The Demon King is unfathomable

Chapter 326: Holy City
The luxurious carriage slowly left the port under the escort of the Royal Knights, and the wheels made a steady and brisk sound as they rolled over the cobblestone road.

The lances covered in brocade and satin are like hedges standing outside the car window, making the exquisite golden roses and scripture emblems more vivid.

Luo Yan sat upright in the carriage, fiddling with the little female dragon lying on his knees with his index finger. The latter purred in enjoyment, like a sleeping cat.

At this moment, they were riding in the carriage of Cassiter Hilfen, the head of the Hilfen family, heading to the temporary residence prepared by the Hilfen family for Prince Roxell Colin.

This was an invitation proactively made by the Hilfen family.

As the most distinguished guest of the Holy City, Prince Colin can stay here forever. In exchange, he only needs to leave a portrait in the gallery... The Hilfen family will arrange for the best painter in the Holy City to paint a classic that will be passed down forever.

It has to be said that this is exactly where the Hilfen family excels. Over the centuries, they have accumulated a large number of excellent celebrity paintings through such generous behavior... and the value of those oil paintings alone exceeds the manor itself.

Of course, the guests invited by the Hilfen family would not be so shameless as to continue living here, so there is no need to worry about the problem of "it is easy to invite a god but difficult to send him away".

In fact, Luo Yan really had no intention of disturbing her all the time.

Before getting off the ship, he had arranged for Lumir to contact his "poor relatives" who suddenly appeared, to see if their family tree had any value and if there were any loopholes that needed to be filled, and to help him find a property in the local area that suits his status.

Baron Tichi Cosia also got off the ship with Lumire. Although the great nobles of the Holy City were not interested in him, the numerous knights and knights were very interested in him.

What he needs to do now is to publish a book, accept interviews, and then return home in glory! And then he can pretend to be cool all the time that he hasn't done in the past ten years!

As for Sarah, she has demon blood after all, and is still on the boat. She has to wait until there are fewer people in the port before coming down.

Although the Holy City does not reject impure blood like the Thunder City, the blood of the demon is still not presentable. One can only hide the characteristics of the demon and be active in the shadow of the master in a low-key manner.

She would join him later.

Luo Yan looked through the hollow windows, observing the streets of the holy city with interest.

Magnificent and solemn buildings stand on both sides of the spacious streets. The crowded citizens cast curious glances at the convoy from time to time, or whisper to each other.

To be honest, this was completely different from what he saw in the library of the Demon King Academy. In theory, the residents of the Holy City should all be ascetics wearing Taoist robes and chanting scriptures, with muscles wearing gorgeous armor clustered around the mummy-like emperor. There was no way there would be so many colorful colors.

However, Luo Yan could also understand it. After all, people with insight are vested interests, and things that are said behind closed doors cannot be said when the doors are open.

I don't think the library in the Holy City will objectively describe what the Magic City is like. The eldest and second brothers should stop making fun of each other on this matter.

Just as Luo Yan was observing the street scene outside the car window, Count Cassiter Hilfen was also looking at him carefully.

He was an elegant middle-aged gentleman, wearing a well-cut black long suit with the emblem of the Hilfen family's golden rose and scripture embroidered on his chest. His golden hair was slightly frosted when he looked closely, but it did not reduce his elegant and easy-going demeanor in the slightest.

"How rare... Is this a dragon cub?" Ever since he got on the carriage, his eyes had been fixed on the dragon between Prince Colin's legs, without moving away. Until he heard the comfortable snoring sound, he finally couldn't help but exclaimed.

He considered himself to be knowledgeable, but this was the first time he had seen this legendary species.

And it’s a giant dragon cub that’s even rarer than legendary species!

"Yes, a little fellow that just hatched from its shell. I met it near the Stairway to the Sun Mountains. In the ancient fables of the Janna continent, that is where dragons were born." Luo Yan retracted his gaze from the window and a gentle smile appeared on his face.

Tafu half opened her eyes, glanced at Luo Yan, and was about to argue something, but because of her master's order, she ended up just snoring.

Before arriving at the port, Luo Yan specifically told her two things.

First, you are not allowed to speak when there are other people around you. Second, you are not allowed to lay eggs suddenly when there are people around you...unless you really can't hold it back anymore.

These two things were actually nothing serious. Some smart dragons knew more than just dragon language. It was just that he found it troublesome and didn't want to create any more complications.

"What a cute little creature." Cassiter said enviously, and after a moment he added, "It's a pity that it's too small. I heard that it takes more than a century for a giant dragon to grow up..."

