The City Lord's Manor.
Despite the dire state of Black City during the necromancers' rule, his City Lord's Manor was built with considerable luxury.
It was a medieval European-style ancient castle.
With a dark, gothic theme.
From its exterior, one could tell that the inhabitants of this city-state were likely necromancers or nobles similar to vampires.
The castle grounds were vast.
Necromancers were probably not the type to indulge in refining their character or seeking leisurely pursuits. The expansive courtyard was devoid of any flowers or plants, but instead, several piles of bones were scattered about, lending a touch of terror to the large, empty grounds.
Pushing open the castle gates.
The first thing that met the eye was a massive square hall, the floor paved primarily with blue and purple flagstones.
A distinctly cool aesthetic. Four withered white stone pillars, unadorned by any carvings, seemed to support the entire castle, their height reaching over ten meters. A crystal chandelier hung from the vaulted ceiling.
Directly beneath the chandelier was a dark red stone slab.
Upon it were etched very bizarre patterns.
And yet –
This slab was precisely positioned in the center of the four pillars, causing Chen Yu, upon seeing it, to involuntarily feel a chill run down his spine.
"Could this be some kind of evil formation?"
Chen Yu muttered, hesitant to step further. What if it was some malevolent formation, and he'd be sucked dry of his soul the moment he stepped onto it?
Wouldn't that be his bad luck?
"Little demon, do you recognize this thing?" Chen Yu whispered instinctively outside the pattern. But as soon as he spoke, he couldn't help but smile wryly and take a deep breath.
"Ah, force of habit~"
Over this long period, Chen Yu had developed a habit of asking the little demon whenever he didn't know something. She was the great demon king of the underground, vastly knowledgeable, and rarely stumped by any questions.
Or rather, to date, Chen Yu hadn't encountered anything she didn't know.
Although her castle had been destroyed, forcing the dignified great demon king to lodge with him, her knowledge was truly something Chen Yu envied.
"Perhaps the little demon's castle was far more magnificent than this."
Chen Yu smiled faintly.
He then stood outside the pattern, meticulously examining the design on the stone slab. As much as Chen Yu tried, after observing it for a good fifteen minutes, he attempted various ways to decipher the stone slab's images.
He found no clues.
Chen Yu didn't recognize any of the symbols within the slab's design.
"It's definitely some kind of evil formation," Chen Yu murmured. "What decent thing would a necromancer have in their residence? And with four pillars, isn't this exactly what Taoists use for spirit sealing? Hiss, could there be some evil spirit sealed here that the necromancer couldn't control?"
At this thought, Chen Yu shivered.
His entire body seemed to be possessed by a black bean and he leaped back several meters.
"A haunted house."
Chen Yu muttered.
He didn't dare to look at the stone slab again, quietly bypassing it and climbing the stairs.
Half an hour later—
"Mr. Chen, why are you sitting here?" Sani, dressed in a plain long gown, looked at Chen Yu, who was sitting in a sunny spot outside the City Lord's Manor, with confusion in her eyes.
Familiar whispers reached his ears.
Chen Yu suddenly looked up, his face filled with excitement as if he had seen a loved one, and walked towards her.
"Sani~"
Without another word, Chen Yu embraced Sani.
He nuzzled his head against her.
Sani, being held, stiffened. Feeling the friction against her chest, a faint blush spread across her delicate, pretty face. However, she could also sense that Chen Yu seemed to be somewhat frightened, so she didn't push him away, gently patting his back with her hand.
"There, there, it's all okay now~"
Gentle whispers came from Sani, but Chen Yu remained silent and didn't let go for a long time.
"Hey, have you no shame?" A familiar tone of disdain floated from beside Chen Yu's ear, prompting him to turn instinctively.
Immediately, he saw the demon girl and the Saintess Sona standing about ten meters away, watching him silently.
"Sona?"
Chen Yu exclaimed subconsciously.
"Hey, it's finally nice to meet you~" Sona waved with a smile. Chen Yu, with his chin resting on Sani's shoulder, glanced up and down.
Finally—
His gaze landed on a significantly prominent feature.
"Truly living up to her name," Chen Yu couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
No wonder the little demon called herself a dairy cow. Even in her miniature form, there were hints of it, and after returning to her true form, one could only say it was more than sufficient.
"You can also transform into your true form now?"
"Yes." Sona whispered with a light laugh. The little demon, however, suddenly snorted in disdain, "Can you get off that Miss Fox? Sneakily taking advantage, you're really something."
Hiss~
Sani's pretty face immediately turned as red as burning embers. Chen Yu cleared his throat upon hearing this.
"Don't spout nonsense, I was just a little scared," Chen Yu glared. "I just took a walk around this ancient castle and got a bit scared. When I came out, there was no one around, and Sani happened to arrive so I…"
"Keep making excuses."
The demon girl crossed her arms, her cool demeanor punctuated by a slight scoff.
"I'm telling the truth!" Chen Yu pointed a finger at the castle behind them. "If you don't believe me, go in and see for yourself. The courtyard is full of skeletons, and there's an evil formation inside the castle."
"Oh really? Then can you swear that you were scared the entire time, especially during those two little nuzzles you gave me later?"
"..."
Chen Yu, his lips moving, offered no rebuttal.
He—
Was indeed scared at the very beginning, he could swear to that. Back on the first floor, he already felt uneasy. Before he even reached the halfway point of the second floor, he felt a cold draft behind him, and the cabinets in the main hall seemed to move.
Terrified, he bolted out.
After coming out, he didn't dare to stay in the courtyard and deliberately moved to a spot with sunlight.
This was an unwritten rule between humans and ghosts.
Ghosts could not enter places with sunlight.
As for the hugging and nuzzling, his face was too soft, and he subconsciously rubbed against it, his thoughts becoming a little impure.
"Tch~"
The demon girl snorted with disdain.
That scoff made Chen Yu almost jump with indignation.
"Who are you giving that 'tch' to? What I do is none of your business," Chen Yu glared and rebuked. "Why didn't you just leave? I thought you weren't coming back~"
"That's my business."
The little demon glared back fiercely.
Sani, caught in the middle, seemed rather at a loss.
She lightly bit her lip, watching Chen Yu and the demon girl quarrel over her. Then, she gently clenched her small fists.
"Mr. Chen, I... I actually have something I wanted to talk to you about."
"I'm busy with official duties right now and don't have time for you," Chen Yu shot a glare at the little demon, then turned to Sani with a gentle smile in his eyes. "What is it, tell me~ Oh yes, Sani, your sister has also come to the city, you've seen her, right?"
"Mhm~"
Sani's eyes twinkled with a smile.
"Kaelen brought my sister to see me just now. Thank you so much, Mr. Chen. If it weren't for you..." Sani's lips moved, a heart full of gratitude, but she was too emotional to say anything coherent.
"Ah, it's nothing, don't worry about it."
Chen Yu said softly, his eyes crinkling with a smile.
"What did you need to see me about?"
"Actually, Miss Kaelen asked me to come." Mentioning the matter, Sani's expression turned serious. "She just told me you were in the city and would likely go to the City Lord's Manor, so I specifically came here to find you."
"Mhm~"
"The matter is, the Hyena tribe is coming."
"Ah?"
"The Hyena tribe." Sani repeated softly. "It's the hyenas your warriors captured. Their tribe has sent people."
"Huh?!"
Chen Yu's face turned green upon hearing this.
The Hyena tribe.
This came too fast!