Chapter 33

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Chapter 33: You Haven’t Seen a Live Volcano, Have You?

Normally, today should be the day to exercise.

Lin Lin woke up early, but because she didn’t want to exercise at all, she stared at the ceiling for quite a while.

Soon defeated by hunger, Lin Lin got up, changed her clothes, and got ready to have breakfast.

Today was still a rainy day, just a light drizzle, and the water from the past few days had receded, which didn’t seem to affect Lin Lin, who was a working bee.

It really is possible to go out for a stroll.

When Lin Lin arrived at the restaurant, Allen was bored, folding a little bunny out of a napkin and said, "Lin, you are really slow."

After Lin Lin arrived, Allen placed the folded bunny on the table beside him and patted the chair to signal Lin Lin to sit next to him.

"I didn’t ask you to wait for me." Lin Lin didn’t look to the side and smoothly walked around Allen to sit next to Arthur.

Even though she had already seen the appetites of these two orcas yesterday, she was still surprised to see their breakfast today; they were eating something so heavy so early in the morning.

Why is there a plate as big as a bathtub in the Demon King Castle? Is this a training camp for people with huge appetites?

Safir doesn’t eat this much.

Wait a minute. Lin Lin started to think seriously. Has she really seen Safir eat?

So how does a dragon eat normally? Since dragons are bigger, they should eat more.

Without minding Lin Lin’s detour, Allen followed closely behind her and sat next to her to see her breakfast clearly.

"Another stew? Why do you eat stew every day?"

Lin Lin replied with a blank expression, "Do you think I enjoy it?"

When did Auntie Ellie learn to make pancakes and desserts from Abyssal Wild Boar? She is really worried.

But the pig didn’t mention any requests, so she felt a bit out of place as a freeloader.

Allen rested his chin on his hand and watched Lin Lin swallow her stew. He asked her, "Do you have any plans today? Are you going to join us for our research?"

"What research?" Lin Lin swallowed a piece of potato. "I didn’t even know that there was this kind of work for officials."

"Um," Allen’s mouth twitched as he remembered who Lin Lin had worked with before. "Lord Safir doesn’t go to the grassroots at all, and Felix doesn’t know how to communicate, so this kind of work falls on us."

Allen said, "The job is to walk around in the demon realm neighborhoods, taking notes on the residents’ suggestions for living and their views for next year. Sometimes we will help fix leaking roofs and clean up accumulated dirt."

Isn’t that too much like real life? It feels too everyday!

Noticing Lin Lin’s hesitance, Allen raised an eyebrow with a carefree air. "So, what do you think? Are you in?"

Well, I have nothing else to do, so I want to go, but for some reason, I always feel like anything related to Allen is a trap.

Lin Lin turned to look at Arthur, seeking confirmation on whether she could truly go.

Arthur was somewhat surprised by Lin Lin’s turn. With the same appearance, Arthur came off as more serious.

Arthur nodded slightly.

Lin Lin, "I will go, but I need to get something."

Allen waved his hand, "You don’t need to grab a knife; I won’t do anything to you."

Oh, it’s not about getting a knife.

Lin Lin was happy that Allen had such clear self-awareness; he truly deserved to be watched carefully.

Lin Lin went back to get the instant camera. Of course, this was different from the instant cameras in real life; this one was a magical camera that could capture images like a short video for five seconds.

She had received this instant camera from the Demon King when she first came to the Demon King Castle.

"I just like to collect these little gadgets," the Demon King said casually when he gave the instant camera to Lin Lin, "It’s not useful for me, so I’ll give it to you."

When Lin Lin appeared with the instant camera hanging at her side, Allen was quite surprised, "Why are you bringing that? Just so you know, we are not going on a trip; we are working, so there won’t be any beautiful scenery."

Lin Lin, "I will take a casual picture because the Demon King has been out of the Demon King Castle before, so I can keep the photo for him."

The two orcas looked at each other.

"Wow, you are such a kind-hearted child," Allen said as he put his arm around Lin Lin’s shoulder, "So, let me take a picture first because I look very good in photos; I look really handsome."

"… Taking a picture of you, whom I see every day, seems like a waste of film." Completely focused on the instant camera, Lin Lin didn’t notice Allen getting closer; she really wasn’t good with the magical products of this world.

After fiddling with the instant camera, Lin Lin pointed the lens at Allen, "I will only take one picture of you."

The shoulder he just held slipped from his arm.

Allen was surprised; he didn’t expect the camera to really point at him.

Lin Lin, behind the camera, seriously suggested, "I recommend you smile."

That’s the kind of personality! That kind of oddly serious nature, remembering what others say! Allen felt very interested.

"Let me take a breath!" The little orca swam quickly towards Lin Lin, "Take a breath! Take a breath!"

