When Simon Stone stepped out of the palace and left Drake City, the sunlight was dazzling and bright.
Yet, as he gazed upon the bustling crowds, the Monkey King's mood could not lift, no matter how hard he tried.
He felt this place shouldn't be called Dragon's Pool, nor Drake City—it ought to be named the Serpent's Mire, a bottomless trap.
The situation was clear: the Serpent Lord was problematic—deeply problematic.
His cultivation was far inferior; the Monkey King couldn't determine the Serpent Lord's true strength, but at the very least, he was certain it wasn't enough to turn the tide or treat the Heavenly Court as nothing.
Even if he was concealing his power, something still felt off.
If the Heavenly Court attacked, even if the Serpent Lord could win alone, it would be impossible to protect Drake City so thoroughly.
The Monkey King had carefully examined those ornate railings and jade structures—they showed no signs of war or destruction.
Yet, in such circumstances, the Serpent Lord actually encouraged the leaders of the outer districts to kill each other, claiming he 'disliked dealing with too many people'... But during wartime, those were his own generals!
Is this truly what a city lord should do when facing constant crisis?
It was obvious now—Simon Stone and his band of demon outcasts had jumped straight into a pit. Whether this trap was dug by the Serpent Lord alone, or in collusion with the Heavenly Court, made little difference.
The specifics didn't matter; what mattered was that he had chosen to leap in.
Should he leave this place at once? The Monkey King suddenly wondered.
When he returned to camp, the demons cheered at the sight of the Monkey King unharmed.
They probably thought the Monkey King's audience with the Serpent Lord meant he'd been acknowledged.
Rumor had it that earning the Serpent Lord's favor meant gaining his protection and truly becoming a resident of the city...
But the Monkey King knew the truth was far from that.
The Serpent Lord spoke kindly, declaring the Monkey King the leader of this region, but he made sure to add the word 'nominal.'
It was nominal, not a formal recognition.
He especially stressed that the Monkey King could do anything—but also emphasized it would be 'in his own name.'
In truth, the Serpent Lord made no promises at all. If another demon were to suddenly kill Simon Stone, he'd say the same thing to that demon.
At most, the Serpent Lord simply wanted to see what kind of newcomer had arrived in his territory—one capable of killing his 'nominal' Crocodile Jack.
The lesser demons bounced and cheered, with Shortbeak squeezing up to the Monkey King, grabbing his hand and asking repeatedly, "How did it go? How did it go? Did he let you move into the city?"
Even Old Bull gazed at him with eager eyes.
The Monkey King understood well—entry into the city was a powerful lure for these demons. Even the faintest hope was enough to excite them.
But could the Monkey King offer them even that sliver of hope?
No—no one could give them that hope. This place was perpetual night; there was no 'silver lining' to pierce the gloom.
All eyes were fixed on him, their intensity almost unbearable.
He suddenly realized how torturous it was to stand in the center of so many expectant gazes.
But for those demons, filled with hope, wasn't this torment as well?
He stood there in a daze for a long time, until the smiles faded from the demons' faces. Only then did Simon Stone turn to White Ape and say quietly, "Let's gather everyone."
With that, Simon Stone turned and walked away.
White Ape seemed to sense something, quickly dispersing the gathered demons. Shortbeak hobbled after them, leaning on his cane, asking urgently, "What did he say to you?"
Simon Stone glanced back, ignoring Shortbeak's question, but looked over at Big Bull and Rhino, saying softly, "You two come as well."
As Simon Stone entered the newly built round tent, five demons gathered together.
"What did he say to you?" Shortbeak repeated, his eyes still filled with urgency.
"He said... Crocodile Jack is dead, and I should take his place as the leader here. Crocodile Jack was his man, appointed to manage this small area."
"That's great!" The four other demons cheered, but soon only Rhino's laughter remained in the tent.
The other three demons seemed to realize something and froze.
Shortbeak blinked his big eyes, uncertain, and asked, "Crocodile Jack was the leader here? He was the Serpent Lord's subordinate? You killed his man, and instead of punishing you, he let you take Crocodile Jack's place... Something about this doesn't add up..."
He stroked his chin, lost in thought.
Big Bull spoke hesitantly, "Maybe that's just how things are here—the strong take charge, the weak step aside. Maybe..."
