lol: After being blessed by the Happy Demon, I became the harem king

Page 19

Just as Salafine was still intently observing—"Hey! What are you doing? Why are you staring at Farn?"

Suddenly jumping out from beside her, Zeli curiously sized up Salafini. Upon hearing Zeli's words, Salafini jumped back two meters in fright, just like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. Only after realizing that Zeli meant no harm and was just curiously observing her did she gradually relax.

After relaxing, Salafine realized that the girl in front of her was none other than the girl who had appeared next to the mysterious man earlier.

Thinking this, Salafine blinked, then asked curiously, "You just said... Fane? His name is Fane?"

“Of course.” Zeli nodded, then looked at Salafine curiously and asked, “So why are you staring at Fane?”

“Because…because he’s strange.” Hearing Zeli’s question, Salafine wasn’t nervous. For Salafine now, compared to other things like his identity, she cared more about the strange melody emanating from Fain.

In addition, being naive and sheltered by her parents for the past ten years or so, Seraphine had never even approached Zaun, let alone entered it... With little reservation, she almost immediately recounted the strange things she had experienced.

Seeing Seraphine's candor, Zeli relaxed a little—beneath her relaxed exterior, Zeli was also worried that Seraphine might be planning something bad for Fain.

Now, after hearing Salafine's words, Zeli gradually relaxed and showed surprise.

"Can you really see other people's emotions? It's amazing! Just like Fain said!"

"Huh? Mr. Farn has mentioned me?" Seraphine looked surprised upon hearing this, then said, "But this is the first time I've ever met Mr. Farn..."

As she said this, Seraphine's face showed some embarrassment and awkwardness. Because of her status, when Seraphine heard this news, she didn't think of anything else, but rather... sasaeng fans and the like.

Although Seraphine has only been in the industry for a short time, her melodic magic and beautiful voice, which easily evokes emotions in listeners, have already earned her immense fame and a large fan base. Combined with her sweet appearance, some obsessive fans have been eagerly seeking information about Seraphine.

In other words, Piltover has a relatively sound legal system, and Salafine's parents genuinely loved their daughter and didn't treat her as a cash cow just because she became famous. Otherwise, Salafine would probably still be performing in various arts venues in Piltover.

"Haha~" Although I'm not very clear about the concept of "sasaeng fans"—Zuan people don't have any strange culture like that. Generally speaking, when things get to the point in Zuan where people are looking for each other's family members, the goal is usually to kill the other person's entire family, not something like drinking their bathwater.

Even so, through the awkwardness in Salafine's expression, Zeli could more or less sense that Salafine was feeling nervous about this.

Thinking it over, Zeli also told Fan about the prophet's identity.

Still a young girl, and an art student at that, Seraphine's reaction upon hearing the identity of the prophet was completely different from Caitlyn, Jess, and the others. Instead, she widened her eyes in surprise, then secretly glanced at Fane in the distance before covering her mouth and saying:

"Really? Is Mr. Farn really a prophet? But... but in all the novels and stories I've read, aren't prophets always old men? And they're all so full of suffering and hatred!"

As she said this, Salafine glanced at Fain again. His tall, athletic build, handsome face, and relaxed, casual manner of speaking... this was completely different from what the legendary prophet should be like!

Zeli wasn't surprised to see that Seraphine didn't believe her, since Seraphine hadn't sensed any wonder or power from Fain.

Thinking about it, Zeli said, "Then I'll have to have a good talk with you about Fain—he's amazing!"

32. Salafine's Surprise

Zeli has a natural talent for storytelling.

Although Faen believed his meeting with Zeli was purely accidental, Zeli didn't see it that way. Especially now that their relationship had become closer, while Zeli didn't believe in fate, she deeply felt that Faen was her soulmate.

This always made Zeli very enthusiastic when talking about Fain. Just like now, under Seraphine's curious gaze, Zeli was also very interested in talking about how she met Fain, how Fain took care of her, and what he had done for Zaun.

Upon hearing that Fane was from Ionia and had accidentally arrived in Zaun after being eaten by a sea monster, where he gained powerful abilities, Seraphine's face was filled with astonishment, as it was just like an adventure story published in the Adventurers' Guild.

