NOVPUBSix days later.
In the grand manor of McCarthy on Lisi Island to the west of Demon King Castle Necaris, Lanci began his brand-new day when the sky was still a deep blue.
At the top floor of the mansion, in his bedroom—a room lavishly decorated and thoughtfully appointed—the sound of the sea waves outside the window was accompanied by the youthful voice of Cat Boss.
"Today marks your twenty-eighth day in the Shadow World."
"The news from the front lines between our neighboring Briss Kingdom and the Palante Empire is not optimistic."
"And as a mere Lanci, the only thing you can do is to exert your influence and fulfill your mission in the Demon World."
Cat Boss started his daily report.
"Okay, Cat Boss, I got it."
Lanci gently pressed Cat Boss’s head, walked on the carpet, passed through the spacious bedroom, and came to the wardrobe near the entrance.
He carefully chose his clothes.
Eventually, he selected a deep gray Protoss-style suit with a tie embroidered in silver patterns, perfectly tailored, looking both formal and dignified.
"Paying homage to the Legendary Sealing Master Asksan, this deep gray coat is really nice."
The mirror reflected Lanci’s face, bearing a slight smile, his eyes sparkling with determination and a longing for his goal today.
"Meow, he might not want your homage."
Cat Boss hopped beside Lanci’s feet, glanced at him, and felt that Lanci’s Radiant Demon demeanor coupled with Asksan’s style of dress did indeed look somewhat like a Cardinal Bishop.
Unfortunately, Lanci was still too far from being a true Cardinal Bishop-level character.
"He doesn’t mind."
Lanci commented.
"..."
Cat Boss didn’t want to continue the conversation with Lanci.
It turned its attention back to their scoreboard, occasionally poking at it.
[Public Opinion: 276→565/1000 (The support and cohesion of the populace)]
[Parliament: 227→176/1000 (Support rate from the higher echelons within the Palante Empire)]
[Military strength: 124→182/1000 (With reference to Honing Empire)]
[Financial condition: 236→323/1000 (Current production status of the Palante Empire)]
[Diplomacy: 115→232/1000 (Foreign relations with the Demon World and surrounding countries still not surrendered)]
[Overall Odds of Success: 0.0013%]
Cat Boss now had to keep a close eye on it several times a day, fearing any drops.
Thanks to Lanci’s relentless efforts, there were finally some numbers showing up for their chances of success.
Yet, the distance to 1% was still staggeringly far, so much so that it made them feel despair.
Ever since Lanci had left the Palante Empire, [Public Opinion] had been rising, and the rate of increase was accelerating.
Meanwhile, the [Parliament] category was still slowly declining.
Perhaps due to the extreme success in diplomacy with the Beastmen City-States, each city-state had added about 20 to [Diplomacy].
It seemed that forming heart-to-heart alliances for diplomatic reasons had led to boosts in [Military strength] and [Financial condition] for the alliance.
Since Lanci had not yet revealed in the Demon World that he belonged to the Palante Empire and opposed the Blood Clan forces, the results he had achieved there were not reflected in the [Diplomacy] category.
Out of the total forty-five days in the Shadow World, twenty-eight had passed, a pace that made Cat Boss anxious.
The outcome could very well be decided today!
"Lanci meow, you must rescue Xiu Bao!"
Little Black Cat advised.
Today’s royal ceremony would determine the freedom of Hyperion.
Aside from the Great Demon Clan of the current Demon World vying for the royal marriage bid, Marquis Ulysses of the Blood Clan’s tenth Ancestor also intended to intervene and wished to marry the only remaining royalty of the Demon Race.
The ceremony did not require painting on the spot, as the time it took and the performance of painting on the spot were unpredictable. The Fallen Queen wanted the members of the Great Demon Clan to choose their preferred scenes to paint at their leisure, and to submit their artworks before the final chord of the ceremony was struck. The paintings were to be delivered to the Sealed Gold Cabinet on the first floor of the royal palace’s Regency Hall, where they would be unsealed by her, the Fallen Queen, during today’s ceremony and judged fairly, allowing the princess to openly select her favorite piece.
