魔界北部。

奈卡岛，魔王宫。

When the first ray of dawn pierced through the clouds and spilled into the Regent's Hall on the east side of the palace, Regent Mero had already been dealing with official business at her desk.

She sat upright on the throne inlaid with obsidian and scarlet gems, her slender fingertips holding a black and sharp demonic eagle feather pen.

The face of the Defiled One was as stern as an ice sculpture, and a sense of awe could not be concealed between her brows, as if she were a queen scrutinizing her own kingdom.

"Sigh."

Before long, she sighed, closed the document in front of her, and placed it beside her hand.

Mero rested her cheek on her hand, looking at the official letters with boredom.

Relaxed, she lost her composure from before, and seemed to be intermittently restless these past two days.

Time passed.

"Lord Defiled One."

A demonic figure cloaked in jet-black silently appeared at the far end of the hall.

The spy's slender figure was agile, like a black panther, almost blending into the shadows.

Mero sensed the arrival of the visitor.

She casually raised her head and looked directly at the spy.

"Speak your business."

Mero looked at her most capable confidant, wondering why the other party had come to disturb her, as there should be no assigned tasks recently.

The princess was not in the demon king's city of Nyxalis either, and the other great demons were obedient and well-behaved. The Holy Plante Church and the Hurning Empire were surprisingly harmonious.

The spy stepped forward two steps, knelt on one knee, and bowed her head in salute.

"Lord, I have come to report an important matter."

The spy did not dare to rashly and rudely cast a barrier to block detection, and spoke in a volume that only the two of them could hear.

Mero's cold jade-like fingertips lightly tapped the table, personally casting a shielding barrier, her face showing no expression.

"You may speak."

She said.

"The Principal of the Purgatory Corridor Academy, whom you asked us to pay attention to, has made a move within the Demon Realm."

The spy lowered her head even further, her voice becoming hurried and nervous.

"Hmm?"

Mero, who had always been calm and composed, stared at the spy upon hearing this.

She had indeed instructed her subordinates to pay attention to the whereabouts of the Principal of the Purgatory Corridor Academy, to prevent other demons with no sense of propriety from provoking him, and to provide him with convenience.

However, Mero did not expect that the Holy Plante Pope, who had just taken office disguised as the Principal, would make a move only one day after she returned to the Demon King's city.

But on second thought, it was Kali Yerra who had called the Holy Plante Pope, and the Holy Plante Pope had only made a friendly appearance as the Principal of the Purgatory Corridor Academy. In reality, the Pope should indeed return to the Holy Plante Church to do his real job.

Thinking this, Mero couldn't help feeling a little disappointed.

Although the proud her would not possibly go to the Purgatory Corridor Academy to find the Principal in the short term, if time passed and the Principal stayed in Paskwal of Purgatory City, this Regent might have some official business that would lead her to have to go to Purgatory City to see that guy.

"That Mr. Phantom Demon left Paskwal of Purgatory City alone last night, and rode the Demon Realm flying dragon of Purgatory City, heading towards Nyxalis of the Demon King's City at great speed..."

The spy's forehead was covered with fine beads of sweat. Observing Mero's gloomy aura, she forced herself to remain calm and continued to report,

"Moreover, this morning after the secretary of the Purgatory Corridor Academy went to work, a communication was sent from there, seemingly conveying the Principal's intention to meet you."

*Crack!*

Hearing this, Mero's originally fair hand turned pale because of excessive force, and she snapped the pen in her hand.

She slightly opened her mouth, her eyes becoming dark and unpredictable.

The Regent's Hall became unusually quiet, with only the sound of uneven heartbeats.

The spy did not dare to raise her head, only feeling the cold sweat on her back soaking through her clothes.

Her master, Mero, had always killed according to her mood, and it was impossible to guess whether the overly emotional Mero would suddenly erupt at this moment.

"You're saying, he wants to see me...?"

Mero covered her chest, preventing her heart from jumping out.

The Pope had actually come alone, not to send the princess back, and more importantly, he specifically asked to see her?

"Yes, do you need me to decline on your behalf?"

The spy answered crisply and firmly.

She understood that Mero had been in a bad mood these past two days since returning from Purgatory City.

Fortunately, the news of the princess's escape had not leaked to the ears of other great demons, as this would be a scandal sufficient to shake the monarchy, which would inevitably undermine Mero's prestige and position in the demon race.

