"State your purpose for coming here.", Liora's voice spread, accurately reaching the ears of every single Devil in the hall.

After a brief pause, during which the ranked Devils exchanged glances, a familiar Devil was pushed out, as if he had been selected as their representative.

This Devil had a dog head and a pair of large twitching ears.

Although she had not paid him much attention at the time, Liora immediately recognized him as the Devil who had blocked her way during her hunting of the Unknown.

Perhaps because of her attack, a large bloody wound still streaked across his torso, while his aura was fluctuating, evidence of his severe injuries.

The Dog Devil looked at his "companions" who had pushed him out with undisguised hatred.

After he took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down, he mustered the courage to speak:

"Your Excellency, the reason for our visit today is that we wish to talk to you about the future of the Crucible.", he said.

Seeing that Liora didn't respond but instead chose to remain silent, as if she was waiting for his next words, he could only grit his teeth and continue:

"I believe that Your Excellency already knows that the structure of the Crucible is already set. Based on the location of the Crucible Ranking tablets, one hundred cities have been established, surrounded by countless other smaller cities."

"Usually, the City Lords of these cities seldom interact, unless they are planning to go to war."

Saying this, he paused for a brief moment before adding:

"But now that Your Excellency has slain both the Unknown and the Blasphemer, reaching the first place on the Crucible Ranking, we all understand that the state of the Crucible is bound to change..."

The Dog Devil didn't speak any further, but glanced at Liora from the corner of his large eyes, wishing to see her reaction.

Unfortunately for him, Liora's face remained calm, as if she hadn't heard anything of what he had just said.

In fact, even without the Dog Devil speaking, Liora had already understood why these dozens of Devils had gathered here and what they were hoping to achieve by visiting her.

Even though the Dog Devil didn't explicitly state the reason, it all boiled down to the fact that these people were afraid that she, the Crimson Maiden, would go crazy and begin slaughtering entire cities, breaking the status quo.

Although this seemed somewhat absurd, these Devils, most of whom had witnessed the scene of her hunting the elderly Devil, understood that it was a completely valid worry.

With Liora's current strength and the death of the two other Devils who could possibly match her, there was nothing stopping her from doing as she pleased.

As long as Liora wished to, she wouldn't need to expend much effort to bathe the entire Crucible in blood.

Liora understood where these people's worries came from, but she could only say that they were worrying over nothing.

Unlike other Devils, who were affected by the Demon World and tended to have a chaotic nature, Liora was completely rational.

This meant that unless it brought her benefits, there was no reason for her to participate in such acts of violence.

"With my current strength, the Evolution Points I gain by swallowing the soul of an ordinary Young Devil are almost negligible."

"Moreover, to even consider creating a new ability or upgrading an already existing one, I'd have to consume hundreds of thousands of Evolution Points. Otherwise, a weaker ability would hardly improve my strength.", Liora thought silently.

In short, carrying out a massacre would yield little benefit, a benefit that was hardly worth the effort.

However, this didn't mean that Liora was going to let those ranked Devils go so easily.

Glancing at the Dog Devil, who was still talking nonsense while trying his best to skirt around the subject, she interrupted him.

"Okay, that's enough. I'm not interested in meddling in your cities' affairs. Nor am I interested in going on a rampage.", she stated.

Before the ranked Devils could breathe a sigh of relief, though, Liora continued.

"But, since you're all so loyal, I'd be embarrassed if I didn't agree.", she added:

"Every month, all City Lords have to offer me fifty percent of their city's total income. This holds true even for the City Lords who didn't come here today."

"Once you leave, you should spread the word and let them know."

As soon as her words fell, silence shrouded the entire hall.

Several Devils showed unwilling expressions, but most of them—as smart as they were—immediately relaxed.

In their opinion, as long as Liora was willing to keep the status quo, it would be fine for them to pay such a price.

Giving up fifty percent of their cities' profits might be a huge loss in a short while, but at the very least, this "payment" would not last very long.

As long as a year passed, Liora would leave the Crucible, and they would be able to regain their freedom—financial or not.

"Your Excellency is wise!"

Surprisingly, the first person to agree was the injured Dog Devil, who showed no trace of resentment despite having been severely injured in her hands.

In their whole group, he was the person most afraid of her, meaning that he was also the person least likely to put up any resistance.

Seeing the Dog Devil take the initiative, the other Devils didn't hesitate for long and soon after, began echoing his words.

This was true even for those who were initially unwilling, as they could only swallow their pride and anger and submit obediently.

"Since that's the case, the meeting is over."

After a while, Liora put an end to the meeting.

With a wave of her hand, the large gate sealing the room opened, and she gestured for the guests to leave.

The Devils—no matter what their opinion was—didn't dare to disobey her orders. After they saluted respectfully, they hastily left the room.

As if they had received amnesty, they hurriedly walked out of the Gothic castle before soaring into the sky and disappearing in the distance.

As Liora sensed their departure, she showed no happiness nor any sadness.

Tapping on the armrest of her throne lightly, she pondered.

Then, as if she had made a decision, she outlined a Devil Rune with her index finger, which shone brightly before fading away.

Then, Liora waited.

Only half a minute later, the sound of footsteps echoed faintly as a figure walked into the hall.

"Lord, you've summoned me.", Alpha said the moment she stepped into the room.

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