Many of the stories told in the Adventurers' Guild have been proven false or exaggerated. However, judging from Zeli's confident expression and Salafine's emotional perception, Zeli didn't seem to associate these stories with deception in the slightest. Instead, she was genuinely and proudly recounting the relevant tales to herself.

But it was precisely because of this that Salafine became even more surprised and curious.

Following that, Zeli began to talk about the changes that Fain had brought to Zaun.

Although Zeli still doesn't fully understand what Faen's ideology is—and even Faen himself hasn't given the organization a real name, only using 'the organization' and 'the workers' as abbreviations and for promotion—Zeli has seen and remembered the changes that have occurred in Zaun since Faen arrived.

With Farn's safety net, the workers united and dared to fight for their rightful rights. Even though there were scabs, opportunists, and egoists in the process, the lives of the workers, whose living and working conditions were originally extremely harsh, still improved considerably.

Even the alchemist barons knew that if they continued to suppress them as before, the elusive Blue Demon, even if he couldn't find them, would directly visit their factories and massacre their loyal lackeys.

This was undoubtedly a brutal act—but it did effectively curb the alchemist barons' attitude towards the workers.

Because these thugs were just trying to make a living—why risk their lives for five hundred yuan a month? After two or three batches of thugs were taken, even the alchemy thugs themselves were unwilling to work for them anymore, because the risks were too great; they might be targeted by the Green Demon...

Unless wages are increased.

Although the changes happening in Zaun now are still unhealthy, incorrect, and prone to extremism and wrong paths of resistance from the perspective of Faen's past life.

However, Farn's power gave him enough confidence to forcibly correct him before he went astray.

Upon hearing about the changes Fane had brought to Zaun—or rather, after hearing about the Alchemist Baron's inhuman behavior—Salepani looked incredulous and exclaimed in disbelief, "These guys are despicable! Why would they do this?! Zaun should be overthrown!"

Upon hearing this, Zeli couldn't help but purse her lips and said, "Only you, Mrs. Piltover, have no right to say that."

With Fain by her side, Zeli gradually understood the relationship between Zaun and Piltover, and gained a deeper understanding of the significance of the Sungate. The reason why the Piltover people are able to live so happily, freely pursue art and culture, develop technology, and have no worries about food and clothing, is all because they are exploiting Zaun.

Especially since the Alchemist Baron helped betray Zaun, Zeli's impression of Piltover was worse than before, and her hatred for the Alchemist Baron was even greater than before.

"Eh? Why do you say that?"

Salafine was puzzled, her small eyes filled with great confusion.

Feeling this pure innocence, Zeli smacked her lips, but didn't know how to express it. However, Zeli wasn't without a solution. Meeting Salafine's gaze, Zeli quickly came up with a solution.

"You can sense people's emotions, right? Why don't you go to Zaun and see for yourself? Anyway, we're in the middle plaza now, just take the elevator to the bottom!"

Upon hearing Zeli's suggestion, Salafine was stunned for a moment, standing there staring at Zeli for a long time before finally shaking her head vigorously and saying, "Huh?! Is that even possible? But isn't that a bad idea? Because my parents won't agree!"

"Hey, what's the big deal?" Zeli said. "Why don't we just sneak down without telling them?"

"Wouldn't that be considered running away from home?!" Salafine exclaimed in surprise, swallowing hard as she did so, clearly taken aback by Zeli's suggestion.

Zeli, however, seemed unconcerned and said nonchalantly, "Hey! Just running away from home. Zaun kids often do that. For example, the reason I met Fain was because I couldn't stand the evil rule of the Alchemist Baron, so I decided to run away from home!"

"What...what if we get caught?" Salafine's face was full of worry.

"It's just a beating, right?" Zeli said nonchalantly. "Which kid from Zaun hasn't been beaten up? It's just a matter of who beats them up..."

As she said this, Zeli smiled at Salafine with a 'I've got your back' expression and raised her chin: "So? Want to skip home? Let me tell you, I'm the king of the neighborhood kids. I used to help my friends hide from those bad adults! And I recently moved to a super luxurious house! You can go straight to sleep when you're tired of playing!"

