Heilong-kou (Black Dragon-Mouth/Pass)
Heilong-cheng (Black Dragon-City)
Censorate (Supervisory Court)
Yuling City (Jade City)
Jingui Town (Golden Turtle Town)
Xuanwu City (Black tortoise City)
The Mint had truly delivered a jaw-dropping performance after months of silence.
During the two months the Demon King had been away, the machines hadn't stopped running. Even when the flow of demons coming to exchange contribution points and work hours slowed to a halt, they still had a steady supply of Black Dragon Coins ready to go.
However, Her Majesty the Queen had personally instructed the mint: the currency was not to be released freely into the market. Workers needed to be allowed to fully exchange their work hours and contribution points first.
Too much currency in circulation could cause price instability and devalue the money.
They didn't fully understand the reasoning—but if Her Majesty said so, then they'd follow it to the letter.
Several foreign traders couldn't help but covet the Black Dragon Coins once they saw them. Especially after borrowing a coin from a local demon and inspecting it closely, they noticed a faint magical aura—a trace of demon crystal energy.
Demon crystals!
It was nearly impossible to find even a thousand intact demon crystals across the entire demon realm these days.
Small to mid-sized merchant caravans certainly didn't possess dozens of them. If they had any, they'd treat them like priceless heirlooms, never using them in regular transactions unless absolutely necessary.
Only the massive, top-tier trade caravans dealt in demon crystals—and even then, only for extraordinary items. Common goods were beneath their notice.
If these smaller caravans had demon crystals, they wouldn't have needed to bring such large volumes of goods to trade in Black Dragon City. They could've just swapped crystals for glass directly—clean and simple. But alas, all the demon crystal mines had long since been exhausted. The only crystals left were those already in circulation from the old days.
And now, to their astonishment, the currency of Black Dragon City carried a trace of demon crystal energy. Even if it was only a faint hint, it gave the coins tremendous collectible value.
That's right—they didn't see the Black Dragon Coins as ordinary money but as rare collector's items.
Some caravans, still sitting on unsold goods, scraped together everything they had to trade with locals and finally obtained a coin or two.
When they held the coins in their hands and carefully focused their senses, they could indeed feel the lingering energy of demon crystals—and the Dragon King's dragon breath.
Merchants quickly discovered the coins made for perfect protective charms. Especially when encountering high-tier demon beasts: the creatures would smell the aura of the Demon King from the coin and instinctively retreat, tails between their legs.
Soon, other traders had the same idea. Those who'd already traded away all their goods began borrowing resources from their better-stocked colleagues.
Normally, that wouldn't be a problem. Everyone knew each other, and a few kind words would usually get you a handout.
But not this time.
These coins had a demon crystal aura and could serve as wards against danger. Who wouldn't want to stock up just in case?
Just like that, the fragile boat of friendship capsized in an instant.
Lou Zhao's temporary lab was set up at the Mechanical Works, which had since been relocated outside the city. The facility now housed several labs, with enough open space that even aircraft could land there.
He'd never admit it, but one big reason he chose this location was because Old Mo was stationed here—an elder he could order around whenever a technical challenge popped up.
The whole afternoon passed with Lou Zhao lost in thought. Though he hadn't made a breakthrough yet, he had absorbed a great deal of theoretical knowledge and realized that building a battery was no simple task.
Step one was gathering materials. If they weren't available, he'd have to get the workers to manufacture them from scratch.
Before he knew it, the sun had begun to set. Yin Jixue personally came out to the facility to have dinner with him.
She met him at the lab entrance and suggested, "Let's just eat at the canteen. The chefs here were all trained by our palace's royal kitchen."
Lou Zhao didn't object. He hadn't had anything besides a few basic dishes since leaving the palace. What new tricks could they possibly come up with in just two months?
Food didn't mean much to him—as long as it filled his stomach, he didn't care. If not for the Queen's insistence on eating three meals a day, he wouldn't have bothered eating regularly at all.
As the two walked side by side into the canteen outside the city, workers just finishing their shifts from the Mechanical Works quietly gathered at the entrance, stealing glances from the shadows.
They wouldn't dare disturb their King and Queen—they just wanted a few more looks at the two figures they admired most.
"The King and Queen are so in love." That was the unanimous thought among all the onlookers.
Especially seeing the Demon King tightly holding the Queen's hand—many demons blushed. Not out of embarrassment, but because…
Their OTP had finally delivered fanservice, and it was everything.
Meanwhile, the wives among the onlookers all gave their husbands a synchronized ear-tug and snapped:
"Look at the King pampering Her Majesty! Now look at you! We've been together all these years—remember how excited you used to get from a kiss? You'd practically jump eight feet in the air. Now our kid's old enough to work the mines, and you won't even share a bed, claiming you're too tired. One more word from you and we're getting divorced!"
When it came to divorce, Black Veil was the boldest woman in Black Dragon City.
Even though she still had feelings for her man, she often said, "We don't even have anything to talk about anymore. Every time he's home on break, we just lie in bed in silence. If the factory didn't ban work on weekends, I'd hammer iron nonstop."
Black Veil had become the first truly independent female demon in Black Dragon City.
But to be fair, the demon folk didn't hold traditional "men work, women stay home" ideals. Black Veil just chased freedom on her terms.
Since the King and Queen were dining in person, the canteen obviously wouldn't serve them the regular mass-prepped meal—what was essentially factory-style fast food.
Lou Zhao glanced toward the bubbling pots with a bit of curiosity, wondering what these "factory meals" tasted like, but he didn't ask. They'd be served proper food soon anyway.
Instead of serving them the already-prepared food, the kitchen staff fired up a fresh wok and started cooking from scratch.
Lou Zhao frowned and turned to Yin Jixue. "Don't they already have food made?"
Currently, Black Dragon City's staple food was still sweet taro, though rice harvest season was fast approaching.
Don't ask how rice matured so quickly—one of the citizens had awakened an ability that stimulated crop growth. What used to be six months of vegetables and fruits now reached the table in weeks.
Even tofu, which wasn't originally on the menu, had returned to their plates thanks to the recent harvest of soybeans.
Of course, crops with longer growth cycles still took more time. But compared to how long it took humans to grow rice, going from soaked seeds to full harvest in just two months was lightning-fast.
"That stuff's for the workers—quick meals made in huge woks, called fast food or canteen stir-fry. See those sectioned plates over there? Each compartment holds a different dish, with the biggest one reserved for the staple."
Lou Zhao nodded vaguely. He found it quite interesting, but seeing the Queen's calm and collected expression, he kept his fascination to himself.
Soon, the canteen brought out the first dish: the classic Spicy Tofu.
Lou Zhao stared at the bright red, pungent-smelling dish and instantly let out a few sneezes in a row.
"This… is food?" he asked, genuinely unsure. It looked almost inedible—why not just stick with the fast food?
Yin Jixue, of course, could tell he was hesitant—everyone resisted chili their first time. The sharp scent stung the nose, and the heat in the mouth felt like poison.
But after a couple of bites, they always ended up loving it.
"Just give it a try. If it's not to your taste, don't force yourself." As she spoke, she also asked the kitchen to prepare two cups of strawberry juice, in case Lou Zhao found the dish too spicy.