Chapter 7 - Mind Reading? Alice's Blood Talent Slump.
That was Chen Rui's first impression of the New Moon City. Not sure whether the other cities in the Demon Realm were like this. Including the palace, most of the buildings in New Moon City looked old.
There were fewer shops and stalls to buy and sell. The demons he saw along the way were mostly ugly with worn clothes. The entire city was filled with a ruined, slump atmosphere.
Looking at the faces of the demons made Chen Rui feel scared. If his human identity was exposed, he would definitely be dead or worse, being eaten.
"Hey! You, keep your waist straight; don't clasp your legs so tight; relax your shoulder!" Athena's voice interrupted Chen Rui's thoughts.
"Despite you being a man, any child from the Wales Family is much stronger than you!"
Actually Chen Rui wanted to say that he was still a virgin, not a man in its true sense but his posture was indeed a bit strange at the moment, laid on the back of a tri-horned rhinos, both hands clasping the big, wide shell for fear of accidentally falling down and trampled into a patty by the beast.
"I'm sorry. It's my first time sitting on this big guy." Chen Rui was initially thinking why didn't this world have anything like stirrups and saddle.
As he was about to plagiarize the invention, he realized that Alice and the other's tri-horned rhino was fully equipped with supporting equipment - it turned out that it's just a different treatment.
"You didn't have to clasp so tight even for the first time! Relax!" Athena reprimanded.
Not sure whether little loli truly understood, she kindly convinced, "Athena, don't be so anxious. For the first time, of course, he will clamp tight."
That sentence almost made Chen Rui fall from the tri-horned rhino.
The demons along the way did notice his weirdness; they pointed at him and started gossiping.
Fortunately, Chen Rui had worn a cloak, so his human identity was not revealed temporarily.
Only the demons who were sensitive to smell was suspicious, but no one dared to approach with little princess and Athena there.
Upon arriving at the city gate, all four tri-horned rhinos were stopped.
"Princess Alice, where are you going?" The one who stopped the tri-horned rhinos was an armored male demon; tall and muscular; red-skinned; two large curved horns on his head; pronounced facial features; emitting a murderous vibe; judging from his looks, he was a great demon.
"Oh, it's the sheriff, General Alan. You are inspecting personally today." Alice smiled gently, "We are heading to the blue lake."
General Alan frowned. "There were some incidents at the blue lake recently. I am worried that it was the sleeping poison dragon. I've sent scouts to investigate. Princess Alice should wait for us to confirm its safety before going there to play."
"The poisonous dragon has been sleeping for thousands of years. There is also the strongest Lock of Light and Dark from the Lord of Midnight Sun, so there shouldn't be any problem." Alice pointed at Chen Rui.
"Also, I'm not going out to play this time. This is Master Aldas' new apprentice. The master asked me to take him to the blue lake to collect some herbs."
Among the two branches of alchemy, if mechanics master gave people the feeling of "respect", the potioneer would be "reverence".
People had more fear of the poison and its negative effect, but they ignored its curing and buffing effects.
The keywords of a potion master were usually mysterious; horrible and malicious; shouldn't provoke.
Aldas was the representative of this kind of person. Horrible cries of experimental subjects often came from the lab.
Even the guard of the palace dare not approach. They really didn't understand why did Her Royal Highness place such a dangerous character in the outer courtyard of the palace.
For such a mysterious and scary potion master to actually recruit an apprentice, Alan was curious as to what kind of demon was this new apprentice.
With just two glances, his eyes suddenly became sharp; and at that moment, Alice let Chen Rui take off his cloak.
"This is the human that we caught last time!" A soldier behind Alan screamed.
Suddenly, all kinds of hostile eyes were concentrated on Chen Rui. He forced himself to keep a natural look, but his cold sweat couldn't help but flow down from his forehead.
Alan discovered the identity of Chen Rui earlier than the soldiers. He remembered when he reported to Princess Royal, Master Aldas was present.
He asked to take the human being as an experimental subject and took him away. Now, a prisoner or a slave, had actually become the master's apprentice?
Alice introduced to Alan indifferently, "This human's name is Chen Rui. Because of his talent in pharmaceutics, he is accepted as a formal apprentice by Master Aldas and is part of our New Moon City from now on."
Athena added impatiently, "This is what Alice and I heard from the master today ourselves. If you still have any doubts, you can ask Master Aldas directly!"
"General Alan, your interrogation should be over. Don't delay our time to gather herbs!" Athena's blunt attitude made Alan feel helpless.
He told Alice, "Little Princess, just in case, I will send a troop of soldiers to protect you."
Alice smiled and asked, "Are you worried that Athena can't protect me?"
Athena raised her elegant brows and her red eyes shone a sharp ray. Alan shook his head quickly and gave Chen Rui a cold gaze, "Human! Don't try to escape or play tricks. Otherwise, I will crush all your bones."
After Alan finished, he bowed toward little princess, indicating them to go through.
The four tri-horned rhinos left the city gate with a heavy footstep.
Within Dark Moon City, the news that Master Aldas recruited a human apprentice spread quickly.
"Actually, I think Alan isn't bad. His family status and yours are well-matched," Alice giggled while looking at Athena.
"If he did not propose marriage to your dad directly without your permission, you might not dislike him that much."
