The Lord Demon King is Unfathomable!

Chapter 1490 - 429: It's Definitely the Flame King's Doing! (2)

The rich aroma of wheat porridge wafted through the air, and for the hungry refugees, this place was nothing short of Heaven.

Holding his bowl, Old Hank squatted at the edge of the camp, his face filled with disbelief, and murmured quietly.

"Turns out the Green Forest Army drove us to the edge of the castle not to starve us, but to conveniently distribute food to us..."

Having filled his stomach, he couldn't help but arrive at a conclusion that seemed bizarre yet reasonable to him.

It seemed he had indeed misjudged this group of bandits—

Oh no, the Salvation Army.

Not only was Old Hank filled with disbelief, but most refugees in the camp felt the same way.

Under the curse of hunger, they consumed everything edible they could find, whether it was earthworms in the ground or barely digestible tree bark.

There wasn't a single tree with bark within a ten-mile radius.

Now, their survival felt like a dream.

On the other side of the camp, an elderly hunter stared at the Cross Talisman in his hand, showing a thoughtful expression.

He had picked it up from near the Salvation Army's porridge shop; at the time, he was trying to find a sack to convert into clothes and stumbled upon this familiar-looking object.

After pondering for a moment, he finally remembered where he had seen it before, and a hoarse murmur squeezed from his throat.

"I recognize this cross... It was near Rapids Pass close to Duke Campbell's Domain, in the hand of an adventurer."

This statement piqued the interest of many, as numerous people had picked up this inedible cross near the porridge shop.

They carried it for good fortune, not expecting it to have a story attached.

Curious, people gathered around him, asking questions.

"Did that adventurer say where it came from?"

Facing their inquisitive gazes, the old hunter remained silent for a moment, then spoke in a calm tone.

"That person didn't say, nor did I ask. I just seem to remember... he called it the 'Amulet of the Flame King.'"

This unique name seemed to connect with a story he had once heard.

The hunter's eyes brightened slightly, and he continued with assurance.

"Yes! I remember, it was made by the Flame King!"

The hungry refugees were taken aback, their faces showing confusion.

"Flame King?"

"What is that?"

"Is it... Campbell's king?"

"No, he's not a secular king, but... a child born in the wilderness, a crownless king who survived great danger." The hunter shook his head and spoke with an eloquent tone, piecing together the story he had heard.

"He was an orphan, born without parents."

"He was born in the hottest stone cave of the Ten Thousand Ridges Mountain Range, with only the erupting magma witnessing the baby's cries."

"Thanks to divine protection, he narrowly escaped death."

"An elderly priest took him home and raised him to adulthood..."

"He didn't have a name."

"Those who knew him affectionately called him—"

"The Flame King."

More and more people gathered, more hungry refugees began listening to the old hunter's story, and after hearing it, they shared it with others.

Having nothing else to do after filling their stomachs, the legend of the Flame King became a delight in their bleak lives.

Through the refugees' exaggerated tales, the kind Flame King, from being a parentless child, became the illegitimate child of Saint Sith.

After all, the concept of emerging from a stone did not exist on Aus Continent, and to the old farmers' understanding, a person must be born to another person.

If not that... it could only be done by Saint Sith. And if the child was evil enough, then it was the work of the Demon God.

Thus, following the story of "Holy Maiden Carian" they now had another "Divine Son" named the Flame King.

As it happens, Holy Maiden Carian herself admitted to receiving care from someone called upon by divine grace during her travels.

The story seemed to connect.

Though the tale was quite sacrilegious, there were no priests around to correct them anyway.

In the end, not only the refugees, but even the soldiers of the Salvation Army spread it suspiciously among themselves...

"Turns out we are backed by the Flame King."

"Saint Sith above... I knew there was so much bread, smoked meat, and red wine, it's actually given to us by the Flame King!"

A kind-hearted hermit undoubtedly fits their epic aesthetic more than a distant deity.

Even though logically, it's absurd for a hermit to produce so much bread, smoked meat, and wine in the mountains.

...

In just one day, the legend of the Flame King spread across the besieged camp like the Holy Light.

And now within this "Salvation Army," the savior known as the "Divine Son," who transformed his flesh into bread to feed the people, was even more renowned than the Green Turban Kelan.

This was not merely a change in banners, but the farmer-formed army had seemingly completely shifted its spiritual icon.

Taufu, watching the scene with the Demon King, couldn't help but marvel.

"Goodness, how many identities do you have?"

She felt as if she had woken up transformed into Old Deng.

Old-time deities usually stacked buffs onto themselves, but new-age deities seem to play a fashionable mode—

'I am not any one person, but anyone can be me.'

Luo Yan glanced up from his book with a slight smile.