"Ha ha, worthy of a student who can score full marks in theory exams! I guessed you would need those things and have already prepared them for you."

Ai Wen cast an approving glance at Luo Yan, turned around, and with a wave of his index finger, gestured towards the stack of books on the desk.

"The Demon King Territory you are about to take over is located on the fringes of the human Ryan Kingdom, within the noble lands of Duke Cambell of the Ryan Kingdom. Nearby is a so-called Free City with a rumored population of a million people... but you need not worry too much about them. Those citizens are spineless, their hearts not aligned with their lord, the Priest, and sometimes, they even sell their souls to us."

"Different Demon King Territories have different strategic objectives. The one you're about to take over is in the rear of the human world, far from the front lines of war. Therefore, your primary task is not to invade the Surface World but to grow and strengthen the Demon King Territory by all possible means."

If that was true, it was good news, at least he wouldn't have to constantly lead the skeleton soldiers out to draw hatred every now and then.

If things got tough, he could also hide in the city, blending into the crowd to disappear without a trace.

Luo Yan's heart, which had been in turmoil, finally calmed down a bit.

And at that moment, the dear Professor Ai Wen gifted him another great present.

"... By the way, speaking of Duke Cambell's domain, I suddenly remembered a war trophy taken from humans a long, long time ago. Wait for me a moment."

It seemed that something dawned on Professor Ai Wen as he slapped his forehead and floated into the nearby meditation room, returning after five or six minutes.

Looking at the benign Witch Demon handing him a necklace, Luo Yan gave him a puzzled look.

"What is this?"

"A relic of King Isaac IV, the last king of the Isaac Dynasty from the Ryan Kingdom's first dynasty, known as the 'Incompetent King.'"

Luo Yan: "..."

The name didn't sound very useful.

However, Principal Ai Wen apparently didn't think so.

"He was much like you, lacking magic skills in his youth, but as time went on, he later attained powers rivaling the gods. I obtained his relic from a knight of the Ryan Kingdom, the pendant you're holding now. Given the energy field emanating from this pendant, the person who made it must have had at least Demigod-level capability."

"Demigod-level?!" Luo Yan was shocked.

"Yes," Ai Wen nodded, his face intriguing as he continued, "Perhaps not just Demigod-level, but that's all I can sense... The residual power is weak, but my instincts aren't wrong. After all, I've only ever encountered the same scent on those three great individuals."

Those three great individuals...

Probably referring to the Third Generation Demon Gods.

Luo Yan clenched the necklace tightly, his heart pounding, yet he was also puzzled as to why Principal Ai Wen would give this item to him.

Even if this venerable Witch Demon thought highly of him, this gift was too precious!

"You're wondering why I gave it to you, aren't you?"

Looking into Luo Yan's eyes, Ai Wen smiled kindly and continued.

"Although the necklace was presumably made by a Demigod-level powerhouse, its demonstrated power doesn't seem to possess Demigod-level magic. It resembles more an antique, and my interest mainly stems from Isaac IV himself... According to legend, he was the only human in all the nations who managed to reach the Demigod-level without relying on the power of Saint Sis, and he did so while still alive."

Compared to the long-living species and the Undead, humans have a mere century of life.

How to master such god-fearing powers in such a brief time... Ai Wen was very curious about it.

Legend has it that the war waged by the Aus Empire over nine hundred years ago to subdue the Isaac Dynasty was personally orchestrated by Saint Sis through a divine decree.

The official reason was that Isaac IV had desecrated the gods, but in actuality, it was much more than just that superficial reason.

After all, the entire Isaac family was decimated by the Aus Empire, their lineage completely extinguished...

This kind of thorough eradication, even when viewed against the entire history of the human nations of the Aus Continent, was exceedingly rare.

"... Driven by curiosity about this hidden story behind it, I spent twenty years over the past millennium researching Isaac IV's relics and even managed to obtain his diary from the human realms," Ai Wen remarked.

"However, regretfully, most of the diary was written in a cryptic cypher, and just decrypting it consumed a great deal of my time. Many things happened thereafter, and the matter was left in the corner of the meditation room."

At this point, Principal Ai Wen's face showed a radiant smile as he handed two books to Luo Yan.

"I think, now is the time to pass this unfinished task to the younger generation... Your academic talent impresses me, and perhaps you are better suited to research academic fields than to study magic."

"In your free time, you could ponder over it; even if you don't make much progress, it could still help you understand the human society of the Surface World, as well as the Ryan Kingdom you are about to head to."