Chapter 130 Times Have Changed
The fifth level of the maze is a wilderness covered with loess.
Two skeletons, one tall and one short, walked through the thorn bushes and mushroom forest, bypassed a jagged rocky beach, and finally stopped behind a protruding boulder, placing the wooden sticks in their hands next to the protruding boulder.
“…It should be here.”
Both are players.
The reason for being here is naturally to complete the mission of the Demon King.
Yi Ye Zhi Qiu, wearing a silk robe, unfolded the paper scroll in his hand. A circular magic circle was drawn on the withered straw paper.
The pattern of the magic circle is extremely complex, composed of countless fine lines and symbols interwoven together. Every stroke has been carefully designed, and even the curvature of each arc and the spacing between intersections have been carefully considered. If even one detail is wrong, it may render it completely ineffective.
But having said that, there will always be brave men when there is a big reward.
In view of the amazing 500 contribution points and 100,000 ghost money reward, Yiye Zhiqiu did not hesitate to pull Hu Wan to take on the task.
Although neither of them had the ability to draw a circle with their hands, they had received nine years of compulsory education and had a good understanding of the principles of geometry.
Any complex graphic can be broken down into multiple simple geometric shapes, and magic circles that follow certain patterns are no exception.
For example, in the other picture that Yi Ye Zhiqiu is holding in his hand at this moment, the magic circle that was originally a whole is broken down into straight lines and the centers of auxiliary circles.
All he had to do was calculate the distance between each point, poke them on the ground one by one, and then use ropes and sticks as auxiliary tools to connect the lines and draw circles where necessary... and finally fill the magic crystal powder into the grooves drawn on the ground with sharp stones.
But theory is theory. Even after mastering the skills, it still took the two of them several hours to barely replicate the magic circle.
“Done!”
Clapping his hands in celebration of his accomplishment, Yiye Zhiqiu placed the magic crystals at the centers of the magic circle one by one, and then chanted a spell to open up the magical connection between the centers.
Thanks to the practice during this period, he has become more and more proficient in the use of magic. When the server was first launched, he would not be able to perform such complicated spells.
Soon, the neatly arranged magic crystals burst into dark green light, and then transformed into emerald green light spots, flying up and down in the air, interweaving into a gorgeous and three-dimensional image.
Emerald green Netherworld energy continued to pour out from the center of the magic circle. After reaching a certain critical value, it suddenly disappeared with a snap, along with the flying light particles in the sky.
Only the pattern with crisscrossing grooves remained, emitting a gloomy and strange aura under the illumination of the long-lasting fire.
"That's... that's it?" Hu Wan glanced at the task bar. The reward for the task had already arrived, so there should be nothing for them to do next.
"That should be the case... I can feel that something has left a mark in this area. Maybe that is the so-called portal."
While saying this, Yiye Zhiqiu stared at the center of the magic circle intently, rubbing his chin with his index finger as if he was thinking about something.
Looking at his actions, Hu Wan asked curiously.
"What are you thinking about?"
Yi Ye Zhi Qiu did not hide anything and answered truthfully.
"I'm wondering... whether this teleportation array has a distance limit, and what factors affect energy consumption."
And, assuming that there are other planets or planes in this game world, will the civilization on this planet, with this amazing teleportation technology, be able to carry out interstellar adventures more easily than material civilizations that have never been exposed to magic? This is actually a very interesting question.
Because if it were possible, logically speaking, there would be no need for the forces of Hell to fight to the death with humans on the surface for that little living space. They could just focus their technology tree on astrology and teleportation technology, and directly use more advanced teleportation arrays to conquer distant worlds.
certainly.
After thinking so much, he knew that all this was just his imagination. Even if the game developer had great ambitions, it would not be that realistic.
After all, if that were the case, the game wouldn't be called "Disaster OL", it should be called "Starry Sky OL" directly.
After hearing what he said, Hu Wan was stunned for a long time and couldn't help but complain.
"Why do you care about that?"
Yi Ye Zhi Qiu said with a smile.
"Just curious, don't mind it."
As the two were talking, the teleportation array suddenly flashed with light.
