There seems to be nothing more to ask from Azno.
'Regarding the five hundred years of human history that was lost... Could it have been the covert operations of an apostle from the demonic race?'
Reji first thought of this possibility but quickly dismissed it. After all, the new void passage discovered by the Shadow Demon was found only three hundred years ago. So even if there were some restless elements within the demonic race secretly using the passage to communicate with the human world, the timing does not match.
Moreover, Reji did not believe that any apostle possessed the power to influence human historical heritage in such a way.
The same goes for the demon eggs. The existence of the demon eggs, unnoticed even by the Wisdom Demon, Sorcery Demon, and even the most sensitive Shadow Demon, was discovered by chance through his own system, further proving the uniqueness of the demon eggs. They were very likely created by a higher level of unknown power.
With the current information, that's about as far as the analysis goes.
Although the demon eggs are mysterious and undoubtedly hide some secrets, they are not an immediate concern and can be investigated later.
Reji decides to put aside the matter of the demon eggs for now.
'One step at a time'
"Lead the way to your trade group's warehouse."
Reji intends to first expand the demonic race's financial resources and establish an intelligence network before discussing further steps.
However, this time, Azno does not comply with Reji's request.
It's not exactly that.
It's more that Azno realizes that he is about to exhaust his last bit of value, and what awaits him then is clear even without thinking.
Azno immediately starts begging for mercy, kowtowing frantically.
"My lord! Please, don't kill me, I'm still useful! I have connections in the Royal City through the Lunari Trade Group, and I have deep relationships with many nobles! Whatever you want, I can provide for you, let me serve you!"
Seeing Azno like this, Reji almost wants to laugh.
He gestures to stop Sherman from snuffing out Azno's life with a shadowy hand and then asks, "Let's hear it, what can you offer me?"
Seeing a glimmer of hope, Azno racks his brain, spilling everything he can think of, all the privileges he enjoys on a daily basis, to Reji.
"My lord, money! I can earn money for you continuously. Our Lunari Trade Group specializes in pawn business for foreigners without identification. They can only trade with us, and we can acquire various treasures at extremely low prices! Even... even with just a little help from you, my lord, we can easily take any goods from those foreigners without paying!"
Azno gets increasingly excited as he speaks but soon realizes that Reji and his companions seem to be foreigners as well.
He hurriedly adds, "My lord, I can also provide you with women! Whatever type you like, students, housewives, even college teachers, I, I can find them for you. Bru, the Radiant Church deacon just now, he especially loves little girls. I was able to maintain a relationship with him because I could always provide him with a steady supply."
"…"
"Kill him"
Reji, expressionless, interrupts Azno's self-presentation.
However, before Sherman's shadow scythe could fall, the Wisdom Demon Leo surprisingly spoke up to plead for Azno's life.
"My King, is it possible to spare this human?"
"Why?" Reji was curious, as it was the first time the Wisdom Demon had a differing opinion from him.
"Your Majesty, I wish to send him, along with the rest of these human corpses, to the Chaos Rift. Eris has been waiting for them for a thousand years. With them, perhaps Eris can provide us with more information from another perspective"
'Hmm'
'So, it's about sending them to the Decay Demon for research?'
'Isn't that a bit too cruel?'
Reji imagines Eris, with her bulging tumorous belly, the several hundred kilograms of adorable Decay Demon, with a face patched and rotted, smiling radiantly. Perhaps a few maggots might even accidentally fall out of her grinning mouth.
Before Reji could say anything, Azno, the trade group boss himself, saw the Wisdom Demon as a savior, kowtowing frantically to Leo as if he was some great benefactor.
After all, from Azno's perspective, although he didn't understand what the Chaos Rift was, he generally grasped that the other party wanted to send him to someone named "Eris."
The name Eris sounded like a female's name, giving off a delicate and lovely impression.
Compared to the current group of terrifyingly powerful psychopaths, Azno naturally preferred the latter.
