"Haha, then, would you like to hear my advice?"
Amidst Badigadi's hearty laughter, Luo Ge and Nanahoshi inadvertently exchanged a glance.
Nanahoshi nodded slightly. Seeing that Nanahoshi agreed, Luo Ge also cupped his hands in a gesture of respect to Badigadi beside him. "Your Majesty, I am all ears."
Then Badigadi shared his opinion.
"... As the art of war says, 'Deception and reality intertwine, reality and illusion...' The most dangerous place in the world is actually the safest place."
"If we just get back to Krasma Town tonight, that idiot Atofe will never expect that not only have we not run away, but we'll actually turn back."
"Your Majesty, wonderful! Absolutely wonderful!"
" Nanahoshi, what do you think?"
Nanahoshi, who was mentioned next to him, nodded in agreement.
Although the wise demon king before them was burly and muscular... there was one undeniable truth.
He is indeed intelligent...
The most dangerous place is the safest place; this suggestion does sound quite good.
Unfortunately, after a moment of silence, Luo Ge gave a slightly apologetic look. "I'm sorry, Your Majesty... this probably won't work."
"Huh? Why?"
"Does this mean you don't trust me?"
Badigadi looked somewhat angry, with all six arms crossed over his chest, his muscles bulging like six small hills.
"No, that's not how it is."
"Actually, it's because... well, never mind, I'll tell His Majesty anyway."
Luo Ge took a deep breath and decided to tell the truth, "Your Majesty is surely aware of the reason I came to the Demon Continent, the reason I crossed the ocean... is actually to find Lady Kishirika, and to use her Demon Eye to find my long-lost mother."
"Now that I've finally gotten a lead, I naturally need to go back and inform my family in Milcion as soon as possible, so... I can't delay any longer."
"Oh, I see!"
Badigadi suddenly realized what was happening, and the displeasure on his face vanished instantly.
He walked up to Luo Ge, looked him up and down for a moment, a hint of approval in his eyes. "Hmm... As a man... to go to such lengths for your family, I understand your resolve."
"As a way of repaying you for helping my fiancée before, I am also willing to assist you in return."
"Really?"
"Your Majesty the Demon King?"
"Certainly!"
Badigadi nodded emphatically and said, "If I'm not mistaken, your next route is to start from here, traverse the entire Demon Continent, return to the southernmost port of Winn, and finally take a ship to the Millis Continent, right?"
Luo Ge nodded, without denying it.
But Badigadi suddenly held up a finger, his tone becoming serious. "First of all, putting aside... you've already been targeted by that idiot Atofe, just this route alone has wasted far too much time."
"Crossing the Demon Continent from here is incredibly difficult, not to mention the long distance... even if you're lucky enough not to be discovered by Atofe along the way, it will still take at least half a year."
"And it will take another two or three months for you to take a ship from Winnport to Zant Port in Millis. All in all, it will take at least a year, right?"
"And that's assuming you haven't been held back by Atofe. If that idiot gets entangled with you, you'll only waste more time."
Upon hearing this, Luo Ge fell silent, utterly silent.
It must be said that Badigadi, this wise devil, is indeed quite wise; he persuaded Luo Ge with just a few words.
Luo Ge could certainly have thought of this, but given the current situation... he really didn't have any good solutions.
Even if someone is incredibly skilled in combat, they can't teleport back in an instant.
He knew perfectly well that Badigadi wasn't exaggerating or trying to scare them... what he said was basically true.
After all, in terms of understanding the Demon Continent, he certainly couldn't surpass Badigadi, the local Demon King.
Although he hadn't known Badigadi for long, he knew he wasn't the kind of person who would spout a lot of nonsense for no reason.
so.
"So? Your Majesty the Demon King... what exactly are you trying to say?" Luo Ge asked, turning to Badigadi and voicing his doubts.
"Clatter!"
"Buddy! Stop keeping me in suspense, I'd also like to know how you plan to help little brother Luo Ge."
