What are they laughing at?
For a moment, Duma felt a cold sweat break out on his back, but considering the disparity in strength between the two sides and the fact that these Soul Returner did not suddenly launch an attack, he felt that things might be a little different from what he had thought.
He asked the priest in front of him with a puzzled look:
What are they laughing at? Is the name funny?
The priest, who had also seen Duma's contract and considered him one of his own, shrugged and replied:
"I don't know, maybe it has a good meaning."
Duma glanced around, then stepped forward and patted one of the Soul Returner on the shoulder:
"I'd like to know if there's any deeper meaning behind the name the Son of God bestowed upon me?"
After being scolded by Seraphina last time, Duma already knew that Nige Ganhuo was not a real individual. It was precisely because of this that the Son of God Child bestowed this name upon him, allowing him to transform this fictional Black Dragon into a real Soul Returner Legion Commander.
Looking at the smiles of the Soul Returner, Duma knew there must be some deeper meaning behind them.
The randomly selected player paused for a moment, then burst into laughter.
Among the Soul Returner, his laughter was particularly exaggerated. While the others might be joking, he—[ Western Sharpshooter ], a true-blue White Knight from a certain country in another world, whose family had apparently been doing this kind of thing for two hundred years...
"Yes, yes, hahahahahaha..."
He wiped away the tears of laughter from the corners of his eyes and said, carefully choosing his words:
"Hmm, the name 'Nige Ganhuo' is a cleverly coined word. It's a homonym for the name of a powerful dragon, but it can also be interpreted as... a name that carries the connotations of diligence (out of necessity), down-to-earth (it has to be), selfless (there's no reward), and constant self-motivation (in a physical sense)."
"I see, I see!"
Duma's four eyes widened in surprise; in that instant, he felt as if the clouds had parted and the sun had shone through, and all his understanding had been suddenly revealed.
" The Son of God has indeed placed high hopes on me, everyone!"
His gaze shifted from one player to the surrounding players, waving his four hands, giving the impression that everyone's eyes were on me:
"I am unworthy, but I am about to assume the Soul Returner Legion Commander, responsible for all combat affairs in the southern part of the Second Holy See. In order not to betray the trust of His Holiness the Son of God, from this day forward please address me as— Nige Ganhuo!"
"Good!"
"OK!"
"No problem, Old Black!"
"..."
The cheers and applause from the players overwhelmed Duma; he truly felt the sincerity of the Soul Returner.
In the two days since joining the Second Holy See, Duma has experienced many things he had never felt before in his long life.
Players crave novelty, and so does he.
In Duma's mind, the demon race was like a pile of rubble forcibly built up by external forces.
Although they are not of the same race, they are collectively referred to as the Demon Race due to war and various other reasons, and are forced to come together.
Once such a group loses the external pressure, it will collapse rapidly like a pile of rubble.
In such a collapse, the stones closest to the top fall the hardest, just like the demon king's people after his death.
Human nations, whether kingdoms, empires, or even the Tree Worship Church Theocracy after the Demonic Tide, all feel more like spires built of stone bricks.
The lower bricks are always at the bottom, and the upper bricks are always at the top, forever unchanging, forever perfectly fitted; the only thing that changes is the style of the spire.
However, in this Second Holy See, although he had only been there for two days, he could not feel the sense of hierarchy that he had long been accustomed to.
He could casually ask any Soul Returner any question he wanted to know in a normal tone, and the Soul Returner could pat him on the shoulder and ask him the same question in return.
This feeling fascinated Duma, who had almost forgotten her actual age...
But there's only one thing--
His skin is clearly red, so why would anyone call him "Old Black"?
Before I could think about it further, the player I had asked also asked me indifferently:
" Duma, or Nige Ganhuo, may I ask who you are? How did you get here? And how did you join the Second Holy See?"
Seeing the curious glances from those around her, Duma knew this was her chance, a chance to forever sever ties with the identity of Marba.
In front of dozens, even nearly a hundred, Soul Returner and NPCs, Duma told a captivating story:
"I was born into an ordinary demon family, and from a young age, I could only fight for survival..."
Five minutes later:
"... And so, I became the vanguard officer of the Demon King's army, beginning my journey of struggle..."
"Hey, wait a minute."
The [ Western Sharpshooter ] next to Duma patted his arm:
"Wait a minute, didn't I ask you how you got here? And why are you writing an autobiography?"
Another player was very unhappy with the interruption from [ Western Sharpshooter ]:
"It's being recorded. Listen if you want, or get out!"
"Okay, okay, I'd like to hear it too, but I'm afraid we'll go off-topic..."
[ The Western Sharpshooter ] slightly raised his hands in surrender, signaling Duma to continue his story.
Ten minutes later:
"... I fought four battles on the main battlefield against Duke Frostblade's elite troops, and neither side gained the upper hand. He was the only opponent I truly respected, but unfortunately, I never got to see him even once in the end..."
Fifteen minutes later:
"... And so, penniless, I began to wander aimlessly. But a month ago, I heard that something new had happened in the north of the Theocracy. It didn't seem to be a simple rebellion, so I decided to come here and see..."
Twenty minutes later:
"... That idiot named Marba not only didn't keep running, but he actually tried to kill me to silence me! I'm not someone to be trifled with! I burned him to ashes! Not a single hair was left! Really, not a single hair was left."
Duma selectively tells the absolute truth, but deliberately obscures some details by using his eloquence.
Objectively speaking, everything he said is true.
He received new information from the northern part of the Theocracy, although it was deliberately leaked and destroyed by Cardinal Geliwusi.
He did fight Marba, but not after entering Valhalla, but long before.
Although he knew that the Soul Returner before him, possessing resolute souls, had a strong resistance to his Demonic Whisper, Duma's understanding of the Demonic Whisper was—
The words spoken by the devil are called the Demonic Whisper.
The draft, tone, and atmosphere are all part of the Demonic Whisper, not what some trash demons think—that forcibly mixing Psionic Energy with sound constitutes Demonic Whisper.