TBR CH180

It was five in the afternoon, and “Zero Distance” internet cafe was already gathering students in twos and threes, ready for an enjoyable night life.

With nearby universities, the target demographic was clear, so the internet cafe owner, Shan Sheng, put extra effort into the cafe’s decor. Transparent glass, cool LED strips, high-tech black gaming chairs, and walls covered with the latest game posters aimed to align with young people’s aesthetics, making them feel like a drop of water merging into the ocean once they sat down, impossible to fish out.

Regulars of the internet cafe, upon entering, noticed an unfamiliar face at the front desk.

The young man’s demeanor had a subtle incongruity with the environment. His dark hair fell neatly along his cheeks, looking soft and tidy, exactly the kind of appearance parents loved.

Seeing a customer approach, he put down what he was holding, revealing a pair of light brown eyes, and smiled:

“Welcome, please show your ID card.”

The customer instinctively reached for his pocket. As his gaze dropped, he finally saw the title of the book placed face down in front of the young man: “A-University Edition High School Physics Compulsory Two.” Around it, there was even a red pen for annotations, its cap off, clearly just used… Strange, he hadn’t heard that the boss had any relatives who were still taking the college entrance exam, and the person didn’t look like it either—

His thoughts were quickly interrupted by the unhurried voice of the person in front of him.

“Excuse me,”

Roland’s light pupils reflected the customer’s appearance like a mirror. “I’m the new attendant here. Uncle Shan is busy these two days, so I’m on duty in the evenings. I’ve already processed your overnight pass. Just head inside, there are still empty seats. If you need anything, just come to the front desk and find me.”

“How did you know I was going to—”

The customer blurted out.

The former Archmage of Mirar Continent, now temporary internet cafe attendant of “Zero Distance Internet Cafe,” Roland blinked:

“Nothing, I guessed. Have fun playing Abyss.”

In another world, a little earlier, three important figures concluded a meeting.

The Elf Queen, protector of her entire race, usually maintained an icy demeanor.

Kriesmeier was no less imposing, his dark wings dangerously shimmering amidst the pure and beautiful natural aura of the elven race, radiating a chilling “keep-out” vibe. His dark golden eyes held a suppressed, contemptuous indifference, only slightly turning his head when he touched the aura of the Elven Mother Tree.

Strands of silver-gray hair slipped with the movement, bitten by the black cat in his arms.

Abyss demons flowed with a bloodline that craved destruction and conquest, and this craving was especially profound when facing a powerful other. If Kriesmeier truly exerted his full power, the Mother Tree’s strength might not necessarily stop him. However—

Since Roland was by his side, the Demon King’s priority for slaughter would definitely be him.

Roland subtly manipulated the black cat to make a small movement, successfully drawing Kriesmeier’s attention back to himself.

The Demon King’s cruel, fierce, and violent gaze clung to him without wavering, fiercely stroking from the black cat’s fluffy ears to the tip of its comfortably swaying tail, which made Roland feel very at ease.

Meanwhile, the Elf Queen on the other side began to feel it was time to end this three-party meeting.

“Saint Roland,”

She said, “Elves are by no means an ungrateful race, therefore I promise to conceal your secret and, as you requested, heal your companion Kriesmeier. However, for safety considerations, after the elf fruit ripens, I must trouble the Demon King to leave the Elf Forest as soon as possible to avoid attracting trouble. This place has always been peaceful, and I believe the unfamiliar visitors are already enough.”

“Are there others besides us?”

“Yes,”

The Queen sighed slowly, a hint of deep, governing worry appearing between her brows,

“I had intended to refuse their visit, but my daughter Eve secretly brought that person in… Regardless, they will not have the opportunity to disturb you and the Demon King.”

“Occasionally making new friends isn’t bad for me.”

Roland said with a smiling, wide-eyed lie, “Perhaps meeting them would also be a good choice.”

The Queen’s voice regained its usual majesty:

“Then please do as you wish, Saint Roland. You are a friend acknowledged by the elven race, but they are not. It will be a few more days until the Elven Mother Tree bears new fruit. Since you mentioned those guests, I have an impolite request.”

It was easy to tell if the black cat was listening, because it had perked up its pointy ears.

