The Demon King is unfathomable

Chapter 634 A Power That Does Not Belong to This World
The following morning, in a hotel room in Montluçon.

Luo Yan opened his eyes, lay quietly on the bed for a few seconds, then lifted the covers and sat up.

Just then, Sarah's voice drifted in from the doorway.

"Your Highness, would you like me to help you wash up?"

Luo Yan looked up and saw that she was holding a wooden basin filled with freshly drawn hot water.

Although the expression on that face was the same as usual, without much fluctuation, the gently swaying cat ears still revealed the cat's mischievous intentions.

"No need, Sarah, just put the bowl over there."

"Yes, Your Highness."

Upon hearing the instructions, Sarah placed the wooden basin on the bedside table, then went to the window and opened the curtains for Luo Yan, letting the sunlight into the room.

The weather is great today; it's rare that it didn't snow.

Having done all this, she quietly stepped aside, waiting in the corner of the room, concealing her aura and blending into the environment.

Only when the Demon King's gaze gradually became somewhat piercing did she nod slightly and emerge from the shadows.

"I suddenly remembered... I think I forgot to feed the horses."

With heartfelt respect and regret, Sarah left the room as if nothing had happened, thoughtfully closing the door behind her.

His lack of remorse made Luo Yan wonder if he had been too lax lately and had neglected the Demon King's authority.

"They need to be taught a lesson."

A leisurely voice suddenly rang out from the side, carrying a hint of excitement that seemed to enjoy watching the drama unfold, and unsurprisingly, it earned it a glare from the Demon King.

However, Luo Yan didn't waste any more time talking to Youyou. He simply picked up the towel draped over the basin and prepared to wash up quickly.

Last night's battle was quite exhausting, and he went straight to sleep after he got back, and has been sleeping ever since.

Seeing that Luo Yan ignored it, the milky-white ghost circled in the sky and then drifted to his other side.

"My Lord Demon King, what was the deal with that monster in black armor last night?"

Luo Yan casually replied while wiping his body.

"I was going to ask you that too, did you notice anything?"

Youyou thought about it seriously for a while, then shook her abstract head.

"Um... I only smelled a really bad odor on him."

It smells bad?

How smelly?

Youyou: "How should I describe it... Oh right! He looks a lot like that old assassin you met in the Ten Thousand Ren Mountains!"

Luo Yan raised his eyebrows.

Soul-like quality?
This is a useful clue, at least it clarifies the source of the opponent's power, which should be something similar to soul matter.

After wiping his body, Luo Yan threw the towel back into the wooden tub and was about to get up to go downstairs for something to eat when there was a soft knock on the door.

"Please come in."

He responded after putting on his clothes.

The door opened again, and a boy of about fifteen or sixteen years old stood in the doorway. He was wearing a gray apron from the hotel and carrying a wooden tray covered with a white cloth.

On the tray were steaming bread, a small dish of butter and a few slices of bacon, a small pot of honey and a cup of steaming hot milk.

When the young man saw the legendary prince, he first nervously swallowed, and then forced out a respectful smile.

"Sir, this is breakfast prepared for you by our boss. We hope it suits your taste."

In the days before cold chain transportation, getting a cup of hot milk was no easy feat, even in a rural area like this.

After all, there are no dairy cows in town, and the bumpy ride to the nearby farm is enough to shake out all the butter in the milk.

"Please tell him thank you for me."

Upon hearing this, the young man who had placed the tray on the wooden table in the guest room quickly waved his hand.

"Your Highness, we should be the ones thanking you. I heard from the boss that if it weren't for your help, we...we would all be dead last night."

Let alone five hundred ogres, even a hundred would be enough to raze this poorly defended town to the ground.

His face paled slightly at the thought of what happened last night, and he was still shaken.

Luo Yan smiled and offered him a word of comfort.

