he said softly, "Everyone in this world who knows what I look like is already dead."
"Tell your city lord that if I want, I can have a thousand faces, and the methods he used to deal with those third-rate wizards will not work on me."
In the end, Yi Yan grabbed Cleary by the collar and threw him out of the shop.
Also thrown out were his parchment scroll and oath quill.
Having learned the lesson from being too polite to the goblins which led to suspicion and temptation, Yi Yan acted very cold and ruthless this time. Before leaving, he stepped on the extremely precious oath quill and broke it.
It's hard to say that there's no intention of taking revenge, after all, Yi Yan has been unhappy with that thing for a long time.
Cleary was so angry that he jumped three feet high, but he didn't dare to say anything rude to Yi Yan because he knew that the other person could crush him to death with just one finger.
He must report this to the city lord! He thought viciously.
Cleary picked up the parchment scroll and the broken oath quill on the ground, dusted them off and stuffed them into his arms. Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly noticed a few drunk orcs walking towards him arm in arm across the street.
One of them sniffed the fruity scent in the air, pointed in this direction and said something loudly to his companions. A few seconds later, a group of drunk orcs suddenly burst into unbridled laughter.
Cleary narrowed his eyes slightly and paused as he was about to leave.
He quietly hid in a secluded corner of the street, observing the situation here with his big eyes. Generally speaking, the fighting power of the orcs, even ordinary orcs, was very impressive. Even some mages with low mana levels could be killed by the orcs in team combat if they were careless.
If these orcs come to cause trouble, the one on the second floor should take action, right?
Cleary was ready to watch the fight and report everything he saw and heard to the city lord.
Although he was afraid of the Demon Lord, he was, after all, a legend whose identity was unknown and whose background was unknown, and who had even disappeared for thousands of years. In comparison, the City Lord, to whom he had always been loyal, was more terrifying.
If it doesn't work, it would be nice to see the female mage take action.
Cleary thought so, but the next scene made him freeze in the corner -
Noticing the troublemakers outside, Jin Xuan, who was sitting on the sofa in the hall flipping through a book, raised her head and shouted:
"Xiaomo classmate."
A gentle female voice sounded: "Hey, I'm here."
Cleary's eyes widened, and he glanced back and forth in the hall, but he still didn't see anyone who could answer.
...Could it be that this was a ghost she summoned! ?
"Turn on the whole house defense mode." Jin Xuan continued.
"Okay." Xiaomo, the AI independently developed by Moda, replied, "What is the mode level?"
"Hmm... Level 2, maybe."
"Okay. The pulse electronic fence has been activated. Please do not linger at the entrance if you are not related to the school. I repeat, please do not linger at the entrance if you are not related to the school. Xiaomo will be angry."
Seeing that the transparent glass curtain wall was blocked by a fence door wrapped with wire, the leading orc immediately cursed in dissatisfaction and strode forward to tear these fancy things apart.
But at the moment when his palm touched the railing, there was a crackling sound, and a blue arc of light flashed by, accompanied by brilliant sparks in the dark night!
"ah--!!!"
The orc screamed and fell down with convulsions all over.
Cleary gasped.
Afterwards, he was horrified to see that his companions who came to rescue him fell down one after another. The wailing and screaming echoed throughout the entire street. People of other races passing by also looked at this place with terrified expressions on their faces.
Cleary subconsciously looked up at the second floor.
A corner of the tightly closed curtains was lifted, and a man in a black robe and wearing a silver mask was standing quietly by the window, taking in the entire farce with a superior and indifferent attitude.
His eyes seemed to casually sweep across the corner.
After a few seconds, the figure disappeared and the curtains swayed back to their original position.
Cleary gasped a few times, and his trembling legs could no longer support his body. He slowly collapsed to the ground, covered in cold sweat and fear.
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