"What are you trying to do?"
Yax struggled violently, and the chains that were only symbolically holding him clattered loudly. His blazing eyes were fixed on Chen Yu, filled with wariness, as if he were staring at a Demon King more terrifying than any Abyss Lord.
Chen Yu deliberately spat the Soul Book out from his stomach. He manipulated it with his Divine Sense, making it float in front of him and turn page by page.
The jet-black pages turned silently, occasionally flashing with the distorted, shadowy light of souls and cryptic demonic Runes.
Yax’s eyelids twitched as he watched. In the end, he suppressed his agitation and slumped back down onto the cold stone floor.
Only then did Chen Yu ask telepathically, "As one of Casaric’s subordinates, you should know something about the City of Incineration, right?"
Yax turned his face away and said coldly, "From my birth until now, I have always been guarding a fortress in the Abyss. I have never been to the City of Incineration."
’So... if he’s not lying, this guy really is one of Casaric’s old guard who stayed behind in the Abyss after he left,’ Chen Yu thought.
"Tell me what you know. About Casaric, about the Golden Glow Valley, about the Demons’ plans..." Chen Yu’s tone was flat, but the faint, eerie green glow from the Soul Book silently applied pressure.
Yax glanced at the book that made his very soul tremble. As a Demon, he understood better than anyone how terrifying it was to have his soul in someone else’s hands.
After hesitating for only a few seconds, he gave up his pointless resistance and began to spill everything he knew.
His knowledge of the City of Incineration was indeed limited, mostly coming from rumors from other Demons and occasional scraps of conversation from Casaric.
He only knew that this insane Demon City was built upon the ruins of a lair that belonged to an ancient Black Dragon, one that had once controlled the entire Golden Glow Valley.
Volcanic eruptions were frequent there, the ground was cracked and dry, and lava flowed everywhere like rivers. The closer one got to the center of the crater, the higher the temperature and the harsher the environment became. Only monsters with sufficiently high fire resistance or affinity could survive.
As a former dragon’s lair, it naturally held countless Gold Coins and treasures. It was said that even the flowing lava was mixed with molten Gold, glittering with a tantalizing golden light in the fiery glow.
In the hundreds of years after the ancient Black Dragon left its lair, only the bravest Adventurers and a few dragons that were still attached to the place dared to venture into this land devoid of life.
Later, a stable Abyssal Rift opened deep within the volcano, unleashing the Demon Legion led by Casaric.
These Demons from the Abyssal Fire Prison were naturally unafraid of lava and fire. They were even better at adapting to the extreme environment than many of the native dragons.
And so, under Casaric’s leadership, they drove out the remaining dragons entrenched there, completely occupied the volcano and its surrounding areas, and established the magnificent City of Incineration.
From then on, the Demons’ activities on the continent became increasingly frequent, and the Golden Glow Valley gradually became an important stronghold for the Demon Forces on the material plane.
However, Yax also mentioned that the Golden Glow Valley wasn’t entirely a land devoid of life.
The outer regions, far from the center of the active volcano, were a different story. Especially the fertile plains and valleys, which were covered in volcanic ash that had settled over long ages. Not only did these areas possess rich soil left behind by eruptions, but they also benefited from a pleasant climate formed by geothermal heat and the unique terrain.
For creatures that feared the long, harsh winters of the north, it was a paradise—a bountiful land that was like spring year-round, with no cold and a perpetual abundance of food.
The rivers of the Rotting Miasma Mountains flowed south, nurturing vast, lush natural forests and prosperous city-states established by humans and Elves in this warm region.
Adventurers, merchants, scholars, and exiles from all over the continent gathered here.
What place could be better than a bountiful land with dragon treasures buried everywhere, a pleasant climate, and fertile soil?
Almost none.
Only the southern nations, a bit further down the continent where winter arrived later, could enjoy such a pleasant climate.
Therefore, although there were only city-states located there, their wealth and prosperity might even surpass that of some of the smaller southern kingdoms.
The area was even teeming with Extraordinary individuals, hiding many powerful forces and figures. Even Casaric was wary and didn’t dare to act rashly. He could only slowly expand his influence through indirect means such as infiltration, trade, and propping up proxies.
According to Yax, Casaric had always harbored the ambition of "conquering the entire Golden Glow Valley."
And finding the Crown of Ignis, completing the trial of kingship, and obtaining greater power and a legitimate right to rule was the most crucial step in his plan to conquer the valley and realize his ambition.
But now, Chen Yu had completely ruined that step.
Chen Yu thought for a moment. He had already digested most of the fragments of the Crown of Ignis, and he had even had the Poisonous Sting Bee send the last remaining piece back to Anvil for research...
’It seems I’ve made a permanent enemy. There’s no mending this relationship.’
The good news, however, was that because of the constraints and potential threats from the valley’s city-states, Casaric didn’t seem to dare leave the City of Incineration casually. Even if he wanted revenge, he would likely have to start by conquering and infiltrating the White Horse Kingdom to gradually expand his power.
"Besides summoning a Demon, what else is this coin for?" Chen Yu spat out the Kasa Silver Coin he had previously snatched from Yax’s hand.