It seemed that the Defiled One had compromised with the princess, and agreed to let the princess stay in Purgatory City.

And this matter was bound to be the fuse for the Defiled One's irritability, and these subordinates did not dare to make any mistakes recently.

"Reject? What are you joking about! Invite him to the Demon King's Palace to see me, and be sure not to be disrespectful to him."

Mero asked her subordinate in surprise, tapping the table impatiently with her slender fingertips, and ordered.

"As you command, Lord Defiled One!"

The spy was relieved to hear this, and hurriedly agreed.

Although she was also very confused, it seemed that the Defiled One Mero's mood had improved again, so she just had to do as Mero instructed.

"Go quickly."

Mero waved her hand impatiently.

The spy turned into a wisp of black smoke and retreated gracefully, disappearing into the hall.

The huge hall returned to silence.

Mero looked expressionlessly towards Purgatory City outside the window. The interlude just now seemed like an insignificant ripple, but her restless fingers stroking her scorpion tail betrayed the turbulent waves in her heart.

She lowered her head to look at her attire, thought for a moment, threw down the official documents, stood up and walked towards her bedroom, her footsteps on the corridor of the Demon King's Palace full of strength.

...

Several tens of minutes later.

The Demon Realm's royal city, Nyx Island, two hours after sunrise, today is cloudy.

The island was surrounded by clouds and mist, and the ground was filled with twilight. This ancient demonic city-state seemed to be sleeping on the edge of time, waiting for the arrival of a new day, but forever at the last second of the night.

The royal palace stood majestically in the center of Nyxalis, near the coast of Nyx Island.

The base layer of the forecourt served as a reception and security checkpoint area, connected to the coastal avenue. It was open to the public most of the time, allowing demons to visit and learn about the history of the Demon Realm.

In the past, the order here was strict, but this morning, the buildings surrounding the Nyxalis Demon King's Palace had become closed to dignitaries.

Only a few demonic dignitaries with important matters could step over the long steps of the royal palace's forecourt to enter the Demon King's Palace, and pass through the long corridors of the royal palace to handle the indispensable routine work.

The first floor housed the Regent's Hall, offices, and noble resting areas, and was also the core area for internal work and meeting activities of the royal palace.

As for the second floor and above, which were forbidden to pass through...

Only members of the royal family, those summoned, and the Regent could enter.

At this time, on the second floor.

"Principal, Lord Mero is already waiting for you."

A spy dressed as a palace attendant was walking with the Phantom Demon on the corridor of the second floor, with slight conversations coming from time to time.

She had previously been dressed as a spy, but sometimes she would dress as a palace maid due to work needs.

She still respected the Principal of the Purgatory Corridor Academy, not to mention his position as Principal, but the Defiled One's order was for her to treat him well.

It's just that this Principal could see the correct direction before she led the way, as if he had been here before, and was now simply revisiting an old place.

"Thank you, you've been a great help."

Lan Qi thanked the palace usher.

The corridor was spacious and bright, with ancient Demon Realm oil paintings hanging on the walls, and sculptures and antiques placed on both sides, all of which looked quite familiar to Lan Qi.

He had sent Sigrid off last night, went to the Demon King's bestowed restaurant for dinner, and then set off for the Demon King's city.

Lan Qi left Schubelian in the Purgatory Corridor Academy to play with her best friend, Lysandra, and gave Lysandra a week of paid leave, allowing her to play with the princess at will every day.

Home had to be placed in the safest location, and he only brought a portable cat bag, and kept Talia in a state of possession.

He had just arrived in Nyxalis of the Demon King's City this morning, and people from Mero had come to pick him up to the Demon King's Palace.

This palace usher, whom he had never met before, seemed to be very capable, not inferior to the previous usher, Lysandra, except that Lysandra had a Kali Yerra-like gentleness, while the palace usher in front of him had a Mero-like special forces' introverted temperament.

"You're welcome."

The palace attendant thanked him with slight relief.

Mr. Principal was wearing a long coat, with a formal suit inside, and a silver-white mask was also pinned to his waist. She wondered where this custom came from.

His race was the Phantom Demon race, and like the former Regent Kali Yerra, he was born with silver-white light hair, and possessed a captivating demonic aura.

The silver-white mask was clearly not the style of the Demon Realm masks. Even when viewed from the side, it had more of a human religious style, with soft lines, a tranquil expression, and a compassionate love between the eyebrows.