"Yes," Luo Yan shrugged his shoulders and said regretfully, "I plan to go to the Imperial Academy this time. In addition to learning the advanced magic knowledge of the Empire, I also want to find a magic potion that can accelerate the growth of dragons."

The Empire's research on magical creatures could never compare to that of Hell, which has made great efforts to play with monsters. Luo Yan just said this casually.

However, the moment Tafu heard these words, she couldn't help but tremble and almost dropped something.

Cassidy stroked his chin and thought seriously, then spoke after a moment.

"Critters like dragons are beyond my knowledge, but I do know a few magicians with profound magical attainments... maybe they can provide you with some help."

Luo Yan did not refuse his kindness and said with a smile.

"I would be very grateful if you could introduce me to one."

"It's just a small favor. It's my honor to help a distinguished person like you." Cassid smiled slightly, as if he had just done something insignificant.

The two continued chatting along the way. Luo Yan, who noticed that Tafu was about to lose her temper, calmly changed the topic to the holy city itself.

When the topic turned to the holy city, Cassiter immediately showed his erudition. He knew everything about the place, from humanities to religious philosophy.

At this moment, the scene outside the car window also reflected his talkativeness - this is indeed a prosperous and great city.

The prosperity of the Principality of Campbell can only support one Queen Street, but here almost every street is as good as it.

There are tall towers everywhere, the streets are wide and clean, the passers-by are all well-dressed citizens, and the carriages are pulled by tall horses instead of short goblins.

The roadside cafes are filled with gentlemen and ladies chatting elegantly, the bookstore windows are filled with hardcover books, and in the street corner square, a group of young students are concentrating on sketching, and the model is a young girl with delicate features.

She sat by the fountain, as quiet as a statue, bathed in the morning light, like the statue of the Virgin in front of St. Clement's Church.

At this time, loud drum music suddenly came from not far ahead.

The carriage slowed down, and the accompanying royal knights pulled the reins to prevent the horses from getting frightened and causing accidents.

Luo Yan looked in the direction where the drum and music sound came from with great interest, and saw a wedding procession slowly approaching from the other end of the street.

The two newlyweds sat in a carriage decorated with flowers and ribbons, their cheeks rosy and their smiles bright. They were dressed simply and neatly, and they looked like citizens of the holy city.

Musicians dressed in festive costumes gathered around them, playing bagpipes and accordions, and a few lively children scattered flower petals. Passers-by stopped to give their blessings with applause and whistles.

"It looks like there's going to be a happy event today." Cassite smiled appropriately, then reached out and knocked lightly on the car window twice, signaling the knights outside to stop and wait.

The leading knight nodded slightly, and then the royal knights stopped in unison, waiting for the parade to pass by.

The sound of drums and music was getting closer. A short and fat man saw the emblem of the Royal Knights and his face flushed with excitement. He took off his hat and waved to the knights enthusiastically: "Thank you, sirs! May glory be with you forever! May Saint Sith bless you!"

The leading knight had a serious look on his face, but he was not indifferent. He nodded slightly in response to the citizen's gratitude and respect.

Cassiter smiled gently, looked at Luo Yan and said softly: "After all, they are the children of Saint Sith. We can't ruin their fun. Please forgive me, Your Highness."

"Of course," Luo Yan smiled and nodded, saying happily, "We still have a lot of time, there's no need to rush."

To be honest, Luo Yan was quite surprised by the openness and tolerance of the Holy City. After all, the nobles of Thunder City would never give way to the common people as they were also bathed in the glory of Saint Sith.

As for Hell—

Hell is not so hypocritical. If there are goblins that get in the way, the true demons will of course kick them in the ass.

But it didn't really matter. After all, even though the goblin denied it and had tears on his face, his body actually enjoyed being treated like this.

"I didn't expect that this city has changed so much in five hundred years." Luo Yan sighed sincerely and gave an evaluation that was consistent with his character.

Mr. Cassidy, who was sitting opposite, smiled gently.

"Your family has been away from the center of civilization for too long, so it's normal that you don't know much about the situation here. In the past hundred years, the development of the Holy City has been even more amazing than in the past thousand years. Not only in magic and religion, we have made amazing achievements in literature, painting, music, philosophy, mathematics, geometry, and many other fields... What you see now is just the tip of the iceberg. I think you will see more places that will make you feel both familiar and surprised in the future."

