The Strange Adventures of Hearn the Believer

"To be honest, I don't understand why you would get involved in such a thankless task. Shouldn't you be sleeping soundly among women at this time of day and in this weather, Hern?"

"...Is it possible that I really did that before those three women woke me up and dragged me out of the apartment?"

Hearn glanced back as he took a step ahead, half his face showing the unsatisfaction of lack of sleep.

"Three? Where did these three come from? Weren't there two in the car?"

Mostima held up two fingers.

"..."

Hearn didn't say anything, but just rolled his eyes, indicating that she understood.

“Oh, that one, I was wondering why you couldn’t be woken up by just Little Domi and an employer of dubious origin.”

Mostima realized that Princess Sariel was involved in this whole affair, and reluctantly shut up.

"You've had a tough time dealing with that guy, Hern."

"Fortunately."

"But Hearn, if you do your best and make the princess happy, she might go back to heaven when she's had her fill of fun and then take you up with her. Wouldn't that be better than spending your whole life hanging around in this sewer estuary?"

"..."

"What's with that expression? Did I say anything wrong?"

"No, it was just a sudden thought."

"Huh? What kind of sudden idea is this?"

"Mostima, don't you think we get along really well?"

"Of course, if we don't click, who will? Someone like you, who's always making headlines wherever you go, I'd have to film you for the rest of my life, you know? Since I met you, my show has never lacked good scoops for the next day's headlines, you know? Although I've been working past midnight lately to meet deadlines, what's a little bit of fatigue compared to the happiness of having juicy material to churn out?"

"How about you go to Sariel's place tomorrow and pay back the money I owe her and the landlady, and then tell them to stop disturbing my sleep? If you can handle this, I'll pack up and move to your place when I get back."

"..."

"What? Can't it be done? Or has the relationship faded, Miss Mostima?"

"...My dear Mr. Hearn! You think too highly of me, this little devil? How could a third-generation Calami like me possibly compete with two great devils of my great-aunt and great-grandmother generation for a man? If I run into Grandpa Baal, I'll have to take a detour; if I run into those two, I'll just have to dig a hole and disappear on the spot!"

"So it can't be done?" the believer asked again, unwilling to give up.

“It can’t be done!” Mostima said with absolute certainty.

"Then forget it."

……

Chapter 260 Good Morning, Good Afternoon, Good Night (Part 11)

The room was dimly lit, and the air was deathly still.

Dominic's pupils momentarily lost focus, his gaze fixed on the box of odds and ends.

It wasn't until she discerned, in the dim light, that the brownish hue wasn't brown at all, but rather a dark red, that she finally matched the contents of the box before her with a piece of information in her mind and reached a conclusion.

The owner of that nameless tome, Angelina Van Milion, another party involved in the commission, is here.

"!!!"

Fear, disorientation, followed by a wave of nausea rising from the stomach down the esophagus.

Although Dominic often witnessed groups of dreamers dumping pieces of another group of failed dreamers down the drain while driving through Gomorrah in the early hours of the morning, the usual stress response still surfaced when she saw it up close now.

Such a vibrant being, presented in such a meticulous manner, with blood and bone, skeleton and flesh, each contained separately in this dark gold briefcase, solid and liquid separated, dry and wet partitioned, revealing its peeled face—it was simply too exquisite, so much so that it evoked an uncontrollable, instinctive disgust in her.

The Devil Duke tapped the table lightly with his cat-like nails, the rhythm slow and deliberate, like drumming in the listener's heart.

Dominique felt that her life no longer easily belonged to her.

"How is it?" the Great Demon asked again in a deep voice.

"I……"

"Ok?"

"Your Excellency, I do not understand..."

What is unclear?

"Am I, such a lowly ant, worth your time?" Dominic looked up, forcibly suppressing her discomfort, and finally asked the question that had been lingering in her mind.

It's unbelievable, really unbelievable.

From any perspective, the young devil named Dominic Antofil is not worthy of being personally summoned by the head of the Four Pillars.

Whether from the perspective of status, connections, energy consumption, or time utilization, this is far too "wasteful".

It's too extravagant and wasteful.

Without a doubt, even if the young devil named Dominic Antofil were to perish here today, she would still possess an immense honor that transcends all mortal beings who traverse the material, formation, and creation realms.

To die at the hands of the head of the Four Pillars, the commander of thousands of demons, and the incarnation of Baal, the Duke of Hell, is an honor worthy of being engraved in the bloodline of the small demon family of Antorfil.

This is not based on considerations of status or class, but rather on the established fact that there is a world of difference between the forms of existence.

"It's worth it, and it's not worth it."

The Demon Duke gently shook the dice cup in the cat's paw, his gaze no longer fixed on Domi, and his tone gradually became nonchalant.

"Dominic Antofil, aged 1,797 years and 11 months and 23 days, was born in a small town called Anserkin, the lowest level of the Ninth Hell. His parents are alive, and he has four younger siblings. He is female and bisexual... Do we need to continue?"

The Great Demon recounted Dominic's little secrets as if they were his own treasures, then suddenly changed the subject.

Dominic shook his head vigorously.

“Angelina Van Milion, aged 1,629 years, 1 month, and 19 days (this may be changed to her death age depending on circumstances), female, attracted to men, born in the 79th ring of the outer heavens, formerly served in the Lawful Territory's unofficial guard, her last job before her leave was—guarding one of the many gates of heaven, in other words, this young lady worked at customs, but before that…”

before that……

Before that, Dominic's back was already drenched in sweat.

