Great, now we are dead!

All his desires for pleasure have been devoured by the demon, leaving him a complete walking corpse. Only his hatred for the demon remains, sustaining all his actions.

Everyone in the team could be tempted by the demon and betray them, but Mithren alone would not—

This is like how eunuchs can't get syphilis.

"Thank you for your assistance, Lord Island Master."

The female noble elf in charge of diplomacy in the group stepped forward and bowed specifically to thank Ye Shou.

Some of them also witnessed a strange, "invisible" magic interrupt the Labyrinth Master's hand and snatch the grimoire. Now it seems that the one who attacked the Labyrinth Master was this very human before them.

"Once the situation is resolved, we will definitely write back home and send someone to reward you."

"That tone is indeed as condescending as the rumors suggest... No need for all that trouble. As long as you can solve the maze and then leave cleanly and efficiently, we'll be even."

"Rest assured, although the Labyrinth Lord has escaped back, he is now seriously injured and has lost his magic book. We will be able to suppress him soon."

"They still have half a book left," Ye Shou shook his head, but he couldn't explain how he knew, so he turned and left.

"you……"

Just then, Mislen suddenly called out to Ye Shou.

"What did the demon say to you?"

"It's nothing."

Ye Shou glanced back and said, "I refused."

"……understood."

Mislen nodded without a doubt and then dropped the matter.

Ye Shou only truly relaxed after handing over the magic book. Cold sweat poured down his forehead as the suppressed emotions surged up, making him feel dizzy for a moment...

Chapter 78 What does it mean to have a family tradition of learning?

Itching, stinging, numbness—a mixture of various sensations caused Ye Shou to reveal a rather subtle expression.

He resisted the urge to scratch, manipulating his magic to heal the wound on his hand little by little. He watched as the long, narrow, charred mark slowly hardened, peeled off, and the flesh inside healed together, finally leaving a faint white mark.

"Healed! Healed!"

Marusir, watching from the sidelines, praised Ye Shou with delight: "You learn so fast! You can do this even outside the maze!"

"...It's not bad."

Ye Shou checked repeatedly, moved his left hand a few times, and nodded in satisfaction after confirming that there were no problems.

The healing magic in Delicious in Dungeon is quite powerful; it can repair almost any physical injury, even severed limbs or completely lost parts!

Resurrection magic does have a high barrier to entry, but healing magic can be used outside of the labyrinth as usual, although it consumes more magic power and is more difficult to use.

Even disregarding the explosive fire, water walking, feather fall, and defense skills he learned, this healing magic alone is worth the price of admission!

"Great!"

As Ye Shou's teacher, Marusir knew his progress better than anyone else.

"You've become so proficient in using magic in less than ten days! I remember you only started studying healing magic two days ago, right? That's fast!"

“It’s the teacher’s good teaching.”

"Hehe...don't joke around."

Marushir scratched her head sheepishly.

After Ye Shou healed his injuries, he stood up, beckoned everyone over, and recounted what had just happened to them.

Of course, the parts related to the winged lion were omitted; it was only said that he helped repel the berserk mage and reached an agreement with the [Canary] that he would leave automatically after the elves suppressed the labyrinth and would not interfere in other matters.

Mislen is a rather stubborn and simple-minded person. As long as it doesn't interfere with his fight against demons, he won't pay attention to any black magic. So even if [Canary] discovers Marusir's spellcasting traces, Ye Shou, as the island lord, can negotiate with her and keep the Leos team.

After hearing this, the Kabul team was somewhat confused. Ye Shou and the others spoke in a cryptic manner, and they could not understand the specific meaning behind it. However, the members of the Leos team immediately relaxed.

There was no way around it; the "reputation" of the Western elves was too great. As adventurers from the bottom of society, they simply couldn't imagine what the consequences would be if they went against the elven kingdom.

The dark-skinned young man, Kabul, seemed thoughtful: "So, we can just leave the rest to [Canary]?"

"The Lord of the Labyrinth was already weak, and this time he was seriously injured and fled. Even if he returns to the labyrinth, he will not be a match for [Canary]."

Moreover, the other half of the winged lion has already sensed the danger... If this mad magician is driven to a dead end and dares to unseal the winged lion, he will become a delicious meal for the winged lion!

