The Lord Demon King is Unfathomable!

Sword and Broken Sword Pavilion?

It's quite a good name.

No sooner had Luo Yan sat down in the tavern and placed his luggage by his feet than the skirt-clad waitress scampered over with a tray in her arms, asking with a pleasant voice,

"Sir, what would you like to drink…"

She stopped mid-sentence, rendered speechless, all because the handsome face before her had seized all her attention.

The distinct facial features were strikingly handsome, his high-bridged nose slightly upturned, and underneath slightly curly dark-purple hair were a pair of lustrous black eyes. Despite the travel-worn look, his inherent sharpness could not be hidden…

Though she occasionally encountered handsome men while working here, a face handsome and brimming with stories was indeed uncommon in this place.

Could he be a noble from the Aus Empire?

That pale skin must be accustomed to living in castles…

While the waitress was lost in thought, Luo Yan had already swiftly perused the menu and casually placed his order.

"A glass of honey water, and ten pieces of bread… If you have a bag, please get me one."

Hearing the order, the waitress promptly snapped back to reality and enthusiastically responded,

"Right away! Sir, also, we offer accommodation services. If you haven't found a place to stay yet, you might want to consider our establishment."

Noticing the luggage beside him, she took the opportunity to promote their guest rooms.

However, staying here was still too risky for Luo Yan.

He had only heard of criminals returning to the scene of the crime but had never heard of one bold enough to rent a room next to the police station.

At this moment, he was less than ten meters away from the adventurer guild, and everyone sitting around him were adventurers!

Despite the seemingly faint pity they bore for the Demon King, if they ever knew that the Demon King was sitting right beside them, Luo Yan was sure he would already be lying on the ground.

As for why he was "putting his life on the line" by sitting here, that's a long story.

Hours earlier, standing on the teleportation circle, he had crossed several time zones, flying directly from the Demon City in the Westernmost Land to the northeastern shore of the Vortex Sea in central Aus Continent.

However, an unfortunate event occurred. Luo Yan never expected the Ministry of Internal Affairs' teleportation circle to be so unreliable that aiming for the labyrinth beneath the Thunder City, he ended up on the ground above.

In any case, when he came to his senses, he was already in an alley not far from here.

The parade of Duke Campbell happened to be passing nearby, and when he locked eyes with those sharp ones, he felt his heartbeat stop.

Fortunately, a bronze-level Undead Mage was not very conspicuous.

Plus, with everyone's attention drawn to the strutting knights on the street, no one noticed his arrival.

Otherwise, he wouldn't even need those knights to take action, he'd be submerged in a sea of people in an instant.

On the other hand, the humans' reaction confirmed a long-held suspicion of Luo Yan's—

That a mere bronze-level Undead Mage wouldn't alert anyone.

Having already faced the hero, he was even confident enough that even if that old Logan were to take a deep sniff of him, he wouldn't catch the faintest scent of Hell!

Of course.

He wouldn't intentionally let anyone close enough to smell him, either.

The adventurers in the tavern soon noticed this unusual guest.

But not one of them connected him with a visitor from Hell; instead, they took him for some sort of noble, subconsciously moderating their tone while whispering to each other.

"Who is this guy?"

"Who knows... A foreigner, maybe, a guest of the Campbell family?"

"A guest of the Campbell family here? It's more likely to be Mayor or someone from the Andes Family..."

"What's he doing here?"

"Maybe he's here to post a commission… Let's just wait and see."

Luo Yan, comfortably seated, paid no mind to their whispers or the probing glances.

Being innocent, he wasn't afraid of skewed shadows and didn't think these people could spot any flaws in him.

While they were observing him, he was also observing these adventurers.

Daggers, battle axes, crossbows, and guns… The adventurers' equipment looked pretty average, but it probably didn't need to be anything too fancy for the labyrinth anyway.

"The situation on the surface isn't too different from what's described in the books. Those guns are probably the works of Isaac IV, but they don't seem to threaten the rule of the knights, do they?"

After all, this world had Extraordinary Power, which clung to the soul and, by extension, to bloodlines… Objectively speaking, this set of rules really did suppress the progressive forces that should have emerged alongside the guns.

Of course, that's not the point.

He was the Demon King from Hell with more important things to worry about.

"That being said... the Demon King Territory of Dragon seems to be more complex than what the Ministry of Internal Affairs imagined."

Observing the glass of honey water brought by the waitress, Luo Yan tried to sort out his thoughts.

The likelihood of the Ministry's teleportation circle malfunctioning was very slim, and the Teleportation Magic hadn't failed; he was indeed brought here, just that the landing place was unexpected.

There was only one possibility.

Someone had erased the teleportation circle in the labyrinth!

And that wasn't all!

This vile individual, or individuals, had deliberately drawn a new one in an alley in the surface city, just waiting for the new Demon King to land and be caught off-guard.

As for the reason...

