At this moment, Blue Demon was actually joking around with Barbecue Sauce.

"Looks like he's been pretty relaxed lately."

People only joke when they're relaxed.

Just as Xu Yuan guessed, Blue Demon had indeed changed.

The biggest change was in his mindset.

And this change started because of Xu Yuan.

Before meeting Xu Yuan, Blue Demon's mind was constantly preoccupied with how to solve his companions' survival problems, how to rescue more of his kin.

The reason he came to the Trial Grounds in the first place was also to solve those problems.

But after meeting Xu Yuan, hearing Xu Yuan's plan, and then fighting Xu Yuan, Blue Demon's entire being relaxed.

After fully understanding Xu Yuan, understanding his thoughts, Blue Demon chose to trust Xu Yuan unconditionally.

It was exactly because of this that Blue Demon was finally able to truly let go.

He no longer needed to think about so many "whys," no longer needed to be angry and resentful.

Because Xu Yuan had already pointed him down the correct path, and he knew that as long as he followed in Xu Yuan's footsteps, all problems would be solved with ease.

It was like he had been struggling desperately to hold up a collapsing platform above him. Even though he was exhausted beyond measure, not a single day did he dare loosen his grip.

Then one day, suddenly, another pair of hands helped him hold up the platform.

And he knew, those hands could not only hold it, but even push the collapsing platform aside and open up a brand new world.

That feeling, was relief, release, rebirth.

It was the most beautiful feeling Blue Demon had experienced since coming into the world.

And this was why Blue Demon had changed.

People always say, hardship makes people grow, makes them mature.

The fact that Blue Demon now knew how to joke was proof enough, he had cast aside hardship.

He had fully relaxed as a person, which was why, without noticing, he could make a casual joke.

Chances are, even Blue Demon himself hadn't realized his change.

———

After the two messed around for a bit, Blue Demon also noticed Xu Yuan watching them the whole time.

So he yanked Barbecue Sauce off his head.

"Alright, cut it out!"

Then he looked at Xu Yuan and asked, "Is something wrong with the trade deal?"

Seeing that Xu Yuan had even called Barbecue Sauce over, Blue Demon guessed it must have something to do with the trade chain.

Hearing Blue Demon's words, Barbecue Sauce also stopped fooling around.

"Cluck Cluck ? Cluck Cluck Cluck ? (Oh? Did something happen?)"

Xu Yuan shook his head.

"There's no problem with the trade chain, you two have both been doing very well."

"But now the plan has changed, we need to speed things up."

The moment Xu Yuan finished speaking, Blue Demon understood what he meant.

Speeding things up no doubt meant bringing the trade chain out from the shadows into the open.

"You mean…"

"The trade chain is going public?"

Seeing Blue Demon catch on so quickly, Xu Yuan was a bit gratified. Blue Demon understood with just a hint, saving him from giving long explanations.

So Xu Yuan went straight to the key point.

"They still don't know about my existence, right?"

At his words, both Barbecue Sauce and Blue Demon nodded.

Xu Yuan continued. "The premise of going public with the trade chain is that both sides have no bias against me."

In simple terms, Xu Yuan meant they had to make sure both sides saw his attitude as neutral and fair.

After all, the two ends of the trade chain were villagers and Pillagers.

Those two sides were enemies by nature.

Take Mustard for example.

As a villager, Mustard was bound to harbor some resentment toward Xu Yuan for being HIM.

After all, Xu Yuan had once carried the identity of Demon King.

And his zombie underlings had certainly harmed villagers here and there.

So Mustard's impression of Xu Yuan couldn't be very good.

From his perspective, Xu Yuan might seem more biased toward the Pillagers, since they were also "monsters."

If he formed that kind of bias, then of course they wouldn't continue cooperating.

And forget about reconciling the two sides afterward.

After saying this, Xu Yuan looked at Barbecue Sauce and Blue Demon.

"Have you ever tried sounding them out before?"

Hearing Xu Yuan's question, Blue Demon nodded.

"I once tested the King of Pillagers."

"He doesn't know you, only occasionally heard about your deeds."

"He probably wouldn't think you'd side with the villagers."

"But…"

At this point Blue Demon paused.

"He seems to have the idea of wanting to spar with you."

The reason Blue Demon hesitated was because the King of Pillagers wanting to fight Xu Yuan gave him a strange déjà vu, like looking in a mirror.