Seeing Azno react this way,
Reji had no choice but to respect his choice.
"Let it be then"
"I thank my king on behalf of Eris for this gift." Seeing the king's consent, the Wisdom Demon breathed a sigh of relief and quickly expressed his gratitude.
Truth be told, it took a lot of courage and internal struggle for him to go against the king's wishes.
And Azno, seeing this, was overjoyed, feeling as if he had walked out of the gates of hell, and began to thank Reji frantically, mimicking the Wisdom Demon's actions.
"Thank you, thank you my lord for sparing my life! Thank you! Thank you to all the lords here!"
Subsequently, with Azno's cooperation, Reji successfully took over all the assets of the Lunari Trade Group.
They indeed caught a big fish tonight.
After the Wisdom Demon's calculation, this directly netted them millions of gold coins.
To put that into perspective,
At the time, a Tier 3 spell scroll, the highlight of an auction, was sold for a sky-high price of only a thousand gold coins.
Indeed, taking from the rich to redistribute wealth was the fastest way to make money.
Regarding this huge sum, Reji divided it into seven parts.
Two parts were given to Dian, four parts to Leo, and he kept only one part for himself.
The reason for this distribution was,
"Dian, Leo, you will now operate independently."
This was part of Reji's plan.
He couldn't always carry these two apostles with him.
Reji also needed time to develop on his own.
Of course, he wasn't just trying to get rid of the Sorcery Demon and Wisdom Demon.
Reji had missions for them.
"Dian, this fund is to assist you in purchasing and collecting magical materials in the human world. Afterward, I need you to establish a stable, enduring channel that connects the Chaos Rift with the human world as quickly as possible."
"Understood, my king. I will do my utmost, and within three days, our race shall move freely."
Reji nodded in satisfaction.
Then he gave instructions to the Wisdom Demon: "Leo, with the two portions of funds, first, I need you to procure food for our race. Having been sealed in the barren Chaos Rift for a millennium, I promised Eileen that from now on, our race shall never suffer from hunger again. Once Dian has established the portal, transfer all the food at the first opportunity."
"By your command, my king!" The Wisdom Demon's voice was excited, his body trembling slightly.
Why?
No demon king before had such thoughtful consideration, always resorting to violence and destruction. But their new king was comprehensive, keenly aware of the demon eggs while also considering the welfare of the million demons behind them. This was the Ideal demon king; the one Leo was willing to serve and follow with all his heart.
Speaking of demon eggs,
"Leo, the second portion of funds, and your second task, is to investigate human society, to clarify the reasons behind the gaps in human history and heritage, and to search thoroughly for any information related to that strange egg."
"By your command, my king. I will not fail your trust!"
After assigning their tasks,
The Sorcery Demon and Wisdom Demon bid their farewells, disappearing into the night of the kingdom's streets in different directions.
Finally, only Reji was left standing there.
"Sherman"
With a soft call from Reji, the shadows around him trembled slightly, and soon, the Shadow Demon apostle, hidden under a cloak of shadow, appeared beside him.
"My King?"
Sherman thought Reji had some instructions or tasks for her too.
But,
"From now on, when it's just the two of us, you don't have to hide in the shadows. Just stay by my side."
"My King, why?" The petite figure under the cloak tilted her head.
"I'm afraid of being alone…"
"…"
"I understand, my king."
Unlike with the other apostles, Reji felt much more at ease in front of the Shadow Demon, no longer needing to maintain the facade of a demon king's dignity and authority.
He knew Sherman well; among the nine apostles, the Shadow Demon was the most innocent and naive, a positivity quite unlike the description often associated with the Decay Demon Eris.
As the best proof,
Hearing Reji express his loneliness, Sherman, usually silent and reticent, began to initiate conversation with Reji, seemingly to alleviate her king's solitude.
"My King, where shall we go next?"
"To the hotel"