Kirnish returned after helping Isaac readjust the dungeon conditions. For some reason, he looked satisfied; some of his advice was accepted by Isaac and applied to the dungeon. This made him feel valued. Compared to when he served Baron Gustav, none of his ideas were ever accepted.
Most demons were too arrogant to hear the thoughts of the beings they thought were inferior, while Isaac was quite open-minded. As long as he got suggestions that were reasonable and useful for the dungeon, he wasn't hesitant to implement them. He realized that ego did not make him win this game.
Every creature had hidden potential, and Isaac would use them to achieve his goals.
"Learn every element in the dungeon, and use them to the fullest."
"Yes, my lord," Kirnish replied.
The affairs in the Beijing dungeon were over. It was time for Isaac to return to where he came from. He gave Kirnsih a little advice before his departure; such as exterminating the 'leecher', choosing the right boss as a warden, and determining which humans were quite perfect to harvest.
Isaac applied the second dungeon's scheme to the first dungeon; the first two floors were where the beginner hunters grew up, the next floor was for selection. He told Kirnish to place two bosses on Floor 3 and Floor 4. As for which boss to choose, the decision was left to the Dungeon Manager.
The reason Isaac let Kirnish make the decision was to gauge how high the servant's abilities were in managing the dungeon. He needed someone he could trust to hold the dungeon in Beijing; the best option was Kirnish, but Isaac still needed to determine if the man was really worthy.
In the end, it was quite difficult for him to manage two dungeons at the same time.
On top of that, he was more focused on his dungeon that was on the tripoint border. Because the location of the dungeon was a major determinant of victory over domination in East Asia.
"Alright, Kirnish, I'll leave the rest to you. I'll be back in a month to see how it goes. And if something happens, you must call me immediately. I don't care at any time. You understand?"
Kirnish lowered his head respectfully. "Yes, my lord. I won't let you down." Every word that came out of his mouth was full of pride.
Isaac smiled with satisfaction hearing that. Then, he hurried back to his place; his body began to glow, preparing to be teleported.
However, Isaac canceled it. His face turned sour. Kirnish who saw it squinting his eyes; there was something bothering his master, but he didn't dare to ask.
A few seconds ago, Isaac heard a notification.
[A request to speak from Baron Loke!]
For the past few weeks, Baron Loke had tried to keep in touch with him, but Isaac didn't accept it because he was busy reorganizing the dungeon. If he ignored it again, it was likely that an unnecessary conflict would ensue.
Isaac accepted the call.
The Crystal Core lit up brightly, projecting the face of a skinny male demon. He smiled, the lines on his face pulled up, showing that his expression wasn't just a show.
Meanwhile, Isaac was the opposite. He quickly put on a smiling expression, even though he was fed up inside. He needed to hurry.
As usual, Baron Loke greeted Isaac in a pleasant manner, asking how he had been and his condition for the past few days.
"Every time I see you, you seem tense, Lord. You really need a break. Even if you're not tired, you need time to relax. The brain is like a knife, if it is used continuously it will become dull."
"Thank you for your concern. I'll try to apply your advice another time. But right now, I'm really busy."
Baron Loke smiled. "Of course, you have two dungeons now. There is more work to do, and you must divide your attention."
Isaac had already guessed what Baron Loke wanted to talk about. It must be about the dungeons, especially after he rose to rank 70 and obtained Baron Gustav's assets. Of course, this was getting the attention of other demons.
Moreover, with how Isaac got it, they must be a bit taken aback.
"So, what do you want to talk about, Baron Loke?" Isaac asked without beating around the bush. Once the demon spoke of the 'dungeon', there was no point in procrastinating with pleasantries.
His interlocutor also did not want to linger their conversation.
Baron Loke seemed to take a deep breath. "It's good news that you beat the Dungeon Master; successful in the first pvp. What's more, you also get all his assets. However…"
Baron Loke's expression turned serious.