Because in the foreseeable future, the Winged Lion will most likely be taken back to the Elven Kingdom to be sealed for a long time. As its last meal before falling into slumber, it will savor it very carefully, chewing up Hisl's desires thoroughly, and finally spitting out the dregs called the Waste Man—just like sugarcane.

Of course, these things cannot be told to Kabul.

"So... that's the end of it?"

Kabur felt a wave of disbelief wash over him: "Is the labyrinth of the Golden City going to disappear?"

"That depends on the efficiency of the [Canary], but it will eventually disappear."

"Without pointless sacrifices or unsolvable conflicts, just like that... a large maze was suppressed?"

Moreover, the elves would retreat after succeeding, leaving the island still in human hands and maintaining the balance of power among the various races... It's practically perfect!

"Actually, there are still many follow-up issues—"

"how did you do it?!"

Kabul stopped forcing a smile and his eyes genuinely sparkled: "I understand every step you've taken, but how did you even come up with this plan in the first place?"

"Probably because I have money," Ye Shou smiled but didn't say anything.

"May I follow you and cultivate myself?"

Kabur pleaded earnestly, "I want to know how to deal with the labyrinth, and how to help those who are in danger without realizing it!"

"of course can."

Ye Shou also responded very seriously, "But I won't stay here forever. You should be prepared to not be able to find me for a long time."

"no problem"

Kaboul smiled brightly.

At this moment, Leos walked over somewhat awkwardly. He was taller than most people, which attracted a lot of attention. As a result, he bowed to Ye Shou without saying a word.

"I'll say it again: Thank you so much!"

Leos bent down and bowed deeply, just like Kikuro.

"Without you, we wouldn't have been able to rescue Chalfa Lin, nor would we have been able to escape... cough, anyway, it's all thanks to you, Ye Shou. I have nothing to repay you with, so this is the only way I can express my gratitude!"

"Yes, I think so too!"

"Thanks to you, I'm finally spared from being captured by the elves and imprisoned."

"And the food they cook is also very delicious."

"You killing Junying has made me feel much better."

Chilchak and Sensi also surrounded him, patting his shoulders and waist, clearly regarding Ye Shou as the most trustworthy person.

Ding!

wow——

The sound of a large number of gold coins falling echoed in his mind, and Ye Shou's spirits immediately lifted. His eyes shone with an extraordinary confidence, which startled everyone.

[Destiny Coins (Leos, Marushir, Cabor, Hissl, Farin, Itzumi...)]

27!

……

The initial cycle for the instance was thirty days, but in less than fifteen days, Ye Shou had already achieved his ultimate goal, allowing him to live a carefree and leisurely life.

[Canary] began conquering the labyrinth. The berserk mage was powerless against them, but after all, the labyrinth served as a foundation, so he desperately created new monsters... Unfortunately, he was not a monster expert like Leos, and he neither knew nor cared about the ecology and habitat of monsters. He simply used his enormous magical power to forcibly induce their birth, so his efforts were inefficient.

This guy has the flair of a pay-to-win player, and tends to create "powerful monsters," such as fire dragons, golems, and Krakens.

However, if it were Leios, he would choose a more complex and flexible combination, using different racial talents to hinder the advance of the Canary.

For example, succubus mosquitoes, shapeshifters, tree spirits, mushroom rings... these monsters are far less "expensive" than dragons, but they can be surprisingly effective against humans and demi-humans, especially in dungeon environments where they can catch people off guard.

【Canary】 is the kind of organization that is powerful in combat but has a bunch of problem children inside. They are not afraid of you to fight head-on, so when the mad mage used a large monster to challenge them, he simply ran into their strengths and was crushed in every way.

As a result, they broke through the maze in less than seven days, forcefully broke into the deepest part, and imprisoned all of Hisl and Winged Lion's magic books!

It's worth mentioning that Hissl himself wasn't defeated by the Canary. By the time the elves found him, the Labyrinth Master had become a mindless zombie, unresponsive to the outside world, enveloped in a self-destructive despair...

The final battle will be against the revitalized monster mansion, not against the magician himself.

This is not unfamiliar to [Canary], because it is the end of all dungeon masters, just like Mislen did back then... The difference is that Hisl has no one to vouch for him, and he has no chance to join the special forces to redeem himself.

