Days passed ââ
On this day, Chen Rui and Sabrina walked out from the entrance of the Crystal Valley side by side.
âIâm really grateful to madam this time to let me out of the valley.â Chen Rui said with a happy face, âIf it isnât because Sir Jacob is in a deep sleep within the magic circle and I need to refer to the Dragon Inscription at the Misty Swamp for the Illusive Demon Shield, I wouldnât trouble madam to come out with me. Itâs just that Sir Jacobâs inscriptions are really amazing. Coming here from the Misty Swamp only requires a simple [Teleportation], but there is such a complicated path from here to the Misty Swamp.
Sabrina shook her head, âItâs just a trivial matter. Master doesnât have to be so polite. If you want to be calculative, then I donât even know how to thank you.â
âI donât know when Iâll have time to come out to take a breather again. Although I can ask for anything in the valley, I always feel like Iâm caged. Please forgive me, madam. Iâm just being honest with my feelings.â
Sabrina sighed, âYouâre right. No matter how good the valley is, itâs still only a cage. However, this world that weâre living in is also a giant cage as no one can escape the shackles of time and space. Perhaps the only thing we can do is to desperately grasp more shackles to control and imprison others so that we can eliminate our inner fear.â
âMadam is someone with a story.â Chen Rui took a look at her, âI hope that one day, Iâll be qualified to listen to madamâs story.â
âMaster, you have to be patient with everything. The easier it is to get, the less interesting it is.â Sabrina chuckled and shifted the topic, âBy the way, I received news from outside that there are rumors that treasure was recently discovered around the area outside the valley. A lot of people came to look for the treasure. Although Crystal Valley has Sir Jacobâs [Hidden] inscription and magic circle, we still need to be more careful about the valleyâs defense and concealment. Weâll just have to wait for this rumor to be forgotten.â
Chen Rui instinctively felt that this treasure hunt wasnât so simple. It may be related to Christina. It had been many days since he arrived at the Crystal Valley. Although he used the magic item to send a signal that he was âaliveâ, he couldnât deliver any other information such as the three Demon Overlords. Besides, he wasnât sure if the signal would be interfered by the Dragon Inscription within the valley.
Christina cleverly used this method to test. She was likely trying to obtain more information before launching the plan. It seemed that she was also well prepared. In any case, this plan must succeed. By then, not only could they destroy the Crystal Valley and eliminate the enemyâs headquarters, but there was also a great chance to kill Paglioâs enemy.
However, going out to âresearchâ this time was also part of his plan, and it was also a very crucial step.
âI think Iâm patient enough.â Chen Rui shook his head with a bitter smile and stopped mentioning about that tactfully. âBy the way, the mess in the Mystic Valley seems to have calmed down recently. However, I always feel like Izola wonât give up so easily. She might be planning something bigger.â
âHmph! She is just struggling with her last breath. However... you better be cautious, master, especially pay attention to your safety.â
âMadam, why donât invite me to be a guest at your blue house?â
âMaster!â Jacob came excitedly at that moment with his face full of joy.
âIt seems that thereâs no such opportunity.â Sabrina deliberately made a laugh of regret. Then, she bowed at Jacob and left.
âSir Jacob, are you awake?â Chen Ruiâs eyes lit up, âHowâs the effect?â
âThe effect is so good! You really are a genius! What about I grant Luna to you?â Jacob was exulted.
With Chen Ruiâs support, the improvement of the magic circle was completed successfully and the crystal dragon was very happy. Now, the magic circle could double the recovery speed of Jacob, and the interval between each use had been reduced from 7 days to 2 days. Both the effect and efficiency were much better than expected. It was just that under the effect of compound inscriptions consisting of [Deep Sleep] and [Recovery], Jacob would fall into a recovery slumber for an entire day, and it was hard for him to awake.
It was the first trial, and it indeed succeeded. Now, Jacobâs recovery speed was greatly accelerated, so he was naturally ecstatic. At that time, he was almost killed by Paglio, and he still had lingering fear until now. Before he recovered, he never dared to leave the Crystal Valley easily. Now that he found a shortcut in recovering his injuries, he looked at Chen Rui differently now. He evenoffered his favorite maid, Luna to ChenRui.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
Chen Rui shook his head solemnly, âRewards arenât necessary. Iâve already got enough benefits from you. Moreover, I canât take all the credits. Without sirâs Dragon Inscription, it wouldnât have achieved such a result.â
Originally, this magic circle was used to harm the dragon, but he actually received the crystal dragonâs appreciation in return. He was a little guilty. The main thing was because that Luna... was a thick-waisted minotaur maid. The heavy taste wasnât something he could handle.
Luna was also the crystal dragonâs favorite maid. If he really offers her to Chen Rui, heâd be embarrassed to take her back. Jacob was still a bit reluctant. Now that he heard Chen Rui humble words, even though he was usually moody, he couldnât help but to have a better impression of this âgood comradeâ who didnât ask for anything in return.
