"His Majesty wants to see you! Immediately!"
When the demon general, clutching his token, snarled fiercely at Simon Stone, he glanced back at the outcast demons behind him, then at the glinting weapons in the hands of the demon soldiers.
There was no doubt that "His Majesty" meant the Serpent Lord.
At least they hadn’t brought shackles—perhaps that was a gesture of goodwill.
Simon Stone nodded silently and, under the watchful eyes of the other demons, followed the demon soldiers into the city.
Beyond the towering city gates lay layer upon layer of buildings.
These buildings resembled human architecture, but reached even higher; the lowest were at least three stories tall (about ten meters), and the rooftop sculptures radiated a wildness unlike anything human.
Demons clad in all manner of garments wandered the main street, which was carved with swirling cloud and storm motifs—a symbol of power and unpredictability. There weren’t many of them. Occasionally, a shop would stand open, selling goods plundered from humans.
For demons without a proper society or means of production, these were true luxuries.
At the sight of the demon soldiers, the monsters on the street quickly made way.
After crossing the street, which stretched for about 330 meters (a hundred zhang), the group quickly arrived at the inner city.
The grand gates thundered open.
As Simon Stone stopped in the center of the hall, a voice rang out.
Stepping onto the black stone tiles and looking up, Simon Stone saw long spears and axes arrayed along the walls, which rose about 20 meters high (six zhang). The drainage spouts above were carved into snake heads with flickering tongues—distinctly demonic in flavor.
The hall was about 10 meters high (three zhang) and over 66 meters long and wide (twenty zhang).
What greeted him was a vast drill ground paved with rough stone tiles. Rows upon rows of demon soldiers in black armor were drilling in perfect formation, their shouts echoing to the sky.
With a casual gesture, two demonesses unfurled a map of Drake City and its surroundings before Simon Stone. Another handed a long staff to the Serpent Lord.
Looking to either side, Simon saw rows of buildings, with guards posted every five steps and sentries every ten. Through the gaps in the pavilions, he glimpsed demons in civilian attire.
Looking down, Simon Stone saw the map divided into small blocks, each representing a tent district outside the city. The staff pointed directly to his own camp.
The hall was about 10 meters high (three zhang) and over 66 meters long and wide (twenty zhang).
On either side stood two rows of massive pillars, each so thick that three men could barely encircle them.
"Go on in," he said, lifting his chin.
He glanced back, then slowly walked toward the center of the hall, taking in his surroundings.
He glanced back, then slowly walked toward the center of the hall, taking in his surroundings.
Hearing this, Simon Stone was startled, quickly tightening his grip on the Cloudwalker Staff.
On either side stood two rows of massive pillars, each so thick that three men could barely encircle them.
He was a head shorter than Simon Stone, dressed in a black dragon robe embroidered with gold thread, the high collar raised to cover the back of his head.
On the jade walls all around were enormous murals, carved with the totems of the Four Dragon Kings.
The floor was covered by a giant black-toned carpet woven from beast hides, painted with the Four Continents and Four Seas.
"Under the blue sky, standing on the Four Continents, surrounded by the Four Seas... This Serpent Lord's ambition knows no bounds," the Monkey King couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
At the center of the grand hall, atop a high dais, stood a massive pearwood throne carved in the shape of a sleeping dragon—luxurious and imposing.
Behind the throne, eight enormous screens towered upward.
"Understood," Simon Stone replied without expression.
"Peak of the Nascent Spirit Realm? Hm, not even fifty years old. Impressive, impressive."
The two simply stared at each other in silence. The atmosphere in the hall felt frozen.
"But do you know that the ones you killed were my people?"
With a casual gesture, two demonesses unfurled a map of Drake City and its surroundings before Simon Stone. Another handed a long staff to the Serpent Lord.
A short, thin figure slowly poked his head out from behind the screens.
Looking down, Simon Stone saw the map divided into small blocks, each representing a tent district outside the city. The staff pointed directly to his own camp.
