Chapter 4: Hold Tight, Don't Move!
"Making babies? Demon Lord, I don't understand..."
Lilith muttered weakly.
Hearing this, Asmodeus frowned, his crimson eyes flashing with a reproachful "how can you not even know common sense," then he began explaining very seriously and earnestly:
"Women need to be pregnant to have babies, and to get pregnant, they must have extremely intimate physical contact! According to ancient demon texts, the fingers connect to the heart, and the palms are windows for soul interaction—so, holding hands is the safest and most effective method of reproduction! Got it?"
As he spoke, he tightened his grip on her hand and said discontentedly:
"Don't move! What if the connection breaks and the baby isn't strong enough? Hold on properly!"
"..."
At these words, Lilith's pupils contracted wildly.
She looked at the imposing Demon Lord before her, momentarily speechless.
After a long while, it felt as if something inside her had collapsed.
"Pfft—"
"Hahahahaha! Where did this pure little virgin come from!"
On the surface, Lilith maintained her obedient demeanor, but inwardly, she mocked Asmodeus like a mischievous girl:
"What nonsense about fingers connecting to the heart! Where did you get your sex education from—some bootleg street literature?"
"Wait, come to think of it, I've never been in a relationship either, so maybe I shouldn't be laughing..."
"But as a Demon Lord who's lived for centuries, how can he not know this basic stuff? Did this guy spend all his time training and fighting three hundred years ago, with no time for romance?"
Thinking this, as she looked at Asmodeus's handsome yet naively foolish face, Lilith felt a strange sense of sympathy.
"Somehow, I suddenly feel a bit sorry for him..."
"But... pfft! It's still too funny! Hahahaha!"
It was too hard.
Holding back laughter was just too hard!
What Lilith feared most now was bursting out laughing, which might enrage the virgin Demon Lord and get her killed.
However, on second thought, Lilith sensed an opportunity:
"Hmm... since he's clueless about common sense, I don't have to worry about my chastity. As long as I don't tell him, he'll never figure out how babies are really made!"
With the crisis averted, Lilith grew bolder.
She used her free hand to search around her body, feeling around, and finally managed to pull her mobile phone from her cleavage.
"So that's where it was."
"Um... Demon Lord, the Reproduction Ritual doesn't prevent talking, right? You keep holding on, I'll just make a quick call to my family first."
"?"
Asmodeus didn't understand what the glowing black square in Lilith's hand was, nor what "phone" meant, so he just nodded and watched her curiously.
Seizing the chance, Lilith opened her contacts, found the only remaining entry—[Annoying Idiot (Best Friend)]—and dialed.
Beep—beep—beep—
The ringtone sounded three times.
Finally, the call connected.
"Hello? Old Duan?"
A lazy, magnetic voice came through the receiver, sounding like a mature beauty just from the tone.
Lilith was stunned and instinctively cursed in standard Mandarin:
"Who the hell are you? Why are you a woman? Where's Song the Beast?"
There was a second of silence on the other end.
Then, an even more shocked scream erupted:
"Holy shit? Old Duan, you turned into a woman too! Sounds like a loli?"
"Damn, it really is you!"
Lilith gritted her teeth in anger:
"So we all got screwed over by that Goddess! She just forgot to mention gender, and now she turned us into girls. How are we supposed to marry rich beauties and live happily ever after now!"
"Yeah, what a mess! And these breasts are so heavy, I can't even walk steadily. What a pain! That Goddess is totally unreliable!"
In this strange otherworld, though they couldn't meet face-to-face, being able to connect with an old friend like this, joking around in Chinese like buddies, felt somewhat comforting.
But... as the two vented furiously in Chinese, the neglected Demon Lord nearby finally couldn't take it anymore.
"Hmm..."
Asmodeus frowned, glaring at Lilith with a displeased look:
"Who are you talking to? Why is there a human voice coming from that black box? And... what language are you speaking? Why have I never heard it before?"
The unfamiliar language sounded odd—not Elvish or Draconic—making the Demon Lord feel an unsettling irritation.
"Huh?"
Lilith froze.
"Crap, I got carried away and forgot the Demon Lord is right here."
But quickly, her eyes darted around, and she hurriedly explained in the demon realm's common tongue:
"Well... since I was suddenly summoned here, I'm using my hometown's 'Long-Distance Voice Transmission Magic' to explain things to my family! What I just spoke was the dialect of my Succubus Royal Clan. It's normal you don't understand it, yeah, that's it."
"Dialect?"
Asmodeus looked confused, his brow slightly furrowed in surprise and doubt:
"You can break through the seal to contact the outside world? Your magic is that strong?"
As he spoke, Asmodeus examined the little black box thoughtfully:
"Such a powerful Magical Artifact. It seems the succubus clan isn't as weak as I imagined."
"Yes, yes, you're absolutely right."
Lilith nodded dismissively, then quickly turned her attention back to the phone, continuing in Chinese to her Best Friend:
"Enough nonsense, Song the Beast. Anyway, my situation here is complicated. I'm trapped in some bottomless dungeon, and there's this... uh, handsome but clueless virgin Demon Lord holding my hand, wanting to marry me."
"How about you? Any troubles? If you're doing okay, send someone to rescue me ASAP!"
"Well..."
On the other end, Alicia's voice sounded hesitant.
The scene shifted to the Holy Kingdom's Royal Bathhouse.
Alicia was comfortably soaking in a huge bath filled with rose petals, steam rising around her.
She lifted her arm and glanced around.
