Chapter 679 “Request for Subscription” Dark Demon? Death’s Coffin
When these words were spoken, Dark naturally did not delve deeper.
He sat in the store for a while, inquired about some events happening within the Duke’s Mansion, and then took Jossie to purchase essential living items.
The two maids came on a flying dragon, so they didn’t have much luggage and planned to stay at the academy for only a short time.
As for their place of residence… they temporarily stayed together with Eve in the teacher’s dormitory originally belonging to Claire.
Since they were both inside the academy, it was convenient for experiments.
After shopping, it was already around six o’clock in the afternoon.
Through his conversation with Jossie, Dark gained more understanding about the situation at the Duke’s Mansion.
The pioneering use of “Underworld Fire” led to an overall increase in the strength of the maid corps.
Jossie and Nene were among the top performers!
Both were top-tier fighters in their respective fields but lacked mana cultivation, which prevented them from advancing further.
Now, with “Underworld Fire” as a bridge, their mana finally broke through their limits, and with the assistance of Alvaraite in crafting armed cards, they were no longer inferior to the renowned heroes during wartime.
Among them, Nene, as a combat maid of “Scorpio Palace,” was more proficient in mana manipulation, so she could still control herself even after a surge in mana.
Jossie received more mana than Nene, which she couldn’t fully contain, constantly emitting a terrifying aura akin to that of a magical beast.
If not for the mana control device around her neck, many温室中的花朵 (greenhouse flowers) might have been frightened.
At seven o’clock in the evening, people from Traveler’s Street gradually moved towards Food Street, causing the number of customers in the branch store to decrease. Dark instructed Eve to temporarily close the shop and brought them all to the restaurant they had reserved in advance.
Entering the private room and sitting down at the table, Jossie and Nene appeared somewhat awkward.
Despite Dark Demon having no airs, his demeanor put them under pressure.
Fortunately, Professor Lily helped liven up the atmosphere, and Jossie and Nene gradually relaxed.
Nene clearly noticed that her daytime act wasn’t well-received, so she became more serious in the evening.
Jossie, on the other hand, remained consistent, showing completely different personalities.
One was shrewd, the other was innocent.
But Dark actually didn’t dislike either type.
Without some cunning, one wouldn’t make a good assassin.
…
After dinner, Dark immediately got to the point.
Jossie and Nene weren’t there to play; both cooperated very well.
Eve originally wanted to return to the shop to continue business, but Dark thought she would need “Underworld Fire” afterward, so he called her along too.
Then, they left Traveler’s Street and returned to the teacher’s dormitory.
Professor Lily hummed a tune and flew back to her own room after entering the dormitory.
Dark and others went to Claire’s room and locked the door.
Nene then swiftly set up a barrier in the room.
For the Duke’s Mansion, “Underworld Fire” was indeed a secret matter.
Once everything was ready, Dark used the non-sentient [Magical Beast: Ibut] to perform the sacrificial summon of “Death’s Coffin.”
As “Death’s Coffin” emerged from the summoning array, Jossie and Nene instantly focused. They clearly sensed a familiar aura from “Death’s Coffin” similar to “Underworld Fire.”
“Is this the mana golem that the young master mentioned?”
Nene raised her head, revealing fear.
This was no mana golem; it was a huge coffin!
If this coffin wasn’t pink all over with a weird sense of girlishness, she would have instinctively retreated into the shadows by now.
But her thoughts were quick, and she immediately understood something, turning her head toward the young master with a pale face.
“Hold on, young master, you said the method to extract ‘Underworld Fire’ wouldn’t be…”
Exactly this shouldn’t be!
Dark narrowed his eyes slightly and smiled, “Don’t worry, it won’t hurt.”
“Who would be afraid of pain!” Nene widened her eyes, inwardly grumbling. She suddenly found the young master less adorable!
Finally able to come out for fresh air, “Death’s Coffin” let out a joyful cry and lunged at Dark.
Fortunately, its speed was slow, and Dark was prepared, avoiding embarrassment in front of the maids.
Dark grabbed the dark shadow tentacle of “Death’s Coffin” and said to Jossie and Nene, “So, who will go first?”