"It was just a small favor, don't overthink it. Besides, I didn't do it for your thanks."

even--

He was quite grateful to the group of cannibals for voluntarily jumping out and giving him a wave of kills, thus relieving him of the siege in another sense.

"My Lord Demon King, I must remind you, delaying won't make the problem disappear." Youyou chuckled mischievously, her expression clearly showing she wasn't looking out for him.

'Okay, shut up for a bit, let me enjoy the peace and quiet of the morning.'

Seeing the young man placing the food on the table, Luo Yan took out a silver coin from his pocket and placed it on the empty tray.

The young man's face immediately turned red when he saw the silver coins, and he quickly waved his hands.

"No, no, no! Sir, this is just a small token of our appreciation, it's free!"

Luo Yan smiled faintly.

"Take it, consider it a tip."

The young man opened and closed his mouth repeatedly, finally accepting the silver coin with a flushed face, bowing three times before turning and running away.

He worked at this inn for a month and earned only two silver coins.

This silver coin was worth half a month's salary for him.

Luo Yan sat by the window, eating breakfast while looking out at the town.

The streets of Montluçon are nothing like those of Roland. The streets are lined with low stone houses with gray tiled roofs, and occasionally a few crooked trees extend their branches from the backyards.

The most magnificent building in the entire town is the church in the center, its spire glowing a soft golden light in the morning glow.

When he arrived here yesterday, it was almost dark, and when he went out at night, it was pitch black. So much so that he didn't even have a chance to take a good look at this place that he had saved with his small act of kindness.

At that moment, he had only one thought.

Fortunately, a chance encounter on his journey allowed him to stay an extra night; otherwise, he wouldn't have had the chance to enjoy such delicious bread.

After putting the last piece of bread into his mouth, Luo Yan wiped his mouth with a napkin.

Just then, Sarah returned to her room after feeding the horses and changed out of her maid outfit into casual clothes for her trip.

The cat's erect ears turned slightly forward, and its amber eyes regained their usual composure.

"Your Highness, the luggage is packed. When would you like to depart?" She nodded slightly and said softly.

Luo Yan placed the napkin back on the table, stood up from the wooden table, and took the coat Sarah handed him, draping it over his shoulders.

"Just now."

……

On the first floor of the hotel, the messy lobby still bore traces of last night's riot, and the owner was struggling to clean it up with the staff.

Upon seeing the distinguished guest descending from upstairs, he hurriedly threw away the rag in his hand, wiped his hands on his apron, and performed an awkward aristocratic bow—clearly learned from the former town baron, and not even properly.

Luo Yan smiled and nodded at him, then looked towards the center of the hotel lobby.

Eileen and Theresa were already waiting here.

Eileen was wearing a beige knitted sweater, a travel cloak draped over her shoulders, and her long silver hair was braided into an exquisite braid behind her, with pearl-encrusted accessories hanging from her ears.

Clearly, she still had no intention of riding a horse today, and she had taken the time to tidy herself up.

Seeing Luo Yan coming down from upstairs, Theresa nudged her lightly with her elbow, and Eileen's shoulder twitched as if she had been electrocuted.

This action gave Luo Yan a bad feeling.

Fortunately, this time Teresa didn't seem to give her master any bad advice.

Eileen simply walked over and gave a casual greeting.

"Your Highness, good morning... Um, do I look a little different today than yesterday?"

Theresa covered her forehead with a headache, clearly not the exact words she had taught Eileen.

Luo Yan really wanted to know what she said, but seeing Eileen's face turn so red it was almost bleeding, he finally smiled and let her go.

Good morning, Eileen. Also, the new earrings suit you very well.

"Thank you..." Eileen whispered, her face inexplicably turning even redder.

After saying that, Eileen hurriedly returned to Theresa's side and pulled her to a corner of the hotel lobby.

Luo Yan watched her retreating figure with curiosity, but in the end, he couldn't resist his curiosity and eavesdropped on the two ladies' whispers.

