Xiao Yu, lying on the large bed, stretched and yawned as Bai Qi emerged from the shadows. She tossed aside the game console in her hand, then tore open a bag of snacks and began to eat heartily.
Despite becoming the Dark Queen after her corruption, Xiao Yu was still a child at heart. When left to her own devices, her playful nature was on full display.
Especially with Bai Qi's deliberate efforts, the latest game consoles, comic books, and snacks were all readily available to her if she desired them. As the ruler of a nation, Bai Qi possessed the means to provide anything.
Seven maids were also assigned to attend to Xiao Yu's daily needs, allowing her to truly experience a life of being waited on hand and foot.
Now, besides studying demonic texts with Bai Qi for just over an hour each day, Xiao Yu could do whatever she pleased. She would play games on her bed, watch television, read comics, with various snacks laid out beside her. She could grab a handful whenever she pleased, experiencing everything she had previously been unable to or dared not do. With servants attending to her, her life was no less than that of an emperor.
Bai Qi's intentions in doing this were simple: to corrupt Xiao Yu.
As the saying goes, it is easy to go from frugality to extravagance, but difficult to go from extravagance to frugality.
Although Xiao Yu was currently under the influence of dark energy, it did not mean she was devoid of such memories. When she eventually broke free from the dark energy's control, she would be reluctant to part with her current lifestyle. While the possibility was slim, Bai Qi might try his best to keep Xiao Yu here, leading her to forget her home in her indulgence.
For Bai Qi, this would merely cost him some money. However, for the protagonist group, and indeed for justice itself, it would be a crushing blow.
Not only that.
For a girl around ten years old, a time of great energy and activity, being confined to the palace might be fun for a while, but eventually, she would surely grow bored and restless, venturing outside.
The palace was located not far from Kutol City.
Through the people of Kutol, Xiao Yu could also learn about Bai Qi's immense contributions to the people of Kutol and the nation.
The corrupted Xiao Yu, feeling bored, got out of bed and went to the desk. She flipped open her textbook and said, "Today's lesson is about the contributions of the Eight Great Demons to Asia, right?"
"That's right," Bai Qi nodded. "It seems you've previewed the material."
"Of course."
The corrupted Xiao Yu was completely unable to resist praise. A little flattery from Bai Qi would send her ego soaring.
"I am the dignified Dark Queen, the leader of the Shadow Legion. These demonic texts are nothing before me."
Bai Qi chuckled at Xiao Yu's self-aggrandizement.
"In that case, read it for me. Let's see what this chapter is about."
"I'll read it, who's afraid? Listen closely."
Xiao Yu opened the book, cleared her throat, and began to read.
"In ancient times, the Eight Great Demons ruled the world. While people only knew that demons brought suffering to the world, they did not realize that it was precisely due to the demons' emergence that human and world civilization took great strides forward. Among them, the Demon of Fire made the greatest contribution. It was by teaching his magic to humans that the first mages appeared. The people under the command of the Demon of Water gained the ability to survive in the ocean. The Demon of Wind..."
After finishing a chapter, Xiao Yu closed the book, rolled her eyes, and said, "Isn't this just a sycophantic book praising demons? Even if you're narcissistic, there's no need to use a book like this as a textbook."
"Is that really the case?"
Bai Qi corrected Xiao Yu's criticism.
"Firstly, I chose this book as a textbook not out of narcissism, but because the demonic language used in it is the simplest among all books and the most suitable for beginners like you to learn and read. Secondly, this book was not written by us demons. Look closely, it was written by you humans two hundred years after we were sealed. You could say this is the most objective evaluation of us demons by your kind, not those so-called righteous individuals who smear us with everything."
As Bai Qi and Xiao Yu conversed, the hour-long lesson quickly concluded.
"Alright, that's all for today's lesson. Next time, we will learn about the persecution of demons by the so-called righteous individuals. You should do as you did today and preview the material in advance."
With that, Bai Qi walked out of the room with a flourish, leaving Xiao Yu staring in astonishment.
After leaving the room, Bai Qi quickly traversed the Shadow Kingdom and returned to his palace. After a series of turns, he entered a secret chamber.
This secret chamber had been meticulously modified by Bai Qi, designed to prevent Talla's invasion.
In fact, as soon as Talla was resurrected, Bai Qi had ordered his subordinates to renovate the entire palace, using magic to eradicate Talla's invasion from its root.
Upon entering the secret chamber, Bai Qi operated the console, and holographic projections of Savage and Luthor appeared before him.
"What is it?"
Savage didn't beat around the bush in front of Bai Qi and stated, "Project Cadmus has begun, but there have been some minor glitches."
"Minor glitches?"
Bai Qi knew that if Savage needed to contact him urgently, it couldn't be just a minor glitch.
Savage hesitated, so Luthor explained the situation to Bai Qi.
The Illuminati's Project Cadmus had been proceeding smoothly and secretly. However, for some unknown reason, a big-headed individual who could disregard physical environments, accompanied by a ninja legion similar to Bai Qi's, attacked a secret base of the Illuminati and obtained some parts of the Cadmus plan.
There was no doubt that the big-headed individual Luthor mentioned was Talla.
This guy was doing everything he could to annoy Bai Qi. Knowing he was no match for Bai Qi, he resorted to such tactics to cause trouble for Bai Qi.
However, Talla did not directly reveal this plan to the Justice League. Instead, he offered this opportunity to another formidable figure in the DC world, whose status was comparable to Nick Fury in Marvel.
This person was Amanda Waller.
In the canonical DC universe, Amanda Waller was an agent of the US government, a high-ranking official of A.R.G.U.S. dealing with superhuman affairs, the warden of the superhuman prison Belle Reve, and the head of Project Cadmus.
Amanda was a staunch patriot who believed that superheroes posed a significant potential threat to the nation. She even distrusted human heroes like Batman. Therefore, she initiated various secret projects to contain superhumans.
Although Amanda Waller had been modified in this altered world, her status within the US government had not been significantly shaken. While not a direct agent, she still held a very high position.