A Psychiatrist's Bizarre Game Journey / Dream of the Mist

Before Zhou Ke'er could finish speaking, a roar suddenly came from behind. Luo Ye'er stood up abruptly, his eyes closed and his face contorted in a ferocious expression, as if he had returned from hell. He seemed not to have regained his senses and was only acting instinctively, shouting, "I will not allow you to lay a hand on her!"

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606. Return to the Central Continent

Zhou Ke'er stopped talking and subconsciously turned to look at Luo Ye'er, her eyes filled with surprise—why did this guy suddenly get up? So was she awake or not? Did she hear everything she just said?

If she heard this... well, she'd probably turn to the dark side and go insane.

However, judging from that single sentence she just blurted out, it seems she wasn't awake from the beginning...

Zhou Ke'er took a closer look and, sure enough, Luo Ye'er hadn't actually regained his senses at all; he had just suddenly stood up after being stimulated by something.

Zhou Ke'er turned to look at the Demon King, raising an eyebrow: "She'll be awake soon, right? Your technique isn't working."

The Demon King didn't care at all and casually replied, "It's just to put them into a chaotic illusion. If their will is strong enough, they can break free from the illusion... That's normal."

Zhou Ke'er glanced at the other demons who were still lying motionless on the ground: "Are they all weak-willed? They've been lurking in the Land of Exile for so long, after all."

"Some demons are indeed not strong-willed enough, while others... although they vaguely sense that they may be trapped in an illusion, they are unwilling to break free immediately—"

The Demon King remained seated on his throne, his tone unwavering: "Their years of perseverance in the Land of Exile certainly demonstrate their unwavering will, but it is only natural that they are prone to becoming immersed in happiness."

Zhou Ke'er stroked her chin. What this strange creature said made a lot of sense. It was truly bizarre; how could this world give rise to something so unlike any other kind of strange creature?

"Well, she's about to wake up, and my identity can't be revealed yet—so shouldn't we figure out a plan as soon as possible?"

Zhou Ke'er subtly changed the subject, glancing at Luo Ye'er whose face was still contorted with rage, before shrugging and asking the Demon King, "Let's make a decision. Are you going to directly step forward and form an alliance with me, or are we going to test the waters with this small group of demons first?"

The Demon King did not answer immediately, seemingly deep in thought, his fingertips lightly tapping on the armrest, producing a crisp sound.

After a long pause, he carefully replied, "I can't make a decision about the future of the Demon Realm right now. Forming an alliance with humans is indeed a very important matter."

"Now that you've brought these demons with you, it means you already have a plan for how to use them. So I won't disturb you any longer; you can take these demons back to the Central Continent. However, out of friendship, I will provide you with some assistance."

Zhou Ke'er secretly curled her lips. Most of the demons in this demon realm have already been corrupted by evil. For this Demon King, isn't it a matter of life and death? The demon realm can basically be called a one-man show. How can he say that he can't make a decision by himself? This old man is really cunning.

However, he only asked aloud, "Help? For example?"

With a flick of his finger, the Demon King sent a jet-black rune stone to Zhou Ke'er: "This is a teleportation stone that can bring you to my side instantly. It's a one-way, one-time use. If you encounter a dangerous situation like being surrounded and attacked by a group of your own kind and unable to hold on, you can use this to escape to me. I can protect you once. Secondly, if I make a decision, I will summon you here to inform you immediately."

Wow, summoning notifications...is this some kind of ticking time bomb? Having lived this long, they've probably lost all sense of shame by now.

Zhou Ke'er smiled with her eyes narrowed: "Then thank you very much—it seems our alliance is still unbreakable."

"Ha, the alliance... I'm already grateful enough that you don't come and cause trouble in my little corner of the world."

The Demon King's tone was slightly sarcastic, it was unclear whether he was being sarcastic or simply sighing, but he quickly changed the subject: "But... negotiating with me is easy, but how are you going to explain to these demons that I let you go?"

"No explanation is needed."

Zhou Ke'er blinked, glanced at Luo Ye'er who was struggling to regain consciousness, and snapped her fingers: "As long as they don't think this happened, that's fine."

