Chapter 215: Boiling

Chapter 215: Boiling

Wen Ying was transporting magic cards through Mu City's portal with great fervor, stirring the ambitions of some onlookers.

This portal could transport goods from the Demon Realm to the Human World, revealing vast resources and opportunities for development. Although the concentration of demonic aura in the Human World had increased, it still paled in comparison to the Demon Realm.

Fruits and meats rich in magic power that were fiercely contested in the Human World were abundant in the Demon Realm.

Many exorcists wrote suggestion letters to the Disaster Countermeasures Department, which promptly called a meeting to decide on a commercial collaboration with the Demon Realm, importing food from there.

Subsequently, a series of personnel arrangements followed, with much deliberation over who would be responsible for this matter. Everyone wanted the largest share of the pie.

Yan Liwen, the Minister of the Disaster Countermeasures Department, watched the well-dressed crowd at the table jostling for position, his temples throbbing in annoyance.

Although the leaders trusted his abilities and appointed him to this position, as an ordinary person who had only started cultivation a few months ago and possessed weak strength, he found it challenging to intimidate the group of inherited family exorcists.

While they addressed him as Minister on the surface, they held no respect or faith in the title. He was merely a puppet, a superficial one. When faced with issues, they preferred to seek out the Deputy Minister, who had a solid foundation of strength.

Fortunately, this Deputy Minister was from the Association and was not overly ambitious or discriminatory towards ordinary people.

While the subtle policy of division had emerged, the conflict within the Disaster Department was still intense, particularly between veteran exorcists and newcomers. This tension was even more pronounced when it came to ordinary people.

It was manageable when interests were relatively insignificant, but now, with vast stakes and long-term development at play, the heads of each influential family were locked in fierce competition. The pressure they exerted was so great that Yan Liwen heard a faint "crack" from the walls; he turned to see fissures forming.

His mental state was fracturing too.

He couldn't hold it together—truly, he couldn't. Yan Liwen sought help with a pleading look at Deputy Minister Lou Wangmiao, who was also the Vice President of the Exorcist Association, a figure whose strength seemed boundless to him.

Lou Wangmiao appeared ethereal, with his long white beard and bushy white eyebrows. His face always held a gentle smile. Amidst the release of pressure and rivalry, he sat calmly in his seat, his presence almost negligible, as if detached from the world's strife.

"Master Lou, what is your opinion on this matter?" Yan Liwen inquired, and the various voices in the conference room fell silent, as if the very air had grown still.

Lou Wangmiao stroked his voluminous white beard, speaking thoughtfully, "Your disputes here won't amount to anything. The main party hasn't spoken yet. Shouldn't you first seek out the Demon Realm's Judiciary Board and ask for their consent?"

"The... You're right," the Mu Family Patriarch acknowledged, his sharp demeanor softening, his gaze sweeping over those around the conference table. "Let's not argue here any longer. Each of us should vie for the position at the Demon Realm's Judiciary Board with our own capabilities."

Yan Liwen's just-relieved heart immediately tensed up again. He feared that these people would provoke the demons within the Judiciary Board, a situation far more severe than a diplomatic incident between two nations.

Just as Yan Liwen was about to suggest that they not all go individually, Lou Wangmiao spoke up, "First, have Minister Yan inquire if the demons allow it. Only if they agree should you proceed to compete for the project leadership."

Lou Wangmiao chuckled and lifted the teacup from the table to take a sip.

In front of everyone, Yan Liwen dialed the official number of the Judgment Bureau.

Wen Ying answered the call again.

Seeing an unknown number, Wen Ying was taken aback for a moment before recognizing it as the number from the Calamity Department that had called once before.

"Wen Ying, why didn't you answer the phone?" Wen Qinxue asked casually, poking her head in from the doorway upon hearing the voice.

"It's an unfamiliar number, probably a spam call."

Wen Ying hung up.

The people waiting for results in the conference room were startled. Yan Liwen hesitated, "Maybe they're busy with something?"

"Could it be that they already know our purpose and didn't answer as a polite refusal?" one of the clan leaders speculated.

Lai You let out a mocking laugh and said leisurely, "I don't think demons would beat around the bush like that. If they want to refuse, they'd do it straightforwardly, unlike some who pretend to be friendly on the surface but scheme against you behind your back."

The Demon King sneezed, and Wen Ying also sneezed, followed by many other demons.

Wen Ying rubbed his nose. Could it be that someone who bought a blind card pack didn't get the card they wanted and was cursing him?

Lately, he had been sneezing quite often, but Wen Ying didn't pay much attention to it. He continued playing games on his phone.

The person targeted by Lai You's sarcastic remarks shot them a cold glance.

"I'll try another number," Yan Liwen dialed another number.

This number was equivalent to the official hotline of the Bureau of Judgment, which was transferred by subordinates.

When this one connected, the duty enforcement officer on the other end answered with a nonchalant tone, "Immigrating to the Realm of Devils is not up for discussion at the moment, nor is a salary increase in the short term. The exchange of Devilish currency will be unified at the end of the month, as well as the payment for parcel delivery services. Issues with colleagues should be addressed to your direct supervisor, and requests for transfers or promotions should also be directed to them. Complaints can be made to the Inspection Office, compliments can go straight to this Demon's fan club. Is there anything else?"

Even Yan Liwen, who had seen it all, was momentarily baffled by the barrage of pre-emptive responses. He had put the call on speaker, so everyone in the conference room heard it, and their expressions turned odd.

Someone said, "...It seems the social situation in the demon world is similar to ours."

