CHAPTER 157: CHAPTER 157: THE IDENTITY OF THE NIGHTMARE DEMON (REQUEST FOR FULL SUBSCRIPTION)

Lu Luo stepped out of the room and realized he seemed to have blundered into a den of Exotic Species.

Ghosts of the Specter Species were scrambling everywhere, trying hard to hang decorations from the castle’s ceiling.

A troop of animal species of varied shapes, dressed in cartoon soldier uniforms identical to Lu Luo’s and wielding human weapons, were patrolling.

They included hippos, leopards, wolves, and even giraffes.

Although most retained some of their original animal forms, the sharp teeth the hippo bared didn’t seem fake at all.

The limbs of these animal species, many being hooves, couldn’t possibly grasp the swords and blades commonly used by humans.

Yet even so, they clutched the swords tightly to their chests, seemingly terrified that these items might fall.

An abomination with multiple heads and arms, looking disgustingly deformed, was holding brooms, mops, and dustpans, cleaning the area.

Clearly, it was not adept at using these human tools, but it desperately wanted to clean up the mess made by the other filthy Exotic Species.

In the end, the abomination simply stuck out its tongue and began to clean the ground by licking it, using this most primitive method.

These Exotic Species gave Lu Luo the impression that they were working very hard, and also that they were terrified.

Lu Luo had a rough idea why they were working so hard, and he also had a rough idea why they were so afraid.

Most of these Exotic Species are Tier One to Tier Three.

"Third Tier isn’t low at all, and yet they’re doing menial labor here," Lu Luo muttered to himself. "The world of the Exotic Species is brutally realistic. Their hierarchy is much clearer than that of humans."

The passing hippo glanced at Lu Luo, seemingly surprised that Lu Luo managed to wear his uniform so neatly.

Stopping in its tracks, the hippo, sweating profusely as if seeking help, opened its mouth full of knife-like teeth and spoke to Lu Luo.

"Could you... help me... fasten... a button?"

Third Tier animal species, Sawtooth Javelin. Though it looks like a hippo, it is a bona fide animal species—the carnivorous kind.

Lu Luo’s pupils contracted slightly. These words shocked him, and the Observer also provided a hint.

Although it’s not speaking a human language, I feel like you can understand what it’s saying?

Indeed, he could understand the Exotic Species language spoken by the hippo without any barrier. Before, he needed the Observer to translate, but now he could understand directly, and it seemed he could even speak it. Was it because the Observer had upgraded?

"Please... I beg you."

The hippo was frantic. Lu Luo recovered from his momentary bewilderment.

"Oh, alright, I’ll help you."

Just as he was about to help the hippo with the button that remained unfastened.

Due to the ill-fitting uniform, nervousness, and fidgeting, the button above the first one on the hippo’s outfit also burst open.

POP! POP! POP!

Three buttons burst open in succession.

The hippo looked at Lu Luo in horror, its eyes filled with despair.

"Save me."

Purple Netherflame suddenly erupted from its body, stripping away its life force. The hippo’s body quickly withered.

Muscles, blood—everything was consumed by the Netherflame. In the end, only a pile of ashes remained.

The other Exotic Species in the castle turned a blind eye. The patrolling animal species continued their rounds, eyes fixed straight ahead, paying no mind—and daring not to pay mind—to the death of their companion.

The Specter Species seemed even more diligent than before.

The abomination that had been cleaning rushed over, frantically licking and sweeping, trying to clean up the hippo’s remains.

The Red Carpet Fortress once again resumed its tranquil and pleasant appearance.

"How peaceful, how lovely!" Lu Luo remarked sarcastically.

He felt somewhat conflicted. The creature that died before him was just an Exotic Species; he had no reason to grieve for it.

But this strange place wasn’t as peaceful and lovely as it appeared.

Everything here was controlled by the master of the Netherflame, and that master was the Nightmare Demon.

Host, don’t space out. Get moving. Have you forgotten that the master of this place is a very patient individual?

"Yes, the master of this place is a very patient individual," Lu Luo echoed, quickening his pace. He soon arrived at the room at the end of the corridor.

Upon opening the door, Lu Luo saw the black horse lying by the wall. All the walls of the room had been torn down.

Outside was the vast world.

"Lu Luo, you’ve arrived!"

The Nightmare Demon’s voice sounded somewhat pleased, but Lu Luo didn’t know if it was pleased simply because of his arrival or because he had arrived rather quickly.

"Yes, I’m here."

Lu Luo didn’t rush to ask about the whereabouts of Qi Xinzhu and Gu Fangyi.

He knew that the Nightmare Demon had been looking specifically for him from the start, which seemed somewhat ridiculous. He had hidden across a large administrative region and put two smaller regions between them, yet he still got conscripted. He couldn’t help but sigh; this Eighth Order Exotic Species truly had too much free time.

"How do you like my place? This isn’t a dream anymore, oh no. This is the real world."

The Nightmare Demon turned its head, an expression on its face that clearly anticipated praise from Lu Luo.

