Chapter 438 - 287: A Game with Devil Characteristics

The reporter asked a loaded question.

The moment he asked if they had "ulterior motives," he was already framing the Devils' intentions as malicious.

It was a common trap used in interviews.

Clearly, not everyone welcomed this cultural exchange with the Devils.

But Zog and the Devils had long been prepared for this sort of thing.

The one speaking on behalf of the Devils was Miss Starling.

She was also the image ambassador for the entire research project.

As the Devil with the most name recognition and highest approval rating in Twin Tower City, she also had an approachable face. In contrast, the other Devil "scammers" looked so intimidating that even their compliments would sound like threats. That made Starling the perfect spokesperson.

She had already undergone a period of training to handle all sorts of tricky questions.

If she encountered a question she wasn't prepared for, they had a backup plan: telepathy. A think tank, led by Zog, was monitoring the exchange on that very channel.

"I, and all Devils, came to Feilin with one and only one purpose—a purpose we are more than happy to share."

Starling replied with a warm smile.

"To work together with Humans, Dwarfs, Elves, Beastmen, Dwarfs, Half-Elves, and all other intelligent races for our mutual development and a peaceful future."

She opened with a grand statement, immediately seizing the moral high ground. This painted the reporter as someone trying to disrupt the great unity among the world's races.

"I know that for the longest time, the image of Devils in everyone's eyes has been one of evil and cruelty. Perhaps this is due to some misunderstandings, or perhaps it's because of a painful history that requires reflection. But we are here now precisely to shatter those misconceptions. This gentleman,"

Starling said, introducing Asmodis.

"is a Duke from Hell."

The moment she finished, the audience erupted in gasps.

This was the first time any of them had seen a living Devil Duke. Asmodis looked utterly harmless, like an ordinary, middle-aged man from next door. His clothes were a strange mix of luxurious and old-fashioned.

He doffed his hat and bowed. His movements were a bit clumsy, and his expression was constrained, making him seem rather vulnerable.

Of course, it was all an act.

While the people there might not have felt any particular fondness, they at least didn't dislike this simple-looking Devil "uncle."

"The Duke came to this unfamiliar plane without any guards. This shows he trusts that all of you will ensure he faces no danger here."

Asmodis had indeed come without any guards. He himself was Hell's strongest guard.

But her words truly moved many in the audience. A magnificent Duke, coming without a single guard? It showed such sincerity.

They began quietly discussing just how high a noble rank a "Duke of Hell" was, and how it compared to the ranks in Feilin.

But no matter how they debated it, everyone agreed on one thing: anyone called a "Duke" couldn't possibly be a minor noble.

Starling continued her speech: "The establishment of the Institute for Criminal Psychology is also meant to reduce the crime rate in the city and its surrounding areas. We aim to develop a reliable theoretical framework to benefit all of Feilin. All of the institute's findings will be made public, and we invite everyone to collectively oversee our progress."

This answer probably wouldn't convince any of the cynical, black-hearted politicians. Anyone could say pretty words; they didn't actually believe in any ideals of world peace.

But most of the people in attendance were young, and they were exactly the type to buy into this.

The moment Starling finished speaking, the audience erupted in applause and cheers.

And they did genuinely intend to produce some results. Whether they could form a whole theoretical system was uncertain, but catching a few scammers was well within their abilities.

Many people in large cities today, especially the elderly, were plagued by all sorts of scams.

With the advent of cell phones and the internet, the reach of scammers had expanded dramatically, making them even more common than petty thieves.

This group of master scammers from Hell might not be able to handle serial killers, but they could absolutely handle their fellow con artists.

'Did those amateurs even understand what it meant to have scamming techniques honed over decades, hammered and forged to perfection?'

These Devils utterly despised their "peers" who ran cell phone scams but couldn't even be bothered to master the common tongue without an accent.

'It was shameful to even be in the same profession!' ℴ

Even the Devils could learn to speak the common tongue with a fluency that made them sound like their family had lived in Loman for eight generations.

But during the public open house, these same Devils all spoke with thick, stammering accents, pretending to be completely inept.

This was at Zog's request.

A heavy, clumsy accent effectively reduced their perceived aggressiveness and gave the person they were talking to a sense of superiority.

A sense of superiority from an accent?

The answer was an unequivocal yes.

Typically, the accent from a region with a strong economy gets labeled as "posh" or "upper-class." By the same token, accents from poor regions are looked down upon.

'Your accent isn't posh? That must mean your living conditions are poor, so you're not doing as well as me.' And just like that, a sense of superiority is born.

And Hell was, quite obviously, a poor place.

And so, as the open house went on, the people attending grew more and more relaxed.

After a few relatively serious questions, the atmosphere turned lighthearted, and the questions followed suit.

Questions like, "Are Starling and Hannibal really in a relationship?" or "Did anything interesting happen between Starling and Mr. Raul on set?"...

It had devolved into pure gossip.

People were far more interested in these questions than they had been in the ones at the beginning.

The exact nature of the relationship between Starling and Hannibal had recently become a hot topic on the Shadow of Evil discussion forums.