Chapter 2: The True Intentions
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Outside the Tiger Wolf Cave,
In a rather dimly lit forest.
“Report to the Second Great King, the scouts from Evil Merman Cave have left.”
“Very good. And from now on, don’t call me Second Great King, just call me Captain!”
“Yes, Captain.”
The Wolf Demon climbed out of the hidden trench and shouted backward,
“Brothers, let’s roll!”
“Sure thing!”
A chorus of Little Demons responded eagerly from behind.
As the Wolf Demon stepped back into the familiar confines of the Tiger Wolf Cave—his home for many years—a wave of nostalgia washed over him.
But at this crucial moment, the Tiger Wolf Cave had become a cog in his grand plan; no matter how much he cherished it, he had to move forward.
“Second Brother, Second Brother!”
The Tiger Demon, who had been shadowing the Wolf Demon, couldn’t hold back any longer.
“If it goes like this, doesn’t it mean we can never come back to the Tiger Wolf Cave?”
With a sigh, the Wolf Demon replied, “Big Brother, I understand how you feel. But given the situation, we have to make some sacrifices.”
The Tiger Demon fumed, “Sacrifices? What sacrifices?
The Tiger Wolf Cave is our foundation! What if things change one day, and we don’t even have a place to call home?”
The Wolf Demon retorted, “Even so, we can’t return here anymore.”
When the Tiger Demon heard this, all the pent-up frustration boiled over, and he roared,
“Stop right there! Did you get that?!”
The Little Demons inside the cave fell completely silent, but only for a moment; then they resumed their work, as if completely ignoring the Tiger Demon.
Fuming, the Tiger Demon slapped the nearest Little Demon, sending it crashing to the ground.
“Try moving again! I’ll make sure to deal with you right now!”
Though scared, the Little Demon surprisingly didn’t plead for mercy; instead, it gritted its teeth and glared defiantly at the Tiger Demon, as if to say, “What are you gonna do about it?”
“You! You!”
The Tiger Demon was so furious he was practically huffing and puffing, raising his hand high in the air,
But he didn’t dare to truly go through with it.
Because the Wolf Demon was standing quietly to the side, and the other Little Demons were all watching with keen eyes, ready to jump in and defend their comrade.
“Big Brother, calm down.”
The Wolf Demon stepped up, catching the Tiger Demon’s hand before it could swing down, and nodded at the Little Demon on the ground,
“Get back to work, it’s all good now.”
The Little Demon quickly got up, dusting itself off, as if it had merely tripped and scraped a knee.
“Big Brother, let me take you out for a stroll. It’s getting a bit stuffy in the cave, and it’s not good for the mood.”
The Tiger Demon grumbled an acknowledgment.
In the crevices outside, colorful wildflowers were blooming, looking exceptionally vibrant.
The Wolf Demon took a deep whiff of the fragrant flowers, feeling a bit sentimental. “When I first joined the Tiger Wolf Cave, if it weren’t for Big Brother taking me in, I might have been long gone by now.
I can never forget this kindness.”
The Tiger Demon snorted but didn’t respond.
The Wolf Demon sighed, “I know Big Brother is feeling resentful. But you’ve seen it for yourself, our Tiger Wolf Cave is not what it used to be.
At the grievance conference in Cold Wind City the other day, you witnessed it firsthand.
The Cold Moon Great King, the genius behind this whole heart-to-heart thing, truly is something else.
But I must say, only when you took the stage and opened your heart to everyone did you realize you had truly bid farewell to the past.
It’s like suddenly having a brand-new life.
Those aimless days of just biding time are long gone,
All that’s left is our craving for a new life, our dreams of a new order.
Big Brother, don’t you want to see a day when the Monster Race lives a smooth and steady life, where there are no more conflicts over rank or strength, and a society where everyone respects each other?
Or do you still cling to the old days of having everyone obey you without question?”
The Tiger Demon scoffed, “I understand everything you’re saying, but let me ask you this, why should you and I, being Great Demons, who are much stronger than Little Demons, have to speak of equality?
How can such a ridiculous thing exist in this world?
Are we really going to bend over backwards for those Little Demons and let them call the shots?”
The Wolf Demon replied, “Big Brother, you’re overthinking it.
This kind of equality isn’t about everyone sharing the same bowl of rice.
Before leaving, the Second Great King had a long chat with me about these concepts.
The Cold Moon Great King said,
Talented and exceptional individuals will inevitably stand out, leading the charge,
Society needs them to guide the way, and their teams need them to take the lead,
But no matter how high they rise, their worth as individuals is equal to that of ordinary Little Demons.
There should be no casual hitting or scolding,
If someone makes a mistake, there are enforcement agencies to handle it,
Everyone just needs to handle their own responsibilities.
I remember feeling enlightened at that moment, like I was reborn.
I’m sharing this with you to hope that you can lend me a hand.
In this life, you’ll always be my big brother.
If we genuinely follow the Cold Moon Great King from now on, our achievements will be beyond measure.
Do you really want to go down in history as just the king of a little cave while the world outside is so vast?”
The Tiger Demon was silent for a long time.
The Wolf Demon could tell that this stubborn older brother was starting to waver.
“Then why did Cold Wind City suddenly kick us out? Are they afraid we might have alternate intentions?
Haha, now that I’ve decided to surrender, even if I clashed with them at the grievance conference, I wouldn’t be that wishy-washy sort.”
The Tiger Demon said, indignant.
The Wolf Demon smiled, “Big Brother, you worry too much. I’ve thought about this too.
Logically, having two hundred of us inside the city would at least bolster their defenses against surprise attacks by enemies.”
“Exactly! Maybe the Cold Moon Great King is doubting our loyalty, which is why she deliberately kicked us out.” The Tiger Demon slapped his thigh.
“If that’s the case, they could just kick us out and leave the other Little Demons behind. Why let us take all the Little Demons from Tiger Wolf Cave?”
The Tiger Demon paused, pondering. Yes, why indeed…
The Wolf Demon said, “Big Brother, to be frank, the Second Great King instructed me on this matter.
This was indeed a command from the Cold Moon Great King,
But with such wisdom, why would she intentionally weaken her own city’s defense?
Her arrangements surely have deeper meanings.
Based on the Second Great King’s and my deductions,
It’s likely the Great King has already foreseen the future situation and calculated it out.
And the key to solving this is the Evil Merman.
Big Brother, the reason we attacked Cold Wind Cave was indeed under the orders of the Evil Merman, right?
If we win this battle, we’ll need to report back to the Evil Merman and claim our rewards.”
“Right.”
“With so many days without reporting back, even the Evil Merman, no matter how slow, will sense something’s off and will definitely send someone to check it out.”
The Tiger Demon furrowed his brow, “If that’s the case, then we should be heading back to the Tiger Wolf Cave, pretending everything is the same to mislead the Evil Merman!”
The Wolf Demon chuckled, “I was actually planning to do just that. But the Second Great King’s words struck a chord with me.
You see, the Great King is no ordinary Great Demon; even in isolation, she can sense the trends of the world.
For Cold Wind City to break through the impasse and expand its influence,
The first thing they need to tackle is the Evil Merman Cave.
If the Tiger Wolf Cave is left empty, it would undoubtedly anger the Evil Merman, who would send an army to retaliate against Cold Wind City.
And Cold Wind City, at this moment, would be pretending to be vulnerable, luring them in.
Now, this is when we, lying in wait outside the city, can strike.
We can cut down the Evil Merman’s pawns and seriously weaken their power.
This… this is the Great King’s true intention!”
