What happy demons roam under the ceiling of the research center, I'm sure he almost shed a tear of happiness. I can understand, a high assessment from the boss helps to feel omnipotent, it even motivates to work harder than before. Nothing demotivates as much as injustice. However, a worthy reward for excellent demonstrated abilities is true happiness.
— Does this contain a dangerous sample?
After leaving the room and walking for a couple more minutes, we reached a huge door, above which was a red sign on a white background: "Do not enter." Considering that the entire lab is decorated predominantly in white tones, like in a psychiatric clinic or a creepy lab, any sign of red immediately catches the eye.
- That's right, there's an extremely dangerous specimen behind it, - I confirmed enthusiastically. - After entering, walk only along the edge. In general, repeat after me.
Usually, a group of players would rush in straight after entering. And this activates two hundred spells - ashes. If there is no full resistance to fire, then there will be trouble. Initially, of course, I wanted to use four types of attack, and not rely on one flame. But that's not fun, it's best to use fire as a symbol of purification. That's what I thought, and now we carefully go around half the hall along the edge, like some thieves.
We slowly moved towards the part of the vast room where the containers with harmless level ten chimeras were located, which is rather strange for such a dangerous place as the eighth floor. But they are not combat ones, this can be understood by their modest size of three basketballs. On the diametrically opposite side from them there was a partition, approximately at the level of a human stomach. A little more than a meter, and already behind it an area of darkness was visible. Although, if you shine a flashlight down, you can see that very "NEH" in the form of a giant kraken. Only it furrows not the seas, but the land. It floats on the ground in the literal sense.
"Master, I have a question," Demiurge said seriously as I opened the cage and firmly grabbed one of the small chimeras. "Soon there will be an opportunity to send that very trump card to Re-Estize through Pandora's Actor. I thought you might be interested. But now it is difficult to calculate the moment when you will be free."
— That same trump card?
- Yes, from my observations, you like to collect interesting things.
If you can imagine a loading screen consisting of white dots moving in a circle, like in some game during the loading of a location... Okay, I have now started loading and processing new data. What does he plan to send to the kingdom, where I have a lot of things to do? Well, I still have months to figure out the financial system there, study the writing and customs of the new world, and also control various spheres of society... Not much time to even pop into my private quarters, taking Albedo or Shalltear with me. Or both girls at once. It depends on luck. But... It takes time!
- In three months.
- Okay, then about our agents in the enemy army...
— I was just about to raise this issue, — he was looking for the right moment. — It would be desirable to place the enemy armies as close to each other as possible, so that there would be no need to bother with unnecessary actions — no one washes clothes in parts, but throws as much as will fit into the washing machine. — Also, all of our valuable assets, including important agents and even ordinary shapeshifters — all of them should be absent from their ranks before they clash with me. If this is difficult to implement, then supply all of our allies with teleportation scrolls — fortunately, the process of creating scrolls from human skin is well-established to the point of automatism. — Remember. After the negotiations with their leader are over, none of our units should be on the battlefield for one minute.
"Your mercy to the troops of Nazarick is worthy of the boldest praise. But, Lord of Dawn, every creation of a supreme being considers it their duty to die for their master."
"That's why everyone is valuable," my calm explanations made the demon's eyebrows rise sharply, and then fall just as quickly.
"I understand, you can only trust your own, but not all of your own are renewable. Thank you for pointing out this truth," the demon bowed elegantly, and the trembling in his hands, with which he held the box, subsided slightly.
- Excellent, - closing the cage with my only free hand, I headed towards the partition. The space with darkness is in the shape of a rectangle, and the area occupied is forty meters, which is not small. But even so, the chimera below is very cramped.
Throw.
I threw the small chimera that started squeaking straight, but before it could reach the edge of the wall and fall into the darkness, the giant tentacle caught the food in an instant. Yeah, it's been a while since anyone fed this monster, it's good that dangerous chimeras can go for years without food, continuing their hungry existence.
