The Demon King is unfathomable

Chapter 430 was definitely done by the Flame King!
The Great Cemetery, a land of nightmares.

Yuxi and Misi flapped their wings and flew in from the cave entrance, their pale, slender toes landing on the stand inlaid with cashmere cushions.

The Nightmare Land of today is no longer the Nightmare Land of the past. With more money than they could spend, their revered Queen Sisi generously provided each little devil with a cashmere-trimmed bird perch.

This is the dream of all the little devils in Nightmare Land.

They no longer had to fight over the relatively less uncomfortable pebbles when they met Queen Sisi.

Because the wine from Nightmare Land is so popular, even with such extravagance, the amount of ghost money in Nightmare Land continues to grow.

There's simply not enough money to go around!
Misi: "Your Majesty! A new batch of grain has been delivered!"

Yuxi: "This is infuriating! That wicked woman from Desperate City is trying to compete with our king for his favor! Her messenger has even brought over a batch of food!"

Missy: "This is infuriating! We had a brilliant idea: we put the crosses that the Demon King made us make inside! The Demon King will definitely see those amulets and treat them as our offerings!"

Yuxi: "That's right, that's right! Hehehe, these little fish are such idiots, now their tribute is all for our king!"

The two little devils giggled, their faces beaming with the mischievous grins of those who had pulled off a prank.

Listening to the chatter of the younger ones, Sisi, leaning back on her throne, yawned lazily and said listlessly.

"Are you all idiots? Does that lord need to open every single sack to find out where the tribute came from?"

The acolytes at the teleportation array faithfully track the whereabouts of each batch of supplies and carefully inspect the offerings in each sack.

Aren't these self-righteous guys being a bit too presumptuous?
"Oh no!? Damn it, I was careless!"

Upon hearing this, Yuxi was struck dumb, her jaw agape in astonishment. Meanwhile, Missy seized the opportunity to shift the blame, quickly joining Queen Sissi in reprimanding Yuxi.

"It's Yuxi! Are you an idiot? How could you do something so thoughtless? What if they think it was our king's idea?"

"Yes, I'm sorry! Hmm?? Wait, no, didn't we do that together? It seems like it was your idea, wasn't it?!"

"Shut up! Admit your mistake!"

"You want to fight?!"

The two little devils wrestled together, their clothes almost torn off. The little devils who came to watch the spectacle all popped out, cheering for the left one moment and for the right the next.

Sisi, leaning back on her throne, frowned slightly, took a sip of the bright red wine in her glass, and looked at the two little devils with suspicion.

She felt that those two idiots had offended her with something just now, even though they might not have meant it, or they were just not very bright.

After thinking for a while, Sisi felt it was too troublesome and decided not to bother arguing with them. She placed her wine glass on the armrest of the throne, cleared her throat, and began to speak.

"Don't do such unnecessary things in the future. She's just an old woman and she's not worth mentioning. I would never stoop to such means to win."

As she spoke, a bewitching smile appeared on her rosy lips, and she exuded a regal aura that seemed incongruous with her doll-sized figure.

She was like a real queen.

"I would disdain to win by such means, lest she be unable to accept defeat and blame me for being too cunning and treacherous."

Although this was a compliment to the demon, she still hoped that the Demon King would appreciate her elegance, propriety, beauty, generosity, composure, loyalty, and many other memorable qualities.

Regardless of whether her elegance, poise, beauty, and composure captivated the Demon King, a group of little demons were completely mesmerized, their eyes sparkling.

The king's confidence is simply dazzling!

Although the imps often judge each other by their ability to play pranks, they do not use this to select their king.

This is like how humans use their ability to ride horses and fight to promote knights, but not their ability to ride horses and fight to choose their kings.

"As expected of the King!"

"Your Majesty! When do you plan to capture the Demon King?!"

"Oh right, the palace! The king's palace still needs some decoration! There's no Demon King's statue here!"

"Idiot! How could the Demon King possibly need something like that!"

"Exactly! In Thunder City, it's all the rage now to use those spring-filled mattresses as dowries! I saw it from outside the window!"

"I even saw them fighting on the mattress!"

"Oh ho ho ho! Get ready to go!"

"Hehehe... It suddenly occurred to me, if Queen Sissi were to eat the Demon King, wouldn't that mean we could also benefit from it?"

"Ah! You mean sharing mental energy?!"