Luo Yan nodded slowly. His gratified expression was like he had witnessed a miracle in the holy light, or like a drowned person who had drifted on the sea for five hundred years and finally saw his hometown.

"This city is truly extraordinary... Saint Sis, I have no regrets in my life for being able to see my hometown prosper so much in my lifetime."

Cassidy nodded slightly and spoke elegantly.

"I am honored that you have such thoughts. It means that we have lived up to the expectations of our parents."

When he said this, his eyes couldn't help but show a hint of pride, and he added another sentence.

"By the way, this square you see was designed by a professor from our Imperial Academy of Arts... although he was a recent graduate at the time." "Oh?" Luo Yan's eyes showed just the right amount of interest, and he continued, "I heard that you are the president of the Academy of Arts. I guess you are a good scholar, right?"

Cassite smiled and waved his hand modestly: "I am just following the trend of the times and giving some guidance. The young scholars of the academy are the real protagonists... By the way, speaking of the academy's latest research, perhaps Your Highness will be interested in it."

Luo Yan: "Oh? What's the topic?"

Cassiter's expression suddenly became mysterious, as if he was ready to scare the other party. And Luo Yan also moved closer as he wished, waiting with interest.

After keeping everyone in suspense, Cassite said seriously.

"Recently, our scholars have put forward a bold conjecture... They believe that the earth beneath our feet is not flat and boundless, but a huge sphere!"

"Ball... sphere?!"

Luo Yan was slightly startled, and a hint of surprise flashed across his face that was difficult to conceal.

He was indeed shocked, but not because of the idea itself, but because he was surprised that this sentence came from the mouth of a popular person around the Pope!
If it were in Thunder City, no one would dare to talk about it like this. It might be chopped off by the old farmers in Thunder County with hoes before it even reached the ears of the priests.

Seeing Luo Yan's surprise, Cassiter seemed quite satisfied and further explained: "Yes, or to be more precise, it is an elliptical star, which we call a planet. The continent you just returned to, the Janna continent, supports this speculation. It is like a puzzle that has been lost for thousands of years and falls right into our confusion."

Luo Yan was silent for a moment, looking at the towers and churches outside the car window, and tentatively said: "This view seems to conflict with the teachings of the Book of the Holy Word..."

Cassiter's eyes flickered as he expressed his admiration for the prince's honesty and piety, then he continued with a smile.

"Five hundred years ago, this was indeed a taboo topic, but the past two hundred years have been a little different. Especially since Gregory IX, our great Pope, wrote a book to supplement the content not mentioned in the Book of the Holy Word, and the theory that everything revolves around the Holy Light is no longer a taboo. As we all know, the Holy Light and the sun have the same origin, and the demons' fear of sunlight just proves this point."

Demons are not actually afraid of sunlight, they just don't like it, just like humans hate dark places and overly hot magma.

However, Luo Yan did not interrupt him, but listened to him continue talking with great interest.

"Of course, the heliocentric theory is not our only theory. There is also the theory of the double arc surface, but fewer people study it. That is, our world is a bowl, the surface is the convex side, and hell is the concave side. The sun rotates along the edge of the bowl, the sunlight on the surface rotates, the day is long and the night is short, while hell rotates at dusk, the day is short and the night is long."

"What an incredible idea." Although Tafu couldn't help but snorted in laughter, Luo Yan still exclaimed in praise from the bottom of his heart.

From a modern perspective, these ideas are certainly fantastic, but so-called science has never been the standard answers in an exercise book, but a method and idea for exploring the truth.

Bold imagination and careful verification are the ways to explore the truth. They have given birth to the seeds of science, but everything is still very rough.

Besides...

He actually had no reason to say that they were definitely wrong.

First of all, the universe is different.

Although many physical rules of this world are similar to those on Earth, due to the existence of subspace, the space here is obviously discontinuous, and the information that can be accessed is obviously more than that of people in other universes.

Looking at Prince Colin who seemed to be shocked, Earl Cassidy smiled and continued.

"…Your Highness, as you can see, we are entering an unprecedented golden age. And I think your return is one of the signs of the opening of this beautiful era! Please allow me to welcome you home on behalf of my family, my honor and my faith!"

Luo Yan listened quietly with a happy smile on his face.

His gaze passed over the bustling streets outside the car window and fell on the towering palace in the distance and the church spire that was becoming parallel to the palace as it went further and further away.

"Thank you. On behalf of the Colin family, I would also like to thank you for your welcome... It is a great honor for me to open this prosperous prelude with you."

