DKIE CH23: Prelude 

Starlight twinkled, and dark clouds filled the sky; two extreme phenomena intertwined.

The unique celestial phenomenon attracted some knowledgeable people to stop and watch, which, of course, did not include Luka. He was currently in a fierce battle with Quill on the bed. The pillow in his hand was pierced by the pen’s shaft, and the feathers used to fill it flew about chaotically.

With feathers flying all over the room, Luka scolded painfully, “Born of the same root, why fry each other with such haste?”

The deformed heart, having turned back into a pen, gave a cold snort and was about to retort when a knock suddenly came from the door.

Luka extended his index finger, making a “shush” gesture.

“It’s me,” Cullen’s voice came through.

Having left a note for the purchasing agent for essence blood during the day, Luka guessed the goods had most likely arrived. He ran off the bed like a gust of wind to open the door.

As the door opened, Cullen, who was about to knock again, froze.

He saw Luka’s usually fair face flushed red, a low pant suppressed in his throat, and he was only wearing one shoe.

Faced with the strange look, Luka, blushing and panting, responded, “Nighttime workout.”

Confirming that there was no one else’s presence in the room, Cullen looked at him even more strangely. A workout by tearing pillows?

“We literary folks are all like this,” Luka waved his hand.

Cullen, half-believing, handed over the essence blood, keeping business and private matters separate. “Three hundred drops of high-grade demonic beast essence blood, a total of five thousand gold coins. It will be deducted directly from today’s sales profit, and the rest will be transferred to your card.”

Luka nodded, “Many thanks.”

More troublesome than the money was the purchasing channel. For an ordinary person to buy a large amount of essence blood could easily attract investigation.

After thinking for a moment, he confirmed again, “The cooperation continues?”

Cullen nodded, “Your problem is not a problem.”

Ultimately, Luka hadn’t done anything wrong.

Remembering the other party’s skilled operation of providing a way out that night, the corner of Luka’s mouth twitched. Just how many outlaws had Cullen cooperated with?

The transaction complete, Cullen left calmly.

Luka closed the door, placed the essence blood in front of Quill, and said with a smug look, “Drink up.”

Quill floated over to absorb the handout.

Luka watched intently. When half the essence blood was absorbed, he narrowed his eyes, wondering if he could see the phantom appear this time.

He happened to have some things he wanted to ask. Alex was more reliable than Quill in some aspects.

He uttered demonic gibberish, “Shaluo shaluo, Quill, full transformation!”

Quill, who was actually about to transform: “…”

Suddenly, it didn’t want to transform anymore.

Luka proactively covered his eyes with his hand.

After a period of silence, the excessive quiet brought a strange feeling. A moment later, Luka quietly peeked out from between his fingers, only to meet a pair of dark, deep eyes.

He couldn’t help but feel his scalp tingle and subconsciously let go of his hand.

When their eyes met again, that pair of eyes had become as sharp as a blade. The bloodstains on the man’s tattered battle armor remained, carrying a sense of grimness from ages past.

Luka subconsciously sat up straight.

From the phantom, the man’s physique was well-proportioned but very tall. History had not determined Alex’s race.

But looking at one of the skeletal demonic claws and the gray-white eyes, Luka believed that history’s guess of him being a necromancer was likely not far off.

“Your Excellency Alex.”

Without the casual ease he had with Quill, his tone was slightly stiff due to vigilance.

Quill was easier to coax.

Just as Luka was thinking about how to broach the main topic, a low voice came from the other side:

“The energy guided and expelled from the body is indeed formidable.”

His thoughts were seen through directly, and Luka’s expression changed.

When he tested Quill, the latter had only thought he simply wanted to see if faith power could be stored and not wasted.

In fact, from beginning to end, what Luka thought of was not storage, but consumption.

Since his body couldn’t handle too much faith power, why not expel the excess all at once? That much energy could be compared to a small missile.

“Your pupils moved,” Alex said faintly.

Luka’s brow twitched.

A natural black-belly, this is definitely a natural black-belly! Otherwise, it’s absolutely impossible to say such a thing with a straight face.

He decided to just lay his cards on the table. “Waste is shameful. I want to use this energy as a weapon.”

Truth is only ever within range.

So Luka enunciated clearly, “Let~ me~ fire.”

Strange, still no emotion.

He had to try again.

Before that, he had to wait for the blood phantom’s feedback on his request.

“Essence blood in exchange for knowledge, a very fair exchange.”

Luka didn’t wait long. In just one or two breaths, his entire scalp was filled with a chilling sensation.

The sharp, pale skeletal finger was lightly tapping on his glabella. The low temperature made Luka’s overly long eyelashes tremble slightly.

Something terrifying happened.

