A few days later.
Under the high dome of the Winter Spring Valley Council, seven figures sat around a circular table.
Mage Andrew looked at the various documents in his hand with a serious expression.
"Steward Andrew, the coalition forces formed by religious factions such as the Order Church, the Light God Sect, and the Life Council have surrounded the demon-occupied Mithril City and are planning a second major assault. They are requesting that we send more mages for support."
"However, the demons occupying Mithril City this time are extremely powerful, unlike any ordinary demon army, and there are traces of the Abyss Society among them. I feel this was a long-planned attack."
"Still, after several days of investigation, we have gathered a significant amount of information about these demons."
As Andrew listened to the report, his gaze fell on the magical image in the document.
It was a picture of the Demon Lord taken on the night Mithril City was attacked.
"But unfortunately, Steward Andrew, after extensive cross-referencing, we found no historical records of this Demon Lord. He doesn’t seem to be one of the Ten Great Kings of the Abyss either…"
Andrew fell into deep thought.
After a long while, he pondered, "What if it’s the First Demon Lord of the Abyss? Do you think that’s possible?"
As soon as these words were spoken, the expressions of all the stewards changed slightly.
The First Demon Lord of the Abyss?
They had naturally heard of this terrifying entity that existed only in legends.
It was said that thousands of years ago, a powerful demon suddenly appeared in a certain plane of the Abyss. With unmatched strength, he slaughtered his way through thousands of Abyssal planes.
Half of the Ten Great Kings were killed by him, and in the end, he even slew the then First Demon Lord, gaining the recognition of the Abyssal Will and taking his place.
But after suddenly emerging and rising to power thousands of years ago, this terrifying being had been lying dormant in the deepest parts of the Abyss, and no one had seen him emerge since.
Thus, in the rumors of the main world, he had always remained a mysterious existence.
"That is indeed a possibility…"
The Second Steward pondered, "The Abyss Society, this heretical organization, worships the First Demon Lord of the Abyss. Their active involvement this time must have a reason."
"But…" another steward frowned, "Don’t you think this is absurd? He’s the First Demon Lord! A being capable of rivaling gods and bringing about destruction. Is a small Order Church really worth his personal intervention?"
Andrew’s expression remained serious.
He gently tapped the table, deep in thought.
"Indeed, but let’s make a hypothesis. If he really is the First Demon Lord and has already descended to the Violet Continent, where would he be now?"
*Clatter—*
A few bits of gravel fell from the dome above.
On a high ladder, Lynn, wearing a mask and holding a shovel and bricks, called down,
"Steward Andrew, could you move aside? I’m going to patch up that hole above you. Be careful of falling debris!"
Andrew smiled and looked up at Lynn on the ladder, saying warmly,
"It’s alright, child. We won’t get hit. Remember to come down for a cup of tea after you’re done. Be careful!"
The other stewards also showed kind expressions.
What a diligent and simple young man.
If it weren’t for his lack of talent, they would have loved to take him from Nanako and mentor him themselves!
Then, their stern gazes fell on Nanako, who was curled up in her chair, hiding her face under the wide brim of her mage’s hat.
Though she was well-covered, the redness on her cheeks was still visible.
It wasn’t a blush of shyness.
But one of shame.
"Nanako, so you *do* feel ashamed!" Andrew scolded mercilessly,
"How many times have I told you! Look forward when you’re flying, look forward, look forward! Why do you never listen? Do you know how many mage towers you’ve crashed into this month?"
Nanako hung her head in shame, her face red as she muttered, "I’m sorry, Grandpa Andrew."
Andrew continued, "Do you think a simple apology will fix this? If it weren’t for your hardworking and capable disciple cleaning up your messes, I’d have your salary docked until the year 2021!"
Nanako buried her face even deeper in her hat, utterly mortified.
After reprimanding Nanako, Andrew placed his hands on the table and said solemnly,
"Let’s return to the previous topic. Based on your experience, where do you think the First Demon Lord of the Abyss would be?"
The stewards pondered.
One of them frowned and said, "A being as destructive as the First Demon Lord wouldn’t be in an ordinary place. In my opinion, he’s likely in the Forbidden Hell to the northwest. That place is always filled with immense shadow energy. For a powerful being like the First Demon Lord, it would be an ideal location!"
**[Indeed, indeed, it’s a great place. I often go there for vacations.]**
Another steward shook his head and said gravely,
"No, if he really is the First Demon Lord, he’s probably hiding in the headquarters of the Abyss Society. He might even be secretly planning his next attack, perhaps on the Life Council or the Light God Sect."
**[True… that should be added to the schedule. And it’s about time I checked on my maidens. Their path has been a bit off lately…]**
Andrew, however, pondered and said slowly,
"No, if he really is the First Demon Lord, do you think he’d need to scheme? He can kill the avatars of gods. Who on this continent could possibly stand against him?!"
