"That's possible..."
Just as [ A Huan ] was about to ask his companions to inquire whether [ Howling Pothos ] had received the goods, the demon Duma suddenly reappeared amidst the exploding sparks.
He had changed into an outfit more befitting his demonic identity, and his entire being—no, his entire demonic aura—looked much more radiant.
"I'm ready."
The Duma who reappeared was completely different from the old man downstairs before. This time, he had changed out of the plant fiber clothes commonly seen in the Holy See and put on a style of clothing that was different from both the Empire and the Kingdom.
The robe appears to be made from the skin of some rare animal, and its rough cut makes it seem as if it were torn off.
Unlike Duma's fiery demonic aura, this robe exuded a bone-chilling coldness. It wasn't a physical coldness, but rather a chilling coldness that seemed to gather the resentment of countless dead souls, sending shivers down one's spine.
Everyone tried their best not to think about the origin of this high-quality outer robe, and just silently looked at Duma.
This demon had now fully revealed its mad nature, as if it were about to come up and treat them as appetizers at any moment.
New players who witnessed this scene for the first time were all shocked—the contrast of this demon was too great.
If Duma was just an old man reading a book or newspaper at the entrance of the neighborhood, then the shock he brought them now was almost like getting closer to discover that the book he was reading was "A Guide to Human Cooking."
Duma looked at [ A Huan ] and said calmly:
"Tell those Soul Returner to draw this pattern with burning charcoal scraps that those who wish to summon me will do so."
As he spoke Duma reached out and lightly tapped the air, drawing in countless embers carrying sparks, which condensed in the air into a complex emblem that shimmered with fire.
The outermost layer of the emblem is a standard circle, while the inside consists of four arms and four eyes, abstracted into lines.
The four limbs and arms clasped together in sequence to form a square within the circle, while the four eyes looked around as if they could see everything.
"Tell them that the radius of the pattern must not be less than one meter, and that it must be drawn before the charcoal goes out."
Duma continued speaking while looking at [ A Huan ], while the Soul Returner had already taken a picture of the pattern and sent it to [ Howling Pothos ], and was simultaneously recording the key points of the summoning that Duma was talking about.
The demon paused after speaking, then suddenly added:
"After you finish drawing, continue using burning charcoal to spell out my full name in Imperial cursive script on the innermost side, and make sure to finish before the charcoal goes out."
"Understood."
The Soul Returner did not notice anything amiss.
So what is your full name?
"My full name is: Duma Cize Pipse de Dominique Roussil Bianchi Jean Drunno Conti Mancini Broken Wind von Salvador Ferriche..."
As the fire demon with its astonishing lung capacity rattled off non-stop, the player responsible for taking notes was already on the verge of collapse.
At this moment, it was [ A Huan ] who dared to interrupt the other party:
"Mr. Duma, isn't your full name a bit too long...?"
Duma gestured for him to stop, and finally finished reciting the last part of the name:
"... Gabriel Jacob Marba Nige Ganhuo."
"Okay, I'm done. This is my full name."
Looking at the five people who were dumbfounded, Duma smiled and said.
"Excuse my bluntness, Mr. Duma."
[ A Huan ] pondered and said:
"Given the size of the summoning circle you mentioned, it might not be able to hold such a long name."
"Ah, that seems to be the case."
Duma nodded and said:
"... Then, according to the devil's etiquette, at least the first five names and the last five names should be written down."
"This is respect for the devil."
[ A Huan ] wiped the sweat from his forehead:
"Okay, I'll pass it on to my companions over there."
"It's not over yet."
Seeing that the other party did not refute, Duma suddenly added again.
"It's not over yet?!"
[ A Huan ] exclaimed in surprise, then realized that this might be a bit rude, but Duma had always been an easy-going demon and didn't mind.
The demon continued:
"After all this is done, have the person who summoned me extinguish the charcoal arranged in the innermost circle to form my full name with their own blood, but without affecting any of the charcoal in the outermost circle, otherwise the summoning will fail."
"Is there any left?"
[ A Huan ] asked, and the demon shook his head:
"There is none left."
"Really, that's all?"
There really aren't any left.
"All right."
[ A Huan ] had already become suspicious. Based on his understanding of this demon, after passing the information to [ Howling Pothos ] over there, he finally asked the question:
"Why do I feel like you made up this summoning method on the spot?"
You guessed right.
To everyone's surprise, Duma openly admitted this:
"It's what I just wrote."
"This..."
"Don't you understand?"
The demon asked with a smile, and this time it wasn't just [ A Huan ], the other four also nodded.
"Before I'm summoned, I can talk to you about it."
The demon took a sip of tea and explained with a smile:
"I am a High Tier fire demon, capable of locking onto any fire within a thousand miles. As long as the fire is distinctive enough, I can locate it and teleport there."
"So this method of summoning me is not fictitious; drawing complex patterns helps me pinpoint that particular flame."
[ A Huan ] frowned in confusion:
"But you just said..."
"Yes, but that doesn't contradict the fact that I made up this method."
The demon crossed his arms in front of his chest:
"The later design elements were just to enhance the uniqueness of the flames. Besides, it's not like the Soul Returner is summoning me, so why would there be any shortcut?"
"He's just a low-ranking nobleman in an empire. If we don't set some kind of threshold for him, wouldn't we be treating me like some ordinary demon?"
"It would be so boring if he started asking me for advice every day."
So it was to avoid harassment?
Duma, you bastard.
"Making the process more complex and raising the bar a bit higher helps him organize his thoughts, perform at his best, and understand his own inner desires, which is actually a good thing."
Duma shrugged:
"Besides, isn't it fun? It's like having a bunch of ants spell out your name with sugar; it has a very sacred feeling."
Where is it sacred?
[ A Huan ] thought to himself, but still asked:
"Isn't this putting that imperial nobleman in a bit too difficult...?"
Realizing that this was just a prank by Duma, his tense nerves completely relaxed, and he immediately asked the being in front of him this question.
"It's alright, it's what he should do."
Duma paid no attention to this, and then [ A Huan ] heard the most reasonable statement of the day:
"If even the devil is unwilling to please him, why should the devil grant his wish?"