Mushroom Lord in the Underground City-Chapter 218 - 215: Envoys

In a snow-covered landscape, a hunted Puki lay quietly on the ground, its body covered by the thick white snow.

Under the extreme cold, even the tenacious filaments inside it had frozen stiff, and fine ice crystals covered the surface of the mushroom cap.

A heavy boot covered in thick fur mercilessly stepped on the body of the Puki, half-hidden by the snow.

The owner of the boot casually twisted his ankle, roughly sweeping away the accumulated snow on the surface, revealing the hardened Puki below.

The figure bent halfway down, and their breath condensed into a white mist in the cold wind.

Wearing a dark coat emblazoned with the Hermit Empire’s Inverted Winged Bat insignia, the eyes under the brim carefully examined this strange corpse on the ground.

"Strange," his voice, puzzled, was somewhat muffled in the wind and snow, "I’ve never seen a demon like this."

"Who cares what the hell it is!" Another figure, equally well-wrapped but with a markedly impatient voice, urged, "This place is freezing cold! Can’t we just hurry on?"

"The warming pendant they gave you is just for show?" The observer, without turning back, spoke with a hint of unnoticed disdain.

"Does maintaining it not consume magic power?!" The companion’s voice rose with frustration, "Keeping a slight output of magic power all the time, isn’t it exhausting? It’s just a frozen unknown demon, is it worth researching?"

Though he despised the other’s weakness, indeed, there was no need to waste time on a demon corpse.

With a slight force underfoot, a crisp sound followed as the Puki’s body shattered, turning into scattered fragments.

The two continued forward, their target the Demon Tribe.

...

"Imperial envoys?"

As Shou, with the help of his tribesmen, was tallying the tribe’s dwindling resources, he frowned upon hearing Xing Huo’s report.

Would the Empire send someone to contact them?

It was the first time this had happened since his birth, making it clearly unusual.

But... it was necessary to meet anyway.

Moreover, he did indeed have intentions to migrate southward, and dealings with the Empire were inevitable sooner or later.

He signaled Xing Huo to lead the envoys to the main tent.

"Tsk... this place, it’s not even warm inside the tent." As they entered, the individual with a warming pendant around their neck began to complain.

The exposed pale skin easily suggested a Vampire identity.

However, Shou only stared at the other figure, feeling an unfamiliar yet peculiar blood connection with him.

That person seemed unfazed by revealing their identity, casually rolling up their sleeve to reveal the demon patterns on their arm.

"Demon Race!" Shou’s pupils shrank slightly.

But unlike the uniform deep blue demon patterns of the tribe, the patterns on this Imperial kin’s arm exhibited a fiery red like molten lava!

The flowing lines emitted an intangible scorching aura.

"In the name of the Red Moon and Imperial Law!" The Vampire raised his chin arrogantly, his voice carrying undeniable authority, "I am Viscount Haao Henderson, the northern special envoy appointed by His Majesty Mortis Delacourne, Emperor of the Hermit Empire, Protector of the Demon Race, and Lord of the Continent! Beside me is Gray; we have come under His Majesty’s decree to grant grace. Where is your chieftain?"

His gaze swept past Shou’s empty sleeve where his arm once had been, finally landing with evident confusion on Xing Huo, puzzled why they were brought to meet with a cripple?

"Shou, the current chieftain." Shou’s voice was calm and unwavering.

The single-word name momentarily surprised Gray.

"You?" Viscount Haao incredulously reevaluated Shou from top to bottom, his expression shifting slightly, "To my knowledge, this tribe should be led by an elder Demon. Also... where are the other Diamond Level members?"

Shou did not directly answer his inquiry but instead steadily fixed his gaze on the envoy: "I am now the chieftain. Please state your purpose, envoys."

Viscount Haao stepped back two paces, coming to Gray’s side: "Gray, this doesn’t match what those Snake-men described... not at all! Only two Diamond Levels? One is even... disabled, seems worthless!"

His voice wasn’t loud, yet he made no effort to ensure it wasn’t overheard.

"You—!" Xing Huo’s eyes widened in anger, fists instantly clenched, yet the Vampire across disregarded his fury completely.

"If you don’t mind, leave it to me." Gray spoke up.

Viscount Haao shrugged indifferently, retreating a few steps, convinced the tribe held no value given the mismatch in information.

Gray looked Shou straight in the eye and began: "Chieftain Shou, the Empire has prepared a fertile land for you, where the climate is mild, the resources abundant, far from the harsh cold and threats of the Northern Territory. The Empire is willing to open its doors, accepting you as its protected subjects."

Viscount Haao interjected sharply, elegantly flicking nonexistent dust off his fingers: "Viscount Henderson reminds you, this ’grace’ is based on information provided by the Snake-men regarding their possession of multiple Diamond Level powers."

He meaningfully glanced around the particularly empty tent.

Gray nodded slightly: "The Empire sees your current plight. Nonetheless, His Majesty Mortis’s compassion remains unchanged, and the Empire is still willing to accept you, even if the land isn’t as rich as initially described—it’s certainly better than this desolate ice field."

"Then what’s the price?" Ignoring their promises, Shou went straight to the crucial question.

Gray met Shou’s gaze, speaking firmly: "There are two conditions. First, all combat-capable forces of the tribe must immediately join the Empire’s war, under our command until victory! Second, your ’cradle’ must be handed over to us. The Empire’s Demon Race only requires one ’cradle.’"

"Please leave, envoys." Shou’s voice was adamant, not even bothering to ask what war it was; rejection was inevitable upon hearing the second condition.

Beside him, Viscount Haao snorted dismissively through his nose, "Ingrates!"

Gray’s eyes paused momentarily on Shou’s face, his expression unreadable.

He stood up, his steps pausing slightly as he was about to exit the tent, not looking back, but his low voice clearly carried back inside: "Chieftain Shou, the Empire’s gate remains open to you for three months. Should you change your mind, just send word. One day, we of the same race will reunite."

After finishing, the two walked unabatedly toward the tribe’s outskirts.

The meeting ended on a hostile note.

As the two figures vanished into the snowstorm outside, Xing Huo turned to Shou: "Why refuse so decisively? Though the conditions were harsh, perhaps... there could have been further discussions?"

"Regardless of their initial intent, they now seem uninterested in us, wanting only the ’cradle,’ and the Demon Core..."

Xing Huo nodded; the "cradle" was the tribe’s foundation, handing it over would mean losing the tribe itself.

Meanwhile, Shou contemplated further; given the disparity in strength, would their coveting of the Demon Core lead to sending the tribe members to death on purpose to reclaim the Demon Core?

This was his worst speculation, but if it came to that, entering the Empire would be as easy as fleeing would be difficult!

"Then... what about our southward migration plan?" Xing Huo’s voice bore a hint of perplexity.

Shou sighed deeply, grappling with the same dilemma.

Initially, if the Empire remained indifferent to the Northern Territory, the primary concerns about migrating southward would be location and potential conflicts with other tribes.

But now, realizing the Empire’s Demon Race might be interested in them, relocating recklessly seemed daunting.

What had happened that made the previously indifferent Empire suddenly pay attention to them?

Unfortunately, the tribe’s information was too restricted, offering no sufficient insight for Shou to make a judgment.

"Speaking of which..." Shou forcibly suppressed his chaotic thoughts, changing the subject, "Where is Qiong? Haven’t seen him all day."