Lin Lin, "What a weirdo!!!"

They quickly hid behind Arthur, spinning around him like chicks being chased by a hawk.

Arthur turned to chase after his brother who had lost his direction.

Allen walked towards the big door, finally ending this crazy scene.

Lin Lin wiped her forehead with her hand, feeling sweaty.

So far, the amount of activity has far exceeded what they usually do.

–

Quite surprisingly! Allen is very popular with the elders in the demon realm!

Is it because of that trait! Being naughty is disliked by peers and parents, but it is very popular among grandparents, who think that children should be a bit more mischievous!

Walking on the country road, Lin Lin could completely accept that purple crops and red Chompers were growing on the land.

"Don’t go near those Chompers," Allen warned, "they are quite toxic."

Lin Lin silently moved away from some and asked, "Then why are they planted?"

Allen replied, "Mainly for their ornamental value."

Who would like these big red flowers sticking out their tongues! They look very disgusting!

Lin Lin tried hard to understand the aesthetic of the demon race and kept her mouth shut.

Unlike Lin Lin’s shyness, Allen shrugged and said, "But they are really ugly. I don’t know what’s nice about them."

So who exactly likes them?

Just after Lin Lin finished complaining, she saw a frail old man with unsteady legs walking out of the house, carrying a bamboo basket.

Allen happily approached and greeted, "Grandpa Bill! Your flowers are growing really well! They are so big and beautiful!"

Lin Lin gave a deadpan look at this kind of talk, where some people speak normally, but others do not.

"Oh, it’s Arthur and Allen," the old man with gray hair and dulled horns squinted and looked behind Arthur, "and there’s a little one too."

The little one made Lin Lin’s smile disappear.

The old man skillfully and precisely took out some raw meat from the bamboo basket and tossed it to Chomper.

Lin Lin didn’t care anymore; she had no mood to complain.

The three were invited inside by the old man, who mainly talked about how the new generation always likes to marry people from other races.

"Only the union of the demon race with the demon race is the most traditional!" The old man slapped his thigh and then looked at the three sitting on the sofa, "If your parents have married someone from another race, I don’t mean to offend; I just think the demon race should be with the demon race."

"It’s okay, it’s okay," Allen replied with a smile, "Our brothers don’t have parents, so we won’t be offended at all."

Lin Lin, "…Ah, that’s really a heavy topic."

She quietly wrote down the old man’s advice in her notebook and continued walking along the path, heading towards the center of the village.

It looks much more lively here, like a little town.

Most of the buildings are made of piled stones, showing a completely different and strange style from humans.

Moreover, Lin Lin noticed that the nearby residents were paying quite a bit of attention to her. Although they didn’t make it too obvious, there were definitely sneaky glances, which made her feel a bit odd.

After all, this was the territory of the demon race, which didn’t have a strong relationship with humans. Lin Lin quietly moved closer to Arthur, tugging at his sleeve to signal that there was someone tough by her side.

Arthur looked down at Lin Lin, his narrow eyes slightly raised in curiosity.

Lin Lin realized that if she wanted to get information from the orca brothers, she would have to approach Allen first.

Lin Lin grasped Arthur’s arm and leaned forward to ask Allen, "Why is everyone staring at me?"

Allen put his hand over his heart, looking quite sad. "I’m so sad! You are holding your brother’s arm and asking me this question. It doesn’t help me at all, and now I have to serve you."

Lin Lin looked up at Arthur and said calmly, "Let your brother speak properly."

Allen rubbed his neck and explained to Lin Lin what the demon races were looking at. "Don’t you have the Demon King’s mark on your neck? It’s a rare thing. I guess everyone hasn’t seen it before, so they are shocked and curious."

Lin Lin touched the contract on her neck. Since no one had noticed it before, she thought it was similar to a tattoo. But here in the demon realm, it stood out a lot.

"If I cover it up, will they still know?" Lin Lin asked. "Why are they so sensitive to the Demon King, while the Paladins don’t feel anything?"

"I’m sorry, but it is the Demon King’s contract," Allen said. "Even if you can’t feel it, it’s still the Demon King’s power, shining bright like a deep-sea glowing fish for the demon race."

Oh, is that the ugly fish with a light bulb on its head?

I can understand the orca’s habit of using fish as a metaphor, but could we not compare it to deep-sea fish? Deep-sea fish can really be ugly in any shape.

Lin Lin held Arthur’s arm tighter; she felt quite unsafe now. What if someone who didn’t like the Demon King came and poked her?

Noticing Lin Lin’s fearful actions, Allen put his hands in his pockets, slowed down, and stood on Lin Lin’s other side, making sure she was completely between the two orcas.

