Chapter 43 - Becoming the Most Cultured Demon King

T/N:

Heikou (Black Dragon Mouth)

Heicheng (Black Dragon City)

Censorate (Supervisory Court)

...

Yin Jixue pulled out the logbook recording work hours and handed it to him: "You probably haven't looked into the city's policies, have you? All the citizens' houses were built on credit, and they needed to repay the value of their homes through work hours. So, in the early stages of mining, I only provided them with necessities—no wages. After all, the construction materials didn't just fall from the sky."

"Under these circumstances, every household, including those outside the city, is burdened with housing debt. They're all busy taking care of their problems. Do you think you can find people willing to help?"

She knew her words were blunt and harsh, but the Demon King's naive nature would eventually lead to big problems. It was better to make him face reality now.

The Demon King was left speechless. He opened his mouth but couldn't find the words to argue.

He felt that Yin Jixue was cold, but he couldn't figure out why he had that impression. After all, it was she who had provided the citizens of Black Dragon City with food, shelter, and new homes. Yet, when she spoke about it, there was no emotion in her words.

"So, what do you think we should do?" he asked, not believing that Yin Jixue didn't have a better solution. The girl was full of ideas.

Yin Jixue smiled: "It's simple. Black Dragon City is short on manpower. As long as they're willing to stay and work, their children can attend school in the city. If they find it too troublesome, the children can even board at the school."

Not only would this solve the problem of childcare, but it would also kill two birds with one stone by keeping the adults in the city.

Lou Zhao wasn't convinced: "Did you plan this from the start?"

Yin Jixue replied calmly: "Who would complain about having more workers? Besides, if their children receive an education here, even if they don't stay in Black Dragon City, they'll have skills to fall back on when they return home. At least they won't starve."

She had accidentally touched a sore spot for the Demon King. Yin Jixue glanced at him, but he didn't seem to mind.

Lou Zhao was convinced by her reasoning: "You're right. Let's do it your way."

He didn't even argue.

Feeling guilty for hitting a nerve earlier, Yin Jixue decided to explain herself: "I wasn't trying to trick you. I just want to help you develop your critical thinking skills."

Lou Zhao was confused: "What's critical thinking?"

Yin Jixue pulled up the system's dictionary: "Thinking refers to your thoughts and considerations. When you use your brain to ponder something, that's thinking. Critical thinking involves analyzing, reasoning, and judging what you're thinking about. Do you understand?"

The Demon King looked utterly bewildered, and Yin Jixue could see it on his face.

She sincerely suggested: "I think you should attend the literacy classes later. You need to catch up on your education."

"Thinking is a basic ability that everyone has. For example, why does it get dark at night? Why does the sun appear during the day? Why does the moon only come out at night? These are all things people think about."

Lou Zhao was still confused: "It gets dark because demons need to rest. The sun is afraid of the evil spirits at night, and the moon gives demons energy."

Yin Jixue facepalmed. Ignorance was truly terrifying.

"Alright, you just need to think. The answers aren't important. There's no fixed answer to anything. As long as you're at peace with yourself, that's enough."

She didn't want to delve into philosophical debates, especially since the Demon King was so inexperienced. At least his moral compass seemed intact—he genuinely cared for his people.

She wondered if she had been too harsh. The Demon King looked dejected, hanging his head like a lost wolf.

"How about this? You can keep a daily journal. Even if it's just one sentence, write down your thoughts for the day, and I'll take a look. How does that sound?"

After all, he was the Demon King of the Black Dragon Clan. Sending him to literacy classes might be a blow to his pride. It was better for her to personally tutor him.

Lou Zhao wasn't dejected. He was deep in thought. Yin Jixue was right—he didn't understand her strange terms, but he instinctively felt they made sense. He sensed the growing distance between them.

When Yin Jixue offered to teach him personally, he looked up abruptly: "If I learn all this, will I be able to understand you?"

She hadn't expected that. Yin Jixue smiled gently: "Knowledge is admirable, more so than wealth. When we learn the same things and go through the same experiences, theoretically, there shouldn't be any generation gap."

Well, at least up to the second year of high school. She could only teach him up to that level because that was as far as she had gone herself. So, there wouldn't be a generation gap—at most, the Demon King would become her classmate, while she could continue self-studying with the system.

Lou Zhao said earnestly: "I want to learn. I want to think like you."

From the moment he was born, he had been the Demon King of the Black Dragon Clan, inherently powerful. No elder had guided him, as the one who brought him into this world had expended all their magic and sacrificed their life to do so.

After hatching, he had to inherit the power of their remains, absorbing it until the body dissipated into the world.

He was born with one goal: to lift the Black Dragon Clan out of suffering. This was the shared mission of all Demon Kings.

However, the problem of the scorched earth seemed unsolvable. Without the ability to develop agriculture, they were stuck in a vicious cycle.

No food, no shelter, no strength to hunt—the demon beasts in the forest were stronger than them.

After his birth, Lou Zhao made the same choice as his predecessor: using his strength to secure food.

But this was merely a stopgap measure. It only reduced the number of deaths among the demons. To truly solve the problem, they needed the ability to farm or, like the Black Tortoise Clan, the luck to discover a magic crystal mine.

What several Demon Kings had failed to achieve, his human queen had accomplished single-handedly.

With the lifelong goal of the Black Dragon Clan's Demon King fulfilled, Lou Zhao found himself lost. By human standards, he was just a young man in his early twenties. After decades of hard work, he was suddenly told that his family had struck gold and he no longer needed to struggle. In other words, the Demon King was in a state of confusion and disbelief.

Yet, seeing the mines and the mountains of gold and silver only deepened his confusion. Without a goal, what was the meaning of his life?

Lou Zhao was in a similar state, and Yin Jixue's offer to teach him knowledge gave him a new direction.

Even as a Demon King, he would strive to become the most cultured Demon King.

Yin Jixue laid down some ground rules: "Let's make this clear. When I'm teaching you, I'm your teacher. If I criticize you, you can't hold a grudge."

She didn't know if she would ever criticize him, but it was better to have a disclaimer. She quickly drafted an agreement.

Lou Zhao signed it without hesitation. He didn't mind being criticized—Yin Jixue could even hit him if she wanted, as long as she could land a blow.

She didn't know the Demon King's inner thoughts, but she could tell he had always been fighting alone. When securing food was a struggle, who had time to study?

She didn't know that the birth of each Demon King was accompanied by the death of their parents. The day they were born was the day their parents died.

Now, Black Dragon City was like a dragon awakening from its slumber. Once it began to develop, it could help its poorer neighbors. The tragedy of the Demon King being orphaned at birth would no longer occur.

That said, the Demon King's main task now was to study hard. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs wasn't just for show.

After putting away the agreement, Yin Jixue urged him: "Hurry up and reply to the Supervisory Court. Urgent letters from the same day shouldn't be delayed. If you can't handle it, come discuss it with me."

Wait a minute—wasn't she the Queen? Why did it feel like their roles were reversed?!