Chapter 167 – Flowing In

Chapter 167 - Flowing In

There were still many unused offices on the second basement floor. Wen Ying picked one randomly; it was empty except for desks and chairs.

"Your Majesty, what instructions do you have?"

"Wen Ying, how is it going over there? Have things settled down for you?"

The timing of the Demon King's call was impeccable. Wen Ying suspected that the Demon King might have used some sort of divination magic to determine the best time to call.

"It's settled," Wen Ying replied. "Is there any new development from the Extremists?"

Wen Ying's first thought was the Extremists. The reason the Demon King had brought him here was because he seemed to counter their luck.

"It's not about the Extremists. I have a plan that I want your help to execute."

Wen Ying was taken aback. "I don't have any experience. Are you sure you want me to help?"

The Demon King laughed heartily. "For this kind of thing, it's best left to an expert."

This kind of thing? An expert? Wen Ying was utterly confused, having no idea what the Devil King wanted him to do.

"The thing is, conquering the Human Realm with brute force is utterly meaningless. Humans don't genuinely submit, so!" The Devil King's voice rose, excitement clear in his tone. "I want to conquer them on a spiritual level!"

Wen Ying's eyelids twitched as he waited for the Devil King's next words.

"I've been studying the Human Realm for years and have observed their culture. I've noticed that humans are superficial," the Devil King rambled, spittle flying. "So, I want you to create some demon cards, no need for magical ones, just attractive ones to start with."

"Then—" the Devil King drew out the word, "distribute them among the humans. Haven't they been playing a demon mobile game recently? Your task later will be to change their perception of us, gradually corrupting their spirits and weakening their aversion to demons. They should idolize us like they do with stars."

Wen Ying: "..." He couldn't find words to describe his feelings. His lips twitched, and his face followed suit.

"To make humans fall in love with demons, achieving spiritual domination – that's true conquest," the Devil King's nonchalant voice suddenly turned sinister and eerie. His lowered, hoarse tone was like a cold wind creeping under one's clothes, sending shivers down Wen Ying's spine.

The seriousness in the Devil King's voice carried an immense sense of pressure, making Wen Ying's heart skip a beat.

"This job is long-term. For now, focus on the card-making task I mentioned," the Devil King returned to his casual tone, issuing instructions calmly. "In due time, I'll have new arrangements. Can you manage?"

Without thinking, Wen Ying replied, "Sorry, Your Majesty, I can't make that promise..."

"I believe you are the most suitable Magic Selection," the Demon King's voice suddenly deepened, laced with profound meaning. "In the entire Realm of Demons, isn't it you who fits best?"

Wen Ying's hand holding the phone trembled slightly. With an unknown tone, he replied, "…Yes."

"I'm looking forward to it," the Demon King laughed joyfully. "Relax, after some time, many demons will come to assist you. I've already made plans."

So this Demon King was not the one that the demons in the Realm of Demons described as solely loving construction and having no interest in invading the Human Realm. This Demon King intended for a cultural invasion!

Wen Ying hung up the call and stared at his phone for a long while before letting out a deep sigh.

Thinking positively, a mental invasion was better than two realms going to war and causing countless deaths.

The Demon King had said something right: most humans were visually-driven.

Wen Ying felt that the Demon King's plan must have originated from watching some human world TV dramas, anime, or novels – the current Demon King had always been like this.

It dawned on Wen Ying belatedly that the Demon King had clearly mentioned bringing him over as an intern judge because of his luck against extremist factions. Why then, after only a day into his appointment, did he assign another task? Those words back then were a lie!

Recalling the ominous and perilous tone of the Demon King just now, Wen Ying still felt lingering fear. It was the first time he had experienced a shiver running down his spine just by hearing a voice.

"Ahh!" Wen Ying suddenly remembered an important matter – he hadn't asked the Demon King for money! Both printing the cards and designing the illustrations would require a cost.

After much deliberation, Wen Ying didn't dare to call the Demon King but also unwilling to pay from his own pocket. Thus, he called Aruda to inquire if he could ask the Demon King to cover the expenses.

Aruda immediately replied that it was possible.