"Well, it’s nice! Very much in the human style."

A castle governed by power isn’t too bad, is it? At least it appears to function without any issues.

"Even though I know you’re just being polite, I’m still glad. They only know how to say things are ’pretty’ or ’beautiful.’ But they don’t say things like ’it has a human style.’ You really are different, Lu Luo!"

Hearing the Nightmare Demon say this, Lu Luo actually felt a bit odd, wondering why it cared so much for the human style. What meaning did a human style have for an Eighth Order Exotic Species? It seemed to have no meaning at all!

"Well, I’m just average. I rarely praise others, so I’m not very good at it."

Heh, so all that syrupy flattery in the past wasn’t from you, huh?

"Hahaha, seems like I did a pretty good job then. No worries. As long as you approve, I’m reassured. It’s all the fault of these creatures outside; they are too stupid, utterly unable to utilize human tools properly. So I had to impose a little discipline, mete out some punishment to spur them on."

That’s what you call ’a little discipline’? ’Some punishment’ is burning a being’s soul and body together? If that’s the case, then all I can say is... wow!

"Um, if you kill them off so casually, won’t you run short of Exotic Species?"

"What are you talking about, Lu Luo? How could we ever run out of Exotic Species? You don’t even know this? It seems that living in the human world for too long has blinded you."

’Living too long in the human world and being blinded by humanity?’ What you’re saying implies you don’t consider me human, right?

I feel like it’s saying something insulting, but at the same time, it feels correct!

"Um, could you explain this to me?"

Lu Luo wasn’t ashamed to ask. He felt that acting a bit foolish in front of the Nightmare Demon wouldn’t be a bad thing at all.

"Sure. Now we are like teacher and student. The mutations of Exotic Species mainly stem from the concentration of Dark Energy. The higher the concentration of Dark Energy, the more Exotic Species there will be, and the stronger their mutations will become. Dark Energy originates from the cosmic void, constantly radiating the earth. It is an inexhaustible energy. As Dark Energy increases, Exotic Species will only grow more numerous and more powerful; they will never diminish."

Lu Luo was somewhat shocked internally because what the Nightmare Demon said about Dark Energy coming from the universe completely contradicted the Church’s Dark Energy Unification Theory. The Dark Energy Unification Theory posited that after the Dark Energy invasion age, the total amount of Dark Energy was fixed, or relatively fixed. It was in a fluctuating yet relatively stable state; if humans had more Dark Energy, the Exotic Species would have less. Precisely because humans became more powerful, no new Eighth Order Exotic Species had attacked humans in the 100 years since the death of the Rog Giant, nor had there been another Black Tide War. This was a passage repeated in all the Church’s sacred canons, and Lu Luo was sure he hadn’t remembered it wrong; he didn’t even need the Observer to prompt him. Moreover, this Dark Energy Unification Theory had been prevalent within the Wall for nearly 150 years.

Although he really wanted to debate with the Nightmare Demon using the Church’s Dark Energy Unification Theory, Lu Luo was, at heart, humble and eager to learn. If you say so, then so be it. I won’t argue.

"Is there anything else? I’m really not too familiar with this kind of knowledge."

"I know about their human religions; there is one called the Dark Energy Unification Theory. Although it’s quite amusing, some points in it are correct. Namely, that deceased Exotic Species release all their Dark Energy. This makes it easier to understand why the number of Exotic Species keeps increasing. Dark Energy is constantly growing, and when Exotic Species die, they return to Dark Energy. So, there will never be a shortage of Exotic Species. A single leaf can become a plant species. A rat can become an animal species. A stone can become a deformed species. Even a breath can turn into a Specter Species. There are too many Exotic Species, so in their world, being weak is an original sin. Their purpose for existing is to serve as food and slaves for the stronger Exotic Species. Being able to live in my fortress is an honor for these Exotic Species; after all, I have sheltered them. Outside the castle, they can’t even decide their own fate, but here, I get to decide their life and death."

Lu Luo wanted to argue against the Nightmare Demon’s rhetoric, but after thinking it over, it seemed there was nothing incorrect. It turns out that the downtrodden are exploited everywhere; even Exotic Species have their version of a 996 work schedule. Oh, theirs is even worse than 996; it’s slavery.

Moreover, Lu Luo noticed that the Nightmare Demon’s proficiency in human language was rapidly improving during their conversation, and it seemed to really enjoy the human style. Not just the human style, but the style of human children’s toys. From the Nightmare Demon’s previous tone, one could also deduce that although it was very powerful, it seemed to be quite young, much like a child.

Lu Luo did not entertain the thought of deceiving a child simply because of the Nightmare Demon’s apparent youth; that would be quite foolish. No matter how young it appeared, it was still an Eighth Order Exotic Species Monarch, a calamity in the eyes of humans. It could arbitrarily dominate the life and death of hundreds or thousands of Exotic Species in the fortress, as well as the fate of Lu Luo and his two companions. If such a being is talking to you on an equal level and you don’t respond in kind, but instead try to deceive it, wouldn’t that be tantamount to delivering yourself to death? Lu Luo didn’t consider himself an idiot, so he wouldn’t do such a thing.

