Your Majesty's money, why don't you engrave my name on it?

Leslaufer shrugged, looked up at the gargoyle, bowed slightly to it, and then quickly rushed to the ground.

"Old Lei!" Daisy exclaimed in surprise, "I knew you wouldn't be trapped down there, but I didn't expect you to get up here so quickly!"

“That gargoyle was a great help,” the mercenary nodded. “Unfortunately, the wizard still took that huge chunk of flesh, so it seems like we’ve wasted our time.”

"We can't say that, at least we have a general idea of ​​how strong he is," Angelita comforted her. "If we meet him again, we'll definitely make him regret it!"

“Let’s get out of here first, then we can talk about other things,” Bella said, reverting to human form. She looked around at the ruins of the walls and the tomb, now just its original spire. “Ancient… it seems it has truly been buried this time.”

“That’s not necessarily true,” Sistine said with a smile, pulling out a stack of rubbings. “Although we didn’t find any treasure this time, we still gained something! Miss Anne, these…”

“You can handle this yourselves. We’re not short of money right now,” Angelita waved her hand. “You can keep it.”

She naturally knew the value of those spell imprints, but such things often attracted more trouble. It was best for those of them who were not familiar with this kind of "work" not to get involved.

The cracks torn open by the gargoyles beside them silently closed, while in the dark underground, the two will-o'-the-wisps still shone brightly.

“Take me with you, Grimore,” the Tu language echoed in the damaged and collapsed underground tomb, “It’s time to find my body again.”

Chapter 303 Closer to the Devil

The power and aversion of the Earth Lord far exceeded the expectations of the people in the material world. When they searched for Blackclaw and the vehicle, the already dilapidated village had been completely reduced to rubble and sand.

Fortunately, the Deinonychus was not intimidated by this "natural disaster" and remained loyal in guarding the area, letting out a loud cry upon discovering the group.

This loyalty was undoubtedly rewarded: when Leslaufer returned from the dinner hunt, it was allowed to enjoy some of the best tenderloin and belly meat.

However, this greedy fellow also took the heart, and so he naturally received a few punches and kicks as well—Black Claw could understand, or at least know, what it could and could not do, so it was definitely a deliberate test to confirm whether its status in the whole "hunting family" had been elevated.

The answer is obvious: no.

After a hearty meal, the group lay casually around the makeshift camp. To Daisy's piano music and songs, most of their companions fell into a deep, weary sleep; even the poet who had played the lullaby quickly drifted into a sweet slumber. However, Raslaufer slowly rose to his feet. Without his armor, he could walk as silently as a spotted cat-man.

He stood before the poet, trying to shake Daisy awake, but ultimately withdrew his hand, appearing hesitant.

Just then, a voice appeared in his mind: "I guess you're not looking for her, are you?"

Leslaufer was slightly taken aback, but quickly understood. Without needing anyone's guidance, the mercenary naturally responded in his mind: "Who are you?"

He had tried this method when he first discovered the spirits around him, but they did not respond to him.

“You can call me Zhengling, a debt-ridden devil,” the other replied. “We made contact when you smashed that hellfire thug with her harp.”

"us?"

"Yes, you and me. Although Miss Daisy is the one I often talk to, in reality, my connection with her is through that matte, which is a step further than the distance between the two of us."

“Your right arm comes from purgatory, so in a broader sense, you are already one of my kind.”

Zheng Ling made no attempt to hide anything, revealing everything that Leslaufer might want to ask, and finally spoke slowly again: "I can probably guess why you want to find me."

"Feeling weaker? Wanting to become stronger? Don't worry, it's just that you're not good at handling these kinds of situations. You should have complete confidence."

“I just want to know how I should use my arms,” Leslaufer sat down, looking at the campfire that crackled from time to time. “Amantha has a saying, ‘like an arm directing its fingers,’ meaning to move as smoothly as an arm directing its fingers, but right now I can’t even control my own arms.”

“Then you underestimate yourself too much, or rather, you overestimate yourself,” Zheng Ling seemed to be stunned for a moment before saying, “A mortal with the arm of a devil is not an isolated case, but it has definitely not happened many times. Most people cannot withstand the grafted part, and most of the rest will be assimilated by this part of the body, becoming monsters similar to but not quite devils like Campion.”

"And those few who managed to survive, for several years, are essentially missing an arm. They can't control their suddenly changing power and often get injured as a result. And you—"

Raslaufer raised his right arm and clenched his fist: "Just a bit too strong."

