Chapter 373: Chapter 302: Servant Contract
Later, at the Demon Emperor Palace.
When Illidan Demon Emperor returned, demonic flames soared, and it was impossible for anyone near the royal city not to know.
However, ordinary members of the Demon Race had neither the qualification nor the intention to visit the palace, not even those with a bit of standing, as the sudden appearance of His Majesty Victor made everyone unsure if a fight would break out inside the palace. So, regardless of whether they could go or not, it was best not to go for now.
After all, apart from the Seven Great Demon Kings, the upper-level Demon Warriors of the Demon Realm had been culled round after round, and now most of those remaining were the grandchildren of the previous high-ranking members of the Demon Race, unable to withstand the aftershocks of a battle between Near Gods...
Although the final result seemed to be that no fight occurred, a decree soon came from the Demon Emperor Palace declaring that Illidan Demon Emperor would host a banquet in the palace to entertain Victor, the Dragon Mother. As it was a private demonic banquet, the palace would be temporarily closed to guests.
In fact, Illidan Demon Emperor usually didn’t see guests either, and everyone had already grown accustomed to this. But times have changed, for yet another being of Near God status has emerged in the Demon Realm.
Some of the older close supporters of the Late Emperor actually knew Victor, as she had long served the Late Emperor in the Demon Realm. At that time, she was powerful—extremely so—but still at the pinnacle Demigod level. Nobody expected that in less than a thousand years, she would become a Near God Demon Dragon invincible in the Lower Realm.
Her emergence has left the situation in the Demon Realm somewhat unclear. Having two beings of Near God status at once marks a peak period worth recording in the history of the Lower Demon Realm, yet many demons doubt whether these two Near Gods from the same clan can work together sincerely.
The reason is simple: there is only one Demon Emperor’s throne, and Illidan and Victor are at opposite ends—one young and imperious, the other old and in need of continued life.
The Demon Race is forged from blood and fire, and they rarely show any politeness. When necessary, patricide and filicide are not uncommon. How could two Near Gods with obvious conflicting interests possibly live in harmony?
Even if one were to kneel and surrender, the other would have to be foolish to believe it.
At this moment, the Demon Emperor and Dragon Mother that the Demon Race is speculating about are facing each other in the banquet hall.
Lynn sits at the utmost upper seat, while Victor sits directly across from him, with the Seven Great Demon Kings lined up on the left and the Joyful Witch munching on fruit to the right.
There are sixteen demons in total in the hall, the dishes have all been served, yet no one has started eating.
Lynn seating Victor at the lowest spot was not a slight, nor an intentional act of showing discourtesy, but simply because apart from her, all others present were his Imperial Consorts. Victor was the only guest demon in the banquet hall.
But it was evident that Victor didn’t see it this way, for her face looked awful, dark as ink; although the Demon Dragon Race’s complexion tends to be darker, this shade of black was clearly not natural.
Nevertheless, even though Illidan Demon Emperor gave her a discourteous welcome, Victor dared not voice her anger.
The pride of a Near God made it difficult for her to endure such disrespect, but rationality told her that she couldn’t fall out with Illidan.
Because he had already received the entire set of Demon Emperor’s Demon Artifacts from the Seven Great Demon Kings, making him frighteningly powerful, perhaps able to suppress her single-handedly.
And that wasn’t the crux; the key was that Illidan never displayed any intention to kill her, which indicated possibilities for communication and cooperation.
The so-called banquet ensued, with Illidan Demon Emperor flaunting his affection for her, and although their behavior was not frivolous nor particularly affectionate, a nauseatingly sweet atmosphere permeated the room, unable to be dispersed.
Until the single-handedly fake hospitality ended, Illidan Demon Emperor dismissed everyone, even the Proud Demon King was not retained, leaving only him and her facing each other to discuss matters in the banquet hall.
"The courtesy due has been given, and I am also grateful for your support of Ilya and the others, retrieving the Demon Emperor’s Demon Artifact for me. However, concerning your stay, my stance remains unchanged..."
In a private discussion with Victor, Lynn wasn’t completely confident in his acting skill, but fortunately, he had rehearsed it in his mind several times and was essentially playing a role, allowing him to consistently avoid slip-ups.
After all, even without acting, he was filled with revulsion and caution towards Victor.
If this is what you call courtesy, then I might as well be called a model of morality, and the Demon Realm could be renamed the Land of Etiquette!
Victor first ridiculed in her heart, then switched to a smile and continued the previously unfinished conversation with Lynn.
"I understand that allowing me, a Near God Demon Dragon, to dwell near the Demon Emperor is challenging, but my sincerity is genuine. Besides offering the Demon Emperor’s Demon Artifact to give you absolute power advantage, I am also willing to establish a Servant Contract with you, further ensuring my lack of ulterior motives."
By this point, Victor’s sincerity was truly displayed, although the effectiveness of a Servant Contract is not as binding as a Master-Slave Contract, which can lock demons down. Nevertheless, it provides much more solid restraint than verbal loyalty.
Unlike the Master-Slave Contract, which upon signing can only be revoked unilaterally by the master, or naturally dissolves when the servant undergoes Ascension to Divinity, the Servant Contract can be actively dissolved by both parties. However, dissolving it voluntarily leads to a significant decrease in strength, dropping to half of the current level.
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