Chapter 693: Did I Just Miss Out on a Hundred Million?

“Is everyone alright?” Shien Buztout asked the Shajin Clan members in the damaged inn.

The Shajin, led by Shajina, still looked pale, but had recovered somewhat. Shajina bowed gratefully to Shien on behalf of everyone.

“Thank you, Master. You saved us again,” she said.

Shien shook his head. “You encountered this because of me. I should be the one thanking you.”

Shien’s attitude towards them had softened. Although they were targeted because of him, their actions pleased him. Despite being threatened, they refused to cooperate with the Old Demon Faction and harm him. This earned his respect.

Of course, he knew they refused not entirely because of him, but due to the circumstances. Cooperating with the Old Demon Faction would make them outcasts in the Succubus Territory, even the entire Demon Realm. This was Shajina’s true reason for refusing.

But even so, Shien was satisfied. They chose their lives over harming him.

Therefore, he didn’t act like their savior.

Shajina, however, felt differently.

“It doesn’t matter. You saved us, that’s a fact,” she said with a bitter smile, “Ultimately, we’re too weak. Otherwise, this could happen again.”

Her words silenced the Shajin Clan members, sadness in their eyes.

Shien didn’t know what to say. Shajina’s words were true. In the Demon Realm, weakness was a sin. Without sufficient strength, surviving one crisis only meant facing another. The Hoof Clan’s invasion was proof. If not for Shien, they might have been annihilated. Such things were common in the Demon Realm.

Therefore, Shajina was clear-headed. The blame wasn’t on Shien, but on their own weakness.

Shien understood, but wouldn’t accept the blame.

“I’ll see if I can help you settle in Succubus City,” he said after a moment of thought.

These words shocked the Shajin Clan members.

“S… Settle in Succubus City…!?” Shajina gasped, covering her mouth.

Living in Succubus City was the dream of all tribes in the Succubus Territory.

“Succubus City forbids fighting, it’s the only safe haven in the Succubus Territory, you told me this, right?” Shien smiled at Shajina, “If you could live in Succubus City, then your Shajin Clan wouldn’t have to live in constant fear.”

This was the only way he could help them.

“But… but to settle in Succubus City…”

Shajina was too excited to speak clearly.

Shien knew what she was thinking.

“I know, to settle in Succubus City, one must meet one of the three conditions you mentioned, right?”

Shajina had told him the three conditions:

Shien couldn’t help with the last two. But the first one, he could try.

“I’ll ask Shafney for permission for you,” he said.

Shajina opened her mouth, seemingly wanting to refuse, but the allure of living in Succubus City was too great. In the end, she could only say with worry,

“A small and weak tribe like ours, can we really obtain the Succubus’s permission to settle in Succubus City?”

She didn’t dare to get her hopes up. Very few tribes had ever received direct permission from the Succubus. Since the city’s establishment, less than three had received such permission, and only those who earned her favor and recognition.

The Stone Woman Clan was one of them. When the Demon Realm was formed, and Shafney established Succubus City, she invited the entire Stone Woman Clan to settle there, making them the first residents.

Then, a few hundred years ago, she invited another tribe: the Rock Giant Clan, currently ranked fifth in Succubus City. The Rock Giants once had a Clan Chief who was one of Shafney’s executives, leading his clan in the final battle a thousand years ago, but they were unfortunately all killed, leaving only a few descendants. A few hundred years ago, Shafney found these descendants and, remembering their past relationship, brought them into Succubus City. After centuries of recuperation and development, they now had two Legendary-level experts. The two Rock Giants guarding the Succubus Fortress were those two Legendary-level experts. Grateful to Shafney, they willingly served as gatekeepers, considering themselves the fortress’s strongest defense.

Besides the Stone Woman Clan and the Rock Giant Clan, Shafney hadn’t granted any other tribe permission to settle in Succubus City.

It was natural for Shajina to be worried.

Shien didn’t make any promises, lest he fail. He simply said, “I’ll try my best. I believe she’ll give her future brother-in-law some face, right?”

He tried to comfort Shajina, but felt uneasy inwardly.

There was no helping it.

“I just don’t know how that witch will torture me…” Shien thought, his lips twitching.

Shajina, seeing him like this, also felt a mix of emotions. She hadn’t expected that this mysterious human expert, who suddenly appeared and saved the Shajin Clan from the Hoof Clan, was actually the legendary Hero.

The news of the Hero’s reappearance had only recently spread through the Demon Realm, and Shajina never imagined she would encounter him.

Moreover, although he was the Demon Race’s natural enemy, he was about to marry the Dragon Demon, becoming her fiancé and the brother-in-law of the other Demon Lords. This made Shajina repeatedly question her reality, wondering if she was dreaming.