In the zero-distance contact between the skin and the fingertip, he felt no sensation of the other’s bone itself, as if there was nothing on his glabella.

Luka’s gaze silently drifted to Alex’s body, and he couldn’t help but look a few more times.

Head, limbs, hair… whenever his own body deliberately leaned forward, Alex opposite him clearly hadn’t moved, yet the distance between them was no different from the beginning.

This feeling of being seemingly close yet actually far reminded him of the layout inside the high tower during the day.

It was as if they weren’t in the same spatial dimension at all.

So focused on studying the phantom itself, Luka belatedly realized that something new had appeared in his mind—all about a forbidden magic art on how to channel energy, called the Traction Method.

As if not noticing Luka’s turbulent emotions at all, Alex reminded him:

“After channeling out a large amount of energy at once, you will immediately be in a weakened state. At that time, even a passing stray dog could take your life.”

Luka swallowed, and with difficulty, squeezed out a word: “Okay.”

After that, neither of them spoke again. After the essence blood spread through the deformed heart, it began to be devoured a second time.

Luka could vaguely hear a terrifying, low chewing sound constantly coming from Alex’s blood vessels.

He was raising a true monster.

Luka was incomparably clearly aware of this.

When the essence blood was consumed, Alex became slightly more vivid, and the surrounding light gradually dimmed.

A second before he disappeared, Luka suddenly asked, “Don’t you think the scent on me today is very pleasant?”

He opened his mouth: “It’s a milky fragrance.”

That’s right, you spat it out yourself.

The milk stains on his clothes were actually all illusions. Luka used his most proficient water element to maintain the traces of the dotted milk stains.

Alex still had no extra expression. “Your previous statement was biased. Truth is not only within range.”

Luka’s eyes were clear. “Then I’ll have to fire one off first to find out.”

“…”

The ethereal tone gradually faded away until it disappeared completely.

The room returned to silence.

Luka shook his head. “Still no reaction to that?”

Previously, he had actually suspected that what Quill said was true, that it was just a small lost toy of Alex’s, with a bit of his will attached.

But now, Luka was more inclined to believe that the deformed heart was the main body.

As he was thinking, a sudden chill came from his abdomen.

Luka looked up at the returned Quill. The latter was sneakily casting a cleaning spell, earnestly washing its own clothes, trying to wash away the stain on its life as a pen.

Luka tut-tutted.

Harming the enemy by a thousand, but oneself by ten thousand. What’s the point?

“Stop washing.” It won’t come clean.

Temporarily freeing himself from the pressure brought by Alex, Luka said with a half-smile, “Let’s go. Time to make an instrument.”

…

The separate courtyard structure of the guild hall ensured privacy.

Luka walked around the courtyard once and finally stopped under a tree similar to purple sandalwood. He looked up and sized it up, “This is it.”

He pointed to a branch from afar and said, “Help me get it.”

Quill bristled. Where was the calm demeanor of the phantom from before? “Why should I?”

Luka said seriously, “Because you’re curious.”

Curious about what he would make.

Luka was very good at reading the pen. Quill was indeed willing to put in some insignificant labor for its curiosity.

With Quill around, Luka’s preparation work went very smoothly. The needed copper parts could be directly temperature-controlled by Quill for re-smelting and shaping. The anti-slip bumps were left to Quill for polishing, and the needed metal wires were Quill’s responsibility to draw.

As for Luka himself… his lips were almost worn out from talking.

Just when Quill’s patience was about to reach its end, Luka smiled and said in a timely manner, “Thank you for your hard work.”

Looking down at all the things he needed on the ground, he praised softly, “Truly amazing! You use all the magic elements so skillfully.”

The praise was endless. In Luka’s admiring gaze, Quill said, seemingly casually:

“Hmph, a small matter like this requires no skill at all.”

Luka nodded in affirmation.

Child psychology really works.

He went to move a small stool and sat down, starting to make the sound-producing parts.

This era didn’t have the molds he needed. Many things could only be done purely by hand. Luka rolled up his sleeves and began to hammer and beat at the limited materials. His long hair was a burden when working and was soon soaked with sweat.

Quill floated around, thinking that Luka’s scent was very pleasant.

It was an invisible fragrance.

The source was his soul. With magical cultivation, the soul that was initially like egg drop soup was gradually solidifying. There was a blood contract between them, so Quill could clearly feel the state of his soul.

Realizing that it had accidentally taken a few extra whiffs, Quill felt inexplicably guilty.

“What are you doing?” it asked, trying to make conversation.

“Making the core.” Luka’s arm was a bit sore. During his break, he didn’t forget his magic cultivation, showing great potential to be a time management master.

That light tap from Alex earlier had instantly filled his mind with knowledge about the Traction Method.

A true enlightenment!

