### Chapter 4: Where Are the Heroes? (1)
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For Cold Wind City, this day was destined to be anything but ordinary.
Despite the fact that this morning, for the surviving little demons from the battle against White Feather City, it seemed just like any other day.
But soon, they received an order to handle the remains of all the little demons who perished in the battle.
This sudden order made the little demons grumble.
What did a coffin even look like? They had never seen one in all their years in the Chaos Forest.
d*ath, old age, sickness — or being left to rot on the battlefield due to the ravages of war — was practically the norm in the monster race. The survivors usually just tossed the dead outside to decay, eventually turning into bones.
Burials were a rare sight, only reserved for those with extraordinarily close relationships—otherwise, the living had little incentive to spare a thought for the deceased.
So, to give a proper send-off to the fallen little demons, they first had to chop wood outside the city to make coffins. Naturally, it was bizarre for the little demons not to complain about getting stuck with extra chores.
And it wasn’t just the little demons; even some of the big demons were baffled and quietly griped about it.
But then they heard that this was an order directly from the Great King, who had been looking rather grumpy since returning to the city, and immediately, everyone zipped their lips.
Before long, a bombshell news spread throughout Cold Wind City.
The night before, the Wolf Demon who had followed the Great King out of the city was unexpectedly killed by the Sect Leader Li Ying Tian from Thousand Bird City.
In a fit of rage, the Great King charged into Thousand Bird City alone, swiftly defeating Li Ying Tian, subduing the Great King of the Split Land, and bringing Thousand Bird City under control.
When everyone heard this news, they were dumbstruck. But with the Great King’s exceptional power, it was entirely possible!
So terrifying! So terrifying!
The real mystery was how that old thief Li Ying Tian didn’t know better, drawing the Great King’s wrath that spilled rivers of bl**d!
The only thing that made people feel sorry was the d*ath of the Wolf Demon.
As the commander of Cold Wind City, he had always been fiercely loyal to the Great King and bravely fought at the front lines against White Feather City, taking down countless foes.
Who would have thought that such a fine general would meet his end at the hands of Li Ying Tian?
It was no wonder the Great King was in a low mood and had ordered the burial of all fallen soldiers.
It seemed the dead little demons were lucky enough to benefit from the Wolf Demon’s misfortune, each getting a coffin fit for a commander, so luck wasn’t too shabby after all.
Sure, corpses eventually rot, but being in a coffin was way better than being left out in the wild to feed the wolves and crows!
Knowing the inside scoop, everyone quickly stopped their grumbling, and soon the entire Cold Wind City was involved in the frantic production of coffins.
Even though the weather was turning colder, the dead couldn’t be left exposed for long. Under the united command of Cold Moon, people worked tirelessly day and night, finally piecing together over a thousand simple coffins.
But the one for the Wolf Demon was carefully crafted and polished by the Tiger Demon and a few others.
The Tiger Demon was deeply saddened by the Wolf Demon’s d*ath.
A brother who had been by his side for almost two hundred years was gone just like that. Luckily, the Great King had avenged him, and given him such an elaborate burial, the Tiger Demon felt at least his brother’s d*ath wasn’t in vain.
The next afternoon.
Little Drill Wind was accompanying Cold Moon at the back of Cold Wind City, where a newly constructed cemetery sprawled out.
As Cold Moon’s secretary, Little Drill Wind was well aware this was all at the Great King’s behest.
“Second Great King,
I understand the lavish burial for the Wolf Demon as a show of condolence and encouragement. After all, he is an elder of Cold Wind City, with great prestige and strength.
But many of those little demons didn’t even have names, just simple nicknames. Giving them a coffin is already quite generous. Now you want to erect tombstones for each of them? Isn’t that a bit excessive?”
Cold Moon pondered for a moment and said, “Perhaps the Great King wants to set an example for future generations. Any warrior who has contributed to Cold Wind City or has died in battle will gain the honor of being buried in a coffin.”
Little Drill Wind sighed. “You really excel at understanding the Great King’s intentions.”
“As far as I know, this is a groundbreaking shift for our monster race. Other than a few top-tier big demons who can arrange their own caves in advance, the customs surrounding burial have hardly changed since our race first emerged tens of thousands of years ago.
The Great King is using the d*ath of the Wolf Demon as an opportunity to change all of that. It has to be said, the Great King’s vision and courage far exceed ours.”
After a quick tour of the cemetery, Cold Moon decided to report back to the Great King that they had completed all preparations for the burials. They were simply waiting for the command, and the fallen soldiers could finally rest here, never to be separated from Cold Wind City.
The following morning.
According to Cold Moon’s orders from last night, the little demons lined up neatly in front of the cemetery, apparently for some kind of memorial ceremony.
Seven Feathers and the Hedgehog Monster stood side by side, gossiping quietly before the ceremony officially began.
Seven Feathers sighed, saying, “I never thought the Wolf Demon would leave us so soon. Though our time together was short, he really vibed with me. Ever since I heard the news of his d*ath, I’ve barely slept a wink.”
The Hedgehog Monster replied, “Isn’t that the truth? The Great King giving the Wolf Demon such a grand burial has warmed our hearts. It shows we still hold a place in the Great King’s esteem.”
“Absolutely. Even the little demons are riding on the Wolf Demon’s coattails, getting buried here too. They’re dying with dignity at least.”
It wasn’t just Seven Feathers and the Hedgehog Monster; nearly all the monsters present shared the same sentiment.
The Wolf Demon meant a lot to Cold Wind City, and a grand burial was more than justified. With Cold Wind City just having fought an intense battle with White Feather City, losing nearly a thousand little demons in the process, the Great King’s fairness in honoring them along with the Wolf Demon was evident.
Thus, these little demons benefitted from the grand burial of the Wolf Demon, each receiving their own burial site.
Looking back in the tumultuous history of the Chaos Forest — at least in their recollection — no city overlord had ever treated a mere little demon so well.
Perhaps that was what set the Great King apart.
As the crowd waited, the sky began to drizzle lightly.
In the approaching winter chill, the icy raindrops falling on their skin were hardly pleasant.
The big demons were robust and fared alright, but some of the weaker demonesses quickly turned pale.
Cold Moon had already transformed back into her human form to move around on the ground, but as soon as she returned to her quarters, she would instantly morph back into a carp and dive into a specially prepared water tank.
Just as the Great King had said, the demonesses expended too much energy to resemble humans and didn’t train adequately for their own physical fitness.
Before long, as the light rain continued, some couldn’t bear it any longer. Hah, with such frail bodies, could they even call themselves demons?
As the drizzling ice rain fell, doubts crept in about whether this so-called memorial ceremony should even proceed. Just then, a figure appeared that evoked both admiration and a hint of fear.
She was still draped in a flowing black dress, but somewhat differently today, as her face was covered with a layer of semi-transparent black veil, presumably in a show of respect for the deceased.
What stunned everyone even more was that the Great King stood with them, unprotected by an umbrella in the icy rain.
Was this… appropriate?
Little Drill Wind immediately wanted to rush forward with an umbrella but was blocked by the twin bodyguards stationed beside her.
The Great King’s long hair gradually soaked through, rainwater trickling down her eyelashes, yet she resolutely stepped forward, making her way to the stage, turning to face the crowd amidst the rain.
The atmosphere became increasingly solemn.
……
P.S.: The morning hours are always delightful; I hope this breakfast meets your satisfaction!