What awaits the dark-skinned elf is permanent imprisonment—which is actually unnecessary, since the labyrinth master often chooses suicide.

The winged lion, having had a "feast," was retrieved from the magic book, but this extradimensional creature had essentially transcended life and death, and mortals had no way to deal with it!

The so-called seal is more like a game—establishing and adhering to rules that are accepted by both demons and mortals.

For so many years, Western elves have been relentlessly pursuing and suppressing black magic and grimoires, but similar incidents continue to occur. Even their own core members, knowing that demons are problematic, still fall into depravity... It's clear that they are simply doing their best and accepting their fate.

The adventurers who had been lured out gradually returned to the island, only to discover to their horror that the lord had changed and the labyrinth was about to crumble, giving them a sense of utter upheaval.

They still don't know (or admit) that they've been tricked, after all, many people found treasure chests on the deserted island and made a fortune, so this expedition was very worthwhile for them.

But if the maze were gone, they would lose their direct source of income, and with the little treasure they had, they could not live a life of retirement. Naturally, the crowd was indignant.

—So they turned their attention to [the canary]!

The timing of these Western elves' arrival was far too perfect!

Everyone knows that you elves have designs on the labyrinth and have been trying to persuade the island lord to allow the elven army to enter, but you have failed because of the resistance from various forces.

Now, out of nowhere, a nouveau riche has appeared and inexplicably started a desert island adventure, drawing everyone else away. The island's owner, left with no other option, has to transfer the land deed.

And just then, you "canaries" arrived!

They moved in on a large scale within just a few days, and even captured the Lord of the Maze in one fell swoop!

Dare to say it's nothing? Dare to say it wasn't your spies who were behind this?

—The elves of this world are not some peaceful, reclusive race. On the contrary, they are very skilled in political struggle and extremely ruthless, no less so than those of the short-lived races of the kingdom.

Cold and cruel, that's how people perceive elves.

Of course, this also inevitably leads to some halflings stirring up trouble among the adventurers...

Having successfully manipulated public opinion and focused the criticism on [Canary], Ye Shou, the current island lord, quietly withdrew from the limelight.

However, as angry as the adventurers were, they would never dare to take action. Putting aside whether they could win, the idea of ​​gathering a rabble to attack the regular elven army just sounded unreliable!

Therefore, adventurers are destined to suffer this loss, and no matter how unwilling they are, they have to endure it...

At this moment, Ye Shou once again became the focus of attention, as he, as the island lord, was to negotiate with [Canary] to discuss the matter of "compensation".

And so, an interesting scene unfolded:

The elves believed that Ye Shou represented the adventurers and islanders. Because of the public outcry, they were in the wrong, so they were willing to offer some compensation, which could also be seen as a reward for Ye Shou's help.

The adventurers, on the other hand, felt that Ye Shou was the representative of the elves, backed by the elite [Canary], and possessed the title of "Island Lord," which was enough to make the adventurers lose in both legal and military terms... So they were much more timid during the negotiations and did not dare to confront Ye Shou head-on.

The elves, seeing that Ye Shou quickly appeased the adventurers, judged that he was very sincere;

Seeing that Ye Shou had the upper hand yet was still willing to offer compensation, the adventurers felt a great deal of goodwill towards him and seemed to have forgotten everything that had happened before.

—The situation on the island settled down in such a bizarre way, and Ye Shou's status as lord was confirmed in this way.

Kabur now treats Ye Shou like a god!

He had seen everything clearly these past few days, including Ye Shou's various actions, and he couldn't help but admire Ye Shou's grasp of people's hearts.

In fact, Ye Shou made the most of everything and didn't let Kabul sit idle at all.

He used Kabul's talent to find "hypocritical" and "easily swayed" individuals among representatives of various industries, bribing them with large sums of money or threatening them with the law (there are very few adventurers who haven't committed crimes), thus undermining the organizational power of adventurers and local residents from within.

Otherwise, how could a few hired halflings possibly guide public opinion?

To control the situation, don't try to deal with the adventurers as a whole, but rather focus on taking care of the "specific individuals"!

—This is the advantage of having a family tradition of learning, something Kabul can only envy.

What has Ye Shou been doing these days?

Aside from showcasing his traditional capitalist skills in another world, he spends the rest of his time as a diligent and studious magic apprentice, constantly pestering Marusir and Farin for advice.