As she spoke, Zhou Ke'er activated the [Eye of Aihot] she had obtained in the main world's secret realm, stripping all the unconscious demons of their five senses and trapping them in the maze she had created.

As Zhou Ke'er was dragged into the labyrinth with such a large number of demons, her sanity began to drop at an alarming rate.

At the moment Zhou Ke'er snapped her fingers, the Demon King felt that the evil entities he had attached to deep within the consciousness of those demons had instantly lost contact with him, causing him to be unable to continue manipulating the illusions.

The other party looked like a stray dog, but unexpectedly, he had such a level of skill. A hint of fear was revealed in the Demon King's eyes. It was for Zhou Ke'er, and also for those evil beings that Zhou Ke'er mentioned who "usurped his position" - if even evil beings of this level could be usurped and chased away to hide their identities, how strong must those evil beings be?

Zhou Ke'er glanced at the Demon King's expression and had a pretty good idea of ​​what was going on; this feigned intimidation was actually somewhat effective.

Before her sanity ran out, Zhou Ke'er quickly added some "plot" to the maze she had built. For example, the demon king they saw at the beginning was actually just an illusion, an automatic enemy-fighting mechanism set up in the camp. However, it was quickly seen through by Dio, who was with her.

After dispelling the illusion, the demons discovered that the remaining demons stationed in the camp were beginning to gather in their direction. Without much thought, they hastily formed ranks and launched a counterattack, making their arduous march towards the spatial rift. Fortunately, the demons in the camp had also acted hastily, and they managed to reach the spatial rift without serious injury.

Oh right, it would be too fake to kill a few demons along the way, so Zhou Ke'er has to personally take down a few to make it look like a real fight.

Thus, under Zhou Ke'er's control of her five senses, these demons all rushed towards the spatial rift.

Zhou Ke'er winked at the Demon King: "How about that? No need for explanation now."

On the surface, she appeared calm and collected, but inside she was panicking terribly—the energy drain was so high that her sanity was almost at zero. Although low sanity didn't really affect Zhou Ke'er much at the moment, she just couldn't let it reach zero. Low sanity only inflicted a debuff, which didn't work on her, but reaching zero sanity could force her to quit the game—and being unable to quit meant she might just die instantly.

The Demon King narrowed his eyes and did not answer. The next second, he vanished into thin air.

Zhou Ke'er couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief—she hadn't expected the trip, which was supposed to last almost half a month, to end in just two or three days. Although she hadn't achieved her original goal, it was still a pleasant surprise.

Central China, return!

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607. What is a master of deception?

The Loyal forces successfully passed through the spatial rift and arrived at the camp of the Demon King's army in the Central Continent.

Zhou Ke'er also released her five senses control the moment she traversed the space. Although there was a sense of disconnection and unreality when she left the maze illusion constructed by Zhou Ke'er, the demons did not notice this small abnormality due to the influence of traversing the space.

Although it was still early, demon soldiers were already patrolling and guarding the Demon King's camp, and most of the soldiers had already woken up and were preparing to start a new day.

The sudden appearance of another demon army from the spatial rift without warning surprised and puzzled them—they hadn't heard of any reinforcements being sent during this time.

Several demon soldiers immediately ran towards the main tent upon seeing this, presumably to report the situation. The guards who had been stationed at the spatial rift also stepped forward and cautiously asked, "What orders have you received...?"

Before he could finish his question, another guard slapped him on the forehead and interrupted him: "Are you crazy! Do you know what you're asking? Ah! I'm very sorry, sirs, a demon has already gone to report the situation. We have no intention of neglecting you, but please wait here for a moment. The general will be back to receive you shortly."

This greeting was indeed not in accordance with etiquette, but after all, greeting was not something they were supposed to do.

Zhou Ke'er narrowed her eyes slightly. The guards watching over the spatial rift should have changed shifts by now. She didn't even see those few who had thrown her into exile before... tsk.

I was originally planning to take revenge, thinking that it's never too late.

Loyer was prepared to fight as soon as he emerged from the spatial rift, but to his surprise, no one noticed anything amiss.

