Academic gathering with Lich colleagues

"What about Raymond?"

The gentleman fell silent. "I only have hearsay. Lord Raymond's power is the Ten Locks."

Ten locks?

What exactly does "ten locks" mean?

"Moving mountains and seas, earthly demons and gods."

"really?"

“I’m not sure if Mr. Raymond’s projection of holy light was realistic enough, but I can’t think of any reason why he would fake it. The report at the time said it was ten golden chains.”

"If it really is ten locks, then how did the literary society survive until now?"

"Mr. Raymond went easy on us when he beat us up. Don't worry about it. Whether he's a ten-lock or an eight-lock, it doesn't make much difference if he beats us up. Maybe tonight you'll get a clearer understanding of Raymond. Here you go."

The gentleman handed over a ticket, which looked like an admission ticket, with black background and white lettering.

"Black Abyss Arena?"

"The largest arena in the City of Wanderings is also a popular area for the Andrei people. Our gang wars usually take place there. Occasionally, there are some personal grudges. You can also fight the demons there. That's the property of the Black Abyss Demons."

Do demons really exist?

"Yes, some have horns on their heads and bat wings on their backs. There are many kinds of demons, but they are generally similar. You may have heard the church's propaganda. In fact, demons are much easier to deal with. They are just a group of victims who are labeled as enemies. However, their love of destruction and fighting is indeed one of their inherent bad habits. But high-level demons still have enough rationality to reason with you."

"Gentlemen, plague doctor, it's our turn."

"Ok."

Chapter Sixty-Six: The Star-Chasing Flame Demon

Magic has made this era surpass its time; this is no empty statement.

The tallest building in Cassandra is the Church of the Dawn, which always gets a ray of sunlight when the sun rises, just like the tallest tree in the forest.

But in Lyle's eyes, in this mysterious city he had set foot in, the towering Church of the Dawn looked like a dwarf of only half his height.

The pointed roofs on both sides almost pierce the sky, and the sky above looks like torn pieces of cloth scattered on this huge Gothic complex. Looking up at it is like looking at the sky from the bottom of a well.

The sky over the City of Wanderers is constantly changing; sometimes it's night, sometimes day, sometimes solid, sometimes the azure of the sea. The changes are so rapid, it's like your pupils are filled with paint, and a hand is frantically stirring it. Lyle feels a little nauseous; is this City of Dizziness? Thankfully, the buildings that occupy his view prevent the wild sky from completely obscuring his vision.

The surrounding buildings are deep black, with blue-green stone lamps that burn eternally. Notably, each floor has a large door leading outwards, whether it's the first floor or the eleventh floor.

In front of the door, there is a small protruding stone slab, like a protruding tongue connecting to the door.

It can be clearly seen that the Andrei walked onto these stone slabs, and then their figures appeared on the upper stone slabs, breathing in the fresh air of the high sky, and knocking on the door that was almost below the clouds.

There were no protective measures whatsoever. The standing stone slab wasn't even as big as a millstone. Lyle was very fortunate that almost none of the doors on those upper floors opened outwards, so you wouldn't commit a murder just by making a simple action of opening a door.

Watching the Andres board this sightseeing elevator-like device, which is similar to a completely "free" sightseeing elevator, thankfully no one fell down.

"Sir, what if these people fall from a great height?"

"Simply use any means necessary to prevent yourself from breaking, or use any means necessary to put yourself back together. Generally speaking, assembling is much easier, provided that no body parts are lost."

"I hope our journey from here on out will be grounded."

“Relax, Plague Doctor. If you want to go to the music festival with Ariana first, we can go to the fifth floor of the Gulian Building. If you want to go directly to the Black Abyss Arena, we can leave here.”

"Gladiator arena, sir, my blood is boiling." After waving goodbye to Ariana, the dragon had already left.

Lyle and the gentleman left the cluster of black buildings side by side.

At this moment, they were standing at what looked like a crossroads.

It turns out that those black, pointed skyscrapers are not the main feature of the City of Wanderers. To their right is a cluster of floating islands, where figures riding brooms shuttle through the islands.

"This is the Witch Quarter."

On the other side, it's hard to describe, but it's a huge cavern full of holes and various colored minerals, looking like the lair of some giant monster.

"That's the Stone Monster area."

"Then what is this?" Lyle pointed to the group of black buildings they had come out of.

"This is of course our Andrei district."

It turns out that those "drop towers" are actually a local specialty.

"This is Dark Zone Seven. If we want to get to the arena, we need to teleport to Dark Zone Two, which is the stronghold of the demons."

The gentleman led Lyle toward a magic circle at the intersection of Dark Seventh District. "Normally, we need to pass through the Central District's Secret Council and Central Plaza to get to Dark Second District, which is the central connection point. These teleportation arrays are a faster way."

The gentleman pointed to the ground beneath his feet, to a huge crystal slab, where quite a few people were standing.

"Pour magic into the soles of your feet. The amount required is not large, and this magic crystal will take you to the neighborhood you want to go."

Dark Zone 2.

Loud voices suddenly appeared in my ears, a stark contrast to the tranquility of my long-time residence in Andrei.

Lyle rubbed his ears through the black cloth behind the bird-beak mask. In front of him was a giant building that looked like a crooked demon's claw, and you could hear cheers coming from inside from a great distance.

That is the Black Abyss Arena.

The architectural features of the Demon District are mainly long horned buildings in black and red, with all sorts of horns.

The main inhabitants here are demons.

