Chapter 65 (1/2)
The night was still long but the castle was calm and peaceful—it seemed so, at least.
One would have remained calm only if one did not see the spectacle in the castle.
The five-meter tall demon sat with its legs crossed and still looked overly gigantic. Flame and lava spattered out constantly from it, turning the area within its ten-meter radius a glistening red. The stone under its butt had melted into lava; it was like sitting on a lake of magma. The demon and Hao Ren had verified each other’s identity. Hao Ren even reconfirmed the result with the MDT. With that, the goal of their thrilling mission was finally accomplished.
However, Hao Ren felt that the ordeal was rather surreal.
“My name is Y’zaks,” The demon lowered its body as it spoke. It was a polite gesture on its part but Hao Ren had to bounce about to avoid being burned and splattered with the demon’s super hot lava. The demon’s thunderous voice was constantly intertwined with sounds of bursting lava. Its language sounded like a mouthful. It seemed complicated. If not for the powerful interpreting brain of the MDT, Hao Ren would have given up talking to the giant. The demon was heard speaking Chinese in a Japanese-English kind of accent. “The first time we meet, it’s important to be talkative—it’s said that this is the way to greet someone you meet for the first time here.”
Hao Ren was sweating profusely because the temperature around the demon was f*cking hot. It was not known how Raven found the strange creature. Nonetheless, he gasped at the demon’s ability to converse in a civil manner. He politely nodded towards the demon which called itself Y’zaks. “Nice to meet you too. Just call me Hao Ren. Did Raven 12345 brief you about us?”
The demon replied with a wry smile, “Yes, I have been informed. I know what’s going on. Please don’t be afraid, I won’t hurt people. I know demons aren’t exactly welcomed creatures in most worlds but there’s no need for overreacting. You’re an agent.”
“Looks like you know about the word ‘agent’ more than I do. In fact, I just signed up for the job.” Hao Ren glanced at the demon curiously. “Actually, I’m not afraid. It’s just that you’re too hot to be around…”
The demon guffawed. “Ahh ha ha, that’s interesting. In fact, I’ve made contact with the Xi Ling Celestials and ended up owing them a favor in the process. So I’m totally aware of you. By the way, let the two maidens come. No need to be always on your guard. I’m not dangerous at all. All I ask is to live in peace and have a roof over my head.”
Hao Ren stared wide-eyed at the demon. Under the skin of its obsidian-like, rugged face seemed to lie a less grim personality, he thought—but it was terrifyingly ghastly at first sight. The demon sounded depressed though; if the favor he owed the Xi Ling Celestials was anything to go by, something might have happened to it. However, Hao Ren did not care at that moment. He turned around to speak with Vivian and Lily. “Okay. You two, please step forward. Vivian, could you please tuck your bats away. And Lily, please put down that damn rock; it’s not your usual brick. It’s a stone wall and it’s over a meter long, mind you!”
Lily tossed the huge, one-ton stone on the floor with a big thud before cautiously pulling closer to Vivian. The two maidens spoke no demon language but they roughly grasped the meaning as Hao Ren and the demon spoke. Vivian stared marvelously at the huge burning lump. “Please tell me this thing isn’t our new housemate.”
“Bingo! His name’s Y’zaks. It speaks no human language. So, I’ll ask Raven if she can provide translation machines for you guys as well when I’m back there. By then, you guys will be able to communicate with ease.”
The demon had taken note of the introduction. It gave Vivian and Lily a million-watt smile. Lily’s tail instantly puffed up.
“…Is it speaking in demon language?” Vivian glanced at Y’zaks with a weird look on her face. “I’ve had numerous encounters with demons but none spoke this way. It’s speaking like a tape that’s playing backwards—totally illegible.”
Speaking of which, Hao Ren also felt how bizarre its language was. Compounded with the accident that happened when Vivian tried to seal the Demon Stone, his curiosity for Y’zaks was piqued.
“I come from another world,” Y’zaks spoke matter-of-factly. “A world not of another planet but of a different universe. My world shares the same physical constants as yours yet, it is very far from here. The planet where I lived is a little bigger than Earth so its gravitational force is a tiny bit stronger. But that’s okay. It doesn’t affect me much.”
Hao Ren was keeping mum. So the demon added, “I was supposed to be assigned to another settlement which was roughly two billion light years from Earth. However, I wasn’t fond of the high-oxygen atmosphere there. Hence, I was reassigned to your planet.”
For over 10 seconds, Hao Ren stared at Y’zaks with his mouth agape before being perturbed by the demon’s discorded way of speech. He said with an odd look on his face, “Well… I get what you mean but why did you describe it in such a way? I mean, you should have said that you came from another dimension or space; that you were summoned to this world by Raven with her mystic magic or something; that the force of the elements from both worlds are almost the same… I just think this should be the natural way a demon speaks. Aren’t you a demon, the legendary creature…”