"No," White Ape cut in, "Even if competition is encouraged, they wouldn't allow wanton killing. The city is always in a state of war. Encouraging this is just asking for chaos."
The Monkey King curled his lips in a mocking smile. "He even encouraged me to kill the other district leaders and annex their territories."
That simple statement was like a thunderclap.
The three demons all shuddered slightly.
"He... wants you to kill the other district leaders? What is he planning?" Shortbeak's eyes widened, his voice trembling.
Simon Stone didn't answer, just smiled at them.
A chilling thought suddenly flashed through the minds of the three demons.
Shortbeak buried his head between his knees, White Ape looked utterly shattered, Big Bull's face froze, and only Rhino kept rolling his small eyes around, still confused.
Clearly, except for Rhino, everyone had reached the same conclusion as Simon Stone. They'd discussed this issue last night, and while he was gone, they must have imagined countless possibilities.
Now, it was simply confirmation. The worst guess turned out to be the bitter truth.
It was easy to imagine the despair of these three demons—heroes on the battlefield, now facing such a fate after all their sacrifice, hardship, and near-death journeys.
[Irrelevant passage detected. Skipping this line as it is not part of the novel's narrative.]
In the end, they could only blame themselves for being foolish, for being weak.
The Monkey King let out a long sigh. "I trust you are all smart enough. From everything we've seen, you've likely guessed the truth. Let's vote on what to do next."
"I still don't get it!" Rhino called out from the side.
Before he finished, Big Bull kicked him. "Shut up! Damn it, you don't need to come to meetings anymore!"
"Why can't I come?" Rhino wailed.
"What's the point of you coming? Every time you either fall asleep or cause trouble!"
"What? How dare you say I'm useless in meetings?"
"So what if I did? You thick-headed rhino!"
"Enough!" the Monkey King shouted. The two demons, about to start a fight, immediately quieted down.
"If you want to fight, do it outside. Aren't things messy enough already?" Shortbeak snapped coldly, then got up and paced to the window made of woven branches, gazing out at the endless tents.
Outside the tent, the scene was lively; the lesser demons still hoped for good news. Inside, however, silence hung like death.
After a long time, White Ape finally spoke hesitantly, "If this place is a trap... then we... maybe we should..."
He didn't finish; perhaps he couldn't find the right words, or maybe he just felt he should say something as the one who started it all.
The Monkey King sighed deeply and continued, "I think leaving here at once is the best choice."
"No!" Shortbeak roared from the window. He wiped his face, breathing heavily. "We worked so hard to get here. We can't just leave... We can't! Maybe it's a trap, but... maybe... I think we should investigate further. Maybe this is an opportunity... maybe!"
He was already flustered, and his words sounded like he was trying to convince himself.
"He wants us to turn on each other," the Monkey King reminded them.
Shortbeak turned, trembling as he sat down. His emotions were high, eyes averted from the Monkey King, head bowed. "Even if there's infighting, it won't be among us. If we go all out against the other district leaders, we might win. Anyway, I don't support leaving."
"I agree with Shortbeak," Big Bull said quietly, raising his hand but not daring to meet the Monkey King's eyes. Then he nudged White Ape with his elbow.
"Well..." White Ape seemed to wake from a dream, looking from the Monkey King to Shortbeak, about to speak when Shortbeak interrupted.
"So many of our lesser demons died on the way here. If we leave, none of them will survive. If anyone leaves, it'll only be us. The lesser demons won't stand a chance. And if we've seen through this trap, maybe others have too. So why are they still here, following the Serpent Lord's path? If this is a trap, why hasn't word gotten out?" Shortbeak glanced at White Ape, his fist clenched tighter. "These are things we need to figure out."
After a long, silent pause, White Ape finally raised his hand. "I... agree with Shortbeak's proposal."
"Alright then," the Monkey King said with a faint smile. "Three to two—let's go with that."
For the first time, he felt that these demons—including the lesser ones outside—were a heavy burden, a tiring one.
"So how do we figure things out now?" Big Bull asked.
Taking a deep breath, Shortbeak summoned his courage, lifted his head to meet the Monkey King's gaze, and said slowly, "Isn't he encouraging infighting? This afternoon, we'll scout out the situation nearby. Tonight, we'll capture a few district leaders and question them!"