Mushroom Lord in the Underground City

Chapter 730: Chapter 719: The Clever Eleanor

Muling Castle.

The Blood Guard, once clad in crimson armor and standing vigil like statues day and night, now have vanished without a trace.

Their will has been permanently twisted, loyal only to Mortis, and now most of the Blood Guard have been imprisoned.

"Your Highness, the Prince."

Two new guards saluted as they opened the castle gate for Darean.

In the somewhat desolate Muling Castle, due to the lack of guards, Darean walked all the way to the outside of the throne hall.

From afar, he saw that familiar figure.

White gloves, a straight robe, and that wide-brimmed hat, just as three hundred years ago.

Though he had long known the Demon King had returned, seeing him in person still filled Darean with excitement.

However, he did not approach immediately, as His Majesty the Demon King was meeting someone else.

"I am aware of your affairs. The Demon Race did not partake in the rebellion against Rune in those days, I will not blame you."

The Demon King lifted Gray, who was kneeling on the ground trembling and weeping, and took Dean’s Demon Core from his hand.

"Gray, are you willing to take on the burden of leading the Demon Race?"

The unexpected question left Gray stunned for a moment, but soon he bowed his head again: "Lord Demon King... I... lack the strength..."

Gray’s current power was only just nearing the threshold.

"Strength is not the issue," the Demon King shook his head and said, "I can graft the remaining power of Dean’s Demon Core onto you, but be aware, this is not a reward. Do you have the determination to bear long-lasting pain and move forward regardless?"

To clearly convey the nature of the pain he spoke of, the Demon King lightly placed a hand on Gray’s shoulder.

The power of the Blood Curse surged through his shoulder into Gray’s body. It felt as though something was taking root and growing inside him, altering his original bones, muscles, and Demon Patterns, breaking them down and reassembling them into another form.

Though Gray gritted his teeth and did not make a sound, large beads of sweat rolled down his face.

"A perfect transformation requires long-term experimentation and adjustment, but now, lacking both conditions and time, we can only resort to this crude method. The ensuing pain, though not as intense as now, will linger long and irremovably; that is the price."

The Demon King’s hand moved away from his shoulder, waiting quietly for an answer.

Gray lowered his head, seeing in his mind the clan members who had been left homeless and in fear after Dean’s death.

He clenched his hands into fists.

"Lord Demon King, I am willing."

The Demon King nodded.

"Upon my return, I will transplant the Demon Core for you. In the meantime, take some time to recuperate your body and spirit."

Gray bowed deeply, turned, and retreated.

Darean watched him pass by, disappearing into the dusk beyond the door, before stepping into the grand hall.

The Demon King looked at him, smiled briefly, then grew solemn: "Darean, I know you have a lot to say as well, but time waits for no one. I need you to take the army and support Levi."

"Yes, Lord Demon King." Darean answered briskly, with no unnecessary formalities, as if this meeting was not after three hundred years, "But what if we face simultaneous attacks from Fungus Castle and the Mountain Dwarves? It may become a grueling battle."

"As for Fungus Castle, based on analysis, it is likely still digesting the gains from the last war, unlikely to attack again in the short term. If they do come..." The Demon King paused, "Convince Levi to organize a structured retreat. Until the parasitic issue is resolved, the Empire should avoid a large-scale war with them; there are other ways to deal with them besides legion battles."

Darean nodded in agreement. He took the detailed task arrangement from the Demon King’s hand, stowed it in his sleeve, and was about to leave but suddenly stopped.

"By the way, Lord Demon King." He asked a question that had just crossed his mind, "Shall I release the slaves from Levi’s territory on this trip?"

He remembered clearly.

At the establishment of the Empire, slavery was explicitly abolished.

In those years, there was no more clanking of chains in border mines, and during noble meetings, no one spoke of "slaves" anymore.

It was Mortis, during the civil war with the Werewolves, who revived this institution to win over some power-holders.

Now, with the Demon King about to personally visit Eleanor’s territory and oversee the dismantling of those Blood Beast Factories, it seemed to him that the intent was clear enough: the Empire was returning to its original path.

Yet, to Darean’s surprise, the Demon King was silent for two seconds upon hearing this question before turning away, speaking with his back to Darean: "No, given the current circumstances. When you get there, have Levi improve the treatment of those slaves, ensuring they don’t starve to death or die of exhaustion, that’s it. As for the rest... we’ll address it later."

Darean thought for a moment, finding reason in it as well. With the Empire beset by internal and external troubles, suddenly releasing the slaves could cause new chaos both above and below; there was no rush. Therefore, he accepted the order and withdrew.

The Demon King turned back, as if seeing in Darean’s retreating figure the Empire’s past glory, an Empire in his hands poised to overcome the obstacle of "racial hatred" and realize perfect peace and unity.

Regrettably...

"It’s all a reflection in the water; this world cannot birth a perfect realm."

A Teleportation Magic Array appeared beneath the Demon King’s feet, and in the next moment, he teleported onto a Teleportation Array in Eleanor’s castle, guided by the Empire’s recorded coordinates.

He had arranged everything else and came over smoothly and swiftly, without any of the Emperor’s trappings.

Besides the pressing crises facing the Empire, there was another significant reason: he had read all the Empire’s records regarding Eleanor.

This was an existence that ranked highly in terms of malice and stupidity, even at the end of the Orelian Dynasty.

The Demon King feared she might do something foolish like "extract the Blood Beasts dry before my arrival for one last profit."

However, the moment he landed, the Demon King sensed something was amiss...

...

Rewind slightly, two hours after Eleanor received the message from Muling Castle, at the Night Lily Manor.

"Drain those Blood Beasts dry at once!" Unable to resist the Demon King, with no place to relocate the factory, Eleanor, in a flash of inspiration, thought of a way that might reduce her losses somewhat.

She glared at her bewildered subordinates and shouted, "Why are you still standing there? Didn’t you hear me? Go! Before anyone from Muling Castle arrives!"

What she didn’t know was that this scene, thanks to the mycelium spread throughout the manor, was relayed without omission to the sight of some selected Blood Beast slaves.

In a management room of a Blood Beast Factory, the usual handler responsible for blood extraction lay in a pool of blood.

The only living beings in the room were a blood-soaked Puki and a Blood Beast slave seething with hatred.

The slave took a small, pitch-black mushroom from Puki’s tentacles and asked, trembling, "Is it true that eating this will give me revenge?"

Puki lightly touched his shoulder with a tentacle: "Of course, your despair and pain will resonate maximally with this Despair Mushroom, and those who harmed you will experience your suffering a hundredfold!"

Assured by this answer, the slave gazed at the Despair Mushroom in his hand, his face twisted with fury, and swallowed it in one bite.

The next moment, his clothes burst apart, and black fog erupted, swiftly engulfing the entire city.