DKIE CH16: Minor Accomplishment

A long time ago, roughly traceable to Alex’s era, when humans and demons had not yet fully risen, this continent was originally named Psynia.

Later, humans and demons each ushered in their own glorious eras, occupying most of the land, one in the south and one in the north. The name Holy Demon Continent gradually replaced the continent’s original name.

The Demon Race built underground cities, while human elites gathered in the Holy City.

Aside from the terrifying Enforcement Team, the Human Saints were the true pillars of stability in today’s Holy City.

Both races shared a common trait: strong xenophobia in their capitals.

A mixed-blood individual with demonic lineage entering the Holy City…

Luka shyly lowered his head: “I haven’t acquired my ‘Ding’ yet. I’ll be driven out if I go.”

City Lord: “Ding?”

With Cullen present, Luka found it hard to elaborate.

Seeing his apparent difficulty in speaking, Cullen frankly made an excuse to leave first.

Only then did Luka explain his idea of “clipping” the Demon King for scapegoating in detail.

The air went silent for a moment. The City Lord gave him a deep look.

He had seen those who were rebellious enough to plot patricide and matricide, but “clipping”… The latter word was reflexively ignored by him. As a fellow man, the City Lord’s gaze grew increasingly strange.

Luka was still bowing his head.

Not long ago, he had considered going to the Holy City, but considering and doing were two different things.

His identity was a bit too sensitive.

“Your demonic aura isn’t strong; powerful Arch-Mages won’t detect it. I’ll help you conceal it slightly,” the City Lord understood his concerns and calmly said, “Besides, going to the Holy City will also benefit you.”

Without specifying the exact benefits, the City Lord stood up: “I will have someone notify you of the departure date.”

When Luka left the City Lord’s Mansion, a griffon was waiting there, apparently Cullen was waiting for him.

The griffon flew quite steadily. Cullen brewed two cups of magic beans and handed one over.

It was a bit bitter, so Luka added three spoonfuls of milk.

Memories of milk burps unconsciously assaulted Cullen. He tried his best to forget the related descriptions, saying, “If your relationship with the dragons can develop and be maintained, even if you are weak, those elites will have to treat you respectfully.”

Luka nodded, raised his cup, and drained it.

Returning to the guild hall, the sky had already darkened.

No lights were lit inside. Luka had been sitting quietly since he returned, his half-lit, half-shadowed face showing a thoughtful expression.

The quill pen, having absorbed the essence blood, now had a layer of luster.

Seeing the lingering emotion on his face, it scoffed, “When did you become so hesitant?”

He clearly had a fearless courage back in the Land of Exile. If it were then, perhaps this unusually audacious young man would even be thinking about how to profit in the Holy City.

“I’m worried about you being discovered in the Holy City.”

The quill pen choked on its words, then spoke again, “Just mind yourself. The demon servants are already targeting you. Going to the Holy City might not be a bad thing.”

Demon servants had unique ways of communication; even if he killed one, the message might have already spread.

“Demon servants?” Luka’s expression changed slightly: “That fast?!”

Were those big villains ignoring protagonists in their developmental stages just fairy tales?

If only he went out and asked, he would know that Cullen’s description of Alex’s overbearing nature was already the most generalized. If he weren’t currently in Boulder City, but in any smaller city-state, Alex might personally intervene to nip the trouble in the bud.

In the eyes of this Great Prince, no matter if you were a powerful noble or an insignificant person, anyone obstructing his financial path had to be cleared away.

It was this iron-fisted style that prevented others from meddling in Alex’s businesses, indirectly forming a large monopolistic business chain.

“Even books from different fields are maliciously suppressed. The publishing industry is so stagnant, and he’s largely responsible.”

Until he went to bed that night, Luka kept imagining scenes of stepping on the Great Prince and “clipping” the Demon King.

The satisfaction from the imagery made him fall asleep quickly. However, his actual dreams were complex. No irrelevant figures from the demon realm appeared; instead, it was all about that unusually gentle, almost eerie phantom.

In the dream, the ill-tempered and somewhat foolish quill pen and the massive phantom capable of casually refining cultivation methods alternated.