"I see you’ve decorated your entire fortress in human style; Nightmare Demon, why do you like things with a human style so much?"

The Nightmare Demon cocked its head, then suddenly stood up and licked Lu Luo’s forehead.

"I like this feeling, this taste!"

Riddling me now, huh? Fine, if you like it, you like it.

"I don’t understand."

"Don’t you also live in the human world? Human life represents advancement, civilization. The world of Exotic Species is full of savagery; aside from Noah’s place, no other areas have any semblance of civilization. It’s a pity I don’t possess a human form and can’t enter the human world. I am not powerful enough!"

Lu Luo had wanted to retort, ’Hey, I *am* human, you know?’ But if he actually said that, wouldn’t he be hacked to pieces?

It seems to consider you one of its own kind.

"Who taught you the human language?"

"My mother. Yes, and this has to do with why I was looking for you. I’ve always stayed in the East Ring, waiting for you or Wu En to come out from beyond the Wall. It’s a pity Wu En died, so I could only wait for you. But you actually ran off to the Southern Ring, forcing me to chase you all the way there to find you."

Damn, you came all this way just for me! You *really* must "love" me. And its mother, was she versed in human knowledge? Was she once human, or perhaps one of those Exotic Species that collected many human relics?

"Uh, Nightmare Demon, you still haven’t told me what it is you want me to do for you."

"I thought you would have guessed by now. Hehe, seems I’ve hidden it quite well. I’ve made this place so beautiful precisely for the purpose of holding a wedding."

"A wedding? Whose wedding is it?"

"Of course, it’s for my mother!"

"Your mother?"

Lu Luo asked subconsciously. For some reason, this question made him feel uneasy and anxious.

He didn’t know what he was apprehensive about. Perhaps he had guessed, but Lu Luo didn’t dare to admit it to himself!

"My mother is the bride!"

Although "bride" could mean many things, when Lu Luo heard the Nightmare Demon say its mother was the bride, it was like a thunderclap; his entire mind was buzzing! In his mind, the term "bride" was no longer just about a human female getting married; the word represented far too much. And an Exotic Species called "the Bride"...

If the knowledge you’ve recorded isn’t mistaken, then the only Exotic Species referred to as ’the Bride’ is Ludie’s fiancée. The Fallen, Despairing Bride—Qiu Guling.

Ludie’s fiancée? The Bride, Qiu Guling, is the Nightmare Demon’s mother? And the Nightmare Demon seems to genuinely respect its mother; it doesn’t seem fake. Does that mean Ludie fathered a horse? Good heavens, I’m utterly speechless! The question is, can a Specter Species even give birth to an animal species?

The Specter Species has no reproductive capabilities; at least, there has been no record of a Specter Species reproducing so far. However, the kind of birth it mentioned could be something else, recorded in some of the Church’s secret texts. When a Specter Species endures extreme anguish, it releases all its resentment and sorrow. When these negative emotions converge, they can form certain things—for example, a comb, a mirror, a dress—so-called maligned objects. Typically, these maligned objects are inanimate, aggregations of a Specter Species’ resentment, but there are exceptions. If the hatred is strong enough, and the entity powerful enough, its malevolence can generate life, and the aggregation of resentment itself can take on a life form. Then a new creature, born of malevolence, will emerge.

A species born of malevolence? The Nightmare Demon!

"Lu Luo? Lu Luo? What are you thinking about?"

Seeing Lu Luo lost in thought, the Nightmare Demon nudged him with its head, looking somewhat dissatisfied.

"I’m talking to you nicely, why are you ignoring me?"

"Oh, no, nothing! Nightmare Demon, can I ask you something?"

"What?"

"Your mother, what’s her name?"

"The Bride?"

"I mean, her human name."

"She doesn’t have one!"

"Then when were you born? Do you remember the time, place, and such?"

The Nightmare Demon glanced at its hooves.

"Of course. I’ve been alive for seven years and four months, but the place I was born... it seems it was within the human Walls!"

Alright! Time and place match perfectly! Lu Luo didn’t even want to ask any more questions.

Looking at the black horse, Lu Luo was at a loss for words for a moment.

It should have grown up nourished by emotions like resentment, sorrow, and anger. To be so easygoing was quite unexpected for Lu Luo. If what Ludie had previously described was true, then even if the Nightmare Demon now declared it wanted to destroy the world, Lu Luo wouldn’t object.

Looking at the Nightmare Demon, who hadn’t turned out twisted, Lu Luo couldn’t help but sigh with emotion:

"Nightmare Demon, for a person whose heart is full of bitterness, how much sweetness do you think it takes to fill it?"

"You’re wrong, Lu Luo. For a person whose heart is full of bitterness, just a tiny bit of sweetness can fill it all."