DKIE CH13: Routine

Boulder City was exceptionally lively these past two days. The last time unfamiliar people gathered together for heated discussions was when the Demon King and the Saintess had a fallout.

After the auction, newspapers, a niche item, almost sold out in Boulder City for the first time.

Dragons, the City Lord, the auction, and the protagonist of the hot spring peeping incident from a few days ago—all these hot topics stacked together led to sales that surpassed those of the entire previous year.

The president of the Stone Publishing House was a born headline genius.

A title like “Unmasking the City Lord” successfully captured the public’s attention.

Under the surge of newspaper sales, Luka temporarily became a hot topic. He just happened to release his book at this crucial moment, so naturally, many curious people bought a copy.

The result…

The writing was mediocre, to say the least, and the entire book was riddled with logical errors.

For the indigenous people of the continent, who had advocated for thousands of years the law of the jungle, they were instantly stumped.

Yet, every single detail within it was surprisingly “evergreen,” impossible to forget.

“Demonic beasts are corrupted and irrational; how could they patiently guard an egg until it hatches?”

“Don’t even get me started; now I dream of baby burps.”

The term “baby burp” was almost nonexistent for egg-born creatures.

Where was the milk?

Why would eating an eggshell cause a baby burp?

Fortunately, this book had more than one victim. In an era without the internet, people would simply sit together offline and complain.

No matter who you were, or whether you knew each other, as long as you also cursed this book, “The Beloved Three-and-a-Half-Year-Old,” you were good friends!

What was even more ridiculous was that, with so few words, after finishing the first part, no one knew why the book was called “Three-and-a-Half-Year-Old.”

Who was the target audience anyway?!

The bookstore owner hadn’t dared to leave his post for the past two days, fearing his shop would be smashed. This day, he was arranging books when an unusual hurricane suddenly blew in.

In the owner’s terrified gaze, the mysterious customer who came to buy a book put down an expensive gold coin and then disappeared.

The bookstore owner belatedly realized something, ignored his shop, and rushed to report to the soldiers.

In a short time, the giant dragon traveled back and forth to Boulder City.

In fact, many places on the continent sold books. Subconsciously, the Hurricane Dragon still chose Boulder City.

Riot was a dragon with a subtle compulsive disorder.

To fall asleep, it would create a lighting effect with the most perfect luminous pearls, then choose the most precious calming incense, and even pre-arrange its dreams with Dream Breath grass.

So, even if it wanted to read the rest of the article, Riot still quickly flew back to the underground castle, brewed a perfect pot of herbal tea, and slowly enjoyed the words on the book.

The agile figure in the clouds continued to accelerate. The giant dragon flew through the fog, finally returning to its familiar territory.

To make it easier to read the book, it specifically transformed into human form, sat at the table, and began its happy reading amidst the diffusing aroma of the herbal tea.

Its slender fingers quickly turned the pages it had already read.

[Pale, sharp fangs hung like icicles above its head!]

After its gaze finally reached this line of text, Riot quickly looked to the following page.

It shouldn’t… just let a helpless newborn cub be eaten like that?

If that’s how it developed, it wouldn’t mind going to the author and discussing it with force.

Then, in the next second, it saw the protagonist, called “Little Monster” in the book, sweetly handing a broken eggshell piece to the demonic beast, hoping to exchange it for survival.

Luka had only written tens of thousands of words in total. To make the book thick enough, the proportion of illustrations was quite high, yet in this theme, it was a stroke of genius.

The illustrations perfectly highlighted the Little Monster’s wronged and innocent expression, with two physiological tears from fright still hanging on its chubby face.

Once one got used to the Q-version art style, it truly became cuter the more one looked at it.

When it saw the demonic beast in the book also愣住了 for a moment, Riot’s lips inexplicably curved upwards.

Who wouldn’t be adorable to a freshly hatched cub?

Riot had a high degree of identification with the demonic beast’s reaction.

Flipped another page—

A “critical hit” head-on!