“If you see Eve with that outsider, let me know as soon as possible,”

The Elf Queen said, her floral crown shimmering in the sunlight, casting a bright glow on the Queen’s pale face,

“Please forgive me, this is not dissatisfaction with the human race, nor do I intend to limit the freedom of my dearest daughter.”

“However, that human is by no means a suitable match for Eve.”

After the meeting, Kriesmeier, guided by an elven attendant, picked up the black cat and walked towards the Mother Tree.

The attendant, following the Queen’s command, led the most infamous Demon King on the Mirar Continent to his race’s sacred land. Perhaps because Demon King Kriesmeier was too notorious, the black cat’s round pupils reflected the attendant’s stiff back.

“Kriesmeier,”

Roland—the black cat on his shoulder—whispered into his ear, “You should smile more often.”

The Demon King’s steps paused for a barely perceptible arc. Because of Roland’s outrageous request, the monarch from the Abyss’s expression seemed to instantly darken.

The attendant immediately averted his gaze, pretending he heard nothing, though his pointed elven ears trembled slightly.

One second, two seconds…

Wait, the elven attendant thought, what’s going on, the Demon King actually isn’t angry.

Just as this thought flashed through his mind, and he was debating whether to sneak a glance behind him with his peripheral vision.

The Archmage’s voice, thick with amusement, softly brushed past:

“The corners of your mouth need to curve up more, Kries, and your eyes; since it’s a smile, don’t look forward with that contemptuous, murderous gaze… But it’s already very good, I mean, great progress. I think it’s very beautiful.”

No, could it be?

The Demon King actually smiled?

When the elven attendant’s peripheral vision finally silently slid to the Demon King, the Demon King was coldly looking at him with eyes that seemed to burn with dark flames. The so-called smile had long since vanished without a trace.

The attendant’s recently ignited curiosity immediately extinguished itself discreetly.

Regardless, who would have thought that the Demon King would actually try to make corresponding changes because of a fleeting remark? Moreover, this scene of indulging his companion reached another person’s ears without any obstruction.

This was actually a common misconception most people had about the demonic tyrant.

Abyss Demon Research Level 10 Scholar Roland Xavier said so.

Of course, everyone else on the Mirar Continent would use adjectives like cruel, tyrannical, cold-blooded, and so on, to describe Abyss demons, and instinctively assume they possessed a sense of shame similar to human superiors, believing that doing things inconsistent with their status or revealing their inner thoughts was disgraceful.

But Kriesmeier was not such a ruler.

Within Abyss demon society, absolute hierarchy was based solely on strength. A monarch’s actions rarely affected his authority.

Kriesmeier, as a particularly extreme example, equally disdained most beings on the continent and disregarded the opinions of irrelevant individuals. No one could evaluate this supreme monarch, and he didn’t care about their evaluations.

Thus, when the Demon King’s recognized companion made any request of him, he would basically never refuse out of shame.

This statement easily led to certain details that sparked lively imagination.

However, Roland had also experienced a slightly worse side. For instance, although the Demon Palace had been empty for many years, occasionally a lord would visit, or a distant envoy would bring gifts to the Great Demon.

So even though Kriesmeier’s dark golden eyes were basically at the point where they would burn if touched, the Archmage’s ears were already flushed crimson on one side. He would still whisper a warning:

“Kries, you’re too loud.”

At such times, Kriesmeier’s pupils, reflecting human eyes, flickered on and off. He found it incredibly unbelievable that Roland would even pay attention to this in the bedroom.

He showed his sharp horns and ears to the Archmage, trembling and twisting his body without restraint, while biting his fingertip, as extreme pleasure burned in the depths of his pupils.

The Archmage let out an almost imperceptible “hiss,” but let him lick the blood away little by little:

“But I still think—”

“They wouldn’t dare…” The demonic tyrant stopped mid-sentence, until his unfocused gaze slowly regained focus. Only then did he reach out and pull Roland into his arms, saying: “They wouldn’t dare listen to my voice.”

The Archmage blinked innocently, pretending he wasn’t actually distracted and was seriously discussing the matter.

But what he said was indeed absurd.

Roland found it hard to imagine that Abyss demons had evolved some kind of organ that automatically filtered out their leader’s voice. He severely reprimanded himself for his brain having stopped working to this extent, but what could he do? In a place where the Demon King couldn’t see, the mage’s ears had also quietly turned red. He finally gave up thinking, because he was also awkwardly learning to deal with this situation.

