Chapter 2: New Century (Epilogue)
The Demon Lord. This was the first time Players had encountered such a terrifying existence. The oppressive aura of its giant claw was only slightly less than that of the Lord of Eagle Territory.
The Demi-humans could not be saved in the end, but the Players did not feel too regretful. After all, it was obvious that saving these Demi-humans would have been in vain. Although this hidden mission had failed, they had obtained three Magic Cores, which was still a huge profit!
Unlike the Players’ excitement, the Scheming Frog, who had been revived, was preoccupied and looked confused. He stood before the Town Mayor’s Residence, took a deep breath, and calmed the expression on his face, doing his best to appear composed and without flaws.
“Brother Ye Hao, are you there?”
The Scheming Frog pricked up his ears and heard faint footsteps from inside.
“What is it?”
Ye Hao opened the door, looking sleepy and slightly displeased, as if he had been woken up by the Scheming Frog.
“I’m sorry to disturb your rest.” The Scheming Frog subtly showed a look of guilt and asked in a low voice, “We killed a Hell Three-Headed Dog and got three Magic Crystals. We wanted to ask you to appraise them and see how much they’re worth, and if we can exchange them for some equipment.”
“Hell Three-Headed Dog?” Ye Hao’s heart skipped a beat. He wondered if the Players had not honestly sent the Demi-humans to the Abyss Teleportation Gate. Or perhaps they had clashed with the demons in the Teleportation Gate? He felt a bit uneasy, but he maintained his composure. He even forced out a smile of admiration and encouragement, saying with a chuckle, “Of course! You were able to work together to kill a Hell Three-Headed Dog? That’s at least an existence of Middle-level Demon or above… In that case, each Magic Crystal is worth five hundred Gold Coins, and one can be exchanged for about five sets of Fine Grade equipment. If it were a stronger High-level Demon, each Magic Crystal would be worth a thousand Gold Coins and could be exchanged for ten sets of Fine Grade equipment.”
Ye Hao’s answer was flawless, and his face showed no particular expression. However, the Scheming Frog keenly noticed a momentary unnaturalness in Ye Hao’s eyes. He was definitely hiding something. But the Scheming Frog did not reveal his suspicions. He simply nodded and said gratefully, “Understood. I’ll discuss it with the other Foreigners. If we decide to exchange them, we’ll come back to you.”
After bidding farewell to Ye Hao, the Scheming Frog returned to his room. A quiet environment like this was more conducive to his thinking. Dawn Town was just an insignificant place in the Eagle Territory. Why would demons specifically build a Teleportation Gate here? If it were for the Demi-humans in Dawn Town, that wouldn’t make sense either, as most of the Demi-humans in the entire Eagle Territory were in Winter City. Moreover, that group of Demi-humans came from the Royal Capital… The Scheming Frog pondered. That dense forest was like a trading post, with demons and that mysterious person as the trading parties. Coupled with Ye Hao’s peculiar expression, it was clear who the mysterious person in Dawn Town was. Of course, it was not impossible that it was someone from elsewhere, but that was highly unlikely. After playing the game for so many days, the triggering of hidden missions was either due to Players’ overconfidence, or from Ye Hao, or related to Ye Hao. Furthermore, this mysterious person understood Players so well, knowing that Players lacked cool mounts and using the eggs of carnivorous birds to bewitch them. Therefore, the Black-robed person could only be Ye Hao. But why was Ye Hao doing this? Why did he send the Demi-humans to the demons? What was his relationship with the demons? This was something the Scheming Frog could not understand, and he had almost no clues in this regard.
“This game is getting more and more interesting…” the Scheming Frog muttered. Faint murmurs came from his room: “Hypocritical righteous people, straightforward villains…” “It’s almost time to gather at Grey Fortress.”
…
“Your Highness, he… they should be arriving soon.” In the luxurious hall of Grey Fortress, Bai Leferun sat on an exquisite beast hide sofa, holding a wine glass filled with the girl’s blood. Below him, a beautiful castle guard served him while reporting.
“I know.” Bai Leferun frowned, seeming to be enduring something. He took a deep breath and said, “Come, all of you, come. The more that come, the better. The more that come, the more that die, and the smoother my plan will be.”
Thinking of his father, the Majestic Lion-like King’s dying exhortations and arrangements, Bai Leferun’s expression became increasingly grim. “I didn’t want to do this, but you forced me.” “How am I inferior to that useless Second Prince?” “If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t be the half-human, half-ghost I am now.” “I’ve clearly dedicated my everything to this country!” His expression was sinister, filled with unwillingness and hatred. He gripped the guard’s head tightly, his handsome, pale face twitching slightly, and he murmured in a low voice, “Indeed, only blood slaves and the Undead are loyal.” He looked at the handsome guard working diligently, his crimson eyes filled with sick madness.
…
“Your Holiness, you sent for me?” Anna, covering her eyes with a black silk scarf and wearing a simple moon-white sacrificial robe with gold trim, calmly approached the Old Pope. Since Mudu Winter Town was destroyed, she had disappeared and gone into hiding. In the future plan, she was a very important piece, and this was the protection of the Balda Holy See for her. After all, if not for a precious fixed-point teleportation scroll last time, she might have perished there.
“How is your awakening progressing?” The Old Pope, without looking up from studying his chessboard, asked in a voice that reached Anna’s ears. The Pope piece of white on the chessboard was currently surrounded by the black army pieces, but the King piece of black had rolled onto the floor, lying alone by the Pope’s feet.
Anna hesitated no longer. With her head lowered and her eyes demure, she respectfully recounted her awakening situation: “I’ve now touched the threshold of the second stage. Although I broke through the first stage with a divine artifact, to break through the second stage, insight is essential.” “Insight is like a foundation. Without this foundation, no matter how many divine artifacts you have, it will collapse before it can be built very high.”
“I know,” the Pope said, looking up at Anna. He had to admit that even though he was so old and had already surrendered his soul to the gods, he could still discover that breathtaking beauty in Anna. It was the beauty that only a Vessel of God could possess. He couldn’t help but admire her from head to toe, thinking about the plan that was about to be completed, thinking about the majestic and powerful figure of his master, and said with a trembling voice, “When they come to the Royal Capital to fight me, that meat-grinder-like battlefield will be your opportunity for insight. At that time, you will become the most perfect Vessel for my master!”
Anna suddenly raised her head, her expression fanatical as she faced the Old Pope, more as if looking through him, through the black silk scarf, at the high and mighty Balda the Flame Dragon. She said excitedly, “Praise my master! Anna is willing to dedicate everything to becoming my master’s Vessel!”