It seemed as if something pierced through the air, leaving a palm-sized crack, and a transparent bird flew out into the sky.
The bird flew like a ghost, straight towards the sky above the Skull-Broken Tribe.
Sensing that something big was about to happen, Yiye Zhiqiu and Hu Wan quickly retreated, leaving a sufficient safe distance.
…
At the same time, in the largest and most luxurious arena in the Magic City, the circular auditorium was filled with people! In the center of the open-air arena, two half-human-high cubic cone crystals stood, projecting two four-sided screens that were magnified in equal proportions directly above.
At this moment, the four screens of one of the four-sided screens showed a bird's-eye view of the fifth floor of the Thunder County Labyrinth. The ghost bird flying over the edge of the Skull-Broken Tribe was like a reconnaissance plane, with its own eyes, it could see the entire Skull-Broken Tribe at a glance! It was a projection magic in the air system. It was said to be based on the same principle as the mirage. It was originally used for battlefield reconnaissance. Later, the Grand Theater and Arena in the Magic City also introduced this equipment and expanded its functions to what it is today.
Glancing around the crowded auditorium, Luo Yan discovered for the first time that the demons in the Magic City actually loved to watch the fun.
In this world without "Internet marketing", 50,000 tickets for the event were sold out in just one day.
Of course, perhaps precisely because there is no Internet, the demons in Magic City are more bored than imagined.
"Dear audience friends! Friends who are watching the game through the broadcast! I am the host of this duel - Agnes!"
On the towering rostrum, the four-armed demon roared excitedly at the stone tablet engraved with a magic sound array, successfully heating up the atmosphere of the entire venue.
"The first to appear is the Demon King of Thunder County, a top student who graduated from the Demon King Academy! Although his strength is suspected to be only bronze, according to the information provided by the Demon King Academy, he is the only Demon King in recent years who graduated with full marks in all subjects! Let's give him a round of applause!"
“Ohhhhh!!!”
As the host finished his words, the audience erupted in deafening cheers and whistles.
The strange-looking demons waved their arms and clapped, looking so excited that it seemed as if it was them, not Luo Yan, standing on the duel arena.
"Kill him! The devil!"
"Beat that stupid bull down!!"
"Hahaha! Let that stupid cow see how terrifying the devil is!"
It wasn't just the audience seats that were causing a stir, but also the VIP boxes which were in the best position to watch the game.
Mia shouted "Come on!" and she almost squeezed her nose against the floor-to-ceiling glass window, then she opened her mouth and yelled against the window.
"Come on!!! Luo Yan! Chop off his horns! Stuff them into his nostrils! Force him to eat them!"
That excited and rude cry was not like her usual self at all. Instead, it sounded like a twin sister who looked exactly like her but had a completely opposite personality.
Festing Padridge, who was sitting on the sofa in the VIP box and sipping black tea, choked on the tea, coughed lightly and said sarcastically.
"I don't think a horror can eat with its nose."
"It's just a metaphor!" Mia turned her head and said indignantly, "Dad, you don't know how much he went too far! A silver-level terror actually had the nerve to challenge a bronze-level human to a duel! How shameless!"
What’s even more hateful is that the guy took advantage of Luo Yan’s affection for her and deliberately started a duel when she was around!
Although he had advised Luo Yan not to accept his provocation, when he thought about it carefully, Luo Yan was a man after all, so how could he be willing to embarrass himself in front of a lady?
She didn't dare to say that it was 100% because of herself, but at least 30%... or even 50%, she was still confident! Just like before -
This time, she also appreciated it only after she went home and reviewed it carefully!
"Bronze..." Festing smiled meaningfully.
He did not mention to his daughter that he had seen the young man in the library.
Although his soul level cannot be seen, judging from the shape of the spiritual entity, the child is definitely not just bronze.
It is most likely silver.
Thinking of this, even he, a master, couldn't help but feel a little bit of anticipation in his heart.
There will be a good show to watch soon.
"Be reserved, my child. How many times have I told you to be reserved and elegant in front of the person you like? You have to pretend to be the prey and then attack like a hunter, instead of being led by the prey and falling into the prey's trap... Didn't Professor Lilith teach you that what you can't get is the most precious."
