"You are mistaken," Leo reiterated with a shake of his head, his slit-pupiled snake eyes flickering with memories. "During the thousand years we were sealed, I took the opportunity to read many of human history books.
Before our race appeared, if I were to summarize human history in four words, it would be 'self-annihilation' "
"This leads me to the second possible direction I wanted to discuss. The transmission of human power, at some point in the last thousand years, experienced a cataclysmic break. The most likely cause of this disruption would be war, stemming from conflicts between human nations."
"The severity of these wars led to the destruction of human civilization, with all its traditions lost. The victors of these wars, the new human rulers, in order to prevent such a scenario from happening again, chose to seal away knowledge and powerful legacies."
"It's like, a dispute between two ordinary humans might result in injury or death for one of them. A conflict between two mages might destroy a shop. But if two grand mages were to fight, this street might no longer exist. And if two archmages were to..."
Leo didn't continue with more examples.
An archmage's limit corresponds to seventh-tier magic, which, at its least, could level mountains, and at most, could cause natural disasters like thunderstorms and earthquakes within its scope.
Not to mention higher tiers, up to the eighth and ninth, and even "transcendent rituals" that could, with a mere gesture, bring about the destruction of nations.
Consider this: a discontinuity in the transmission of civilization.
Indeed, this makes sense, and Reji nods again.
Though he hadn't experienced it firsthand, many games, movies, and novels have explored this theme. A classic statement from the internet echoes Leo's analysis: "We don't know what weapons World War III will be fought with, but World War IV will surely be fought with sticks and stones."
With Leo's analysis, Reji felt enlightened, understanding much more clearly now.
The Sorcery Demon, too, seemed contemplative, moving from confusion to a semblance of understanding.
After discussing two possibilities, Reji, while agreeing with and admiring Leo for his thorough and swift analysisworthy of a Wisdom Demon's reputationfelt that, based on these, the demon race should have less to worry about and could march forth without hesitation.
However, Leo's initial stance wasn't quite so.
Therefore, the answer must lie in the third possibility that Leo has yet to mention.
Reji's guess was correct.
While Leo discussed the first two possibilities with a lighter tone, aiming to educate the Sorcery Demon, his demeanor changed as he approached the last and most critical possibility. Taking a deep breath, his serpentine eyes revealed a hint of seriousness and tension.
"Third, and what worries me the most, is that humans have not forgotten us. To be precise, the rulers of humanity have not forgotten us. Everything we see now may be a trap set by those rulers, a trap for our demon race."
"They cannot be sure whether our race has truly perished, so they created this illusion. They know that if our race still exists, we would inevitably return to avenge our defeat from a thousand years ago, which is indeed the case."
"When we discover that humans have become so weak, no longer as strong as they were a thousand years ago, Dian, your initial reaction is exactly what the human rulers hoped for."
"By immediately initiating war, our race would lose its greatest advantage of stealth, returning to the arrogance of a thousand years ago.
And if, at that moment, the ruler reveals some hidden, powerful force unknown to us, our demon race, exposed and completely reactive, would truly face an inescapable death trap."
'Interesting'
'This third possibility is something I had not considered at all'
At first glance, it does seem absurd and far-fetched.
He hoped he hadn't disappointed the king.
Seeing that Reji remained silent, the initially confident and composed Leo began to panic.
Given the gravity of the situation, what if the king sent him away? Unable to contain his anxiety, Leo took the initiative to ask Reji:
"My King, have I passed your test?"
Reji was taken aback.
'Eh!!!? What test?'
'Hadn't I been silently following and learning from Leo's analysis all this time? When did I tested the Wisdom Demon? Bro wtf you say'
But he managed his expression well.
To the outside, Reji appeared calm and, after staring at Leo for a few seconds, simply said, "Not bad."
Leo finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"It is my greatest honor to receive the king's approval!" he exclaimed.
"Furthermore, please rest assured, my king. I will also take it upon myself to teach and urge Dian to study harder, so that he may soon reach a level that satisfies you. Please, grant Sorcery Demon another chance to be assessed in the future!"
'Well, that's entirely unnecessary!'
'If Leo really did teach Dian as well, then who would help me by asking questions next time?'
Despite his internal complaints, Reji outwardly nodded in affirmation.
Especially since Dian, criticized by Leo, seemed entirely receptive, standing straight as if bracing for correction and requesting another chance.
The situation was becoming increasingly bizarre and off-track.
Reji quickly changed the subject, moving on with his two apostles to the next step of his plan.
No matter the state of the human world, Reji remained unphased by its many changes.
The demon race was the force he could control at the moment.
Relying on the demon race, doing his utmost to develop his own intelligence network, and understanding the true shape of the world were Reji's main goals. And all of this, obviously, required... money.
So, what comes next is simple.
Gathering development funds for the demon race, for his two apostles.
This task could actually be done by the Wisdom Demon and Sorcery Demon themselves.
But Reji felt that, as the demon king, he ought to do something for his subordinates.
And while he might not surpass Leo in other aspects, when it comes to acquiring money quickly in the human world, Reji, as the former "Son of Destiny," was all too familiar and adept.
The notorious achievements of his radiant past were not obtained for nothing.