Chapter 399: Rapid Expansion

“I hope that’s not a threat,” Ron said with a slight bow. “My advice would be to abandon the thought. But if you insist on trying…”

“Perhaps I’ll have to adopt some ‘bolder plans.'”

“Such as?”

A dangerous aura emanated from the Duke, a reminder to the mortal before her of the kind of being he was addressing. To her surprise, however, Ron showed no additional fear.

“For example, the other powers involved. So far, I don’t believe this is just a betting ground for Hell and the Abyss, is it?”

“Are there also… say, True Dragons?”

Ron watched the Desire Demon Queen’s exquisite face, seeing the corners of her lips slowly curl upward.

“Interesting, mortal!” Gracia said, her nimble tongue darting out to lick her lips. “Indeed. That little Black Dragon cub, and that Gold Dragon! Not to mention the Red Copper Dragon and the Green Dragon. The Giant Dragons have certainly been making moves in this land. And even… Heh heh.”

Gracia effortlessly changed the subject. “But how can you be sure they’ll side with you? You may have mostly dealt with those connected to the Platinum Dragon God so far, but don’t forget, the Dragon Queen hasn’t always played the loser!”

“If she’s truly plotting something, a mere mortal like you could never hope to comprehend it!”

“Of course,” Ron didn’t deny it. He knew he could never truly fathom the thoughts of a being like Gracia, whose influence spanned multiple planes. Fortunately for him, someone else had already done that kind of work for him. “That’s why I said it was a bold plan.”

“Of course, I was just giving an example as you asked,” Ron said, trying to diffuse the tension. “I’d much rather deal with a devil I know. At least that won’t make things worse. I’m just not willing to be completely under your control.”

“Most devils are Lawful and probably don’t approve of things spinning out of control. But you, Your Highness Gracia, Hell’s most maverick rebel—you can certainly understand it. In fact, you’d hope for something like this to happen, wouldn’t you?”

Gracia’s will swept over Ron. He allowed her to skim his surface thoughts, letting her see the source of his reasoning.

Specifically, the part about how ‘mortals who adopt bold plans to fight against nearly unstoppable adversity will attract her attention and win her respect and favor.’

“Duncan the Demon!”

Just as he’d expected, the Desire Demon Queen grunted, her tone unreadable. “Him, and that bitch Tasha! The profiles they write are absolutely dreadful! Vulgar! Formulaic! Utterly superficial!”

“But… fine. Objectively speaking, you do have a point about maintaining your independence,” Gracia said, quickly dismissing her useless emotions and looking at Ron again. “My legions can certainly help me secure my current position. But if I want to continue ‘downward,’ the Gold Coin Legion would actually become one of my stumbling blocks.”

“I need some outside help—of course, you’re still far too weak for that now—but I don’t mind making an early investment. After all, time isn’t a resource I can’t afford to squander.”

“But I require at least one guarantee: you don’t have to swear loyalty to me, but you can’t let anyone else reap the rewards. Otherwise, I’ll be coming to have a little chat with you!”

As Gracia spoke, her figure grew illusory and indistinct. For a being of her level, theatrics like summoning a whirlwind were more for ceremony than necessity. If she wished, she could simply appear anywhere she desired.

“Wait!” Ron’s expression changed as he suddenly realized something. “You can’t just leave on your own! Can you give me a ride back?”

“I need to solve the Red Mould problem here, but to do that, you’ve got to let me gather my companions and prepare!”

“Didn’t you say you wouldn’t be dependent on me?” Gracia’s mocking voice drifted in on the Night Wind, her avatar already gone. “Then start with this. Figure it out yourself!”

“I…” Ron, abandoned on the castle roof, wanted to curse but was left speechless. He was dealing with a genuine archdevil, an evil being who might have stranded him here as a “little trial” even if he *had* agreed to her terms! ‘This outcome was practically inevitable!’

This wasn’t enough to stump Ron, however. After getting down from the roof, he easily found some Casting Materials that had been left behind during their initial move. With these components, by the time the sun reached its zenith the next day, Ron was already strolling out of a newly constructed Teleportation Array in the central square of New Green Swamp Town.

“You should be glad Victoria and I didn’t drink much last night,” Silvia said with a smile, her arms crossed as Ron emerged. “Otherwise, we would’ve missed your message, and I wouldn’t have been able to build this Teleportation Array.”

“Sera and Delaford are still sleeping it off!”

“There’s a time for work and a time for rest, but they might be taking the ‘rest’ part a bit too seriously,” Ron sighed. “Besides, drinking that heavily can’t be good for you.”

“You can tell them that yourself,” the Priest of Heim shrugged. “I’ve tried reasoning with them. It’s useless.”

“More importantly, I’m curious about what ‘she’ wanted with you?”

The Vampire Descendant looked at Ron curiously. The Teleportation Array behind him had already vanished. It was only a temporary Array; making it permanent would require a full year of continuous Casting to stabilize, just like the one in Duncan the Demon’s private chamber.

“Even if it was something top-secret, you shouldn’t have had to go that far to discuss it. Couldn’t she have created a private space with ease?”

“Because she didn’t just want to talk. She wanted me to see the truth for myself,” Ron said, his expression turning serious. “Remember that fungus we acquired? I saw it. And I saw the Spore People it creates.”

“But what’s worse is where I saw it. It wasn’t in the ruins that the Vampire Count and his wife originally explored. It was on his own lands.”

“That’s impossible!” Silvia and Victoria exchanged a look, both seeing the same disbelief in each other’s eyes. “Doesn’t Red Mould die on contact with light?!”

“It’s mutated. Or diverged,” Ron said, his own expression troubled. “In the time since we brought back the sample from the Count, the Red Mould has managed to evolve. Its rate of proliferation must have surged in the last few months, which is why we didn’t notice it before.”

“Let’s go. We should ask Jilannis and Anastina. Maybe they’ll have some insight on this?”