Six days later.
To the west of the Demon King's Castle, within McCarthy's magnificent manor on Lis Island, Lanqi began a brand-new day while the sky was still a deep, unbroken blue.
In his bedroom on the mansion's top floor—a room sumptuously decorated and exquisitely furnished—Boss Cat's tender voice sounded by the head of the bed, accompanying the sound of ocean waves outside the window.
"Today is your twenty-eighth day in this Shadow World."
"The news from the battlefront of the neighboring Kingdom of Bliss and from the Polant Empire is far from optimistic."
"And as humble little Lanqi, the only thing you can do is make yourself irresistible and fulfill your mission in the Demon Realm."
Boss Cat began today's broadcast once again.
"Alright, Boss Cat, I hear you."
Patting Boss Cat lightly on the head, Lanqi walked across the carpet of the spacious bedroom to the wardrobe near the entrance, meticulously selecting his attire.
In the end, he chose a dark gray, Protos-style suit paired with a tie embroidered with silver motifs—flawlessly tailored, looking both formal and dignified.
"In homage to the legendary Sealer Askesan, this dark gray coat really looks great."
The mirror reflected Lanqi's faintly smiling face, his eyes gleaming with resolve and hunger for today's goal.
"Meow, he probably doesn't want your homage."
Boss Cat hopped down to Lanqi's feet and examined his appearance. To the cat, Lanqi's Glow Demon form combined with that Askesan style genuinely gave off the aura of a Cardinal.
Unfortunately, Lanqi was still a far cry from an actual Cardinal-level figure.
"He has no objection," Lanqi remarked.
"……"
Boss Cat gave up on replying.
Instead, it turned its attention back to the scoreboard for the three of them, poking at it from time to time.
[Popular Support: 276 → 565/1000 (Approval rating and cohesion of the populace)]
[Senate: 227 → 176/1000 (Approval rating among top officials of the Polant Empire)]
[Military Power: 124 → 182/1000 (Benchmarked against the Horning Empire)]
[Treasury: 236 → 323/1000 (Current productivity status of the Polant Empire)]
[Diplomacy: 115 → 232/1000 (Diplomatic relations with the Demon Realm and surrounding nations that have not yet surrendered)]
[Overall Odds of Victory: 0.0013%]
Boss Cat stared at it several times a day now, terrified that it might drop.
Thanks to Lanqi's unflagging efforts, the odds of victory finally showed a number.
Yet it was still unimaginably far from 1%—a distance so vast it felt despairing.
Ever since Lanqi left the Polant Empire, [Popular Support] had continued to climb, and at an accelerating rate.
Meanwhile, the [Senate] metric was still slowly falling.
Likely owing to his exceptional diplomatic success with the orc city-states, each city-state had added a solid 20 or so to [Diplomacy].
At the same time, because those diplomatic efforts had forged a united alliance, the alliance's [Military Power] and [Treasury] had both seen improvements.
Because Lanqi had not yet revealed in the Demon Realm that he belonged to the Polant Empire and the anti-Blood Clan faction, the connections he had cultivated here were not yet tallied under [Diplomacy].
Out of the forty-five days in this Shadow World, twenty-eight had already slipped away. That pace had Boss Cat's heart in its throat.
One could say victory or defeat hung entirely on today!
"Lanqi-meow, you have to save Hubao!" the little black cat urged him.
Today's royal ceremony would decide Hyperion's freedom.
Not only would the great demons of the contemporary Demon Realm vie for betrothal to royalty, but the Blood Clan's Tenth Progenitor, Marquis Ulysses, was also thrusting himself into the fray, bent on marrying the last remaining royal of the demon race.
The ceremony did not require painting on the spot. Real-time painting was time-consuming and its results unpredictable, so Fall Lord Caliera had allowed the great demons to choose their preferred settings to paint, requiring only that their works be submitted before the ceremony's tone was set. The paintings were to be deposited into an enchanted golden chest on the first floor of the palace's Regency Hall, where Fall Lord Caliera herself would unseal and authenticate them during today's ceremony, letting the princess openly choose the painting that spoke to her heart.