Kishirika, perched on Badigadi's shoulder, patted his head with her little hand.
Seeing that his fiancée had spoken, Badigadi no longer hesitated, puffed out his chest, and said, "As long as you seriously follow my advice, your return time to the Millis Continent can be shortened by at least half. It is estimated that... two months, you will arrive in Millis within two months at most."
"What?
"Wait a minute? Two months?"
"Really... or not?"
If it weren't for the serious expression on Badigadi's face, Luo Ge would have thought he was joking.
It's true.
"Buddy is an honest boy, he would never lie," Kishirika said, swinging her little legs and proudly defending her fiancé.
"Haha, my fiancée really understands me!"
Badigadi was in a good mood, waving all six arms at once, and then explained to Luo Ge.
"You probably don't know this, but I have some connections with the sea creatures in this area. If you'd like, I'll personally visit you in a few days to say hello."
"Thanks to the friendship I've built with the sea creatures, I can travel freely across the Lingus Sea, as long as I don't encounter any forbidden monsters from the deep sea."
"Whether you go to the Central Continent... or the Millis Continent, it's fine..."
At this point, Badigadi looked at Luo Ge with a wise gaze.
"Now..."
"Do you understand now? Crossing the Demon Continent back to the Millis Continent would not only make us easy targets for Atofe, but it would also waste time."
"But starting from this port, you won't need to make a point of circling the Demon Continent; you can go directly to the Millis Continent."
Upon hearing this, Luo Ge's heart skipped a beat.
This was an unexpected and delightful surprise for me.
If what Badigadi said is true, it could indeed save a lot of time.
Over the past six months, he and Nanahoshi have traversed the Demon Continent, gaining a clear understanding of its harshness.
This place is definitely not fit for human habitation.
The town is alright, with many demons living there, but resources are still scarce.
Highly dangerous monsters can be found everywhere in the wild, so even Luo Ge and Nanahoshi cannot be completely careless.
After all, Luo Ge had someone with him and also needed to take care of Nanahoshi, which would only make things take longer.
If you take the sea route as Badigadi suggested, then it really can save you more than half the time.
But soon, Luo Ge noticed a loophole in Badigadi's words.
"Wait a moment."
"What's wrong?"
"Your Majesty Badigadi, your suggestion sounds quite good, but I have a question and would appreciate it if Your Majesty could answer it."
"What is it? Just say it."
Badigadi looked at Luo Ge with an air of nonchalance, showing no sign of unease.
"Then I'll tell you."
"Your Majesty... Under normal circumstances, it took me two or three months to travel from Zant Port to Winn Port."
"This is the northernmost point of the Demon Continent. If we travel back by sea from here... shouldn't it take much longer? How come the time has been shortened instead?"
"Haha, that's a good question. I'll answer your question and satisfy your thirst for knowledge."
Badigadi, with a rather self-important air about him, cleared his throat and said, "That's because the ships are different."
"Boat?"
"Hmm... it's just that the ships are different... unlike human ships, sea creatures' ships are towed by monsters... they're faster and safer."
"I see."
Luo Ge looked enlightened.
"So, you're planning to follow my advice?"
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
"After that, I'll have to trouble Your Majesty. Your Majesty has truly helped me a great deal this time. If Your Majesty ever goes to the Central Continent in the future, I will certainly treat Your Majesty with the utmost hospitality."
"Haha, don't be so polite. After all, you've really helped me a lot this time. For my fiancée's sake, I have to help repay the favor."
"And from now on, please don't call me Your Majesty anymore. Just call me Badigadi. As for Budi, that's not acceptable; it's my fiancée's exclusive title."
"Hahahahahahaha..."
From then on... everyone got along very well.
Luo Ge hadn't expected that this seemingly terrifying demon king was actually not much different from a normal person in real life.
Aside from being a bit carefree and easygoing in terms of personality, there aren't many other problems.
However... it is indeed very easy and pleasant to get along with people like that.