Chapter 191 - Demon Monarch Congregation (1/2)

By the East Lan River, in one of the many residences of Gu Mountain Prefecture City, there was an additional family. The neighbors knew that the household’s owner had Meng as their surname, and he was quite friendly.

Creak.

The door opened, and a guard said respectfully, “Madam.”

Liu Qiyue smiled and nodded as she walked into the compound. The compound wasn’t large, so the couple only hired two servants. One was an elderly man in his fifties—who had served on the battlefield only to have his Quintessential Energy crippled. He was still quite fit, so he was hired by Meng Chuan to watch over the house and clean it. The other was a middle-aged woman—who was in charge of was.h.i.+ng clothes and cooking. The two servants were enough to manage all household matters.

These ordinary compounds usually had several servants. Some people—who were middle-cla.s.s citizens—didn’t hire servants. They did the household ch.o.r.es themselves.

“Ah Chuan, Ah Chuan.” Liu Qiyue came to the study and pushed open the door. She could see Meng Chuan painting seriously.

Liu Qiyue didn’t say anything. Instead, she stood to the side and watched.

He was working on a long scroll—the rightmost part of the painting. With a glance, Liu Qiyue could tell that it was depicting North River Pa.s.s. The G.o.dfiends led a large number of soldiers to guard the city pa.s.s and fend off the demons.

It’s drawn so well. Liu Qiyue was somewhat shocked. The heavily injured soldiers on the outer city wall fought the demons ferociously. This seemed to play out before her eyes.

Liu Qiyue had experienced many demon invasions at North River Pa.s.s. Every invasion led to a large number of soldiers dying or becoming crippled… Meng Chuan only drew a small portion of them, but he brought out the tragedy in those scenes.

She could tell that Meng Chuan had put a lot of effort into the painting. The eyes of a soldier were exquisitely drawn. He was extremely patient. He probably spent an hour painting that soldier—which he put more effort in.

“You’re back?” Meng Chuan smiled and lowered his brush.

“Not painting any longer?” Liu Qiyue asked in surprise. “It’s not finished yet.”

“I won’t finish that quickly,” said Meng Chuan with a smile. “This painting will probably take a month or two to complete. There’s no rush.”

“Why did you suddenly paint the battles at North River Pa.s.s?” Liu Qiyue asked curiously, “I’ve never seen you painting so seriously for the past few years.”

Meng Chuan felt a little wistful. For the past three years, he had been fighting demons almost all the time.

“Having been down the mountain for the past three years, I’ve encountered a lot. There are things I wish to depict in paintings.” After saying that, Meng Chuan smiled and asked, “How do you feel after going out shopping around Gu Mountain Prefecture City?”

“Gu Mountain Prefecture City is quite similar to our Eastcalm Prefecture City. They are all prefecture cities of Wu State, and the weather is similar. At first glance, I thought I was in Eastcalm Prefecture,” Liu Qiyue said.

Meng Chuan nodded. “This place is only 300 kilometers away from Eastcalm, so it won’t take us long if we wish to return.”

With his speed, he could reach Eastcalm Prefecture City and rush back very quickly.

Liu Qiyue continued, “I went shopping in the city today. The entire city is now talking about military conscription. They are currently conscripting soldiers on a large scale.”

“Yes.” Meng Chuan nodded. “Right now, serving in the military is much safer than before. Mandatory service now lasts three years, but many still serve in the military.”

“That’s right. From the age of 20 to 25, everyone needs to serve in the military,” said Liu Qiyue. “No matter how strong they are, they will have to serve in the military. It will naturally affect the city.”

“I remember there are some exceptions,” said Meng Chuan.

“Those who are only sons can delay their military service. They can start their military service any time within five years,” said Liu Qiyue. “Those who get married and have children can also delay their mandatory service for up to five years. There are other situations where one doesn’t need to serve the military, but they are rather special cases. Ninety-nine percent of the youth population will serve in the military. The only advantage is that military service isn’t as terrible as it used to be. Furthermore, they are serving in their own prefecture.”

Meng Chuan nodded slightly.

The people from Gu Mountain Prefecture completed their mandatory service within Gu Mountain Prefecture. Archean Mountain had set the rules, and the goal of conscripting mortals was to create a ma.s.sive net! Any demons that appeared would be discovered as soon as possible.

Thus, the locals naturally held the upper hand.

Those who served in the military would have annual leave too, so they could often head home for visits.

“Now, all small and medium-sized city pa.s.ses in the world have been abandoned. The demons are flooding in. It may be calm in Gu Mountain Prefecture, but many other places are engaged in battle,” said Meng Chuan softly. “When G.o.dfiends fight, they need to find the demon monarchs first. Mortals are the eyes of us G.o.dfiends.”