……

The Dantes family lived at 11th Loyalty Street. The name didn't suggest that it was a place where rich people lived, but rather where the high-class people of the empire lived.

And so it is.

Densely packed three-story townhouses are located on both sides of the cobblestone road, and a loaded horse-drawn carriage occasionally passes by on the fairly spacious street.

Judging from the archway at the door, Dantes' family enjoys a single house, which is very remarkable, but unfortunately, his neighbors do not.

The shoemaker's shop next door has a clanging sound that lasts from morning until the bells ring at dusk. Not far away, a resident is pouring a basin of vegetable washing water in front of his door, as if to dilute the bad smell emanating from the gutter.

The only thing about Thunder City that was better than here was that the drainage system was built by Lint Isaac, so even in the summer, there was no need to worry about the smell of feces. But living in a community like this, where "houses used to be expensive, but now the old money has long moved away," you can't expect too much from the quality of your neighbors.

However, Lumir did not look down on them in a snobbish way. After all, his background was not very noble. Even if he mentioned the countryside of Leimingcheng, the other party would be subconsciously confused and ask "what is that?"

However, although Lumière did not care, Edmund, who was standing next to him, was sensitive and suspicious, fearing that the servant of this distinguished distant relative would doubt the quality of his family emblem.

"We also have a farm in the suburbs, called Dantes Manor... It was left to us by Mr. Fernando Collin five hundred years ago!"

Before Lumire could speak, his eldest son Lucien, who was standing next to him, quickly followed suit.

"Yes! I've been there several times. Every summer I practice horse riding there in order to become a glorious royal knight... The pasture there is huge!"

Sophia was more reserved and knew the art of tact. She quietly walked behind her mother and spoke softly.

"Mom...it's time for me to practice the piano. Can you please excuse me for a while?"

Anna rolled her eyes and nodded quickly.

"Of course... Go ahead and play the song you just learned, Flowers Under the Moon... Flowers... Flowers Before the Moon?"

Sophia said quickly.

"The Moonlight Concerto was composed by Mr. von Elstadt to commemorate the summer of 668 in the Holy Calendar, and dedicated to the girl he met in the garden..."

Looking at his sister who suddenly started to recite the text, the sixteen-year-old second son François stood beside her scratching his head in confusion. As a nerd, his eyes were full of confusion, and he didn't understand what was wrong with his family.

Could this Mr. Lumire be an examiner at the Imperial Academy of Arts?
Six-year-old Emily was even more confused. She excitedly raised her little hands covered in icing sugar, saying that she was just as amazing as her brothers and sisters.

"Oh! Emily has to go to teacher Agnes's class. She's going to teach us math--"

Anna covered little Emily's mouth with her hand, ignoring her protests, and looked at Lumir with a smile on her face.

"Little Emily meant that Mrs. Agnes would come to teach her. That lady is the tutor we hired for her. But she remembered it wrongly. Mrs. Agnes is ill and has asked for leave today..."

Lumire pressed his brows with a headache, and even began to doubt whether choosing this family was the right choice.

But soon he thought of Teach and even himself——

The Demon Lord's ability to turn decay into magic is what makes him incredible, especially since he witnessed with his own eyes that Lord trained a pirate into a real baron, and then turned a real captain into a pirate in disguise as a governor.

This family still has potential.

At least there is the ambition to become stronger.

"I'm sorry to interrupt your plans today—"

Looking at Lumire who took the initiative to apologize, Edmund said with fear and trepidation.

"No! Mr. Lumire! You are not disturbing us. We are happy to accompany you for a walk around the neighborhood, or we can go to the manor in the suburbs now-"

Lumire interrupted him by shaking his head.

"No, that's not necessary. I mean you don't have to be so polite. Of course I will go to the manor to disturb it, but not now..."

He didn't care about the poor acting of Dantes' family. The only thing that really caught his attention was the sentence mentioned by Edmund - "the ancestral home left to Marguerite Dantes by Mr. Fernando Colin five hundred years ago."

The Demon King doesn't care about the authenticity of the bloodline at all, because it is fake in the first place, and the authenticity is not important at all.

He just needs an identity that he can modify at will, and this will determine what kind of script will be played out next.

After a pause, Lumire looked past the family who were sweating from nervousness, took out his pocket watch to check the time, and then his eyes fell on the upstairs.

"We will sit upstairs for a while, and then you can tell me everything you know about Mr. Fernando and Miss Margaret, and show me their relics."

"I will then convey what I heard and saw to His Royal Highness, the Prince, and the gentleman will make the final decision."

(End of this chapter)