Eternal Thief

A dignified demon with a deep unfathomed aura, wearing purple armor with Imperil Demon Family’s crest, was looking at the three demons who were respectfully standing before him.

These three demons were also wearing purple sets of armor with the same crests, but their armors were less imposing than his, and their auras were nowhere near as majestic.

He impassively said in his raspy voice, “I summon all three of you to inform you that we will be arriving at our destination in three days. I want you to brief your fleets and have them on their best behavior. I don’t want to lose face in front of others, especially not in front of humans. Is that clear?”

The three solemnly stated in unison, “Yes, Admiral!”

“Dismiss if you don’t have anything to add.” He coolly stated.

The three of them bowed respectfully before taking their leave without saying anything.

However, when the two demons left, only the demoness in the group suddenly halted her footsteps right at the door. She looked behind and spoke with a hesitant look in her eyes as she said, “Admiral, I want to ask something. C-can I?”

The Demon Admiral impassively looked at the demoness with a tense expression. He coolly said, “You may speak freely, Captain Hazel.”

Hazel was overjoyed and quickly spoke without wasting any time, “I know I’m being presumptuous by asking Admiral this, so I’ll apologize in advance, and I have no intention of offending or doubting our orders. I just want to know why we must send such a huge army to the human continent. Is that thief really worth such attention and our effort?”

The Demon Admiral yellow eyeballs shimmered as he looked at Hazel with a tingle of approval. It was the first caption who dared to ask him such a dangerous question and didn’t seem to be just blindly following orders and using her brain as well.

So, he answered in the same impassive tone, “Your courage is commendable. All I can tell you is that you didn’t need to worry. We are not going there to be just some watch guards for Humans. We might encounter a worthy foe to show our might, and even Devils are coming to join the fray. If you perform well, His Imperial Majesty will not hold back on rewards, and I also have high hope for you, Captain Hazel, don’t disappoint me.”

Hazel was shocked when she heard this subtle answer filled with astonishing facts. She finally started to understand that this trip to the Azure Wind Continent might not be as simple as just capturing the elusive thief, Sky Stealer.

But she didn’t dare to overstep her boundaries and asked for further details. Just this much information was enough to show the Demon Admiral’s goodwill towards her, and she might end up offending him if she overstepped her jurisdiction.

“Thank you for your trust, Admiral. I won’t disappoint you.” She quickly bowed before taking her leave.

The Demon Admiral’s lips curled up after Hazel left, and he muttered with killing intent, “The Demon Army has not shown its true color for ages, and everything started to think we are some sort of pushover now just because some petty thief able to steal some treasures by relying on some paltry tricks.

“We’ll skin those people of White Crown alive to establish our dominance in Golden Sky again and make sure that thief will regret ever poking our demon race. If the plan goes well, the entire human race will vanish from the face of this world. This is the true punishment of stealing from us….”

Captain Hazel had no idea about the true intention of Demon higher-ups as she returned to her room with a faint frown on her face.

She was about to summon her vice caption to gather the other members of the fleet when a black translucent box materialized in front of her. But she didn’t look shocked as she read the words on it.

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[Incoming House Call!]

-Caller: House Leader (Ace White)

-Accept (Automatically Accept in 10 Seconds)

[NOTE: You can’t Reject or Ignore House Leader (Ace White) call!]

=====

‘Hmph, if not for this privilege, I would’ve ignored you for an hour!’ Captain Hazel, who was actually Winter in disguise, pursed her lips before she accepted the call.

Ace’s spirited voice transmitted in her head, “Long time no chat.”

Winter was startled since she expected his voice to be full of panic or anxiety just like last time, but for some reason, Ace returned to being himself again. 𝐞𝐨𝘃𝐞𝐥.

‘Don’t tell me he no longer cared about that girl and call me to cancel this mission? Didn’t this mean my effort would be wasted?’ Winter thought gloomily.

But she didn’t reach the final conclusion so soon. She probed, “Why are you calling?”

“I’m calling to inquire about your progress with your current mission.” Ace’s voice suddenly turned somewhat stern and filled with expectancy.

‘Oh, it seemed I was just thinking too much.’ Winter sighed in relief.

She replied smugly, “Just how do you think I am? I’m already three days away from reaching the human continent!”

“What? So fast?” Ace was surprised by this unexpected revelation since he was expecting her to be still in the demon continent or still in the middle of her journey toward the Azure Wind Continent.

“Hehe, I’m traveling with one of the fastest fleets of Demonic Marine Army, so it was only natural that we travel so fast, and with the personal sea channel of the Demon Race, it was even faster.” Winter was quite pleased with Ace’s reaction, so she boosted even more.

Ace’s praiseful voice rang, “So, you managed to infiltrate the Marine Army, huh? Even I didn’t expect that. It seemed you might have some hope of completing the sixth condition of my mission.”

Winter snickered, “Of course. Don’t tell me you’re regretting putting that condition and going to take back that five million reward now?” She was worried about this.

“Hah, as long as you can escape with Alina, you have my sincere gratitude, and I will owe you two favors, much less five million house points that you earn. But it won’t be easy. Don’t put yourself in danger.

“I want you to be my eyes and ears until I reach there and gather as much information as possible. Don’t take unnecessary risks. We are dealing with a potential Quasi-Law Comprehension Realm expert and not just one.”

Winter didn’t retort since she knew this was the fact because the Admiral she had just met with was a Law Awareness Realm Demon, and she knew he was just the tip of the iceberg of the Demon Army.

“I know what I’m doing. I cherish my life more than anything else.” She scoffed before her expression turned serious, “When will you arrive?”

A powerless sigh escaped Ace’s mouth as he replied helplessly, “I’m in the middle of the endless sea, and I have absolutely no idea where I am currently. But I’m pretty sure I’ll be to find out soon. I just need some more time before I come rushing back.”

Winter sternly replied, “Well, you better speed up your game. I just learned that another army from the Devil Race would also join the demons on the human continent, and you might not be the only target this time. They might be planning something big, and it’s all evolved around the human continent!”

Ace fell into silence since this was a piece of unexpected news. Although he was expecting the devil race to get involved but sending an army was another matter entirely.

“What about hunters? Is there any movement from their side? Especially from the Silver Ice Clan?” Ace asked with a hint of coldness in his voice.

He didn’t have a good impression of Alina’s family after they abandoned her and handed her over to Dream Shatter to use her as he wished.

“Actually, it’s quite strange because there is no movement from the Hunter Race, as they had gone completely dormant after the Ice Lord’s announcement. I have no idea what those guys are up to.” Winter replied with uncertainty, “But I do hear that they are still focusing on that ancient gathering. Even demons and devils are the same, as they didn’t give up on that secret realm either. Only a little over a year is left before that place will open up.”

Ace sighed ruefully, “It seemed they abandoned her. Or there’s a chance they are planning something. As for this fiery hell secret realm, this is not our concern anymore. Saving Alina came first. You just focus on your task while I find a way toward you.”

“Alright. I know what to do.” Winter quickly agreed, and the call was over.

She muttered uncertainly after the call, “Just who is she to you, really….”