Now, the tone had effectively been set; only the unveiling of the outcome remained before the ceremony reached its conclusion.
When reviewing the paintings, the princess would have no idea who painted which.
It was a blind selection.
When the time came, Fall Lord Caliera would naturally determine which demon's mana belonged to which artwork, and determine the completion time based on the nature of that mana.
"Don't worry, I gave it my absolute all this time," Lanqi said with certainty, scooping up the little black cat from the floor.
"Meow, meow."
Boss Cat knew that aside from essential meetings with Demon Realm dignitaries, Lanqi had spent most of the past week locked away in his room.
Yet it had not seen what Lanqi had actually painted.
Once finished, he had sealed the piece away and, guided and aided by a minister with whom he shared close ties, delivered it directly into the enchanted golden chest on the first floor of the palace's Regency Hall.
According to him, he wanted Hyperion to be the first to see it.
Boss Cat had seen Lanqi's artwork before, but back in the Northern Continent, Lanqi had carried the cat off before it could examine it closely, and in the Southern Continent, it hadn't even dared to look before fleeing. This time, it intended to see what tier of artwork Lanqi had created.
If it truly counted as an artwork, Boss Cat had total confidence in this uncanny kid. With such a short turnaround, as long as the great demons and the Tenth Progenitor didn't miraculously craft a Divine-tier masterpiece, it believed Lanqi had the win in the bag!
The person and cat headed downstairs. In the spacious dining room of McCarthy's palatial manor, breakfast was already served.
Lanqi sat down at the dining table beside the floor-to-ceiling glass, pondering his upcoming itinerary. Occasionally, his gaze wandered past the glass, taking in the deep violet sky of the eclipse and the gloomy expanse of the sea.
Due to the visit of the Blood Clan Progenitors, the capital city of Naicalis had likewise deployed its barrier canopy today.
Of course, the royal ceremony's main proceedings were being held inside the Naicalis Royal Palace. To the Blood Clan, even during the day, being inside a sturdy building made no difference at all—let alone within the fortified Demon Realm palace shielded by defensive barriers.
Before long, Lanqi finished his breakfast. Setting down his cutlery, he dabbed the corners of his mouth with a napkin, straightened his tie, and stood up to take the overcoat handed to him by the butler.
Outside the window, dawn had yet to break; the sun's path was blocked by the blood moon, leaving the eastern horizon's light hazy and casting all of the Demon King's Castle into what felt like twilight.
Just as Lanqi reached the entrance of the palace hall and was about to push the doors open, a soft patter of footsteps sounded behind him. He turned around.
Xigelei came running over, still wearing a nightcap, her eyes bleary with sleep, eager to see him off.
"Luoqi, safe travels."
Rubbing her eyes, she waved her small hand.
Using the mysterious card-like magical item Lanqi had given her, Xigelei had transformed into a demon—looking for all intents and purposes like a pure-blooded wolf demon.
"Thanks for looking after the house," Lanqi said to her.
Xigelei fell silent for a moment.
"I feel like today is very dangerous... Two terrifying vampires from the Blood Clan have arrived in the Demon Realm capital... Be careful."
As the remnants of sleep faded, Xigelei's eyes grew visibly uneasy and anxious. Though she didn't want to wrinkle Lanqi's freshly ironed overcoat, she still gently tugged at the corner of his hem.
The cunning Blood Clan never came on a simple visit.
They had limitless capital to gamble with, feeding an insatiable pride and endless desires.
She remembered the last time—on an ordinary, peaceful day—she had seen her father off just like this early in the morning. She had thought he would return soon, bring her gifts, play with her, and tell her stories.
And that had been the last time she ever saw him.
"I understand. Thank you," Lanqi said, crouching down to meet her gaze.
"Come back soon."
She nodded.
Lanqi smiled, waved goodbye, and stepped out of the manor.
Chapter 575