For a small and weak tribe like the Shajin Clan, even a Legendary-level expert was a significant figure, and this person’s identity was even more legendary than a mere Legendary-level expert. No wonder Shajina couldn’t believe it.

Both his identity as the Hero and as the Dragon Demon’s fiancé were far more significant than just being a Legendary-level expert.

The events of the past few days also made Shajina realize that encountering such a being was both a blessing and a curse for her tribe.

But now, the curse seemed to have passed.

If he was truly favored by the Succubus and was also her future brother-in-law, then obtaining a residence permit for Succubus City wasn’t impossible.

Thinking of this, even though Shajina wanted to refuse, she couldn’t.

“…If Master can truly obtain a residence permit for us, then from now on, our Shajin Clan will be at your command,” she said seriously.

She knew that he didn’t need the allegiance of a weak tribe like theirs.

But she couldn’t think of any other way to repay him. If she could offer herself, she would do so without hesitation, using all her abilities to serve him.

Unfortunately, he was the Hero, the Dragon Demon’s fiancé. He probably wouldn’t be interested in someone like her.

Shajina, thinking this, didn’t know that Shien suddenly felt like he had missed out on something amazing.

“Why do I feel like I just missed out on a hundred million…?” he wondered, blinking.

However, he quickly dismissed the thought.

“I’ll ask the Stone Woman Clan to look after you. You shouldn’t encounter similar situations in the future,” Shien instructed, “Just move to another place, and leave the rest to me.”

“Yes,” Shajina naturally obeyed.

So, with Shien’s help, the Shajin Clan moved out of the inn.

Shien also asked Liel to send people to watch over them.

Liel didn’t refuse, probably because Shafney had instructed her to take care of Shien and fulfill his requests.

This matter was temporarily settled.

But the undercurrents in Succubus City didn’t stop.

Malice was still approaching.

The sky gradually darkened.

By the time Shien Buztout finished dealing with the Shajin Clan’s matters, the streets were already shrouded in darkness.

To his surprise, there weren’t any lights in Succubus City.

Liel explained, “Night is the domain of Sara, the Moon Demon, the supreme being of the Demon Race. Therefore, we demons don’t use lights to dispel the darkness at night. The moonlight is enough.”

This would be inconvenient in any human city.

But not in the Demon Realm.

First, the moonlight here was indeed very bright, enough for normal activities.

Second, demons had better night vision than humans, and their individual strength was generally high. Mere darkness wouldn’t affect them much.

Therefore, there were no lights in any city in the Demon Realm.

Moreover, the moon in the Demon Realm was never obscured, always rising every night, only its phases changing.

This was a unique aspect of demon culture.

“Alright,” Shien said, understanding this.

With [Outer Awareness of Heaven’s Decree], he wasn’t bothered by the darkness. His enhanced senses not only gave him excellent night vision, but even if he lost his sight, he could still perceive his surroundings through other senses.

The lack of lights at night wouldn’t hinder him.

Therefore, Shien didn’t mind and walked towards the Succubus Fortress with Liel.

Along the way, Shien thought about how to ask Shafney to grant the Shajin Clan a residence permit for Succubus City.

However, when he arrived at the Succubus Fortress, before even entering, he saw an unexpected person.

“Graykveil?” Even Liel called out his name in surprise.

It was Gray, whom they had met earlier.

He stood before the main gate of the Succubus Fortress, not approaching, just standing there, as if waiting for someone.

And it was true.

“You’re back?” Gray turned to Shien.

“You’re looking for me?” Shien raised an eyebrow.

“Indeed,” Gray nodded, “Can we talk?”

He had a friendly smile on his face, clearly not here to cause trouble.

“What do you want, Graykveil?” Liel asked, frowning.

“Don’t worry, Liel,” Gray glanced at her, “I just have some things to ask a fellow human who rarely comes to the Demon Realm, especially Succubus City. I don’t intend to harm him.”

Gray’s words left Liel speechless. His words were impeccable, leaving no room for argument.

She knew that Gray had been in the Demon Realm for about twenty years and must have many questions.

Remembering some things about Gray, Liel stepped aside without a word, leaving Shien and Gray alone.

Shien looked at this mysterious human expert, seemingly lost in thought.

Gray, however, suddenly asked,

“Is Ancil doing well?”

Hearing this, Shien was startled for a moment, then reacted.

“Ancil?” he asked, his brow furrowed, “Are you talking about His Majesty, the King of the Mitra Kingdom?”

“I suppose,” Gray smiled, “Although when I left, the throne would have naturally fallen to him, and I’ve also heard from Hart that he became the King and even had two beautiful daughters, I haven’t seen him for over twenty years. I don’t know how he’s doing.”

Hearing this, Shien understood.

“You know His Majesty?” This was the only possibility Shien could think of.