The little devils got excited at this point, but their "elegant, graceful, beautiful, and composed" king instantly blushed.

"roll--!"

The wine glass shattered against the rock wall like a thunderbolt, breaking into pieces on the ground.

The little devils screamed and scattered, hiding in the coral reef-like cave, only their heads sticking out, looking around with a mixture of fear and curiosity.

Sisi, standing on the throne, was breathing heavily with murderous intent, her chest heaving violently, and her face was so red it looked like it could bleed.

These guys...

They're getting more and more disrespectful!

……

Before the morning mist had completely dissipated, hundreds of wisps of smoke were already rising from the fields outside Quemu Castle.

The rich aroma of wheat porridge filled the air, making it a paradise for the starving refugees.

Looking at the bowl in his hand, old Hank, squatting at the edge of the camp, had disbelief written all over his face and muttered something under his breath.

"So the Green Forest Army didn't drive us to the edge of the castle to starve us, but rather to make it easier to distribute food to us..."

Having filled his stomach, he couldn't help but come to a conclusion that even he found strange, yet somehow reasonable.

It seems he really misunderstood these bandits—

Oh no, the Salvation Army.

It wasn't just old Hank who was unbelievable; the vast majority of the starving people in the camp were in the same situation.

Cursed by hunger, they devoured anything edible, from earthworms to barely palatable tree bark.

There wasn't a single tree with bark within a ten-mile radius.

They are alive today, it feels like a dream come true.

On the other side of the camp, an elderly hunter stared at the cross amulet in his hand, a thoughtful expression on his face.

He picked it up next to a Salvation Army soup kitchen. He was looking for a burlap sack to turn into clothes, but instead he found this familiar-looking thing.

After a moment of contemplation, he finally remembered where he had seen this thing before, and he managed to squeeze out a hoarse mutter.

“I recognize this cross…it was in the hands of an adventurer near Stromgarde Pass, close to the Duke of Campbell.”

This statement has attracted a lot of attention, as many people have also found this inedible cross near the porridge shop.

They just picked it up for good luck, never expecting there would be a story behind it.

People gathered around him, asking curiously.

Did the adventurer say where he got it from?

Faced with the curious gazes of the people, the old hunter remained silent for a moment before speaking in a calm tone.

“That person didn’t say, and I didn’t ask. I just seem to remember… he called it ‘the Flame King’s amulet’.”

This unusual name seemed to connect with a story he had once heard.

The hunter's eyes lit up slightly, and he continued in a confident tone.

"That's right! I remember now, it was Yan Wang who did it!"

The starving people looked at each other, their faces full of confusion.

"Flame King?"

"what is that?"

"Is it... Campbell's king?"

"No, he wasn't a worldly king, but... a child born in the wilderness, an uncrowned king who survived a great calamity." The hunter shook his head and, in a leisurely tone, pieced together the story he had heard.

"He was an orphan, having lost his parents at birth."

"He was born in the hottest cave in the Wanren Mountains, where only the gushing lava witnessed the baby's cries."

"Thanks to the protection of the gods, he survived the ordeal."

“An elderly priest took him home and raised him to adulthood…”

"He has no name."

Those who know him affectionately call him—

"King Yan".

More and more people gathered around, and more and more starving people began to listen to the old hunter's stories, and after they finished listening, they told the stories to even more people.

Since they had nothing to do after eating their fill, the legend of the Flame King could provide some amusement in their dreary lives.

Through the rumors spread by the starving people, the kind-hearted Flame King had gone from being an orphan to being Saint Sith's illegitimate son.

After all, the concept of someone emerging from a stone doesn't exist on the continent of Os. In the old farmer's mind, a person must be born from another person.

If there's really no other way... then it could only be Saint Sith who did it. And if the child is evil enough, then it must be the work of a demon god.

And so, following the story of "Saint Kallen," they now have another "divine child" named Flame King.

As Saint Karen herself admitted, she received care from someone who was also called by God during her journey.

The story seemed to make sense. Although the story was extremely blasphemous, there was no priest around, and no one was likely to correct their mistakes.

In the end, not only the starving people, but even the Salvation Army soldiers themselves were spreading rumors with suspicion...

"So it turns out that the Flame King is behind us."

"By Saint Sith... I was wondering why there was so much bread, bacon, and red wine. It turns out it was a gift from the Flame King!"

