This time, I won't be the devil.

So she made a decision silently.

She wanted to experience for herself what love was.

……

The next day, while sorting out Petrarch's belongings, Frey found several fragments of poems that were not included in the collection, with the following content written on them.

What I Expect Is:

Whether I am in the scorching sun of the South, or where the sun is powerless to melt the ice and snow;

Whether the sky is clear or cloudy, whether you are in the prime of life or have gray hair;

Whether I am on earth, in hell or in heaven, in the midst of a mighty flood, or in the heights of a mountain or a deep valley;

In sickness and in health, in joy and in sorrow, wherever you live, free or slave;

I belong to her forever, even if my hopes are shattered, this thought is enough to satisfy me...

Chapter 48 The Demon King's Cult

Among Petrarch's belongings, in addition to some items related to Laura, there are also the deeds to the house where he once lived, the formula of the hallucinogenic potion that made him rich, and materials related to the ritual of upgrading the Golden Rule, etc.

According to the original agreement, after the commission is completed, all these things will belong to Frey.

For Frey, the most important gain from this incident is the ability of [Golden Rule].

Although Frey does not have a strong obsession with immortality, being able to extend his life is undoubtedly a good thing.

Moreover, the upgraded Golden Rule can further enhance the strength of the soul, which not only increases the level cap, but also allows more attribute values ​​to be obtained with each upgrade.

If we consider it from the perspective of maximizing attribute values, Frey should find a way to make money as soon as possible, upgrade the Golden Rule to Lv2, and then level up.

However, the amount of money required to improve the Golden Rule is too huge, and if you want to avoid being coveted after having enough wealth, it is equally important to ensure your strength.

Therefore, at this stage, Frey still intends to make upgrading his main goal and consider ways to make money at the same time.

Speaking of making money, among Petrarch's relics, there is a contract he signed with Grandet of the Hayek consortium to transfer the ownership of the gold mine and deliver the gold.

Just three days after successfully recovering the Life Crystal, Sherlock, the head of the Hayek Consortium's market development department, took the initiative to contact Didorice to discuss issues related to Petrarch's legacy.

The Hayek Consortium was originally a joint chamber of commerce established by major businessmen from various fields in the chaotic period at the end of the Age of Law in order to ensure the normal operation of business activities.

Today, the decision-making body of the consortium is the board of directors composed of major shareholders, under which are multiple functional departments.

Unlike other departments located in the headquarters Free City, which are responsible for the internal operations of the consortium, the Market Development Department is equivalent to the offices set up by the consortium in various parts of the mainland, mainly handling external affairs and having a strong degree of independence.

Sherlock is in charge of most of the consortium-related business in the labyrinth city and a large area around it.

The office was set up in a magnificent mansion near the port south of the labyrinth city, and it only took half a day to get there by carriage.

That evening, after arriving at the mansion, they were warmly greeted by the current director Sherlock.

Sherlock is a handsome blond man who looks to be about 30 years old. He wears a fancy peacock blue coat. Under the illumination of the magic stone lamp, the gold embroidery on the hem is faintly visible.

In addition, he was wearing various accessories such as bracelets and earrings, dressed like a male model, but when he looked at Frey, his eyes revealed the scrutiny and calculation of a businessman.

When the negotiations began, Sherlock was not panicked when he saw the contract presented by Didorice. He seemed to have already thought of a response plan.

According to Sherlock, this contract was signed 60 years ago by Grandet, the then head of the market development department, and Petrarch in his private capacity, and there was a confidentiality agreement at the time of signing, so the content of the contract was not recorded within the consortium.

"Now that Grandet has resigned and is seriously ill and in a coma, the gold transaction he conducted with Petrarch has nothing to do with the consortium. Our mission is only to safeguard his legacy."

"Unfortunately, 30 years ago, this batch of gold was stolen along with the gold that the Vatican had kept with us..."

This is the consortium's trump card to avoid paying its debts. Although Frey knew very well that the 50 tons of gold were embezzled by the Holy See and the consortium, he had no evidence.

Now Jacob has passed away, and under Qis' deliberate interrogation, he did not confess the specific amount and whereabouts of the gold, and Frey would not disclose the effect of the "Return" skill he mastered.

Therefore, the classification of this batch of gold is still "accidentally stolen".

"The whereabouts of the gold remain unknown, but the loss of the estate is indeed our consortium's fault. So, in addition to the original 10 rupee compensation, we are willing to pay an additional fee..."

The final result of the negotiations was that the consortium agreed to pay 50 rupees in compensation, in exchange for which the matter would be put to rest.

"Is it really okay to just let it go like this?" Didoris asked after leaving the consortium.

According to the original agreement, this compensation also belongs to Frey, so he should strive for a larger amount.

"It's a great thing to get money from the Hayek Group."

Since the consortium has come up with the current plan, they must have made full preparations long ago and completely shirked their responsibilities.

The 50 compensation was given out of respect for the Forest Country. If an ordinary person went to negotiate, the consortium would have plenty of ways to avoid paying the money.

