https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-575-Sybeline-Believes-Lanchi-Will-Take-Her-Away/12584883/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-577-Princess-Sybeline-is-Ready-to-Agree/12584885/
Chapter 576: Lanchi's Painting for Princess Sybeline
Chapter 576: Lanchi's Painting for Princess Sybeline
Six days later.
In the magnificent mansion of Lis Island Makas on the west side of the Demon King's Castle, Lanchi began his new day when the sky was still a deep blue.
On the top floor of the mansion, in his bedroom—a lavishly decorated and exquisitely furnished room—the sound of the waves outside mingled with the soft meows of Cat Boss, who lay on the bed.
"Today is your twenty-eighth day in this Shadow World."
"The news from the front lines of the neighboring Kingdom of Bliss and the Pollant Empire is not optimistic."
"And all you, little Lanchi, can do is to use your charm and fulfill your mission in the Demon Realm."
Cat Boss began its daily report.
"Alright, Cat Boss, I understand," Lanchi said, gently patting Cat Boss's head. He walked across the carpeted floor of the spacious bedroom and stopped in front of a wardrobe near the entrance, carefully selecting his outfit for the day.
In the end, he chose a deep gray Protoss-style suit, with a silver-embroidered pattern on the tie, perfectly tailored to be both formal and dignified.
"A tribute to the legendary sealer Askassan, this deep gray coat is quite something," Lanchi said, a hint of a smile on his face as he looked in the mirror, his eyes sparkling with determination and desire for the day's goal.
"Meow, he might not want your tribute," Cat Boss meowed, jumping to Lanchi's side and eyeing his appearance. Lanchi's radiant demon aura, coupled with the style of Askassan's attire, gave him an air of a Cardinal.
It was a pity that Lanchi was still far from attaining the true rank of a Cardinal.
"He has no objections," Lanchi remarked.
"..."
Cat Boss chose not to continue the conversation. Instead, it turned its attention back to the scoreboard, tapping it from time to time.
Popular Support: 276→565/1000 (Support and cohesion among the people)
Senate: 227→176/1000 (Support from the upper echelons within the Pollant Empire)
Military Power: 124→182/1000 (Using the Honing Empire as a reference)
Finance: 236→323/1000 (Current productivity of the Pollant Empire)
Diplomacy: 115→232/1000 (Diplomatic relations with the Demon Realm and the surrounding nations that have not yet surrendered)
Overall Chance of Success: 0.0013%
Cat Boss scrutinized the scoreboard several times a day, fearful of any decrease in the numbers.
Thanks to Lanchi's relentless efforts, there was finally a digit in the chance of success.
However, it was still incredibly distant from 1%, and this distance filled Cat Boss with despair.
Ever since Lanchi had left the Pollant Empire, the Popular Support had been rising, and the rate of increase was accelerating.
On the other hand, the Senate score was still slowly declining.
It was likely due to the extremely successful diplomacy with the Beastman City-State, as each city-state contributed an increase of around 20 points to the Diplomacy score.
At the same time, it seemed that the formation of a united alliance through diplomacy had led to improvements in both Military Power and Finance.
As Lanchi had not yet revealed his affiliation with the Pollant Empire and the anti-vampire forces in the Demon Realm, the connections he had made there were not reflected in the Diplomacy score.
Twenty-eight days had passed in the forty-five-day Shadow World, and this progress kept Cat Boss on edge.
One could say that today would decide their success or failure!
"Lanchi, you must save Princess Sybeline!" the little black cat urged.
Today's royal ceremony would determine the fate of Princess Sybeline's freedom.
Not only would the current Great Demons of the Demon Realm compete for a betrothal, but the tenth ancestor of the vampire clan, Marquis Ulysses, also intended to marry the last remaining royal of the demon clan.
