The Paladin in the Abyss

Chapter 198 Bounty

"I don't care what use that black bead has, I only know that without it, there would be fewer merchants paying taxes, and I don't like that situation," proclaimed the Lord of Hive Valley, 'Piercer' Dugba, raising its blade-like forelimbs. "If any of you dares to hide that thing, I will personally twist his head off, suck his brains dry, eat the flesh off his face clean, and shove the remaining skull up his ass."

The beetle demon seemed ready at any moment to prove its threats were real, and the mercenaries below wisely shut their mouths. But Lancelot had no doubt that many did not take the threat seriously at all.

"Of course, there will also be rewards," the only female on the platform spoke up, her voice carrying an enticing magnetism. That was 'Shapeshifter' Lady Akama, the ruler of the Great Abyss. "Anyone who brings back the Eye of Sarezdon will be granted the title 'Lord of Withering Honor' and given the nobility status of Mogrondale."

Whispering voices stirred again, quickly followed by an unhappy shout:

"What good is this blasted title?"

"This title is more precious than gold and gemstones. The city guards will not attack you, and are willing to serve you, provided the pay is reasonable," Akama's face broke into a charming smile, "I believe many caravans will need your 'protection'. Or perhaps you'd prefer to venture further and breach into a certain Lord of Withering's lair? Heheheh…"

Thinking of this lady's well-known vile hobby sent shivers down Lancelot's spine. Although the female demon's words were laden with innuendo, she clearly wasn't referring to herself but to some unseen, 'allegedly' weaker Fireburn Demon.

The mercenaries were much happier with this response, many of them glancing around menacingly as if to scare off potential competitors with their gazes.

"So how do we find it?" someone in the crowd asked aloud, unable to contain themselves, "Where exactly did the Divine Artifact fall?"

"It wouldn't be far from Kai-Oine, but it could be anywhere from here to the Plains of the Abyss," Akama pressed a mechanism on the platform, and suddenly a portal pulsing with blue light appeared in the hall. She introduced to everyone, "This portal will transport you randomly to any level of Kai-Oine, your luck from here on is your own. You know without me saying, there's only one bounty."

No sooner had she finished speaking than someone rushed into the portal as if the Divine Artifact was just beyond waiting for him. Seeing this, other mercenaries also surged forward, the scene quickly turning into utter chaos, with some even drawing swords on each other to gain the right to enter first.

"Wait! Wait! We still have things to say!" a Lord of Withering with a fox's head shouted from the platform, but to no avail. He turned to the tempting female demon beside him and complained, "What did I say? You must leave the payment to the end..."

The giant beetle demon moved. It leapt forward suddenly, its massive body smashing heavily in front of the portal, a dead body already hanging from the sharp horns on its head. The killed mercenary's companions immediately drew their weapons, but their swords could only leave slight scratches on the Lord of Withering's carapace, 'Piercer' Dugba shook off its massive horns, easily creating several more broken bodies.

Violence and death, the two most persuasive elements in the lower planes.

The chaotic hall had finally quieted down once again. Satugura, with his foxlike head, cleared his throat and drew everyone's attention before pouring a pile of magic wands out of his Dimensional Bag.

"This Magic Wand has been imbued with Detect Magic by several Spellcasters who witnessed the Eye of Sarezdon and completed it overnight—it can be used three times," he explained, showcasing the slender wand, less than half a foot long, "Due to the suppression of Prophecy Magic within the Great Abyss, its detection range is only about a thousand feet, so please reserve its use for suspicious locations..."

"How is three times enough?" someone in the crowd shouted again discontentedly, "How are we supposed to know which places are suspicious?"

"This bead can absorb the surrounding light, creating a noticeable darkness around it," the Shapeshifter Akama interjected, "If any of you truly find it, you'll understand what I mean."

"Alright, we have said all we needed to say," the fox-headed demon clapped his hands, gesturing for his colleagues in front of the portal to make way, "Come get a Magic Wand from me one by one—if you could queue, that would be even better. There's no need to waste your lives here as the area in need of searching is vast..."

Expecting these increasingly impatient mercenaries to queue was naturally impossible. Many people rushed to the platform, grabbed a magic wand, and ran into the portal. Besides the desire for the bounty, the experience of staying with a large group of mercenaries was also terrible, akin to smoking in a goblin workshop—it was better to leave early.

With Lancelot from Twin Bridges Town controlling the crowd, the mercenaries were naturally calm and collected. They weren't overly interested in the so-called bounty; they just wanted the Divine Artifact to quickly return to Mogrondale, so they could continue their journey to Androlina.

But they didn't wait until the very last either. Once most of the eager mercenaries had noisy left, order in the hall quickly resumed. Seeing that the area around the platform was no longer crowded, Lancelot stood and led everyone forward.

"You must be Sir Lancelot?"

As he approached the platform to collect the Detect Magic wand, the fox-headed demon lord took the initiative to greet him.

"Yes, that's me," Lancelot hesitated for a moment but nodded in acknowledgment.

Hearing his response, the other two Lords of Withering also turned their heads to scrutinize him. The massive beetle demon looked provocatively at the Human Knight, the meaning in its gaze was clear, but Lancelot had no interest in responding to such a look; the seductive female demon initially eyed him with a teasing expression but, noticing Elothysia behind the Human Knight, her eyes turned to annoyance, as if her favorite food had been slobbered on by someone else.

"I heard it was you who dealt with those thieves, and you encountered some unpleasantness in my district earlier today." The current Governor of the spraying region seemed to have a good impression of Lancelot; he glanced at the cloak on Lancelot's body, "You are from Twin Bridges Town? I have traveled there with a caravan and have even interacted with Lady Tijana."