"But—well, all you need to know is that this is the result that many lucky people can only achieve in a year or two, and that's enough."

“It’s far from enough,” Raslaufer interrupted immediately. “The world is becoming more chaotic, which is both a good thing and a bad thing. If we don’t gain enough power, we risk losing everything.”

"Tell me, what secrets does this arm hold? Why does it devour the spirits around me, and what benefits can it bring me?"

“This is just a part of a demon’s body. How much power do you want?” Zheng Ling’s tone was tinged with helplessness. “Intihis herself wasn’t very strong in Purgatory, so her arm naturally wouldn’t be particularly powerful either. If you need it, you can use it to block flames. It’ll definitely be much more convenient than other parts of her body.”

"As for devouring souls... of course, it's Intihis who's behind it. But if you ask me, you have the power, and she has the results, so it's a mutually beneficial deal, and you don't lose out."

“Of course I’m at a disadvantage,” Raslaw expressed his dissatisfaction. “After leaving the battle, I’ve killed more ‘things’ along the way than in the past year. She’s really benefited!”

"Is there any way to stop her from doing all this? Otherwise, I'll have to find that devil sooner or later!"

“Although Avernus is only the first level of purgatory, it’s not a place that mortals can go to at will, and not every soul can become part of the performance indicators… But never mind,” Zheng Ling changed the subject, “If you insist on doing this, I can arrange a meeting between you. But I can’t control if you two become enemies and your eyes turn red with hatred—like Daisy, I’m just a singer, and I can’t come to break you up.”

“No need,” Leslaufer stood up. “How about now? If she’s not willing to talk to me, I’m happy to replace a few more parts.”

The demon in his mind fell silent. More than an hour later, Raslaufer got up again and walked quietly into the dense forest outside.

Following Zhengling's instructions, a summoning ritual was quickly constructed. The smell of sulfur would naturally spread even without sulfur, the smell of hell.

As the summoning circle lit up, the ground it covered suddenly vanished, turning into an endless void. A long, naked, crimson leg stepped out from it, as if all directions had been reversed. When the entire demon appeared in Leslaufer's field of vision, standing perpendicular to the dissipating magic circle of the portal, there was no feeling of going from lying down to standing up, as if everything that had just happened was an illusion.

Raslaufer scrutinized the female demon. Without a doubt, she was the unfortunate soul whose arm he had severed—although she now had all four limbs intact, her right arm was noticeably different in color from the rest of her body.

"It's you!" The devil glared at Raslaufer, though she wasn't ugly, her angry expression was truly ferocious. "What did you call me here for? Give me back my hand first, and then you'll have the right to speak to me!"

Chapter 304 Power, From Purgatory

“Quite the opposite in my opinion,” Raslaufer said, brandishing his sword, which made Intihith frown even more. “I will only have a reason not to kill you if you return the soul you have swallowed.”

"You really think you can do it?!"

The mercenary sneered, "You know best yourself."

Intihis was silent for a moment, perhaps thinking of the pain of her severed arm and the chain demon bound into a bundle by her own chains. In the end, she breathed a sigh of relief; "Those souls have already entered the process. Purgatory has strict rules, there's no reason for them to be spat out again."

"Then your hands are the same. Besides, since you've swallowed so many souls, you should spit some out. That Zhengling should have already told you that."

"You want the power of the devil?" The devil's eyes narrowed, ending with a soft chuckle. "Fine, come and sign a contract. It's better to explain everything on paper—what are you doing?!"

Before the devil could finish speaking, Raslaufer had already raised his sword and slashed at Intihith's neck!

"Stop with your act, I won't fall for it," Leslaufer scoffed. "I'm not begging you!"

"You! You deserve to die!" Intihis was furious, but the battle sword forged from regional iron, her former weapon, made her hesitant. After all, no one knew the weapon's terrifying power better than its owner. "I won't do something so thankless! What good would it do me to give those to you?"

“I’m not playing house with your abilities. If you’re willing to do this, you can get a stronger and better soul, without a doubt,” Raslaufer said, his right arm hanging slightly but still poised to draw his knife at any moment. “I don’t know exactly what your devils’ criteria are, but it must be that the more the better, the higher the quality, right?”

“The Nine Hells operate with a complexity far beyond the imagination of mortals like you,” Intihis said coldly, “but I must admit, what you said is not entirely without merit.”

"Alright, this deal doesn't need a contract. After all, you can't stop your urge and desire to kill, nor can you stop them from flowing to me. So tell me, what kind of power do you want?"