The ceremony did not require on-the-spot painting, as the time and performance of such an endeavor were unpredictable. Lady Falling Leaves decided to let the Great Demons choose their preferred time and place to create their artwork. The paintings were to be submitted to the Seal Golden Cabinet on the first floor of the Regency Hall in the Royal Palace before the conclusion of today's ceremony, after which she would open and judge them impartially, allowing the princess to select her favorite painting publicly.
"Now, the string tones have been finalized, and only the results of a ceremony are awaited to bring the grand ceremony to its conclusion."
"When the princess views the paintings, she won't know who the artist is."
"It's a blind selection."
"When the time comes, Lady Falling Leaves will naturally discern whose magic is on the painting and determine the time of its completion based on the nature of the magic."
"Rest assured, I gave it my all this time."
Lanchi picked up the little black cat from the floor and assured him.
"Meow."
Cat Boss knew that this week, Lanchi had locked himself in his room most of the time, except for necessary meetings with the dignitaries of the Demon Realm.
But it didn't see what Lanchi had painted.
After finishing the painting, he sealed it and, with the help and guidance of a close minister, sent it directly to the Seal Golden Cabinet on the first floor of the Regency Hall in the Royal Palace.
According to him, he wanted Sybeline to be the first to see it.
Although Cat Boss had seen Lanchi's paintings, it had not had a chance to properly appraise them before Lanchi took them away in North Continent. In South Continent, it dared not appraise them and ran away. This time, it wanted to take a good look at the grade of the artwork created by Lanchi, this mischievous fellow.
If it was a work of art, Cat Boss had full confidence in Lanchi. As long as the Great Demon Clan and the tenth progenitor didn't create a Sacred-grade artwork, it believed Lanchi would win hands down!
The two, human and cat, walked downstairs, and in the vast dining room, breakfast had already been prepared in the Makasi Palace restaurant.
Lanchi sat down at the dining table by the floor-to-ceiling windows, thinking about the upcoming schedule, his gaze occasionally drifting through the windows to gaze at the deep purple sky of the eclipse and the gloomy sea.
Today, due to the visit of the vampire progenitor, the barrier canopy had also been activated in the King City of Nicaulis.
Of course, the main venues for the royal ceremony were all within the Nicaulis Royal Palace. For the vampires, even during the day, there was little difference when inside a sturdy building, let alone in the Royal Palace of the Demon Realm, which was protected by a barrier.
Before long, Lanchi finished his breakfast. He put down his cutlery, wiped his mouth with a napkin, straightened his tie, and stood up to take the coat that the butler handed him.
Outside, the sun had not yet risen, and its path was already blocked by the blood moon. The light on the eastern horizon became hazy, and the entire King City seemed to be shrouded in twilight.
Just as Lanchi was about to push open the door of the palace lobby and leave, he heard light footsteps behind him and turned around.
Sigrid, still wearing her sleep cap and looking drowsy, ran over to see him off.
"Lochie, have a safe journey."
She rubbed her eyes and waved her small hand.
Sigrid had already used the card-like mysterious magical artifact that Lanchi gave her to transform into a demon.
She now looked like a pure-blooded wolf demon.
"Thank you for helping to look after the house."
Lanchi said to her.
Sigrid remained silent for a while.
"I feel that today is very dangerous... Two terrifying vampires have come to the King City of the Demon Realm... You must be careful."
Sigrid's sleepiness gradually dissipated, and her expression became noticeably uneasy and worried. Even though she didn't want to wrinkle Lanchi's freshly ironed coat, she still gently tugged at his sleeve.
Cunning vampires often didn't just show up for a simple visit.
They had infinite capital to gamble with, filling their ever-unsatisfied pride and desires.
She remembered the last time. It was on a peaceful and uneventful morning like this that she saw her father off. She thought he would be back early to bring her gifts, play with her, and tell her stories.
And that was the last time she saw her father.
"I understand. Thank you."
Lanchi squatted down and looked at her as he spoke.
"Come back soon."
She nodded.
Lanchi smiled at her and waved goodbye before walking out of the mansion.
(End of Chapter)
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