Brain bloom

"Um...should we have Fufu go and take a look?"

“But I don’t know where Sister Morishi is…” The salt sprite emerged from Yuan’s hair, as if refusing this chore.

"Well... in the crowd, the one with the leaves on her head is her. The green color should make her stand out." Yuan tried to offer her opinion, but she also realized that the Four Seasons People usually wear hats, so they might not be so easy to find.

Dandelion shook her head, sat back down in her chair, and started eating her breakfast bun, while glancing at everyone crossing the street... but none of them were her.

"devil."

"Hmm?" Yuan responded subconsciously.

"I'm making a deal with you: you bring Sen Shi back to me... What's the price?"

"No, no... Princess, I am human. Do you need me to summon a demon for you?"

As she spoke, she produced a bent copper coin stained with blood and dirt from somewhere—the very talisman for finding the devil, useful at any time. Like Fufu, she also wanted to refuse this awful, thankless task.

But when she took out the coin, she was serious... She wanted to see Sen and hear if she would deal with Hodge.

Just then—a commotion came from outside the window.

A troop of armored soldiers were running forward, their heavy steps perfectly synchronized and their rhythm tight. Interspersed throughout were the crisp sounds of weapons clashing against armor. This was clearly a secular army from the Kingdom of the Holy Coffin, well-trained and of good birth.

But the people nearby were puzzled, wondering why the most elite garrison of Silver Ring City had been mobilized.

Some people are happy about this, and their hair leaves even stand on end.

"It seems that Sen Shi is back!" Dandelion said with certainty and a smug look on her face. "He must have sold the goods for a high price and then the army escorted him back."

“But…she’s not inside.” Yuan was by the window, looking at the hurried garrison, but didn’t see anyone with leaves on their head.

"Tsk..." Dandelion was annoyed. "Then... what are these people doing there? Going out to sea to fish?"

I hope you're curious about that too.

So, before the army had gone far, she took out her last gold coin and cast a small spell on it. This was a price-based magic, an ancient magic system passed down only among demons. It would use the power of the ancient demon king to conduct unilateral forced transactions.

But because the cost was always too high, this magic was relegated to the dusty archives of history.

Now is the perfect time.

The gold coin was tossed into the air and disappeared. In its place, passages of text appeared before her eyes.

"What did you do?" Dandelion was very curious; the magical structure just now was very special.

"Knowledge was purchased with gold coins."

"Ah... you can do that?"

"Yes, by paying a hundred times the due price, plus enough mental strength, a one-sided forced transaction can be reached. However, only the oldest devils—and of course, me now—can do this."

She nodded smugly, showed off this little magic trick that was usually useless, and then changed the subject.

"—It's the Mist of Calamity."

"As expected?"

"Yes, I used gold coins as payment and put them into the pocket of the team's commander. The deal was done, and I concluded from his memories that he was going to fight against the Evil Mist, which doesn't seem to be a secret."

At this point, Yuan ran to the front desk and asked the freckled girl who was greeting customers for some bread for breakfast before running back to eat while continuing to discuss business with Dandelion.

"The primordial evil is indeed about to be awakened. There should be quite a few powerful ominous mists of a different level than usual, intending to deal with your human world. They've come to collect nutrients and souls, and have probably spread here as well..."

Dandelion understood that since this calamity was impending, the arrival of the ominous mist was inevitable. She hadn't expected it to be so fast. However, she was only slightly startled by the speed of the attack and didn't take it too seriously.

More importantly, she probably figured out another "why".

This is probably what prevented Moritoki from returning to travel with her. Moritoki is the true god in this religious culture, so it's understandable that he would protect everything in a time of crisis... As a seasonal being, Moritoki still couldn't stand aside and observe the human world.

Even though the world is ravaged by the ominous fog, it's still quite a fascinating landscape...

“The primordial evil doesn’t need much nourishment, probably…” Yuan counted on his fingers before continuing, “It would probably take away a few thousand souls to allow the evil god Hodge to begin the ritual.”

"Then why choose this place? The Holy Coffin Kingdom is powerful; the Evil Mist probably can't take away any souls. Why not choose a smaller country or something..."

"I don't know either, it's too complicated," Yuan said innocently.

"...So what's the point of your analysis?"

“What I mean is, the evil god’s ritual is probably about to begin soon... Looks like there’s no time to wander around.”

She gazed out the window, her eyes seemingly fixed on a distant place. Although she continued eating her bread as if nothing was amiss, her attention had clearly been diverted to something else.

Seeing this, Dandelion asked earnestly, "Are you planning to take matters into your own hands and deal with Hodge yourself?"

"If necessary... but it seems I'm not the only one who dislikes Hodge, I'll have to ask around."

"Um……"

Dandelion wasn't surprised; she'd had this inclination for a while now... Indeed, now that the gears of things were already meshing, she should set off too, or it would be too late.

After some hesitation, Dandelion still couldn't decide what to say to stop her.

Volume 1 #307: Secret Talks in the Realm of Demons (Part 1)

And so—the journey begins.

Perhaps, at the end of this road, she would have to face a troublesome battle herself, or remain an observer as always. In any case, she didn't particularly like that evil god who ruled the sea—

Before leaving the pastry shop where she was staying, she made sure to pack her luggage.

