Ed's eyes twitched at the slightest glance.
Wait, why is this old man crying?
If I'm not mistaken, Duma is crying, isn't she? She really is crying, isn't she?
A demon of unknown age (at least several thousand years old) was crying before him?
What kind of situation is this?
Ed had considered many possible reactions from Duma, but he never imagined she would burst into tears.
Especially for a demon with four eyes, the expression of tears is rather eerie, far more outrageous than crocodile tears.
Ed thought for a moment and felt that it wouldn't be good to remain silent, so he tentatively asked:
What's wrong with you?
Duma wiped her face with one hand, her voice choked with emotion as she said:
"I'm sorry Tree God, I lost my composure..."
Now that things had come to this, Ed had no interest in dwelling on the other person's choice of words. He simply sat in his chair and waited for the demon to finish speaking. Seraphina, on the other hand, was quite interested in it and had already returned to her usual seat in her economics class to listen attentively.
Duma stared intently at the contract in his hand and said seriously:
"I served as the commander-in-chief of the allied forces under the last Demon King for two hundred years, and he never paid me any form of compensation..."
Ed's expression Solidification on his face.
Although Willow had said long ago that the demon race's economic system was extremely primitive, this is just too damn primitive!
The commander of the Demon Allied Army has served for two hundred years; isn't it a bit too stingy not to give him a single penny?
This former Demon King simply had his subordinates generate electricity through love; no wonder he was the last Demon King...
Feeling puzzled, Ed quickly pressed for an answer:
"But didn't you say that the demons gained vast territories under your leadership? Has the Demon King not rewarded you for even such an achievement?"
Duma hesitated for a moment:
Does a verbal reward count?
Ed shook his head:
"No."
No, that's not the case.
Duma sighed:
"Pure demons are rare to begin with, and given our nature to seek pleasure rather than material things, that demon king doesn't seem to understand my true thoughts. In fact, material incentives are also very important."
"However, this cannot be blamed on that Demon King. He was not targeting me, but rather he did not bestow any rewards upon any of the demons."
"The demon race indeed has almost no concept of a universal currency. It wasn't until just before the Demonic Tide broke out that some settlements began to have a small-scale circulating currency."
Ed was dumbfounded by this information. He had originally thought that vampires, whose ranks were determined by noble titles, were stubborn old-fashioned creatures.
Now it seems that these guys are among the more progressive faction within the demon race.
"I don't care about what happened before, but as long as you work for me, you will receive appropriate compensation."
Ed looked at Duma seriously and said:
"But my money isn't easy to earn. Do you know what you should be doing?"
Duma looked up at Ed. He actually had some guesses about this, but he still hoped that Ed would give him a clear answer.
Fighting an entire Tree Worship Church Theocracy with only one province is no easy task, even with a large number of fearless players.
Players won't die, but NPCs can. If a player makes a mistake in defense, they can reload and start over, but if villagers, townspeople, or citizens die, they're really dead.
Players play games for fun, not to work, so a lot of repetitive basic tasks will inevitably be assigned to local NPCs.
Without the production of basic resources by these local NPCs, the Second Holy See would not be able to establish itself.
If the Tree Worship Church and the Second Holy See engage in repeated tug-of-war over a particular important area, then almost no civilians will be left there, and the land will lose some of its value.
Ed briefly explained the key to this to Duma, and the demon lowered his head and pondered for a moment before asking:
"You... can't bring everyone back to life?"
Ed said seriously:
"Not yet. Only those with exceptionally strong souls can overcome death."
"Then how can I discern the existence of these steadfast souls?"
"You'll understand once you've experienced more of it; even the strongest soul has to give up something..."
Ed didn't describe the players' characteristics in much detail. Each NPC has their own way of being identified, since people from the two worlds have very obvious differences in many behaviors, so distinguishing them isn't that difficult.
As for the Wild Hunt, they are actually part of Ed's Undead Legion, but their situation is special. For the Wild Hunt to remain immortal, they must fight within the coverage area of Root Network.
For example, if the Wild Hunt were to die in Fir City now, then they would truly be dead.
The demon nodded thoughtfully, his mind already contemplating how to construct a defensive line.
Ed, however, grasped another key point in the other person's words, and, combining it with the little story about the demon race that Willow had told earlier, asked:
"I'd like to know what you've been through since you stepped down as commander-in-chief of the coalition forces?"
Duma remained kneeling on one knee, Ed, finding it awkward, wove a chair for him out of vines.
The demon sat in the chair and began to narrate like an old storyteller:
"A major event occurred in the Demon Realm at that time: the last demon king was assassinated by humans."
"My position as commander-in-chief of the allied forces was appointed by the Demon King. Now that the Demon King is dead, I am no longer the commander-in-chief of the allied forces, and most of the demons will not obey my orders."
"The demons returned to their respective clan settlements; some secluded themselves, while others waged war against each other, vying for the position of Demon King."
Ed nodded:
"I've heard about that too. You recruited a mercenary group that travels between different ethnic groups, serving them?"
Ed started to realize something was off. He'd heard Willow mention this part before and it seemed fine, but now it appeared the demons didn't even have money. How were they going to hire Duma and his small force?
As expected, Duma shook his head in denial:
"This is just a rumor. While the number of demons isn't large, they're not that rare either. After the other demons returned to their homelands, only they remained by my side."
"So you're considered the patriarch of the demons?"
"That's one way to put it, but I didn't really want to lead them. After all, the Demon King had just been assassinated by humans, and as the commander-in-chief of the allied forces, my relationship with the kingdom and the empire wasn't very harmonious."
Ed's lips twitched. Is this the art of speaking?
What does "not very harmonious" mean? It clearly means they are very incompatible.
Ed put himself in Duma's shoes; the Demon King had only recently died, and he was likely next.
Under such circumstances, it is indeed difficult to be in the mood to lead a group well.
"I'm afraid that if they follow me, they'll all be wiped out by humans one day, so I'm thinking of finding a new home for my people."