Ten days later.
Northern Polant Empire.
Serving as the Polant Empire's country retreat, Chequers Manor was located in Berkingham County, about six hundred kilometers north of the capital, Hersalem.
When greater privacy and security were required, a border estate was often chosen as the venue for high-level negotiations.
Decades ago, the manor had been gifted to the royal family by Sir Arthur to provide senior state officials with a place to rest and work away from the hustle and bustle of Hersalem.
In this border shire town on the northernmost fringe of the Polant Empire, even in August, the weather remained frigid. A steady drizzle fell continuously beneath skies draped in heavy cloud cover, making midday feel as gloomy as twilight.
It was only ten in the morning.
Yet the dense clouds already hung low. Down on the streets, pedestrians hurried along as though eager to blend into the surrounding gray stone walls.
Most buildings in Berkingham County's main town were constructed of stone. Despite enduring years of weathering and erosion, they still looked solid. The streets were narrow and winding, their rain-soaked cobblestones glistening with a faint bluish sheen that mirrored the silhouettes of the buildings flanking them.
A snow deer carriage bearing the royal crest of the Demon Realm trundled past, flecks of unmelted snow still clinging to its body as its wheels hummed across the pavement, kicking up splashes of water.
Inside the cabin, Hyperion glanced out the window before pulling the curtains half-shut once more.
"Sigh..." she murmured with a soft sigh.
Unlike the Demon King's Castle with its nightly revelry, crossing through the Land of Evernight into the Polant Empire brought only an unshakable blanket of gloomy clouds.
"Once we arrive at Chequers Manor, do I just leave the negotiations to you, Caliera?"
Hyperion turned toward the Fall Lord, Caliera, who sat across from her with eyes closed, resting.
"Yes. Your Highness need only complete the basic ceremonial steps. Leave the rest to me; I shall negotiate everything with the Polant Empire," Caliera stated in a calm, composed tone.
At present, all of the Demon Realm's diplomatic affairs were personally handled by her. The Polant Empire had swiftly coordinated the itinerary to receive Princess Hyperion, though the initial meeting location was set here in Berkingham County on Polant's northern border.
Unsurprisingly, the Polant representative sent to receive the demon delegation was Foreign Minister Duke Moretti. When she requested an audience with the prime minister, the other party had politely brushed it aside with tactful excuses.
"All right," Hyperion accepted with ease.
Though she always felt guilty about being a rather useless princess, Lanqi had reassured her, saying she was a remarkably fine princess—young and capable.
It was clearly just Lanqi's gentle politeness... yet somehow, she felt that he truly believed it.
Today was the thirty-ninth day in this Shadow World. Without realizing it, she had already been here for over a month.
Under normal circumstances, crossing the Land of Evernight from the Demon Realm's border to the Polant frontier would only take about seven days.
However, in order to fulfill their quest objective, they had detoured after leaving the Demon King's Castle of Naicalis to visit the Purgatory City of Pasqual, which took some time—for that was where the demon race's ancestral land lay.
Worth mentioning was that the Purgatory Corridor Academy was also located in the Purgatory City of Pasqual.
Though Lanqi sorely missed the school, he put his personal sentiment aside for the sake of the schedule.
After she and Lanqi arrived at the demon ancestral land, [Quest Objective 1: The demon ancestral land holds the possibility of sealing the Blood Clan Progenitors; a key spell principle can be found in the demon ancestral land] had smoothly transitioned to completed.
Though the ancestral land could not kill the Blood Clan, its supreme demonic power automatically entrapped and contained any non-demon being that rashly stepped foot inside.
Judging from the Shadow World's objective, the intended method to defeat the Blood Clan was likely to neutralize and capture them upon victory, then transport them safely into the demon ancestral land in the Purgatory City of Pasqual.
Sealing the Blood Clan like that was the standard solution.
Yet after Lanqi shared the recipe for Count Blood Curd with the Fall Lord, even she had wavered.
The Fall Lord had begun to ponder the Blood Clan's enormous commercial value, as well as the prospect of demons trading in and farming Blood Clan members.
Not only that, Lanqi had suggested striking an agreement with the human kingdoms: the Demon Realm could purchase at high prices, or barter strategic resources for, high-tier Blood Clan members that humans found difficult to imprison. This would form an entire industrial chain. The human kingdoms on the Northern Continent's front line would fight tooth and nail against the Blood Clan, and any vampires captured could be sold to the Demon Realm for cash.
Hyperion had covered her ears on the spot, refusing to hear the rest, afraid she would bleed away all her karmic merit if she listened any longer.
Still, after they left the Purgatory City of Pasqual, Lanqi had left the Poet of Great Love behind in the demon ancestral land.
The ancestral land of the demons also served as the eternal resting place of the Demon Kings.
