On the other side of the corridor, more than ten skillfully drawn formation parchment scrolls were laid out on the ground, waiting for their ink to dry. Serence, Lilith, Lyra Nightfang, Mystic Flute, and Cicada were gathered together with all members of Nexus Citadel.
"After the activation of the magic cannon, I was able to decipher the encrypted magical circuit and complete its imitation. Now I have mastered its core technology and will be able to replicate it in due time," said Mystic Flute as she crouched on the ground examining their treasures. She even fanned them with her hands one by one as if they were her own children.
"Speaking of this group of people...they are called Garrison's Guard right? Weren't they supply officers from the human kingdom? They should be our enemies. Why didn't we use soul-searching magic on them?" asked Lyra Nightfang confusedly as she watched Connor lead Cole Garrison's convoy through a wall-transferring formation.
"Yes. How come we let them go just like that? Didn't we spend so much effort capturing them in Thorn Forest?" added Lyra Nightfang.
As Nicholas Gates' body fused with that of Cicada's, he seemed to exude a more villainous aura: "Your servant Cicada is volunteering to take charge. Give me three hundred red tags and I can wipe out their army completely. Moreover, there is a large amount of military equipment among their confiscated goods. If we seize and use it ourselves, our military strength will increase significantly."
Serence kept silent; he never questioned Connor's decisions. Although this did not mean that he always fully understood or agreed with him either. He simply had absolute trust and respect for his king.
Lilith listened quietly without commenting on everyone else's thoughts since she had been by Connor's side for the longest time anyway. Instead,she suddenly asked, "What do you think is the most scarce resource in Nexus Citadel right now?"
"Of course, it's military equipment. Currently, we have generals and soldiers. If we can equip ourselves with powerful weapons and armor, our combat power will increase exponentially," Cicada answered eagerly. It seemed that his obsession with the contents of the ten boxes among the convoy was still strong.
Mystic Flute carefully collected the dried parchment scrolls and placed them in her pocket. Her previously flat chest swelled with satisfaction as she said, "No, no, it's technology--just like how we are currently replicating the magic cannon. We need similar powerful technologies. As long as our city defenses are strong enough, no one will dare to bully us."
Lyra Nightfang thought for a moment and said, "Hmm, I think it's resources. Shiny gold coins, sparkling magic crystals. Whether it's military equipment or technology, as long as we have enough resources, we can exchange with the outside world. And our king can also use his demon lord power to create them."
"Then what do you think about this, Lord Serence?" asked Lyra Nightfang.
Serence spoke slowly, "The most important thing should be talent. With excellent talents like you all, one person can be worth ten. Cicada handles military equipment, Mystic Flute handles technology, and Lyra handles resources. Each of you greatly enhances the strength of Nexus Citadel. His Majesty travels around the world just to find countless talents like you."
As expected of Serence. His words made everyone feel comfortable.
Lilith smiled and said, "You are all right and wrong at the same time. If I were not by my king's side, I might have had similar thoughts too. But now I have a different understanding and seem to know some operating rules in human society and roughly understand what my king is pursuing when he leaves the underground city."
Everyone looked curiously at Lilith.
"He is pursuing fame," she said.
"But isn't Nexus Overlord's recent emergence enough to make a splash?" someone asked.
"That is not enough because what our king wants is not only the reputation of being the most vicious Nexus Overlord but also that of being the highest good Connor. The two cannot be separated; they must be combined," explained Lilith.
When they heard Connor's name mentioned by Lilith again, everyone was shocked and covered their ears in fear of hearing more.
"Lilith!" Serence spoke sternly," You cannot address His Majesty so directly."
Lilith did not defend herself but continued speaking," As we all know that after emerging from seclusion, our king was already invincible, but why did he not launch a conquest of the world, instead hiding his identity and coming to the human world? It is precisely because he wants to solve the dilemma of his demon lord reputation."
"Demon lord reputation?"
"Dilemma?"
"What does that mean?"
"If the demon lord's evil reputation is not prominent enough, there will be peers who will try to take advantage of him. If the evil reputation is too prominent, he will become a common target for heroes around the world. Either way, it is not a good thing, and the best way is to win without fighting. Therefore, our king has decided to create a new persona named Connor in the human world and continuously increase his fame, making him the most famous hero in this world," Lilith explained.
As she spoke, everyone nodded their heads in understanding.
Lilith's lips curved slightly with a smile. "At that time, there must be a battle between the world's most famous hero and the world's most famous demon lord. But who would have thought that they are essentially the same person?"
"This is our king's great wisdom!" she exclaimed.
"As for Supply Officer Cole Garrison, he must be left as a foreshadowing element. The evil of Nexus Overlord and the righteousness of Connor have already formed an indelible impression on his heart. So we cannot eliminate them but must send them away, back to the capital city."
"Our king taught me - 'Small concealment lies in wilds; middle concealment lies among cities; great concealment lies within courts.' After Cole Garrison triumphed over Crimson Standard Gang this time, it is certain that human royalty will reward him greatly."
"In the future, even command of all military forces in Wind Country may fall into his hands. Many years later when faced with orders to hunt down demons lords; Cole Garrison will recall that terrifying afternoon when he barely escaped from Nexus Citadel alive. He will choose other underground cities with simpler difficulty levels for conquest."
"Praise our wise king!" they all exclaimed.
...
Connor, who had just left Nexus Citadel, was unaware of how much his image had risen in the minds of his subordinates. He simply followed Cole Garrison and the others as they left and saw a forest ahead where he could practice using his pocket space skill. Suddenly, an idea came to him.
He deliberately led Cole Garrison in that direction until everyone noticed the blackened bushes that had been burned by flames.
Connor pretended to be surprised and said, "Who did this? Setting fire to mountains is a heinous crime."
Cole Garrison approached and touched the trunk of a thick tree. "Looks like sword marks," he said.
Connor pondered for a moment and then exclaimed, "Flame Sword! Aaron Gates's Flame Sword! Wait a minute. This place is Nexus Overlord's territory. Why are there traces of Flame Sword?"
"Did Gates family secretly follow us here to protect us? Or did they receive the task to hunt down the demon lord beforehand? They couldn't have been practicing their swordsmanship here in this forest while living alongside the demon lord," Connor thought out loud.
He suddenly stopped speaking and took a deep breath, but everyone present had already developed suspicions: "Could it be that Gates family has secretly colluded with the demon lord?"