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.
【Prologue: The Beginning of It All – Use holy water to heal the saintess tainted by demonic energy, then converse with her.】 Shen Nian stared at his older sister sipping yogurt, lost in thought. So you’re telling me my sister is the saintess, and yogurt is the holy water? 【Main Quest 1: Brave Youth, Become an Adventurer! Reward: Rookie Adventurer Title.】 【Side Quest 1: Find the Adorable Kitty! Reward: 1000 Gold Coins.】 Shen Nian: "Wait, I’m a high school senior here—did some guy who got isekai’d accidentally bind his system to me?" Hold on, completing quests gives gold rewards? Titles even boost stats? Is this for real? (A lighthearted, absurd campus comedy—not a revenge power fantasy.)
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'!"
orn and Humiliation】【Forced Love】 In his past life, Lin Ran was betrayed and murdered by his girlfriend and family, while the yandere female aristocrat, who had treated him as a mere plaything, avenged him by doing in his enemies. Upon seeing the yandere female aristocrat lying in the same coffin, ready to die with him, Lin Ran realized how profoundly mistaken he had been. Reborn, he abandoned the fickle campus beauty and wholeheartedly embraced the yandere female aristocrat's arms. "Ran! If I dig out your eyes and turn them into a specimen, you'll only be able to look at me!" Lin Ran: "Darling, kiss me!" "Ran! If I break your legs, you won't run away anymore, right?" Lin Ran: "Love, hold me tight!" "Ran! If..." Lin Ran: "Hush now! Love me more!" Luo Yao: ... Seeing his scumbag dad: "Take him out!" Seeing his stepmother: "Get rid of her!" Seeing his brother: "Eliminate him!" Seeing his white moonlight: "Send that to Southeast Asia!"
Explosive Plot Song Gua crossed over into another world, bringing along a whole crew of his doppelgangers—all of them mischief-makers. This was a world where everyone could choose a class. Song Gua became a "Bondweaver," capable of borrowing power, while his doppelgangers took on a wide variety of classes, covering just about everything. The number of doppelgangers grew day by day, each one a talented individual with a charming way of speaking. Under Song Gua's brilliant leadership, they would "greet" each other daily and engage in friendly "sparring," pulling off one major scheme after another on Earth. Sometimes they were bandits—stealing bosses, plundering mines, snatching resources. Sometimes they were saviors—descending like divine warriors to face world bosses threatening to massacre cities. Sometimes they even went undercover, infiltrating various major factions to stir up trouble from within, keeping their enemies constantly on edge. To prevent their doppelganger abilities from being exposed, Song Gua made them wear masks with mahjong tile patterns and don Taoist robes in various colors. "Remember, in front of outsiders, call me 'The Dice.'" "Got it! Boss!" "Not 'Boss'—it's 'The Dice.' Think about the vibe, pay attention to the vibe." "Yes! Boss!" "For crying out loud..." From then on, whenever they appeared, they would have their own theme song playing: ~Hey~ paying respects at the mountain stronghold at night~ whose arm is draped over whose shoulder~ gather your courage and follow along...
