"Massive numbers of Demonized Creatures exist both above and below ground in the Barren Land. They won’t attack us, but for humans outside this system, it’s hard to say what might happen. Never mind the dragon eagles, Beaked Dogs, giant-jawed beast packs, and Dung Eaters—even Slime Monsters and Rot Root Balls will attack humans on sight."
"You might think a Rot Root Ball is some easily dispatched little pest. In reality, when they gather in swarms and aren’t enslaved or controlled by the Demon Race, they develop a social structure akin to primitive tribes. They craft crude tools and weapons, dig traps, and even employ basic tactics. To humans, Elves, and Dwarves, they are a terrifying disaster. Because they spawn so easily and are widely distributed across any climate, their swarms spell massive trouble. The Elves even call them the ’Vanguard of Demonic Proliferation.’" Talia gently patted the Rot Root Ball next to her.
"Furthermore, this is an Insect Path belonging to the Earth-Devouring Demon Insects. Trespassers might awaken a dormant one. If any creature outside the Demon Race startles an Earth-Devouring Demon Insect in these underground Insect Paths, their chances of survival are practically zero."
Talia gazed at the distant horizon.
"However, even though it is impossible to survive long-term in these places, Demonized Creatures serve as excellent materials. They have crucial applications in Alchemy, Magic Potion Science, Magic-Driven Industry, and Magic Catalyst studies. Therefore, every race, nation, and faction sends out swarms of adventurers and mercenaries to search for these precious materials.
"To provide unified logistics and effective infrastructure, adventurers rallied under the call and leadership of powerful figures to form a loose coalition.
"The Adventurer’s Alliance builds small city-states, long-term settlements, temporary campsites, and outposts in relatively safe areas of the Barren Land. These contain complete supply and trade chains, as well as comprehensive service industries catering to adventurers. A massive number of personnel cooperating with the Alliance live there, providing adventurers with professional medical care, equipment, logistics, and loot-selling services."
"I belong to the Mixed-blood Demon Race, so the Barren Land feels like a bountiful homeland to me. While searching for ruins around here, I haven’t needed to rely on the Adventurer’s Alliance for supplies." Talia sat cross-legged on the dirt, picking up a stone to sketch a map on the barren ground. "But I vaguely recall they have a medium-sized Alliance stronghold nearby."
"What should we do next? Find a place nearby to build an Underground City right now?" Samael asked.
"No, we can’t. Other members of the Demon Race are still hunting me," Talia sighed. "Besides, there are other Demon Race Underground Cities in this region. The Demon Race is extremely territorial; if two Monarchs are too close to each other, a conflict will inevitably break out. Furthermore, my father’s Underground City was destroyed by the joint forces of the Demon Race and the Alliance, and now I am wanted by both sides. If the Dungeon Monarch of this territory discovers me, it could draw our pursuers right to us. We can’t easily trust any faction."
"You’re a wanted fugitive... yet you’re still wearing a set of Black Armor that makes you look like the main villain, Sauron, from *The Lord of the Rings*, and carrying a heavy weapon radiating an overwhelmingly oppressive aura that looks exactly like a Great Demon Monarch’s favorite toy." Samael pointed at Talia’s armor and the Hammer Spear slung across her back. "Doesn’t this make you incredibly easy to spot?"
"Because... my wanted poster looks like this." Talia pulled a massive, folded piece of parchment from the leather pouch at her waist.
"Let me see..." Samael leaned in, reaching out to help hold a corner of the crumpled parchment wanted poster.
The parchment depicted a girl in a long dress, her hair flowing down to her waist. She was cradling an unfamiliar instrument resembling a psaltery as delicately as one might hold a kitten. She wore a voluminous, puffy white princess gown, her slender fingers timidly plucking the strings. A sapphire pendant rested against her pale neck, her collar adorned with delicate lace trimmings. A light blue floral wreath sat upon her head, and her long gray hair cascaded down her shoulders like a waterfall, pooling over the sash of her white dress. She sat elegantly in a luxurious armchair, her head tilted slightly. Her clear, sky-like gray eyes—one looking directly at the viewer, the other playfully half-closed—curved into joyful crescents, overflowing with gentle warmth. With light gray bangs framing her face, she was breathtakingly beautiful.
Below the portrait, printed in bold Gothic lettering in the common tongue, were the words "Rondolan Demon Princess." Beneath that, massive blood-red numbers strikingly displayed the bounty amount:
"30,000,000 Ederic Gold Coins."
"...They drew you... so beautifully... How many zeros are even in this number..." For a moment, Samael didn’t know whether he should stare at the portrait a little longer or start counting the zeros in the bounty.
He lifted his helmet and glanced at Talia. She was clad in a slender, menacing suit of layered Black Armor, armed with an oppressive Hammer Spear. Her steely gray hair was cropped short, barely reaching her jawline, with a crisp, tiny braid tied at the back of her head. Exhausted, haggard dark circles framed her dead, steel-gray eyes, complementing a world-weary expression that practically screamed, "What the hell are you looking at? The whole world can drop dead."
"Your disguise is incredibly effective," Samael praised sincerely. "From a princess... to a warlord. I think absolutely no one will be able to recognize you."
"Ahem... Anyway, when I fled, I chopped my hair short, put on the battle armor my father forged for me, and grabbed a weapon that isn’t exactly lightweight. The Demon Race can use a ruler’s Spiritual Energy to scan for anomalies in their territory, so they might still be able to detect me. But the adventurers definitely won’t recognize me, even if they look me right in the face." Talia coughed dryly, tugging at the wanted poster to put it away.