…
“Des!”
“Death’s Coffin” was over two and a half meters tall, appearing even larger indoors. Its four shadow hands waved around, making it look terrifying.
Jossie wasn’t afraid of these, but she still looked troubled.
Given her height and build, would the interior space of “Death’s Coffin” be too narrow?
But the maids of “Lion’s Palace” never feared, so she stepped forward first, “I’ll give it a try.”
“Good.” Dark praised, “I’ll make ‘Death’s Coffin’ move slowly. If you feel any discomfort, tap the lid. It will open immediately.”
“Death’s Coffin” can imprison targets within its body, devouring souls and converting mana.
Although “Underworld Fire” isn’t a living being, it has characteristics similar to a soul and is of high quality, thus capable of converting into mana limit.
However, it is merely a mana golem, even if it possesses intelligence, Dark couldn’t be sure if it could distinguish different souls within its body.
If it accidentally swallowed the soul of a maid trapped inside while devouring “Underworld Fire,” it would be counterproductive.
Therefore, this experiment also carries some risks.
Overall, there are three main goals for this experiment.
The first goal is to see if “Death’s Coffin” can distinguish different souls, only consuming “Underworld Fire” without harming human souls.
The second goal is to see if “Death’s Coffin” can eliminate “Underworld Fire.”
The third goal is to see if the power obtained by the maids through “Underworld Fire” will disappear once it’s eliminated—if it does, find a way to prevent it!
Each of these goals carries risk.
But Nene and Jossie were chosen from hundreds of battle maids, naturally with the awareness of taking risks.
Following Dark’s gesture, Jossie walked to “Death’s Coffin,” took a deep breath, and said, “Let’s do it!”
Dark nodded slightly, signaling “Death’s Coffin” to open the lid.
“Des—” “Death’s Coffin” blinked, suddenly extending four shadow hands, grabbing Jossie and opening the lid, pressing her forcefully into its body!
Of course, this press had no effect.
Jossie stood firm like a rock.
“Death’s Coffin” immediately stiffened, filled with disappointment at the failure of its prank.
Seeing this, Eve covered her mouth and giggled lightly.
Dark said helplessly, “Be serious.”
“Des…” “Death’s Coffin,” feeling more dejected due to being scolded, finally restrained its playful thoughts.
Dark carefully examined it and Jossie, suddenly sensing something amiss, and after a while, said, “How about lying down?”
Thus, “Death’s Coffin” changed from standing to lying flat, finally resembling a coffin.
Jossie opened the lid, stepping in voluntarily, placing her hands on her chest and abdomen like a princess awaiting a prince’s kiss, lying down nervously.
Despite her large size in every sense, fortunately, “Death’s Coffin” was spacious enough for slight movement.
Dark thought for a moment, then took a pillow from the room and placed it under her.
“How do you feel?”
“It’s fine.”
With the pillow, Jossie felt much more secure.
Dark then said, “Let’s begin.”
As soon as he spoke, “Death’s Coffin’s” lid slammed shut, emitting faint ethereal energy.
Dark immediately realized, “Death’s Coffin” had started operating!
Nene and Eve, watching from the side, showed slight nervous expressions.
Afterward, no one spoke.
Everyone waited in silence.
According to the plan, Jossie would lie in “Death’s Coffin” for six minutes.
Using this six-minute interval as a benchmark, they conducted multiple experiments until results were obtained.
…
The first six minutes quickly passed.
During this process, Jossie did not tap the lid.
When “Death’s Coffin” opened the lid, she opened her eyes, with no abnormalities throughout her body.
“How is it?”
While asking, Dark carefully perceived.
He could sense the aura of “Underworld Fire” within Jossie, but six minutes was insufficient for significant changes to be easily perceived.
Jossie propped herself up halfway, slightly frowning, “I can feel ‘Underworld Fire’ being absorbed a little. As for whether my soul is damaged, my perception isn’t that sharp.”
“Anything else?” Nene suddenly asked, “Did you feel uncomfortable being locked in the coffin? Or any strange sensations?”
Jossie shook her head, “No, just a bit unaccustomed…”
“Then I’ll go next!” Nene volunteered eagerly, “Our maids from ‘Scorpio Palace’ are extremely sensitive.”
Dark agreed, “Then let’s switch.”
In the last six minutes, “Death’s Coffin’s” mana limit did indeed increase by one point, indicating it was utilizing its power.
But lacking sufficient experience, “Death’s Coffin” could only separate “Underworld Fire” and other things to the best of its ability when using power. It couldn’t explain the changes well.
After Jossie exited the coffin, Nene quickly lay down, closing her eyes tightly, waiting for “Death’s Coffin” to close the lid.
“Des?”
“Uh-huh.”
After Dark instructed it, “Death’s Coffin” began trying.
…
Another six minutes later, “Death’s Coffin’s” mana limit successfully increased by another point.
Nene propped herself up halfway after the lid opened, exhaling, “My soul hasn’t been affected yet, but it hasn’t touched the area where ‘Underworld Fire’ connects with the soul, so we can’t confirm yet.”
Dark nodded, recording this experimental result.
Then, they alternated, conducting multiple experiments repeatedly.
“Death’s Coffin” demonstrated excellent control, without any harm to the soul.
But as Nene said, their “Underworld Fire” was still very vigorous. Absorbing it from the periphery made it easier to avoid damage.
So, they needed to drain one person’s “Underworld Fire” entirely before drawing a conclusion.
Their “Underworld Fire” was about three times that of Dark’s.
Based on “Death’s Coffin’s” consumption rate, it would take at least three days.
Three days, sixteen hours a day, each person taking eight hours, ultimately requiring six days to complete this cycle of experiments.
Dark quickly outlined a preliminary plan.
His sleep schedule was from ten PM to six AM, during which he couldn’t sustain “Death’s Coffin.”
Thus, Nene and Jossie needed to adjust their schedules, moving their sleep time to the day.
Nene slept from six AM to two PM inside “Death’s Coffin.”
Jossie slept from two PM to ten PM.
This way, they could free up sixteen hours every day.
These sixteen hours were incredibly valuable!
Claire had already applied for library access for them.
Though they couldn’t borrow books, they could read in the library.
If they really wanted to borrow, Eve could help.
Meanwhile, Eve would provide guidance during her free time.
Although their current strength was stronger than Eve’s, her knowledge level was higher than theirs.
Within this experimental cycle, they could learn as much as possible.
…
The night’s experiment continued until ten PM, and Dark finally relaxed, bringing “Death’s Coffin” back.
The sweet scent upon entering the door eased his mood.
To expedite the experiment, he quickly finished his night meal, washed up, practiced Shadow God Technique, and fell asleep within an hour.
The next morning at six AM, he left promptly to continue the experiment in the teacher’s dormitory.
As “Death’s Coffin” became more familiar with the two maids, Dark prepared to have them handle the communication and record the results themselves.
Nene exited “Death’s Coffin” after five hours, and Dark took her to Traveler’s Street to meet with Jossie and Eve for a sumptuous lunch.
Afterward, the first batch of semi-finished “Flower Cards” was delivered to the shop.
This first batch consisted of three hundred cards.
He almost immediately began the binding process in the shop, linking each “Flower Card” with the “Soul of the Moon Goddess.”
Fortunately, this step wasn’t complicated; with practice, he could even bind multiple cards simultaneously.
It took him over an hour to activate and bind all three hundred “Flower Cards,” then sell them directly in the shop!
—Not as gifts, but for sale.
Each “Flower Card” cost five credits, equivalent to half a basic blank mana card.
This price was far from expensive, and compared to the technology involved in “Flower Cards,” it was even considered cheap.
But Dark’s goal was to quickly sell off “Flower Cards”; the cheaper, the better—indeed, but too low-end.
In fact, charging was just a facade.
After Sunday, when Traveler’s Street closed, he would quietly release the subsequent “Flower Cards.”
Similarly, free, but in this way, “Flower Cards” would gain a basic value.
Unexpectedly, “Flower Cards” became a hit once they were listed!