"Is this...isn't this bad?"

Seraphine spoke with some worry. But Zaun was so close, and that familiar yet strange feeling lingered in the girl's heart. Her innate musical magic allowed Seraphine to feel a call from Zaun, a strange feeling akin to a wanderer returning home, making Seraphine eager to understand Zaun, to get to know Zaun, and to change Zaun.

The problem is, Seraphine has always been a well-behaved girl, well-protected by her parents, and has almost never rebelled against them. Now, suddenly she's going to disobey them, run away from home, and head to the dangerous and chaotic Zaun...

For some reason, Salafine felt a little excited.

Am I...am I doing something wrong?

Realizing this, Salafine could clearly feel her heart beating faster, and her breathing becoming slightly more rapid.

Looking at Farn, Salafenny hesitated for a moment before asking curiously, "Is...is everything alright?"

"What could possibly be wrong? It's just a few words." Zeli waved her hand dismissively, then seemed to realize something and said in surprise, "Wait, you didn't... never..."

Upon hearing this, Salafine scratched her head somewhat embarrassedly, her expression showing a hint of awkwardness.

Actually, she didn't know why she felt embarrassed—even though Zeli was making her do bad things, Salafine felt as if she, who had always been obedient and well-behaved, was the one who was doing something wrong.

Zeli remarked with emotion, "You really are a good girl... No wonder Faen likes you so much."

"Huh? Mr. Farn likes me?!"

Salafine seemed somewhat surprised and puzzled—but not in the sense of romantic love or any other intimate feelings. She was simply wondering why Farn would like her.

“Because he said you can sense people’s emotions and use your singing to help people understand each other, and maybe you can become a bridge for cultural exchange between the two cities or something like that… To be honest, I don’t really understand it.” Zeli shrugged and said, “Anyway, that guy really values ​​you.”

Upon hearing Zeli's words, Salafine was taken aback for a moment, then briefly recalled the scene on stage when Fain saved her.

While the hero rescuing the damsel in distress is indeed touching, well… although naive, Seraphine isn't an inconsiderate little girl. Especially because she can read other people's thoughts, Seraphine could sense that Fane simply didn't want to hurt the innocent and wanted more happiness.

Thinking this, Seraphine murmured to herself, "Could it be because of... a prophecy?"

Seraphine both believed and disbelieved in prophecies. In the bustling airport of Piltover, she had indeed encountered mages from all over the world. Several of them had left a deep impression on her, though only an impression; there had been no real interaction.

Those mages often maintained a rather restrained distance when dealing with certain matters. No one was quite like Fan… just as Zeli said, so frank and passionate.

Just then, a voice suddenly came from the side.

"What are you talking about?"

Approaching from a distance, Fane glanced at Salafine with some surprise, then placed his hand on Zeli's waist and asked curiously, "I couldn't hear very clearly, but it seems to be related to me?"

"Mr. Fain!" Upon seeing Fain's arrival, Salafine appeared somewhat nervous and flustered, but after taking a couple of deep breaths, she still politely said, "Um... thank you for saving me on stage at the concert earlier."

“You’re welcome. In fact, this accident was caused by me.” Upon hearing this, Farn said amicably, “In fact, I should apologize to you… Piltover finally found someone willing to engage in cultural exchange with Zaun, but unexpectedly, because of some things I did in Zaun, the Alchemist Baron took advantage of it and ruined it like this.”

As he finished speaking, Fain shook his head helplessly.

Seraphine, as Piltover's most popular star at the moment, would greatly improve Zaun's image in the eyes of the common people of Piltover if she were willing to make contact with them. Even if the change is not significant, even just a little bit, it would be good. But who would have thought that those alchemical barons wouldn't care about this or that, only thinking about their own interests?

Thinking this, Faen also lowered his head and looked at Zeli in his arms.

"You started this, didn't you?"

There wasn't much blame; Fan just looked at Zeli curiously and asked, "What did you talk about?"

“Of course it’s related to you.” Zeli nodded and briefly recounted her conversation with Salafine.

Upon learning that Salafine was currently hesitating about running away from home, Fain blinked in surprise before nodding and saying, "This matter does indeed require careful consideration."