“What, what should I do? Theresa, he didn’t even notice the purple moon-shaped accessory on my hair.”

"Impossible... Damn it, Your Highness, it's your hair that's covering it!"

Luo Yan: "..."

Who can see this?!
Luo Yan stopped eavesdropping and, seeing Eileen's face growing increasingly red and Theresa earnestly offering advice, returned the privacy to poor Miss Campbell.

Just then, Miss Ophia came down the stairs from the other side.

She wore a light blue cotton dress, the color as gentle and soft as her sleepy eyes, and her golden hair flowed smoothly over the white ruffled collar.

Elliefet followed behind her, carrying a comb, clearly having been tidying her hair the whole way. As for her luggage, it was already stored in her storage ring and therefore not in her possession.

"Good morning, Prince... Colin." Ophia yawned slightly, then realized that the action was a little inappropriate, so she quickly covered herself with the back of her hand.

"Good morning, did you sleep well?" Luo Yan replied with a smile.

Ophia smiled slightly.

"It's not bad, just the pillow is a bit hard, but it's much better than in the carriage... How are you feeling? Did you feel better after waking up?"

"I'm much better now, thank you for your concern."

"You're welcome. I'm relieved to know you're alright," Ophia said, then turned to look at Eileen not far away, her gentle smile unchanged. "And Miss Eileen, I wonder if you slept well last night?"

When facing Ophia, Eileen behaved much more normally, and her elegant and composed expression returned to her face.

"I had a good rest, thank you for your concern, Miss Ophia."

Ophia smiled gently and nodded slightly, like a lord entertaining a distinguished guest in her own manor.

"That's good. Although we're on a journey, you are still an important guest."

“You’re too kind, Miss Ophia. To be honest, I am a citizen of the River Run, while you are from the Holy City… It should be me who is showing hospitality. Please forgive me if I haven’t been the best in my hospitality.”

The two conversed politely.

However, even the hotel owner could see the sparks flying in the air, and he quickly led his staff away from the lobby.

Looking at the two who were locked in a fierce confrontation, Luo Yan still wore a gentle smile, but only Youyou knew the headache he was having.

Eileen usually behaves quite normally, including when she's with Mia. However, for some reason, she seems like a completely different person when she's with Ophia.

Fortunately, the exchange between the two remained verbal and at the stage of mutual squabbling, without having any substantial impact on the world or on the diplomacy between the Empire and the Duchy of Campbell.

After checking their luggage, the group was about to set off when a group of people suddenly appeared outside the hotel.

The two leaders were a short, stout middle-aged man and a burly man with a full beard.

The former was the mayor of Montluçon, named Witte, wearing a faded brown coat and nervously clutching a flattened hat.

The man with a full beard was the militia captain from last night. The light was dim then, and Luo Yan hadn't had a good look at him, but now, with the sunlight, he could finally see his face clearly.

The man was in his forties, with broad shoulders and an old scar on his face.

As soon as the two entered, they saw Colin standing in the center of the lobby, while the short, stout mayor jogged over.

"Your Highness Colin! On behalf of all the residents of Monluson, I express my sincerest gratitude to you and your companions! Thanks to your timely intervention, otherwise, our entire town would likely be in grave danger..."

Luo Yan smiled faintly, indicating that he didn't need to be so polite.

"You're too kind, Mr. Witt."

The militia captain stepped forward, gave a somewhat awkward Republic of Ryan salute, and then reported in a restrained tone.

“Your Highness Colin, we have taken care of everything you asked us to do last night! The magician is currently being held in the town hall's cellar, and I have arranged for a whole militia unit to guard him in shifts!”

“Well done,” Luo Yan nodded. “This man is involved in the cooperation between the rebels in the Northern Wasteland and the ogre tribe in the Dimensional Desert, and may also have information that we don’t know about. Keep an eye on him; the people from the Inquisition will be here to take over in a bit.”