He still managed to pull out his hand and reinforce the soundproofing spell. His movements abruptly stopped midway. Kriesmeier seemed very displeased, baring his sharp fangs, and looking like he wanted to bite him again.

At this point, he turned his amber eyes calmly to the Demon King, swiftly casting a spell in his hand.

“What is this?”

The demonic tyrant’s hair was disheveled, his silver-gray strands scattered on his bare skin like the ashes of stars. Kriesmeier slowly, threateningly, drew out his words:

“Mage, I should remind you, I—am right in front of you now. This is not your study for researching spells.”

“My dear Kries,”

Roland lightly retorted, “All you need to consider now is how to endure.”

Following the tip of the staff he casually summoned, a subtle emerald green extended without a sound. The Archmage of the Star Tower felt that using Vine Manipulation for these purposes already qualified him as far more evil than a dark wizard. Given that the Demon King on the other side was completely unprepared, and only began to struggle after missing his chance, this scene struck Roland as very amusing.

“Ambush.”

Kriesmeier characterized it thus.

The Archmage leaned down and smiled: “Who was it just now who reminded me we were in bed?”

A mere few vines certainly couldn’t trap an Abyss monarch for long, but as Kriesmeier was about to break free from the shackles binding him, he saw Roland’s magnified amber eyes approaching him. These amber-like stones, similar to the mage’s eyes, gave an impression of depth, imbuing everything reflected within them with a dizzying, honey-like glow.

Then, the light became intense and bright, and Kriesmeier’s pupils contracted in disbelief.

In his golden eyes, pleasure momentarily mixed with pain, then transformed into extreme ecstasy.

The Archmage unhurriedly cast another spell on him.

—Lightning Bolt.

The Demon King had extremely high magical resistance; these wouldn’t truly cause him any harm, but the stimulation they caused in certain places was absolutely real. Kriesmeier was so stimulated for a moment that he couldn’t even make a sound; only his body continued to slowly convulse in the aftershocks. He instinctively wanted to close his legs, due to some biological self-preservation mechanism.

However, he couldn’t collect himself enough to do anything about the vines for a moment. So that failed too.

Roland kissed away the tears from his eyes. The Demon King vaguely turned his gaze, and surprisingly didn’t bite him, only stickily leaned in to kiss his lips.

Roland kissed him back.

What happened next shall remain unsaid. In short, the Archmage at that time was very glad he had cast that soundproofing spell.

After that, as Roland’s time living in the Demon King’s castle gradually lengthened, he resolved his initial confusion. The Abyss demons all maintained a respectful distance from Kriesmeier, the Demon King, fearing to offend him in any way, and would swiftly flee at the slightest sign of abnormality, wishing they could run to the other end of the Mirar Continent.

Essentially, Kriesmeier’s “they wouldn’t dare listen” was completely accurate.

After all, his record of devouring eight siblings and the former Demon King was enough to make him the most terrifying legend among his own kind, and being eaten by their tyrant was more than just an Abyss joke.

Most of the Abyss demons consequently treated Roland with utmost respect, and even gratitude. Since the mage’s arrival, their monarch had never shown such extraordinary interest in anything else.

The mage single-handedly attracted most of Kriesmeier’s violent tendencies. If the arrogant Demon King was only interested in killing his companion, then the rest of the demons would feel much more relaxed, wholeheartedly throwing themselves into their internal power struggles and self-inflicted slaughter.

The black cat, curled up in Kriesmeier’s arms, reminisced about their sweet past life, and before realizing it, they had reached the edge of the Elven Mother Tree’s sprawling roots.

While nourishing the entire soil, the Elven Mother Tree deeply and shallowly buried its sprawling, moss-covered roots like veins in the central part of the forest. Even just standing at the edge, one could almost hear the ancient forest’s heart beating long and deep beneath their feet.

The Mother Tree produced only one elf fruit each year. Consuming the fruit the moment it was picked possessed incredible power.

The elven attendant leading them suddenly stopped. His pointed ears twitched, and he paused, somewhat flustered, seemingly having heard faint voices from afar.

Behind him, both the mage and the Demon King were top-tier guests of the elven race. Their identities were extraordinarily sensitive, and it was the Queen’s arrangement; the forbidden area should have been secretly empty at this time.

