Heikou (Black Dragon Mouth)
Heicheng (Black Dragon City)
Censorate (Supervisory Court)
...
The workers squeezed onto the bus, packing it to the brim.
There was no denying the convenience of the bus. Before, they hadn't felt it much, but today, after working late and feeling exhausted, they truly understood its benefits.
The bus didn't have stops outside the city. Its final destination was the square near the miners' dormitory, close to the mine. Driving directly into the mine would make it hard to turn around and would block the road.
However, the bus would circle the city. In the morning, it departed from the large square in front of the Ministry of Justice, passing by many demon households, making it very convenient.
The only issue was that with only one bus, it was hard to get on. Rumor had it that the city was rushing to build a second bus.
The miners from Black Dragon Mouth, who had been sent to work here, lived in the newly built dormitories. Next door was the dormitory for the elderly, women, and children from Black Dragon Mouth, though now it was almost half empty.
The children had all gone to school in the city and lived there; the women and elderly worked in the city, reportedly in the paper and printing factories. The bus would bring them back every day.
They leaned out the window, watching the bus leave. They had heard that once the road was completed, they could take the bus home every five days for a break, returning two days later.
The local demons said that seven days made a week—five days of work and two days off, repeating in a cycle.
All the demons from Black Dragon Mouth were looking forward to that day.
Their work hours covered their accommodation and meals, and they also received three sweet potatoes each month as wages.
It was said that sweet potatoes could be grown in barren soil, a secret of the Black Dragon clan. If this secret were leaked, it would be considered a betrayal of the demon king, and the entire family would be exiled from the clan.
The mine supervisor said the wages could be paid in advance, but they wouldn't receive anything at the end of the month.
They couldn't wait until the end of the month. Their siblings back home were waiting for this food. If only the road could be completed sooner...
With the small desk lamp, Yin Jixue had also become a workaholic.
It seemed like she was writing while thinking, but in reality, she was copying content from books provided by the system.
There was no other way. Books had to be copied by hand before being sent to the printing factory. The upside was that her memory was excellent now—she could remember everything after reading it once.
This time, what she was copying had nothing to do with children's books. It was high school material, which she was using to educate herself. As the queen, she couldn't remain illiterate.
If Lou Zhao hadn't come to find her, Yin Jixue would have continued working late into the night.
"I was wondering why you hadn't come back to sleep. You're still working so hard this late."
Yin Jixue had been so focused on copying that Lou Zhao's sudden voice startled her, causing her to smudge the page. Luckily, it was just a pencil and could be erased.
She glared at him: "You're the demon king. Can't you walk louder?"
"No," Lou Zhao leaned against the bookshelf with his arms crossed. "You should throw away that lamp. Otherwise, you won't even know day from night."
Yin Jixue hugged the lamp to her chest: "No way, this is my treasure."
She hadn't shown such affection for the room full of night pearls he had given her. Lou Zhao snorted and left.
Yin Jixue was puzzled but decided to pack up and head back to rest.
As she stepped outside and stretched, she thought about changing the content of the open-air screening platform. After two months of broadcasting calisthenics and exam scenes, everyone was getting bored.
While developing the city, they also needed to enrich everyone's cultural life.
When she returned to the palace, Yin Jixue immediately noticed the demon king with his back to her.
Suddenly, she felt mischievous: "You stomped off in a huff. Were you jealous?"
The demon king's back stiffened, pretending to be asleep and not hearing her.
"Someone's pretending to sleep, but I won't say who," Yin Jixue's voice grew closer. Lou Zhao grew wary—what was she planning, getting so close?
Her soft fingers poked his back, tickling him and making that spot itch.
Lou Zhao wanted to transform into his true form and roll around—his scales were itching—but he resisted the urge.
He felt Yin Jixue's breath getting closer. The demon king suddenly sat up, flustered like a shy maiden.
Yin Jixue wore a triumphant smile.
She lowered her hand: "Why is someone so shy? Weren't you just stomping around angrily?"
"Stop talking nonsense. Go to sleep!" Lou Zhao's face was red, whether from heat or something else.
This little girl was so bold, always getting so close to him!
Yin Jixue refused to let him off the hook: "I won't unless you tell me why you were angry."
Lou Zhao wouldn't admit the reason: "I just like being angry. I'm the petty demon king!"
Yin Jixue shrugged: "Alright, I thought you were jealous. Guess I was overthinking it."
Lou Zhao turned his head proudly: "Why would I be jealous? It's just a crude little lamp. It can't compare to my night pearls."
So he was jealous after all. What a petulant guy.
"You're right, it really can't compare to the night pearls. The night pearls are treasures to be admired, while the little lamp can be replaced if it breaks." Although it was the truth, her words sounded a bit too callous. It was like saying, "You're the original, they're just treasures."
But when it came to coaxing people, you had to say what sounded good.
"You talk too much," Lou Zhao muttered. Always with the sweet talk—where did she learn it from?
The soothed demon king waved his hand, sending Yin Jixue straight to the bed. He even controlled his strength, careful not to hurt her.
Yin Jixue lay on the bed, chattering away: "Some people are satisfied with just a few sweet words and don't even bother to coax others."
Lou Zhao pretended not to hear, but the tips of his ears turned red. She must be a Qingluan tribe princess lost among humans.
But his queen was too fragile. The Qingluan tribe's female demons would charge at him, and he could knock them out with one punch. But with his delicate queen, he didn't even dare to raise his voice.
The next day, Yin Jixue requested the footage of the Elementary school student hunting competition. She hadn't attended the hunting contest, but Mr. Zhong Shang had borrowed the recording stone, It can be used to change the video on the projection table.
This time, two preschool children had performed exceptionally well—both from outside the city, a boy and a girl named Pa Rourou and Xiaoye.
These two children had heard that the top three winners would receive prizes. Though they looked thin and weak, they hunted the Monster with such ferocity that the Monster fled in terror.
The Monsters weren't just the powerful high-level ones; there were also small Monsters that weren't even level one. They were hard to catch and very timid, not even worth a high-level monster's time.
Even though they were as big as wolves, to high-level Monsters, they were like ants to humans.
But for these children, even these small Monsters were dangerous, with sharp claws and teeth.
However, Pa Rourou and Xiaoye were even more terrifying than these small Monsters. They used their physical advantages—claws and teeth—to hunt, and none of the Monsters they caught survived.
The footage was bloody, but also very engaging. If this were in the modern world, it probably wouldn't pass censorship. But this was exactly what the Black Dragon clan needed right now.
After much consideration, Yin Jixue decided to broadcast the hunting contest video on the projection booth.
Since the Hunting competition, Pa Rourou and Xiaoye have become very popular at school.
The two previously introverted children from outside the city quickly integrated into their class, and even the Basic class students wanted to get to know them.