Over a dozen young maids in light attire, all with pretty faces, knelt respectfully on the floor. Some held fruit trays, others towels, ready to serve her.
"Brave One~ Who are you talking to?"
A bold maid blushed as she approached, her voice soft:
"Is the water temperature not right? Or are you dissatisfied with us?"
"Oh, no, it's fine. I'm talking to the Goddess. Shh—be quiet."
Alicia brushed it off casually, and the maids immediately backed away nervously.
She picked up the phone again, her tone drifting:
"My side... is okay. Actually, it's pretty rough too—being a woman is hard to get used to. Right now, I'm bathing as part of the Holy Kingdom's summoning ritual. As for you, is that Demon Lord good or bad? Maybe ask him for the specific location, so I can have the King send troops to fetch you."
"Hold on a second..."
Though Alicia sounded concerned, Lilith frowned, Keenly captured the blind spot.
Her ears perked up like antennas as she stared at the phone screen:
"We can put that aside for now, Song the Beast. Explain this to me."
"What was that cutesy female voice just now? Why is a girl calling you Brave One and asking if you're satisfied?"
"You... you bastard... aren't you on the classic hero's journey? How did it turn into a harem! Answer me!"
"Ah, haha, that..."
It seemed like someone was having a meltdown.
Alicia could only chuckle dryly, scratching her cheek guiltily as she explained:
"They're... maids! Since I'm the Brave One, the Holy Kingdom arranged for people to attend to me during my bath. I couldn't refuse..."
"What? Maids!!!"
Hearing those words, Lilith's eyes nearly popped out of her head with jealousy, her red glare scarier than the Demon Lord's.
"Why?!"
"We all turned into women, so how come this guy gets to soak in a tub surrounded by maids, living like royalty?"
"While I'm stuck in this damp, dark dungeon, having to serve a perverted Demon Lord as a maid? And make babies?!"
"The The difference in treatment is too great!! Unfair! Goddess, you're biased!"
The huge psychological The difference in height caused Lilith to break down instantly., but at this point, she could only roar into the phone:
"Song the Beast! Aren't you supposed to be a hero? As a hero, you should focus on training and enduring hardships! Look at you now—enjoying yourself before even leaving the Starter Village? You can't start a harem mid-training! I'm still in a dungeon here—doesn't your conscience hurt?"
"Ah, well... when in Rome..."
"You—!!"
Lilith nearly ground her teeth to dust in anger.
However, just as she was about to spew more curses... her hand suddenly felt lighter.
The phone was gone.
"Huh?"
She looked up sharply to see Asmodeus had snatched it away.
The Demon Lord frowned, looking impatient:
"You're talking too loudly. It's annoying!"
He shook the phone and said coldly:
"Can you focus? We're in the middle of a sacred Reproduction Ritual. All this shouting might disturb our future offspring."
"Uh... uh..."
Lilith opened her mouth blankly.
Seeing the Demon Lord's self-righteous expression, a deep sense of helplessness washed over her.
"I'm tired. Just end me..."
But the phone was her only emotional support and lifeline—how could she let the Demon Lord take it so easily?
So, quickly, Lilith had a clever idea.
She curved her lips into a deceptive, sweet smile—a succubus trademark:
"Oh, Demon Lord, it seems you're unaware~"
"Actually, according to the latest Physiological Research, as long as both parties are in sync, holding hands for about a minute is enough to conceive! So... we've already completed the Reproduction Ritual~"
"Huh?"
Hearing this, Asmodeus froze, blinking uncertainly:
"Really? Just one minute?"
"Yes, yes~ Absolutely true!"
Lilith nodded vigorously.
The Demon Lord pondered for a moment, finally releasing the hand he'd been holding.
Lilith's heart leaped with joy as she reached for the phone.
But then, the Demon Lord tucked the phone into his own clothes instead and stared at her with penetrating eyes, his tone icy:
"If you're lying, I'll kill you!"
"Uh, n-no, I wouldn't dare!"
Lilith shrank back in fear.
Then, the world fell silent.
She stared longingly at Asmodeus's chest, where his clothes bulged with a small square shape... "Um... Lord... that phone... I mean, Magical Artifact... can I have it back?"
"This?"
Asmodeus patted his chest, then said matter-of-factly:
"Since you're already pregnant, to prevent you from using this to contact the outside world and escape, and to let you focus on nurturing the fetus—I'll return it after you give birth."
"What?!"
Hearing this, Lilith felt as if struck by lightning, petrified in place.
"Not until I give birth?"
"But the problem is... I can't actually give birth!"
"N-no, Demon Lord..."
Though she hated playing the maid and didn't want to appease this idiot Demon Lord... to get her phone back, Lilith had to pout, putting on a pitiful act as she begged:
"I... I haven't finished explaining to my family yet... If you don't return it... I'll..."
BOOM!!!
Before she could finish, a violent tremor erupted from deep within the dungeon, a The enormous roar was like a thunderclap.!
The entire underground space shook, dust falling everywhere.
"Ah!"
Startled, Lilith instinctively covered her head and ducked behind the Demon Lord, peeking out cautiously:
"What was that? An earthquake?!"
In contrast, Asmodeus remained remarkably calm.
He steadied himself and looked toward the source of the vibration—the deepest part of the maze, where the darkness was thickest.
Then, he glanced disdainfully at Lilith, who was clutching his cloak and trembling, and explained dismissively:
"Don't panic. It's not an earthquake."
"It's an annoying guy coming."