Surprised, Wen Ying asked, "Grandma, you didn't even ask, how can you be so sure?"

"Isn't it obvious that he would pay for this?" Aruda answered confidently, "Wait a moment, I'll give him a call."

Is it really that casual? In Wen Ying's mind, Aruda's image rose to another level.

"Alright, I've discussed the reimbursement with the Demon King, and he agrees as long as you do a good job. Just let him see the design before printing."

Wen Ying felt relieved.

After hanging up the phone, Wen Ying started pondering over what kind of design to create.

Regularly handsome and beautiful characters were already overdone; people would only remember distinctive features, such as unusual preferences or special attire, along with captivating gazes.

Wen Ying felt that he could directly adapt the design of the hot spring card for this purpose. Lai Yehua's festival attire would work well too. If Lai Yehua found out that his image was circulating in the human world, he'd surely be furious enough to spit blood. Wen Ying's sinister smile revealed his delight at the prospect of revenge.

He modified the magic cards he had previously created and presented them to the Devil King. The Devil King turned out to be an excellent client, approving them at once.

Next came the printing process, which needed to be discreet. Wen Ying sought out Kirishino.

"You need to find a private printing factory outside Mu City for these magic cards. It's an order from the Devil King," he instructed.

The Devil King ordered these cards to be printed? Kirishino picked up one of the cards on the table, his gaze lingering on the handsome demonic face depicted on it. The demon had cold, gloomy eyes and slightly furrowed brows, hinting at impatience.

He was clad in a black yukata, with the lower half of his body submerged in a steaming hot spring. The garment was open wide across his chest, revealing his muscular and well-built pectorals.

Raging black flames danced behind him, and even through the card, Kirishino sensed an overwhelming, suffocating pressure.

"Who is this demon?"

"It's Cerberus," Wen Ying glanced at the card. "Aren't you from the Realm of Devils? How come you don't know?"

Kirishino explained, "I've been in the human world for decades now. He must be one of the younger demons from the recent generation."

"So that's the case," Wen Ying nodded slightly. "He is indeed very young." According to demonic age, despite being over ninety, Bellos had yet to reach adulthood.

"Is this Lord Lai Yehua?" Kirishino spotted the magic card beside him and picked it up in surprise, examining it closely.

"It is him."

"Lord Lai Yehua..." Kirishino hesitated, wondering if Lord Lai Yehua, whose image was printed and circulating among humans, would be offended.

Wen Ying waved his hand. "This is the order of the Demon King. Anyway, the purpose is to use these cards to lessen the negative perception humans have of us."

After Wen Ying gave Kirishino a concise explanation, omitting certain details, Kirishino finally understood and left the room with a nod.

The demons were quite efficient. They quickly contacted the courts in other cities and found several suitable factories.

Wen Ying planned to print a batch at one factory before moving on to another, making it less likely for them to be detected.

He discovered the perks of being a leader – he only needed to think and give orders, while others took care of the rest. After his stern display a few days ago, the demons in the court now showed him great respect. Even the Chief Justice, Ye Wang, didn't bother to show up in person, relying on Kirishino to convey any matters. It seemed as though the "intern" part of Wen Ying's title as an intern chief justice had been effectively erased.

Recently, Wen Ying no longer needed to go out for meals; the demonic servant downstairs would attentively deliver them. At first, he found it uncomfortable, but he gradually succumbed to the indulgence and began to enjoy his demonic life of leisure.

After a few days of indulgence, Wen Ying received a call from the Devil King.

"Devil King, the cards still haven't been printed..."

"This time, I'm not asking about the card project," the Devil King interrupted Wen Ying. "I've recently finished a novel that portrays the authentic life of demons in the Realm of Devils. I've also included the Extremist Party's affairs, to give humans an understanding of the good and evil among demons. Your mission this time is to ensure that as many humans as possible read this novel."

Wen Ying: "...."

"Is there something?"

Wen Ying: "No, Devil King."

Nowadays, even on casual online novel platforms, one needs to bind their ID to post. If he were to use a fake ID to publish the story, it might not attract readers if it was poorly written. If it gained popularity, with more people reading, someone would surely find the content odd and report it to the Disaster Department.