But it turned out that his guess was too mild.

“How should I put it?” Gray said, a hint of nostalgia in his voice, then dropped a bombshell, “Strictly speaking, he and I are half-brothers.”

“What!?” Shien’s eyes widened.

Brothers?

Half-brothers?

Gray and Ancil?

Then that meant…

“You… you are…?” Shien looked at Gray in shock.

Gray pursed his lips and sighed.

“My original surname was Mitra, Graykveil Mitra, a former member of the Mitra royal family who abandoned his title and his ancestor’s surname over twenty years ago and came to the Demon Realm.”

“…” Shien was speechless, completely dumbfounded.

This mysterious human expert, recruited by the Bi’an Clan, at level ninety-nine, was actually from the Mitra royal family?

A former prince? A true Hero descendant?

Damn!

“Don’t worry, and don’t look at me like that. I’m not here to claim kinship,” Gray seemed amused by Shien’s reaction, chuckling, “As I said, I’ve abandoned my past identity. I’m just a former prince. Although Ancil and I are half-brothers, he’s a direct descendant, and I’m just from a collateral branch, born from the previous king’s concubine. If I didn’t have some talent, I wouldn’t have even gotten the title of prince.”

Gray spoke frankly and casually. Clearly, this identity was truly a thing of the past for him.

Of course, although Gray spoke in a nonchalant tone, Shien could still discern many things.

For example…

“You can’t just call it ‘some talent,’ right?” Shien said sincerely, “I thought Aldia was already the strongest human. Now it seems you might be even stronger than him.”

In terms of level, Gray was already higher than Aldia.

In terms of strength, Shien felt that Gray was definitely no weaker than Aldia.

As a direct descendant of Hero Mitra, inheriting the Hero’s bloodline, if this person could obtain the title of prince even from a collateral branch, then one could imagine that his talent and his Unique Skill were definitely no less than Aldia’s.

And Aldia was already considered a rare genius, so Graykveil’s past achievements were probably even more astonishing.

Such a person, abandoning his identity and status, captivated by the Succubus and living in Succubus City for over twenty years, was truly shocking.

“I didn’t know such a person existed in the Mitra royal family,” Shien expressed his surprise directly.

Gray, however, was indifferent.

“That’s normal,” he said calmly, “To the Mitra royal family, I’m a disgrace, someone who betrayed the country’s and the royal family’s expectations, even betrayed my race, shamelessly becoming a pawn of the Succubus. Why would they mention me?”

Not just the royal family, but even the commoners no longer mentioned this prince, showing how much he had disappointed and betrayed them.

It was understandable that the Kingdom forbade mentioning his existence. Now, he was probably completely forgotten, unwilling to be remembered.

“I heard you’re the fiancé of the Kingdom’s Treasure,” Gray said, looking at Shien with a kind gaze, as if looking at a junior.

Shien, a little uncomfortable with this gaze, shrugged helplessly.

“Have you met Lucy?” Shien asked, bringing up the topic.

“Of course not. When I came to the Demon Realm, Ancil had just gotten married. I didn’t have the chance to see his daughter,” Gray said with a hint of regret, “But I’ve heard many rumors about her. Hart also told me that her beauty is second only to the Succubus, and she’s an incredible genius, even recognized by the Holy Sword left by our ancestor. She’s much better than me. If possible, I’d really like to meet her.”

“Then why don’t you go back and see?” Shien asked without hesitation, “With your strength, it shouldn’t be difficult to return to the Human Realm, to the Mitra Kingdom, right?”

“…Indeed,” Gray said after a moment of silence, “But am I even qualified?”

A look of utter dejection appeared in Gray’s eyes.

However, although dejected, he didn’t seem regretful.

“Perhaps, the moment I saw the Succubus, I was already ruined,” Gray said self-deprecatingly, “Throughout history, how many heroes and champions couldn’t resist her? Even several Heroes became her captives. I used to scoff at them, but after meeting her, I realized it wasn’t an exaggeration.”

“That’s why I was so foolish back then,” Gray’s voice seemed distant, filled with regret, “I thought that with my talent and strength, I could at least catch her attention and have a chance to pursue her.”

As the saying goes, youth is wasted on the young. The Gray back then was indeed full of youthful arrogance.

Being able to become a prince even from a collateral branch, valued by the royal family, that Gray must have been incredibly handsome, talented, and capable, even the top hero of the Human Race.

It was understandable that he thought he could pursue the Succubus, even risking everything for it.

Who knew…

“For over twenty years, I haven’t even had a chance to have a proper conversation with her,” Gray said, his voice filled with the weight of years.

“She wouldn’t even spare me a glance. Can you imagine how devastating that was for me?”

Hearing this, Shien looked at Gray with sympathy.