Dekan's Holy Kingdom Journey, Part 1

One month later.

Dekan, dressed in overalls, emerged from the basement of the Clantes City Energy Station.

"Wow, I'm exhausted!"

He stretched with all his might.

After more than a month, Dekan finally created the forced energy extraction device based on the core technology in the Spatial Leap Gate design.

Irenos is being held captive in the cylindrical life support chamber directly beneath this energy station.

Under Dekan's guidance, Irenos, who had been almost rendered useless by Lunn, was now like a powerless puppet.

Upon arriving at the first floor of the energy station, seeing that the Irenos Prosperity was now able to provide energy normally, Dekan couldn't help but show a look of relief.

"Sir, you've had a long journey."

The staff at the energy station and the Captain of the Knights in charge of guarding the area greeted Dekan as he emerged.

Currently, Dekan's position in the Clantes City is that of the chief energy infrastructure engineer personally invited by Lunn.

When the people at the energy station learned that the engineer was going to build a device with an incredibly high capacity, they all expressed disbelief.

Regardless of whether their rationality is questioned, anyone who has witnessed how Lunn and Dekan interact would not dare to cause Dekan any trouble.

His identity was clearly extraordinary.

His compassionate and merciful ambition to save the world is truly admirable.

"There shouldn't be any problems this time, right?"

Dekan walked up to the control center and asked.

"Yes! Everything is stable now that you've fixed it!"

The maintenance worker said excitedly,

"It's simply a miracle! This method of generating energy out of nothing is like a ninth-tier powerhouse sacrificing their life to provide energy! Of course, that's impossible."

"Haha, it really does look quite similar."

After exchanging pleasantries with the people at the energy station, Dekan went to instruct the Captain of the Knights to keep an eye on the entrance to the basement.

The special guards of the Captain of the Knights rank were also granted to Dekan by Lunn.

The Clantes City will assign eighth-tier powerhouses to guard the energy station in shifts around the clock.

However, they could only guard the entrance to the basement.

Even when Dekan was building the Fuqiang energy plant, no one else was allowed to enter the basement.

Besides Dekan, only his sister and assistant could help him.

Although Talomati in this timeline is far less skilled in Magic Engineering than her Master in Dekan, she is, after all, Delois's younger sister who grew up with her and is extremely proficient in Delois's Magic Engineering techniques.

With her help, Dekan felt that he could achieve twice the result with half the effort.

Eve is just starting out; besides doing odd jobs, she's mostly learning the craft as an apprentice.

At that moment, Talomati and Eve brought Dekan's toolbox and the remaining materials out of the basement and waited for Dekan at the entrance of the energy station.

"Thank you for your hard work. I'll treat you to a big meal today."

Dekan walked toward the exit of the energy station and said to them with a smile.

"Yay, thank you, teacher!"

Although Eve had accumulated a considerable amount of Holy Gold Coin, she knew that as an immortal being, these savings were insufficient, and she needed to be very frugal in her daily life.

She strongly agreed with the frugality principles her teachers had taught her.

"Um."

Talomati didn't express any opinion on today's feast, nor did the corners of her mouth change in any way.

But there was a smile in her eyes, and you could tell she was in a good mood.

After the Demon Realm surrendered, Talomati did not return to the Demon Realm for the time being, but stayed in the Clantes City.

She really liked the food from the Holy Kingdom.

And following Delois is also a good option.

Pushing open the door of the energy station, the biting cold air stung their eyes.

It is now the coldest time of winter in the northern part of the Holy Kingdom, and there are few pedestrians on the streets, except for a few homeless refugees who are waiting for the food distributed at fixed times each day.

Even with the support of Morion's merchant guild, which could provide them with food, the shelters were already full, and there was no way to build a temporary one to provide a safe haven for more refugees to escape the cold.

Dekan three of them quickly left the energy station and hurried towards Lunn's manor in the wind and snow. Unconsciously, they seemed to have gotten used to treating Lunn's Lord's Mansion as an inn.