It could be said that the final chord was already set, and all that awaited was the announcement of the outcome during the ceremony, after which the ceremony would come to its conclusion.
The princess did not know who the artist was when she viewed the paintings.
This was a blind selection.
At that time, the Fallen Queen would naturally discern to whom the magic power on the painting belonged, as well as determine the time of the painting’s completion based on the nature of the magic power.
"Don’t worry, this time I really gave it my all."
Lanci picked up the Little Black Cat from the ground and assured it confidently.
"Meow meow."
The Cat Boss knew that this week, aside from the necessary meetings with the dignitaries of the Demon World, Lanci had spent most of his time locked in his room.
But it had not seen what exactly Lanci had painted.
After finishing the painting, he had sealed it up and, with the help and guidance of a minister with whom he was very close, sent it directly to the Sealed Gold Cabinet at the Regency Hall on the first floor of the royal palace.
According to him, he wanted Hyperion to be the first one to see it.
Although the Cat Boss had seen Lanci’s painting, it had been taken away by Lanci before it had a chance to carefully assess it in the Northern Continent, and in the South Continent, it did not dare to assess it and just ran away. This time it wanted to properly see what level of artwork Lanci had created.
If it was an artwork, it had full confidence in Lanci, that odd kid. Given such a short timeframe, as long as the Great Demon Clan members and the Ancestor of the Tenth did not create a Holy-level artwork, it believed Lanci would surely win!
A man and a cat walked downstairs, and a hearty breakfast from the McCarthy Palace dining room was already prepared in the spacious dining hall.
Lanci sat down at the breakfast table near the floor-to-ceiling windows, pondering the day’s upcoming schedule. His gaze occasionally passed through the windows, taking in the deep purple sky of an eclipse and the dull sea surface.
On this day, due to the arrival of the Ancestor of the Blood Clan, the Demon King Castle Necaris had also activated its Barrier Canopy.
Of course, the main venues of the royal ceremony were all inside Necaris royal palace. Even during daytime, there was not much difference for the Blood Clan if they were inside a sturdy structure, especially in a Demon World royal palace protected by a Protective Enchantment.
Before long, Lanci finished his breakfast. He put down his utensils, wiped his mouth with a napkin, adjusted his tie, and stood up to receive the coat that the butler handed to him.
Outside the window, dawn had not yet broken, and the path of the sun was already obscured by the blood moon. The light on the eastern horizon grew hazy, and the entire Demon King Castle seemed to be enveloped in twilight.
Just as Lanci reached the palace’s grand hall doors, about to push them open and leave, he heard the patter of light footsteps behind him and turned his head.
He saw Siegler, still wearing her sleep cap, with sleepy eyes, running to see him off.
"Rocky, have a safe journey," she said, rubbing her eyes and waving her little hand.
Siegler had already become a member of the Demon Race using a mysterious magic tool, shaped like a card, that Lanci had taught her to use.
She looked exactly like a purebred Wolf Demon.
"Thank you for house-sitting," Lanci said to her.
Siegler fell silent for a while.
"I have a feeling that today is very dangerous... Two terrifying members of the Blood Clan have arrived in the Demon World’s Royal Capital... Be careful," she said.
Siegler’s drowsiness gradually dissipated, and her eyes clearly took on a look of discomfort and concern. Although she didn’t want to wrinkle Lanci’s freshly ironed coat, she couldn’t resist lightly clutching the corner of his garment.
Devious members of the Blood Clan often didn’t simply make a trip for the sake of it.
They had infinite resources to gamble with, to satisfy their never-ending pride and desires.
She remembered, on an ordinary and tranquil day, she had said goodbye to her father early in the morning like this. She thought he would return early to bring her gifts, play with her, and tell her stories.
And that was the last time she ever saw her father.
"I know, thank you," Lanci said, crouching down to look at her.
"Come back soon," she nodded.
Lanci smiled at her, waved goodbye, and left the mansion.