"What power do you have?" Leslaufer raised an eyebrow slightly; the question was not quite what he had expected.

"Whatever you want, I have it." Intihis raised his chin slightly, resuming his arrogant demeanor.

"I'll take whatever you have—that's enough. I know you're not omnipotent, otherwise I wouldn't be standing here."

The demon fell silent for a moment, then shifted her stance: "Alright, how about the Scorching Metal spell? It hurt you before, melting you and your armor together."

Reslaufer thought for a moment and shook his head: "No. It won't stop me, so I won't pin my hopes on it."

“You bastard, you’d probably be better suited to join Geyinyong’s cult… Alright! In that case, I’ll give you something you’ve never seen before… Come closer to me.”

The mercenary frowned, but he only took it as part of some kind of blessing or curse ritual. However, just as he could almost feel the warm wind blowing from the devil on his face, the other party suddenly moved closer with lightning speed and slammed his lips against his!

That was definitely not a gentle touch! It would be more accurate to describe it as being bitten by a scorpion or spider!

"What are you doing?!" The mercenary was shocked and retreated, swinging his knife to strike the other man, but Intihis just chuckled and vanished from the spot in an instant!

At the same time, as Raslaufer swung his sword, a burst of green flames swept out, instantly burning the summoning circle on the ground to ashes, leaving not a trace!

This is……

"If anyone hurts you, use this to burn him," the devil's mocking voice echoed in the air. "You better pray you don't need it, because every time you are wounded, you get closer to me!"

"If you dare to come to hell, you will know why the name Purgatory exists!"

“They ran away…” Raslaufer was stunned by this sudden change. He could feel a certain restlessness in his body, but no matter how he swung his knife, he could not reproduce the flames from before. It seemed that what the other party said was not a lie—but a naked and blatant robbery!

This power of his is even less than that of the previous one! That bastard! A maggot!

As Raslaufer raged in the material plane, a demon simultaneously returned to her original position in the Nine Hells. It was a theater, where Zheng Ling was performing on stage with other dancers, while in the center of the stage, a demon with a slightly lighter-colored right arm knelt trembling uncontrollably.

It was Intihith.

"Don't act like a little chick. I borrowed you from Zariel, and I never intended to keep you from going back." In the audience, the newly returned "Intihis" had subtly changed her appearance, transforming into a more charming and elegant woman. However, her brows were slightly furrowed, indicating that she was not in a good mood.

"I don't want that bald woman to come knocking on my door over something like this."

"Hehe, it's not very nice to talk about Grand Duke Zariel behind her back, as she has fought bravely for our common cause."

Another voice rang out beside "Intihith," accompanied by a soft laugh: "My dear sister, how does it feel to personally take charge this time?"

“How could I dare to address Your Highness as a sister?” “Intihis” rolled her eyes, but finally shook her head. “It’s very strange. It’s not quite the same as the ones I’ve encountered before, and it’s even different from the fairy I pursued but failed to win over.”

"That's quite a high compliment," the guest said, seemingly surprised. "You deal with mortals far more often than I do, yet even you couldn't handle this one?"

“It’s not that bad, Gracia,” the devil said, no longer addressing her as “Princess” but by her first name. “It was just a tentative attempt. But strangely, I couldn’t change his mind or control his emotions through illusions, words, expressions, actions, or even direct physical contact. This is a very rare occurrence.”

"Hmm... Is there any possibility of a high-level construct?" Gracia, one of the Nine Hells Grand Dukes, rarely offered advice to others. "You know, some constructs created by mages are almost indistinguishable from ordinary people. They even have souls, but their minds are quite different from the norm."

“That possibility cannot be ruled out, but to be honest, it doesn’t seem like it. I’m more inclined to think that some kind of stronger mind has taken over my control over him,” Intihis said hesitantly.

But neither she nor Gracia accepted this conjecture: as one of the most adept at manipulating emotions in Purgatory, who else could save a mortal under her influence—even if it was just an experiment out of curiosity for her?

Chapter 305 The Looted Village

"Uncle Leslaufer, you seem a little...unwell today?"

The next morning, Raslaufer's bloodshot eyes and murderous look nearly frightened Angrita: "What happened last night?"

Could it be that there was a wild animal attack in the vicinity last night? After all, the gargoyle caused such a large-scale earthquake, so it's entirely possible that various creatures would be restless.

However, if it were in accordance with Raslaufer's usual style, those blood vessels would probably appear on his body rather than in his eyes. This Dobleke always puts torturing others before tormenting himself.