He narrowed his eyes and said, "I can only guess that his descent has a deeper meaning. Perhaps he’s planning something that could overturn the entire continent, or maybe he’s extracting the world’s essence from the planet’s core!"
**[Hmm… I’ll just finish patching this wall first…]**
As the stewards debated fervently, Nanako had practically buried her head in the table.
She really wanted to say,
No! You’re all wrong!
The Demon Lord you’re talking about is the one patching the hole in the wall right now!
Nanako’s expression was utterly awkward.
"But no matter what," one steward said with narrowed eyes, "we must take this seriously. The Order Church has already been attacked. It’s very possible that we’re next!"
"Impossible," Nanako blurted out, her eyes wide.
Instantly, all eyes turned to her.
Nanako’s face turned red as she lowered her head and stammered, "Well… we’re all good people in Winter Spring Valley. Surely we wouldn’t be attacked… um… er…"
Andrew took a deep breath and said with a complex expression, "Nanako, you need to understand something. Demons are evil creatures. They don’t distinguish between good and evil. All they know is destruction, slaughter, and chaos!"
**[Agreed, this blue-haired loli is too naive!]**
"Especially a Demon Lord like the First Demon Lord. He’s chaos incarnate, probably the type to casually devour children."
**[Bullshit!]**
"If he really comes, Nanako, not only will Winter Spring Valley be destroyed, but your mage tower, your disciple, and even you yourself will face calamity!"
**[Nonsense! My loli master’s antics are already enough to drive me crazy. Why would I bring more trouble upon myself? Do you know how long it takes me to patch a wall?!]**
Nanako glanced nervously at Lynn, who was standing on the ladder, casually juggling a few bricks.
"I… I understand, Grandpa Andrew. Um… can we change the topic?"
She was really worried her disciple might accidentally drop a brick and kill Grandpa Andrew.
Cheng's father told him he was getting remarried—to a wealthy woman. Cao Cheng realized his time had finally come: he was about to become a second-generation rich kid. Sure, it might be a watered-down version, but hey, at least he'd have status now, right? The wealthy woman also had four daughters!! Which meant, starting today, Cao Cheng gained four stunning older sisters?? But that wasn't even the whole story... "My name is Cao Cheng—'Cheng' as in 'honest, smooth-talking gentleman'!"
] This is a dark fantasy-themed dating simulation game. The main gameplay involves containing various monster girls and investigating the truth of a world shrouded in mist alongside your companions. However, due to his love for the dark and bizarre atmosphere, Luo Wei ended up turning a dating game into a detective mystery game. Women? Women only slow down his quickdraw! To Luo Wei, the female leads in the game are more like tools to perfectly clear levels and squeeze out rewards. For Luo Wei, flirting with every girl he meets and then discarding them is standard procedure. Worried about characters losing affection points? No need. With his maxed-out charm stat, Luo Wei is practically a "human incubus." A little psychological manipulation and those points come right back. It's a bit scummy, but the paper cutout heroines in the game won't actually come at him with real cleavers. However... Luo Wei has transmigrated. He's accidentally entered the second playthrough of this game. His past actions have caused all the girls to transform into terrifying yanderes. Due to the game's setting, most of the heroines he once contained are "troubled girls." Obsessive, twisted, mentally unstable, all aggressive yanderes... The type who will kill you if they can't have you... Luo Wei wants to cry but has no tears left. "I really just want to survive..." In short, this is a story of battling wits and engaging in a love-hate relationship with yanderes.
lities. One day, Qi Yuan was buying groceries when he unfortunately came face-to-face with a monster. Just when he thought he was going to die on the spot, he suddenly heard the monster's thoughts... "This aura, he's definitely not an ordinary master!" "So terrifying, so terrifying." "A fight with my back against the wall, I can't take it anymore." Qi Yuan: Ah, no one told me that my awakened ability isn't telepathy, but rather the stronger my enemies imagine me to be, the stronger I truly become. PS: Zhou Hai in the first chapter is not the protagonist.
is also known as: "Sword Flying Under the Desk: My School Life" "Balancing Cultivation and STEM Homework" "The System That Taught Me to Take College Entrance Exams While Surviving Heavenly Tribulations" Good news: I got reincarnated. Even better news: I got reincarnated with a system. So, should I chase wealth? Or pursue immortality? Maybe become a superhero for the motherland? But with regrets weighing on this second life, I’d rather fix what I missed before. System: "Host, the cultivation world is full of dangers. You must form your Golden Core immediately!" Lin Mo glanced at the truck he’d just stopped with one hand. "At my level, it’s not like I’ll piss off ‘Little Boy’ or ‘Fat Man,’ right? Whatever—I still have two math problems left. Go play by yourself." System: "How can you still focus on homework at a time like this?! Host! Don’t throw your life away!" Lin Mo stayed silent, burying himself deeper into his workbook.