âHmm... werenât you interested in the puppetâs heart the last time? Iâll lend it to you for research for a few days.â
Chen Ruiâs eyes lit up. He wanted to make that request, but he was afraid that it might raise Jacobâs suspicion. Now that Jacob initiated, he naturally couldnât pretend anymore, âThatâs awesome! Thank you, sir!â
The puppetâs heart was the treasure of the Beelzebub Royal Family. It had a great effect on creating puppets. Jacob asked for it from Azgalor. Originally, the crystal men were puppets made by the crystal dragon with a strange power of his body. With the help of the puppetâs heart, he could create more and stronger crystal men. Also, he could control the crystal men to a certain extent. Jacob offered the puppetâs heart was clearly to further win over Chen Rui because based on Chen Ruiâs potential and understanding of magic circles, there was likely room for further improvement. Certainly, he also stated that he was âborrowingâ not âgivingâ.
Moreover, the strongest among the crystal men, the leader, was only at Great Demon King. Even in the worst scenario, with his Demon Overlord-strength, he didnât have to be worried about Chen Rui controlling the crystal men to do anything too bad.
However, in this world, there were even worse scenarios that one could expect...
âI know that the puppetâs heart is very important to you, so I dare not borrow it for too long. What about I return to sir when sir wakes up from the magic circle next time?â
When Crystal Dragon heard it, he was thinking that it was only three days, so he nodded immediately. He took the puppetâs heart from his space ring and gave it to Chen Rui.
Chen Rui took the translucent yellow crystal carefully, revealing an extremely excited look, âPlease forgive me, Sir Jacob. Time is very precious now. I canât wait to study it. Iâll take leave first.â
The crystal dragon was in a very good mood, so he simply waved his hand generously and returned to the Crystal Lair. When Chen Rui returned to the Nightmare Valley, Freya greeted him and served him some snacks, âSir, youâre back. You didnât eat anything when you went out this morning. Now, there is still some time before lunch, so you can eat some snacks and fruits first.â
As Chen Rui was in a hurry as he invited Sabrina to go out this morning. He was indeed a little hungry now. He immediately picked up a snack and ate it, âIs there any wine?â
These days, in order to disguise his identity, drinking had almost become his second nature.
Freya hesitated for a moment, âSir, finish these snacks first. Otherwise, the wine will be bad for your health.â
Chen Rui smiled at her, âOkay.â
Although his Great Demonâs face was a little ugly, that smile made Freya feel unprecedentedly secure. That security was something that the tormented succubus had never felt in the past years. A strange emotion suddenly rose in her heart. She said lightly, âSir, my injuries have all recovered. Thank you sir for the high grade potion.â
âOh, itâs nothing.â Freya was Kiaâs mother, and her life experience was miserable, so Chen Rui would certainly not be stingy with that bit of potion. He didnât ask her to do anything special here on usual days. She just had to take care of his daily diet and send back those maids given by Manu along the way. As for himself, he spent most of the time training in the lab.
âSir... that...â Freya looked hesitant, but she brought up her courage to say, âDo you want Freya to sleep with you tonight?â
These days, those behaviors that Freya expected never never happened. Although this master was always exhausted after coming from the lab every day and slept immediately after eating, so he didnât have the time to do âother thingsâ. Yet, Freya, who had been tortured for many years, could feel that this master might not be who she expected to be. In contrast, he was a very good master.
Although some things were inadvertent, like those precious, high-grade potions, she felt a warmth that she hadnât felt for a long time.
Following such a master was hundreds of times better than the original one. The more she felt so, the more afraid she was to go back to the olden days. Therefore, she volunteered to sleep with him, hoping to become a more favored maid. Then, the chance of her being sent away would be a lot smaller.
Chen Rui didnât expect Freya to make such a request, so his eyes suddenly became weird. He shook his head and said, âNo need.â
Freya looked a little sad, âDo you despise me because I used to...â
âNo.â Chen Rui shook his head. Freya was beautiful, soft and belonged to a lovable type. Unfortunately, she was Kiaâs mother. That preconceived concept stopped him from having any thoughts. Although such things were very common in the Demon Realm, and the ages and appearance of mother-daughter werenât a problem for demons with hundreds of years of life, Chen Rui came from another world deeply rooted with a sense of morality. Having several spouses was already the limit. So, such mother-daughter-con was really unacceptable.
âIf I guessed it right, youâre doing this... just to know about Kia from me?â
Freya heard her daughterâs name, and her voice started trembling slightly, âKia... currently sheâs...â
âAs far as I know, she is very good. I can only tell you this. If you really want the best for her, donât ask anything. Understand?â Chen Rui didnât expose everything. Although Freya shouldnât be Sabrinaâs spy, it was at the critical moment of the plan, he couldnât afford any mistakes.
âI understand. Thank you, sir. Iâll retreat now.â Freya stared at Chen Rui for a moment. Her eyes were flashing with a rare brilliance. When she walked to the door, she suddenly smiled slightly, âActually... Sir didnât guess everything correctly.â
Freyaâs moving smile was very similar to Kia. At that instant, Chen Rui was a little lost, but he soon returned to normal. He knocked his head for having weird thoughts. The final launch was already imminent. Every step forward couldnât have any mistakes, so he had to consider carefully.
Hmmm another candidate? Shouldnât be right?