NOVPUBTen days later.
In the northern part of the Palante Empire.
As a rural estate of the Palante Empire, Qieke Manor was located about six hundred kilometers north of the capital city, Helsaraym, in Bokin County.
In cases where more privacy and security were needed, the border estate could be chosen as the site for high-level negotiations.
The manor had been donated to the royal family by Sir Arthur decades ago to provide a place for state officials to rest and work, away from the hustle and bustle of the capital, Helsaraym.
In this northernmost borough town of the Palante Empire, even in August the climate remained cold, with a continuous drizzle and the sky full of thick clouds, making the daylight appear as dusky as twilight.
It was only ten in the morning at the moment.
The heavy clouds already hung low, and on the streets, people hurried along as if they wanted to blend into the surrounding gray walls.
Most of the buildings in the main city of Bokin County were made of stone and, despite years of erosion by wind and rain, they still looked robust. The city streets were narrow and winding, with cobblestone roads that shimmered with a pale glow in the rain, reflecting the outlines of the surrounding buildings.
A snowfield deer carriage bearing the Royal Seal of the Demon World passed by, its wheels still smeared with unmelted snowstains, humming as they rolled, splashing water in every direction.
Inside the carriage, Hyperion glanced out the window and then half-drew the curtains again.
"Sigh."
She sighed.
Unlike the nightly festivities in the Demon King’s Castle, after crossing the Land of Perpetual Night to the Palante Empire, what she saw was a layer of clouds that would never dissipate.
"When we get to Qieke Manor, you’re the one who will be handling the negotiations, right, Calila?"
Hyperion looked toward Fallen Lord Calila, who was sitting opposite her, eyes closed as if in meditation.
"Yes, Your Highness only needs to complete the basic ceremonial steps. Leave the rest to me, and I’ll arrange everything with the Palante Empire,"
Calila stated calmly.
At present, all of the Demon World’s diplomatic affairs were personally arranged by her, and the Palante Empire had quickly coordinated the schedule to welcome Princess Hyperion’s visit, although the preliminary meeting location was set in Bokin County on the Northern Border of Palante.
It didn’t surprise her that the representative who the Palante Empire chose to meet the Demon Delegation was Duke Moriarty, the Minister of Foreign Affairs; when she requested a meeting with the Prime Minister, she was very tactfully declined.
"Okay."
Hyperion accepted contentedly.
Although she always felt guilty for being a princess of little use, Lanci consoled her by saying she was quite an excellent princess, young and capable.
Despite Lanci’s words merely being gentle courtesies... for some reason, she felt that Lanci truly thought that way.
Today marked the thirty-ninth day in the Shadow World, and she had been in the Shadow World for over a month without realizing it.
Originally, the journey from the border of the Demon World to the border of the Palante Empire, crossing the Land of Perpetual Night, would have taken about seven days.
However, to achieve their mission, they spent some time in Purgatory City Pasqual after leaving Demon King Castle Necaris, which was located in the Demon Ancestral Land.
It’s worth mentioning that Purgatory Corridor Academy is also located in Purgatory City Pasqual.
Although Lanci was extremely nostalgic for this school, he still gave up on his personal desires due to the schedule.
After she and Lanci arrived at the Demon Ancestral Land, the mission objective, [Objective 1: The Demon Ancestral Land possibly harbors a seal for the Ancestor of the Blood Clan, and a certain key magical principle could be found there,] also turned into a completed status.
Although the Ancestral Land couldn’t kill the Blood Clan, its supreme Magic Power could automatically seal off any beings other than the Demon Race who rashly stepped into it.
In the current objectives of the Shadow World mission, the method to defeat the Blood Clan likely referred to successfully beating the Blood Clan, rendering them powerless and capturing them, and then safely transporting them to the Demon Ancestral Land in Purgatory City Pasqual.
That would be the correct way to seal the Blood Clan.
However, after Lanci told Fallen Lord Calila the recipe for Earl’s Blood Soup, Fallen Lord Calila also wavered.
Fallen Lord Calila began to consider the great commercial value of the Blood Clan as well as the feasibility of the Demon Race buying, breeding, and raising them.
Moreover, Lanci also suggested to her that an agreement could be reached with human kingdoms, where the Demon World could offer a high price to buy back or exchange strategic resources for high-order Blood Clan members that humans found difficult to detain. This could form an industrial chain where human nations on the frontlines of the Northern Continent would fight desperately against the Blood Clan, and the captured Blood Clan could be sold to the Demon World for money.
Hyperion immediately covered her ears and did not listen further; if she did, all her good karma would be lost.
However, after they left Purgatory City Pasqual, Lanci left the Great Love Poet in the Demon Ancestral Land.