She had originally worried that the Principal, who could be regarded as a friend by the Defiled One Mero, was also a considerably terrible big shot. She didn't expect him to be so easygoing, completely unlike a high-ranking demon.

As they chatted easily and walked past the corner,

They saw a figure standing in front of them.

Lights dotted the corridor carpet. Mero was wearing a deep black evening dress like the night sky, her hands covered with black silk gloves, her long hair tied behind her head, each strand carefully woven, and some strands scattered lightly on her shoulders.

The palace attendant's footsteps screeched to a halt, and the corners of her eyes twitched.

She almost didn't recognize her Defiled One Lord Mero.

The Defiled One was clearly not like this two hours ago.

"Take him here."

The Defiled One Mero opened her mouth with a cold tone, glancing at the palace attendant.

She could see the disrespectful thoughts of her subordinate, but she was too lazy to care about it today.

"Yes, Lord."

The palace attendant respectfully saluted, and then quickly retreated.

"Let's go, I'll take you to the drawing-room next."

Mero did not seem to be slightly familiar with the Pope as she was when they parted last time.

She restored her usual indifference.

Treating the Holy Plante Pope as an enemy.

Mero turned around and walked forward.

"Miss Mero, you can regard me as a Demon Realm compatriot now. I won't fight you."

Lan Qi smiled and followed her, saying to her.

"Calling me Miss Mero again? Forget it, I'm too lazy to reason with you. I can't beat you anyway."

Mero said, pretending to be aloof and distant.

She didn't look back.

But to be honest, she had never allowed other demons to call her that.

On second thought, it wasn't realistic for the Holy Plante Pope to call her "Lord Mero," so she could only let him call her "Miss Mero."

Mero walked straight to the drawing-room in the east wing of the palace.

The Phantom Demon race followed two steps behind her.

Underneath her long dress, Mero moved her steps on the white alabaster floor as if gliding, maintaining the dignity of the Demon Realm Regent and steadily walking to the front of the door.

A slender and pale hand stretched out, and she touched the surface of the door with her fingertips.

Mero was full of curiosity about the Phantom Demon man's intentions, but she also maintained the poise and vigilance as a Regent.

The drawing-room was located on the easternmost side of the palace, only a wall away from Mero's Regent's Hall.

The two giant doors inlaid with Demon Realm titanium spar automatically slid open to both sides, revealing the interior of the drawing-room.

Mero turned sideways and made a gesture to invite him in, distant and polite.

Lan Qi nodded slightly, and stepped into the place of negotiation decided by Mero.

His eyes quickly swept around the interior furnishings.

The floor of the drawing-room was paved with black marble, and the intricate silver patterns engraved on it were like the boundless Demon Realm starry sky. A long table carved from demon dragon bones was placed in the center of the room, and the tabletop was covered with a dark velvet tablecloth.

Meals had already been prepared on it. In addition to tea drinks, there was also crispy-on-the-outside and tender-on-the-inside hell lava bread with demon beast cheese and jam made from Nyxalis black roses, which smelled sweet and delicious.

Lan Qi sat on the sofa, while Mero bent down and sat opposite him.

Mero moved her body slightly, adjusted the position of her round buttocks, and moved her scorpion tail to the back of the chair, so that the tip of the needle was not facing him.

"Speak, what's the matter with coming to me?"

Mero looked out of the floor-to-ceiling window at the garden, and said absentmindedly.

"No, how can she be so normal?"

Talia called out to Lan Qi in his heart, full of questions.

In her impression, the Defiled One Mero was a complete madwoman that night.

Today, she couldn't say anything wrong with the Defiled One at all. She was completely a cold and rational Demon Realm Regent.

Could it be that this bitch was pretending to be reserved in front of Lan Qi, pretending to be a lady?

"You seem to have too much malice towards Mero."

Lan Qi replied to Talia with his mind, and smiled.

"I hate her to death! Don't be deceived by her appearance!"

Talia felt uncomfortable all over just thinking about Mero.

If Lan Qi didn't want to ask Mero for help, she would never want to see her.

Even if she was hiding in Lan Qi's body and didn't need to meet Mero, Talia was very uncomfortable.

"Master, don't worry, I'll deal with her. You don't need to come forward. Miss Mero is indeed the strongest person of this era. I need her strength."

Lan Qi comforted Talia.

"..."

"Why do you use honorifics for her, but you've never called me 'Miss Talia'?"