"You killed Baron Gustav who was part of our alliance. We're not angry, but we can't accept this. Killing one of the members is tantamount to weakening the alliance."
Isaac narrowed his eyes while continuing to put on a fake smile. He kept listening to Baron Loke's chatter.
"I'm sure you know enough about it," Baron Loke added. "Especially the location of Baron Gustav's dungeon is close to Mongolia and Russia. Beijing is the vanguard against the attacks from the North. If Beijing collapses, the whole of China also collapses. So, dungeon ownership in Beijing was crucial. I suggest you leave Baron Gustav's dungeon to us."
Isaac finally let go of his theatrical smile. The atmosphere had changed. Now he could actually clearly see Duke Barbatos and Baron Loke's plans.
From the start, they were aiming for the dungeon holdings in Beijing. Baron Gustav, the Dungeon Master they believed in was not working well, thus, they used all the possible ways to take it over.
They chose to bring Isaac and Baron Gustav into conflict and made one of these two Demon Lords die. If Baron Gustav won, he would rule the dungeon at the tripoint border. They would have the dungeon in Beijing handed over, while Baron Gustav was operating in Isaac's former dungeon.
If Isaac won, they would make Isaac a criminal who broke the agreement. They demanded that he give up the Beijing dungeon in exchange for his penance. In addition, this method would make Isaac an obedient dog.
No matter which of them died, the dungeon in Beijing would fall into their hands.
However, Isaac would not allow himself to be taken advantage of. He wouldn't let another demon rob him of his hard work.
A smirk appeared on his face.
"If not?"
The short sentence that came out of Isaac's mouth made Baron Loke narrow his eyes. The demon didn't expect Isaac to not feel guilty at all. Under these conditions, Isaac should have either given excuse for killing Baron Gustav.
This was beyond his expectation.
"Killing an alliance member is not a trivial matter. This is a great sin. You have to pay for your mistakes."
Baron Loke stared intently into Isaac's eyes; the gleam of intimidation shone.
"He came to me with insults and death threats. I had asked nicely, giving him a chance to explain, but he wanted blood. So I gave him what he wanted. But what surprised me even more, he came on someone's orders."
Baron Loke opened his eyes wide. "It seems you misunderstood. I'm not here to hear your explanation, but to hold you accountable. Simply hand over the dungeon in Beijing. All your mistakes will be forgiven. Besides, the alliance members will trust you even more, Lord Isaac, especially Duke Barbatos."
Isaac chuckled. Baron Loke looked astonished by the reaction he had just seen.
"You're the one misunderstanding here, Baron Loke. Since when did I say join the alliance? I just said 'lend' my power. I agree to help your alliance, as long as it's not a binding relationship like this. I don't want to get involved in the dominance of power between the Dukes."
Instantly, Baron Loke was furious. "Lord Isaac, don't play around."
"That's what I should say; don't play with me, Lord Loke. Your alliance is just a playgroup created by Duke Barbatos. If Duke Barbatos really considered me an equal, he should have spoken to me directly, instead of telling the courier to deliver the message. I'm sure all of you held a meeting without inviting me, right? You still consider our bullshit relationship an alliance? Stop joking around."
Instantly, Baron Gustav's face turned red, the veins on his head bulged. The demon, who usually always had a poker face, was now showing his anger.
"Do you realize with your words? You are tantamount to waging war on Duke Barbatos. There are nine dungeons surrounding you. They can attack you without going through PvP. Are you aware of that, Lord Isaac?"
"Then, I will destroy the dungeon in Beijing. Duke Vassago and Duchess Alyna will freely invade China from the north once they take control of Mongolia."
"You—"
At that very moment, all the words caught in his throat. Baron Loke couldn't argue or threaten Isaac any further. Right now, Duke Barbatos was in desperate need of a dungeon in Beijing.
Baron Loke could only click his tongue. He failed to control Isaac.
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