Not far behind Mia, a lady with elegant manners, mature and dignified manner said with a smile.
She has pink hair, the ends of which fall to her slender waist. Two delicate braids are coiled in the middle of her waterfall-like long hair. She is as charming and enchanting as a willow branch in spring, and as graceful and elegant as a princess.
Unlike Mia, her temperament is obviously much more mature and stable.
However, the cunningness in her eyes is exactly the same as Mia's. The two of them don't look like mother and daughter, but more like sisters carved from the same mold.
"It's okay, mom. He can't see here!" Mia said with a proud look on her face, puffing out her chest. "And I can feel that he can't leave me anymore. Hehehe."
"Oh? Really?"
A playful smile appeared on Serena Padrich's face, and her index finger touched the edge of her bright red lips. "How about we test it for you?"
"mom!!!"
"cough."
Not only did Mia scream out in excitement, but even Festing, who was sitting on the sofa drinking tea, coughed lightly this time.
"Hehe, don't be jealous dear, I'm just joking...By the way, let me demonstrate it."
Playfully sticking out half of her tongue, Serena giggled and floated to her husband's side, her slender hands around the "hunter's" shoulders.
"Time flies by so fast. After so many years, even my precious daughter has found someone she likes."
"Yeah, it's been so many years."
Festing placed the teacup on the tray, looking at the young man standing calmly in the arena, a smile curling up the corners of his mouth.
"Let's see how good our daughter's vision is."
…
As the fortress designated by the Red Team appeared, the judges in the spectator seats gave difficulty scores based on their subjective opinions, which were 4, 6, 4, 5, 5... and the average score was 4.8!
The so-called difficulty score is a comprehensive evaluation made by the judges based on their own experience, including manpower, fortress level, and maximum combat power.
Since most of the invited judges are generals who have served on the front lines, their opinions still have certain reference value.
In addition, not only the defending side will have an evaluation score, the attacking force will also have a corresponding score as a reference.
When both sides fail to capture each other's fortress, or both succeed in taking it and a draw occurs, the final victory or defeat will be determined by the positive or negative difference in the score.
Although hell respects strength, the demons here obviously also recognize that a battle where the few defeat the many is more valuable than a crushing victory.
When he saw the ogre tribe and the rating of 4.8 appear on the screen, Shino Dragun, who was standing at the back waiting, curled his lips in disdain and looked down upon the opponent in front of him.
There's not even a defensive fortification. How much do they look down on him?
But no matter what, he was determined to win this duel! Whether it was for the glory of the Dragun family or for his dead father, he would never show mercy!
"The defender's score is 4.8. Should we consider reducing the number of players?" At the entrance of the duel preparation area, the arena director looked at Shino Dragun and made a final inquiry.
Anyone with a discerning eye could see that his side's fighting power was a little over the limit, and even if they won in the end, they would probably still score negative points.
"Need not."
Xino replied arrogantly, stretched out his hand to push away the person in charge, and walked towards the duel arena with the soldiers behind him.
Standing on the towering stands, the host with four hands saw the blue team entering the duel arena and continued to shout in a loud voice.
"The next contestant to appear is Shino Dragun! He is the second son of Demon King Reggie Dragun! The rising star of the Dragun family! In order to regain his father's inheritance, he challenged the current Demon King without hesitation! Oh, challenging the Demon King chosen by His Majesty the Demon God, how brave he is! Let's give him a round of applause! "
“Ohhhhhh!!!”
The boiling applause and excited cheers once again resounded throughout the arena, and this time it seemed even louder than before!
Wearing heavy armor, Shino strode to the center of the arena and waved to the audience seats that were cheering and applauding.
Following behind him were the equally mighty and powerful heavy armored troops - the shining armor and swords all exuded an unstoppable edge.
Looking at that overwhelming lineup, many demons in the audience almost climaxed on the spot, and their shouting became more and more enthusiastic.
"Come on!!! Shino!!"
"Good job! Smash that human!"
"Tear off his head! Present it to the Demon Lord!"
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"Let the Lord Demon see who is worthy of being the Demon King!!!"
Luo Yan could see that these demons seemed to have placed a heavy bet on Dragun.