Wen Ying pondered this while responding to the Devil King.

He decided it would be better to print it as a physical book and disguise it as a delivery to avoid such issues.

Lately, Wen Ying felt more like an editor at a publishing house than a High Judge. Ever since he arrived, the Court of Judgment had been devoid of significant events. The extremist faction had been quiet, and there were no major issues involving exorcists. It was an unusually peaceful time.

The Court's Enforcement Squad and Audit Department shared the responsibility for maintaining order. The Enforcement Squad was currently idle on field missions, while the Audit Department was primarily occupied with investigating the personnel situation within the Disaster Countermeasures Department and monitoring changes within the exorcist community. In essence, it functioned as an intelligence agency.

Thanks to the Audit Department's information, Wen Ying had a clear understanding of the current state of the exorcists. With the Disaster Countermeasures Department and the Magic Academy in their infancy, their management was still disorganized, making it an ideal time to gather intelligence.

Although the Magic Academy hadn't yet started its official term, it would commence in February after the New Year, following the standard academic calendar with winter and summer breaks.

In the meantime, magic hobby classes were already in session, attracting many participants. Most of them learned simple spells like igniting small flames, but few could accomplish anything substantial.

After finishing his call, Wen Ying summoned Kirishino and instructed him to dispatch demons to locate book printing companies.

"How is the progress on the card printing?"

Kirishino replied, "It's almost done. We've been pushing them, so we should receive the finished products within a week."

The cards didn't involve any intricate processes; just a simple laser engraving without the need for separate layers.

A week later, the demonic subordinates carried boxes of demon cards down to the basement storage room. Wen Ying went to inspect them, checking a few samples to ensure they were satisfactory. He then instructed the demons to distribute the cards among themselves. Some demons dressed up in mascot costumes to hand out the cards to passersby, while others delivered them to relevant offline stores in different locations.

Several dozen boxes of cards seemed like a lot, but when distributed across the various cities in Huaguo, they were barely noticeable, let alone enough to catch the attention of exorcists.

Confused, the demons at the local Judgment Bureaus received the order and couldn't comprehend why they were to distribute demonic cards to humans. Wen Ying kept the reason hidden, fearing that if it got into the wrong exorcist ears, his mission would be ruined.

Within the Human Realm's Judgment Bureau, only the Chief Justice Ye Wang and Deputy Justice Kirishino were demons from the Demon Realm; the rest were native demons. Many of them were so weak that Wen Ying found it hard to look at them directly.

After waiting for some time, the books were printed, and Wen Ying instructed the demons to disguise themselves as delivery couriers, sending the cards to homeowners who he believed might be interested.

Choosing a cautious and covert approach, by the time the exorcists took notice, the demonic cards and novels had already spread throughout the country.

Many people even assumed that the demonic cards were spin-offs from a popular demon-themed mobile game and asked the official game studio when they planned on releasing the new illustrations featured on the cards. The studio was baffled and reported the matter upwards, drawing the attention of relevant individuals to these cards.

Exorcists familiar with the demon species of the Demon Realm quickly realized that the cards depicted genuine races, not fan-made creations. They immediately took it seriously, and the Disaster Countermeasures Department promptly issued an announcement to explain the situation, requesting those in possession of the demonic cards and novels to surrender them for destruction at their local Disaster Countermeasures Bureau.

Ordinary people were unaware, but those knowledgeable within the exorcist community sensed that there was more to this than met the eye.

The demons portrayed on these cards were not ordinary demons; each represented a renowned demon race from the Demon Realm – the Three-headed Hellhound, the Extreme Evil Bird, the Nine-Tailed Fox, the Extreme Evil Bird, and the Succubus... These cards instilled fear in them as the terrifying aura of these powerful demons permeated through the illustrations.

At the Calamity Response Headquarters, a special meeting was in session.

"Could it be just a provocation from those young devils? Look, these devils seem quite young. According to records, they haven't reached full adulthood yet."

"The fallen angel on this card is definitely an adult; the sense of intimidation is horrifying."