"Your Highness the Princess, we sincerely hope you can understand the current difficult predicament of our General Union."

Assam sighed: "The blacksmith unions across the land are watching the General Union right now. If the General Union doesn't act quickly enough, the regional branches will start inviting him to become their chairman. And when that happens? Lucifer Flow, who had been slow to grasp the gravity of Assam's plight, now understood: when a forging master of Qian Jin's caliber, momentum, and reputation joins a branch union as its chairman, it's essentially the General Union relocating itself.

At that point, the status of the Blacksmiths' General Union will become extremely, extremely awkward!

Lucifer Flow truly hadn't anticipated matters escalating to this degree in such a short time. To refuse Assam now would not only offend the Blacksmiths' General Union but also might not prevent Qian Jin from becoming its chairman. A retainer, though a part of the master, still possesses a degree of independent choice; at least this type of decision is freely available to them.

"Your Highness the Princess, are you concerned that if Master Flying Mirror becomes the Chairman of the Blacksmiths' General Union, we will petition His Majesty the Great Demon King to dissolve the retainer bond between you?" Assam spoke with deep sincerity: "Rest assured, I swear upon the great stars that not one of our demon court will ever do such a thing."

Lucifer Flow shot Assam a sidelong glance. This old demon had no idea what she was actually worried about and was busy making earnest oaths?

"Your Highness the Princess, Master Flying Mirror is indeed exceptionally powerful, but he is, after all, merely a demon," Assam suddenly lowered his voice: "The blacksmith union is a vast collective. Even if we cannot offer overt support, even slight actions in his favor would constitute a significant force...,..."

Lucifer Flow looked at Assam, her heart stirred. For this old demon, who had publicly declared he would not support any prince or princess, to push the conversation this far was already a monumental concession.

"This..." Lucifer Flow glanced back at Qian Jin with lingering apprehension. Chairman of the General Union! If he secured that position, an abundance of rare forging materials would flow into his hands. If he truly brought those back to the Zhen Ce Dynasty... "...No! He absolutely cannot be allowed to take them back!" Lucifer Flow took a deep breath, the corner of her eye twitching rapidly. She couldn't worry about the consequences anymore! Even if he disagreed, even if he hated her for it, she had to devise a way during this time to ensure he remained with the Demon Race forever!

Perhaps... Lucifer Flow slowly raised her head to gaze at the sky. Once she ascended the Empress's throne, she would immediately abdicate it to Qian Jin, granting him the pinnacle position of the Lucifer Dynasty, a seat no less prestigious than the Emperor of the Zhen Ce clan. Surely then he wouldn't leave the Lucifer Dynasty?

As for that dull-witted Zhen Ce? A murderous intent surged within Lucifer Flow. She needed to find a time to secretly arrange for the Zhen Ce Dynasty's prince to meet with an 'accident'—one that Qian Jin would never learn about—to completely secure her secret.

Yes! That was the plan! Lucifer Flow secretly glanced at Checkford, who stood nearby. That half-blood was connected to Sister Yunala; if Qian Jin could be kept, Checkford would remain too. As for Duan Feng... surely he wouldn't expose Qian Jin, who would become the Great Demon King, would he?

"Well? Esteemed Princess?" Assam looked towards Lucifer Flow with eager anticipation.

"What well? Esteemed Chairman Assam."

Arrogance, an arrogance laced with utterly blatant audacity, boomed into the ears of the two demons from just outside the courtyard gate.

"Serig?"

Lucifer Flow knew instantly which demon had arrived without needing to look up or turn around: the Crown Prince! The demon hailed as the successor to the next Great Demon King, Crown Prince Lucifer Serig!

"You should address me as Your Highness the Crown Prince, or perhaps Brother, my dear, beautiful sister."

Serig's voice sounded again, this time carrying more of a tone of admonishment.

The surrounding demons, momentarily entranced by the artful forging of Qian Jin, snapped back to reality and hastily knelt on the ground upon hearing Serig's voice.

Assam slowly turned, maintaining the unique composure of the Blacksmiths' General Chairman, and bowed slightly toward the Crown Prince, speaking with measured deference: "Greetings to the great, wise, and illustrious Crown Prince, the future ruler of the Demon Race."

Lucifer Flow turned, one eye assessing the Crown Prince whom she hadn't seen in some time. He appeared to have gained weight again. His black hair had been expertly styled by a professional stylist, and his clothing was meticulously coordinated by a demonic fashion expert, making him look less like a Crown Prince and more like the Demon Race's most famous and tasteful opera actor.

His height of nearly two meters, combined with broad shoulders and a slightly stout frame, lent Serig an indescribable charm—not the charm of a sovereign, but the allure that captivated women and she-demons. His eyes were deep-set and attractive, though, critically speaking, they seemed to lack a certain depth of character.

At his waist, a sword scabbard, excessively ornate and studded with countless gems, concealed a longsword whose sharpness was palpable to everyone present, lending him a necessary masculine assertiveness, though it wasn't the aura of true kingship. However, such ostentation was more than adequate for seducing women and she-demons, presenting absolutely no issue there.

