He had a premonition that something major was about to happen here!

As the saying goes, the bigger the storm, the more expensive the fish; if he didn't join in on this excitement, he was afraid he'd regret it for the rest of his life!

At that moment, the bard in the tavern suddenly walked up beside him, staring intently into his eyes and said.

"Friend, could you tell me about that dragon... and the story of the Flame King?"

Praise Saint Sis!

He hadn't expected this unimpressive little town to bring him such a surprise!

His inspiration for writing was surging, and he wanted nothing more than to extract the entire story from the lips of the adventurer before him and put it into his poetry.

He believed!

It would certainly be more interesting than the tale of Duke Campbell!

"Hold on! That one's mine!"

Before Barnett could speak, old Abel, sitting at the bar, quickly threw aside the pine nuts in his hand and clamored down from the bar stool.

"Hey! If you want to know the story of the Flame King, you should ask me! Next to Father Matt, I'm the one who knows that guy the best!"

The bard Andy stared at him blankly.

"...Father Matt?"

Old Abel smiled proudly, touching the stone cross on his chest.

"That's the priest of the town's church... Old Abel happens to have some time right now, if you're interested, buy me a drink, and I can tell you all about it!"

...

In the depths of the first layer of the labyrinth, the nest of the Earth Dragon Clan, dozens of corridors converged into a wide hall, with a dense network of metal pipes crisscrossing it.

This was the prayer site of the Earth Dragon Clan and also the Incubation Pool where the Lizardman offspring were born.

From here one could directly reach the palace of Sanu, the living area of the clan's nest, the storage for equipment and supplies, and the cells where captives were held.

Deep in that cell block, Mi Xi unexpectedly found a familiar person.

"Yousi?! How did you end up like this?"

Looking at Yousi, huddled in the corner, Mi Xi's eyes widened in shock; she quickly cast a spell to break the cell door and flew in to pick up the barely alive Yousi.

That defiant face was bruised blue and swollen, with one eye larger than the other—a complete mess, as if they had been beaten violently.

Upon seeing the familiar face before her, Yousi was initially stunned, then began to whimper quietly, and finally burst into wailing tears.

"Mi... Mi... Wahhh..."

This time, instead of mocking her, Mi Xi comforted Yousi, patting her shoulder and unlocking the Magic Prohibition Collar around her neck.

"Don't cry, there you go, it's all right now..."

Just minutes ago, Luo Yan, leading Alakdo and a bunch of henchmen, as well as more than fifty Iron-tier players who had joined in the excitement, had taken over this place.

Looking at the Dragon Tooth Spear broken in the hands of the Lord Demon King, the faces of the Lizardmen all showed resignation from resistance, bowing to the ground, begging for forgiveness.

Forgiveness was out of the question.

Though Luo Yan was merciful, the majesty of the Demon King did not allow for retreat.

They could only blame themselves for being born in Hell and not being reincarnated in the Demon City.

"You have betrayed the labyrinth and also broken your vows to the Demon God, and to oppose me, you even dared to flood the labyrinth with disaster..."

Looking at the trembling Lizardmen, Luo Yan, seated on Alakdo's back, continued in a commanding voice.

"According to the laws of Hell, I should execute you on the spot, but considering that the ringleader has already been slain by me, and you surrendered in time, I will spare your lives."

"However, as punishment, you will be demoted to slaves and work off your sins with hard labor until a generation has passed."

"...From now on, the Earth Dragon Clan will cease to exist; you are now the Guardian Clan, I hope you cherish this new name."

The elderly lizardman groveled on the ground, speaking with a tremble in his voice.

"Thank you, Lord Demon King, for your mercy. We will mend our ways and atone for our sins... "

No one resisted.

Being the victor or the vanquished, they already considered it the utmost mercy not to have been transformed into the undead.

At least the lives of the more than four thousand remaining clansmen were spared, at least Lord Demon King had forgiven their children's children...

The surrender ceremony concluded.

Luo Yan personally incinerated the totems engraved with the Dragon God's images, then ordered the group of lizardmen to carve a new one in his own likeness as a statue of the conqueror, and at the same time, to solidify the faith of these defeated ones.

The spoils provided by the Guardian Clan were not much, mainly some adventurer's equipment.

Luo Yan had wanted to inquire about the adventurers' money, but several lizardman elders claimed they hadn't taken any.

"We only take the weapons and armor; we leave the other items with the deceased... After all, we have no use for human coins."

"This wasteful habit needs to change. What if you need it someday?" Luo Yan reprimanded the lizardman elders before saying, "From now on, when you capture adventurers, don't eat them. Strip them of their gear, leave them a piece of clothing, and then throw them into the dungeon."

The lizardman elders looked stunned.

"And then?"

Luo Yan pondered for a moment before speaking.

"Then, once you have accumulated a certain number, bring them to me. I will reward you based on the number of heads."

Keeping the captives alive was indeed of little use to the lizardmen, but it seemed a waste to simply consume them; it was better to imprint them with the mark of the Lord Demon King, which could at least contribute some faith value.

After assigning these tasks, Luo Yan used undead magic paired with a magic potion to repair Octo's body, and transformed both him and Zerick from zombie puppets into ghasts.

Because the connection with him was severed, their strength would be significantly weakened, just like the priest Matt who had also been transformed into a ghast.

However, the soul ranks of these two brothers were not low, one gold and the other bronze. Regaining the lost ranks was merely a matter of time.

Conversely, they would, in inheriting the "memory of becoming a zombie," gain further mental clarity and self-awareness, as well as a higher potential for growth.

After all, a zombie without self-awareness could never beat a ghast of the same rank.

Looking at the two children who groveled before him, Luo Yan spoke in an authoritative and calm voice.

"Zerick, starting today, you are the High Priest of the Guardian Clan, responsible for preaching and for selecting and training acolytes from the newborns who will be loyal to me. The monks who serve in the Great Graveyard are not to be treated as slaves but will have an equal status with the other denizens of the Great Graveyard. You must carefully select those who are truly loyal to the Great Graveyard."

"In addition, you will oversee the Clan Leader of the Guardian Clan, as well as the daily activities of these former traitors, including urging them to continue breeding slimes and other demons and crops, and ensuring they can tribute five hundred lizard eggs and five hundred tails to the Great Graveyard each month."

"If they harbor any disloyalties, inform me in time."

Unlike Little Demons, the eggs and tails of lizardmen are edible and are commonly used as substitutes for chicken eggs and chicken meat in Hell.

Even the lizardmen themselves occasionally indulge in consuming them.

However, Luo Yan's demand for these eggs was not just for consumption but more for preparing new bodies for the players.

These were materials needed for the ritual.

Zerick nodded in acquiescence.

"As you command!"

Luo Yan continued to look towards Octo.

"Octo, from today on, you are the governor of the first layer of the labyrinth, responsible for managing the Weaving Shadow Nest and the Guardian Clan."

Octo respectfully nodded.

"Yes, Lord Demon King."

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