In just one day, the six regional demon leaders changed allegiance—without a single fight breaking out.
Such sensational news swept through the entire tent camp, spawning countless rumors. Thanks to the efforts of the remarkable Louis Squirrel, some even claimed that the Monkey King had reached the Divine Transformation stage.
Of course, any demon with a bit of sense knew that if the Monkey King truly had reached the Divine Transformation stage, he wouldn’t need to seek refuge at Drake Pool. But regardless, those seven wind-fluttering Monkey Banners were an ironclad fact.
Seven regions merged into one, and the Monkey King’s faction quickly rose to become one of the most formidable powers in the tent camp.
Because of this tremendous achievement, White Ape’s opinion of Louis Squirrel changed completely.
It’s said that when Louis Squirrel moved into the camp, White Ape personally oversaw the construction of his tent. With his swiftly rising reputation, shameless persistence, and White Ape’s support, Louis Squirrel quickly established himself within the camp.
However, Shortbeak, who had gone with him to "persuade the surrender," still treated him with indifference. Not only that, Shortbeak gave him a nickname—Louis Quickpaw.
Although Louis Squirrel was highly respected, he lacked real fighting power. Besides, "Louis Quickpaw" was far catchier than "Louis Squirrel," so the new nickname quickly became his accepted moniker.
Louis Squirrel quarreled with Shortbeak several times over this, of course, words never won against fists, and the matter was left unresolved.
In the days that followed, the Monkey King continued to laze around, leaving matters unattended, while Louis Squirrel remained as energetic as ever, making moves all over the camp and yielding considerable results.
The momentum of the faction’s expansion seemed to be heading in a positive direction. But this was only the beginning...
......
On the fifth day, inside the grand hall of Drake City.
A moose demon general hurried in from outside, dropped to one knee at the steps, and saluted: "Greetings, Your Majesty!"
Reclining on the dragon throne, the Serpent Lord idly toyed with a jade ruyi and lifted his eyelids slightly. "Have you found out everything?"
"Reporting to Your Majesty, everything has been investigated."
"Speak. What’s the story?"
"Your Majesty, the first to surrender to the Monkey King was the Scorpion King. My men secretly investigated and found that early that morning, someone tipped him off that the Monkey King planned to seize his territory, urging him to take precautions. The Scorpion King, whose cultivation was weaker than Crocodile Jack’s, was understandably anxious. Then, out of nowhere, a demon claiming to be an old acquaintance of the Monkey King’s strategist offered to broker a bribe... Eventually, the Scorpion King switched banners and publicly declared allegiance to the Monkey King, thus preserving his domain."
"Oh?" The Serpent Lord smiled slightly. "Go on."
"The second to surrender was Leopard Shade. My men investigated as well. After the Scorpion King changed banners, someone spread word that he had surrendered because he couldn’t defeat Leopard Shade, and tried to incite the Monkey King to attack Leopard Shade together. You know, the Scorpion King and Leopard Shade have always been at odds... So, after some back-and-forth, Leopard Shade decided to reach out to the Monkey King’s strategist, sent gifts, and changed banners, connecting himself to the Monkey King’s faction."
"Oh?" The Serpent Lord smiled even wider. "Interesting. Go on."
"The third was Victor Vulture, who also received word. It was said that Leopard Shade had coveted his two concubines for a long time, and the Scorpion King wanted to dodge his debts, so they were inciting the Monkey King..."
"Wait." The Serpent Lord put down the jade ruyi and straightened up, pondering, "How many leaders have surrendered in total?"
"So far, there have been nine."
"Nine? Were they all manipulated like this?"
"All of them. Openly and covertly, spreading rumors, splashing chicken blood, exploiting conflicts between leaders to create all sorts of stories, and then moving in when the time was right. The methods weren’t exactly sophisticated, but they were effective."
"Tsk, tsk, tsk." The Serpent Lord stroked his flowing dragon whiskers and smiled slyly. "It seems this Monkey King is truly cunning. How come I didn’t see it last time we met?"
"Right now, the Monkey King has only made them change banners—there’s no real merger yet. Besides, I suspect these leaders surrendered for various reasons and are just pretending for now. Once they learn the truth in a few days..."