When Tier 9 great demons died in the Demon Realm, they could transform into Great Demon Trials, whereas Demon Kings upon death could merge their final power and life-soul into the ancestral land, bolstering its demonic barrier.
Unfortunately, Pranay had confirmed to Lanqi and Hyperion that once they departed the Shadow World, all statuses and buffs acquired within—including the Shadow Great Demon Mark woven by the Shadow World—would be removed. Even if one obtained a Great Demon Mark inside a Shadow World, it could not be brought back to reality.
Lanqi hadn't been able to discern anything profound from the demon ancestral land in such a short visit; he had merely found it quite pretty.
However, just as when she had studied the Original Slate, the Poet of Great Love had gained an epiphany, so Lanqi had simply left her there.
In any case, soul-bound magic cards brought into the Shadow World would return to the wielder's soul space upon the Shadow World's conclusion, no matter where they were left, provided the bond wasn't severed.
Hyperion gazed out through the gap in the curtains, quietly turning these thoughts over in her mind.
Rainwater dripped slowly from the carriage's eaves, its crisp patter intertwining with the tolling bells from a distant church tower.
Pedestrians along the road grew sparser. The occasional townsfolk who hurried past kept their heavy coats wrapped tight, heads down against the biting wind and drizzle.
Even without checking a map, Hyperion knew they were drawing closer to Chequers Manor on the far outskirts of town.
"The Polant Empire...? Are we here?"
Curled up beside Hyperion, Xigelei rubbed her eyes half-asleep, waking up as if triggered by a keyword.
The moment she opened her eyes, she caught sight of Caliera sitting across from them.
"We've arrived. Xigelei, just stay close and accompany the princess," Caliera spoke to the young wolf girl.
At present, this Wolf Clan orphan had gained an identity recognized by the Demon Realm and had become someone under Fall Lord Caliera's personal protection.
Officially, however, Xigelei was still regarded as a citizen of the Polant Empire, traveling with them as a guide hired by the demon delegation for the Land of Evernight.
"No problem."
Xigelei nodded, lazily lounging sideways across Hyperion's lap, yawning as she settled back down to rest.
This great demon named the Fall Lord was quite wondrous. When Xigelei first met her, she had thought her mother was still alive and had become a demon. Only after asking Hyperion did she learn that Caliera manifested as the woman the viewer most longed to see; Hyperion had also thought Caliera resembled her own mother at first sight.
Still, Miss Caliera was clearly very young, so viewing an unmarried lady as a mother was rather impolite.
"..."
The Fall Lord started to say something, but held her tongue.
If the princess had no objections, then neither did she.
"Xigelei, I'll wake you when it's time to get out."
Hyperion smiled helplessly, resting a hand gently on Xigelei's head to stroke her light-colored hair.
It was normal for children to feel sleepy, and she had heard that Xigelei had worked non-stop without rest for a long time, accumulating an exhaustion far beyond her years.
"Thanks, big sis," Xigelei mumbled.
"Big sis, where did Luoqi go?"
After a brief moment of quiet, Xigelei spoke up again.
She had realized upon waking that Luoqi was nowhere to be seen.
"He said he had work of his own to do. He stepped off the carriage once we entered the Polant Empire and will meet up with us later," Hyperion lowered her head and whispered to Xigelei.
"Oh, right. Luoqi's secretary once told me he was someone of immense stature in the Polant Empire, that I couldn't be disrespectful to him in any way, and even gave me an extraordinarily complicated rulebook. But later on, Luoqi didn't mind anything at all, so I just acted casually around him..."
Xigelei murmured dreamily.
She had almost forgotten that Luoqi was actually from the Polant Empire, so absorbed had she been in tagging along and having fun with him in the Demon Realm.
"Heh, just how noble could he possibly be in the Polant Empire? There isn't a single person in my intelligence network who matches his profile."
Caliera crossed her arms and scoffed with a dismissive chuckle.
Throughout this journey, to be honest, she had built up a bit of resentment toward the Nameless Lord. She felt he treated her with an excess of deference, as though treating her like an ancient matriarch of the demons. She had even retaliated by trying to open both eyes and look straight at him, yet it didn't disrupt him in the slightest. With this man, she was thoroughly incapable of controlling or influencing him.
"Er..."
Hyperion was momentarily at a loss for words.
In truth, ever since she hadn't seen Lanqi in the Demon Realm at the very start, she had braced herself mentally; no identity Lanqi held in the Polant Empire would surprise her.
After all, she had been to the Northern Continent.
Hyperion shook her head, putting it out of her mind.
Though the faces of the Polant Empire's people were still etched with anxiety, though the city was shrouded in gloom without a glimmer of hope for victory, Lanqi had said that the hour before dawn is often the darkest. As long as one pushed through it, everything would turn around.
Chapter 598