Although the so-called luggage consisted of the Casablanca flowers I received yesterday, the owl glass craft I bought last night, and Fufu.

Are you getting enough salt?

"Ah."

"Then come with me back to the Demon Realm, otherwise you'll start complaining about being hungry again and make me open a door to the sea for you."

Fu Fu gleamed faintly in her hand. Although she saw the free food stalls again, she wasn't hungry now, so she could save Fu Fu some trouble. The city remained the same, prosperous and peaceful, as people still didn't know what was coming.

I hope it can be like this next time I come.

With this thought in mind, Yuan took his next step and left the streets and the city.

He returned to his hometown.

First, we need to greet the ancient Demon King.

The atmosphere in the demon realm was strange, as if something had happened, or something was currently unfolding. Curious, Yuan descended from the heights to the market, intending to inquire about what had transpired while she was away from home, since this was where demons gathered.

This place was no longer as deserted as before; in addition to the local residents of the Demon Realm, there were now thousands of outsiders.

A rare occurrence.

Humans, demi-humans, various races with demonic bloodlines, mechanical dolls, many domesticated, intelligent monsters, and even dragons—this large influx of outsiders, all residents of the human world, now appeared solemn and ready to depart.

Although the group of a thousand people could not be described as a grand procession, almost none of them were weaklings.

Its overall imposing presence made even the surrounding demons nervous.

"A person from the Chaos Land? This is... oh."

I was filled with curiosity, but I immediately realized that they were probably here to use the portal to the Demon Realm. Faced with the awakening of primordial evil, the human world was also gathering its strength. Although the cost was high, using the portal to the Demon Realm was indeed the fastest way.

But among these people, the little Melia she knew was not there...

Without lingering, they continued deeper into the realm of demons.

On the desolate red earth, the inextinguishable flames of calamity adorned the branches of a few withered black trees like lanterns. The skeletons of crows, pierced by branches, bore marks left from countless millennia ago.

This is the familiar road home.

The enormous stone cave where the ancient Demon King resided was right before me, and a strong sense of familiarity welled up in my heart... Yes, I'm home.

But unlike usual, the strange monsters that used to hunt nearby were gone. Perhaps it was because the Ancient Demon King had recently become less lazy and was venturing out more often? She entered the stone cave, lighting the soul fires on the walls for illumination. Deep within, on her throne, the Ancient Demon King was not asleep.

It's quite lively today; we have two guests.

One of them was an old man whom Yuan was also familiar with, an ancient hero known as the "period of mythology." Because of an ancient and strange relationship with the ancient Demon King, as well as a long and mysterious deal, he simply came here to live in seclusion.

The other was Melia, who had her arms crossed and a serious expression.

I don't know what they were talking about.

The lazy, sleepy owl stood proudly on its throne, with the pillow that Yuan had bought for it some time ago as a cushion.

Gu Yingxiong remained silent, smoking a rough hand-rolled cigarette. The conversation seemed to be of great importance, as his expression was more serious than usual.

Yuan's footsteps attracted the attention of the three people—

Upon seeing Yuan Lai, Gu Yingxiong immediately extinguished the cigarette he had just lit, casually summoned a gentle breeze to purify the air, and adopted a kind and approachable demeanor. He had watched Yuan grow up, and like everyone else in the Demon Realm, he cherished this girl who had little time left to live.

“…Yes!” Upon seeing her close friend, Melia immediately greeted her.

"I'm sorry... I disturbed you." Yuan gently touched her hair to express her apology.

“It’s alright. Although it’s a serious matter, it’s not something to be ashamed of,” Gu Yingxiong said. “Your father just mentioned you.”

"He's definitely muttering to himself..."

"Wish! You finally decided to come home? How did you spend your nights? You weren't fooled by those sweet-talking humans, were you? A lot of human food is poisonous, are you alright? Where did you go during this time? Did you have any fun activities? Tell me about it. Also, did you go and pity humans again? Don't forget about equal trade! Oh, right, there was a problem at the market, but your little cabin is still there... Did the Four Seasons people bully you?"

The ancient demon king chattered incessantly, while flapping his wings with great spirit. His ever-opening beak held at least ten thousand words that could be used to care for his daughter.

Not knowing which question to answer first, it simply covered its ears. Fortunately, the ancient hero patted its throne, thus interrupting it.

“Oh…excuse me.” The Ancient Demon King lowered his head, seemingly a little embarrassed, and immediately changed the subject, “Won, why don’t you join us? We’re discussing something very important.”

What should we talk about?

"Of course, it's about how to deal with Hodge."

Melia was affectionate, placing her hands on Yuan's shoulders and gently pushing her to sit down next to her.

This world-shaking news came from the Time Spirits. Master Owl, B, and Dandelion, who were all gathered in an ordinary pastry shop, heard the prophecy made by Shan.

This seems to be the current topic of discussion.

"Did the Time Spirit make an accurate prophecy? When will the Primal Evil be awakened?" the Ancient Demon King asked.

"No."

Melia denied it, saying she had heard the whole story from B and added some details—

"It's said that... it's shrouded in a black mist, and the exact time is unclear, but it could happen soon, within three days, or even two. Therefore, I've gathered the strength of our nation and borrowed resources from the Demon Realm..."