A kind-hearted hermit is undoubtedly more in line with their aesthetic of epic than a distant deity.

Even from a logical standpoint, it's quite absurd that a hermit could grow so much bread, smoked meat, and fine wine in the mountains.

……

In just one day, the legend of the Flame King had spread throughout the entire besieged camp like a radiant holy light.

Now, in this "Salvation Army," the savior, whom people call the "Son of God" and who feeds the world with his flesh and blood, is even more renowned than the Green-Headed Kaylan.

This wasn't just a change of flag; it seemed that this army composed of peasants had completely changed its spiritual totem.

Taf, who was watching the show with the Demon King, couldn't help but sigh.

"Goodness, how many aliases do you have?"

She had the feeling that she had woken up to find herself transformed into Old Deng.

In the old days, deities typically stacked buffs on themselves, while in the new era, deities seem to be playing a very trendy game—

'I am no one, but anyone can be me.'

Luo Yan smiled slightly as he flipped through the book.

"you guess."

Taf rolled her eyes.

"What are you guessing for? Just tell me directly!"

Luo Yan said casually.

"It's not that I don't want to tell you, but I can't explain it clearly myself. After all, some legends weren't made up by me, and many are spontaneous creations by people."

For example, when in the Holy City.

This includes experiencing the adventurer experience at Dragon City.

"..."

After a moment of contemplation, Taff suddenly spoke.

"Is it really possible to collect faith power this way?"

Luo Yan said with a smile.

"All I can say is that the effect is excellent."

The snowball of his faith is growing bigger and bigger, and it is likely that once the crisis in Twilight Province is resolved, his faith power will expand to a considerable number.

Just as a certain deity was brimming with confidence in his plan, a certain chess piece that the deity had pushed onto the chessboard was equally brimming with confidence.

The changes in the besieged camp were observed by "Iron Bull" Brennan.

If his previous claim of having 100,000 troops was just a boast, then now he might actually have 100,000 under his command!
It's not even just 100,000!
It's not just about quantity!

He also saw in the eyes of the soldiers, and even in his own eyes, a burning morale and an unprecedented brilliance!
The most urgent task now is to strike while the iron is hot!

As dawn broke, Brennan strode through the bustling camp and headed straight for one of the soup kitchens that was providing relief to the disaster victims.

He had already devised a complete siege plan. As soon as Lady Karen gave her the nod, he could immediately get his soldiers to work, using local materials to build ladders and simple catapults, completing all the preparations for the siege.

Unlike other porridge shops, this place is the most crowded, simply because you can see the Holy Maiden here, and even receive her blessing, even if it's just a word of comfort.

Pushing through the crowd of people waiting for relief, Brennan quickly found Karen.

She was standing beside a large pot, distributing warm wheat porridge to the long line of starving people along with the soldiers who were helping and the cooks who were boiling the porridge.

Her profile appeared exceptionally serene in the soft light of dawn, as if she were born for this moment.

“Ms. Karen,” Brennan said, suppressing his urgency and trying to make his voice sound calm, “I have something I want to discuss with you.”

“Mr. Brennan, you’ve arrived,” Karen put down her spoon, handed over her work to a soldier, and then looked at the general and said in a gentle tone, “I also have something to discuss with you.”

"Then you go first."

Out of respect for the saint, Brennan displayed a rare gentlemanly demeanor in front of the starving people, even though such demeanor seemed somewhat clumsy and absurd for a "wild man" in a bearskin.

Karen did not laugh at him, but appreciated his kindness and thanked him with a smile.

Then, she led Brennan to a nearby military tent, summoned all the leaders of the "Salvation Army" who had any influence, and took out a map drawn with charcoal from her bosom.

That was a map of the entire Sparrowwood Territory, given to her by a farmer who had once been an adventurer, as a token of gratitude for her saving him and his family.

Seeing the saintess unfold the map, Brennan assumed she wanted to discuss the defenses of Sparrowwood Castle with him, and his expression immediately turned serious.

However, to his surprise, the slender finger did not land on the city wall, but on a village far away from the castle.

He remembered the place, it seemed to be called something like...Wheat Field Village?

Regardless of its name, the village is now abandoned, with only wandering ghosts roaming among the dilapidated fields.