If that's the case, I think the crying will be loud enough in a while.
Just as Luo Yan was thinking this, the judges in the spectator seats lived up to expectations and gave this well-equipped and highly motivated heavy armored corps a high score of 6.6! Two generals even showed envious eyes, probably thinking how great it would be if such a troop appeared on the front line.
Although the ogre tribe had an absolute advantage in numbers, Shino Dragun's heavy armored corps was clearly superior in terms of equipment and overall strength.
There is simply no comparison between cannon fodder and regular troops.
The judges present had all been to the front lines, and they knew very well that this mob was only scary when the wind was in their favor, but would trample on others when the wind was against them.
Perhaps in less than one round, Xino's heavy armored troops will be able to completely crush them!
While there were constant shouting and yelling in the audience, in the VIP box with the best viewing position, an elderly lich was chatting and laughing with the vampire prince who was sitting not far away.
Both of them have the strength of demigod level, one level higher than Festing in the next box.
Looking at the lineup appearing on the duel field, Caesar Colin showed a playful smile on his face, and spoke to the old lich beside him in a chatty tone.
"The demon king you recommended seems to be in danger."
As a member of the Demon Cabinet, Caesar was originally not interested in a duel of this level.
However, when he heard from Principal Ivan that the participant in the duel was the demon king he had specially approved two months ago, and the challenger was the youngest son of the Dragun family, his interest was immediately aroused.
He hasn't encountered such an interesting thing for at least twenty years!
Facing the teasing of his old friend, Principal Ivan smiled faintly, and the dark and deep soul fire flickered with unfathomable light.
"That may not be the case."
Caesar raised his eyebrows and said with interest.
"Oh? Do you think that guy still has a chance of winning?"
"I know him better than you do."
Principal Ivan gave Caesar a confident look in return, with an unfathomable look on his face, and continued speaking slowly.
"I don't know if you've heard, but he has a close relationship with the little girl from the Padrich family."
Caesar sat up straight with great interest.
"You mean, the Padrich family took action?"
"On the contrary," Principal Ivan smiled mysteriously, "I heard that he declined the olive branch thrown by the Padrich family and decided to win with his own strength."
Hearing these words, Caesar's expression finally moved slightly.
In his opinion, it would not be surprising if they could win with the help of the power of the Padrich family. After all, although the Dragun family had a good foundation, it was still far inferior to the Padrich family.
However, what he didn't expect was that this young man, who was said to be an orphan, actually refused the help extended by the Padrich family...
"Interesting..." Rubbing his chin with his index finger, Caesar couldn't help but show a hint of admiration in his eyes, and even had the thought of winning her over.
This boy has quite a bit of the style he had in his youth, be it his courage or his handsome looks. It would be fine for him to develop as a peripheral member.
Colin's family has many branches, all of which are reserves of "fresh blood". For example, his extremely satisfied daughter-in-law comes from one of them.
His precious granddaughter is not young anymore, and sooner or later she will need a partner. Most of the candidates for her to marry into the family are chosen from these collateral families.
But it's too early to say this now. The Colin family is not a place where Padridge can be so casual. As the head of the family, he still needs to observe further.
While Caesar's eyes were fixed on the duel arena, Principal Ivan, who was sitting next to him, was secretly smiling at his former student and old friend.
This old man didn't seem to realize that the child standing on the duel field was most likely his own flesh and blood...
Is this what they call the darkest place under the lamp?
Of course, it is not ruled out that this is just my own misunderstanding, but judging from the current circumstances, it does not seem like a misunderstanding at all.
Principal Irwin tried hard to hold back his laughter and could only cover it up with a cough.
What a bad taste!
He found himself becoming more and more evil.
…
Just as the two were waiting for the duel to begin, an ancient castle in the mountains was projected above the second cube.
That is the barony of the Dragun family near the Magic City, located in an underground valley called the Black Wind Valley. It is an easy-to-defend and difficult-to-attack fortress called Black Wind Castle!
Looking at the more than a thousand orc mercenaries standing ready on the city wall and the flag of the "Crown of Malice" mercenary group, the judges discussed and gave a fair evaluation of 6.5 points.
