On the first day of school, Yin Jixue told the children the story of Snow White. However, she hadn't expected the young demon children to be so resistant to the tale.
The youngest, Lian Ze, burst into tears with a loud "Waaah!", and other demon children of similar age followed suit, crying along with him.
Yin Jixue was completely baffled.
"What's wrong, everyone? Why are you crying?"
Lian Ze hiccupped between sobs while clutching at the hem of Yin Jixue's skirt. "Her Majesty the Queen is not a bad person! Snow White is the bad one!"
Yin Jixue was speechless. It was just a story, but these little ones had taken it entirely to heart.
"Don't cry now. Look at you—all messy like little kittens. There's no real Snow White or evil queen; they're just made-up characters."
Lian Ze didn't quite understand what she meant, but fortunately, Mr. Zhong Shang explained the concept of a "story" to them. The children only half-understood but stopped crying.
"When I grow up, I'll protect Her Majesty the Queen and never let Snow White bully her!"
Well now, they sort of got it—but not quite.
Children were simple-minded. Since they knew Yin Jixue was a queen, and the stepmother in the story was also a queen, they naturally assumed that Yin Jixue was Snow White's stepmother.
Though a bit touched by their loyalty, Yin Jixue found their naivety both adorable and amusing. There was no point in trying to correct them now—she'd let time and understanding do that when they grew older.
Meanwhile, Teng She relayed news that many lower-class demons outside the city were seeking job opportunities. Not all of them had enough food to eat—only those working in the mines received provisions.
Yin Jixue replied, stating that as long as they were physically able, they could be assigned to work in the mines. She planned to expand both the magic crystal and iron mines, establish proper mining facilities, and build dormitories for the workers. By relocating the lower-class demons outside the city into one area, they could form a village for better management.
Concerned that Teng She might not handle everything alone, Yin Jixue decided to inspect the situation personally.
Her popularity within the city had been steadily rising, especially after establishing the first school. The children adored her the most.
Upon arriving at the mines, she saw numerous makeshift tents set up under the open sky. Calling them "tents" was generous—they were merely a few wooden poles propped up with tattered animal hides draped over them. The ground was covered with straw mats and blankets so dirty their original colors were unrecognizable.
Though these lower-class demons were rough in appearance, they were not deceitful or lazy. They simply struggled to survive under harsh conditions.
Seeing their soot-covered faces and eyes filled with desperate hope, Yin Jixue felt a sense of responsibility for the first time.
Their resilience wasn't an excuse to ignore them.
People often say that "the squeaky wheel gets the grease," but Yin Jixue didn't agree. She believed that those who endured hardship without complaint were the ones who truly needed care.
She ordered the guards to summon the demon construction team.
"I need you to build dormitories for these demons, following your standard specifications. The location should be as close as possible to both the city gate and the mines. Can you do it?"
If it had been the average city-dwelling demons, they might have questioned whether building houses for lower-class demons was worth it. After all, these demons were hard enough to survive without shelter.
However, this construction team was composed of once-homeless, wandering demons. If not for their slightly more acceptable appearances, they would have been in the same dire situation as the lower-class demons.
So, without hesitation, they all accepted the task in unison. Perhaps out of some personal sentiment, they even chose a location closer to the city gate—perhaps believing that one day, Black Dragon City would expand outward and incorporate all the lower-class demons into its borders.
Yin Jixue had no objections. She simply asked them to finish as soon as possible. With the new building materials, constructing houses was a fast process—it would take less than half a month before they were ready to move in.
To maximize land use, even scorched earth was put to good use. The dormitory buildings were designed to be three stories tall, each with a small courtyard and a fence. The yards would be paved with cement, and each floor would have its restroom facilities.
Since plumbing was a technical challenge, the restrooms were designed for chamber pots, which would be collected and disposed of by designated demon workers each morning.
At first, Yin Jixue thought no one would be willing to take on such a dirty job, but to her surprise, it became a highly sought-after position with fierce competition.
In the end, fifteen dormitory buildings were constructed. Each floor had twenty rooms, and each room was roughly twenty square meters with four beds inside.
Because most lower-class demons worked with their families, Yin Jixue decided not to assign dormitories based on job positions. Instead, as long as at least one family member worked in the mines, they would be allocated a bed.
After relocating all the surrounding demons, ten buildings were fully occupied, leaving five vacant for future use.
Due to the city's tall walls, the new buildings outside the city were not visible unless one specifically exited the gates.
It was only then that Yin Jixue learned the forest outside the city was suitable for hunting. The only reason the demons hadn't done so before was that they lacked proper weapons.
The young of the Winged Tiger Tribe, for example, were fearless. Even freshly weaned cubs dared to enter the forest to bully small animals.
As more demons joined the mining efforts, the city's blacksmith shops continuously supplied tools to the mines—but even so, it was still not enough.
For now, hunting had to wait. The more pressing concern was nutrition. Both city and rural demons had been living on a near-vegetarian diet for too long, leading to weakened immune systems. Yin Jixue had already heard of three separate cases where someone broke a bone just from a minor fall.
She needed to establish a medical clinic.
In the city, there was a demon with basic medical knowledge, so Yin Jixue temporarily appointed him as the head of the clinic until a proper physician could be found.
However, getting medical care to the lower-class demons outside the city was a bigger challenge.
They feared entering the city, while city demons were mostly terrified of their appearance. As a compromise, Yin Jixue ordered her guards to find a demon among them who knew medicine and establish a small clinic outside the city.
To her surprise, she ran into an old acquaintance.
Paji, whom she had previously assigned to plant sweet yams, was nominated by the other demons.
His grandfather had been a skilled healer among the lower-class demons, knowledgeable in herbal medicine.
Although Paji hadn't fully inherited his grandfather's skills, he still knew some basic treatments and could identify useful plants.
Yin Jixue reassigned his farming duties to another demon and made Paji the doctor for the outside clinic.
With basic living conditions improved, it was finally time for the sweet yam harvest.
This time, Yin Jixue organized a hands-on extracurricular activity for the schoolchildren—teaching them to dig up the sweet yams themselves.
Demon children were naturally strong—put them in the human world, and they could easily take on five adults at once. Yin Jixue's goal in educating them wasn't to suppress their nature but to give them knowledge so they wouldn't be easily deceived by the outside world.
The harvest site was outside the city, in the area where the lower-class demons had previously lived. Many demon parents expressed concern, fearing that their tender-skinned children might be eaten by the lower-class demons.
After receiving too many such inquiries, Yin Jixue had to personally hold a parent meeting.
"This field trip is meant to broaden the children's understanding of the world. You wouldn't want your child to grow up never knowing how to hunt, would you? Winged Tiger cubs can bring down wild boars by the age of three."
"Lower-class demons are still our kin. They won't eat children, nor will they harm their kind. If you're worried, you can keep your child home. But let me ask you this—if you keep them sheltered forever, how will they ever grow? Can you guarantee that you'll always be there to protect them?"