Regarding this, Luka had only one thought: I regret not having met you in my third year of high school.

He began to familiarize himself with the magic incantations as much as possible, but of course, he couldn’t complete the final step.

This one-time Traction Method, after use, would truly leave his body completely drained.

After cultivating for half an hour, Luka’s arm had mostly recovered, and he once again threw himself into the great cause of making a musical instrument.

Back when he was still at the entertainment company, popular variety shows weren’t for small artists like them. The company took a different approach and put them on programs that promoted culture. The ratings were average, but the reputation was good, and he had learned some real skills from the old craftsmen.

“Fate is truly interesting.”

Spacetime was displaced, his identity had changed, yet he was actually making this thing again.

“So young, what are you talking about fate for?”

Luka assembled the sound transmission blocks himself. “I once had a chance to change my fate. I thought I could realize my dream, but unexpectedly, the other party ‘opened their mouth wide like a lion,’ and actually wanted me to trade my body for it.”

Quill didn’t react at first, then its tone became extremely cold. “The demon race is all these lowly things now?”

A few years ago, how old was he then?

“It has nothing to do with the demon race.” Luka looked at the gradually taking shape instrument. “At that time, I thought the other party might need to experience the process of instrument making, such as manual disembowelment, straightening the bent… carving with a knife and chopping with an axe…”

Every word was said very lightly, his forging posture quite strange.

“But in the end, for the sake of him being old and ignorant, I merely made this little louse lose his family and fortune, and finally, after mistakenly taking ten times the dose of medicine prepared for others, he completely lost his X ability.”

Originally, Luka had also planned to tamper with the diving equipment. Since he liked the “unspoken rules” so much, it would be what everyone wanted if he “dived to his death” in the sea.

Unfortunately, it would be easily discovered. He didn’t want to be buried with an old man, so he had to give it up.

Thinking of this, Luka’s gaze suddenly became a bit unfocused. At that time, a friend from the same period had looked at him with fear and said:

“After all, he hadn’t really done anything. Compared to other companies, it was good. You went a bit too far.”

So what?

He had always liked to be calculating down to the last penny.

Quill: “Soft-hearted and merciful. You deserve to be bullied.”

Luka was stunned.

In the latter half of the night, when Luka was finally at the last step, Quill suddenly said coldly again, “Why didn’t I notice before? You’re so weak.”

Just this level of revenge was like punching the air.

“…”

He hadn’t slept all night.

The next day, before the rooster even crowed, Luka stood up and patted the wood shavings off his body.

The sense of accomplishment from polishing something with his own hands was extraordinary. However, he didn’t even test the timbre and directly put it into his storage ring.

Quill, who had been prepared to listen, was a bit disappointed. Not wanting to appear too curious, it feigned a noble indifference.

Luka went into the house and changed into a black cloak, deliberately tucking his hair into the hood to blur the identifying feature of his black hair.

He knew very well the reason for Quill’s sudden silence. He said, “No hurry. We’ll go out and find an audience now.”

There weren’t many people outside at this time. Different races had different aesthetics. During the Ten Thousand Realm Assembly, there was all sorts of attire. Walking on the relatively crowded main street, Luka was not too conspicuous.

Unexpectedly, the place with the most people gathered now was actually the newspaper office.

Many people had specially come out to queue up to buy newspapers. There were even some reporters from different races running out, not planning to report on the follow-up of the Ten Thousand Realm Assembly.

Yesterday’s content was enough to digest. There was also competition between different newspaper offices. They had to go back to their own race to grab the headlines.

“There’s more good show to watch in the next two days.” A customer who had already bought a newspaper gossiped with his companion, “It’s said that outside the Holy City is now full of demon servants. In the next two days, Alec’s powerful demon generals will arrive.”

This person also specifically mentioned the names of several demon generals, all of whom were notorious and known for skinning and deboning prisoners of war.

Luka calmly bypassed them and passed under the eaves.

Alec hadn’t deliberately hidden his arrangements. He probably even hoped that he would hear this news. When people were panicked, it was easy to do foolish things.

As expected.

But even a frightened bird can peck out a person’s eyes.

As he passed a corner, Luka suddenly froze.

He actually saw Rio. The latter’s attire was still solemn and luxurious. The other party had clearly recognized him too. This clumsy disguise could not deceive the eyes and ears of the dragon race.

In fact, the first thing Rio recognized was the pair of eyes under the mask—clear, spirited, and hiding a certain wildness unique to a young leopard.

“Good morning, Your Excellency.” Luka took the initiative to greet him.

Rio nodded.

After the polite greeting, seeing the blind box in the dragon’s hand, Luka did not take the initiative to seek asylum. He just sincerely said a few words of blessing and then continued walking forward.