"Eh……"

Upon hearing this, Salafine appeared somewhat surprised.

Because of what Zeli had said before—that Fane was very interested in her, even quite fond of her, and believed he could become a bridge between the two cities—Salepney assumed Fane would definitely invite her to Zaun. But who would have thought… Mr. Fane didn't seem to value her as much as she'd imagined?

No, it's not that I don't value myself. There must be some other reason.

Through her perception of the melody, Salafine could vaguely sense that Farn had something else to do.

After noticing Salephine's expression, Fane also focused his attention slightly, and after a moment he looked at Salephine.

Were you secretly watching me?

Upon hearing this, Salafine was startled and abruptly looked at Fane's face, only to meet his gaze. This made Salafine instinctively want to avoid Fane's eyes. But just as Salafine had this thought, she heard again: "Don't be nervous, this is communication in the mental realm."

Spiritual realm?

Upon hearing this unfamiliar term, Salafine appeared somewhat puzzled and confused. However, she also noticed that Farn's mouth hadn't moved when she heard the voice, and Zeli beside her was merely curiously observing her, seemingly oblivious to Farn's words.

This is……

melody?

Subconsciously sensing the sounds, Salafine quickly realized that what she was hearing was not the sound of Fane's mouth and throat, but rather the melody of the soul that ordinary people could not perceive or control, and that would only play unconsciously.

Realizing this, Salafine's expression quickly changed from confusion to surprise, and finally to delight.

The girl's face relaxed with excitement, and her large, sky-blue eyes, like those of a sapphire gemstone, were filled with surprise and delight.

Almost instinctively, Salafine went to stand in front of Farn and asked expectantly, "You...you can feel the melody?! You can hear it too?! The sound of all things!"

"Haha, I can definitely feel a little bit of that." Sensing Salafine's surprise, Fane chuckled, "But I feel mostly joy~"

33. Departure

"hapiness?"

Upon hearing this, Seraphine was slightly taken aback, but quickly realized what was going on—according to Zerek, while inside the sea monster's belly, Fane had unexpectedly caught the attention of the happy demon Osiris and gained the power to control flowing water and experience joy. That's why Fane wanted the people of Zaun to be happy.

Thinking about it, Salafine suddenly realized and said, "So that's it! So that's why Mr. Fann is filled with joyful melodies!"

“Yes.” Fane nodded gently, then looked at Piltover beside him and said, “I will bring joy to Zaun and let people grow in hope. And then, Piltover.”

"Do you want Piltover too?" Salafini seemed a little surprised.

“That’s inevitable,” Farn said gently. “Because the connection between Piltover and Zaun is far closer than you can imagine. Piltover won’t be indifferent to the changes in Zaun, and after Zaun completes its transformation and loses its connection with the old Zaun, Piltover’s Hextech Crystal Factory and other businesses will come to a standstill… At that time, even if those people don’t want to, they will have to make a choice.”

As he spoke, a cold glint appeared in Fain's eyes.

The choice is either to respect Zaun's changes and return the rights that rightfully belong to Zaun, or to use even more drastic measures to turn Zaun back into the same Zaun that sat in the Piltover sewers...

Given the usual practices of the trading families and the Piltover council members, it's not hard to guess which one they will choose.

However, this was still somewhat beyond Salafine's capabilities.

Upon hearing Farn's words, Salafine's face was filled with surprise and confusion.

"The Hextech Crystal factory will come to a standstill? Why? Isn't this for your own good?"

"For our own good?" Zeli said with an incredulous look, "Why would you say that?"

"That's what everyone says," Seraphine blinked, puzzled. "That's what the Piltover Daily said, isn't it?..."

As she said this, Salafine closed her large, sky-blue eyes, recalled for a moment, and then imitated the announcer's voice, saying:

"The Hextech Crystal Refining Plant is a joint project specially approved by the Piltover Council and the Zaun Council, representing a deep cooperation between the two cities that sets aside past animosity. While providing Piltover with a large amount of Hextech Crystals, it also creates more jobs in Zaun, allowing the people of Zaun to live better lives..."