The lich's eyes darted around, her voice gradually softening into a muttering, deliberately incomprehensible phrase, and she even sped up her speech:
"This is a kind of Psionic Energy technique based on the Root Network. With your current state and knowledge, it's actually quite difficult for you to understand, but for most demons..."
When she mentioned the word "demon race," her wandering gaze suddenly fell on a figure next to Ed.
The lich looked at the demon with two eyes, and the demon looked at the lich with two eyes (the other two were on guard).
After a brief silence, the lich was the first to break down. Just as she was about to use the special characteristics of the demon race to cover up certain things, a demon appeared beside her.
Moreover, it seemed as if this demon had appeared out of thin air; I hadn't sensed its presence at all before I even saw it.
"Who... who is this?!"
Ed's gaze darted between the two demons, and he looked at Willow as she spoke to Duma:
"Lich, this is a demon."
He then looked at Duma and said to Willow:
"A demon, this is a lich."
The demon nodded to the demon in front of him and introduced himself:
"Hello, I am the demon Duma."
In that instant, Ed saw what true "shutdown" really meant on Willow's face.
For a demon, the person before him calling himself the demon Duma is as absurd as a human calling himself Odin, creating a sense of mythology stepping into reality.
Willow stood there like a malfunctioning robot for two seconds, and after a brief mental freeze, he remembered Ed's last words during their "phone call"—"If all goes well, we might meet this Duma soon."
Willow never expected to meet Duma in this way. After all, judging from Ed's tone and the results of their investigation, Duma seemed to be on the opposite side of her. They should have met on the battlefield, which is why she rushed back to Valhalla in such a hurry.
However, facing a renowned High Tier demon, Willow didn't think her Middle Tier boss could defeat him.
But judging from their current stance and attitude, their boss not only won the fight, but even won over the other side.
This... this...
The overwhelming amount of information made Willow's brain overheat, but seeing the relaxed atmosphere before her, she quickly calmed down and greeted the demon in front of her:
"Hello, I am the Willow Seretima."
" Willow Seretima?"
Duma gently scratched the back of his head with one hand, transforming from a shrewd commander into a gossipy old man at the village entrance:
Who is Yiwenni to you?
"It's my mother."
Where is Meisimar?
"It's my father."
"Oops!"
Duma clapped his hands in front of him, a seemingly benevolent smile appearing on his face:
"I even held your parents when they were little!"
Willow & Ed:
"Ah?"
Silence fell over the cathedral.
Ed began to reflect on whether he had viewed Duma through a lens that he shouldn't have.
It's reasonable for a demon who has lived for thousands of years to enjoy having fun, giving orders, and acting, but it's also quite reasonable for him to enjoy reading newspapers, gossiping, trying to establish connections, and showing off his seniority in front of younger generations!
Willow spoke with the devil for a few more minutes and learned that not only her parents, but also her grandparents and maternal grandparents had been held by this devil when they were children.
Duma seems to have a good relationship with the lich race, which, according to him, is because liches are one of the few demon races with relatively normal intelligence (meaning they can communicate normally with you).
Therefore, when he was leading the Demon Allied Army, he seemed to have had quite a few liches under his command, and these liches had established good relations with the demons.
Even after the Demon Allied Army disbanded and the demon king was assassinated, it did not affect the peaceful coexistence between the two sides.
Sensing that Duma's seniority was steadily rising, Ed thought for a moment and said to him:
"Once things are settled here, I plan to recommend a drink that would suit you."
Ed was referring to the World of Disorder tea that those casual players at the supply depots had created.
Since Duma enjoys reading newspapers (referring to his work in the incinerator), adding tea drinking to his list of hobbies would be quite reasonable, wouldn't it?
Then, I'll get a pair of glasses that can fit all four eyes at the same time, and I'll look like a retired old man from another world.
With this in mind, the image of the cunning and ruthless devil began to vanish from Ed's mind forever.
The three exchanged a few words, with Willow and Duma following behind Ed, one on each side.
Duma, who looks like a sweet potato spirit, goes without saying, Willow, as a lich, also has an appearance that is different from that of humans.
Her limbs were long and slender, and although her skin was pale, it was not the dark color of Blood Corpse. Instead, there was a faint glow of Psionic Energy that occasionally flashed through it.
The two demons, one on the left and one on the right, made Ed look like a demon king.
After assigning the task of cleaning the cathedral and organizing the data to the players, Ed led the two demons to the next location.
Located in the central part of Aduolin, at the junction of Blue Gum Town and Black Locust Town.
Amidst the wind and snow, Grand Knight Commander Gorn of the Second Order of Knights of Fir City was leading his troops on a long and arduous journey.
He took out a map from his pocket, looked at it, and confirmed his judgment.
This is indeed the border between two towns, and also the only way for the rebels from both towns and Fir City to return to their aid.
He was ordered by Archbishop Antiya Lisi of Fir City to accompany Legion Commander Marba on the expedition, but he never expected the enemy to be so cruel.
However, he was ordered by Marba to lead all the wounded and ordinary soldiers to hold the position here, in order to cut off the incoming rebel reinforcements and prevent the enemy from supporting both sides.
The more he thought about it, the more he felt that Commander Marba was incredibly wise. In this way, the crisis in Fir City could be resolved, and the enemy's stronghold would also be in danger.
All of this is because of my presence here; I am truly the pillar of strength.
After selecting a position to hold the post, a soldier came to report:
"Grand Knight Commander, when we left Fir City we said we were on a forced march, so none of us brought any camping supplies..."
Gorn's smile froze, then his face hardened.
"It's just a little snow. We're all elite members of the Holy Crusaders, selected from the best of the best. Can't we even endure this little bit of hardship?"
The soldier lowered his head and said:
"We're fine, but what about the wounded..."
Yes, we still have quite a few wounded here. Most of them are seriously injured, but they won't die anytime soon. These people really need some shelter, at least to prevent them from freezing into ice sculptures.
Gorn for a moment and said:
"Settle the wounded in the center of the camp, and send some people to the surrounding woods to gather materials and use Directed Alienation to build some tents."