The cloak could not hide his thin back. A black figure quickly disappeared at the end of the alley.

Rio suddenly remembered their first encounter. It was also at the entrance of an alley. A child was humming something about being a descendant of the dragon without a care in the world.

Now he had deliberately concealed his appearance. Could he be planning to leave the city?

The outside of the city was already densely populated with demon servants. After thinking for a moment, Rio followed him quietly and discreetly.

Passing through deserted dark alleys, Luka walked through two more narrow paths, his steps never stopping.

His thinking was clear from beginning to end. The longer he stayed in the Holy City, the more time he gave Alec to make arrangements. With the Demon King’s backing, perhaps Alec could even find some way to delay the dragon race.

Luka didn’t want to be a hermit crab, placing all his hopes of survival on others.

“This is not the direction to the Holy Tower,” Quill finally came to its senses and transmitted its voice.

“I know.”

“Aren’t you going to perform on your instrument?”

Luka said solemnly, “That’s right. So I have to find an audience first. This instrument cannot be played directly. It must be in a grand occasion.”

“…”

Compared to the monolithic main city area, the outside of the guild hall was relaxed on the outside but tight on the inside.

The outside was relaxed because it was not good to place too many law enforcement teams, otherwise it would easily give other races the feeling of being monitored. The inside was tight because the guests usually brought their own bodyguards.

Of course, for races like the Demon King and the dragons, ordinary people would avoid them at all costs, so they didn’t need bodyguards at all.

Luka’s footsteps finally stopped outside one of the annexes. He gently took off his hood.

His long hair, which had been covered, was revealed again along with his ears.

Quill: “The grand occasion you mentioned is coming to the place of the demon brat?”

“Yes.”

The next moment, Luka directly vaulted over the wall and into the guild hall.

The movement wasn’t loud, but from the moment he appeared on the wall, Alec inside sensed it immediately and instantly appeared.

Seeing the visitor, Alec for a moment was too lazy to take another step forward. The vigilance in his eyes was mixed with ridicule.

The young man sitting on the wall swayed. With half the Demon King’s blood in him, yet so weak, no wonder he was regarded as the shame of the demon race.

Contempt was one thing, but Alec was suspicious of Luka’s purpose in coming.

Soon he felt this thought was superfluous. He could just capture the person and interrogate him directly.

Before the elemental force in the air could be mobilized, Luka suddenly held a strangely shaped object in his hand and waved it provocatively.

Alec was stunned at first, then as if he thought of something, he almost laughed out loud.

Looking at Luka again, he only felt it was funny and pathetic.

No wonder he dared to come and show off. He must have really made some kind of instrument.

This good-for-nothing probably still thought that just like yesterday in the square, with a novel and a few dolls, he could stand in his self-proclaimed invincible position.

However, it was a good opportunity for the other party to deliver himself to his doorstep.

Under Alec’s smiling face, a hint of ferocity was hidden.

How cleanly must I destroy the body to deal with the law enforcement team?

Just as these thoughts passed, Alec suddenly saw the wide sleeve of the person opposite him move suspiciously.

“Good morning, Your Highness,” Luka also had a bright smile and spoke to attract the other’s attention.

The weak muscles under the cloak were mobilized by the Traction Method and bulged slightly. Light flowed along the groove of his spine to the other skin textures.

The other hand hidden in his sleeve was clutching a space scroll, to prevent suffering when exhausted.

The whole process took only a few seconds. The moment their eyes met, the smile on Luka’s lips widened. The huge amount of faith power remaining in his body shot out like a light bomb.

Boom!

The golden light exploded in mid-air! The terrifying wave it stirred up beat the rising sun to the punch, igniting the dark clouds in the sky.

To anyone, Luka was a magic good-for-nothing. No matter how novel his ideas were, it couldn’t change the fact that he was congenitally unable to perceive elemental force.

Yet, such a good-for-nothing in the eyes of the public could actually use magic.

The moment the energy exploded, Alec’s slender eyes almost bulged out in surprise.

The energy mixed with the dragon race’s faith was too powerful. Before Alec could finish chanting his protective spell, the ground of the annex was directly blasted into collapse.

The overly violent shock wave made the houses on the entire street feel the vibration.

As the explosion occurred in the main city of the Holy City, a large number of law enforcement teams immediately rushed here frantically.

The gazes of the big shots from all races turned here.

The pedestrians on the street all stopped in their tracks. After coming to their senses, they suddenly looked towards the direction of the guild hall. The place where thick black smoke was billowing into the sky, it seemed something had happened at the guild hall?!

__

Author’s note:

Luka’s Diary:
If you want to play a wind instrument, you can’t just play a wind instrument.
You have to create an audience for the instrument.

Alec:
Don’t use his favorite stickers. –Alex’s note.