Their whereabouts, the Elf Queen hadn’t even told her daughter, the Princess.

Perhaps the problem lay in:

—Even Princess Eve knew nothing of this.

Princess Eve had pointy ears and lived in the forest year-round. She wore a floral crown made of various flowers on her head. Unlike the Queen, her floral crown was playfully interspersed with tiny daisies and oxalis.

At this moment, she led her guest into the forbidden area of the elven race. At the forefront was the golden-haired, blue-eyed hero. In this game, players could entirely create an ideal face, not to mention that the cheats Bai Shi obtained were enough to make him look sunny and handsome, without a single flaw from head to toe.

Eve looked at the stranger who had come from afar, feeling an unprecedented heartbeat gradually knocking against her chest.

And Shi was doing his best to engage her in conversation.

“Beautiful princess,” the hero said gracefully, “Thank you very much for your favor. In order to fight my destined enemy—Demon King Kriesmeier—to the death, I must request the protection of the elven race. Although your mother seems to have a bit of a prejudice against me, you will help me, won’t you?”

“Of-of course.”

Eve bit her lip. “I’ve already brought you in. Although I don’t know why Mother is angry with you. By the way, from here on, you’ve entered the Mother Tree’s domain. Praying to the Nature Goddess here will grant you protection.”

The hero suddenly stopped, turning his head. His blue eyes were like an ocean one would unconsciously drown in.

“It’s just, I’ve heard that the fruit borne by the Elven Mother Tree contains powerful energy. My current strength is insufficient, and rashly engaging the Demon King would likely lead to a miserable defeat. I think that’s what I need.”

“The fruit?” Eve was startled, a few petals falling from the floral crown on her head.

The elven princess silently looked towards the distant Elven Mother Tree, her fawn-like eyes seemingly lost in her own thoughts. Only then did she force herself to say to the hero decisively: “No, this is not something I can decide. The elf fruit is our people’s most precious treasure. Even you—you can only approach the Elven Mother Tree with my Mother’s permission.”

The golden-haired hero was clearly very surprised.

“You actually refused me—”

He noticed his tone and immediately softened his voice, pulling out a necklace from his embrace. “This is the ‘Shimmering Starstone,’ the finale at the kingdom’s auction. It’s for you. Eve, please reconsider. I truly need the elf fruit, and you are also someone I hold dear in my heart.”

In front of the screen, Bai Shi watched the Elf Princess Eve’s favorability jump from “85” to “90.” The girl’s cheeks were flushed, and she looked down hesitantly at his words. Although the Queen’s favorability had plummeted when she first caught him with several “harem” members and pursuing the princess, fortunately, this princess was indeed an innocent, naive girl, and he won her over in a few words.

Bai Shi, through the screen, made the golden-haired hero continue to say tenderly:

“Furthermore, once I marry you, the elven princess, won’t I also become a future pillar of the elven race? The Queen has only one princess and no heir. Trust me, after obtaining the elf fruit, I will definitely return to develop the Elf Forest.”

As soon as Bai Shi finished speaking, the elven princess in front of him suddenly looked up. Her floral crown almost fell off due to the abrupt movement, and the blush on her face suddenly turned pale, as if she had heard something utterly preposterous.

“The future king of the elven race—”

Eve said in disbelief, “What are you saying? My mother is the Queen, and I am, of course, her successor. In the future, I will be the ruler of the Elf Forest. It is absolutely impossible for it to be a human.”

Crap.

Shi realized he had misspoken and quickly clicked on the favorability page. Fortunately, the elven princess was indeed introverted, so even with that, her favorability only dropped from “90” back to “80,” where it had been at their first meeting.

The golden-haired hero’s smile on the screen froze for a moment, then he quickly corrected himself, saying he had accidentally judged elves by the laws of human society and meant no offense.

Eve then put down her doubts, half-believing. The sudden imposing aura she had displayed quickly vanished in front of her beloved. She adjusted the floral crown on her head and put on her sweet smile once more.

However, no matter what Bai Shi did, she would not budge, not even allowing him to approach the center of the Elf Forest.

