The Lord Demon King is Unfathomable!

"Long time no see, my dear classmate Luo Yan, the Demon King of the Great Graveyard. Before getting to business, allow me to start this letter with a word of congratulations—congratulations on becoming the Lord of the Baron Territory in Black Wind Valley. From now on, you finally have a place to settle near the Demon City!"

"Of course, the current state of that place is nothing more than a barren wasteland—there's nothing there except the ruins of a castle. If you're planning to live there, I'm afraid you'll have to prepare a tent for yourself, heh heh heh. I've heard that outside the Demon City, there are wandering vampires and werewolves and other such creatures. It'd be very unfortunate if one of them took a bite out of you. And next time you come back, you can't just barge into the Temple again, can you? You're a Demon King with your own territory now—surely you can't keep fighting with homeless kids for a bed to sleep in, right?"

"Let me guess, you're panicking a little right now, aren't you? But don't worry; how could I let my dear classmate Luo Yan sleep out in the wilderness? Out of consideration for the many years we've known each other, you're welcome to come stay at our place. At least we don't bite, heh heh heh."

"Alright, that's enough joking around. As for the War Workshop, my father has already made arrangements. The entire factory is being constructed according to the blueprints you provided. I don't know much about the specifics, but according to the construction team, they estimate it should be completed by early next year at the latest."

"Additionally, my father seems quite intrigued by you after hearing about you. He asked me to find out if you'd have time to meet with him. Don't misunderstand—he has no ulterior motives. It's simply from the perspective of a Family Head that he wants to meet a collaborator of the Padric Family."

"Of course, this isn't a prerequisite for cooperation. If you don't want to meet, that's fine—I can decline on your behalf. But if you do have time, I hope you could indulge his curiosity a bit. There's no need to come back especially for it; we can arrange for you to meet in our family's library... I've already included the key in this letter."

"That's all I wanted to say. Lastly, I wish you well, and please don't get dragged into any trouble again. Of course, if you do accidentally get involved, make sure to let me know immediately. The Demon King Management Department will always be your strongest pillar of support. As your superior, I certainly won't leave you hanging."

"Oh right, one more thing—about that letter you sent back to the Demon City before, who was it from? That wasn't your handwriting, and why did it smell like a woman? Not that I care or anything, just asking casually... Who is she? What's her story? How far have you two progressed?! And why wasn't this mentioned in any of your reports previously?! What other secrets are you hiding from the organization?!"

"..."

Luo Yan: "...?"

...

By late December, the howling cold winds grew even fiercer, and the snow in the Silver Pine Forest was deep enough to reach one's calves. The demons that once prowled the forest had all but vanished.

In such frigid weather, even the bravest adventurers could do little more than huddle around the tavern fireplace, rubbing their hands together, killing time with drink and boastful tales.

The only ones roaming outside during this time were the undead.

No one would willingly work in such conditions unless they were truly out of money.

It wasn't just adventurers.

The residents of Silver Pine Town were the same.

But unlike the adventurers, who cursed the bad weather, they didn't particularly dislike winter. Some even liked it—after all, it was the longest holiday of the year. During this period, they didn't have to do anything. The ambitious headed to Thunder City's docks to lend a hand, while the unambitious stayed home, busy making babies.

The truth is, most of the locals didn't have much ambition.

They might have been dirt poor, but the other side of that coin was that they didn't really need much money either.

The land they rented was paid for with crop yields, and the surplus grain was stored in the Lord's granary. While it didn't fetch much money, it was always enough for their own consumption.

Most of the goods that required coins to buy in the town were things aimed at outsiders, such as the adventurers.

Take old Abel, for instance. Other than the shoes on his feet and the clothes on his back, nearly everything else, including his house, was the property of the Lord—the plow he used in the fields, the stew pot on his stove, all of it.

This feudal contract had persisted for hundreds of years, tracing back to the Isaac Dynasty. Compared to the rural aristocrats like Baron Ges, who detested their own earthy smells and were desperate to claw their way into high society, countless Abels were much less inclined to disrupt this order. If anything, they hoped this arrangement would continue indefinitely.

Why wouldn't they?

Working for Baron Ges wasn't all that bad. While no one had much money, no one had ever starved to death either.

By contrast, in the slums of Thunder City, stories of people freezing or starving to death were all too common among the wandering outsiders.

Look at these villagers: they didn't just have warm hearths and steaming pumpkin porridge—they even managed to enjoy a bit of meat from time to time.

Especially when the snow fell heavily, the Lord's manor would send over surplus geese.

After plucking the feathers and taking the liver, the goose meat—whether they didn't want it or couldn't finish it—would end up as a treat for the servants. For the tenant farmers of Silver Pine Town, it was a rare delicacy.

This was in stark contrast to the merchants in the city who, rather than share their imported milk with Thunder City's poor, would rather pour it into the rivers.

Under the guise of piety and compassion, they opened their doors to refugees, yet they wouldn't spare a glance for their suffering countrymen in the slums. In fact, they did everything they could to seize what little land those poor souls had left.