The next morning—
Knock knock knock.
Rapid knocking pulled Valerius out of sleep.
He opened his eyes—
And immediately saw a pair of red eyes staring down at him.
"…Big sister, could you give me some privacy?"
He was speechless.
Who just walks straight into someone else's bedroom like this?
Jingliu frowned slightly, thought for a moment, then nodded.
"…I'll pay attention next time."
After years of being consumed by mara, most of her social instincts had dulled. Reintegrating into normal interaction still felt unnatural to her.
"What do you want?"
"You said today you'd take everyone to visit the Demon World."
"Oh. Right."
He had promised.
Valerius got up, washed up, dressed properly, and opened the livestream.
[Silver Wolf: Is he always this lazy? Still not up yet?]
[Keqing: I've been waiting to see what the Demon World looks like.]
[Ningguang: Zhu Yuan's been there. Ask her.]
[Zhu Yuan: It's… unique.]
[Huohuo: A-Are there scary things?]
Huohuo was visibly concerned. "Demon World" did not sound comforting.
[Zhu Yuan: …There are some unusual creatures, yes.]
[Huohuo: I—I have something to do, can I not go?]
[Xueyi: Do not retreat. Stay behind me.]
Coming from the Ten-Lords Commission, Xueyi was hardly frightened by atmosphere anymore. If anything, she was curious.
[Valerius: Why are you all so impatient? And Keqing, don't you have work?]
[Keqing: I worked overtime yesterday. Everything's done.]
[Fu Xuan: Keqing, interested in joining the Divination Commission?]
Fu Xuan admired this level of overachievement.
[March 7th: I brought my best camera!]
[Trailblazer: New adventure unlocked!]
"Alright," Valerius said. "Access granted. Anyone who wants to come can."
He opened the portal permissions—
Then stepped through first.
Demon World – Main Hall
A grand and solemn hall greeted him.
White stone pillars rose high on both sides.
A long red carpet stretched toward a distant throne.
It looked less like hell—
And more like a palace.
Flash flash flash.
Players materialized one after another.
"…This is Demon World?"
"It's not gloomy at all."
"It looks like a royal hall."
Expectations thoroughly subverted.
Pitter patter.
Three small blue penguins waddled forward.
Blue skin, white bellies, tiny brown satchels.
Shockingly cute.
Very hard to associate with "grave sinners."
They bowed deeply.
"Demon King-sama has arrived, dood!"
"Welcome, Demon King-sama, dood!"
Valerius nodded approvingly.
"You've maintained the hall well."
Spotless.
Very good.
He raised a hand grandly.
"I've decided. Salary increase."
"From now on, every six months, you may eat an additional one-fifth of a sardine."
Silence.
Then—
The players nearly coughed blood.
This is a raise?!
This is industrial-level exploitation!
But the Prinnies' eyes sparkled.
"One-fifth of a sardine?!"
"You are too generous, dood!"
"It is our fortune to serve you, dood!"
"In our next life, we'll still follow you, dood!"
The chat lost it.
Five. Percent. Of. A. Sardine.
And they were crying with gratitude.
Valerius, pleased with their attitude, continued:
"And after every 100 years of work, you may rest for four hours."
The Prinnies practically ascended.
"You are divine, dood!"
"I feel enlightened, dood!"
They waddled away in celebration.
Best day of their afterlife.
The players stared at Valerius like he truly was a demon.
"…What?"
"No, nothing."
They had never seen exploitation this refined.
"Feel free to explore," Valerius said. "Ask the Prinnies if you need help."
He had zero intention of being a tour guide.
Instead, he took Bronya along.
As they walked—
"Isn't that a bit harsh?" Bronya asked gently.
Even machines deserved better treatment.
"I'm helping them repay their sins faster," Valerius said solemnly.
"Besides, I don't have enough Prinnies yet."
Which reminded him—
If Demon World was going to function properly—
He needed infrastructure.
Labor.
Specifically—
A Prinny Factory.
And that meant…
The Dark Assembly.
Dark Assembly Hall
They entered a circular chamber lined with tiered seating.
Only one Prinny stood at attention.
"Summon the members. I'm convening the Dark Assembly."
"Yes, dood!"
Soon—
Strange, grotesque monsters began filing in.
Each one sat in its designated seat.
Floating above each head—
A glowing "LV" indicator.
Bronya stared.
"…Why do they have levels?"
Valerius explained briefly.
"In Demon World, everything has a level."
"And I need their approval to establish a Prinny Factory."
Bronya blinked.
"You're the Demon King… and you still need a council vote?"
"If they reject the proposal, I just beat them up until they approve."
Bronya paused.
"…I see."
Democracy.
But violent.
Very Demon World.
As the final members settled in—
Valerius stepped forward.
Time to propose:
Prinny Factory Establishment.
Demon World operations were about to scale up.
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