The Little Monster poked the eggshell with the tip of its tail, feeding itself.

The entire segment practically melted the heart of a dragon that hadn’t seen a newborn in ages.

Unconsciously wearing a paternal smile, Riot didn’t even bother to sip its tea, carefully reading every page, occasionally flipping back to re-read previous passages.

The demonic beast’s attitude towards the cub was initially very awkward.

It wanted to eat it but couldn’t bring itself to, and gradually, this awkwardness evolved into indifference. It didn’t eat the cub, but it also didn’t pay attention to it anymore.

[It was a stormy day, and the demonic beast was getting annoyed with being followed. It couldn’t help but flick its tail, and the little monster lost its balance and accidentally rolled to the roadside.]

[It got up, removed the small stones stuck in its claws, not daring to cry out in pain, and stammered its first complete sentence: “Don’t, don’t abandon me…”]

[Having inherited bloodline memories unique to powerful races, it taught itself to speak.]

[“I, I’m not trash…”

Confused and blurry bloodline memories told it that only trash would be discarded.

It kept repeating this sentence in the rain. Seeing that the demonic beast didn’t react, the little monster’s voice grew weaker and weaker.]

In the illustration, the cub hung its head, looking as pathetic as a stray dog, but it was still trying to state the fact that it wasn’t trash.

Riot’s heart felt as if something had tugged at it.

The following text mostly recorded the interactions between the demonic beast and the cub.

Awkward, but not without warmth. For instance, despite feigning impatience, the demonic beast would tolerate the little monster hiding under its broad belly to shelter from the rain, and would even intentionally bump a tree to shake down berries.

It was simply the life a dragon dreamed of.

The peaceful life was completely shattered a few days later.

[The little monster was once again driven away by the demonic beast.

It diligently tried to climb a tree to pick berries.

It firmly believed that if it picked enough, enough bright red berries, it could make the other party full.

Being full would make it happy.

It often rained heavily here. After spending most of the day, the little monster dragged a large leaf full of berries to the demonic beast.

“Good to eat.” The tail hidden behind its back wagged boastfully.

It could pick delicious food, so it wasn’t trash.]

[As the little monster looked on with anticipation, the demonic beast suddenly swatted the leaves away with a claw. The berries scattered everywhere with a rustle, and the little monster froze on the spot.]

Riot’s gaze turned cold.

[The rain fell harder, and strong winds whipped across the sky.

However, what the little monster didn’t notice was that in the distant sky, a black shadow had appeared at some point!

It was a more powerful demonic beast, foraging, unafraid of lightning even in a thunderstorm. In the terrifying light of the lightning, it opened its mouth, filled with sharp teeth, and dove straight down.

By the time it reacted, it was too late.

The little monster trembled slightly, clumsily shielding its head with its claws.

[“Bub… bub.”

Feeling the immense power of the flying demonic beast in mid-air, its pronunciation became inaccurate. It wanted to warn the land demonic beast behind it to run quickly.

In the nick of time, a tall figure stood in front of the tender body.]

Riot’s heart leaped into its throat, and it flipped the page furiously.

[To be continued…]

“!”

“!!!”

In a short time, having experienced two cliffhanger blows, its mood was imaginable.

A terrifying low pressure permeated the air.

The herbal tea on the table was directly frozen with a layer of frost.

Only when it saw the calligraphic text printed on the separate blank page at the end did the gloom in Riot’s eyes reluctantly disperse a little:

[Free Gift Event:

Redeem a gift related to the protagonist with a message! Excellent messages can even receive a mystery gift!]

Riot was tempted, but unfortunately, it had no literary talent.

The thought of exchanging an excellent message for a mystery gift made its heart itch. After much thought, it suddenly found a suitable dragon candidate.

The weather on Dragon Island was unusually good today. A slightly salty, humid wind blew from the deep sea, and the sun was bright, making everything warm.

Unlike Riot’s underground castle, the Ice Dragon preferred to build its nest on the ground.