His face could only be described as sharp and monkey-like: a bare forehead, a prominent nose characteristic of his race, and four distinctive whiskers, each three feet long, curling in the air like tentacles.
He slowly ascended the steps, shook out his sleeves, and sat on the dragon throne, looking down at Simon Stone.
The Serpent Lord glanced at Simon Stone’s clenched fist and sighed lightly, "Don’t be afraid. If I wanted to kill you, fear would do you no good. Hehehe... Besides, I never kill anyone in this hall, no matter how much they deserve it. You see, my carpet is very expensive—bloodstains would be such a hassle. Hehehe..."
At these words, Simon Stone’s eyes narrowed slightly.
"It was you who killed Crocodile Jack?"
At these words, Simon Stone’s eyes narrowed slightly.
"I heard you did it with a single move."
The Serpent Lord looked at Simon Stone with a meaningful grin. "I like clever people—no, clever demons. There are one hundred and fifty-one districts here, and I’m naming you leader of one by default. Do as you wish—anything goes, even killing other district leaders and merging their territories. Hehehe, just like you did with Crocodile Jack. I’ve always thought one hundred and fifty-one is too many. If someone could help me cut that number down, I’d be very pleased. Hahaha!"
"You practice the Immortal Traveler’s Daoist arts. Who is your master?"
He lowered his head and said coldly to Simon Stone, "But everything is in your own name. Do you understand?"
"Understood," Simon Stone replied without expression.
The two simply stared at each other in silence. The atmosphere in the hall felt frozen.
After a long moment, the Serpent Lord’s cold face broke into a smile: "Don’t be afraid, I told you not to be afraid. If you come to me without a dark enough past, I wouldn’t like you anyway. You don’t want to say, so I won’t ask. It’s been ages since a demon dared to meet my gaze—I like you!"
With a casual gesture, two demonesses unfurled a map of Drake City and its surroundings before Simon Stone. Another handed a long staff to the Serpent Lord.
"Actually, killing him doesn’t matter—he was weak, so he died. But now, that district has no one in charge, which is a headache for me." As he spoke, the Serpent Lord tapped the map with his staff, smiling at the Monkey King.
Looking down, Simon Stone saw the map divided into small blocks, each representing a tent district outside the city. The staff pointed directly to his own camp.
"So? Will you help me manage it?"
"How should I manage it?"
"However you like. I just want someone there who can keep order." The Serpent Lord paused, then continued, "I hate dealing with those little demons—smelly, ignorant, and always screeching. Having someone who can speak for them makes things much easier."
"No regular Gold Essence tribute, right? I have no interest in extorting others like Crocodile Jack did," Simon Stone asked, looking up.
"Gold Essence, huh?" The Serpent Lord burst out laughing, lifting his head with a look of pure delight. "Gold Essence is the most wonderful thing in this world—so shiny. Hehehe... Just like gems, I’ll take as much as I can get. But as for extortion, do you think you could collect it regularly? Crocodile Jack scoured everywhere—did you ever see him living inside the city?"
Simon Stone did not respond, only staring at him expressionlessly.
"Those paupers in the tent district—no matter how much you squeeze them, you won’t get much. That’s what I hated most about Crocodile Jack, always trying to scrape from the poorest. Didn’t he ever think the other leaders had far more?"
At these words, Simon Stone’s eyes narrowed slightly.
"You caught on?" The Serpent Lord looked at Simon Stone with a meaningful grin. "I like clever people—no, clever demons. There are one hundred and fifty-one districts here, and I’m naming you leader of one by default. Do as you wish—anything goes, even killing other district leaders and merging their territories. Hehehe, just like you did with Crocodile Jack. I’ve always thought one hundred and fifty-one is too many. If someone could help me cut that number down, I’d be very pleased. Hahaha!"
The Serpent Lord’s sharp laughter echoed through the empty hall, then abruptly stopped.
He lowered his head and said coldly to Simon Stone, "But everything is in your own name. Do you understand?"
"Understood," Simon Stone replied without expression.
"Good. Now go. Don’t disappoint me. If you do well, there will be unexpected rewards."