The newly appointed Demon King, Mr. Murphy, touched down in his favorite region named "Charm Demon Region" or "Sleepy Hollow ," just three days after descending into this world.

Some might say, Murphy is a man of his word, and it tendrils into every corner of his existence. If he pledged to check on the Charm Demons after wrapping up his duties, you'd bet he'd deliver. Thus, the evening after He successfully made his first pot of gold. guided by Tyre, Murphy made his appearance alongside other lords at the Charm Demon Region, a good hundred miles from the royal court.

During the reign of the old demon king, demon lords would gather for a meeting in the royal court at the cascading dawn of each month. Even after the previous king's demise, the tradition remained albeit the meetings switched gears from deliberations of import affairs to high-rank demon lords mentoring low-level ones on internal matters. So, other demons were enjoying their maiden visit to the Charm Demon region, taking in the sights like rural first-timers rather than seasoned lords.

In all fairness, as Tyre had mentioned, the Charm Demons might seem a bit malnutritioned. But you'd be hard-pressed to find one not brimming over with good looks and packed to the gills with an agreeable attire, much so that not a single demon was to be found indecently exposed.

Living harmoniously in substantial settlements, a good thousand or so of these Charm Demons persisted, no less. According to Tyre, higher-rank demons were fewer in number than their lower-rank counterparts. We may never know the count of slimes out there, needless to say, even the Slime Lord was left guessing.

All the Charm Demons, liberals and conservatives, adults and children alike, huddled together in the central square. Eager to have a whiff of the new foreman, they awaited just as keenly as the Demon King himself.

Being an advocate of peace and tranquility, Murphy never fabricated grandstanding speeches out of the blue. So, he just meandered through a couple of gazes under the Charm Demons, ensuring his face was visible to all before he finally perched at Tyre's humble wooden abode.

Seated merrily in the living room, Murphy took a cautious sip of an unusually concocted beverage prepared by Tyre's sister and kicked off the conversation with a provocative query: "Tyre, have the Charm Demons always been this consistent?"

The sudden implosion of tension left Tyre befuddled, murmuring after a brief ponder, "I'm not sure which level you're referring to, King. For decades, Charm Demons have been living as they are now, and we've all grown accustomed to this kind of life. I don't see anything wrong with that."

"You've misunderstood, Tyre," Murphy crossed his hands on the table. In true successful man stance, all that seemed missing was a pair of glowing glasses. "I meant to ask, have women's Charm Demons always maintained this... medium cup size?"

Tyre reflected on his knowledge, then darted to fetch a painting collecting dust from the attic. The portrait was of a voluptuous, young Charm Demon. "King, this is a portrait of my great-grandmother in her youth. Meddling in the affairs some three centuries ago, during a time when human kingdoms were unestablished, and demon kings were yet to surface. Each race held their fort, leaving the continent as chaotic as a pot of boiling brew."

"After peering at the painting, Murphy fired his next inquiry: "So, are you saying that the transformation in Charm Demons was due to a lack of spirit energy absorption?"

"That should be the case, King," Tyre doesn't hesitate to agree. "But at the risk of sounding too blunt, I believe the Charm Demons, both genders, are quite satisfied with their stable lifestyles. They're unwilling to engage in various power struggles or attract different genders like our ancestors and beyond..."

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"And beyond what? Have you guys lost your ancestral skills?" Murphy felt he was onto something.

"Yes, King," Tyre chimed in a lower voice. "Time changes all things. Those antiquated rituals simply don't jibe anymore."

Murphy soaked in this revelation, finally piecing together some oddities he had overlooked during his several rounds in the Charm Demons territory. Now, he realized the root of it all. The Charm Demons' gaze at him contained no hints of any emotions or curiosity other than pure surprise. Irrespective of his past life as Ren Pingan or his current one as Demon King, Murphy always wore his face with confidence. This was a societal discrepancy or rather, it defied the norms of Charm Demon's academical knowledge. They seemed genuinely innocent.

Innocent, a term diametrically opposed to the nature of a Charm Demon. Yet reality was a different story. These Charm Demons bore a purer heart than most nuns he had encountered. Although Murphy's initial strategy had no plans of maneuvering the Charm Demons into 'mature content,' this finding was undoubtedly a matter of shock and curiosity to him. The social ethics amongst the Charm Demon group intrigued him.

"Tyre, pardon my curiosity, is it fair to assume that the Charm Demons nowadays pursue a romantic relationship at liberty?"

"Indeed, in Sleepy Hollow, every Charm Demon seeks the one true mate meant solely for them," a young Charm Demon, blushing slightly, whispered in a voice that bore sacred undertones.

Murphy facepalmed, 'This is sickeningly sweet!' he sighed inwardly, "Now let's sideline the discussion about finding Charm Demons' fated halves for another day. Instead, fetch the soul crystal of the previous Demon King that I gave to you."

Hearing these words, Tyre motioned for his sister to unclasp the pendant around her neck. The said pendant was none but the soul crystal. Within a day, Tyre had managed the task, crafted a pendant, and handed it to his sister before returning to his king and resumed his duty as a guide. Admirable efficiency that made Murphy slightly suspicious of Tyre's sister complex.

Twirling the crystal under a flickering candle flame, Murphy launched his next inquiry: "Within the demon kind, who is proficient at crafting magic items?"

"Vampires excel in the domain of magical potions. As for us Charm Demons, we have our fare share of magic tools craftmanship, but they're all non-lethal."

Murphy's interest peaked at Tyre's explanation. While toying with the magic crystal, he laid out his demand, "I'd like you to replicate this crystal, keeping it as authentic as its form."

Tyre immediately shook his head, dismissing the possibility. "Such a level of replication is beyond any demon's capabilities, let alone splitting a fragment of soul and making it fit inside. Both the craftmanship and the agony associated with the bifurcation of soul are unreachable taunts. We could at best create an inferior version of it."

Murphy's excitement started to bubble up at the word 'inferior,' "Inferior? Just how inferior can it get?"

"It could merely respond to some preset queries, and upon one-time usage, it'd be rendered powerless. It'll hold no practical value and can be deemed palpably inferior."

Murphy deflated upon hearing that, "Too high-quality, dammit! Could it get less useful? Like completely absolve the exchange function. Simply record an image and sound fragment for a short time and upon infusion of magic or spirit energy, start playing from the top. Is that too much to ask?"

Tyre gaped at Murphy in disbelief, "With ample amount of crystals and time, it's doable to make a crystal as the King described, though utterly useless. But, rest easy, Your Majesty, we will try our absolute best to maintain the top quality."

Upon the mention of 'quality,' Murphy quickly cut into Tyre. "Quality, no! The quality cannot be top-notch. After all, these are to be sold. Make it so that each crystal plays the preset image no more than a hundred times. The crystal should progressively blur after the first playback and finally shatter, leaving no trace after the hundredth. If you're unable to achieve this, I'll teach you the advanced decay."

These words struck Tyre speechless. "Are we selling these pseudo-useless crystals, Your Majesty? And mostly with pre-recorded images? Wouldn't that depreciate the crystals' worth? And what exactly are we recording?"

Murphy gave Tyre's head a comforting pat. The words shared with him through the soul crystal by the old Demon King were the seeds of enlightenment. "Tyre, he said you're a smart lad. Why not leverage that wit of yours?"