"Greetings, Your Highness the Crown Prince," Lucifer Flow nodded slightly in salute, a trace of smugness playing on her lips: "Are you also here to see my retainer, Master Flowing Mirror?"

"Oh? My dear sister, whom I think of day and night," Serig's smile held a hint of surprise: "Your eye... it's really just as the rumors say—you're missing one? Who plucked it out?"

Lucifer Flow's expression instantly turned ashen. No one in recent days had dared to question her so directly to her face.

"The Ancient Barren Sand Sea...," Lucifer Flow replied coldly: "If Your Highness the Crown Prince also wishes to lose an arm or a leg, I suggest you pay a visit there as well."

"Oh, is that so?" Serig's eyes, filled with greedy desire, scanned Lucifer Flow from head to toe, lingering for an extended period on her chest, her long legs, and the private parts thoroughly concealed by her trousers: "Losing an eye has only made you more charismatic. I like you even more now."

Lucifer Flow frowned deeply. Was this damned Serig truly from the proud Lucifer lineage? Why did she feel he had the lust-driven bloodline of the Asmodeus demons coursing through him?

"Is that so? Too bad. My male demon likely wouldn't appreciate your liking me," Lucifer Flow’s eyes sparkled with provocation: "My dear Crown Prince."

"Your male demon?" Serig's face, alight with desire and arrogance, momentarily froze, jealousy and fierce light flashing in his eyes: "Didn't your male demon never see the second sunrise?"

"Heh heh. There are always exceptions," Lucifer Flow flicked her gaze toward Qian Jin, who was still forging: "He is my male demon."

"A mere blacksmith?" Serig's words dripped with unconcealed killing intent, his voice gradually escalating into a high-pitched roar: "Does he deserve it..."

"Get lost!"

The sound of metal striking metal during forging rang out simultaneously—Qian Jin roared with immense anger and dissatisfaction. A piece of white-hot raw iron, blazing from the furnace, cut a visible red arc through the air, hurtling towards Serig's face.

The sound of a longsword being drawn echoed behind Serig. A magnificent sword gleam, like a seven-colored rainbow, struck the flying raw iron, deflecting it high into the air.

For the first time, a flicker of apprehension crossed Lucifer Flow's eyes. Asmondeus Thorn! One of the ten great disciples of the Demon Race's Sword Demon, Lucifer Inverse Hao!

The disciple whom the Demon Race's foremost swordsman, Sword Demon Lucifer Inverse Hao, proclaimed as the one most likely to surpass him in the future: Asmondeus Thorn!

Sword Demon Lucifer Inverse Hao's youngest and most junior apprentice: Asmondeus Thorn!

Whether in the Demon Race or the Zhen Ce Dynasty, the pursuit often lay in the power of combat skills and Qi; the extreme mastery of other aspects of fighting was rarely sought. Sword Demon Lucifer Inverse Hao was such an anomaly; he pursued the Way of the Sword, calling it the Sword Dao.

Since Lucifer Inverse Hao achieved the Heavenly Extreme Awakening, he had devoted himself entirely to refining the Sword Dao. Even His Majesty the current Great Demon King had praised Lucifer Inverse Hao's swordsmanship, stating it was also an ultimate manifestation of combat power.

Asmondeus Thorn—the final character, 'Thorn,' was added to his name only after he formally submitted to Lucifer Inverse Hao's tutelage.

Lucifer Flow could not fathom why such a genius swordsman, a genius bloodline Devil Warrior, would be fiercely loyal to Lucifer Serig. The rumor stated that the more outstanding Fifth Prince had visited Asmondeus Thorn three times without ever truly establishing a close relationship with him.

This Lucifer Serig—the legend held that he only visited Asmondeus Thorn once, and reportedly did so with flamboyant arrogance, simply stating, "From today onward, you will follow me!"—and this highly proud genius swordsman, supposedly influenced by Lucifer Inverse Hao, had simply packed his belongings and become the Crown Prince's staunchest supporter.

A chilling sword intent locked onto Qian Jin from the tip of the slender blade. Asmondeus Thorn’s wrist was steady as rock. Even his eyebrows, finely sculpted to resemble two sword blades, seemed to conceal deep resolve. His gray hair scattered and fluttered as the sword was drawn, instantly pushing the sword aura to its zenith.

In that instant, every demon in the courtyard felt needle-sharp sword intent seemingly scraping against their skin; the air appeared to suddenly erupt with thousands of lethal blades, snaking out from that slender sword like venomous reptiles.

Sword Intent Exploded! Sword Qi Raged! The demons subconsciously raised their hands to brush their skin, attempting to dispel the intensely uncomfortable sensation.

"Offending the Crown Prince..." Asmondeus Thorn's thin lips, giving him a somewhat severe look, delivered a chilling declaration: "Die for me!"

The demons were instantly stunned. What was this brat trying to do? For days now, no demon had dared draw a sword against Master Flowing Mirror!