Alex.

What was the true face of this being reviled, revered, and feared by the world?

In the dead of night, the moon and stars were sparse outside the window.

The young man on the bed rolled over, wrapped in his blanket, mumbling incoherently, “Change back to your original form, Alex. Luka, who made a pact with you, commands you…”

Quill pen: “?”

After repeatedly confirming that Luka wasn’t feigning sleep but genuinely talking in his sleep, the quill pen watched him.

A gentle breeze intertwined with the unique floral scent from outside the window.

It stared at the young man on the bed for a long time, as if scrutinizing something novel and interesting.

A faint blood-light flowed within its slender root-like tubes, looking less agitated than usual. Finally, perhaps thinking of something, a rare, different flavor emerged in this objectified gaze.

The next day, the weather was pleasant, and the sun was unusually bright.

It was the first time Luka had slept in since crossing over.

The quill pen had long lost its solemnity from the previous night, reverting to its usual nasty, loud self: “Cliffhanger dog, are you up?”

“It’s Magnificent Cliffhanger Dog, remember to include the prefix.”

Luka rested his face against his palm. Too many dreams last night left him with a headache now.

Upon waking, his first action was to summon water elements. Only when he confirmed his control over the elements was still present did he feel a sense of reality.

“I feel my perception of elemental power is even clearer now.”

When activating the magic structure, he could even briefly see various colored particles in the air. Luka rubbed his eyes, confirming he hadn’t seen wrong.

Blue, green, yellow… even dust particles decomposed in his eyes. With a thought, those pale blue particles began to swirl around his fingertips, more intimate with him than other elements.

No wonder some Arch-Mages were incredibly arrogant; the world in their eyes was completely different.

Yesterday, he was drenched by a water ball, but today, after a few attempts, Luka skillfully mastered the cleaning spell.

“Am I some kind of peerless genius?” Luka thought.

The quill pen’s voice floated over: “The genius isn’t you; it’s the refined method and the dragons’ inherent might.”

As a race naturally at the top of the continent’s food chain, dragons possessed extraordinary physical strength. Before entering their decline, their power would continuously increase with age, with no bottleneck period whatsoever.

The emotional feedback from supreme powerhouses brought a considerable return on faith.

Luka thought for a moment: “Got it, I’m standing on the shoulders of giants.”

The quill pen glanced at him, feeling complimented. It had to be said, this kid’s words were quite comforting.

Thump-thump-thump.

A knock interrupted their conversation. Maya came at her regular time to deliver breakfast.

Having just received benefits from the dragons’ feedback, Luka asked, “Are those two dragons who came to the city still here?”

Maya shook her head, “I’m not sure. I heard they swept through all the bookstores yesterday. When it came to writing messages, one sheet of paper wasn’t enough; they used large paragraphs of exaggerated praise…”

At this point, Maya’s expression was odd. The dragons really liked Three-and-a-Half-Year-Old literature, which was too absurd.

“After that, the two esteemed individuals disappeared. Some say they were invited to the City Lord’s Mansion, others say the dragons have already left.”

Maya added, “But the bookstore owner mentioned that before the two esteemed individuals left the bookstore, they specifically inquired about the release date of the second volume and urged for its speedy release several times.”

Luka heard this and relaxed his grip on his knife and fork, feeding himself a piece of meat. This cliffhanger dog indeed hadn’t done anything wrong.

The end of the first volume was perfectly timed!

After eating, before Luka could even take a digestive walk, An Qi showed up carrying a large scroll.

He unrolled it in front of him: “The Guild Master had it printed overnight.”

It was a large promotional banner, featuring the protagonists of the top ten best-selling novels of the year.

The protagonist’s avatar, belonging to the little monster, was a Q-version cub perched on the edge of an eggshell. It had large, grape-like eyes, innocent and naive, with a hint of cheerfulness.

A small bubble next to it read: “Choose me.”

The bubble looked like a blown-out bubble from a mouth, round and plump, and the overall harmony was far superior to other protagonists.

Luka’s eyes lit up: “This drawing is too vivid!”

