Uncle here isn't your average office worker!

After a moment of silence, seeing that no one was willing or dared to say anything at this moment, Kal'tsit sighed and said to Roy:

"Let's continue, the third crisis."

"Demon King Crisis".

Volume 1: Chapter 231 The Demon King's Crisis is Humanity's Crisis

"I know this."

Having finally found a topic she could join the conversation, the Queen was the first to raise her hand.

There was no way around it; Roy and Kal'tsit were clearly outsiders, and the Teutonic Elector's body was still inhabited by that old Witch King. All things considered, she, who was clearly the person with the highest status at the scene, had become the most ignorant and unable to get a word in edgewise.

But when it comes to the Demon King, she's wide awake, because it's a secret that every leader of every nation in the land needs to know.

"The Demon Lord is the leader of the Sarkaz race. They possess the ability to read emotions, manipulate memories, and weave illusions. They always try to lead the Sarkaz to invade other countries and are a symbol of evil."

As soon as she finished speaking, Roy and Kal'tsit both turned to look at her, their eyes conveying incomprehension and anger.

This startled the Queen, who asked with suspicion, "Did I say something wrong?"

Roy glanced at Kal'tsit, who remained silent, meaning she was giving Roy the opportunity to explain. Roy then began:

"I'm just wondering why someone at your level would still judge a symbol, or even a non-person, as either good or evil."

Isn't it said that once a person reaches a certain status, their view of the world will change, gradually transforming from a black-and-white perspective to understanding that the world is more about subtle shades of gray?

Logically speaking, the Queen's status is high enough; she is the current ruler of Letania, the leader of a nation! Yet, even she immediately labeled the Demon King as a symbol of evil. Why is that?

Faced with Roy's questioning, the Queen was initially taken aback, then quickly sensed something was amiss, but she soon found an explanation:

"Because throughout the past thousands of years, the Demon King has always been synonymous with evil. Every time the Sarkaz reforge Kazdel, their next step is always to take revenge on other countries on the land, invade cities, slaughter civilians, and plunder land. These things have been repeated for thousands of years, which is why the Demon King has earned such a bad reputation."

"Indeed, as you said, Lord Roy, the Demon King is, after all, just a position, a symbol. Just like the Emperor of Letania, those who hold this position and bear this responsibility may indeed be good or bad. However, the nations of the land cannot gamble their own safety on the good or evil of a Demon King. For the safety of the nation, eliminating them is definitely the best option."

The Queen had one more thing she didn't say: at least, we didn't really wipe out all the Sarkaz.

Don't they still exist as a part of the earth?

Having said that, Roy understood the Queen's concerns.

Take Letania as an example. Although it occasionally produced a tyrannical ruler like the Witch King, in Letania's thousand-year history before him, leaders as tyrannical and powerful as the Witch King were always a minority. Therefore, people wouldn't consider Letania evil and barbaric just because a Witch King appeared. Similarly, in Kazdel's thousands of years of history, its revenge, its slaughter, and its eagerness to conquer after reconstruction were far too frequent. Therefore, the other nations of the land wouldn't change their views of Kazdel just because one or two Demon Lords like Quiron who migrated eastward or Theresia who called for peace occasionally appeared.

Furthermore, the longevity of the Sarkaz race in Kazdel makes the wars of the past decade or century feel like yesterday, with deep-seated hatred still vivid in their minds. Meanwhile, the shorter-lived race senses the threat posed by the Sarkaz through historical inheritance, and their rulers lack the time to communicate or reconcile with the xenophobic Sarkaz, leaving them with no choice but to resort to extreme measures to eliminate the threat and ensure their survival. This means that unless a miracle occurs, reconciliation between the two sides is impossible until one side is completely defeated.

Among the Sarkaz, there were those who recognized the problem. Theresa, for example, sensed the entanglement of suspicion between the two sides and chose to advocate for peace. However, her fate was tragically tragic—her individual awakening not only failed to evoke understanding in the entire race but also led to her being labeled a traitor, a spy, sowing the seeds of internal strife. Even though Theresa's personal charisma had reached its peak, and her prestige as one of the Six Heroes during their resistance against external enemies was immense, allowing her to rally nearly half of the Sarkaz court and people—enough to counter the hawkish Theresis—after her death, the Tower of Babel built entirely around her collapsed in an instant.

The saying "when a person dies, his policies cease; when he leaves, the tea grows cold" perfectly describes this situation.

It was yet another seemingly unsolvable problem, and Roy felt a chill run down his spine. This was the first time he had truly experienced what Kal'tsit faced and pondered on a daily basis.