Although the quality of this group of soldiers is far inferior to that of the "Hellfire" heavy infantry regiment led by Shino Dragun himself, the easy-to-defend and difficult-to-attack terrain of Black Wind Castle provides it with a huge defensive bonus.
If you want to capture this fortress, you must at least five times the number of troops.
The audience present was increasingly looking forward to the attacking team from the "Red" side.
Although intuition told most of the demons present that the demon king whose territory was far away in the heart of the human world might not be able to mobilize many manpower, many demons had heard of the relationship between this man and the Padrich family, and perhaps the latter would lend a hand.
Basically, everyone who bet on Luo Yan's victory, except Luo Yan himself, did so for this reason.
However, the moment the red team's attacking team appeared on the duel field, almost all the audience present were stunned. Even the host was stunned on the spot, speechless for a moment due to surprise.
"Is that... a goblin?"
To be precise, it was a group of goblins.
They were poorly dressed and looked ugly. Apart from the shorts that barely covered their bodies, they only carried large and small bags on their backs.
They looked like siege equipment... including something in a cart.
It can be seen that the Demon King of Thunder County has made a lot of preparations for this siege, but the only thing he didn't see was the weapons used by the soldiers...he didn't even see where the soldiers were.
Could it be those goblins?! Looking at the trembling goblins, one could not help but suspect that these guys were just picked up from the slave market and had never been on the battlefield.
Seeing the troops coming out from the Demon King's side, there was a burst of booing from the audience, and the gamblers who had placed their bets even started cursing.
"...Is he planning to give up attacking and focus on defense?" Staring at the noisy arena, Caesar Colin frowned slightly and thought in a low voice.
Although one way to win is to lower the score of your own attacking force and use the score after a double draw to calculate the victory, it is ultimately dishonorable.
What on earth was he planning to do? Caesar was surprised to find that, as a demigod, he could not see through this guy's plan for a moment.
And precisely because of this, his eyes became more and more curious, and he couldn't wait for the duel to begin immediately, and both sides immediately stepped into the teleportation array and rushed to their respective battlefields.
Unlike Caesar's expectations, this time it was Principal Ivan who was not calm.
Alvin didn't gamble, but he boasted a lot to the people around him, as if Luo Yan had won before the battle even started.
Seeing the goblin cannon fodder appearing on the field, the old man felt a little embarrassed for a moment.
He thought Luo Yan would pull out some trump card and scare everyone present, but he didn't expect that this kid would just give up.
However, the person sitting next to him at this moment was his most proud student, who was also the main person he boasted to on a daily basis.
Even though he was nervous inside, he was too embarrassed to show it on his face. He could only cough lightly and speak in a mysterious manner.
"Just wait and see. It's too early to say anything now."
…
The judges in the audience seats whispered to each other and finally gave five 1s as their final evaluation.
There are a total of one thousand goblins.
The battle seemed to be over before it even began.
Looking at the noisy audience, Shino Dragun put the battle axe on his shoulder and laughed and taunted.
"Luo Yan, this is your army? Hahahaha, you really disappoint me!"
Mia was so angry that she slammed her whole body against the window, her teeth chattering, wishing she could take action herself.
At least find a silver-level player? !
As a result, he brought a group of goblins...
One of them was given by her.
Hearing the ridicule from the other side, Luo Yan ignored it completely and just calmly patted the shoulder of Ouke who was shivering beside him.
"Have more confidence, Oak. You are destined to become a legendary goblin. Hold your chest up high... Very good, that's it."
Oak managed to hold his head high and chest up, with a smile uglier than crying on his face, and stammered.
"But, but Lord Demon... Oak has never been to the battlefield! Oak is not afraid of death, but he is afraid of losing face for you and Miss Mia."
"Who said you would die? Not only will you not die, but you will become a legend in the Magic City!"
Looking at Ouke with a frightened face, Luo Yan did not laugh at his cowardice, but pointed to the booing audience.
"See those guys laughing at us? They don't believe we can win, not even you..."
"But we will throw the truth in the faces of those demons and let them see with their own eyes how stupid their arrogance is!"
"We will prove it to everyone—"
“Times have changed!”
(End of this chapter)