Athena said disdainfully, "I didn't like him from the beginning! This guy is timid and incompetent. Relying on the influence of the Karon Family to become a sheriff, only know how to bully the weak. He doesn't have any actual abilities."
The "weak" on the side understood. There was actually such gossip. No wonder the violent girl treated General Alan like an enemy.
"Our previously trip to the dark rainforest, it must be him that tattletale to the elder princess. I hate this kind of person," Athena sneered, "Still trying to hit on me? Ask my sword first!"
"That's right, Athena is mine. No one can take it." Little loli laughed.
"Let's speed up!" The tri-horned rhinos began to accelerate.
It was hard to believe that such rapid speed was from such a huge body.
For Chen Rui, who has no supporting tools on the rhino, was undoubtedly a torment.
He could only lay down tightly; he almost fell down several times.
Athena trying to save troubles and changed her mount with him.
Seeing the violent girl sitting on the rapid-moving giant rhino's back with ease, Chen Rui could only admit his incompetence.
As compared to Arthur's memory of the sunny world above the ground, the Demon Realm's environment was much worse.
The light source came from the two "stars" in the sky. Although being called a "star", but its light and heat was far lesser than the sun for the earth.
Most of the time, it was covered by the clouds of smoke in the air.
In the evening, they became "the moon" again, emitting a faint icy brilliance.
The temperature difference between day and night was very large.
As they journeyed on, Chen Rui and Alice encountered a breathtaking landscape. Huge pits formed by long-term corrosion dotted the terrain, while unknown, dark, and mysterious caves loomed in the distance. Strange plants added to the eerie beauty of the environment. However, the focal point of this landscape was the majestic blue lake that stretched as far as the eye could see. Surrounded by towering mountains, the lake exuded an aura of serenity, with flourished lakeside plants and gorgeous flowers swaying gently in the breeze.
The tranquility of the scene was, however, short-lived. Alice revealed to Chen Rui that the lake's water was blue due to a massive, adult poison dragon sleeping at its bottom. The venom from the dragon's body had dyed the lake's water, making it a toxic environment devoid of life. The lush vegetation surrounding the lake was also highly toxic, and some flowers were carnivorous, feeding on the blood and flesh of unsuspecting prey. The power of the dragon was awe-inspiring, and its poisonous nature made it a force to be reckoned with. A single misstep could wipe out an entire city's population, making it a creature to be avoided at all costs.
Chen Rui couldn't help but think about the law in the Demon Realm, where the most beautiful things often concealed the greatest dangers. He mentally added another sentence: the same applied to female demons. Whether they were cute princesses, essence-sucking succubi, or heroic swordswomen, each possessed a unique brand of danger. The sleeping dragon in the lake served as a reminder of this harsh reality.
Athena, ever cautious, chose a safer mountain top to set up their picnic, one that offered a stunning view of the lake without putting them at risk. Alice, however, was eager to relive fond memories of their past visits to the blue lake. She suggested having another picnic, but Athena hesitated, recalling Alan's warnings about strange occurrences at the lake. Alice dismissed Alan's concerns, labeling him timid and unreliable.
Athena agreed to Alice's proposal, and the group began to prepare for their picnic. Kia volunteered to pick some Jade Dragonfruit, while Alice offered to hunt for prey. Chen Rui and Athena were tasked with decorating the area. Chen Rui initially considered using the poisonous flowers to accelerate the Super System's progress but quickly abandoned the idea, intimidated by the deadly dragon and the carnivorous flowers.
As they worked, Chen Rui couldn't help but feel a sense of unease, aware that even in this serene environment, danger lurked beneath the surface. The blue lake, with its toxic waters and sleeping poison dragon, served as a potent reminder of the Demon Realm's unforgiving nature.
After Kia and Athena departed, Alice turned her attention to Chen Rui, commanding him to get to work. She was busy unpacking items from her wrist-mounted space device, a bracelet that allowed her to store and retrieve objects. However, the quality of the device was questionable, as the interior space was surprisingly small.
As soon as the space entrance opened, a cascade of items spilled out, followed by an even greater deluge. Chen Rui found himself helping Alice clean up the mess. In the chaos, he accidentally picked up a pile of bras, which left him stunned. Some of them were surprisingly large, with intricate laces. Chen Rui's mind reeled with two conflicting thoughts: firstly, that such items existed in the world, and secondly, that the sizes didn't quite match the underdeveloped physique of little loli.
Under Alice's intense, murderous gaze, Chen Rui quickly regained his composure. He pretended not to have seen the pile of bras and focused on tidying up other objects. When he turned around, the offending items had vanished, leaving Chen Rui wondering if he had merely imagined the whole incident.
With the space device reorganized, Alice's storage space was once again complete. Chen Rui couldn't help but notice that the little loli seemed to be perpetually prepared to play at a moment's notice. The picnic utensils were soon arranged, and an air of excitement hung over the area, courtesy of Alice's infectious energy.
As they worked, Chen Rui found himself pondering Alice's character. Was she, in fact, a legendary "fetish" collector, with a penchant for accumulating unusual items? The thought sent a shiver down his spine, and he couldn't help but wonder what other secrets lay hidden beneath Alice's innocent facade.