And so, Zaran began to speak as only him, Eisen and Kirisho were inside of the capsule of mist that made sure they could talk without interference. "My brother is the black sheep of the family. He was supposed to inherit the position of Lord, but after seeing his character, my father chose me instead. Antonio didn't like that. He freaked out and began to turn to the rather evil side of things, siding with the dragons following Kotam, and as you said, using his connections to help them steal the experience of the five that peaked. And with the power he gained through all of this, he not only stole a Town Core from a town in the east to found his own but also sent Pilé, my current adviser here so that he could rule over Handor. Anyway, Pilé's level is higher than 300, and he has a corrupted version of the shadow element which he uses to keep my family as hostages in the castle to control me." He explained while Eisen listened carefully before the old man slowly nodded.
"I see. So it was like we thought. And why is it that you're using the 'Golden-Eyed-Demon' as an excuse to send everyone in this church away?" Eisen asked, and Zaran looked at the ground bitterly.
"Pilé, he… He's trying to use this town for some experiments… And for that, young or weak people are the easiest to use, so the facilities here at the church are just the perfect test site for him. I found out about everything without him knowing, so he couldn't tell me not to send them away without revealing his plan, which he isn't allowed to do apparently. So please, just let me banish them…" Zaran asked with a profoundly sorrowful expression before Eisen looked back at him.
"You don't need to worry. I'll try and take the people with me. My companions and I are planning to make our way to a particular island-group soon to found a town, and a town is nothing without people living there, now is it? And here comes what I'm asking of you after your side lost the duel. One, you will help me find and gather materials for a large ship we will build, as well as provide an open spot in the harbor where we can do just that. Then, you will help us get supplies for the trip as well. We will make all the transactions through my friend, a young merchant, who I want to gain proficiency for his trading skill, so you only need to be there to get us better deals. Once we found the town, you will sign a trade contract with us under fair terms. And lastly, you will give us all the information about your brother and this Pilé that you can, so that we can assist you with fighting back against them."
Surprised, Zaran stared at this old man in front of him. He thought that Eisen would have asked him to give up his position as lord and keep everyone from the church here in town, but what he suggested instead was quite perfect for him.
Since Eisen was a champion of Aylrentyrth like himself, Zaran knew that he was a right and just person and would probably end up protecting them when they went with him. He had stalwart companions as well, seeing how that man from before managed to beat a Berserker fifty levels higher than him with what one can only call ease. And then there was even Xenia with him, the woman that everyone in this town knew about already despite her only being here for a few months and has shown to be extremely capable.
If Eisen truly just wanted simple guidance like this, Zaran had no possible way to complain about it, so he nodded. "Yes, I will do all of that. But we will need to postpone me, giving you the information about Antonio and Pilé, it will look suspicious to keep talking for too long, especially because of this mist. We will need to meet again soon anyway, so just come to the castle when you can, we will talk there." Zaran informed the old man in front of him, who nodded with a light smile before activating his transformation again and told Kirisho to deactivate the mist and hide in the amulet for a short while again.
"Then thank you for your cooperation, Zaran," Eisen said with a smile before he stepped up to the crowd that was waiting patiently to find out what was going on before the Demon stood in front of them and began to speak.
"Everyone, thank you for coming and watching what happened. Zaran and I came to an understanding just now. There are certain reasons that even I could not deny why you need to leave this town." He explained before everyone stared at Eisen in confusion and worry at what was going on before the old man continued.
"But don't worry. I will take it upon myself to make sure you won't lose anything. I want you all to come with me to a new place, where we can all hopefully be happy. It will be a lot of hard work, and it's a long time away, but even then, it will pay off in the end, I promise you. I will protect you, I will make sure that you are safe every step along the way, and I will give you a place where you all belong. So please, put your trust in this old man and come with me to find your Haven." Eisen exclaimed in a speech that he knew his grandchildren would start cringing out of embarrassment for, which precisely was what the four other originals, as well as Komer, were doing, but Eisen knew that this kind of thing was exactly what the people here needed.
For a while, it was quite silent while everyone was trying to figure out what to do, but soon enough, the first person stepped forward. It was Noa, the Nun of the Goddess of Love Reah, who had helped Eisen out a lot during his time at this church.