If the fact that Grand Duke Baal had easily revealed Domi's identity was still within her expectations, then what he said next about the life of the girl in the box was completely unexpected.

because……

No matter how you listen or see it...

This Miss Angelina Van Milion seems to have nothing to do with the devil...

"Yes, this unlucky girl is a little rascal who sneaked over from heaven. She was brought to this place in a daze, and then she got herself into trouble here in a daze."

The old cat's mouth stretched to its ears again. It wasn't exactly malicious, but a definitely mocking and sinister smile appeared on its face, both comical and chilling in the dim light.

"So you still intend to save her? Miss Dominique Antofil, can you bear the sin of betraying the kingdom of heaven from hell?"

"..."

"uh-huh?"

"Your Excellency, is it too late for me to leave now?" Dominic's face was ashen.

"No, let's just assume that's the case, unless you play this round of dice with us." Old Cat chuckled jokingly.

"..."

"So, what's the answer?"

"Your Excellency, I still don't understand. At this point, I am nothing more than a piece of meat on the chopping block. Even if I hadn't encountered this situation, I would still be nothing to you. Why are you so fixated on playing such a game of dice with someone as insignificant as dust?"

Now that things have come to this, Dominique has resigned herself to her fate. A person who has resigned herself to her fate is naturally carefree and indifferent to matters before and after death. As a result, she became even more fixated on that question.

“I think you didn’t understand what I just said, my dear girl.”

"what?"

"My dear girl, do you think you're important to us?" The Devil Duke extended a cat finger.

“It doesn’t matter.” Dominic shook his head upon hearing this. “Whether in terms of life form or value, I am worthless to a great demon like you.”

"You have a clear understanding of yourself, which is an excellent quality, my dear girl, you shouldn't lose it."

"Thank you for your kind words..."

"So, what do you think of Miss Angelina Van Milion, who's in this box, to us?"

"I think she must be quite influential..."

Otherwise, why would it be specially packaged in a box and displayed here? Dominic couldn't help but grumble to himself.

"Wrong. To us, she is no different from you, my dear girl. Both are equally insignificant."

"..."

"Yes, in fact, neither Dominic Antofil nor Angelina Van Milion are as insignificant as grains of sand to an old cat like me."

"Then why..."

"Because the value of an individual can change unpredictably depending on circumstances."

The Devil Duke shook the dice cup in the cat's paw once more. This time, it fulfilled its duty, sounding the prelude to the victory or defeat for the two gambling madmen.

When the resounding clatter of the dice cup subsided, when it was gently placed on the table by the cat's paw, and when the dust settled on the dice inside, the devilish duke who had orchestrated all of this gently opened his cat's mouth.

“You’re not important, she’s not important, none of you are important, but, Dominic, the outcome of this bet between you and us is very important.”

"..."

"Place your bet, little guy."

……

Chapter 261 Good Morning, Good Afternoon, Good Night (Part Twelve)

The preceding text is omitted; the elders and fellow villagers of the border prison...

Dominic Antofil is unlikely to be able to go home now.

In the quiet room, after the resigned little devil placed his final bet based on his faint intuition, the devil on the opposite side happily bet on a different outcome.

It was only at this moment that Dominic suddenly realized the anomaly that had existed since she fell into this "old dream," a subtle sense of incongruity that she had always ignored.

In ordinary games, those involved undoubtedly strive to match the outcome they bet on as closely as possible to the actual result, thereby earning massive amounts of money and vanity.

However, the logic behind the behavior of this "old dream," this old cat, in the game is undoubtedly contrary to the usual logic of game theory.

Ordinary people pursue results that align with the facts.

And this group of devils, this old cat, only seeks an outcome that differs from that of the gamblers.

Why……

Why is that...?

Don't they care at all that they're going to squander all their chips in such a reckless gamble?

Or……

Before that, Dominic gritted her teeth and bet on "666," the same number she had first tasted victory in "Old Dreams," while the Devil on the opposite side countered with three equally rare "1s."

There is no room for compromise.

The sealed dice cup was opened without hesitation, and despite already being aware of the situation, Dominic still cast a glimmer of hope in his eyes.

Three "1"s lay quietly on the table. Dominic's gaze moved upwards and saw that the old cat had changed from its previous shrewd and hypocritical appearance. Only a dark color appeared in its copper bell-like cat eyes.

That somber color is called disappointment, regret, and utter boredom.

The all-black old cat leaped down from the sofa, stood upright, and silently bowed to the side where Dominic was standing, despite Dominic's unseen gaze.

“My dear girl, we misjudged you. It seems your life isn’t as important as we thought. We’re very sorry and deeply regretful.”

The Devil Duke waved his hand dismissively, and Dominic Antofil's senses began to converge on the girl's parts in the box.

Until her consciousness completely faded into the dark sea...

……

A gloomy...sea?

Dominic suddenly opened his eyes, and what came into view was the familiar roof of his car. The sound of the waves continued to echo in his ears.

She forced herself to sit up, her gaze sweeping over the inside of the car before turning to the outside.

The sky remained leaden gray, sea fog lingered, and the dim sunlight still did not favor this sinful city on the abyss.