An Qi also had to admit that, ignoring the outrageous text, even he felt a hint of cuteness at first glance.

Shaking his head, An Qi mentally flung the word “cute” out of his mind like shaking water, and continued to relay the message.

“The Guild Master has already sent instructions to the Holy City’s Chamber of Commerce to organize a selection for the most popular protagonist of the year, best work, and top ten authors, with a special focus on promoting the ‘Most Popular Protagonist’ voting event.”

Luka clapped his hands and said, “Very wise.”

If the focus were on works or authors, dragons might disdain to comment; the preferences of the strong need no external judgment.

But on the protagonist, that would be different.

When dragons read novels, they naturally adopt a parental mindset; no parent wants to admit their child isn’t as good as someone else’s.

If managed well, getting dragons to rally friends and vote together wouldn’t be a dream.

Looking at the promotional banner, which could be called an early poster, Luka was in a rather good mood and casually asked, “Were there similar reading evaluation events before?”

An Qi nodded: “Yes.”

Rhine Trading Company had intelligence peddlers everywhere; he knew every piece of news.

“The Demon Prince held a few, but they didn’t make much of a splash.”

Luka was curious: “What were the top-ranked works in previous years?”

An Qi coughed: “They were mostly works reported by Stone Magazine, not very much dressed.”

“…”

Luka recalled the “great” works of that magazine.

Skipping the awkward topic, An Qi took a deep breath: “I heard you’re going to the Holy City.”

His eyes filled with a hint of yearning.

Ordinary people couldn’t stay in the Holy City for more than three days. Those who could truly settle there were all human elites or children of nobles. This was just the outer perimeter of the Holy City. In the core area of the Holy City, even outer residents couldn’t trespass.

And the Myriad Courts Assembly was held in the Holy City’s main district.

Luka’s yearning was different: “What do you think the important figures living in the Holy City like to read? How about stories like ‘Thirty years in the east, thirty years in the west, don’t bully a young man into poverty’?”

An Qi’s face was cold: “As far as I know, our great figures only read orthodox magic books.”

Luka pouted, finding it uninteresting.

“Good thing you’re here,” Luka walked towards the table, “Come try reading my second work. I found some time these past two days to write an opening…”

An Qi instantly dashed away like a gust of wind, rushing from the guild hall to the street in just two blinks. Just as he was about to run straight back to the merchant guild, the speechless expression that had just been on Luka’s face suddenly turned sharp.

There was a demon’s scent.

The aura was very faint. When he traced it halfway, it had already disappeared.

An Qi stood under the eaves, his eyes cold.

Boulder City didn’t forbid demon movement, but demons rarely deliberately concealed their auras. That faint, almost imperceptible magical trace was more like a demon servant.

He circled around and finally found a demon servant’s fingernail.

So shattered.

“Never mind, it’s not wartime, and with the City Lord here, nothing can go wrong.”

In the corner, there was also a copy of The Beloved Three-and-a-Half-Year-Old, suspected to be a demon servant’s relic. The demon servant was shattered, but the book was intact.

An Qi didn’t know what masochistic impulse drove him, but he couldn’t resist opening it and taking another look.

One minute later.

An Qi lost his faith in life.

What kind of milk-burp tastes did these dragons have?

City Lord’s Mansion.

The old monster in the sky had temporarily vanished, now standing like a statue opposite the City Lord. Without its sky-obscuring body, Boulder City was so sunny today.

“Not going to intervene?”

The demon servant was pulverized within two days of entering the city, and even it hadn’t noticed how the other died.

The City Lord held his teacup, leisurely saying, “The two princes of the demon realm are about to start fighting. Why intervene?”

This old monster’s true form was a legendary beast. It scoffed upon hearing this: “Only those of equal strength count as a struggle.”

A discarded pawn thrown into the Land of Exile and a long-established true royal heir had no comparison whatsoever.

The City Lord had put down his cup at some point. A book had appeared in his hand, none other than the much-maligned Beloved Three-and-a-Half-Year-Old.

“Actually, this book is very rare.”

The legendary beast dug its ears, thinking it had misheard: “Rare?”