Talia suddenly realized the problem.

"Master, your sense of precipitation is different, and your seniority is different, how can I call you that?"

Lan Qi replied politely.

"I, I!"

Hearing Lan Qi's sincere words, Talia wanted to press him on the sofa on the spot, but she didn't dare to show up and see Mero, and didn't even want to reveal her magic power, so that Mero could smell her scent.

Why was even Mero younger than her in Lan Qi's heart?!

Talia's resentment rose to the sky, but now she was caught in a dilemma, with nowhere to vent.

She was so uncomfortable!

She had encountered a bug with Lan Qi!

In the humid garden outside the window, rare Demon Realm plants were planted, including blood-colored roses that could devour magic power, violets that could release hallucinogenic gas, and mandrakes that could peep into people's hearts. Several Demon Realm butterflies were dancing in the flowers, and the sound of insects could be heard in the drawing-room from time to time.

Mero waited for the Pope to respond, and imperceptibly picked up the teacup and took a sip.

"Mero, can you help me?"

Lan Qi clasped his hands and placed them on his knees, asking her solemnly.

"Ah?"

Mero tilted her head slightly in melancholy, as if she didn't understand the other party's words, and her dark hair slid down silently.

She hadn't thought that the Holy Plante Pope would come to her for help, which surprised her and made her feel a little boring.

Did the Holy Plante Pope actually need other demons to help him?

"I need your help."

Lan Qi repeated it again, his eyes fixed on her, confirming.

"That won't do. I'm the Regent of the Demon Realm, so I can't betray the Demon Realm because of your request. Even if you use force, I can't agree to you."

The Defiled One Mero looked at his attitude, seemingly dissatisfied with his straightforward request, and deliberately added a hint of hostility to her voice, as if she was about to start fighting in the next second.

The Pope came here to talk to her in person, asking her for help, which undoubtedly meant that he was going to make some very excessive demands, such as asking their Demon Realm to exempt the Holy Plante Church from tariffs, or borrowing an exaggerated debt, or directly asking them for technology and materials.

"I'm also a person of the Demon Realm. How could I ask you to do something that would harm the Demon Realm?"

Lan Qi felt that Mero was too nervous today, and asked her with a helpless smile.

"Uh."

"The Demon Realm is my second hometown. Without the Demon Realm, there would be no me today."

"Then I believe you."

Mero realized that the Holy Plante Pope still remembered the past and had such a sense of belonging to their Demon Realm.

She felt a little relieved.

But she also felt a little disappointed in her heart.

She had already fantasized about the process of herself being defeated and humiliated by the Holy Plante Pope in every possible way.

As a result, this kind of thing would not happen.

"What exactly do you want me to do?"

After Mero pondered for a while, she tapped the edge of the cup with her index finger, and asked as if casually.

Anyway, it was probably to strengthen the cooperation between the Demon Realm and the Holy Plante Church, rather than an excessive unilateral treaty.

She had figured it out now. As long as it wasn't a treaty that harmed the Demon Realm, even if it was close to zero for the Demon Realm's interests, she would agree to it for the time being. Who told her that her fists were not as big as others? She could only endure the humiliation and bear the burden, and wait until she could beat the Pope in the future before going to him to get back everything with interest.

It was just a pipe dream to expect the Pope to be foolish enough to tear up the peace treaty with the Hurning Empire and let their Demon Realm want to profit from it.

"Come with me to destroy the Hurning Empire."

Lan Qi stated his request directly.

"Pfft!"

Mero almost didn't sit still.

She took out a handkerchief to cover her mouth, and had never been so embarrassed before.

"Pope, are you crazy?!"

Mero adjusted her sitting posture and covered her open mouth with her hands.

If she hadn't been constantly reminding herself to maintain her dignity in front of this person, she would have probably opened her eyes wide and blinked non-stop at this moment.

She didn't think that the Holy Plante Pope was joking like this. He had the same serious expression and tone when he let her go in the Purgatory Land earlier.

"Mero, do you know about the Mirror of Tiberius?"

Lan Qi asked her.

"...Of course."

Mero narrowed her eyes, and her expression became calm.

She had been wanting to know where this super-ancient artifact was, but in the entire Demon Realm, probably only Kali Yerra, besides the former Demon King, knew the answer.

Analyzing it now, the Holy Plante Pope in front of her might also know.

