“Since your apology is sincere enough… I’ll give you one more chance.”
Liya yanked her skirt from Navarro’s grip.
She lifted her chin high, cast her gaze downward, and carefully examined the head that was a perfect replica of Yousitina.
‘As expected, a beautiful girl is much more pleasing to the eye than tentacles.’
She sighed inwardly.
Back then, she had gotten to know these two pathetic old farts through the smuggling business.
They needed a lot of Demon Realm materials for their magic experiments, and as the biggest smuggler of Demon Realm materials in the Empire Capital at the time, Liya had made plenty of money off these two seniors.
Later, she drifted apart from them mainly because they kept pestering her, insisting on inviting her to be a consultant for their new Dungeon, and wanted to establish some kind of “Brainwashing Department” and “Feminization Transformation Department” in the Demon King’s Castle.
Of course, Liya couldn’t agree!
For one thing, there was the budget issue.
As the profiteer who had made money off their experiments, Liya knew best how much their experiments cost!
For another… the Judicial Department, Civil Affairs Department, Defense Department, Education Department, Science and Technology Department… This just looked wrong.
But now that she needed something from them, seeing a Brainwashing Department and a Reform Department mixed in among those departments somehow didn’t seem so absurd anymore.
Still, Liya was prepared to agree to some outrageous requests.
“Speaking of which, how did you end up so broke that you’re even eating bread crusts?”
After playing the game of feigned indifference, they sat facing each other again.
Liya first asked a question that had genuinely piqued her curiosity.
When they had met before, although they were down on their luck, they hadn’t sunk this low.
As a Male Cocoon Demon, Yousitina was very popular among the local nobility—especially those who vaguely knew Yousitina’s true identity.
Just spend a few Gold Coins squeezed out of the Commoners, and you could have a powerful, proud Chosen Demon sleep with you.
What better deal or temptation could there be?
“Don’t even mention it.”
Navarro sighed.
“Actually, Demon King Liya, this matter has something to do with you.”
“Me?”
“Back when you opened the Succubus Shop in the Empire Capital, the entire industry Lady Yousitina was in took a huge hit. Even someone at the top like her saw her income plummet drastically. After paying off debts, there was hardly anything left.”
Navarro looked at Liya with reproach.
“Hoo~ Hoo hoo~”
Liya whistled, averting her gaze.
“But it’s okay,” Navarro continued.
“According to Lady Yousitina, business seems to be picking up lately. There are a lot more customers. Apparently, the new scripts at the Succubus Shop are terrible, and there have been several incidents of Succubi accidentally sucking people to death.”
“Even when I was there, I could barely keep the Succubi in line. Now that I’m gone, you can imagine what they’ve become. Just wait and see—the Succubus Shop won’t last long.”
Liya laughed out loud.
“Sounds like the ‘New Demon King Castle’ didn’t prepare tickets for the Succubi?”
Navarro stared at Liya curiously.
Liya gave a soft snort.
“To be precise, I didn’t prepare tickets for any race—neither Demonkind nor Humans.”
“Because you hate Humans and Demonkind?”
“No.”
Liya shook her head.
“It’s just that I’m tired. I don’t want to be the ungrateful captain anymore. Let things be as they will. Each to their own fate. It’s none of my business.”
“But if you’re not the captain, can one person’s strength alone satisfy your ambition?”
Navarro grew even more curious.
He still remembered Demon King Lia’s theory of “necessary organization.”
For many Great Demons, the little Demon whelps that sprouted up like weeds in the Demon Realm were nothing more than insignificant bugs.
Perhaps their greatest use was to provide some Demon Realm materials after death.
“As long as I, one Demon, am strong enough—strong enough to replace the power of God—why would I need to rely on the existence of an organization? Only weak ant-like beings like Humans need to huddle together for warmth!”
Most Chosen Demons thought that way.
But Demon King Lia had told him that this very way of thinking was the root cause of Human prosperity and Demonkind’s decline.
The role of an organization was to unite the strong, exploit the weak, and maximize the value of all its members.
It could build a prosperous White Jade Capital like the Empire Capital, which sucked the sweat and blood of the bottom class, or it could coalesce strength far beyond the individual to challenge higher-level enemies.
Thus, the existence of an organization was absolutely necessary.
Just as flesh and blood gather together to form a creature far more powerful and versatile than a single drop of blood or a piece of meat, countless individuals joining together could form a society far stronger and more useful than any individual.
If judged by “Life Level,” then inorganic matter was the starting point of life—Level Zero Life; flesh and blood, or cells, were Level One Life; Humans and Demonkind were Level Two Life; and an organization was the next stage of life’s evolution—Level Three Life!
“For Demonkind to win the Human-Demon War, they must evolve into Level Three Life!”
Demon King Lia had declared emphatically at the time.
Although, due to his personal lack of belonging to Demonkind, Navarro hadn’t joined Demon King Lia’s army, he had to admit that he had been impressed by those words back then.
“Instead of unifying the complex and chaotic hearts of people, I found a new ‘Path of Evolution.’ Maybe I can go further; maybe I’ll die halfway. Who knows? Anyway, I’ll give it a try first.”
After this reflection, Liya was silent for a long time, feeling melancholic for a while, before returning to her original purpose.
“I’ve gotten off track.”
She sat up straight.
“Let’s talk business. I can support you in establishing the Brainwashing Department, but I have one condition—you and Yousitina must follow my orders completely, including research; you must first submit an application report to me.”
Navarro spread his hands.
“Fine. But let me warn you in advance: we owe a huge debt to Flame Demon Emperor Lageluonasi. Strictly speaking, Lady Yousitina and I are now his slaves. If you take us in, you’ll definitely provoke him.”
“Hah, a mere Flame Demon dares to call himself an Emperor? No need to be scared! When it comes to fighting, I’m not afraid of anyone right now!”
Liya had been worried about getting into trouble, but upon hearing it was just a brute like a Flame Demon, her concerns vanished.
“Oh? Your combat power has recovered to its peak so quickly—even surpassed it?”
Navarro was astonished.
“No!”
Liya shook her head.
“But when it comes to fighting, I’m not afraid of anyone now!”
Navarro thought for a moment and then seriously warned:
“You’re not thinking of relying on the Hero, are you? You two seem to be on good terms now. But let me speak frankly: the Flame Demon Emperor is one of the oldest batch of Chosen Great Demons. He’s lived for at least seven hundred years, and his combat power is unfathomable.”
“The last time he made a move was four hundred years ago, when he personally drove a Hero into a corner. Now he’s been operating in the Empire Capital for nearly three hundred years, and he can even mobilize the Human military. You… better be careful.”
“Don’t worry about that.”
Liya brushed it off with a chuckle.
Anyone who hadn’t fought Joen wouldn’t understand that kind of pressure.
So she didn’t bother explaining more to Navarro.
She just schemed internally about how to guide the Hero into a confrontation with that Flame Demon Emperor, and then let the Hero punch him out cold.
But there was obviously something more important at hand.
“Minister Navarro.”
Liya activated the Joy Spell Seal, and an alluring pink pattern emerged on her lower abdomen.
“Prepare to take over your first task since assuming office.”
“Look, your boss—me—has somehow been cursed with two strange curses. This just happens to be the specialty of you and Yousitina.”
“Find a way to get rid of them for me, and the sooner, the better!”
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