Family heirloom, then turned into a demon girl

Chapter 168 Mission: 01-5 Gift Game
On this day, the [Thousand Eyes] business branch located at the outer gate 5656565 in the northern district of Hakoniwa City welcomed an unfamiliar customer.

A weak-looking, rather young blonde girl.

This wasn't surprising to the owner of this branch. This period coincided with the registration period for Thousand Eyes' annual game, Thousand Flowers, held within the Seven-Digit Outer Sect. This game was neither dangerous nor difficult to enter, and the rewards were quite generous, so many large communities would send newcomers to try their hand.

These newcomers often possess strengths of at least six or even five figures, but are placed in the seven-figure outer gate simply because of insufficient achievements or training. Furthermore, the power of gifts is usually difficult to "see," so the shop owner would not judge people by appearances.

But when it comes to "large," few communities or alliances in the entire Little Garden can claim to be larger than the Thousand Eyes. Therefore, the shop owner, neither humble nor overbearing, asked the girl standing quietly at the door with a curious look in her eyes, "This customer looks unfamiliar. I wonder what community she's from?"

Hearing the shopkeeper's question, Nero understood his identity and replied briefly: "[Hamel]."

To be precise, the full name of this community should be [Grimm Fantasy Grimoire Hamel]. However, Nero did not mention the name of the alliance at this moment because [Grimm Fantasy Grimoire] was an extremely well-known and notorious organization in the small garden.

Because their leader is a "devil king".

When Nero first heard his grandfather being referred to as the "Demon King of the Six Hundred and Sixty-Six Beasts," he assumed the "Demon King" meant the "King of Demons," and so he didn't take it seriously. However, this was not the case.

In the small garden, the title "Demon King" only represents one existence:
Those extremely special and powerful people who possess the privilege called [Sponsor Authority] and can force any target to participate in their gift game.

Being able to freely set one's own rules and force others to participate is a powerful privilege. With just a moment's whim, any community powerless to resist would be annihilated overnight, while those not participating in the game were forced by the rules of the Little Garden to prevent them from even intervening. It's easy to imagine how feared and loathed the Demon King was within the Little Garden.

"In fact, the reason why the [Grimm Fantasy Grimoire] is feared is precisely because that man, after summoning demons from the grimoire and forming them into communities, prepared a [Organizer Authority] for each community. In other words, this is an alliance of demon lords."

According to the rules of the Little Garden, once an alliance is formed, other communities within the alliance can intervene in the Gift Game if the rules allow. This is the only way to prevent a community targeted by the Demon King from fighting alone. Therefore, the "Demon Kings' Alliance" is naturally considered the most terrifying nightmare in the Little Garden.

This is why Nero couldn't reveal his name to others even if he joined. After hearing this answer, Nero asked Pest, "Are you also a demon king?"

The answer was "yes".

"However, the [Flute Player of Hamel] that once belonged to this alliance has been disbanded. If I simply tell others the name [Hamel], they probably won't recognize me as the Demon King's community—"

Pest said so.

"[Hamel]?" The shopkeeper was stunned for a moment after hearing the name. After careful consideration, he confirmed that he had never heard of such a community. His attitude suddenly became contemptuous.

However, as the owner of the shop, her contempt only remained in her eyes, and her tone remained somewhat polite: "So, may I ask what brings this guest here?"

Nero took out a contract, ignored the other party's gaze, and calmly replied: "I hope to sign up to participate in this gift game."

The contract contained the content of the Gift Game.

----

Game Name: "Flowers of a Thousand Rivers and Lakes" Organizer: [Thousand Eyes]

Participation conditions: You can register for the competition at any [Thousand Eyes] branch of the Seven-Digit Outer Gate.

Game rules: After the game starts, you must collect as many blooming daffodils as possible within the designated game area. At the end of the game, you can redeem prizes based on the number of daffodils you have collected.

Game area: Around the Tolly Tunis Falls outside the eastern area of ​​the garden.

Prohibitions: 1. Do not cause the death of other contestants. 2. Do not bring daffodil eggs into or out of the game area before the end of the game.

Oath: Respecting the above, each community participates in the Gift Game in the name of honor, flag and organizer authority.

【Thousand Eyes】Community Alliance
----

"I'm so sorry, miss."

Finally, the shop owner no longer concealed his disdain and ordered the newcomer, who had no idea of ​​the rules, to leave: "The Gift Game of the Thousand Eyes is not open to just anyone. Please go back."

A low, mocking voice came from behind Nero. Nero turned around and saw that the humans, elves, demons, and ghosts walking around the store were all laughing openly.

So that's the first lesson, Nero thought.

To understand the rules of the Gift Game, one must look beyond the obvious black and white. For example, while the entry requirements simply state "register at a Thousand Eyes branch," they also imply "registering requires approval from Thousand Eyes."

That's understandable. The number of seven-digit Outer Sects is in the tens of millions, and the sheer number of various communities is likely even greater. The quality of these communities varies greatly, with most lacking any real name. Thousand Eyes naturally can't accept them all.

In fact, the owner was willing to listen to what Nero wanted to do instead of driving him away directly, all because of the name of Hamel.

It was then that Nero remembered Pest's words about using the "Realm Gate" to travel between the outer gates. This came at a high price. The base price of "a single gold coin issued by the regional ruler" was already equivalent to the annual income of many lower-level communities. Therefore, "being able to use the Realm Gate to travel to the East District" was a hidden condition for communities not located in the East District, and it was also the main reason the shopkeeper refused Nero's request.

How could a community without any reputation, possibly just established, afford to use the realm gate?

"I see. Excuse me."

Nero didn't argue and turned away without hesitation amid the laughter.

But that didn't mean she was going to give up. Since Pest had recommended this game to her, it naturally meant that Nero had a way to successfully participate in it.

This method is not difficult to guess.

(End of this chapter)