Heilong-kou (Black Dragon-Mouth/Pass)
Heilong-cheng (Black Dragon-City)
Censorate (Supervisory Court)
Yuling City (Jade City)
Jingui Town (Golden Turtle Town)
Xuanwu City (Black tortoise City)
...
Yin Jixue climbed into her ride with her newly recruited little brother in tow.
She had originally planned to put the kid on a coach bus, but Ye insisted on following her, claiming he needed to protect her. She was helpless against his stubbornness.
There was something about Ye that felt familiar—like kin.
After being reborn, her memories of her past life had grown increasingly fuzzy. It was only the system's presence that reminded her she was an outsider in this world.
But now she had a lover who was love at first sight, and loyal subjects who adored her. She had nearly buried all memories of her previous life deep within her heart.
She wanted to tell Ye: that little ones should grow up carefree, without constantly fighting or killing.
Since birth, Ye had lived under the threat of demonic beasts, witnessing the deaths of his loved ones and tribe members firsthand. Yin Jixue could only help him slowly adjust to a life of peace.
She had Ye sit in the backseat with Ruoshui.
The sports car vanished in a flash. Workers who arrived late stared at the streak left behind, frustrated they hadn't caught her in time.
"Why did Her Highness leave so quickly? We just discovered something really interesting!"
They had originally wanted to report it directly to the Queen. Privately, they thought Her Highness would love the warm spring water they'd found.
Now, they had no choice but to report it to the Censorate.
While building a new factory, they'd apparently hit something underground that caused all the nearby lakes and rivers to heat up.
If Yin Jixue had still been around, she would've immediately recognized it as a hot spring.
And not just any hot spring—it wasn't volcanic. After all, the Black Dragon Clan had no volcanoes.
The sports car had already arrived ahead of them at Black Dragon Pass.
This time, she hadn't sent word in advance.
The guards at the city gate didn't recognize who was sitting inside the car.
Not until Yin Jixue stepped out did the guards scramble to open the gates, shouting, "Her Majesty the Queen is here! Welcome Her Majesty!"
Soldiers appeared out of nowhere, quickly forming two orderly lines.
Some were sent into the city to spread the news.
Yin Jixue smiled and waved them off. "No need to be so formal. Just go about your duties. I'm just here to speak with your city lord."
The guards reluctantly stepped back, constantly looking over their shoulders, their faces pure fanboy admiration.
Yin Jixue didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
Ye stuck close to her, ever watchful and alert.
Looking at the child who barely reached her shoulder, Yin Jixue softened her voice. "You don't have to be so on guard. Black Dragon Pass is very safe. As long as you're not in the deep forest, there's no danger in Black Dragon territory."
The Deep Forest was the heart of the woods, where high-level demonic beasts roamed.
Ye shook his head and said quietly, "My mother was killed by a sudden beast attack. Its claw pierced right through her chest… She didn't even get to say her final words."
Yin Jixue gently ruffled his hair. "Good boy. You're safe now. You don't have to live in fear anymore. Your father and your tribe will no longer be in danger."
Ye looked up at her with pleading eyes. "Please give me a new name. I was born at midnight, but I hate the night. The night is when most of my people died."
Yin Jixue's heart ached.
He was only thirteen, already numb to death—and yet he still feared the dark.
"Then from now on, you'll be called Yan Ye—the one who loathes the night. I want you to remember your name. Even if you serve me in the future, you're still your person."
Ye was renamed Yan Ye.
He didn't quite understand the meaning behind Yin Jixue's words just yet. But by the time he did, Her Majesty's heart would already belong to someone else.
The City Lord of Black Dragon Pass hurried over as soon as he got the news.
"Did something serious happen for Your Majesty to come here in person?"
Yin Jixue deliberately teased him: "It's indeed something big. But someone else will brief you—I'm going for a stroll around the city."
Black Dragon Pass had changed completely.
The city was now organized into districts for easier management. Every six large courtyards were connected by narrow streets that could fit two cars. Two narrow streets combined led to a wider road that could accommodate four vehicles.
Due to the sparse presence of demonic portals and the abundance of land, each large courtyard was shared by two families. In the future, residents could accumulate work hours to earn standalone houses.
The roads in Black Dragon Pass followed the same layout as those in Black Dragon City, though there were no shops lining the streets here.
Because sandstorms were less frequent, the city had concentrated land development in a different direction—away from the threat of demonic beasts outside the walls.
To Yin Jixue's surprise, these demonfolk had come up with the idea of using greenhouses to grow food.
Of course, these weren't modern plastic greenhouses. They were wooden frame structures with glass panels, growing crops like sweet taro inside.
It was a fully modernized experimental field, and judging from the design, it had likely come from the construction crew.
Black Dragon Pass didn't have enough farmland to allocate to all its demonfolk. Most of the strong ones were out mining in Black Dragon City. As such, the land was managed collectively by the City Lord's Mansion, imitating Black Dragon City's communal dining halls.
Yin Jixue walked a lap along the city wall, comparing the system's map icons one by one.
She discovered that Black Dragon Pass sat on rich natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, and coal. On top of that, thanks to the area's unique geography, it also had usable solar and wind energy potential.
Barely containing her excitement, she returned to the City Lord's office and borrowed pen and paper.
"These icons on the map show the natural resources Black Dragon Pass has. I'll send people to do a proper survey later. But you've got a serious labor shortage. Try to recruit some wild demon folk from nearby areas."
After the reconstruction, many houses in the city were vacant, and there wasn't much labor left. Just like Black Dragon City had done, they'd started taking in lower-tier demons.
Now that the Queen herself had said Black Dragon Pass could become the next Black Dragon City, the city lord was already scouting for more demon folk.
How could he not be thrilled?
"You mean... our Black Dragon Pass could become a second Black Dragon City?!"
That wasn't necessarily true.
Yin Jixue recalled a city from her past life—rich in resources, isolated in location. It had only developed into a major industrial hub.
With its harsh climate, it could only develop agriculture, animal husbandry, and niche tourism.
But Black Dragon Pass was different.
It had no scenic attractions, so tourism wasn't guaranteed. Still, making sure everyone had enough to eat, drink, and a job? That was doable.
And for the demonfolk, that was already more than enough.
"I can't promise anything," she said. "But I'll do my best. Black Dragon Pass will at least be a place where locals are cared for in both youth and old age."
Even without tourism, the city could be developed into one with a unique cultural identity.
Its biggest advantage? It was located between Black Dragon City and the Jade Spirit City of the Xuanwu Clan.
An idea suddenly popped into Yin Jixue's head.
Once the people of Black Dragon City reached a basic standard of living and started making money, they'd need a place to spend it.
So why not turn Black Dragon Pass into a consumer tourism hub?
Scenic spots? They could be built.
The real purpose was to give Black Dragon City's residents a way to spend money—and boost Black Dragon Pass's economy in the process.
The moment this idea formed, the system popped up with a new quest:
[Mission: Build a popular IP amusement park in Black Dragon Pass that gains buzz in at least three cities. Earn 6 million units of Faith Energy.]
[Reward: Choose one from the following—Demonfolk-exclusive Camcorder, Drone, Camera, or Smartphone.]
[Bonus: If popularity spreads to five cities (including the three major capitals), choose two rewards.]
She couldn't help but feel like the system was out to get her. This task was insane!
People usually made a movie first—then built an amusement park. With multiple princesses to fulfill countless girls' dreams.
But what did the demonfolk have? What were they supposed to make—"Love and the Demon King"?
Hmm... Not a bad idea.
She could have the three school instructors brainstorm and film the epic tales of past Demon Kings. That's an IP right there, isn't it?