Yan Liwen cleared his throat. "I am Yan Liwen, the Minister of the Disaster Countermeasures Department headquarters. I would like to discuss something with your bureau."

The demon on the other end of the phone paused, replacing its emotionless, robotic tone with a serious inquiry, "What's the matter?"

"It's like this..."

Yan Liwen recounted the general idea of their plan to import magical fruits and meats from the demonic realm through the portal.

On the other end of the line, the on-duty operator, Senior Enforcement Officer Yu Yao, replied with composure, "I understand. I will relay the message to the Presiding Judge, and upon receiving his response, I shall give you a call."

Yan Liwen: "Gratitude."

"I wonder about the efficiency of the demons," someone remarked suddenly. "If they…."

Yan Liwen's phone rang abruptly. The person who had been worried about the demons' speed choked on their words. Surely it couldn't be the demons calling already, could it? No matter how fast they were, they couldn't have responded that instantaneously while he was still in the middle of his sentence.

Before answering, Yan Liwen informed the others, "It's them."

Everyone in the conference room was astounded.

"That was incredibly quick…"

"Are they that efficient?"

Yu Yao commented. "The Chief Justice thinks it's likely possible. Please send us your detailed proposal so we can further process it."

Yan Liwen couldn't help but remark, "Your efficiency is impressive."

Yu Yao's voice remained cold and composed. "This is standard procedure. Please send the documents as soon as possible." With that, Yu Yao hung up and resumed watching their show.

The head of the Mu family tapped on the table with a low, authoritative voice. "Who will handle the documents?"

"It's like a bidding process now, right?"

After sending a human to gather more specific written requirements, Ye Wang called Wen Ying.

Wen Ying now understood the purpose of the previous call. He pondered for a moment. The entrance in Mu City corresponded to the territory of the Demon Realm's butterfly merfolk. There might not be much there, but there were plenty of fish.

In the Academy of Exorcists, Wen Ying's mirror clone went to find Phelios.

Phelios hadn't seen Wen Ying for a while. When Wen Ying suddenly approached him, his past experiences made him instinctively wary.

"What do you want from me?"

"Don't be so tense," Wen Ying's smile was radiant. "I'm here to ask if your family sells anything."

After some conversation, Phileas gradually relaxed. He didn't resist the idea, for the Devil King had tasked them with increasing their popularity among humans while also providing goods – this aligned with their mission and could earn them money.

More importantly, they could begin infiltrating the human market, and it was the humans themselves who had proposed it.

Wen Ying's thoughts were similar to Phileas'.

"I'll discuss it with my parents." Phileas turned and went inside to make a call, instinctively keeping an eye on Wen Ying and lowering his voice.

Wen Ying waited at the door. After about ten minutes, Phileas emerged and said, "They agreed, but for now, they're only willing to sell ordinary Rockspine Fish."

This fish was covered in spines and was mostly used for soup, with a delicious taste but mediocre nutritional value.

In the Demon Realm, the judgment of nutritional value was based solely on the magical power contained within the ingredient.

Wen Ying replied, "That's enough."

It felt pleasantly satisfying as the Cataclysm Department took the initiative to request for demonic ingredients, causing the progress bar of the task assigned by the Devil King to move forward on its own, sparing him the trouble.

There's something to report these few days.

Mu City Gateway sent over a few Loach Fish as samples, and the state immediately subjected them to testing. The results concluded that they were harmless to humans; not only harmless, but consuming them a few times could even lead to improved physical health. This was not mere promotional hype like health supplements, but based on genuine data.

The data was originally supposed to be kept confidential until the transaction was officially confirmed before being released. However, a group of people were vying for the position of the main person in charge, and in the end, it was stolen by a spy and made public.

There are also many exorcists abroad, with the Church's headquarters located there.

The reactions of the major stakeholders aside, the general public was in an uproar. The demonic fish that could strengthen one's physique with just a few meals were akin to the immortal pills in cultivation novels!

Foreign governments issued statements protesting against Flower Country's monopoly on demonic resources, claiming they could offer better prices and services while exposing the deception towards demons.

Wen Ying was exasperated. Before he could finish a single phone call, his mobile would beep with another incoming call. He had to stay in the mall restroom for quite some time just to answer them.

After being harassed for several days, Wen Ying began to regret giving his phone number to the Calamity Department. He should have provided Ye Wang's number instead, not for the sake of selling magic cards.

Wen Ying felt as if he was reaping what he had sown for secretly selling Lai Yehua's cards.

More absurdly, there were foreigners who genuinely believed that people from the Huaguo nation were tarnishing their image in front of demons. They went to great lengths to send spies and infiltrators to search for these demons.

They didn't know where the Judgment Bureau's headquarters were, but they knew the shipping address for the magic cards. Several individuals took turns to approach the demons responsible for delivery, attempting to win them over. The demons, however, were utterly perplexed.

When this proved ineffective, foreign forces operating covertly within Huaguo mobilized their resources, planting an infiltrator into the Exorcist Academy to stand before the First Prince of the Demon Realm, Lan Jiaying, spouting nonsense.

Lan Jiaying: "?" What on earth.

Wen Ying's mirror image happened to pass by and promptly reported the spy, earning a reward of half a million.

Despite capturing quite a number of them, the spies kept coming, so much so that the agency in charge of apprehending them was astonished, with their records shattered.

After a few were caught at the academy, things quieted down. However, Wen Ying noticed that someone had sent a private message to the official Weibo account of the Judgment Bureau that he managed. Either it was another spy or an infiltrator. His lips twitched as he reported them all, amassing multiple rewards of half a million.

He used this account to post a screenshot with a caption: "So many walking half a millions."