The interior of the house was clean and tidy, and the bookshelves housed valuable documents from various races.

Sunlight shone on the magnificent pale blue scales. The Ice Dragon squinted, enjoying the quiet leisure time. In this rare good time, a hurricane from outside turned into an iron fist, violently shattering all peace with a thump.

A hint of anger flashed in the Ice Dragon’s eyes.

“Riot, are you insane?”

The door opened.

A booklet was abruptly handed to it. Although the gesture was quite crude, Riot’s demeanor was imposing, still looking very majestic.

The book was open directly to the last blank page. Riot stared at the Ice Dragon, which was quite learned, and said, “Berlanie, stop sunbathing, write a message for me.”

Ice Dragon: “???”

It thought Riot was truly insane, but the moment the other party reached out, the Ice Dragon caught a fleeting glimpse of the cub on the cover.

Based on an intuition, the Ice Dragon took the book. It didn’t immediately start writing; instead, it specifically flipped to the very beginning, casually scanning the first few lines.

Then it couldn’t look away.

“Don’t dally, hurry up and write a message for me.”

“Immediately.”

“Immediately” lasted for half an incense stick’s time.

Riot waited impatiently, secretly cursing this scoundrel’s damned keenness.

“You need to write ten more messages for me.”

He was determined to win the mystery gift for an excellent message.

Berlanie looked at the book without lifting its head, “Immediately, I’ll finish this section soon.”

Boulder City, Guild Hall.

“I am a chapter-cutter, skilled at cutting chapters~”

“I’ll make those new chapters, cut them most beautifully~”

It had been a few days since the novel was released. Cullen was true to his word. Book numbers and distribution were a mere word for the Rhine Trading Company, and the book had successfully hit the market.

“Are you out of your mind?” The quill pen asked coolly.

It was the first time seeing someone wake up early in the morning and curse himself as a dog.

After a cold sneer, the quill pen asked, “When the Hurricane Dragon came before, why didn’t you go see it?”

Luka possessed a composure far beyond his age: “The dragon is more focused on the book’s content now. My sudden appearance would be too deliberate.”

After reading the trial booklet and successfully buying the new book, it was natural not to immediately think of meeting the author.

“Lord Riot is more concerned about the cub in the book now,” Luka said with a faint smile, “Why should I spoil his fun?”

Something offered on a silver platter, no matter how precious, would not be cherished.

However, he had already made other arrangements when the auction ended.

The privacy of the guild hall was good. Luka wasn’t wearing a mask at the moment, exercising in the courtyard. The cold wind blew his fair face a little red.

He had just put on his mask, preparing to go out, when Maya suddenly arrived.

Seeing Luka about to leave, she warned, “Don’t go out on the street easily these days; people are cursing you fiercely outside.”

“They’re all cursing that what you wrote is trash, saying…” Maya was worried about hitting his self-esteem, but thinking about the widespread curses, she still gave him a heads-up: “They’re saying you’re practically feeding people slop.”

Holy crap.

Luka blinked.

They’re cursing so civilly?

Much more civil than that “holy crap.”

“…And some are saying you’re not fit to be human because humans couldn’t write such a thing.”

Maya sighed, hoping not to hurt the child’s self-esteem.

The quill pen thought she was overthinking it; just now, a certain someone was proudly cursing himself as a dog.

Halfway through the warning, Maya suddenly performed an elegant bow towards the doorway.

Cullen, dressed in standard noble attire, stepped over the threshold. There was no trace of morning weariness on him, and his slender, narrowed eyes fell upon the young man in the courtyard: “Luka.”

This was the first time Cullen had formally addressed Luka by name.

Contrary to his calculating appearance, the tone of his voice gave a false impression of sincerity.

Luka: “Good morning, President. Please call me the Gorgeous Cliffhanger Dog.”

“…”

Seeing that Cullen had something to say, Luka took the initiative to invite him in for a brief sit.

Maya left breakfast and discreetly withdrew.