"Eve, what do you think of the human kingdom?"

Dekan, braving the cold wind, asked Eve was walking behind him.

"I really like it here, especially after peace was established. I'm sure it will become even more beautiful in the future."

Eve answered lightly, exhaling puffs of white mist.

She had fallen in love with this Holy Kingdom where she didn't have to live in fear, or more accurately, with the Clantes City, where she had a place to call home.

Eve had fantasized about escaping to a human kingdom, disguising herself as human, and living a relatively peaceful life while she was studying at the Demon Academy.

But she was also very realistic. With her disguise skills, her true identity would probably be discovered soon, and she didn't want to be caught and executed.

Moreover, she is so weak that even if she goes to a human kingdom, she might not be able to protect herself if she encounters bad people.

However, in the Clantes City, everything felt so peaceful.

Even Lunn, whom Eve feared the most, clearly saw through her identity at a glance, yet tacitly allowed her to live as a resident of Clantes City!

She was well aware that all of this was because she had a reliable guarantor.

After Lunn learned that Eve was Delois's student, he treated her as a harmless demon, or even as a human.

Of course, Lunn's attitude towards Talomati was the same.

"Teacher, thank you. I am very touched by your and Sister Talomati's care for me, as well as Lunn's attitude towards me."

Eve expressed her sincere gratitude.

Her words made Dekan pause slightly on the snow, as if frozen in place.

"Touched? Could you elaborate on your thoughts?"

Dekan turned to Eve and asked, seemingly unconcerned about the falling snow.

Although they seemed to have returned to a temporary teaching situation, Dekan's gaze was not stern at all; on the contrary, it was very easygoing.

"Hmm... I feel very safe when I'm with you. Even if it's not because I crave your protection, I still want to find you and stay with you. Maybe in human terms, this is what 'family' feels like?"

Eve answered while observing Dekan's expression.

"And Lunn's attitude of turning a blind eye, showing no prejudice or suspicion towards me just because I'm of a different race, really touched me... I wonder if this is what humans call kindness..."

Seeing that Dekan did not respond, she lowered her voice until she stopped speaking altogether.

She felt like she was saying something stupid.

I don't know if I'll anger the teacher.

But she was also certain that the consequences of lying to her teacher would be far more serious than daring to tell the truth.

So even though Eve knew that saying things like "You're so cruel" would anger the teacher, she still told the truth when asked for her thoughts.

"Please continue."

Dekan looked at Eve, his tone unusually gentle.

Eve was stunned for a moment, then nodded. It was the first time she had ever seen her teacher speak so kindly.

Finally, Eve took a deep breath as if she had mustered her courage, even though what she was about to say might be disobedient and disrespectful to the teachings of the legendary demon Delois.

"Teacher, I may still not be able to feel kindness towards other individuals, but I don't want to hurt them right now. Because if I do, I might experience an inexplicable discomfort; I have a feeling about it... just a feeling..."

After saying that, she hid behind Talomati.

After hearing Eve's words, Dekan remained silent for a long time.

My hair was covered in snowflakes.

"Very good, Eve, I have also benefited greatly from what you said."

After saying this, Dekan turned around and continued walking towards the Lunn mansion.

Eve watched her teacher's departing figure, clutching Talomati's forearm tightly, afraid to let go. She was terrified that she would be expelled from the school because of her words.

"He wasn't angry; on the contrary, his eyes held a genuine sense of relief."

Of course, there's also a touch of melancholy.

"Talomati said."

Let Eve pull him along, and he followed Dekan.

Although Dekan walked on by himself without saying a word, his expression was one of deep emotion.

"You actually succeeded in your research!"

The Master's surprised thoughts echoed in Dekan's mind.

She felt that Eve and Dekan, who could say those words, were more like human beings.

"She's still too early; she's far from understanding people's hearts at this stage."

Dekan sighed like an old father.

"Fortunately, I was able to make many valuable records during this time at the Shadow World, but unfortunately, I couldn't witness the entire process."

