Looking at the figure in a gown extending their hand, the Yellow-covered Book did not hesitate at all.

[My loyalty to the boss is eternal, as clear as the sun and moon!]

[How dare this little Demon King from who knows where try to sow discord?]

I! The noble Holy Scripture! Even if the pages are torn, the words obliterated, I will never yield!]

Immediately after, it issued an irrefutable command to Earl Bona—Attack!

Water Binding!

The Demon King casually controlled Bona, his voice tinged with confusion, "What are you doing, Ah Huang?"

[Huh?]

The Yellow-covered Book seemed stunned, the furious handwriting on the pages slowly faded as it activated its own ability to reassess the surrounding emotions.

None!

None of the malice it had almost grown accustomed to, that omnipresent background noise!

This meant the guy in front of it wasn’t the boss...

[Really the Lord Demon King?]

The Demon King did not answer directly but instead leaned over and gently took the book from Bona’s limp grasp with his velvet-gloved hand.

He walked to a high-backed armchair by the fireplace and sat down nonchalantly, placing the Yellow-covered Book flat on his lap.

His voice carried a hint of sympathy, "You seem to have had a tough time."

[Lord Demon King!!!]

The handwriting on the pages suddenly enlarged, every stroke saturated with endless grievances.

[Why didn’t you wake up sooner!]

[You have no idea what kind of days I’ve been living these past two years!]

[Look! Just look! My pages... only these ten or so are left! And half of them, I only managed to replenish secretly this month!]

[I miss you so much, sir! I miss the days of following you in the past!]

"Has that brat Metis been that bad to you?" He paused briefly, then contradicted his own words, "No, that can’t be right, you secretly created a spiritual field here; Metis didn’t know, so are you working for someone else?"

[I... I’m working for Puki now...]

"Puki... those Mushroom Race." The Demon King recalled the Puki who had stomped to death his controlled Slimes.

Having been out for so long, he naturally understood the current situation of the Continent and knew these Mushroom Race had spread their fungal mat covering nearly half the world in just two years.

The Demon King nodded but did not continue to ask further, instead he stood up and said:

"Alright, let’s go, it’s not safe to stay here for long, we can discuss the details later."

[Please wait, sir!]

"What is it?" The Demon King stopped and waited for the Yellow-covered Book’s explanation.

[Lord Demon King... the boss... ah, it’s the Puki I’m working with now]

[Though they seem strange and do wicked things, they actually want to save the world]

[What I mean is, perhaps there is no fundamental conflict that requires us to be at odds?]

[If possible... would you consider working together with them?]

[I’m willing to bridge the connection between Lord Demon King and those Puki]

"Hmm?"

The pages of the Yellow-covered Book made a nervous rustling noise.

"Collaboration is possible," the Demon King’s words excited the Yellow-covered Book, but his next sentence extinguished this small possibility, "However, Ah Huang, you need to understand one thing, the Savior who can save the world, or rather has the qualification to decide its future direction, can only be one."

"Is your current boss willing, in the end, to sacrifice themselves to complete me?"

Though not understanding why there can only be one Savior, the Yellow-covered Book just thought of its pages being crumpled and couldn’t imagine the boss ’sacrificing themselves for others’.

In other words, there exists a fundamental contradiction, and no basis for cooperation.

"So, do you really like your boss?"

[How could I!]

[It’s just that my little life is still in its hands]

"Oh?" The Demon King’s tone slightly rose, as if intrigued.

He didn’t inquire further, simply inserted a wisp of spiritual power into the Yellow-covered Book, and quickly discovered a large lump wrapped around the book’s core.

"I see..." The Demon King withdrew his mental tendril, a hint of understanding in his tone, "It’s certainly troublesome. No wonder you don’t dare leave with me. This shackle, though rough, is heavy enough."

He tapped his finger lightly on the book spine, pondering for a moment: "However, it’s not without solutions. Although the total volume of the soul aggregate used to imprison you is significant, the technique used to limit you is rather crude. I can temporarily force your core into a dormant state, making it undetectable, so it won’t be able to harm you."

"Once I’ve recovered more of my scattered Power and am in a more complete state, I can assure you that, under the premise of not harming your essence, I will help you break free from this bondage, and then awaken you."

[That’s really great]

[However, Lord Demon King, I have one last question]

"Ask quickly." The Demon King looked out through the study window, already faintly seeing the returning soldiers’ torchlight.

[It’s just... when can I get my own soul?]

"I figured it would be this, but I’m sorry, I can’t make you any guarantees."

[Were you lying to me all along?]

"I wasn’t deceiving you. I genuinely thought I could create a soul quickly back then, but unfortunately, a certain condition is lacking."

[What condition?]

The Demon King shook his head: "I don’t know, only by reaching higher can it be elucidated, hence I can’t make any promises, but I assure you, once the condition is met, I will craft a soul for you."

[I see, it can’t be helped then...]

The Demon King, seeing the slightly downcast handwriting on the pages, patted the cover of the Yellow-covered Book comfortingly.

Suddenly, a ripple appeared in front of the Demon King, as if something invisible was blocked by an equally invisible barrier.

A brief and awkward silence.

"Did you attempt to Charm me?"

[Save me, boss!]

[This guy wants to kidnap me!!!]

A whooshing sound came from behind the Demon King, as the Knight Puki’s Tentacle Blade chopped down mercilessly.

Sneak attack?!

In an instant, the Demon King realized he had been led to emotions by Ah Huang, unwittingly focusing all his attention on the book, otherwise the enemy wouldn’t have gotten so close.

The hand holding the Yellow-covered Book was severed, but after falling to the ground, it fused back together, evidently causing no real harm to the Demon King.

The Knight Puki wrapped around the Yellow-covered Book, its tentacle gently brushing over the pages.

Demon King: "..."

[Boss, let’s run, this old guy is really formidable!]

The Knight Puki remained still.

[The Ultimate in Magic Conduct]

[Virtue of Honesty]

[Demon King]

...

Looking at the panel, Lin Jun knew full well that the guy in front of him was rather formidable.

So formidable that a single Knight Puki stood no chance against him.

Could it be that the Demon King has already been released?!

Escape is impossible, Lin Jun could only gather as much information as possible.

However, oddly enough, the specific details on the Demon King’s panel were rather incomplete, with much of the information blurred and illegible, something Lin Jun had never encountered before.

Is it some technique to obscure panels?

Or is it simply because the Demon King in front of him is incomplete?

Despite being incomplete, the Knight Puki still couldn’t win, not even escape.

The Yellow-covered Book surely can’t fall into the enemy’s hands, so the only choice is to...

Yet, unexpectedly, the Demon King did not attack but instead took a step back, a Magic Array formed underfoot, and Lin Jun recognized it as Teleportation Magic.

"Well, Ah Huang, try finding your own way out for the time being, I’ll come for you at a more suitable time."

The magic’s brilliance flashed and vanished, and the Demon King disappeared from the study.

Puki wrapped with the Yellow-covered Book, another unconscious Earl lay on the ground.

The tentacle scribbled across the pages: "Ah Huang?"

[Well, boss]

[This time, I truly had no ulterior motives! Seriously!]