Cullen didn’t waste a single word, taking out a money bag filled with gold coins.

“Your share.”

According to the contract, dividends were only calculated at the end of each year. Considering Luka’s financial difficulties, Cullen didn’t mind advancing it.

Luka’s throat moved, and he casually weighed it.

There were definitely over a thousand gold coins.

The price of one book was two silver coins. According to the exchange rate on the Holy Demon Continent, 1 gold coin = 20 silver coins. The book had only been on the market for less than two days, and after deducting Cullen’s share of the profits, the profit was actually quite substantial. It had already far surpassed the sales of ordinary books.

Despite the curses, sales were stable.

Cullen showed some confusion.

“The reviews are terrible, but more and more people are buying it.”

On the way here, he personally saw someone asking a friend if they had read “The Beloved Three-and-a-Half-Year-Old.” The friend said no, and the person immediately said enviously that they were wise.

But after they parted ways, the friend immediately went and bought a copy, and after reading it, exclaimed regret.

Isn’t this just asking for abuse?

Luka heard this and held up two fingers: “Curiosity and common topics.”

Every mage has an innate desire to explore. Secondly, only by reading it can they join the army of complainers.

“Before, people of different strengths would easily fall into awkward silence when eating together. Now, they finally have an unnutritious topic.”

Luka was radiant and held his head high.

Cullen was quite silent now.

Luka gripped the money bag: “Anyway, I have the initial capital. The harder they curse, the better.”

Dragons disdain sharing their hobbies with other dragons. When the continent is filled with curses, the harder they curse, the more they will love it.

Cullen took out a sample book from his storage ring: “It’s already done according to your idea.”

The quill pen, from a third-person perspective, was silent for a moment after seeing the strategy of readers exchanging messages for gifts.

It’s all a setup!

Actually, this wasn’t entirely Luka’s idea.

Originally, he was going to capitalize on the backlash and curses, but Cullen, a marketing genius, provided some appropriate suggestions.

Combining their ideas, they ultimately adopted this method.

Luka took the opportunity to flatter his business partner: “I need to learn from you; I can’t always think of hurting the enemy a thousand times while harming myself eight hundred.”

Cullen twirled the gem ring on his finger, the light reflecting in his eyes with a sharp glint.

“It’s fine, I’m just hurting you too. Anyway, the mystery gift is an exclusive daily life of the protagonist.”

He didn’t have to write the free few thousand words anyway.

“…”

Cullen was about to leave after giving the dividend, but just before leaving, he suddenly thought of something, his expression rarely serious.

“Oh, by the way, you’d better pay attention to safety issues recently.”

Under Luka’s puzzled gaze, he explained, “Even in the most stagnant industry, there are talented people at the top who can make a fortune.”

Luka understood the hint. This meant that the former moguls of the publishing industry might retaliate against him.

“Who do I need to be careful of?” he asked.

“Alec,” Cullen slowly uttered an unexpected name, “the Demon Race’s Eldest Prince.”

For a moment, Luka thought he had exposed his identity and almost couldn’t control his expression.

“Demon Race?”

Cullen didn’t notice the change in his expression and nodded: “This demon realm’s crown prince has almost monopolized all niche industries. Although they are niche, combined, they amount to an astronomical figure each year. Even saints have praised him as a talent.”

Luka’s mouth fell open: “Are you sure that’s not an insult?”

The race has been changed.

Cullen was speechless.

The joke covered up his previous gaffe. In reality, Luka’s heart was surging like a tsunami.

What shocked him even more was the very existence of this crown prince.

Does the Demon King have other offspring? It sounds like more than one.

Why did he have no impression of them at all?

Luka racked his brains, recalling that in his original body’s memories, he was basically trapped in a small place, spending his days reading books, obsessed with finding ways to change his constitution, and then one day, he was thrown into the Land of Exile under the pretext of “demons don’t raise good-for-nothings.”

Other things he couldn’t quite remember.

But he should have been an only child, right? Where did these little, second, and Nth princes come from?