The mutation that occurred in Butuo City quickly spread across the entire world, and within a week, newspapers worldwide carried the headline "Demon King Suspected to Have Resurrected".
"The Demon King has reclaimed his left hand, and former Hero A·Gedora and the Crimson Queen are suspected of betraying humanity."
The striking headline informed the world that the Demon King, who once seemed to have dominated the world, was returning.
In the Human Central Empire, the King summoned the "New Hero".
"Hero Frodonick. The Demon King has reclaimed his left hand, and his terrifying rule may once again spread across the world. The old Hero has forgotten his glory and become an enemy of humanity... Do you have the ability to fulfill your mission?"
"Your Majesty!" The new Hero, named Frodonick, knelt on one knee, a defiant expression written all over his handsome face, "In the past, out of respect for the old Hero's achievements, I merely severed a tendon in his hand without killing him, sparing his life. Who would have thought it would become today's root of disaster? I, Frodonick, will certainly correct my mistake. Whether it's the old Hero, or the repeat traitor, or the Demon King... they will all be vanquished!"
"Then I'll leave it to you! Hero!"
...
"I say, why are you two following me?"
Mohe stopped in her tracks, and she came back to her senses, looking at a large rock.
From behind the rock, Doro and Lisidorwei emerged.
The Bloody Queen, or rather the Vampire Queen, hid behind Doro, not daring to meet Mohe's gaze.
Mohe's expression was extremely indifferent: "I think you both should know, I won't act according to your wishes. Of course, if the Hero wishes to use force to compel me to do something—that's not entirely out of the question. After all, having painstakingly reclaimed my left hand, I am not indifferent, and there is a possibility of being coerced. And now that I've acquired the power of the left hand, I can indeed grant the waste before me a longer life."
Doro heard her cold words and even thought the girl who took care of him a few days ago was just an illusion. But that was only natural... After all, he understood that this Demon King had been using him all along, and every action he took was within her expectations.
Yet, amusingly enough, even with Mohe's degree of manipulation, he felt it was acceptable, as it was undoubtedly better than the pain he had felt before. Moreover, she did not conceal her thoughts.
Doro felt that the words she spoke to him were not deceitful.
"Mohe, I think we can talk."
Upon hearing his words, Mohe couldn't help but laugh. She approached the two and leaned against the stone they had been hiding behind, her smile growing increasingly frivolous as she continually assessed them: "Wanting me to save this waste isn't impossible. However, Mr. Hero, I hope you understand one thing. I have no reason to expend my power to extend her life just after reclaiming my left hand, unless there is something that makes me feel the reward is greater."
She clearly proposed the notion of a transaction.
"For example, the allegiance of a certain Hero... If you sincerely wish to save Lisidorwei, I think you could marry her, granting her the status of a Hero's wife, which would justify her being saved by me. Correspondingly, Mr. Hero, you would need to work for me. Become the new Heavenly King of the Demon King's army. My deputy, what do you think of this deal?"
Before Doro could speak, Lisidorwei stammered, "I, I don't deserve Mr. Gedora, that..."
Though she said this, the expectation in her eyes was unmistakable.
Come to think of it, perhaps this fellow's betrayal in the past was due to some affection for this Hero—or maybe it started when Doro rescued her earlier? Mohe didn't care much about this, as she watched Doro with interest. She knew this man could not possibly agree.
"Mohe, it's impossible."
The expectation in Lisidorwei's eyes immediately turned into disappointment, but she still tried her best to conceal her thoughts, not wanting Doro to notice.
Mohe spread her hands and leaned against the rock with a rather lazy demeanor: "It's no big deal. Don't you humans have a saying about starting with a high price only to settle at a lower one? Prices are negotiable~ I can also make some concessions here. Since you are unwilling to serve the Demon King's army, I won't force you. After all, you humans say each person has their own ambitions. I can't force someone who isn't loyal to me to be loyal to me. After being vanquished by you before, I've learned some lessons. Wouldn't you agree, Lisidorwei?"
Her words conveyed an unmistakable implication regarding who was disloyal to her, clearly referring to the Vampire Queen standing before her.
Feeling Mohe's scrutinizing gaze, Lisidorwei's body began to tremble uncontrollably.
Seeing this, Doro took a step forward, shielding Lisidorwei from Mohe's sight.