Zhou Ke'er leaned close to Luo Ye'er's ear and said, "I sensed that none of these demons have that evil energy. The transformation of demons in the Demon Realm should have only started recently, so the demons stationed in the Central Continent have not been affected—meaning we can recruit these demons. If we can successfully recruit them, we can control one side of the spatial rift, which will be very advantageous for us."

Loyer's ear tips tickled slightly from Zhou Ke'er's breath as she spoke, and a blush crept onto his face. However, he forced himself to focus on the important matter at hand: "So how should we recruit them? Given my status... it seems unlikely that many demons under the Demon King's army would be willing to join us. They all think we are nothing more than traitors."

"There's no need to waste words recruiting ordinary soldiers. As long as you control the commander and his generals, the rest of the soldiers will fall into your hands as well."

Zhou Ke'er continued in a low voice, "Let me go see the general of the Demon King's army first and discuss it with him."

"You're going alone? That's too dangerous!"

“You’re still here with your troops, so if he doesn’t want chaos in the Demon King’s camp, he won’t dare to attack me.”

As they were talking, a demon finally came with a message, inviting Loyer and the other demons to the main tent for a meeting. Zhou Ke'er then instructed Loyer to lead his troops to wait not far from the main tent, ready to take action immediately if anything went wrong, while he would go to negotiate as Loyer's representative.

This decision displeased Oz and some higher-ranking demons for quite some time, but since Loyer was determined to do it, they couldn't stop him.

Upon entering the main tent, before even having a chance to check the situation inside, Zhou Ke'er immediately released her eerie senses and knew that this was a sure thing.

He knew that the Demon King wouldn't feel comfortable letting an entire uncontrolled Demon Army be stationed in the Central Continent. Although the other demon soldiers hadn't had time to be corrupted by evil, the generals in command must all be infected with evil.

Before the other party could even ask about the situation, Zhou Ke'er preemptively launched into a show of force, unleashing a terrifying amount of malevolent energy to suppress them while coldly declaring, "I am a special envoy sent by His Majesty the Demon King, entrusted with an important secret mission. I hope you will obey our orders and provide us with the greatest possible assistance during this period. Otherwise, if the mission fails and His Majesty the Demon King holds you accountable, you will not escape responsibility!"

The demon commanders sitting in the main seats stared wide-eyed, their faces frozen in place—they had indeed felt an immense, malevolent pressure, and that was absolutely true.

There was no need to verify the authenticity of Zhou Ke'er's identity, nor did they dare to...

In their minds, this kind of energy could only be bestowed by His Majesty the Demon King, so they naturally did not doubt that Zhou Ke'er's identity might be fake. In addition, the evil energy emanating from Zhou Ke'er was so terrifying that she must have a very high status in front of the Demon King. How could they dare to offend her? They immediately nodded in agreement.

"The troops waiting outside now are led by Princess Loyer, the daughter of the former Demon King."

Zhou Ke'er continued without any attempt to conceal her intentions. The demon commanders' expressions changed upon hearing this, as if they wanted to ask something. However, Zhou Ke'er added, "But all you need to know is that they are merely traitors on the surface. The former Demon King's rebellion was just part of His Majesty the Demon King's plan. One of the missions I was sent on this mission was to represent Prince Loyer's forces and forge an alliance with the human coalition. You may not understand His Majesty the Demon King's profound intentions, but you don't need to—just obey. Understand?!"

The demon commanders either looked surprised and puzzled, or seemed to have just realized something, their eyes filled with "Is that so?" But they all nodded hurriedly in agreement.

Zhou Ke'er didn't linger there for long. After informing the demon commanders of some other miscellaneous precautions, she leisurely left the main tent.

Watching Zhou Ke'er's departing figure, the demon commanders couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. Although they couldn't sense Zhou Ke'er's strength, the pressure from the evil spirits in terms of rank was too great, and they couldn't muster any will to resist.

As soon as Zhou Ke'er stepped out of the curtain, she saw Luo Ye'er's worried eyes. While Zhou Ke'er was inside the curtain, Luo Ye'er hadn't taken his eyes off her for a moment.

Zhou Ke'er put on a smile and quickly stepped forward, "It's all settled. Now all we have to do is reach an alliance agreement with the human coalition, and everything will be fine."