"Last time we went to East Street; this time let’s go to West Street," Allen suggested. "Lin, do you want to buy some clothes? The Demon King Castle has great materials; you can find many cheap things you haven’t seen before."

Lin Lin saw the shopkeeper rolling her eyes when Allen mentioned "cheap things."

Upon seeing Lin Lin behind Allen, the shopkeeper’s eyes widened. "Oh my, you’re so small! Are you an adult? How can His Majesty let you come out alone?"

Allen replied, "What do you mean alone? Aren’t we here?"

Lin Lin said, "I am an adult, and I’m not that small."

The shopkeeper said, "Children shouldn’t get wet in the rain; let me give you an old raincoat."

Lin Lin touched the damp ends of her hair and quickly changed her words, "Thank you, sister."

Just like the little duck and little penguin raincoats of the children in the human world, the kids in the demon realm also have their own cartoon raincoats.

Lin Lin put on the dragon raincoat, which had a place for her head to come out, and she reached up to touch the horns on her head, feeling how cold they were.

The demon race raincoat was indeed very big; it was supposed to be knee-length but ended up being above her calves.

Allen, who was already picking out clothes in the store, held up a mermaid-style swimsuit made of scales and asked Lin Lin, "Do you like this? Swimsuits can be worn even if you’re not swimming."

Shopkeeper, "This year, my suggestion will be to keep orcas away from women."

Allen put the swimsuit back in its place and said, "Okay, I was just looking around."

He noted the shopkeeper’s advice about improving the demon race’s sense of fashion and continued walking down the street.

The road was longer than Lin Lin imagined, with beings from different races showing smiles or worries, living busy and fulfilling lives here.

It wasn’t just forests, volcanoes, and canyons that could only be seen from afar while staying in the Demon King Castle. There were also lively villages, towns, and markets.

On the street, you can smell the aroma of skewers made by unknown creatures, along with various sweet desserts.

"Would you like to try a skewer?" Allen, who had already eaten a meatball, asked Lin Lin.

"I’m sorry," Lin Lin replied, "I don’t want to try them until I know if they are poisonous and what they looked like when they were alive."

"What a pity, they are quite tasty."

As they reached the end of the town, the sky became a little brighter.

It was evening, and wisps of soft golden sunlight layered through the rosy clouds.

The sun stood in front of them, and when they turned around, they could see a long dark shadow stretched on the ground.

In front of them was a small hill.

It was a real hill that even someone like Lin Lin, who worked hard, could easily climb.

"Do you want to go up?" Allen asked.

Lin Lin nodded her head.

When climbing, breathing becomes stronger, and the cool, fresh air fills the lungs, pushing out old air.

Step by step, climbing higher feels like chasing the sun.

The warm sunlight shines on her face, and Lin Lin takes off her raincoat.

It seems to be getting warmer; is it because the sky is clear?

Lin Lin followed Allen closely, and she quickly noticed something was wrong because she was sweating!

It was no longer just regular heat; even the air around her seemed to shimmer because of the warmth.

"We made it!" Allen’s voice sounded excited. "You’ve never seen a live volcano before, have you?"

Who wants to visit the volcano?

Lin Lin looked at the bubbling red liquid with a blank expression.

She watched as Allen tossed and caught a stone, finally throwing it into the volcano.

The stone splashed on the lava a few times before sinking.

Allen, "Beautiful!"

Who is skipping stones into the volcano?

Lin Lin decisively turned around.

Before turning, she raised her instant camera and took a picture of the volcano.

Her small bag was stuffed full of the photos she took today.

"Don’t throw pebbles!" Lin Lin stopped Allen before he threw the second stone into the volcano.

"It’s fine," Allen said, "I threw many when I was young, and the volcano never erupted."

Lin Lin put her hand on her chest, afraid her heart was beating too fast and might make her faint.

"Did you grow up here?" This could explain why Allen and the demon race in town were friendly.

"Yes," Allen threw his second stone into the volcano and clapped his hands to dust them off.

The young man turned around.

The orca faced the light, part of his face blending into the warm sunlight behind him, so Lin Lin couldn’t see his expression clearly.

"Don’t worry about the volcano erupting," Allen said, opening his arms and letting Lin Lin follow his hands to look down the mountain.

They could see the busy residents nearby; the sun had come out, and people were hastily taking down the tents and moving the steaming food stalls into the sunlight, without any demons worrying about the active volcano.

"You asked today why everyone is looking at you, why everyone can so sensitively catch the mark of the Demon King. Because this place is filled with the presence of Your Majesty the Demon King."

"A volcano that will not erupt, a forest that will not burn, a crack that will not shake, a river that will not overflow…"

Allen told Lin Lin.

Watching her raise the camera and take a picture of the rose-colored sky behind him.

"The photos you took today, the Demon King has seen them from another perspective."