"A true protector of flowers, Mr. Hero, even after being so hurt by a woman, you're still willing to help and trust them?" Mohe said with some confusion, "This woman remained silent as you experienced pain and watched your downfall and destruction... Your previous rescue of her could be considered as repaying the debt of her past help to you. You owe her nothing now, yet you still wish to help her?"
Mohe couldn't quite understand this behavior: "Aren't you afraid she might betray you like those people did?"
Those people...
A trace of pain flickered across Doro's face.
Mohe left the side of the stone and as she passed by the two, she patted Doro's belly. Considering the height difference, it was quite difficult for her to reach his shoulder: "You'd better think things through before coming to find me. Now the whole world is looking for the three of us. Be careful."
She spoke of skyrocketing demands and the highest bids, but didn't talk about the follow-up content.
Doro knew, because Mohe had seen through his heart, seen through the fact that he wasn't as resolute as he appeared. Just like when two people do business, the seller doesn't really want to sell a certain thing, so the buyer won't buy it. Because no matter how they negotiate on the price, if the seller regrets, it might cause many issues. It's not a matter of worth, but of willingness.
Mohe continued forward alone, and the two didn't follow her.
After noticing the two didn't follow, the corners of Mohe's mouth drew a curve. She knew Doro would agree, but not to become her subordinate—although she first retrieved her left hand, actually, the increase in battle power wasn't significant. It was enough to deal with some small fry, but there would be difficulty dealing with those who had a good reputation.
Not everyone is like the Vampire Queen who would be specially attacked by her.
Her bottom line was to make Doro help her retrieve three body parts, the right hand, two legs.
The right hand symbolizing the curse, the left foot symbolizing progress, the right foot symbolizing stagnation.
Once she retrieves all her limbs, she would possess enough combat ability. Even facing the world's renowned strongmen, she could handle the duel calmly, opting to advance or retreat freely.
Having Doro as her subordinate, perhaps she could gradually plan for it, but she's not in a hurry. Actions that save time are, of course, good. However, she won't be too anxious. The most important thing now is to hide herself well. After all, having taken her left hand, defenses elsewhere would naturally be "activated."
Those who had been lax in their guards for dozens of years—her returning to take other body parts should be within everyone's expectations.
Therefore, she was determined to win over Hero Doro. Not to say making him loyal to her, she's not interested in loyalty from others, at least not now.
Humans say one should learn from past mistakes. She quite agrees. After past incidents, she doesn't expect loyalty from others, so trading and using others makes her feel more at ease. Many in the Demon King's army swore loyalty to her. Even when she asked herself, she hadn't treated these people poorly, but the results were disappointing.
Although she never really counted on them from the start, well... if she could get Doro's assistance, retrieving other parts wouldn't be too big of a problem. Although Doro's state is quite poor, he still once defeated her, and there are very few who can be his enemies in the world.
Mohe contemplated these matters.
While taking back her left hand in Butuo City, she incidentally took a lot of Lisidorwei's possessions.
If you ask for a reason, well, Lisidorwei wouldn't need them anymore. She couldn't possibly return to Butuo City again, because once she goes back, she'll be immediately captured. There are certainly people waiting for her there.
Reclaiming a part for herself was a good thing.
Then these possessions...
Mohe used the gold to melt down, turning them into gold coins—originally these gold crafts had artistic value, melting them down into gold coins equated to wasting money, but Mohe didn't care. She didn't need money that much, so even wasting money didn't matter.
Since she had decided to make a deal with Doro, now was the time to compete in patience.
She arrived at a small town.
This town was called "Baixi Town."
As the name suggests, there's a creek running through the middle of the town, and it is said that at dawn, the creek would turn white under the rays of the rising sun, hence the name Baixi,
Mohe did not care; she just bought an estate in this place, just like she suggested to Doro.
After retrieving her left hand, even if she didn't take back other body parts, spending several decades, she could still return to her original peak state. She now intended to demonstrate just that—to make Doro feel she planned to lay low for decades and then return to her peak state.
Time is Mohe's friend.
However, whether hiding in a small town could truly conceal her identity was another question, for there are those with Prophetic Art, and though she did some camouflage, there would still be corresponding hints. It was once prophesied she would be defeated by the Hero...
Come, let's play!