Chapter 473: Reunion with Old Friends

The next half month was the most chaotic period. The Wolf King and his companions seemed to have discovered the beauty of the continent, lingering there as if reluctant to leave. They spent their days in the bustling markets, which was quite amusing—these individuals, who could be rulers in the Land of Darkness, also had such sides to them. Fortunately, no one knew about it.

Rod was even worried that these guys might fall in love with the continent and decide to stay forever, stopping negotiations and seeking to establish a vast domain here, sparking another wave of war.

Fortunately, that didn’t happen. In the last few days, everyone grew tired and began to miss the peaceful life in the Land of Darkness. They wanted to return home as soon as possible, as that was their true home.

By then, some powerful figures from the continent had arrived in Autumn Water City, and after urgent meetings back home, envoys from various countries also set off for Autumn Water City.

This once-unnoticed city suddenly became the center of the continent, attracting everyone’s attention. Especially after news of negotiations spread, it became even more chaotic.

A few years earlier, the demons, vampires, and werewolves, along with their magical armies, launched a sudden attack that changed the balance of power on the continent, plunging it into chaos. Wave after wave of fierce battles dyed the land red, forcing countless people to flee and destroying many families.

People were tired of this life, but the demons were too powerful, and the continent couldn’t completely defeat them. Eventually, through joint efforts across the continent, they were confined to the current Dark Duchy.

Even so, wars still broke out frequently, causing chaos. Now that negotiations and peace talks were rumored, it was the lowest-class people who were most eager to see them happen!

War always caused the greatest harm to these poor people. For those nations, their greatest loss wasn’t territory or money but lives—especially those whose relatives were in the army. They hoped this war would end as soon as possible.

The Land of Darkness, a magical and legendary place, sent a delegation for negotiations, arousing curiosity and attention everywhere. Suddenly, Autumn Water City became the focus of the entire continent.

As more people arrived, ten days later, representatives from the various empires and kingdoms on the continent, along with the powerful warriors, indeed came to Autumn Water City in the heart of the Dark Duchy, just as Rod had predicted. A ceasefire was what everyone hoped for—the situation on the continent made them truly unwilling to continue fighting against the Source of Darkness, especially since the combat strength displayed by the Source of Darkness made it impossible for them to refuse. Continuing the war would not lead to a complete resolution even in another hundred years; reconciliation was the best solution. People wanted a ceasefire, and those in leadership positions even more so. Since war directly threatened their lives and rights, those who valued power more than their own lives certainly wouldn’t want their status to be shaken. With such an opportunity for negotiation, they naturally wanted to discuss it as soon as possible. With various motives, these people gathered together—among them were enemies as well as friends! The first to arrive were the envoy groups of individual nations, while those powerful warriors would likely take a few more days to reach, as they were all in seclusion and spread out over wide areas. Although many were sent out, notifying them all wasn’t easy. For Rod, seeing these people filled him with deep emotions, as many of them were acquaintances. He saw Okaz, the former emperor’s marshal—a war god with remarkable military achievements and the guardian of the empire—who had come to Autumn Water City in person. Several other familiar faces were also there: General Parich and Miss Lucia, all of whom were once his closest friends! Even Kiro and John, whom Rod had once regarded as brothers, were present. Seeing them, Rod was overwhelmed with memories—fighting side by side with Kiro in Iron Bar Town, and fighting alongside John and the others at the academy. Standing at a distance as they entered Autumn Water City, Rod’s gaze grew distant. Even after they left, he remained lost in memories of his life in the capital. It was the happiest time—though he was very weak back then, he lived carefree, doing what he wanted. What could be more peaceful than that? Unfortunately, it all was shattered because of one thing: his demon race identity. That identity destroyed everything he had, leaving nothing behind.

Thinking of this, Rod’s breathing grew heavy, and his expression turned grim. That time, in the forest outside the imperial capital, it was there that his identity as a demon was revealed for the first time—something he himself had never known before. Back then, he faced a four-person assassination squad led by Nightingale; his life was in grave danger. But just then, those people arrived in the forest, and he thought he saw hope—thinking that with their arrival, he would be safe! Who would have thought that all of this was just the beginning, and that his true peril had just started. That time, he faced his own country’s army, whose gleaming swords were pointed at his head as they shouted to kill him, to kill this abomination. At that moment, his heart turned cold, filled with despair, resentment, and anger—why must he suffer such treatment? After all, the day before, he had even been the empire’s hope, its rising star, even its hero—having led his academy to first place and shining across the entire continent. Yet just one day later, he found himself with swords pointed at his head by his own country’s army. And at that moment, his closest friends abandoned him—Kiro, Lucia, and Alice. Those three closest friends, their somewhat cold and complicated expressions were forever etched in Rod’s mind. Yes, those complicated expressions—at that moment, they chose to stand by and watch him head toward disaster! All of this stirred up the latent brutality within Rod, awakening his resentment and anger. His eyes gradually turned red, and a faint killing aura emanated from him, making his entire presence icy cold. “Rod!” Nightingale called out softly beside him. “Rod!” Visky, who knew the whole story, also called out anxiously beside him. These people had all experienced the events outside the imperial capital back then, and they knew exactly what had happened. They had witnessed Rod’s transformation, the change in his life. Now, seeing Rod’s behavior and the change in his aura, they could clearly sense that he might lose control of himself and do something reckless, so they stood tightly by his side. Hearing their calls, Rod paused, turned around, and saw Nightingale’s familiar face and Visky’s familiar face. His eyes gradually cleared.

It was then that he realized that at the most critical moment, it had been Viski and John who risked their lives to help him escape from that deadly situation. It was Nightingale who stood by his side through his toughest times, accompanying him through all the hardships. Thinking of this, his heart warmed, and the violent mood gradually dissipated, his expression returning to calm. Only then did he realize his earlier outburst and quickly controlled his aura, revealing a wry smile. It seemed he still couldn’t fully control his temper and personality.

“Still complaining?” Nightingale asked softly, looking at Rod.

“The past is gone; complaining won’t help! Besides, if I were in their shoes, I might do the same!” Rod said with a deep sigh and a wry smile.

Indeed, these people were acting from the perspective of their own empire, which was understandable. If it were him, he might have done the same! With that thought, Rod smiled wryly in resignation. Depending on one’s stance, different choices and decisions would be made.

“That’s good. Don’t dwell on the past. Don’t forget your identity and what you need to do now!” Hearing Rod’s words, Nightingale and Viski exchanged a glance, exhaled deeply, and offered a comforting smile. They were worried that Rod might cause problems at this moment.

Lucy, Ada, and the others around him seemed to have sensed Rod’s change as well. Their gazes at him now were somewhat strange; it was the first time they had seen such a violent Rod, which surprised them.

Especially Ada, Lucy, and Lilith, who had heard some of Rod’s past experiences on the continent from Nightingale, were even more concerned for him. Of course, they weren’t afraid of what Rod might do. If he really wanted to take revenge, they would be willing to use all their strength to help him. After all, in their eyes, Rod was the most important one.

“Should we go check?” Nightingale asked softly. After all, since these people had arrived, it was necessary for Rod, as the main negotiator, to meet them.

“Let’s wait. The Wolf King will take care of them!” With a sigh, Rod said, his mind complex. Though he understood these principles, his heart was still chaotic. He didn’t plan to deal with them yet; he needed time, time to calm down.