After teleporting back to the [Forest of Magic] from the [Ring-shaped Magic Tower], Yu Shengan immediately called Eilin over and explained the team's next experimental research direction.
Yu Shengan said, "Besides crops, commonly used magic plants should also be added to the cultivation list.
Remember, if you want to continue your research long-term, you have to bring benefits to all parties.
Only benefits will allow the empire to support your research indefinitely."
"Yes, Mr. Ajef," Eilin nodded, hesitating slightly.
"Mr. Ajef, are you leaving?"
"Yes, I'm leaving for a while.
The Empire and Vires have a transaction, and I'm going to escort it.
After I leave, if anything happens, go directly to Dundanar; I've already spoken to him.
Also, if you encounter something like the March incident again, send me a message.
Don't be afraid to cause trouble.
In the Kvir Empire, I'm the only one who causes trouble for others; no one can cause trouble for me.
Don't embarrass me, understand?"
Yu Shengan repeatedly cautioned her, genuinely worried that Eilin might be bullied.
This girl from the countryside had a very resilient personality, which was good, but sometimes it was also bad.
If a person doesn't show some edge, even livestock will dare to bark twice.
The [Forest of Magic] will bear the brunt of his food strategy in the future, and there can be no loss, not even in morale.
"Understood, Mr. Ajef."
Eilin nodded, feeling a lump in her chest.
She had guessed that Mr. was going to leave the [Forest of Magic], but she hadn't expected it to be so soon.
"Alright, that's all.
Go get busy!
Oh, research is important, but cultivation is even more important.
Don't just stick to the Wood Spirit system; pick a magic system you're interested in, one with plenty of life-saving methods, and cultivate diligently."
Yu Shengan couldn't help but remind her again.
"I will work hard on my cultivation, Mr. Ajef."
Eilin bowed her head, her hand on her chest.
The moment she turned to leave, she felt a sense of melancholy and panic, and her eyes couldn't help but become moist.
...
After Eilin left, Yu Shengan, sitting in the high-backed chair, summoned the internet backend with a thought to check if there were any internet users near the Lanlun Mountains.
The result was disappointing; there were only less than a hundred users in the entire Lanlun Mountains, almost all distributed on the western edge of the mountain range.
A quick look showed that most of them were demon hunters and mercenaries.
This made Yu Shengan a little disappointed.
He had planned to observe Vires through the Eye of God and do some preparatory work.
Although he claimed to be escorting supplies this time, he actually wanted to meet the God of Music and see if he could form an alliance.
The low-price food strategy was insidious, but to implement it smoothly, absolute force was needed as a guarantee.
He didn't need offensive capability, as long as he had enough self-preservation ability to protect the food, he could plunge the enemy into famine, leading to collapse and disintegration.
Yu Shengan needed allies to ensure the deterrence of high-end combat power.
"Huh?"
He didn't find many users in the Lanlun Mountains, but Yu Shengan found a constantly flashing red dot in the Karman Confederacy, east of the Lanlun Mountains.
"This is?"
Yu Shengan opened the Eye of God, only to see a tragic scene that he could hardly bear to look at.
He saw four men with their hands bound, hanging from a tall iron frame.
A roaring fire burned below, its scorching flames unable to reach them directly, but the high temperature was steaming them, making them sweat profusely, like rendering oil.
...
Am I going to die?
The choking smoke and scorching flames made Raymond's consciousness blur.
He was no longer able to chant prayers, but luckily, the burning pain also gradually faded and disappeared as his consciousness became muddled.
Countless memory fragments flashed through his mind.
A childhood full of hunger, a youth who believed in fists, a young man who left his hometown in distress.
Countless times of swindling and spending lavishly in the red-light district.
Until that mysterious young man appeared, his life changed.
He was forced to leave the Kvir Empire.
He originally thought the contract would be easy to complete; just find a village, do some swindling, and complete the divine art propagation mission.
He did just that.
But he didn't expect that the first old woman who gave him water after he finally hitched a ride with a caravan and crossed the Lanlun Mountains, turned around and sold them.
A group of villagers yelling "heretics" in dialect rushed over, grabbed him, tied him to an iron frame, and planned to burn him to death!
No, it was more terrifying than burning to death.
They were going to refine him into a dried corpse to deter troublemakers.
Raymond was terrified.
He struggled frantically, but the iron chains were too strong.
He had to pray to the God of the Internet, but all he got were the flashing internet pages again and again.
He even tried to ask for help in the internet forum, but all he got was half-hearted belief and help that was too far away.
Amidst the curses, howls, and imprecations of his companions, Raymond smiled bitterly.
My whole life, I've lived such a damn pathetic existence!
Immediately, his consciousness fell into darkness.
After an unknown amount of time, a faint light emerged in the darkness, and he suddenly felt his cold body warming up.
He vaguely heard people talking around him.
"These damn heretics, they still dare to come and mislead us?
They're just looking for death!
Damn it, I have to collect their bodies even after they're dead, how unlucky."
"Hey, doesn't that smell good?"
"What did you say?"
"I said, doesn't that smell good?
I haven't smelled meat in two years.
How about..."
"But... they are people..."
"Nonsense, they are heretics!"
"This..."
The discussion gradually subsided.
Amidst rustling sounds, Raymond felt himself being taken down.
Then he was tied up with grass ropes and carried unsteadily towards an unknown place.
The light in the darkness grew brighter and brighter, and Raymond's consciousness became clearer and clearer.
He finally realized that this light was actually life force!
Yes, it was life force.
Under this power, his withered body gradually filled up, his heart began to beat, and his body was filled with strength.
In this torrent of life, he could feel that he had connected with countless powerful and terrifying existences.
It was these existences that provided him with an unending supply of life force!
They were all abyssal demons;
They were also the soldiers of the God of the Internet!
Facing his communication, some demons were dismissive; some countered with more brutal thoughts, invading him; others tempted him, summoning them.
"Pain--"
The intense pain pulled Raymond's consciousness back.
He suddenly opened his eyes, only to see two gaunt villagers, their faces full of greed, holding knives and cutting the flesh from his thighs.
The knife cutting into his leg was painful, but compared to the previous burning, Raymond instead felt that the current pain carried an unspeakable beauty.
It told him the beauty of life!
"You want to eat my flesh?"
The low voice startled the two gaunt villagers.
They instinctively looked at each other, then suddenly looked at Raymond's head.
They saw Raymond, who had been burned into jerky, opening his eyes and asking calmly.
No matter how beautiful life was, it was still his flesh.
"Ah--"
The two gaunt villagers screamed in terror and scrambled towards the village.
However, just as they rushed out a dozen steps, a cold light flashed, and the two were cut into four pieces.
A shadow demon appeared on the spot.
It greedily licked the blood on its claws, where two wisps of souls were still wailing and struggling.
"You like souls very much?" Raymond asked the shadow demon.
A month ago in the basement, he was terrified by their ferocious appearance, but now he found them quite cute.
"Of course.
Do you want to offer your soul?"
Raymond ignored the shadow demon's mockery.
He pointed to the village that had burned him and said, "There are enough souls there.
However, you must obey my commands, otherwise I will send you back to the abyss."
The shadow demon took a deep look at Raymond and grinned hideously, "Deal, two-legged crawler."
...
Yu Shengan watched Raymond, whose soul was twisted but who had thus connected with the abyssal demons through his contract, his pupils slightly enlarged.
He realized what Raymond was probably going to do.
Then... should he stop him?