Although fighting with the consortium to the end might make them pay more money, it would take a lot of time and energy and would also make the consortium completely hostile. In Frey's opinion, it would not be worth it.

What's more, the Vatican is involved in this gold embezzlement case. If it is not handled properly, it is likely to offend two major forces at the same time.

Although neither the Foundation nor the Church can directly break off relations with the Forest Country, there is no need to worry about Tidoris's safety.

But if the consortium is really forced to bleed, then they may follow the clues and take revenge on Frey, the assistant.

That's why Frey took the initiative to give in and accepted only 50 in compensation.

"Speaking of which, Dido, when are you planning on returning home?"

"Do you want me to go back?"

"That's not the case. It's just that now that the commission has ended, I wanted to ask about your subsequent plans."

"I've already sent the report on this incident back home. In about two months, the Forest Kingdom will send someone to retrieve Petrarch's coffin. I'll go back with them then."

"Before that, I'll be attending the Wind Feather Festival in neighboring Bondolimu as a guest next month, so I'll be staying in the tavern for a while."

After hearing what Tidoris said, Frey realized that the end of the year had already come.

It is now the end of November, and as December approaches the end of the year, various festivals and events will follow one after another.

This includes the Wind Feather Festival on December 12th, when top musicians from all over the world will gather in Bandolm, the music capital just across the water from the Labyrinth City.

As a follower of the God of Wind, Didoris will also attend this event on behalf of the Forest Kingdom.

……

After Frey and Tidoris left, Sherlock took the negotiation documents to a room hidden deep in the building.

There was only a dim oil lamp lit in the huge room. Next to the dim light, an old face was revealed. His face was covered with wrinkles, and two gray-brown pupils were embedded in the deep eye sockets. He looked around like an eagle.

After handing the document to the old man, Sherlock was about to turn on the magic crystal lamp, but the old man stopped him.

"I can see clearly without turning on the light."

"Father Grandet, the magic stone lamp doesn't cost much. Why are you being so frugal?"

"How can we not be frugal? Didn't we just spend a lot of money today?"

"Five hundred thousand rupees is nothing to you. It's a miracle that you can send the princess away with just this little money."

"What's more, the board's mission for us is to win the mayoral election in Bondolimu next year. At this time, offending the Forest Nation, which also believes in the Wind God, is not a good option. This 50 is a necessary expense."

After hearing what Shylock said, Grandet glanced at him and said unhappily:

"Then the funds you provided to those cultists were also necessary expenses?"

"These cultists are the key to this plan. As long as they behave well, our consortium can capture Bondolium at the lowest cost."

"You still love gambling so much, have you ever thought about what to do if you lose the bet?"

"Dad, I'm different from you. I don't plan to accumulate wealth bit by bit."

After saying that, Sherlock turned around and said in a loud voice:

"In my opinion, life is a gamble, and there are only two outcomes."

"To have nothing, or... to win everything."

……

After this special commission came to an end, Frey and Noelle's adventurer level was upgraded from bronze to silver, qualifying them to enter the third level.

For the next half month, Frey spent most of his time in the maze leveling up.

The reason why he was so anxious was that at the end of the year, the maze would be temporarily closed for two weeks to repair the main road and maintain the barrier.

At that time, even if Frey wanted to continue rolling while others were on vacation, he would not be able to enter the maze.

With his continuous efforts day and night, Frey basically gained as much experience points as his body could convert and absorb every day.

In the end, he managed to reach level 20 before the maze was closed.

On the afternoon of December 12th, the main path of the maze officially began maintenance, and Frey will have his first holiday in the past three months since he came to the city.

After leaving the maze and saying goodbye to Noelle, Frey did not go back to the tavern to rest directly, but came to the Judgment Hall.

Leonard sent someone to the tavern last night, asking Frey to take some time to see him in the next few days.

Since Qis was brought down, his successor has not yet been decided, so his power is temporarily taken over by Leonard. His official position has not been promoted, but his workload has doubled.

Pushing open the office door, Frey found that the other party was busy processing a pile of paperwork.

"Captain Lei, what's the matter that you suddenly came to me?"

When Leonard heard Frey's voice, he realized his arrival and stopped what he was doing.

After rubbing his eyes and sighing tiredly, he said to Frey:

"I have something to ask you about the recent rise of the Demon King Cult."

"The Demon King Cult?" Frey had never heard of this name.

"You should have heard about the group of cultists who set themselves on fire on the Pope's birthday last month."

Frey nodded, and Leonard continued to explain:

"After that, I also conducted various investigations and eventually discovered that those cultists were members of the Demon King Cult."

After saying that, Leonard handed a document to Frey. The title of the document read [Investigation Report on the Demon King Cult].

Frey flipped open the document in his hand and quickly browsed the information on it.

This newly emerged Demon King Cult is a branch of the Return Sect, founded by those who believe that Demon King Hakimi is the reincarnation of King Aiden.

In their mouths, the devil was described as a kind, gentle and powerful leader.

The followers of the Demon King Cult firmly believed that Hakimi was the true savior, and thus put forward a slogan: