Chapter 470: Dark Demon’s Strict Review (8k)
“Has it already sprouted?”
Dark’s eyes revealed astonishment.
“It took some small tricks.”
Olivia lifted her skirt hem, carefully squatting down to closely observe the tiny sprout.
She was 1.66 meters tall, with a pure and gentle appearance, exuding an aura of quiet wisdom and amiability, always carrying a slight smile that made people feel at ease.
“The seeds of Diesel absorb the stray desires of people. Standing near them can calm one’s mind. Once they grow into towering trees, perhaps they will become a good spot for the sisters to have picnics during spring outings.”
Dark nodded slightly and squatted down, observing the new life up close.
The Desire Mother Tree was easily associated with the Seven Deadly Sins from its name alone.
Its leaves could be used to make thought notebooks, and its branches could be used to create advanced thought bottles.
If the tree bark was cut and tree sap extracted, a special potion could be brewed that allowed people to recall their joys, sorrows, anger, and happiness.
In short, its uses were numerous.
Unfortunately, its materials were not very suitable for crafting golems.
The creation of mana spirit cards was closely related to thoughts and emotions. The various materials of the Desire Mother Tree carried too many and varied thoughts, leading to the mana spirit card becoming a foul liquid during the crafting process.
Dark extended his hand, gently touching the sprout, then withdrew it and softly said, “Since you managed to make it sprout so quickly, you must have a relatively good understanding of how to nurture it into a tree within three months, right?”
Olivia winked at him: “It’s a secret.”
Dark: “Olivia—”
Olivia smiled: “Lord Duke will tell you.”
…
After finishing viewing the Diesel seeds, the trio did not immediately return but continued to slowly walk along the garden paths.
Olivia listed off the various flowers and plants in the garden as if reciting from memory.
Dark had previously been unaware of these things and had no interest, but now he was different.
He gradually discovered that there were many precious treasures hidden among the flowers in his backyard.
These treasures, if processed, could become rare ingredients for crafting potions.
Only when the orange-red sun completely set behind the treetops did Dark finally leave the garden and arrive near the pond.
A powerful waterfall cascaded down from the mountain wall, crashing into the pond with a thunderous roar, displaying a grand sight.
The exotic water creatures in the pond sensed someone approaching and surfaced, emitting affectionate sounds.
Dark led Aurora to sit on a large rock, reminiscing: “When I’m feeling down, I always like to come here. Watching the waterfall crash down from such a height feels like throwing away accumulated frustrations, giving me a very refreshing sensation.”
Aurora whispered: “You also have days when you’re not feeling well?”
Dark was surprised: “Of course.”
Aurora stuck out her tongue; she had always assumed Dark Demon was the kind of person who didn’t care much about anything.
From what he had done in the past, one could see a bit of this.
However, Dark had recovered his memories from his past life, naturally becoming much more mature.
She shifted her attention to the water creatures in the pond and suddenly exclaimed in surprise: “Isn’t that a Water Dragon Lizard?”
Dark followed her gaze and saw a huge lizard emerge from the water.
Its head was flat like a toad, its body covered in dark green scales, limbs spread outward, webbed feet, a long and powerful tail ending in a fin.
This was the first time he had seen a Water Dragon Lizard in the pond, and he couldn’t help but ask: “Olivia, is this a new arrival this year?”
Olivia smiled slightly and said: “Yes. Its name is Water Treasure. It was rescued from Lord Duke’s laboratory after he defeated the Apocalyptic Dragon Cult.”
“Apocalyptic Dragon Cult?” Dark was somewhat surprised, “That sect’s name has quite a ring to it.”
Olivia explained slowly: “It’s a mad cult that aims to create a dragon beast that can destroy the world. They worship the ancient apocalyptic dragon beast, Glas.”
“Pfft.” Dark covered his mouth, not laughing out loud.
Why don’t you mention Godzilla? How about a pound of nuclear wastewater?
But the existence of the Water Dragon Lizard gave Dark some ideas.
Water Dragon Lizards were a type of semi-dragon with water attributes, ranging from low-star to high-star varieties.
The Water Dragon Lizard in the pond wasn’t particularly high-level, probably medium-level.
But judging by its condition, it seemed to be in excellent shape.
It likely gained weight during its stay in the Duke’s mansion.
“Mia—”
Suddenly, the Water Dragon Lizard emitted a cat-like sound at Olivia, causing both Dark and Aurora to freeze momentarily.
Olivia explained: “Water Treasure’s vocal cords were removed in an experiment, and they haven’t fully healed yet, so it can only produce this sound.”
As she spoke, the little water creatures leaped out of the pond, scrambling to climb onto the flat, wide back of the Water Dragon Lizard.
Some hopped around while others lay on their backs, revealing their white, tender bellies to the sky, looking incredibly cute.
“It’s no wonder the Duke’s mansion can raise these naturally ferocious water creatures so well…”
Aurora involuntarily half-opened her mouth, feeling amazed.
Dark, on the other hand, observed the water creatures thoughtfully and then asked: “Has this Water Dragon Lizard shed its skin before?”
Olivia replied: “No. If the young master wants materials, we have blood crystals processed from its blood in the mansion.”
Dark asked: “Did it undergo a blood transfusion?”
Olivia nodded: “Its blood was severely polluted. We performed eight bloodlettings to save it, gradually diluting the toxins in its new blood. However, even so, there are still tiny pollutants in its blood.
But those won’t hinder the crafting of mana spirit cards much. If everything goes smoothly, they might even be expelled during the crafting process.”
Dark pondered for a moment and suddenly said: “So Mother bringing it back to the mansion was because of this consideration?”
“Of course.” Olivia’s smile grew wider, “After all, the young master is already a magus.”
…
By the time night fell, the three returned to their residence.
Alvaraite’s work sometimes lasted late into the evening, so dinner time was delayed accordingly.
Dark and Aurora arrived at the dining room first, noticing an additional shorter table nearby. The chairs around it were various custom-made designs.
Shortly thereafter, his golems entered the dining room in a line, led by the maids, like elementary school students.
Upon seeing Dark sitting in the dining room, the usually obedient golems suddenly became restless.
Several even tried to break out of formation to run towards Dark.
But Deoxys, who was leading, merely clapped lightly, and the commotion stopped.
The golems struggled to control their impulses and sat down at the new table one by one.
Dark propped his chin up, smiling as he watched them, the sadness of the day gradually fading.
Before long, the maids pushed meal carts into the room, serving cut fruit platters first, then teaching the golems how to use knives and forks.
The dining room gradually became bustling, filled with the golems’ meowing sounds.
Of course, some golems without hands could only watch.
Some felt lucky, while others felt disappointed.
Dark shifted his attention to a new newspaper after a maid brought him a glass of goat’s milk.
In the last two days, the situation in the capital city had been unpredictable, with the Church of the Saints becoming increasingly active.
The “execution plan” against the Demon King, which had been suppressed, seemed to be back on the agenda, with newspapers once again promoting the “achievements” of the Saint Scholar named Abel Yeghis.
Previous newspapers had claimed that he had discovered a method to completely kill the Demon King after over a decade of research.
Aurora, sitting idly beside him, picked up the newspaper and read it like Dark.
After a while, the adults arrived together.
Claire, Alvaraite, and Sona.
They sat down at the other end of the table, still talking incessantly.
Dark put down the newspaper, listening to their conversation, gradually understanding their current topic.
It was also about discussing matters related to the Church of the Saints.
“Have things been settled?” Dark paused for a moment and interjected.
Alvaraite did not react negatively to his interruption but instead smiled and said, “Things are largely settled. The Church should publicly execute the Demon King in July. They’ve kept their secrets well, even within the Church, many believe Abel Yeghis really discovered a way to completely kill the Demon King.”
“If we hadn’t known beforehand, we might have been half-convinced,” Claire shook his head and said, “The Church
In terms of deception, she was still as adept as ever.
Among the three adults, Alvaraite and Claire did not show much concern regarding the Demon King’s matter.
Only Suzanna Montiel Farley, since entering the door, had been worried and appeared to have no appetite.
After Alvaraite answered Dark’s question, she turned to her and said, “There’s no need to worry too much; just prepare in advance. Even if something does go wrong, I will have Eliza raise the flag and send troops to the Free City under the pretext of humanitarianism to help you defend against any potential crisis. This would also be beneficial for Eliza.”
Montiel Farley sighed slightly, “If possible, I still hope that the half-breeds can protect their own homes. The Free City is both our hope and our dignity. But if it’s truly unfeasible, I will seek help.”
“That’s good,” Alvaraite sighed with relief.
She was very familiar with this comrade’s personality, but it seemed that over the past ten years as the city leader, she had also changed.
Montiel Farley continued, “Given how things have developed, I must return to the city early. Whether the Demon King is resurrected or executed, such events would inevitably lead to an increase in activities by remnants of the demon race. We are on their former territory, and the Free City, with its mixed population, might be their first target.”
“Mother, are you going back?” Aurora had been quietly listening and couldn’t help but ask.
Montiel Farley nodded slightly, “It should take about three days. Once the execution ritual is confirmed, I’ll return. As for you, stay at Aunt Demon’s place. I know you won’t make me worry, right?”
“Mmm…” Aurora responded, clearly feeling down.
Alvaraite comforted her, “Little Aurora, consider this your home. If you miss home, you can always write a letter.”
Aurora nodded, “Thank you, Aunt.” Montiel Farley silently sighed but didn’t continue.
Leaving Aurora at the Duke’s Mansion was a decision made after careful consideration.
On one hand, she herself was not a Magus and could not provide Aurora with the education she needed.
On the other hand, the dangers facing the Free City were becoming increasingly severe. Aurora, despite appearing fragile, sometimes acted in ways that made her very uneasy. Given past experiences, she couldn’t risk placing Aurora in the Free City.
Aurora was her most precious treasure, with a priority even higher than the Free City itself.
…
As everyone arrived, the maids quickly served the food.
The three adults stopped discussing official matters and, led by Alvaraite, enthusiastically asked about Dark and Aurora’s activities throughout the day.
This was nothing to be embarrassed about.
Dark recounted his day’s activities in detail.
Clearly, he found them quite tedious, but for some reason, Alvaraite listened intently.
After Dark finished, she suddenly smiled and said, “It seems Little Aurora has been paying attention to your brother Dark for a long time, hasn’t she?”
Even though Dark hadn’t mentioned that he had done bad things in those places, Alvaraite saw through it immediately.
Caught off guard, Aurora almost blushed and ducked under the table.
Montiel Farley, seeing this, realized that even if she formally withdrew the engagement, it might not go smoothly.
Her daughter’s life was already filled with Dark Demon’s presence.
This realization made her shake her head repeatedly.
But who could blame her?
After all, it was her own loose lips that revealed the “engagement.”
…
After dinner, perhaps inspired by Dark’s tales of Mana Chess, Alvaraite suddenly felt like playing a game.
She asked Lady Jasmine, the head maid, to fetch an old set of Mana Chess from the warehouse.
Although the pieces were not as exquisite as the latest models and were quite different in type, anyone familiar with current Mana Chess could quickly learn how to play.
Dark played his first game with Alvaraite.
Unsurprisingly, he was utterly defeated!
Alvaraite always seemed foolish in front of him, making him almost forget that she was a seasoned Valkyrie!
Even when not commanding, she never faltered when required.
She handled various tactics and strategies effortlessly.
Dark’s chess skills were only good enough to beat his peers.
When faced with real veterans, he couldn’t even move a finger.
His crushing defeat ignited his fighting spirit.
He quickly arranged for the second game.
But again, he failed to turn the tide and suffered another defeat.
Watching him lose continuously, Claire couldn’t stop laughing.
Dark glared at her and started the third game.
The scene from earlier on the Starry Sky Tower was reversed.
Alvaraite tried to let him win, but Dark saw through it and continued playing.
Absorbing the lessons from his failures, his skill gradually improved.
Finally, after several games, he made a brilliant move and managed a hard-fought victory.
Before Alvaraite could suggest another game, he decisively ended it.
“It’s so late? Mom, I’m going to sleep. Good night.”
One win!
…
Back in his bedroom, Dark pulled up the system panel, smiling at the increased “Pride,” and extracted 1.5 points.
Among the Seven Deadly Sins, “Pride” was indeed the safest.
It was easy to increase and easy to control.
Just a short walk and a game of chess had boosted it easily.
“Pride, Greed, and Bliss.”
He looked at “Bliss.”
After only a few days at home, “Bliss,” which had been drained down to 80 points, had risen back to 89 points!
Seeing it almost reach the 90-point threshold, he couldn’t help but shake his head.
It wasn’t that Dark Demon lacked effort; there were simply too many temptations at home.
“However, with ‘Greed’ not performing well, perhaps the return of the Bliss Dragon King could alleviate the resource crisis.”
After serious reflection, he washed up, applied a face mask, and read “Around the World” before falling into a deep sleep.
…
The fourth day at home.
June 7th, Thursday.
Since there were no plans today, after breakfast, Dark carefully reviewed the tutoring resumes he had forgotten last night.
Sixteen tutors passed the basic screening, six males and ten females.
With mostly female family members, Dark preferred female tutors.
So he separated the genders and carefully examined the six male applicants.
With the intention of filtering them out, Dark’s gaze became more stringent.
Yet, he only eliminated five of the male applicants.
Looking at the last male applicant’s resume, Dark fell into deep thought.
He never expected a “Sage” to apply as a tutor!
“The inventor of the Silence Card.”
“Buckner Cyrus, the Silent Sage!”
An elderly scholar at eighty-three years old.
Though Cyrus was a low-profile figure in the scholarly community, his invention of the Silence Card made him well-known.
Cyrus was a classic example of slow but steady progress, understanding the principles at sixty and achieving remarkable success within a few years to become a true Sage.
Why would such a Sage apply for a tutor position? It couldn’t be for money or connections, and reputation might not even be a factor.
“Is he here because he knows his students are Mana Golems?”
Dark wondered.
Olivia wouldn’t have specified the exact students when posting the job.
She only mentioned that they were nearly zero-basis children who needed to complete all foundational education within three months.
Thus, interviews and internships followed the initial resume review.
But considering the children in the Duke’s Mansion…
If information was sufficiently accurate, it might be possible to deduce the specific students.
“For now, let’s put it aside. Since Olivia trusts this elder Sage, I’ll consult her later.”
Considering there were eighteen Mana Golems to teach and he planned to hire multiple tutors, he decided to keep a few interview slots open.
Next, he began reviewing the remaining ten female applicants.
“Debbie Giles, graduate of Saint Maryann Academy??”
“A sixth-year student?
Senior Sister?
Just the first one made Dak feel surprised.
He immediately became interested and examined it carefully.
“Graduated from Fool’s Academy, with average final exam results, evaluated as good.”
The graduation evaluation of Saint Maryann Academy only had three levels: Pass, Good, and Excellent.
So-called “Good” was already very decent.
After all, those who couldn’t pass couldn’t graduate. Those who passed were considered average, so “Good” naturally meant above average.
And the “Excellent” evaluation was very strict, an achievement only a few could obtain.
Of course…
Anyone who successfully graduated from Saint Maryann Academy, even if just passing, would be sufficient to teach the golems.
Moreover, she was young enough, full of vigor, and after joining the Duke’s Mansion, her resume would be enhanced with a golden touch.
If the golems’ learning speed was fast enough, she could also teach some basic magic-related knowledge.
These were her advantages.
As for her personality and character, they required an interview to see.
“Put it aside for now.”
After Dak finished reading, he put her resume aside.
Being from the same school, he naturally had a preference for this senior sister who had just graduated.
Then he picked up the second female applicant’s information.
“Monica Cook, hmm… Why does she look somewhat familiar?”
The middle-aged woman in the photo wearing glasses and looking stern made Dak try hard to recall.
But he didn’t stop checking.
Soon, he found the reason for the familiarity in this middle-aged woman’s resume.
“She was the tutor for two princesses!”
Dak couldn’t help but smile bitterly.
After receiving the acceptance letter from Saint Maryann Academy, the two little princesses were indeed freed.
For the next three months, they received permission from the queen to play freely.
Thus, this Ms. Cook was naturally unemployed.
Being the tutor for the little princesses, Ms. Cook’s character and abilities were naturally not a concern.
What Dak worried about was whether she was as strict as she appeared?
After all, her educational achievements were right in front of him; those two little princesses were far from being well-behaved.
Someone who could teach those two little princesses…
“It’s not her fault, and I’ve already prepared a supervisor maid for each of them, so there should be no problem with that aspect.”
“Looking at it this way, Ms. Cook can be hired directly.”
“Mm, put it aside for now.”
So, after Dak finished reading Monica Cook’s information, he placed it together with the previous two.
Next was the third female applicant’s information.
Dak flipped through the documents, closed them after just a glance.
Reason: Not a good match.
…
The next few applicants each had their own advantages, but their drawbacks were also quite obvious.
It wasn’t until the seventh female applicant that Dak regained some interest.
“Let me take a look, former director of the royal botanical garden?”
The photo showed a kind-looking elderly lady.
She resigned from the royal botanical garden due to old age.
In other words, normal retirement.
And she still received half of her previous salary every month.
For such an elderly lady, retirement and a leisurely life should have been her ideal later years.
But she clearly did not want to end this way.
“Batty Plant, 61 years old, has some research into grass-type magic.”
“Hmm, let’s see how her physical condition and mental state are.”
“Next.”
…
The eighth and ninth female applicants were also quite good, but compared to the selected few, they seemed less impressive.
After filtering them out, Dak picked up the last set of information.
This time, the applicant surprised him again, even more unexpectedly.
“Camilla??”
“What is she doing here?”
Without hesitation, Dak placed “Silver Wolf Knight” Camilla’s information in the “Not Passed” section.
But moments later, he picked up the information again, looking somewhat embarrassed.
“Silver Wolf Knight” Camilla, as Viscount Gretebail’s wife, Diana’s mother, and Aurora’s aunt.
If she wasn’t just here for fun, then her purpose for applying as a tutor was very clear.
“She probably wants a legitimate reason to enter the Duke’s Mansion?”
“Well, let’s interview her and see what she can teach.”
…
With that, the initial resume review came to an end.
Dak had selected five candidates:
① “Silent Sage” Buckner Cyrus;
② Graduating senior from Saint Maryann Academy: Debbie Giles;
③ Former tutor for two princesses: Monica Cook;
④ Former director of the royal botanical garden: Batty Plant;
⑤ “Silver Wolf Knight” Camilla;
…
After organizing the remaining resumes, Dak stacked the five resumes together and called a maid, “Go call Sister Olivia.”
Olivia arrived quickly.
Dak placed the five selected resumes in front of him and said, “Tell me about these five people.”
Written records were naturally not as comprehensive as oral descriptions.
Olivia took the five resumes, flipped through them, and recounted their specific situations and her speculated reasons for applying, as if reciting from memory.
It was consistent with what Dak had thought.
Dak asked, “How credible is this ‘Silent Sage’?”
Olivia smiled and said, “Young Master might not know. This ‘Silent Sage’ is Claire Kate’s teacher, though not a formal master-student relationship, they do have a mentor-mentee bond.”
“Is that so?” Dak suddenly understood.
Since hiring a tutor, the golems’ intelligence would naturally be exposed.
Whether the ‘Silent Sage’ came because of this difference was insignificant.
Dak wasn’t particularly concerned.
As long as the ‘Mana Cards’ of these golems were in his hands, others wouldn’t be able to discern their origins.
On the contrary, if the ‘Silent Sage’ could discover something else from the golems’ intelligence, Dak would actually be happy to see it.
Because he would clearly benefit from it.
As the relationship between the ‘Silent Sage’ and Claire was revealed, Dak’s opinion of him improved greatly.
“That’s settled, arrange the interviews for tomorrow.”
“Sure, Young Master.”
Olivia put away the documents and left quickly.
…
After deciding on the interviewees, Dak had nothing to do and decided to call Aurora to explore the back mountain.
Upon hearing about going to the back mountain, Aurora changed into pants.
After eating a few “sugar beans,” Dak brought all the golems along, ready for an impromptu picnic.
Perhaps seeing his intention to head to the back mountain, “Lion” Trina surprisingly appeared in front of the waterfall pool.
Dak reluctantly agreed to her company after seeing her picnic setup.
The golems entering such a vast natural environment for the first time, after being cooped up in the house for two days, were naturally overjoyed.
Aurora rarely entered such an environment and felt everything was new.
The outskirts of the Free City were full of dangerous creatures, so she was not allowed to leave the city.
However, she didn’t know that the back mountain of the Duke’s Mansion was also dangerous!
Only with Trina, whose aura acted like a deterrent, did all the creatures scatter in fear when they tried to approach.
Only a few foolish beasts mistakenly entered but were easily killed by Trina.
She even picked out a couple for food…
When Dak arrived at the treehouse in the back mountain, it was almost noon.
He was surprised to find that the wooden house in the tree was still there and quite clean.
Trina rarely smiled, “The old butler buried a treasure under the tree, saying you can dig it out when you don’t want this wooden house anymore.”
Then she waved at the giant tree supporting the small wooden house. The previously motionless giant tree suddenly moved.
With the rustling of leaves, the giant tree extended a branch and patted Trina’s hand like a puppy.
Dak froze momentarily.
He asked, “Was this tree magically transformed later, or was it a magic tree from the beginning?”
Trina curled her lips and said, “From the beginning, but it wasn’t as obedient back then.”
“Alright, I knew…”
Dak shook his head.
Until Aurora curiously asked, he began to share some stories from his childhood.
They then started roasting meat under the tree.
Trina’s cooking turned out to be surprisingly good, and she brought many seasonings.
Aurora imitated her and managed to eat it.
Dak squinted and smiled, letting Meow Meow join in.
…
This picnic left everyone with greasy mouths.
Dak originally wanted to take a rare nap in the wooden house, but Trina told him, “Chris is back.”
…