Eve is like a vessel with no capacity limit, possessing an comprehension ability that even Dekan finds incredible.

If any other brutal demon in the Demon Realm had discovered her talents, Eve would probably be a formidable opponent that even Delois would find troublesome by now. Fortunately, it was Delois who found her.

If such a moment had actually occurred in history, Delois's feelings during this conversation between Eve and Delois would likely have been quite complex.

"I think Delois is pathetic. He's been trying so hard to emulate humans, searching for an answer. Ironically, the student he took in had already grasped the very essence of human nature before he even did."

Dekan shook his head with a self-deprecating laugh.

He clearly doesn't have Delois's memories.

In this world's timeline, it felt as if I could empathize with Delois.

"Perhaps Delois has already come to understand human nature at this point in time? He just hasn't realized it yet."

The Master conveyed a gentle thought.

Who knows?

Analyzing Delois's state of mind is a very delicate matter for Dekan.

"Although I don't know what kind of journey Delois will embark on in his quest for the human heart after world peace, I am now fairly certain where Delois will go after this cold winter passes."

Dekan muttered to himself.

After completing all the mission objectives in this Shadow World, he also wants to go to a place he has long wanted to explore.

In that Holy Kingdom dreamland, there are seas of flowers and tombstones.

The southern territory where Delois and Clodia met and parted ways.

Upon returning to the warm and bright mansion, Dekan was greeted with cheers from the servants as soon as he entered.

It is thanks to this amazing engineer that they are able to enjoy such a warm winter.

In previous years, even Lunn wouldn't have squandered such precious energy in winter.

To save energy, the Lord's Mansion would also maintain a minimum level of heating, just like private residences.

However, as soon as he entered, Dekan heard footsteps coming from the second floor.

It was Croix, the lobby manager of the Lord's Mansion.

"Dekan, Morion and I are in trouble. We need to make a decision."

Croix walked up to Dekan with a somewhat serious expression, then whispered a few words in his ear.

"Um."

Dekan nodded and followed Croix up to the second floor.

For some reason, Talomati also came along.

Croix tugged at Dekan's sleeve; though he didn't speak, the meaning was clear.

Their next topic of discussion was the objective of the Shadow World mission, Croix was unsure whether it was appropriate to involve a character from the Shadow World.

Moreover, Talomati's identity still belongs to the Demon Realm.

In this brief month, the Demon King has already signed a ceasefire agreement with Lunn as promised.

This coercive contract dictates that if the Demon King initiates a war against the Holy Kingdom, the backlash could even put the Demon King's life on the line.

Correspondingly, Lunn cannot launch a counter-invasion against the Demon Realm.

Of course, besides the effects of the contract, the Demon Realm also fears Delois.

Even if the demons didn't know the truth, they could almost all guess that the final battle between Lunn and Irenos was not so simple.

The unseen hand behind the whole affair is enough to terrify even the devils.

Delois did indeed become, in some ways, a true ambassador of peace for the Demon Realm.

"It's okay, you can trust her completely, just trust her as much as you trust me."

Dekan spoke without any hesitation.

Croix nodded and apologized to Talomati.

Talomati didn't seem to care at all; what Delois had just said seemed to please her.

Pushing open the door to the familiar office of the head of the household, I saw Morion sitting at his desk, looking somewhat overwhelmed, rubbing his forehead and working on some calculations among the documents.

A thick stack of papers had already piled up into a small mountain on the desk.

Dekan walked over with a hint of curiosity.

These Dekan were primarily responsible for the energy stations, while the overall coordination of resources was handled by Croix and Morion.

It looks like there's a big problem.

But this didn't worry Dekan.

Instead, it gives you a sense of exhilaration, like "That's right!"

The fact that his teammates were nowhere to be seen kept Dekan on edge.

Now that the problem has been exposed, Dekan is relieved.

The man who has been missing for so long must be about to make his appearance!

"It really is the end of the whole series once Clay appears..."

Dekan sighed helplessly.