Upon hearing the name of the tribunal, the militia captain's face paled slightly, but he still nodded emphatically. "Understood! I swear on my life, I will not let this beast escape!"

Luo Yan's gaze then turned to the town mayor.

“Mr. Witt, there is something I must remind you of.”

Witt immediately perked up his ears and said solicitously.

"Please speak, sir!"

Luo Yan continued.

"The ogres that invaded your town arrived via a teleportation array, so there's clearly a problem at Brass Pass. Although I've destroyed the teleportation array, the mastermind behind it is a mage from the Northern Wasteland rebels. As you can see, they've already infiltrated this area, and it's hard to say they won't open another door."

The mayor's face turned slightly pale.

"Then, what should we do?"

"Strengthen patrols, especially the woodlands around the town and the rugged hills. The activation of the teleportation array is quite noisy and needs to be deployed in a relatively hidden place. You are certainly more familiar with the terrain of this area than those outsiders."

At this point, Luo Yan paused for a moment before continuing.

"Furthermore, if I were you, I would report the news to the nearest lord as soon as possible... or the commander of the city's defense forces in the National Assembly. In short, this town is not strong enough to deal with a second attack. If all else fails, moving away temporarily is a good option, and returning after this war is over."

The town mayor listened intently, nodding repeatedly, as if he wanted to memorize every single word.

Finally, his lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he didn't speak.

Luo Yan saw the hint of reluctance in the mayor's eyes, but didn't point it out. He simply patted the mayor's shoulder lightly, said "Take care," and then led Eileen and her group out of the hotel.

Outside the inn, the carriage was ready, and Sarah was standing beside him, nodding slightly.

Luo Yan nodded to him, then invited Eileen and Ophia to get into the carriage, while he himself sat opposite them.

Theresa and Elefette mounted their horses and stood guard on either side of the carriage like cavalry.

The town's residents had gathered there at some point and were standing on both sides of the street.

Some of them were holding children, others were carrying baskets on their backs, their faces showing either gratitude or uncertainty about tomorrow.

They all knew what happened last night, but none of them knew what to do tomorrow.

A woman holding a little girl bowed in gratitude toward the carriage, while the little girl, nestled in her arms, stared wide-eyed with curiosity and waved toward the carriage.

She remembered that this was the gesture of saying goodbye.

Luo Yan smiled slightly and waved to the townspeople outside the carriage, until the bustling street was completely left behind by the carriage...

……

The carriage drove out of the town of Monluson, its wheels making a rhythmic creaking sound as they rolled on the country dirt road.

The scenery outside the car window gradually changed from rural landscape to wilderness, with vast forests replacing wheat fields, and occasional rustling sounds coming from the bushes, like rabbits darting by.

If you ignore everything that happened last night, this land seems to have nothing to do with war.

No matter how the allied forces of the kingdoms and the National Assembly attack, the flames of war will probably not reach this place.

Ophia leaned against the carriage window, resting her face on the back of her hand, gazing in the direction where the town had disappeared, lost in thought.

After a moment, her lips moved slightly.

May the Holy Light bless them.

Her voice was very soft, and only Eileen, who was sitting next to her, could hear it.

Eileen didn't say anything, she just sat there quietly, a hint of worry hanging beneath her silver eyelashes.

Luo Yan sat opposite the two and closed his eyes.

On the surface, he appeared to be resting with his eyes closed.

However, in reality, his consciousness had already connected to the official website of "Catastrophe Online" through meditation.

At this moment, the player forum is as lively as if it were Chinese New Year.

Last night's unexpected expansion pack caused an uproar among both players and casual gamers, with the number of posts more than tripling compared to usual.

What made Luo Yan even more gratified was that his beloved little players didn't just stop at shouting "Awesome!", but many of them had already taken action on their own for the upcoming new version!
First, at the Great Cemetery, an advance team composed of major guilds has set off along the southern foothills of the Wanren Mountains, crossed Hot Spring Peak, entered the territory of the High Mountain Kingdom, infiltrated the uninhabited mountainous area near Huangtong Pass, and established an operation base and teleportation point.