"I trust you, and I will follow you." She exclaimed, before one after another, the young children ran up to Eisen as well, followed by the teenagers and then the nuns and priests, before even some of the homeless did so, telling Eisen that they will work their asses off if they can help in some way.
And with this as a trigger, something happened that Eisen was waiting for,
[You have successfully made 100 people fully trust in you while using your 'Golden-Eyed Demon' Form]
[+5 CHA]
[You were already walking on the Path of Yin and now stepped onto the Path of Yang. You can now choose between three things]
-[Stay on the Path of Yin]
-[Switch to the Path of Yang]
-[Step onto the Path of Yin and Yang]
Immediately, Eisen widely grinned as he looked at these notifications, first inspecting each choice to make sure he was doing the right thing.
[Path of Yin] The Path of Evil, which requires you to use fear like a weapon and dominate those around you
[Path of Yang] The Path of Good, which requires you to help others and be accepted by them
[Path of Yin and Yang] The Path of Balance. It is much harder to walk here than on both others combined, and it will be a travel of hardship and beauty alike.
And now, Eisen needed to think just briefly. Obviously, he wouldn't choose the Path of Yin, but the Path of Yang was quite interesting to him. It would allow him to do the good that he wanted to do and be rewarded by it by the system, but Eisen was much more interested in the Path of Yin and Yang, for the simple reason that Eisen understood that he was neither a completely good person nor a completely bad person.
He may want to help others with every chance that he gets, but Eisen had an incredible temper, and there was a reason why he ended up on the Path of Yin in the first place. So, Eisen didn't need to overthink any longer as he chose the Path of Balance.
[You have chosen to walk the Path of Yin and Yang, accepting the hardships that come with it]
[Golden-Eyed Demon Title description changed]
[Special Title] Golden-Eyed Demon
[Description] This is an incomplete title. You have been recognized as such by the populace, but you have not yet been acknowledged to be a True Demon by the world. Specific Goals have to be achieved in order to become a true Demon that walks on the Path of Yin and Yang
[Goals To Be Completed]
-Make 5000 People feel strong emotions of any kind (187/5000)
-Become a King
-Ascend to the Heavens and fall to Hell
-Be Acknowledged by the Gods of the Heavens and the Underworld alike
-Reach Level 300
[Goals Already Completed]
-Complete your Demonic Form
[Effect] It is easier to induce strong emotions
With a smile, Eisen waved these notifications away, glad that he managed to change the path he was walking on as a Demon, but at the same time, he noticed that something was going on. Something about Eisen's transformed body was changing much in the same manner as it was when he completed his Demonic Form.
The first thing that Eisen noticed was that he heard cracking sounds were coming from his head as a thin layer dropped off of his horns, and his eyes began to feel a slight bit hotter, uncomfortably so, as the world around him gained color despite the fact that he was supposed to have his 'truth-seeing eyes' active.
Not only that, but the flames underneath his rock-skin slowly turned golden and his wings also changed again and seemingly became even more fitting to his body as they changed their shape. Surprised, the people that gathered in front of Eisen looked at him as the old Demon grinned, looking over toward his friends once the slight change to his body stopped before Xenia stepped up to him and drew something in the air.
Her motions were mirrored from his position, but Eisen could still see that she was drawing an enchanting circle to create a thin mirror so that the old man could look at himself. What he saw when the flat reflective surface then actually appeared in front of him was a quite small but powerful change.
The horns on the top of his head had changed to look as if they were made of solid gold, while his eyes had changed as well. Before, even the whites of his eyes were golden due to the golden flames covering them, but that wasn't the case anymore. Now, he once more had standard whites, and only his iris had changed to become entirely unique. They seemed similar to his normal eyes in the 'truth-seeing eyes' mode, just that they acted like flames, waving around like a simple 2D animation of golden fire.
Eisen tried to activate his 'truth-seeing eyes' skill on top of this, and while his eyes didn't change outwardly, he was able to use his skill like normal. It was just that he was now able to see the world like normal when in this form.
Together with the fact that not only his flames also turned golden, but his full-body enchantments were also filled out with a gold-like substance now, this all completed an image that Eisen liked quite a bit.
"Well, then. For now, you will all stay here within this church's facilities for a little while. I will return in about a week, and then we will begin the construction of an important project. Please do your best to support me then." Eisen asked with a smile before he made his way away from the church grounds so that he could meet a particular dragon whose trial he had just finished.