Contrary to the stereotypical image of them as ugly and ferocious, their faces are actually quite similar to human features, except for some striking racial characteristics, such as horns on their heads and obsidian-like scales adorning the edges of their bodies.

Perhaps their people are of average appearance; at least the horned humanoids standing before Lyle are much more handsome and beautiful.

But what's most commendable is their physique and exquisite muscle proportions. The men here seem to be bodybuilders on every level, and their biceps and abs always put others to shame.

As for the women, they have stunningly beautiful figures that are sure to get your blood pumping; they are truly God's darlings. Well, that's not meant to be derogatory at all.

As for clothing, it truly lives up to its reputation as a synonym for chaos—wild and unrestrained.

Just like their generous and forthright personalities.

"Hey, Andrei's friend, are you here to see the Black Abyss Arena too?" A tall female demon walking beside Lyle greeted him. The scales covering her chest served as her natural outer garment, and leather hot pants were her few other pieces of clothing. Her horns resembled a sheep's curved horns, and she wore a warm smile.

"Yes."

She moved a little closer, and Lyle felt like she was burning up. It was as if the air around her was on fire, and Lyle could even feel the fabric cracking.

"Oh, could you tell me about the fighter you support? Maybe we're on the same side."

Lyle didn't know how to answer, but the gentleman provided the solution: "We support the fallen angels, but you forgot to keep a safe distance, Balrog."

“Ah, sorry.” The Balrog took a few steps back. “I always forget about this when I’m excited. But it’s great to meet you. I knew you were definitely supporters of the powerful Fallen Angels. Would you like to watch the gladiatorial match with me? I have a private box. Maybe we can chat about this legendary warrior of Andrei. I’m a huge fan of his. Could you help me get his autograph? Actually, I’d prefer to have it engraved on my horn.”

"I'm sorry, we have reserved seats, but thank you for your kind invitation."

"That's a real shame." The Flame Demon took a long stride, which was not her normal walking speed just now.

"The first rule of interacting with demons is not to get too close to fire demons. Staying in the same room as them is like putting yourself in a steamer."

"She's really hot."

"Yes, it's a characteristic of the demon race. They worship powerful warriors and everything that represents power, strength and beauty. This passion is a headache."

"When a demon girl discusses her favorite gladiator with you, the fallen angel is always the best choice. He is simply the heartthrob of demon girls."

"It's incredible. I never expected an Andrei to be so charming, especially to these enthusiastic girls."

"Yes, I was surprised too, but considering his special circumstances, it's actually quite normal."

"That girl's eyes practically lit up when she talked about fallen angels. I wish I could be like that, I mean, have that kind of powerful attraction. If I could get a fallen angel's autograph, maybe she'd kiss me."

"It definitely will, leaving a second-degree burn on your cheekbone."

"But I'm afraid this opportunity is rare and hard to come by."

"Perhaps this applies to others, but Plague Doctor, your chances are quite high. If you really want it, the fallen angel might agree to let you carve your name on that girl's horn."

“As long as you sign Mr. Raymond’s application form, he will be happy to fulfill all your requests.”

Chapter Sixty-Seven: The Ultimate and Pure Raymondos

Raymond, the fallen angel?

Lyle recalled the massive plate armor that radiated holy light, the figure that effortlessly took down a group of people in Andrei. Raymond's fall from grace was as ridiculous as his social circle; he was like a sun that always hung high in the sky, incapable of associating with any filthy words.

Although his social circle was also aloof, he was actually quite popular among the demons.

Interesting.

Lyle secretly regretted declining several invitations from enthusiastic demons along the way.

Tonight seems to be Mr. Raymond's show. Their conversation kept revolving around the term "fallen angel," a completely fabricated rumor that seems to have originated from somewhere. Seraphim would be a more appropriate term.

They paid the entrance fee to the armored demons at the gate. Their armor was covered with bright red, twisted patterns, like variations of hieroglyphics.

“That’s the Pomfrey family’s magic mark, a high-ranking demon family with a long history. Their magic mark is similar to our family crest, representing that the ownership of this arena belongs to the demon Grand Duchess Pomfrey. Demons are naturally fond of fighting and destruction. If you want to manage these troublemakers, you have to be bigger than everyone else.”

"So Lady Pomfrey is the strongest person here?"

"She possesses formidable martial prowess, but she is not the strongest. The strongest should be her deceased husband, the previous champion of the gladiator arena."

"died?"

"She died in the struggle against the Demon Grand Duke. Fighting alone does not make one the King of War. Therefore, her power has recently been questioned, and she has had to urgently carry out the coming-of-age ceremony for her eldest son to ensure her status as Grand Duke."

"Will even noble bloodlines be recognized?"

“Power is paramount. Her deceased husband was not a high-ranking demon, but he was still able to win Lady Pomfrey’s hand in marriage based on his strength.”

"The arena sounds like a matchmaking event."

"That's right. Gladiators are a sacred tradition of the demon race, used to resolve disputes, determine social status, courtship, and revel. This is one of the reasons why Mr. Raymond is worshipped. In the eyes of the demons, he is probably the perfect match. Although the identities of the demon and other races' gladiators are independent, Mr. Raymond is currently recognized as the strongest in the Black Abyss Gladiators."

"Mrs. Pomfrey did extend an invitation to Mr. Raymond to discuss the matter of remarriage."

"Hiss, so what was the result? Raymond refused?"

"The letter never even reached him. Andre Academy destroyed the letter. We tried our best to prevent Raymond from having any contact with the demons in order to avoid a diplomatic dispute like the one involving the demons and their idols who ended up being cleansed. Andre already has enough troubles."