Whether it's the opening and closing of the Originium and the gates to the Solaris Sea, or the deep-seated hatred between the Sarkaz and other races, these seemingly unsolvable problems are enough to drive anyone mad. Not to mention, while facing these problems, Kal'tsit also has to deal with a whole host of smaller, but equally troublesome, issues.

"Roy, calm down."

Before anyone knew it, Kal'tsit had arrived beside Roy and called out softly.

Roy then snapped out of his daze and noticed the worried looks in Skadi and Margaret's eyes. He quickly smiled apologetically, pretending nothing had happened, and turned to Kal'tsit, saying:

"It's nothing, I'm fine. I was just thinking about some things."

Kal'tsit nodded, not exposing Roy's forced calm, but understandingly going along with him:

"It's about the Demon Lord crisis, right? That crisis... it can't be just about Sarkaz, can it?"

“Hmm.” Roy nodded and picked up the subject. “Yes, we went a bit off-topic just now. Regarding the Demon King crisis, although it is related to Sarkaz, it is not entirely a crisis caused by Sarkaz.”

"Ultimately, do you know why the Demon King is called the Demon King?"

No sooner had Roy uttered his question than the Witch King, through the mouth of the Elector, answered:

"Because of that little black crown, and the ability to weave emotions, memories, and even thoughts into reality."

"That sounds similar to the abilities of the Void Realm... Originium and the Sea of ​​Solaria?" The Radiant Knight keenly noticed the connection between the two.

Roy nodded: "Yes, that's what makes the Demon King special. The Demon King's authority isn't inherited through bloodline, but rather chosen by the Black Crown. The previous Demon King... Princess Theresia, her birth wasn't illustrious, she didn't belong to any Sarkaz royal court, yet she was still chosen as the Demon King. And this generation's Demon King..."

At this point, Roy hesitated for a moment, tilted his head slightly, glanced at Kal'tsit, and then continued:

"This generation's Demon Lord isn't even a true Sarkaz. This is enough to prove one thing—the emergence of a Demon Lord is not something a Sarkaz can control. The Black Crown does not belong to the Sarkaz."

"That black crown is actually one of the most important relics left by human civilization."

Roy took a deep breath and said,

"That is another complete Sea of ​​Solaria, which is similar to but not quite Originium, and which contains human civilization."

"Human civilization?" The Empress suddenly realized something, her posture trembling slightly. "Wait, the Demon King's ability is to weave together memories, emotions, and so on..."

“That’s right.” Roy nodded.

"Therefore, the Demon King crisis does not actually refer to the Sarkaz or Kazdel crisis. The desire of one race to restore its kingdom is not enough to be called a crisis of civilization. After all, in our view, the Kazdel formed by the Sarkaz and the Terra civilization composed of other enslaved races are not fundamentally different from the current Terra civilization, except for the change in the ruling class."

"The true Demon King crisis refers to the Demon King machines that have perfectly awakened and inherited the human civilization within the Black Crown—no one person could possibly bear the weight of the entire consciousness of a civilization. Their influx would instantly annihilate any independent consciousness of that person, turning them into a pure machine that replicates civilization—using Originium combined with the Black Crown, with the ability to turn the virtual into the real, they could copy and paste the entire human civilization from the Black Crown in a short time, covering up the crisis of the entire Terra civilization."

"The Demon King crisis is also the real crisis for humanity."

Therefore, the Black Crown must be sealed with the Ten Commandments. Each time a ring is unlocked, the Demon King will be corrupted by the will stored on the surface of the Black Crown. At first, it is the consciousness of the former Sarkaz king attached to it, then the even older Demon King from the Ticarkaz era, until all ten commandments are unlocked, the true human civilization will [Alaya-vijnana] is unsealed and reverses the control over the Demon King.

Therefore, the prophecy reads: I see cities, ravaged and desolate. I see Originium, scattered across the land. I see you, crowned with black, turning countless lives into memories. I see the Demon King, enslaving all races.

When true human civilization returns, the cities of Terra, now prostrate on the ground, will be crushed. The consciousness, knowledge, and data stored in Originium and the Black Crown will be released. The human will [Alaya-vijnana] embodied on the Black Crown will return to the throne. When humanity returns from the Age of Stars, the civilization of the upright little animals born on this colony planet Terra will naturally be unable to escape enslavement.

This is the greatest crisis for the Terran civilization.

P.S.: Doesn't it feel like your perspective has suddenly broadened?

I've been writing for a long time, and I've finally finished this part of the plot. You could say I wrote this book specifically to write this hypothetical storyline. I'm just making dumplings with this bit of vinegar!

I'm so happy! Regardless of whether I'll be betrayed in the future, at least for now, I'm happy!

Volume 1: Chapter 232 This is the real natural disaster crisis!

The Demon King crisis is also a human crisis.