— Sparagmos, — a concentrated beam of light cut off twenty centimeters from the kraken's tentacle. — Touch of the Moon, — another artifact worked, and hundreds of black tentacles shot out of the back of my hand like a bullet. Like nimble hawks, they surrounded their prey, skirted the oncoming attack of the kraken's tentacles, and, having slipped away, helped me pull the severed part of the tentacle closer.
It turns out that I provide food, and the animal provides tribute.
Everything is fair.
- Bravo, Lord, - the demon applauded me, admiring my merciless actions towards the small chimera. I'm rotting at myself morally, so to speak. - An excellent combination of two artifacts.
"An attack with two artifacts is not something to be praised for," jumping back sharply to where Demiurge was, I managed to avoid the attempt to drag me down the "rabbit hole", doing the creature a favor with an extra snack. In the stomach of a monster, no resurrection ring will help. Ring... because of work, I completely forgot to ask about one of the optional missions.
Turning to Demiurge, I saw his thoughtful gaze. It felt like he was considering how to dissect my sample, who dared to bite the hand of his creator. It seems like the demon's brain should understand that brainless creatures are good in their own way, but his devotion dulls the mind no worse... Than Albedo's is now.
The girl seriously intended to sleep with her idol, but "fan" does not imply the fact of exalting the object of adoration to the level of a god. Maybe this is the effect of the succubus race? Like the suppression of uncontrollable emotions in the undead.
"Everything is fine," he drew his attention to himself. "Remind me how the research on the ring discovered along with Gazef Stronoff is going."
- Oh, you mean this, - the demon showed a silver ring with an emerald. The day before the guards' meeting at the round table, we agreed that he would study it carefully. - A complete failure, an unknown magic of this world was used to create it. Therefore, neither the Hands of Umbra nor the Lords of the Great Library of Ashurbanipal could find a way to repeat the production technology or extract the enchantment.
"That's very annoying, what about the safety of use?" I asked, while I had to take an iron box from my inventory to put the piece of my "NEH" tentacle in it.
"The potential depends on the original power of the creature. After we confirmed the safety of use, Cocytus additionally put it on just in case. His power jumped up, and the level of ignoring magic increased by five points." Surprisingly, Demiurge knows how to report well on the matter, if it does not concern politics or intrigue. Maybe he thinks that the walls have ears?
- Amazing, if I understood everything correctly, we need to find and capture the former owner of the ring, who wore it before Gazef. The priority of the task is not the highest, and we will start after...
— A pact of mutually beneficial cooperation in front of the whole world, I understand, — the demon smiled broadly, showing a bestial grin aimed at the method of carrying out our mission. Oh, now you can't envy the Holy Kingdom, since the demon decided to build there... a Ziggurat? What, the Demon King needs a dark citadel, where he will plot against the whole world. Waiting for the hero to appear, and then, the smart demon can always retreat to a safe place that no one knows about. Not an escape, just a strategic retreat. — About the ring, — he looked at the object with slight hostility, as if the ring served as a reminder of the failure of the task. — I think you should put it on. Your power is already limitless, but I am sure that all of us, your subjects, will be calmer.
"Item exchange?" I offered politely, exchanging a locked box with a kraken tentacle for a reinforcing ring. "By the way, just out of interest, what motto are you planning to give your troops?" "They are demons, after all."
— I would exalt your name, but...
- A covert operation and a covert cover, just like in spy thrillers. - If you want, you can use something little-known, but extremely catchy. So that people have the right association.
- For example…
— Hydra Dominatus, — a humorous sentence. I remember very well a local waha joke about a mixture of grand pianos in the bushes, absurdity and illogicality — leading to complete anarchy of chaos. It was this phrase that became the personification of the hellish mixture, popularly called "fierce game" from the universe 40000.
- What a great idea! - It was a joke, wasn't it?
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