Lancelot had just ced his hand on Dingke''s head with nothing happening initially, but as he began to mobilize the True Qi within his body, a list seemingly appeared before his eyes, detailing the energy needed for various demonic transformations.


    The sensation was quite vague, possibly due to his not very high realm. He cautiously injected about one-tenth of his True Qi. This amount was not enough for Dingke to transform into a higher-level demon, but it should enable aprehensive enhancement of its current form.


    As the True Qi surged from his Dantian, the diminutive demon let out a muffled grunt, as if it had been struck on the head.


    Its body began to change dramatically. Muscles swelled fiercely, skin tore into pieces; its skeleton instantly grewrger, piercing through the skin, but was quickly covered by new flesh; the demon horns on its head gradually grew thicker andrger, forcing the skull to crack open, revealing the boiling brain inside.


    "Aaaahhhhhhh!!!"


    As the body''s transformation nearedpletion, only then did Dingke scream out, the entire process taking less than a minute.


    Ity on the ground, gasping heavily, then slowly stood up, incredulously sizing up its new body, a euphoric emotion permeating its heart, the color of its entire skin rapidly changing from newborn pink to lush green.


    With thepletion of the advancement, through the mysterious bond between them, Lancelot felt that he too had received some form of enhancement, his resistance to magic seemed to have improved.


    "Thank you, Dinke, my great master! Dingke will forever and ever serve you!"


    Lancelot took a step back, feeling his boots being nearly corroded by Dingke''s kisses.


    It appeared his conjecture was correct. The True Qi formed from cultivation came directly from the Abyssal ne''s natural spiritual energy. Since high-level demons could consume magic power to advance low-level demons, his True Qi certainly should too, and the effect would only be better.


    "Go now, when I need you, you will hear my call."


    "As youmand, my Lord!"


    The figure of the newly born demon gradually became transparent, eventually disappearing into the air, the sound of its hooves gradually fading away.


    Lancelot sensed briefly and discovered that Dingke''s small brain was racing, plotting how to retaliate against a few Quasimodo Demon peers who had once bullied it.


    It seemed that its intelligence had also improved a bit, at least it wasn''t foolish enough to seek revenge on some big toad.


    As Dingke departed, that mysterious enhancement effect disappeared too; it seems it only worked when they were within a certain distance. He returned to the small square with Tijana''s statue, where he and Bruto had agreed to meet.


    Lancelot found a secluded corner and waited quietly, meanwhile observing the passers-by.


    The most numerous were human adventurers dressed simrly to him. After the initial surprise, Lancelot''s interactions with them were not pleasant. Either they were demon worshippers or arrogant adventurers; he was not like them and found it hard to engage in conversation.


    Next were wizards whose faces were hidden under hoods. Most were bustling through the streets surrounded by several demon attendants, rushing and disappearing into some dark corner of the market area. nar travel was not difficult for them, and throwing a few people down was easy, but taking people back to the upper nes was different, beyond the capabilities of amon wizard.


    There were also many visiting demons, their forms a revtion to Lancelot, and most were not recorded in the Elves'' archives. They could be serving under a Demon Lord or independent mercenaries seeking opportunities to ascend to higher demon levels.


    One particrly memorable demon had the body of a man and the head of a goat and held a Great Sword disproportionate to its size; it quickly noticed Lancelot''s gaze. It nodded to Lancelot with a politeness uncharacteristic of demons, then walked away.


    "Interesting fellow," Bruto''s voice came from behind.


    Lancelot turned around and noticed his Dwarfpanion.


    "How''s it going? Did you enjoy chatting with your former colleagues?"


    "Not so good. Actually, it was downright terrible." Bruto said with a gloomy expression. "You really should have heard how they were talking about Tijana, it would''ve broadened your vocabry."


    "Were they enved by the Subus?"


    "No, but it''s hardly any better. They truly have the freedom Tijana mentioned, but that''s about all they have. Tijana''s terms are simple: the craftsmen finish the amount of work she assigns each week, and she ensures they won''t be a demon''s dessert. Those who fail toplete their tasks get kicked out of the city; she ignores everything else."


    "Let me guess, the amount she asks for is so high that they can only sleep for four hours a night?"


    "For demons, who don''t need rest, the concept of sleep is hard to understand."


    "That does sound incredibly harsh." Lancelot sighed. "But I guess your dad still ns to stay."


    "Uh, how did you know?"


    "Because there aren''t any better options."


    "Yeah, there are no better options." Bruto found a rock and sat down. "I talked to my dad about it."


    "What did you tell him? About your n to change careers?"


    "Yeah. He always wanted me to inherit his skills and reputation, so he was always extra strict with me. I prepared a whole lot of excuses, but he just stayed silent for a long while, then agreed." Bruto hung his head, looking quite disheartened. "Staying here means barely surviving with no hope.


    Being an adventurer is filled with dangers, and being one in this world is downright terrible, but at least there''s hope to leave."


    "Come on, it''s not that bad when you have me. We''ll definitely make it back to where we came from." Lancelot tried to lighten the mood, "I''m good buddies with the Emperor over there, I''ll make you a Royal cksmith, and you''ll absolutely bring honor to your ancestors, I guarantee your dad would be pleased."


    "Pfft, as if I cared." Brutoughed too. "What about that little guy named Dingke?"


    "I let him go. But if needed, I can call on him anytime." Lancelot decided it was best not to reveal his unique abilities just yet. "How about the thing you were helping me with?"N?v(el)B\\jnn


    "It''s already been processed." Bruto handed Lancelot a small box. "Had limited time, couldn''t make anything tooplex, but it''s a ssic design. Are you sure this thing works on demons too?"


    "Not sure, but it''s better to have it than not." Lancelot opened the small box and took a quick peek. "Though I don''t know much about this, I can tell the craftsmanship is really exquisite, thanks a lot."


    "Mostly, it''s because the stuff we got from that sandworm''s stomach is all top grade. You should have seen those guys'' reactions—they nearly wanted to go back to the Shattered Mountain Range right away and strip every sandworm there."


    Bruto disyed a silly grin, making one doubt whether he had exaggerated his role in the battle with the sandworm.


    "Are you sure you want to give it away as just a meeting gift? In our world, this thing could trade for a castle."


    "There''s plenty of good stuff in the Abyss, and by the time we find a way back, you''ll definitely struggle deciding which treasures to throw away." Lancelot looked disdainful. "No matter how precious, it''s of no use to us now, and besides, they might not even fancy it."