Raslaufer gave only a casual reply to Angelita's question. How could he not want to tear that damned devil to pieces? But the other party ran away quickly, and the devil named Zhengling pretended to be deaf and dumb after that, no matter how he called out, he did not make a sound, leaving him alone!

Zhengling also had her own reasons for this: in the time that she was in contrast to the material world last night, there were two dukes sitting in front of her on the stage! Even with full concentration, it was still difficult for her to be distracted. How could she dare to be distracted?

Moreover, you should know that the Grand Dukes of the Nine Hells each have their own authority, and what do the two below them manage? The courts and the prisons! If you offend both of them at the same time, you might as well go through the procedures on the spot and become the lowest of the low, a lesser demon in the blink of an eye!

But the demon who communicated with the outside world through the zither would never dare to say such a thing: The Grand Duke suffered a setback at the hands of a mortal? This was not the first time such a thing had happened, but no one had ever dared to say it before!

As for how she knew about things that were almost never mentioned... that's also difficult to explain. After all, devils are good at exploiting loopholes, while her ruler, who controls the court, is good at plugging them.

Vulnerabilities, or the devils themselves.

Sistine and Rosso were truly saying goodbye this time; the spotted cat siblings had their own missions, and their routes weren't on the same plane. They took the rubbings of the antiques with them, planning to search a few similar places and exchange them—that should be enough to appease the finance minister.

The exact amount of money, and the extent to which it could support the great cause of the Kingdom of Arkent, were not within their consideration.

The two men fastened their cloaks and disappeared into the woods one after the other, while the others had to take their carriages and luggage and find another main road to continue north. They moved slowly, the carriages swaying and rocking, and it wasn't until more than a week later that they truly approached the border between western and central Inassacea.

However, this place looks much worse than West Inasas.

"Another village that has been burned down."

Bella frowned and stopped in front of a broken wall made of adobe bricks. At the foot of the wall lay a corpse, which, judging from its appearance, should have been a shepherd. But now he had nothing to graze, not even his dog, which lay limp in his arms, its head nowhere to be seen.

Not far from here, several villagers lay sprawled on the ground, lifeless. The doors of the surrounding houses were all wide open, and standing on the dirt road in the village, one could see the mess inside.

Even without going inside, one can guess that all the valuables are probably gone.

"Why go to such lengths?" Daisy's face paled. "Bandits, or mercenaries? If it was just about stealing, couldn't they have just taken it and left? Why did they have to kill them all and burn the village down?"

"Could it be that there's another Night Witch here, preparing to harvest souls?"

“That Nightingale is an anomaly even among the Hags,” von Dahl sighed, turning to look at Raslaufer. “But we have a mercenary here, don’t we? You should know why, old Raslaufer?”

“Why? There’s no why,” Raslaufer put down the map and handed it to Angelita. “Maybe they weren’t wearing hats today, or maybe they were. That’s the reason.”

“Even the knights wouldn’t care much about this, let alone mercenaries. But judging from this, it’s probably a small mercenary group, or bandits who are ‘making do’ because they’ve run out of food. Larger warbands usually keep their men in line, like the well-known September Mercenary Group. Their leader, Verviti, has a lot of rules.”

"This constraint refers to..." Mary raised an eyebrow. Velvi mentioned that he was born on the western border of the empire and was also well-known in Western Inasas, but what she had heard seemed to differ considerably from what Leslaufer described.

“You’re thinking a lot, referring to disciplined slaughter and looting. Most mercenaries have little loyalty or honor. After a tough battle, whether they win or lose, they need someone to vent their anger on,” Raslaufer pointed the tip of his sword at the corpse on the ground. “If the captain stops him, he’ll either never become captain or he’ll be a dead captain.”

“However, people like Verveti usually choose to restrict this to ensure their authority. Look here, there is no authority at all. It’s just a bunch of wild beasts that rushed in and ruined things as they pleased.”

"As for why von Dahl wanted me to say this, well, there is a reason—there is a castle built against the mountain not far ahead, and taking it will definitely not be an easy task."

It seems to have nothing to do with these villagers, yet they died because of it.

“Those of you in this line of work…” Feng Daer shook his head and sighed, “And you, do you often do this kind of thing too?”

“If you’re going to question my morality, you can’t look for something that doesn’t exist,” Dople chuckled. “However, if you can stop taking your anger out on me for this mess—I usually clean it up on the battlefield.”

“But that’s not what I’m talking about.” A gust of wind blew through the looted and destroyed village, and Raslaufer suddenly raised his hand, tilting his head back to sniff the air.