"It's actually at the bottom of the Purgatory Corridor Academy. This is also why Kali Yerra called me here. From now on, I'll have to trouble you to keep this artifact safe. I used the Mirror of Tiberius three times, and saw that the Hurning Empire is currently brewing some very terrible things..."

Lan Qi told her the answer frankly, and told Mero in detail most of the information he had obtained from the Mirror of Tiberius.

"..."

Mero blinked her eyes, listening a little absentmindedly.

Although these words that seemed to tear through the false veil of world peace sounded a bit absurd and crazy,

She believed that what the Holy Plante Pope said was absolutely true. Everything seemed to be able to match reality, and she became more and more shocked and angry as she listened.

Or rather, the Pope had no need to deceive her at all. She could investigate the truth in the next few days, and even if she did nothing, the Pope would personally go south to help her reveal the truth.

These damned vampires actually wanted to destroy their Demon Realm!

The drawing-room was quiet for a long time.

"I can understand that your Holy Plante Church wants to fight the Hurning Empire, and also wants to drag our Demon Realm into the water, but what if I refuse you?"

Mero asked Lan Qi in a negotiating tone.

For her, the best plan was actually to let the Holy Plante Church fight to the death, and let their Demon Realm reap the benefits.

"No, I will openly break with the Holy Plante Church, and destroy the Hurning Empire in my personal name only, but my strength is limited, and I need you great demons to pretend to be my familiars to help me."

Lan Qi said to Mero.

Mero was stunned.

She thought about it, and if the Pope had gone through three simulations with the Mirror of Tiberius, his understanding of the future might be far better than anyone else. He must have discovered that only by doing this could he break the vampire's situation and minimize the sacrifice.

Mero analyzed the situation as a whole, and it was indeed so. Only the Pope going crazy could make the vampires accept and condone him killing wantonly in the Hurning Empire, and then misjudge the Pope's situation, waiting to hunt down the exhausted Pope.

"At the end of everything, the Hurning Empire will erupt in that large-scale northern expedition disaster. The Holy Plante Empire will block everything for you, and the Demon Realm will have at least a hundred years to recuperate. I also guarantee that the Holy Plante Church will never do anything to harm the Demon Realm for a hundred years, and we will give you the entire Land of Eternal Night."

Lan Qi added, and presented his complete transaction content to Mero.

The Land of Eternal Night, as a transitional zone between the Demon Realm and the Holy Plante Church, originally belonged to the beastmen. Now that the beastmen have disappeared, there are mostly humans on the Small Stone City side, and mostly demons on the Small Night City side, but neither city belongs to the Demon Realm nor the Holy Plante Church.

The two sides had never argued about the issue of ownership in these years, but they were both clear about the value of this Land of Eternal Night to the Demon Realm and the Holy Plante Church, and sooner or later, conflicts would arise over the ownership and division of the Land of Eternal Night.

For Mero, who was a proud demon determined to become the Demon King, her emphasis on the transaction was no less than that of a demon princess like Talia. Once formed, she could trust Mero to abide by the agreement.

"But, what's in it for you?"

The Defiled One Mero thought for a long time, and asked Lan Qi in puzzlement.

Even though this could reduce sacrifices, the lives of those ordinary people, to be honest, had nothing to do with the Holy Plante Pope, who had entered the realm of gods and was absolutely unique. There was no need for him to demean himself like this.

Besides a reputation for being a scoundrel, he couldn't get anything in return.

"As long as I can protect the Holy Plante Church and the Demon Realm for generations to come, I'm willing to do so."

Lan Qi looked at Mero, and spoke the inner thoughts of Lankross.

He reached out his hand covered with white gloves to Mero, as if there was no point in saying more, and only waited for her final answer.

This was not only proof of the alliance, but also the Pope's oath.

For a long time.

Mero bit her lip tightly, tilted her head, and didn't agree to the Pope.

"Mero, for the sake of being a Demon Realm colleague, help me out."

Lan Qi lowered his posture a little, and pleaded.

"You..."

Mero felt a little sad when she heard his voice.

He was already like this, why did he have to ask her in a low voice?

And at this moment, she was the only one who could help this man.

"Okay, I promise you, but Pope, don't get one thing wrong, this is not out of cooperation between the Demon Realm Regent and you."

The Defiled One Mero finally made up her mind and nodded,

"It's just as your friend that I agree to mess around with you once."

Mero grasped Lan Qi's hand.