"Swish... swish..."
Beyond the stone-brick salt drying pools, where the Little Demons toiled, lay a vast expanse of blue ocean and a golden beach. It was an exceedingly beautiful scene for Yila to behold.
The sound of the waves hitting the sand was really soothing.
The weather today was also quite nice, with a precious bit of sun during the winter... but the coldest days had already passed, and soon it would be spring, with the weather gradually becoming warmer.
By then, the harvest along the coast would also be more plentiful.
Yila thought of this as he stepped on the soft sand, observing the crabs and seabirds on the beach, along with the small mounds and tunnels hidden in the sand. For some reason, he was reminded of foraging videos from his previous life.
*Should I try foraging by the sea?*
The coastal tribes took advantage of the low tide to dig under the sand for clams and other sea creatures on the reefs. They usually gathered a plentiful amount of meat food.
Yila thought that temporarily supplementing the meat reserves of the Demon King Territory with clams was a good idea, and it wasn't really a technical skill.
All they needed was the ability to dig and to spot the mounds hiding the shells on the beach.
But before that, Yila needed to confirm if the quantity of clams on the beach was worth suggesting that the monsters come to forage at specific times. Moreover, there was no way to confirm the density and edibility of the food.
*If nine out of ten clams or sea urchins they dredged up were toxic, it would be pretty ridiculous.*
"Fourth Wing Pillar."
As Yila chanted, the Mana belonging to a specific Enchanting Demon, stored in his spine, instantly asserted its presence. Accompanied by a small segment of the talisman on his neck being consumed, wings like tattered gray cloth appeared on his back.
"Enchanting Demon."
Using the World Spell as the bond and Monster Mana as the symbol, they communicated with the World Tree.
"Wing Spread."
Language served as the trigger, traversing the universe, administering the governance of the world, and thereby delivered judgment.
...
"Fourth Wing Pillar: Enchanting Demon: Wing Spread."
After this chant, a pair of phantom Enchanting Demon Wings appeared at Yila's waist. The extraordinary Mana of both lavender and pink hues swiftly gathered from the world itself, forming a whip-like vine resembling a rose.
This was the Fourth Wing Pillar (Melee). The moment the wings spread, the corresponding Monster Mana-based Military Equipment would also manifest, and for the Enchanting Demon, it was undoubtedly... a whip.
"Go!"
With Yila's shout, using the Mana he didn't know whether belonged to Hilena or Little Di, he swung the long whip, demonstrating the understood mechanism. The pink and lavender intertwined Mana spread forward like a shockwave.
This Mana seemed to lack any destructive power. Though it brushed over a large patch of sand, it didn't turn the ground and gravel into shining, transparent glass like the power of the Crimson Dragon.
Just as the Crimson Dragon had its own way of fighting, the Enchanting Demon naturally had its own way of battle.
"Rustle..."
"Rustle..."
About ten seconds after Yila's seemingly meaningless Mana spread, amidst the trembling sand, one by one, white and yellow "noses" popped out from the sand.
Countless noses emerged sporadically, retreating occasionally—a sight so dense it could cause an acute fear of clusters.
As Yila walked over slowly, he gently grabbed one and pulled out a long sea creature resembling a razor clam from the sand. He casually caught a few other shells that looked different.
"It seems foraging by the sea has been quite successful. If the output is this good in this season, then perhaps seaside foraging could be a stable protein source for the Demon King Territory. It's just uncertain if they're toxic."
*Yila analyzed this as he poked the flesh that extended from a conch shell, watching it retract. He sensed something and turned to look behind... where Vera was slowly approaching.*
*Or rather, floating over.*
*Vera probably didn't want sand in her shoes, preferring not to walk on the beach. So she cast the Floating Technique on herself. Although it was fine, wasn't she overusing her magic a bit?*
"You arrived just in time. Can you help me check if these seafood are toxic?"
At Yila's request, Vera was momentarily puzzled. She had just come to chat but pointed at herself in confusion, asking, "Are you asking me to test for poison? Although a Witch Demon is an impeccable material that cannot die, it also means that a Witch Demon can't detect if food is toxic."
"..."
"I didn't mean for you to test the poison. You're from a port city, right? Just use your common knowledge."
"Hmm, but I'm not a civilian. I'm a noble..."
"..."
*That was a fair point. As a noble, Vera wouldn't necessarily know which seafood were edible and which were not. She was simply responsible for eating them.*
*Perhaps her understanding of the toxicity of seafood was even less developed than Yila's.*
"But actually, for monsters, it isn't much of a problem. Even if there's poison, it wouldn't be as lethal as it is for humans. At worst, they could just recover later. We could use the Little Demons to test for poison."
Vera said as she helped grab the exposed razor clams and shells. Looking at the rag-like Enchanting Demon Wings on Yila's back, she remarked, "No matter how many times I see them, the Governor looks quite absurd."
As she marveled, Vera's eyes scanned Yila's neck. She said, "About what you mentioned yesterday, the World Spell in the Talismanic Knot that prevents the extraction of human Mana, when are you planning to remove it?"
*So Vera came to discuss this, huh? Acting on orders?*
*Realizing something, Yila glanced at Vera, dismissing his suspicion... no, it couldn't be that Hilena or Satan Ye sent Vera to ask.*
*Vera's words and actions stemmed from her own will. It seemed she had genuinely grown fond of living among the monsters after her defection.*
"I haven't decided yet."
Yila responded calmly, tossing the harvested seafood into a Mana-crafted cloth bag (Mana Bag) held by Vera. He added, "The Governor cannot use humans as 'bullets.' That's my proposal to Isabella, our crucial agreement."
Because the Governor was a Profession that used the power of monsters to fight monsters, allowing the extraction of human Mana to kill humans would change the Governor's role in the world.
Such human slaughtering could lead to strong emotional reactions, potentially triggering the Governor's mutation.
"However, according to my understanding of Isabella, if you've already left the Empire and are now at war with the Duchy..."
Vera said, extending a finger, completing her thought as Yila's expression darkened at the realization, "She would definitely disregard the agreement before you do, right?"
*That was Vera's understanding, but according to Yila's... well, both of them had a clear grasp of Isabella.*
"..."