The other demons were somewhat surprised upon hearing this, not expecting Zhou Ke'er to actually reach an agreement so quickly. They wondered how she had managed it. Even Dio found it a bit unbelievable—but she never liked to think about such inexplicable things, so she didn't pay much attention to it.

But Luo Ye'er didn't seem surprised at all, as if she was certain Zhou Ke'er would succeed. However, after hearing Zhou Ke'er's words, her eyebrows lowered slightly, as if she was thinking of something sad.

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608. Long time no see

Not far from the Demon King's army camp, in the outskirts, after Zhou Ke'er activated the magic crystal that Swold had given him and sent out the signal, Loyer lowered his eyes and said softly, "After this is over, will we still have a chance to meet again?"

Zhou Ke'er was taken aback for a moment, then smiled and said, "Of course! You can come see me whenever you want—why would you ask that?"

"But after the alliance is formed, you'll stay with the human alliance, while I'll have to stay here..."

Luo Yeer's eyes lit up slightly after hearing Zhou Ke'er's words, but he quickly shook his head again.

"What's wrong with that? Now that we're allied, isn't it normal for us to visit each other from time to time? Besides..."

Zhou Ke'er glanced at Luo Ye'er, lowered her voice, and muttered in a low voice just loud enough for Luo Ye'er to hear, "Anyway, you're not of any use here... If you have nothing to do, you might as well come to me, or just stay here with me."

This is a lie!

Zhou Ke'er said it casually, making it seem as if she didn't want to separate from Luo Ye'er.

But the reality is... Luo Ye'er is no longer of any use to him for the time being. Rather than keeping her with him, Zhou Ke'er prefers to put her aside and give her a break for a while.

After all, Zhou Ke'er plans to continue her persuasion efforts in other places... no, I mean, to continue lobbying and forming alliances with various tribes. Taking her along... would indeed be a bit troublesome.

Luo Yeer pursed his lips, looked at Zhou Ke'er, and said nothing more.

After transmitting the signal through the magic crystal, the hero Swold quickly received it—but only a short time had passed since Zhou Ke'er left, barely enough time to reach the Demon King's castle after entering the spatial rift. How could she be back now? Could it be that she encountered some trouble and had to flee back?

With these doubts in mind, Sward cautiously led a small squad of about ten personal guards to secretly and swiftly arrive at the location.

Fearing that Zhou Ke'er might have already met her demise if he arrived late, he deliberately sped up the journey. What would normally take half a day, he and his personal guards managed to reach their destination in less than two hours.

Well, Sward is a guy who's cold on the outside but warm on the inside.

When they arrived, they found that Zhou Ke'er was not only unharmed, but was also chatting and laughing with a group of demons. If Zhou Ke'er hadn't greeted them with a smile instead of coldly pointing at them and ordering an attack, Sward would have almost thought that Zhou Ke'er had betrayed them.

Even if Zhou Ke'er betrayed him, Sward was confident that he could escape unscathed.

Sward stepped forward, still maintaining an indifferent expression: "Miss Memoride, please explain a little—otherwise I might have some unpleasant suspicions."

Zhou Ke'er looked puzzled, blinked, and said, "Isn't it obvious, Hero? They've all come to form an alliance with us. But the situation in the Demon Realm is a bit complicated right now. I'll explain it to you in detail when we get back to the camp."

Swold glanced at the Loyal troops beside Zhou Ke'er and frowned slightly—he didn't know if these were demons representing the demons to sign the agreement, or if Zhou Ke'er had persuaded them to bring in just this many demons—it wasn't that he underestimated them, but these demons were... a bit weak and few in number. They were more like vassals to be incorporated into a force, but as allies... they weren't quite qualified.

Zhou Ke'er glanced at Swold's expression and knew what he was thinking—as for why she could understand his expressionless face, it was probably thanks to her daily interactions with Red Crane—so she continued, "In short, the situation in the Demon Realm is somewhat special right now, but... the Demon King's army stationed in the Central Continent has temporarily reached an agreement with us and agreed to form an alliance. So there's no need to worry about being attacked by demons in the near future."

Sward glanced at Zhou Ke'er, knowing that this was not the right time for a long discussion, so he nodded and gestured for Zhou Ke'er to take the demons back to the human alliance camp with him.