The Lord Demon King is Unfathomable!

In the depths of the North Peak Mine, within Lord Demon King's Magic Workshop, mist swirled as grape-sized bubbles popped and sizzled in the cauldron atop the furnace.

As Luo Yan chanted a spell, a tool engraved with Netherworld Language danced nimbly on the cutting board, swiftly decapitating toads and removing the tails of scorpions...

When the ingredients were diced into thumb-sized chunks, a skeletal hand reached out from the shadows, sweeping the materials on the cutting board into the mortar on the experiment table.

As the Netherworld Language engraved in the base flickered, an obsidian pestle levitated as if grasped by an invisible hand, rhythmically grinding the materials in the mortar into powder.

The entire process flowed seamlessly!

Gazing at the automated alchemy equipment before him, Luo Yan's expression radiated approval as he expertly stowed away his Magic Wand, satisfied with his handiwork.

This was one of Oke's masterpieces.

With this automated device, his efficiency in crafting Magic Potions had at least doubled, effectively functioning like two additional apprentices!

What's even more evident was that the entire apparatus still had ample room for further optimization.

Luo Yan stroked his chin, pondering for a long moment before grabbing pen and paper from the side and hurriedly jotting down some ideas.

"... Consider integrating the mortar and cauldron into the experiment table and adding a conveyor belt to enhance material flow efficiency. Also, install a six-axis Skeleton Hand or Rock and Soil Hand at the corner of the table."

At this point, the tip of Luo Yan's pen hesitated slightly before he adjusted his wording and continued writing.

"... Additionally, a pen with automatic writing functionality could be added to allow the user to record experimental inspirations whenever needed."

Having laid out all his thoughts on paper, Luo Yan casually tossed the notebook aside, planning to instruct his subordinates to pass it on to Oke later.

Whether these ideas could be implemented or not was a matter for Oke and his little players to resolve.

He only needed to focus on presenting the requirements.

As Luo Yan was pouring the finished Magic Potion into potion bottles and sealing them, Youyou's slightly excited voice suddenly drifted into his ears from the side.

"Good news! Lord Demon King, some immigrants have settled in your surface territory!"

Recently, Youyou had been covertly observing the Life Professional Players active on the surface.

He remembered that Lord Demon King once said that people were like weeds, sprouting up unattended from the ground.

At first, Youyou had harbored some doubts about Lord Demon King's prediction. After all, how could humans be like plants? But it took barely over a week for the prediction to come true!

It was simply miraculous!

After hearing Youyou's report, Luo Yan froze for a moment, his face betraying an evident expression of surprise.

This soon?

Though he'd anticipated that destitute refugees might eventually choose to sell their souls to Demons, he hadn't expected this day to arrive so quickly.

After all, according to his original estimate, the next wave of immigrants wouldn't appear until the arrival of spring.

It seemed the situation at Brass Pass was even worse than he had imagined...

"How many people came this time?"

Hearing Lord Demon King's inquiry, Youyou eagerly replied.

"Two! Children!"

Luo Yan frowned slightly.

"Could they be from a nearby village?"

"No, no! I heard from the players that the two children are from a village in the eastern part of Twilight Province. They had migrated with their parents and other villagers to Thunder County in the Campbell Duchy but unfortunately got separated near the Silver Pine Forest!"

Seeing the thoughtful expression emerging on Luo Yan's face, Youyou enthusiastically pressed on.

"Lord Demon King! A large group of immigrants is nearby. Now's the perfect opportunity for us to shine! I suggest issuing a quest to the players, urging them to take action and bring those people over!"

Whenever it came to expanding faith, Youyou was particularly fervent, to the extent that the harebrained schemes they concocted seemed entirely devoid of logical consideration.

Luo Yan refrained from criticizing this creature, simply rejecting its terrible idea outright.

"Don't do anything unnecessary. Just give out the previously promised rewards to the players who 'take in new NPC settlers.'"

"But, but—"

Seeing Youyou pacing anxiously in the mirror, Luo Yan explained patiently.

"Calm down. What we need are people who genuinely want to join us, not hostages brought here by force. Rushing certain things will only backfire. Moreover, not only do the migrants in this area need time to build trust with us, but so do our players—they also need time to prepare for what's to come."

"Especially since they're doing quite well now, gradually discovering the joy of farming and harvesting. Releasing a quest at this time to pressure them would not enhance their progress but rather disrupt their gaming experience and reduce their immersion."

"On the contrary, if we can encourage them to take initiative on their own, it will not only better stimulate their enthusiasm but also save us the trouble of paying out quest rewards."

The purpose of a quest is to guide.

He preferred to create the right guidance and then leave the opportunity for exploring the fun of the game to the players themselves, letting them discover the ways they enjoyed the experience.

Youyou stared at Luo Yan in shock for a long moment before grasping the deeper meaning of his words... though they completely missed the point.

"As expected of Lord Demon King, even freeloading sounds so refined coming from you."

Luo Yan rolled his eyes at this creature.

"What freeloading? This is called doing the right thing at the right time… Anyway, just keep an eye on them from the sidelines. There's no need for you to take any action."