It didn't need guessing.

It was just that he was too weak; his arrival was nothing noteworthy. If the Ministry had sent a Diamond Level Demon over, they'd probably have been beaten to a pulp the moment they touched down!

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"Tsk... These knuckleheads, counting on them to join me in a start-up venture is probably a lost cause; better figure out a way to have them draw more fire."

Just as well.

No need for him to test those guys' loyalty—just knock them all out with one blow and get it over with!

While Luo Yan was silently making calculations in his mind, a group of people sitting not too far away had already set their sights on him.

Adventurers are a mixed bag by nature.

Some pick up orders from the adventurer guild by day and earn extra cash at the Thieves Guild on Underground Street by night.

Although the tasks borrowed through official channels can't be treated indifferently, this place is right next to the adventurer guild—the Sword and Broken Sword Pavilion.

A few burly and fierce-looking men exchanged glances, and finally, their gaze settled on the only woman in the group, wearing a leather jacket.

Knowing what these blockheads are thinking.

The woman rolled her eyes at her comrades and, under the prompting of several gazes, turned and walked over to the seat of the man carrying the suitcase and casually sat down, whistling to start a conversation.

"Hey buddy, where do you make your money usually?"

She pulled her neckline low, squeezing her not-so-ample bosom into a faint cleavage.

This trick should work well on men who can't keep their mind off the gutter, but unfortunately, it pales in comparison to an Enchanting Demon.

Those who left from the entrance just now seem to be her accomplices.

Luo Yan set down the cup in his hand and put on a cramped and feigned calm demeanor, as if it were his first time in such a place, yet trying hard to appear experienced.

"Do I look like someone who has a lot of money?"

The woman narrowed her eyes slightly, her gaze involuntarily drifting downward, focusing on the ring on his right hand.

Gold?

Not sure if it's gold-plated or solid gold... but the gemstone clearly looks pretty valuable.

A flicker of greed passed through her eyes, but she moved her gaze away as if indifferent.

"So you're in need of a way to get rich?"

"You have one?"

"Of course."

The thief-like woman smiled and extended her right hand.

"Chris."

"Emperor Qin."

Luo Yan shook her hand and when he tried to pull back, he found that the woman didn't let go. Instead, she gently rubbed her index finger in the palm of his hand.

"Emperor Qin? That's a strange name. Are you from the Aus Empire? Or from the northern academies? Speaking of which, your skin is quite nice, not a callus in sight... Let me guess, you're a mage?"

"Just Iron level."

Luo Yan "bashfully" withdrew his hand.

His embarrassed look made Chris giggle, as she reached out and patted his shoulder.

"Alright, I'll stop teasing you. Iron level mages are quite common around here; after all, those who are a bit stronger have either gone to the academies or work for lords. They seldom venture out... Speaking of which, our team just happens to be missing a mage, interested in joining us?"

Luo Yan: "Your team?"

Chris: "Silver Curved Blade; if you hang around here often, you should have heard of us."

Luo Yan: "That name... it's famous?"

"Very very famous, you might say one of the strong teams in dungeon exploration," Chris boasted shamelessly, then suddenly lowered her voice, leaning mysteriously close to his ear, "I'll tell you a secret, but don't share it with others... We recently discovered a secret passageway in the maze that presumably leads to Lord Demon King's treasury."

Luo Yan looked at her in surprise.

"For real?"

"Of course, would big sis lie to you?" Chris laughed heartily, patting Luo Yan's shoulder, "What do you say? Since you can do magic, why not join us?"

"No problem! Please definitely take me with you! Oh, hold on a second, let me settle the bill first—"

Putting on a look of unexpected joy, Luo Yan sprang up from his seat, as if truly dazzled by the promise of riches.

Watching him approach the waitress nearby, remembering he hadn't paid the bill yet, he reached into his pocket. Chris, who had also stood up, beat him to it, giggling as she threw the meal and tip into the waitress's tray.

"This meal is on big sis, as a celebration for you joining our Silver Curved Blade! Once you strike it rich, just make sure you don't forget about big sis."

As she spoke, she turned her head nonchalantly, glaring at the troublesome waitress with a menacing look.

The waitress holding the tray turned pale and her legs involuntarily trembled.

She really wanted to warn the handsome young man that the girl sitting across him was not to be trifled with, but in the end, she succumbed and bowed her head.

She's just an ordinary person.

Some things are beyond her control.

Following behind Chris and carrying his suitcase, Luo Yan walked out of the tavern with a spring in his step.

It looked like these people could escort him to the maze.

He was just worrying about finding a guide, and now he had not only a guide but a temporary bodyguard too!

The clinking of glasses and laughter in the tavern didn't skip a beat.

Watching the young man being taken out the door, many adventurers' faces revealed a mocking expression.

Poor guy, he's been targeted by Silver Curved Blade.

But it's no big deal.

He'll just need to be more cautious in his next life...

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