The Ancestral Land of the Demon Race also served as a perpetual tomb for the Demon King.
Ninth-order Great Demons could turn into Great Demon Clan trials when they died in the Demon World, whereas the Demon King could merge their last strength and Life Soul into the Ancestral Land after death, thereby strengthening the magical Barrier of the Ancestral Land.
Unfortunately, Pranay confirmed to Lanci and Hyperion that after leaving the Shadow World, all status effects and bonuses gained within the Shadow World would be removed, including the Mark of Great Demon Clan crafted by the Shadow World. Thus, even if one acquired the Mark of the Great Demon Clan in the Shadow World, it could not be brought back to reality.
Lanci, in his short time studying in the Demon Ancestral Land, couldn’t figure out much other than finding it very beautiful.
But the Great Love Poet had an epiphany just like when she first observed the Original Slabs, so Lanci simply left her there.
Anyway, the Magic Card of her soul binding, which was taken into the Shadow World, would return to her Soul Space as long as it was not unbound, no matter where it was discarded when the Shadow World ended.
Hyperion gazed out the window through the gap in the curtains, quietly pondering.
The rain dripped slowly from the rim of the carriage, making crisp ticking sounds that interwove with the occasional chime of the church bell tower in the distance.
There were fewer and fewer pedestrians on the road beside the carriage, and the occasional citizens who hurried through were bundled up in heavy coats, their heads bowed to avoid the piercing cold wind and drizzle.
Even without a map, Hyperion knew they were getting closer to Qieke Manor on the outskirts of the other side of the city-state.
"The Palante Empire...? Are we there yet?"
Siegler snuggled up beside Hyperion, half-asleep and half-awake, rubbing her eyes as if waking up upon hearing a keyword.
As soon as she opened her eyes, she saw Calila sitting opposite her.
"We are here, Siegler. Just keep the princess company," Calila said to the Little Wolf Girl.
This orphan of the Wolf Clan had already obtained an identity in the Demon World and was also a key protective charge of hers as the Fallen Queen.
However, for now, Siegler’s identity was still that of a citizen of the Palante Empire, hired by the Demon Delegation from the Land of Perpetual Night to guide them on their journey.
"No problem."
Siegler nodded and lazily lay down across Hyperion’s knees, yawning and continuing to rest.
This great demon of the Great Demon Clan known as the Fallen Lord was quite fascinating. When Siegler first saw her, she thought her mother had come back to life and turned into a demon. It was only after inquiring with Hyperion that she understood Calila would appear as the woman one most wished to see. Hyperion too had felt that Calila resembled her mother upon first sight.
However, Miss Calila was clearly very young, and it was quite impolite to think of such an unmarried woman as a mother.
"..."
The Fallen Lord originally intended to say something but held back.
Since the princess had no objection, she didn’t either.
"Siegler, I’ll call you when it’s time to get off."
Hyperion simply smiled helplessly, placing her hand gently on Siegler’s head, caressing her light hair.
It was normal for children to get sleepy, and she had heard that Siegler had been working without rest for a long time, accumulating fatigue that was not appropriate for her age.
"Thank you, sister."
Siegler mumbled.
"Sister, where did Rocky go?"
After being quiet for a while, Siegler asked again.
She had noticed that Rocky had disappeared since she woke up.
"He said he has his own work to do. He got off when we arrived in the Palante Empire and will meet up with us later," Hyperion told Siegler in a soft voice, looking down at her.
"Oh right, Rocky’s secretary once told me that he is quite a distinguished person in the Palante Empire, and that I must not do anything disrespectful to him. He even gave me a particularly complex handbook of precautions, but later Rocky himself didn’t mind, so I just interacted with him casually..."
Siegler murmured as if she was sleep-talking.
She had nearly forgotten that Rocky actually hailed from the Palante Empire. She had been too preoccupied with playing with him in the Demon World.
"Ha, how respectable can he be in the Palante Empire? There’s no matching person in my information network," Calila scoffed, crossing her arms with a laugh.
The whole way, to be honest, she harbored some resentment towards Lord Unknown. She always felt that his respect for her was excessive, as if she were one of the elder generation of demons. She even retaliatively tried to look directly into Lord Unknown’s eyes, but it had no effect on him, making this man someone she could neither control nor influence.
"Uh."
Hyperion didn’t know what to say for a moment.
Actually, she had mentally prepared herself without seeing Lanci in the Demon World; whatever identity Lanci held in the Palante Empire wouldn’t surprise her.
After all, she had been to the Northern Continent.
Hyperion shook her head, not thinking too deeply about it.
Even though the faces of the people in the Palante Empire seemed anxious, and the city was shrouded in gloom without the hope of victory, Lanci had said that it is often darkest before dawn. If they could just get through it, everything would be reversed.
