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"So what? You're not willing?"
"There are so many human slaves in this palace—I don't need you in particular to do this."
"Besides, this is a good job. If you don't want it, fine. But don't stand there looking all grumpy like someone owes you!"
Shendu snapped coldly, glaring at the six humans in front of him who were clearly unhappy.
In this ancient era ruled by demons, human lives were worth less than dirt.
Demons could slaughter slaves however they liked and never faced punishment.
But there was a catch: if too many slaves were killed, there wouldn't be anyone left to use. So the high-ranking demons had to pass laws to limit the killing—much like humans would do in later times.
If a demon killed too many slaves, they'd risk getting hunted down by enforcers sent by the demon overlords.
After Shendu's sharp rebuke, the six humans quickly came to their senses and hurriedly replied, "We're willing to serve you, my lord!"
Satisfied, Shendu let go of his irritation. He glanced at the woman who had spoken earlier and asked, "What's your name?"
"Kneeling before you, I am Xue'er," the woman answered in a trembling voice, her head lowered.
Shendu didn't respond—he simply tossed a magical tracking charm toward her.
"Take it," he said casually.
Xue'er looked up. The charm glowed with a fierce red light, and just one glance at it made her recoil in terror. She staggered back, overwhelmed with fear.
In that moment, she couldn't help but remember the day a demon invaded her home—those cruel eyes were etched into her memory. A tear rolled down her cheek.
"Pick it up! You hear me? It's just a magical tool—what are you afraid of?!"
Shendu's voice rang in her ears like thunder. Shaking all over, Xue'er forced herself to push past her fear. She looked straight into the six dragon heads carved into the charm, then gritted her teeth and grabbed the handle.
Nothing happened.
Realizing she was still alive, she finally let out a breath of relief.
But in the very next moment, flames burst from her body, engulfing her like she was about to be reduced to ashes.
"Ahhh!"
"It burns!"
Xue'er screamed and writhed on the palace floor as the fire raged on, unrelenting. The pain was unbearable.
The other five slaves could only watch, silently thanking their luck that it wasn't them.
Shendu narrowed his eyes. As the owner of this magical item, he knew exactly what it was capable of—yet this reaction surprised even him.
But only for a moment.
He quickly understood what had happened.
This tool was different from the one the Dark Lord used in the original story. This one had Shendu's own Flame Authority engraved into it. Anyone who held it without a proper bond would be scorched by endless soul-burning fire.
Even another demon lord of equal rank wouldn't be able to withstand the power of someone else's Authority.
With this tool, there was only one other option: destroy it.
"Am I going to die…?"
Xue'er's entire body was ablaze. The fire showed no signs of stopping. Seeing this, Shendu activated his demonic power and disabled the charm's attack function.
The flames vanished.
Xue'er lay motionless on the floor, barely alive—like she might draw her last breath any second.
Oddly enough, her slave clothes weren't burned at all.
Because this fire wasn't physical—it burned the soul. It didn't harm material things.
"…Troublesome."
Shendu muttered and shook his head. With a flick of his dragon claw, he sent a ghostly dragon-shaped imprint straight into Xue'er's forehead.
In an instant, the dying woman sprang back to life.
She opened her eyes, stood up, and glanced down at the magical tool in her hand. Panic surged through her, and she instinctively threw it far away.
But then she remembered—Shendu was still right there.
Swallowing her fear, she quickly ran over and picked it up again, half-expecting the flames to return.
"…Huh? I'm okay?"
She mumbled in disbelief.
"Of course you're okay," Shendu said flatly. "You've got my demon brand on your forehead now."
Xue'er flinched at his words but quickly composed herself. She dropped to her knees and said respectfully, "My lord, how may I serve you?"
Shendu answered slowly, "Take that magic tool and go to every corner of Huomu City. Use the six dragon heads to scan every human you find."
"If five or all six of the dragon heads' eyes glow blood-red, bring that person back to me. I need them."
Xue'er hesitated.
Noticing her reluctance, Shendu's voice turned colder. "What? You can't do it?"
Xue'er shook her head quickly. "No, my lord! It's just… ever since we were brought into this palace, the demons never let us leave."
"If any slave tries to escape, they're declared rebels. They get caught and executed in front of the others to make an example."
She wanted to leave—of course she did. It had been three years since she was dragged into this place. She didn't know what had happened to her parents or little sister.
Shendu replied, "You've got my demon mark on your forehead now. I'm the master of all Huomu City. If I say you can leave, no one will dare stop you."
"And if any demon is too dumb to recognize the Flame Lord's mark on your head—if they try to stop you—use the tool's power to burn them alive."
"Got it?"
As he said this, his gaze turned deep and penetrating.
Even an idiot would realize now—this demon standing before them was the ruler of Huomu City.
Xue'er looked down at the magical tool in her hand, then looked up to meet Shendu's eyes.
Even knowing he was a heartless demon, she felt something stir inside her—gratitude.
She bowed deeply. "Understood, my lord."
"I'll bring back anyone who triggers five or six dragon heads. I swear it."
Her voice was barely above a whisper, but it was firm and resolute.
Shendu waved his hand. "Good. Now go. Prepare yourself, and leave the palace to carry out your task."
As she left, the other five human slaves stared at Xue'er, eyes full of envy.
They missed their own families too.
In that moment, each of them bitterly regretted not having the courage to speak up earlier.
Maybe they would've gotten a chance to leave too.
Just as Xue'er and the others were about to leave the palace hall, Shendu called out, "Xue'er. Don't disappoint me. That dragon-shaped mark on your forehead isn't for show. Don't let your mind wander—just focus on what I told you to do."
Xue'er's heart trembled. She forced a smile and turned back. "I won't let you down, my lord."
At the same time, she quietly buried any thoughts of running away.
The magical tool could help her escape Huomu City, sure—but with Shendu's brand burned into her soul, where could she even run to?
She didn't know what else Shendu was capable of, but she definitely didn't want to go through that fire again.
Then, with one final look back, she left Shendu's line of sight for good.
Shendu turned to look at the palace, still ruined from the hurricane's destruction.
With a flick of thought, streams of floating energy began reconstructing the palace, restoring it to its former glory.
Well, everything except for a shattered table—some things just couldn't be fixed.
"....."