Blue Demon actually got along fairly well with the King of Pillagers.

In fact, their personalities and experiences were strikingly similar.

As the leader of the Pillagers, the King also bore the heavy responsibility of protecting his companions' lives.

And just like Blue Demon, he carried a pride built on absolute confidence in his own strength.

This was why Blue Demon and the King of Pillagers could get along smoothly.

Hearing Blue Demon's words, Xu Yuan nodded.

"Pretty much as I expected."

Pillagers were, simply put, a monster faction. They naturally wouldn't have much conflict with Xu Yuan's side, so of course there wasn't much grudge either.

"What about the villagers?" Xu Yuan asked, turning his gaze to Barbecue Sauce.

Feeling Xu Yuan's eyes on him, Barbecue Sauce suddenly shivered all over. Tʜe source of this ᴄontent ɪs novel⟡fire.net

"Cluck … (Uh…)"

"Cluck Cluck Cluck Cluck ??… (I–I was never told to ask them about that??…)"

"Cluck Cluck Cluck … (Weren't we told not to reveal anything about you…?)"

When Xu Yuan first asked the question, Barbecue Sauce was shocked.

He had never once thought of testing Mustard's views, so of course he had no way to know what Mustard thought.

After all, Barbecue Sauce was naturally simple-minded, not the type to think proactively…

After receiving the task of maintaining the trade chain, he didn't think too much, just happily completed it every day.

He originally thought Xu Yuan had called him here to give some new order or command.

He never expected Xu Yuan would start by asking a question he couldn't answer.

And that wasn't the worst of it, the worst was that Blue Demon, who was doing the same job as him, could answer smoothly, without hesitation.

At this moment it felt to him like, when the teacher asks in class, "Did you all preview the lesson yesterday?"

Even though the teacher hadn't asked for it, all the other students had dutifully prepared and could answer questions fluently.

Only you, the honest one, thought "If the teacher didn't say, then I don't need to," and so did absolutely nothing.

And now, when the teacher asks, you've got nothing at all.

Moments like that make you feel as though the whole world betrayed you and left you isolated…

In one sentence, "Huh? But the instructor never said so?"

Xu Yuan wasn't surprised by Barbecue Sauce's reaction. He already knew Barbecue Sauce's personality from experience.

He hadn't expected an answer from him anyway, his question was really directed only at Blue Demon.

Seeing Barbecue Sauce's panicked face, Xu Yuan patted his head to comfort him.

"It's fine, I was just asking casually."

Hearing this, Barbecue Sauce let out a big sigh of relief. But from his expression, it was clear he still felt guilty.

After thinking for a bit, he seemed to find a way to make up for it.

"Cluck Cluck Cluck Cluck . (I may not have tested what Mustard thinks of you.)"

"Cluck Cluck Cluck Cluck Cluck Cluck Cluck ! (But I do know him well in other ways!)"

Hearing this, Xu Yuan nodded, signaling him to go on.

"Cluck Cluck Cluck Cluck … Cluck Cluck ! (His reason for joining the Trial Grounds is to save the Villager Kingdom… to fight against the Void!)"

"Cluck Cluck Cluck Cluck Cluck Cluck … (Once, we ran into a lone awakened-consciousness zombie. Mustard didn't kill him, he let him go in the end…)"

"Cluck Cluck Cluck Cluck Cluck Cluck … (So I think the one he truly hates most is the Void…)"

Because of Barbecue Sauce's innocent personality, he was destined not to think about complicated things.

But exactly because of that, he could truly reach into the hearts of those he interacted with.

When he dealt with people, he never had ulterior motives.

So his sincerity in turn drew out others' sincerity.

After all, who could resist a pure, genuine little chick, with an indestructible beak, chirping at you?

Because of this, Barbecue Sauce didn't need to deliberately test anyone. Just through everyday interactions, Mustard would naturally confide in him.

And sure enough, Barbecue Sauce's "patch-up" was useful.

What he said made Xu Yuan fully understand Mustard's stance.

"Looks like, from their perspectives, my position should be neutral to both."

What Mustard cared about most was the Villager Kingdom. And as it happened, Xu Yuan had just learned about Entity 303 saving the Villager King.

So even if Mustard was wary of Xu Yuan's identity, once he knew about the Villager Kingdom, that wariness should fade.

And besides, Mustard's stance was the same as Xu Yuan's, their enemy was the Void.

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