While sending troops via teleportation arrays is not an economical option, it can be used to send small reconnaissance forces to gather intelligence on the ogre army and bring it back to the rear.

Judging from several posts by the Dragon Travels the World guild, their reconnaissance operation was surprisingly successful.

They not only got a rough idea of ​​the size of the cannibal army and its marching route after entering the pass, but also took in some defeated soldiers who had run back from Huangtong Pass, and filled in the information that was not on the official website through those defeated soldiers.

According to the intelligence summary post from the Dragon Travels the World Guild, after the fall of Huangtong Pass, the ogre army did not rush south. Instead, it spread out to both flanks with the pass ruins as its core, quickly occupying an area within a hundred miles of the eastern pass of the Wanren Mountains, and sending goblin scouts to the eastern part of the Twilight Province.

This aligns with Luo Yan's prediction.

Although ogres may not seem intelligent, they are not truly stupid, at least not their commander.

Before completely eliminating the surrounding threats, rashly advancing a large army into the plains would be tantamount to exposing the long supply lines to enemy flank attacks.

Besides, Gaunt is still around.

Although the swordsman failed to defend the Bronze Pass, the testimonies of the fleeing soldiers indicated that he single-handedly covered the retreat of a large number of the garrison after the city walls collapsed.

His whereabouts are currently unknown, but no one believes he would have died at the hands of cannibals.

A demigod-level powerhouse roaming the flanks of the ogres was a deadly threat to the ogre army.

Luo Yan browsed the forum for a while and soon found that in addition to the intelligence summary posts posted by the Dragon Travels the World guild, the posts exchanging strategies also had considerable popularity.

Some players suggested using airships for high-altitude reconnaissance to create a detailed map of the ogre army's distribution. Others proposed developing gliders to take off from the heights of the Ten Thousand Mountains and conduct low-altitude harassment of the ogre camps.

Several veteran engineering players are even discussing whether they can use the mountainous terrain to build simple fortifications and trap zones, turning the mountain passes south of Huangtong Pass into a nightmare for cannibals.

Their ideas are actually quite good.

Although most of them are still just theoretical discussions, there are a few that are worth serious consideration.

Of course, there are also some that are not so proper.

For example, a guy named "[Go to the Dock and Hourly Seagulls]" posted a thread titled "Compilation of Full-Body Material of the Ogre!"

The post received over four hundred replies, and the level of discussion even surpassed that of serious strategy guides.

Some say that ogre bones are as hard as steel and can be ground up and mixed into building materials. Others say that ogre hides are three times thicker than cowhide, making them extremely cost-effective for armor.

[Table and Stool] posted a long article in the thread, which analyzed in detail which alchemical materials correspond to the ogre's eyeballs, bile, and fat, and provided extraction methods and estimated selling prices. The clarity of the article is truly amazing.

Luo Yan finally figured out where the corpses of the cannibalistic rebels in the maze had gone; apparently, this guy had collected them.

However, Luo Yan did not waste too much time on this post; he was more concerned about the intelligence regarding the cannibal army.

Overall, there's a lot of useful information on the forum.

The only thing that disappointed him was that he searched the entire forum but couldn't find any information about the "Black Knight" who had withstood his "Black Hole" attack.

According to players' complaints, the BOSS who was put on a bounty by the game developers disappeared into thin air after they fought him and has not reappeared since.

There is only one thing that can be confirmed.

That warrior clad in black armor was the chosen one of Kalmandes, and the power he wielded was very likely not from this world!
If Doryuk made a deal with Chaos, then the Black Knight is a weapon forged by Chaos itself.

What concerned Luo Yan most was the sentence the Black Knight had said during their fight—

"This time, we can have a proper fight."

no doubt.