"...According to the starving people, this village has the best roads in the surrounding dozens of miles, connecting more than fifty villages of all sizes in Quemu Territory. Moreover, its land is fertile and it is close to the Benliu River. It is a real pity that it has been abandoned."

After a pause, Karen continued in a serious tone.

“I believe that if we are to restore food production in Sparrowwood Territory, the first village we should revive is here. It will be our first stop in reviving Twilight Province.”

When it came to farming, her demeanor became noticeably more professional than when she played the role of a "nun."

Although she had never planted anything herself, there were fields right in front of her house, and she had helped with some farm work.

However, the soldiers standing around her were all stunned after hearing her "inappropriate" remarks.

revival……

Twilight Province?

The war isn't over yet, is now the time to talk about this?

The soldiers exchanged glances, confirming that they were not dreaming and had not misheard the "Holy Maiden's" decree.

Brennan was equally perplexed. He opened his mouth, but found there were too many questions, and he didn't know where to begin.

Karen didn't notice his odd behavior and continued to give him instructions in a gentle tone.

“We just drove the starving people from their original villages here, which gave them a bad impression. Now, if we suddenly tell them to go back, it’s hard not to create new panic among them. So I plan to let them go back in an orderly and phased manner.”

“Well, I don’t think it’s a bad thing for them to stay here and make a show of things,” a centurion couldn’t help but mutter.

Karen glanced at him, and although there was no authority in her eyes, the man instinctively shut his mouth.

It was as if the person who had just looked at him was not the nun, but Saint Sith himself.

Clearing her throat, Karen continued.

“Starting tomorrow, I need you to do one more thing for me. I need your soldiers to register all the starving people who come to collect food when they are distributing it, and record their names and the villages they originally belonged to... even just nicknames or pet names are fine.”

"Then, we need to give them a number to ensure that their names match the number. When they collect their food in the future, they will go to the designated porridge shop according to their number."

“I bet someone will apply for two or three, just to have a couple more meals,” a man carrying a greatsword said in a deep voice.

Karen looked at him and said.

"We can't rule out that possibility, but that's not important. What's important is that we make sure everyone is on my roster first. As for confirming duplicate names, that's a next step. As long as we make sure everyone is full and doesn't have extra room to go elsewhere to eat, we'll just remove any number from the roster if no one comes to collect food for a long time."

Moreover, the areas where the starving people lived were gradually divided according to numbers, just like soldiers were separated into different battalions.

One person can have three registration numbers, but it's impossible for them to live in three different places simultaneously. And if someone registers in the same place three times, they'll be exposed in no time.

She will not punish those who lie.

As she said, the purpose of this work was simply to register the starving people in the Salvation Army's register, not to catch the thieves who ate a few extra bites of food.

Instead, she would establish laws to punish real thieves and villains who take advantage of the chaos to commit crimes.

Over time, people's previous impressions of the Salvation Army will fade, and confidence and faith will be rebuilt while establishing a new order.

"I don't know."

Brennan finally found his voice and looked at Karen with a puzzled expression, asking, "Why are we registering those people? We're the army, not tax collectors?"

Even if it's for the purpose of collecting taxes, now is not the time.

It's not too late to wait until the war is over, is it?

Karen was well aware of his confusion, because she herself was no less confused when she heard about Mr. Colin's arrangements.

If the goal is simply to distribute food and have hungry people line up in front of the porridge stall, then registration seems redundant.

However, the seemingly omniscient gentleman gave her a completely different perspective—

“If it were just to feed them a meal, we could simply feed them. However, there are hundreds of thousands of them, and they may even exceed a million or millions in the future… Even Lord Saint Sis cannot feed them every meal without them doing anything.”

"Registering the starving people is the prerequisite for all our work. This is not only to enable them to leave Quemubao in an orderly and phased manner and return to their hometowns, but also to catch up with the soon-to-be-over spring planting season and the upcoming land redistribution... We must ensure that every effort is made to the fullest extent possible, rather than being wasted."

Seeing Brennan speechless, Karen continued in a serious tone.

“It’s not just the starving people, your soldiers also need to cooperate in completing the registration, and even you.”

"Whether you want to go back to farming or not, they will return to their hometowns one day. Even those who are homeless should have a piece of land of their own to live and work in peace."

"If you want to prove that you are different from the guy in the castle, don't wait until you've breached the castle to think about it. Start doing it now."

(End of this chapter)