"No!" The Serpent Lord slowly shook his head, lips pursed, his eyes narrowing into slits with amusement. "This strategy is high-level—very high. These leaders may not be powerful, but they’re all stubborn. To make them truly surrender without force isn’t easy. But if you use force, even if you subdue them, their strength will be greatly diminished, and you’ll gain little in the end. But if you let them pretend to surrender... Let them pretend first, then, at the right moment, force one group to rebel. Once you suppress them, the rest will naturally become true followers. In this way, hehehe... It seems the Monkey King is well-versed in the art of power."
Gene Elk’s expression froze for a moment. He saluted and sighed, "Your Majesty is wise! I nearly ruined everything!"
The Serpent Lord lazily glanced at Gene Elk and drawled, "You’ve followed me for a hundred years and learned a lot. But when it comes to schemes and power plays, you’re still no match for that Monkey King."
At these words, Gene Elk’s armor trembled ever so slightly, and he bowed his head.
"Alright." The Serpent Lord pointed at Gene Elk. "Go, write what you just told me in a letter and send it to those leaders who surrendered to the Monkey King. Tsk, tsk, tsk—if he really unifies them like this, I’ll lose a lot of fun, won’t I? Ha ha ha ha!"
"As you command, Your Majesty!"
......
At night, after dinner, the Monkey King leaned against a post at the camp entrance, chewing on a reed and gazing at the scenery.
Now he was the overlord of this little tent camp, commanding over a thousand demons with a mere gesture, yet he still acted as casually as ever, without a trace of arrogance.
Fiona Fox played in the open space at the front of the camp. Scribe Squirrel stood nearby, bowing respectfully and remaining motionless.
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"Hey, can you stop following me around?" The Monkey King was starting to get impatient.
"How can the Great King get by without someone to serve him?" Scribe Squirrel grinned as he accepted a cup of tea from a little demon and handed it to the Monkey King. "These days I’m tied up, and there are so few reliable people. Great King, why not establish an Inner Court soon, so your daily needs can be properly attended to?"
Taking the tea, the Monkey King sipped it. "I’ve never needed anyone to wait on me."
Scribe Squirrel chuckled awkwardly, glanced at Fiona Fox playing nearby, and bowed. "Great King, there’s something I don’t understand."
"Speak."
Scribe Squirrel looked at Fiona Fox, then at the Monkey King, and asked with a sly smile, "Is that young lady your adopted daughter, or our future queen?"
"Pfft..."
The tea he’d just sipped sprayed all over Scribe Squirrel’s face.
"What nonsense are you talking about?"
Scribe Squirrel frantically wiped the tea from his face. "I’m not talking nonsense!"
"And that’s not nonsense?"
"The Great King treats her with special care, so I must understand your intentions to ensure proper conduct in the future!"
"You’re unbelievable. Why so many rules?"
"Great King, nothing works without rules. If her status isn’t clear, how can we act accordingly?"
"Status..." The Monkey King’s expression grew serious as he looked at Scribe Squirrel, who still hadn’t wiped the tea off his face. "First it’s ‘Inner Court,’ now it’s ‘uncertain status.’ Are you hinting at something today?"
Scribe Squirrel’s face lit up with a broad smile. "I can’t hide anything from you, Great King."
With that, he knelt down, pulled a scroll from his sleeve, and presented it to the Monkey King. "Getting started is always hard. Now that you have over a thousand soldiers, but no formal military system, I’ve taken the liberty of drafting one. Please take a look."
The Monkey King accepted the scroll and unrolled it.
It was a military organization proposal, outlining a complete structure and recommending candidates for each position.
The Monkey King’s gaze finally settled on the section for Inspector General.
For every position listed, there was a recommended candidate—White Ape for logistics and supplies, Big Horn for vanguard general. Only the Inspector General slot was left blank.
Looking closer, the Monkey King noticed Scribe Squirrel’s name was nowhere on the scroll.
He understood immediately.
Clearly, this guy wanted the Monkey King to officially recognize his status. Inspector General? That would put him just under the king and above everyone else.
Just as the Monkey King was still pondering how to respond, a demon radiating powerful energy approached from afar.
When she was about ten zhang away, the demon suddenly transformed into a woman in white.
She glared at the Monkey King and snapped, "Where’s the jade slip I gave you? Why haven’t you replied?"