He came for me!

After reading through all the valuable posts on the forum, Luo Yan ended his meditation and opened his eyes.

The carriage continued to bump along the dirt road through the forest, the view outside the window having changed from a sparse oak grove to a coniferous forest typical of the twilight province.

Ophia, sitting opposite, had fallen asleep against the car wall at some point, her head tilted slightly to one side, her golden eyelashes fluttering gently in the sunlight, and her breathing as even as an orange cat.

Eileen sat next to Ophia, her hands folded on her knees, her gaze fixed on the shadows of the trees passing by outside the car window.

She noticed Luo Yan had woken up, and a hint of concern appeared in her emerald green eyes.

"you're awake?"

"Ah."

"Are you feeling unwell somewhere?"

"No, I was just thinking about some things."

Eileen glanced at him, her face showing a hesitant expression, as if she was wondering whether to ask the question.

Luo Yan knew what she wanted to ask.

After returning from the dimensional desert, he only briefly mentioned that he had destroyed the altar by passing through the portal, without mentioning the Black Knight.

After thinking for a moment, he decided to say something, at least to prepare her mentally, that their opponents this time might be different from those before.

"Over there in the dimensional desert, I encountered a formidable opponent."

Eileen's gaze sharpened slightly.

"Ogre?"

"I don't know. He was wearing full armor and never showed his face. But judging from his fighting style, he doesn't seem like the type." Luo Yan shook his head, leaning back on the soft velvet cushion, and spoke casually.

However, Eileen could hear the seriousness behind that casualness.

Luo Yan paused for a moment, carefully recalling the duel, before continuing.

"...That guy is very strong. He actually withstood my full-force attack. To be honest, I thought he would dodge it."

Eileen frowned slightly.

"My feeling is that he's testing your depth."

"Ah."

Luo Yan nodded, a smile playing on his lips.

"I was actually underestimated."

Eileen was silent for a moment, then suddenly reached out and placed her hand on the back of his hand, gently holding it.

Looking into those deep purple eyes, her gaze was more serious than ever before.

“Your Highness, although you always keep everything to yourself and face it alone, I still want to say... you don’t have to face all of this alone. I’m always willing to lend you my shoulder, and please trust me more.”

Luo Yan glanced at Eileen in surprise, then smiled.

"Thank you."

It seems that Eileen's strength was actually affected by Theresa.

She's quite capable when no one's around to give her bad advice.

After saying those words, Eileen felt a little embarrassed. She twirled the end of her hair with her index finger and looked out the window.

Just then, a muffled voice drifted over from the side.

"Mentor, there's no need to worry too much... They're just cannibals. With your strength, you'll definitely beat them to a pulp in no time."

"What...you didn't win? Oh ho ho ho...is it finally your dear student, Lady Ophia,'s turn to take action?"

"How exciting... Hehe, this time... it's my turn to save you..."

Ophia was either awake or not; her golden eyelashes remained tightly closed, but her little mouth kept muttering to herself.

After muttering her last sentence, she added an ambiguous "Call me when you need to," then adjusted herself into a comfortable position and drifted back to sleep.

I don't know whether to call her blindly confident or genuinely confident in her mentor.

In short, that unreserved trust made the atmosphere in the carriage much more relaxed.

Eileen's lips curved slightly, and her gaze towards Ophia softened, though she quickly concealed it behind an elegant smile.

This guy had finally relaxed for a while, but as soon as he heard Ophia's voice, he put on his ladylike demeanor again.

I don't know what Ophia did to her.

The two had only just met.

Luo Yan smiled and shook his head, not uttering his inner complaints. He then took out a magic book from his storage space, opened it in his hand, and continued reading.

He needs to become stronger in order to face the Chosen One, Karmandes.

There's no time to relax.

　I have a fever and a runny nose, and playing video games makes it even worse. Having a cold is so painful!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)