Every gift of fate comes with a hidden price. As the nations of the land unearth the technology and products left behind by humanity, develop Originium and technology, and drive out the Demon King and Sarkaz, a scene of prosperity unfolds, but the greatest threat is also drawing ever closer to them.

It's hard to imagine what would happen if one day, a demon king, facing the brutal and bloody siege of the Sarkaz by various nations, finally succumbed to the burden and decided to abandon everything, liberate the Ten Commandments, and seek the most powerful force from the depths of the Blackcrown.

The [Existence of Civilization] has been unlocked, freeing the civilizations that existed within from their constraints. Originium, transforming the illusory into real energy, merges with the endless data. Within days, a revived, flourishing human civilization will once again stand atop Terra. At that time, humanity will easily regain control of the ocean's ecological restoration system, release the Ocean's lifeblood to rebuild the entire planet, and ultimately break through the isolation layer to return to the stars.

This is unimaginable technology. For the people listening to Roy's words right now, it is nothing short of a miracle, a true miracle!

Before such a miracle, the behemoth that claimed to be a god seemed so ridiculous, the emperor who claimed to have created great achievements and dynasties seemed so insignificant, and even the earth itself paled in comparison!

However, as if determined to make a shocking statement, Roy silently raised his fourth finger.

"The fourth crisis."

"There's a fourth one?"

This time, even Margaret, who could barely understand anything, couldn't help but shout out.

From the initial crisis of the Sealings to the crisis of the Demons, she understood almost nothing. Whether it was the underwater ecological modification cluster, the ethereal demons on the far north ice plains, or the Sea of ​​Solaria, these were not the truths she could currently access. She was like a cheerful, outgoing girl who had been dragged along to listen to a secret report, utterly bewildered and clueless about what the matter had to do with her.

But as the Demon King crisis and the human crisis began, she gradually became serious and tense.

She knew about the Sarkaz, and she knew they had always suffered discrimination and persecution. Although she hadn't personally experienced the siege of Kazdel by the allied forces, she could easily imagine the bloodshed from the accounts of the Queen, Roy, and Kal'tsit. As for the topic of the Sarkaz Demon Lord, the Black Crown, and the survival of human civilization, while she didn't fully understand it, she had already begun to grasp some of its implications.

Because this is something that is happening right next to her, something that is personally experienced!

She could ignore the ocean issues because she had no friends in Iberia, and she could be oblivious to the demons because the Infi Icefield was so far from Kazimir and constantly guarded by Yan, Ursus, and Sami. But it was impossible for her to be oblivious to the Sarkaz around her.

Her best friends, Shining and Nightingale, are Sarkaz. Shining is from a very special lineage of "Absolutioners" within the Sarkaz, and Nightingale has an even more special identity, being protected by Shining.

She knew that not all Sarkaz were bad people, nor were they all warmongers; there were also peace-loving and kind-hearted individuals. She also understood the depth of the prejudice and persecution they faced, and how much they longed to change that situation.

If that day ever comes, and the Sarkaz Demon King, whose whereabouts are currently unknown, can no longer bear the Sarkaz's plight and decides to fight to the death to unseal the Black Crown, then it will not only be Shining and Nightingale who will be injured, but also the Sarkaz on Rhodes Island, and everyone on this land.

What a terrible outcome that would be!

What's even more terrifying is that this could happen at any time. As long as the Sarkaz do not receive equal treatment, the risk of a crisis will increase day by day, depending only on the Demon King's tolerance!

This crisis was enough to send chills down the spine of anyone in Terra, but it was still not the last or the most serious crisis Terra faced.

There's a fourth one!

Margaret wasn't the only one who lost her composure; the Queen and the Elector were also surprised, and even Kal'tsit was unsure what Roy was going to say next.

What could be more terrifying than the return of human civilization and the enslavement of Terran civilization?

Wait, could it be that you're trying to say...?

"The fourth crisis comes from outer space."

"From a true natural disaster!"

The words Roy spoke with an unprecedentedly heavy tone caused everyone to involuntarily repeat them aloud once more.

"A true natural disaster?"

What is a true natural disaster?

On Terra, natural disasters manifest as earthquakes, tsunamis, meteorites, or sandstorms. Once they occur, they inevitably create extreme environments for a short period and leave behind large amounts of Originium in the affected areas after the disaster ends.

Now that the Empress understands the true nature of Originium, and can conclude that natural disasters are actually special phenomena caused by ripples in nature created by the Originium's energy gathering in the Solaris Sea and having nowhere to be released. So, what are the real natural disasters?

Several tense gazes fell on Roy, awaiting his answer. But Roy reached out and pressed down on the thin card on the table—the [Disaster Lab ID Card].