Chapter 1715 - 482: Earl Derek Worships at the Wrong Shrine

In the Granston family, that was a secret that had been kept for two hundred years.

When Campbell's ancestors were fighting demons with blood outside Thunder City, Granston, the close comrade of the Duke, secretly established another layer of relationship with the enemy.

They secretly spared the Demon King, who was losing ground in the war, and secretly worshiped that lord, who was said to have a significant status in Hell.

After making an unspeakable deal, they exchanged insincere respect for the generosity of Hell, maintaining a mutually beneficial relationship with the Demon King.

Hell possessed many resources scarce on the earth's surface, such as precious magic materials, Demon Crystals, and most directly, gold.

And the Demon King of Thunder County also had things he needed, such as intelligence about the earth's surface, and battle achievements to report to the Demon City.

Although this behavior was clearly an outrageous betrayal, the Granston family did not consider it a blatant betrayal—

After all, in the eyes of successive Family Heads, they were just using the enemy!

Anyway, it was impossible for the Demon King to conquer the earth's surface, the Imperial and Hell were just maintaining the status quo, so what harm in some slight use?

Didn't Thunder City also earn its first pot of gold by relying on the adventurers brought by the Maze?

And even the nobles of the Holy City could not dare to claim absolute loyalty to Saint Sis, having never colluded with demons.

For the aristocracy, betting on both sides was nothing but normal.

The Granston territory was the farthest from the Maze, so they had no worries about demons bringing war to their backyard, allowing them to play with fire without concern.

This not only served as a means of extracting benefits but also a method to counterbalance the Duke's power. After all, if Thunder City was too strong, the Earls would have to endure the pushy citizens, and the Duke's ever-expanding ambitions.

However, Earl Derek Granston clearly did not realize that the world was changing.

Aaron Campbell's Light of Praise not only shot down a powerless puppet Demon King but also ushered in an ambitious true Demon King.

Just as the situation in the Campbell Duchy was churning, Hell's Demon City also experienced a tumultuous upheaval, which had long since settled.

With Elder Zakeruo trampled underfoot by ten thousand feet, the Dragon family's influence, forced to contract, no longer had any interests on the Northeast Shore of Vortex Sea.

Even now, Xino Dragon, the current Dragon Family Head, was the most loyal "fanboy" of Luo Yan, looking to the latter for guidance.

This was inevitable.

With his father and grandfather murdered and his brother imprisoned, the young Horror Demon, unsteady in his foundation, was left relying solely on his connections to the esteemed councilor.

To be more precise.

Without being the "prospective son-in-law of the Padric family" as a shield, the vast foundations of the Dragon family in Hell would have long been completely divided by other demons...

...

In the underground altar of Glanton Castle, the scarlet glow in the eyes of the Obsidian Demon King Statue slowly extinguished, and the candlelit room returned to tranquility.

At the same time, far away in the Hell Demon City, a stir arose in the study of the Dragon family mansion.

Xino Dragon abruptly opened his eyes, withdrawing his consciousness from the cold stone statue and returning to his body.

Leaning on the comfortable walnut wood chair, his seemingly youthful tauren head was now filled with question marks, far from relaxed.

"Attack Thunder City? Me?"

"...Has that guy gone mad?" Xino muttered softly, the bewildered expression lingering on his wild face.

He roughly understood the human noble's intention.

In simple terms, the Granston family, which had previously had entanglements with the Dragon family, hoped he would seize the internal turmoil within the Campbell Duchy to come out in full force and avenge past humiliations.

As long as the demon army landed in Thunder City, Duke Edward, caught in a two-front war, would immediately lose all his bargaining chips!

This idea indeed sounded intriguing, especially since the Dragon family was no longer the lord of the Thunder County Maze.

They clearly sought the wrong person.

Out of caution, Xino did not immediately reject Granston's summons, but vaguely told him to await the "Demon King's" orders, claiming he needed to "convene the Demon Generals for consultation."

In fact, he had no Demon Generals and was just a commander without any troops.

Xino Dragon stood up from his chair, pacing back and forth on the expensive cashmere carpet with a furrowed brow.

The corruption of earth's human nobles was commonplace among demons, as the Dragon Family Head, he responded to the distant summons out of curiosity, only to hear such an outrageous request.

Was it a coincidence?

Or was it a test from Councilor Luo Yan to him...?

With this thought, Xino's heart suddenly contracted, and a drop of cold sweat involuntarily slid down his forehead.

No...

It shouldn't go that far.

He had been diligently managing the Dragon family's territory recently, cleaning up Elder Zakro's leftover mess without doing anything suspicious, right?

He no longer hesitated, striding to his desk and pulling a string.

The bell sounded in the distance, and a cold shadow fell from the wall, transforming into a tall and gaunt figure.

"Master, you called me?" the Stone Golem steward silently bowed, his granite-like face filled with deference.

"Prepare the car immediately! I have to go to the Demon King Management Department!" Xino's voice rumbled.

The Stone Golem's face showed no change, only responding with deep respect.