“From the perspective of traditional strong-man philosophy, the content is uncomfortable. But from another perspective, why can’t powerful figures show mercy and aid to weaker beings? Why use talent to judge the meaning of individual existence? If weaker beings, through some luck and effort, soar high in the future, wouldn’t that be a beautiful tale?”

The City Lord analyzed calmly: “You need to view this book from the perspective of human history and class struggle. You need to see the struggle beneath the words, and the broader human development.”

Having lived for a very long time, the legendary beast widened its eyes, and after a long while, managed to squeeze out, “No wonder you can be this City Lord…”

He could even derive an analysis from this.

But was it really not pulling things out of thin air? Without strength, it was all empty talk.

The City Lord said no more, calling the guard captain: “Go to the guild hall and tell that child that we depart for the Holy City in ten days.”

Ten days passed in a flash like smoke. During this time, Luka spent almost all his energy on cultivation and writing novels.

The magic framework within his body still shimmered with golden light; the energy produced by the dragons’ emotional feedback had not yet been fully digested by him.

Seeing him cultivate to the point of “smoking from the head,” the quill pen coolly remarked, “Use your brain. Don’t always think about absorbing. The structure is the foundation of your cultivation.”

Luka was sweating profusely from the heat. Hearing this, he pondered for a moment and seemed to understand.

He no longer tried to devour these lights like a brute. Instead, he further distributed them evenly, letting the golden light flow through every inch of the magic structure, and even actively dispersed some of the elemental power within his body, ensuring the structure was thoroughly bathed in the golden light.

When the golden light flowed like a small stream, covering every part, the originally vast magic structure underwent an astonishing change!

A fist-sized figure appeared within the structure. The figure sat cross-legged, still somewhat dull and gray, its appearance identical to Luka’s. Its eyes were tightly closed, but it inexplicably exuded a sense of compassion for the world.

The quill pen saw his body suddenly tense and asked, “How’s your cultivation progressing?”

Luka inhaled: “I’m pregnant.”

“…”

Luka briefly described his internal condition.

The quill pen listened and said he was making a mountain out of a molehill: “That’s the foundation of your faith-based deification. When it lights up too, you will have completed your cultivation.”

Luka used to dabble in the entertainment industry and watched many fantasy dramas. Importing familiar Eastern systems, it was somewhat like sculpting a golden body or achieving Buddhahood in the flesh.

He studied the small figure within his body, not noticing the quill pen’s suddenly deepening veins.

Actually, the quill pen only told him half the truth; normal faith cultivation methods would absolutely not result in this situation.

This small figure had another meaning.

Once the golden body is formed, it is immortal and indestructible.

Even if the physical body is shattered, it can still survive. The best previous example was itself: its soul was sealed in the heart, with the possibility of revival in the future.

Unfortunately, the heart’s capacity was limited, so the quill pen could only temporarily separate its memories and powers.

It couldn’t understand why it had casually given away such a life-saving ultimate skill.

“Am I broken in the head?”

The quill pen stared at Luka, who was lovingly caressing his stomach.

“…”

Could it be that times had changed, and everyone’s intelligence was like this now?

After caressing his stomach, Luka quickly began to learn some simple spells. Thanks to his original body being confined to one space for most of its life, only able to read books, his knowledge reserve was impressive.

Moreover, with the quill pen as a ready-made teacher, his progress was very fast.

“Once I develop discreetly in the Holy City for a while, heh,” Luka’s eyes gleamed: “Thirty years in the east, thirty years in the west, I will let Alex know: don’t bully the dragon race into poverty.”

“???” Bully whom?

A sound suddenly came from outside the door. The guard captain stood directly outside and announced: “Good day, the City Lord’s beast carriage is at the door.”

Luka’s eyes held a hint of a smile. He re-attached the quill pen to his waist: “Let’s go.”

To the Holy City.

__

Author’s Note:

Luka’s Diary Survival Guide:

• Writing books √
• Cultivating √
• Finding adoptive parents (ing)
• Finding sponsors √
• Improving relationship with the quill pen √

Alex: Heh, whose relationship with you has improved?

Luka: I told you not to leave comments in my diary.