This was going to be difficult. The reason Shi controlled his character to come here, even abandoning the idea of going to the Kingdom first, was because the system, considering his lack of skill, which even cheat-obtained weapons couldn’t compensate for, had calculated that his physical attributes would significantly improve after consuming the elf fruit.

At that time, even facing Kriesmeier directly, he wouldn’t be defeated in a single blow.

While coaxing the princess, the golden-haired hero’s voice became a little anxious. Eve also sensed this somewhat, and her expression gained a touch of fear and helplessness. She suddenly remembered the first time she met him. He was accompanied by a purple-haired witch, with a giant python coiled around the witch’s shoulder, which surprisingly made her, being close to nature, feel a sense of closeness.

The witch seemed to have constantly sought an opportunity to speak with her privately, but was interrupted by the hero every time.

Perhaps she should have listened then—

As the elven princess thought this, her keenly elven ears suddenly twitched slightly. She looked in surprise at a certain direction deep in the forest. A patch of grass there suddenly rustled a few times, and then, parting the slender blades and stalks, stepping out lightly, was a black cat with amber eyes.

A black cat?

The Elf Forest had many animals. The power of nature nurtured them, and these animals had always coexisted with the elven race. Since dangerous creatures were blocked by the barrier outside the Elf Forest, Eve naturally had no defenses up. She simply knelt down in surprise, extending a friendly hand to the black cat.

The atmosphere at this moment happened to be a bit tense. This black cat arrived at just the right time.

However, even though the elven princess was born from the deep power of nature within the Elven Mother Tree and had always been favored by all kinds of animals, the black cat in front of her happened to be a particularly peculiar kind of animal. It merely sniffed the princess’s hand, then proudly nodded, and turned to stroll unhurriedly beside them.

This black cat was, of course, Roland.

Roland had no penchant for making his companion jealous, especially when the beloved was the Abyss Demon King Kriesmeier. The Demon King’s dark golden eyes were hidden in the deepest part of the forest, silently observing everything that was happening.

This included the black cat walking away from the princess and wagging its tail at him.

By Kriesmeier’s side, there was also a stiff, irrelevant person—not even the elven attendant who was on high alert. The attendant had completely despaired, looking dejectedly at the unknown number of new faces in the Elf Forest: a purple-haired witch. Their princess had only brought the hero in, and he had no idea how she had secretly infiltrated.

“I just wanted to see if there was a chance to stop him.”

Hilda whispered.

She had just said this to her mentor, and now she and Kriesmeier were in an awkward silence, so she repeated it. The Demon King was like an ominous sculpture, motionless, gazing at the distant black cat through the dark trees, and it was unclear if he had heard her.

“Mentor, he—”

Hilda said again.

This time, she finally heard the Demon King’s response. The Demon King still didn’t avert his gaze, but his voice resonated silently in the forest, like falling dust, disturbing no distant being. He simply said flatly:

“He always finds a way to solve his own problems.”

Bai Shi stared at the familiar black cat through the screen.

And the black cat also watched him alertly with its vertical pupils, but soon lowered its tail. He quickly fumbled to open his friends list. Because the system required him to keep it a secret, his current account only had a handful of online friends, and not even people he knew in real life were aware.

Among these people, there was a flashing black cat avatar at this moment.

“Black Cat 538647: I just wanted to try my luck :)”

“Black Cat 538647: But seeing you, I know I’m probably out of luck with the elf fruit.”

“White Mingchen: How are you here? How much did you just hear??”

“Black Cat 538647: I’ve been lurking for a long time to sneak in, unlike you, who just strolled right in. But, I did just hear your conversation with the princess. I have an idea now, but you’re more capable, so I don’t know if you’d be willing to listen.”

Bai Shi couldn’t help but type on the keyboard: “What idea?”

The black cat leisurely strolled through the Elf Forest. Its pitch-black fluffy fur somehow blended perfectly with the forest; it seemed as if it would suddenly dart into some shadow and disappear without a trace the next second.

Princess Eve, seeing the fluffy animal, immediately felt a connection and curved her lips, examining the black cat.

And Roland finally typed a few words on the keyboard, setting up the trap with a few simple sentences:

“Black Cat 538647: I thought of an idea to help you deal with the elven princess and get the fruit from the Elf Forest. However, although the main credit will still be yours, I also want to split a quarter of the treasures you get besides the fruit. That shouldn’t be much for you. What do you think?”