: Kami of the New World

The young painter himself couldn't explain when he was entangled by the shadowy figure.

All I knew was that by the time I realized what was happening, the other person was already there.

The shadowy figure claims to be the projection of the Demon King on Earth, capable of granting all his wishes.

But the young painter felt that this guy was just lying.

He had made many wishes—

For example, bringing one's deceased mother back to life;

For example, getting into the Xidu Academy of Fine Arts.

But the other party couldn't do it.

He's like a piece of trash.

"What exactly can you do?"

The young painter finally couldn't hold back any longer and directly questioned him.

"I can help you kill someone."

The shadowy figure said, "As long as you meet that person in real life, even just once, and remember what he looks like, I can help you kill him without anyone knowing."

really?

The little painter didn't believe it.

So he conducted the experiment.

The first subject the young painter chose was the gang thug who often bullied him.

That thug discriminated against him because he came from the countryside and had an accent, and he was always extorting money from him.

The little painter got the shadowy figure to do it.

So, a day later, the thug was found dead on the street.

Nobody cared about this death.

Because gang warfare is commonplace, the death of a petty thug like this is hardly news.

But for the young artist, this was like opening the door to a new world.

He then conducted the experiment twice more—

One was the alcoholic next door to the apartment who abused his wife.

One was a notorious bully in the local neighborhood.

They are all dead.

One fell from a great height, the other committed suicide by shooting himself.

No one suspected the young painter.

At this point, he finally confirmed it.

I was indeed chosen!

At first, he did feel guilty when he used demonic power to kill.

But the young painter also believed that the reason why the world is so dark now is because there is a group of people who are completely rotten.

They deserve to die!

Now, God has bestowed this power upon him.

What he wants to do is use this power to make all sinners die in the way they deserve.

Soon, the world will realize this.

There is a Savior who is punishing the evil people in the world.

Other scoundrels will also be afraid to continue doing evil.

The world will be purified.

And he will become the god of the new world!

……

After leaving the prison, Qiao Ye went to the archives of the Xidu Police Station, where he was organizing case files.

As the Imperial Security Advisor, he had extensive access to case files.

The deceased was named Gustav Klimt.

Professor at Xidu Academy of Fine Arts, a leading figure in the imperial art world.

He is a very controversial person. He is very accomplished in art, but he has been involved in scandals of exploiting students and appropriating their work.

The body was discovered by his student, Egon Schim.

According to Sim, he went to the professor's house that afternoon to ask him a question, and what he saw when he opened the door was that scene—

Klimt was nailed to the wall of his studio, his body spread out in a cross shape.

The surrounding area was covered in paint, outlining a huge demon pattern on the wall.

There were no signs of struggle.

The doors and windows are all locked from the inside.

The forensic examination determined the time of death to be between 2 and 3 a.m., and Sim had a complete alibi.

The suspect was then identified as someone else.

The young painter who was taken away by the police just three days ago.

The motivation is very strong.

Professor Klimt rejected his application to enter the Academy of Fine Arts for two consecutive years.

The second time, they even publicly criticized his work, calling it worthless.

He said his paintings were "completely devoid of beauty, like graffiti in a mental hospital."

The young painter slammed the door and left, reportedly with a livid face.

But that's just the motivation.

"Why did you arrest him immediately?"

Qiao Ye asked the security guard on duty next to him, "I've looked for a long time, but I haven't seen any crucial evidence."

"We have no evidence either."

The security guard wiped his sweat and said, "But the pressure from above is intense, and we have to grab someone to report back."

"As you know, it was Professor Klimt who died, the face of the Imperial art world."

"The newspapers are criticizing the police every day, saying they are incompetent."

"The bureau chief said to arrest him first and then slowly gather evidence."

Qiao Ye frowned.

"So what did they find out during the investigation?"

"Nothing was found out during the investigation."

The security guard said guiltily, "Actually, even if you hadn't come, we would have released him soon. This kid is really a bit strange."

"Strange?"

"That's right!"

The security guard nodded. "Ever since he was arrested, the way that kid looks at us is like he's looking at dead people. It always gives us the creeps."

"If you didn't know better, you'd think he was the family member of some important person."

"We serve the Empire, so of course we have nothing to fear, but there are still some taboos, after all..."

He didn't continue.

As low-level security guards, they come into contact with all sorts of extraordinary criminals every day.

I've seen all sorts of bizarre cases.

What if the young painter really isn't the murderer, but happens to possess some kind of evil magic from the countryside?

If you push him too far, he might actually trade one of his resources for another, which is really not worth it.

Qiao Ye seemed to be deep in thought.

Thinking back to the unsettling feeling of being watched he had experienced before, he made a decision.

Give me his file.

Qiao Ye said, "Everything. Including previous social relationships, addresses, relatives, everything that can be transferred."

"What is this...?"

"Do I need to explain to you?" Qiao Ye asked.

The police officer didn't dare ask any more questions and quickly went to retrieve the files.

Two hours later, Qiao Ye finished reading all the materials.

The young painter's resume is unremarkable.

Born in a small town on the border of the empire, his parents died early.

He had a few years of schooling with mediocre grades, and his greatest hobby was painting.

He came to Xidu at the age of eighteen to apply for the Academy of Fine Arts, but failed the exam twice.

He now lives in a cheap apartment in the old town and makes a living by doing odd jobs and selling some low-quality landscape paintings.

There were no abnormalities.

But Qiao Ye noticed something strange.

The young painter's life in Xidu has been uneventful for the past few years.

But in the last two months, there have been three murders.

Thugs, alcoholics, gangsters...

They all happened near his apartment.

Qiao Ye circled the time and place of these three deaths.

These people were all involved in accidents or committed suicide, so logically, the young painter should not be suspected at all.

but--

That's too frequent.

Qiao Ye reopened the little painter's side quest.

[Clear his name and unlock the profession 'Demon'.]

It's just to clear their names of suspicion.

It did not say that it was necessary to prove his innocence.

"Could it be that the young painter really did all this?"

Qiao Ye pondered, "My mission isn't to find the real culprit, but to help him fabricate evidence?"

Is this how one becomes a "demon"?

After thinking for a moment, Qiao Ye rejected his idea.

No, that's not right!

Looking closely at the dead people, none of them were good people in the conventional sense.

If a demon commits murder, would it choose which criminal to kill?

What kind of name is that, "demon"?

"This side quest is definitely not as simple as it seems."

Qiao Ye thought to himself.

Regardless, I still need to get in touch with that young painter again.