Ashen Dragon
Chapter 729 - Chapter 729 Chapter 107 The Pact of Hell_2

Chapter 729: Chapter 107: The Pact of Hell_2 Chapter 729: Chapter 107: The Pact of Hell_2 After all, he was once a Lord of Hell, and even though his status has now plummeted, he remains a formidable adversary; just his avatar appearing on the Prime Material Plane possesses a status of legendary stature.

If he were in his home territory–Avernus, Cassius might not be able to defeat this Great Devil, let alone kill him.

However, watching the Array that had completely lost its light, Cassius’s lips curled up into a scheming smile.

As a Great Devil, Piere’s understanding of contracts far exceeded Cassius’s, even surpassing that of the throng of lawyer players who studied contract law in reality.

–But Piere did not understand this newly rising special group of players in Erezer.

Players have no soul.

To be more accurate, players do not possess a soul that can be recognized by the world rules of Erezer; hence, they are dubbed “soulless” by devils in the afterlife.

In words from Earth, these players are “beyond the Three Realms and outside the Five Elements.”

After years of research, Empire scholars were amazed to discover: the players’ bodies are merely vessels to carry consciousness, and their consciousness is a projection from another world.

Even the contract of Asmonthy, Lord of Nine Prisons, cannot bind the souls of these beings who exist outside the rules.

Therefore, what seemed to be loopholes in the contract were actually traps deliberately prepared by Cassius for the devil, with the goal of obtaining the power of Hell without giving anything in return.

And the Great Devil Piere, who had never understood the player group, fell into the trap. Soon, he will find that these Demon Contracts, aside from draining his own power, cannot provide him with even a single soul.

And due to the contract’s constraints, Piere cannot simply shake off these annoying “leeches” but must allow them to draw from the Power of Hell.

By then, even if Piere regains the position of Master of Avernus, he will not be able to emerge victorious in the Blood War or withstand the devil’s assault on Hell, relying on his own strength.

By that time, Cassius will be able to take the lead again, negotiate with Piere using his subordinated players, seize benefits, and even stake a claim in Avernus, standing as an equal to the Five-Colored Dragon Queen, who is also trapped here.

“It seems not too far off… Piere, the future Master of Avernus, be prepared to thoroughly enjoy our cooperation.”

Moreover, how many players should I send to benefit from the Power of Hell for free? How about fifty thousand?”

Cassius stroked his chin with his claw, his ghastly smile growing more sinister.

In this way, under the confrontation, the scheming Red Dragon and Great Devil began their cooperation, with the current Lord of Avernus, Zareel, as their common enemy.

This “alliance treaty between the Empire and the forces of Devil Piere” was notoriously infamous in subsequent records of the Good Alignment, known as the “Evil Alliance.”

…

Gedani Island, a half-plane painstakingly created by the Ashen Empire’s Spellcasters over several years, dedicated to the imprisonment and banishment of powerful entities from Different Planes.

Due to the Empire’s underdeveloped technology, the environment here is extremely harsh, filled with reddish-brown scorched earth, flowing magma, and capricious scorching winds.

However, for Devils, facing such a harsh environment is akin to returning home.

The only place of tranquility and peace within this half-plane is the Gedani Island Office, established by Empire Officials, which maintains order thanks to the blessings of the Imperial Region.

Inside the spacious office, the arrested devils sit upright in their respective places, looking tense, while some weaker little devils are trapped in narrow cages.

“This is a terrifying place, they are actually capturing devils!”

“Yes, I thought I had successfully lured that damned Mortal, but he turned around and reported me?”

“Once I’m out, I’ll let these Mortals taste agony!”

“Keep your voice down, do you want to be whipped? The Half-Dragon jailers here are not to be trifled with.”

Noise and discordant voices filled the air as the Devils captured here whispered to each other and shared their grievances.

In this sweeping “Exorcism Storm”, a total of more than five hundred Devils were arrested by the special operation team led by Mezulash and detained within Gedani Island.

“Silence!”

Ogre Ramp stood at the center, holding the Imperial Scepter in his hand, tapping the ground lightly, his deep voice echoing through the hall.

“Devils, now that you find yourselves imprisoned on Gedani Island, I just want to ask – do you know what you have done wrong?

As long as you can answer this question, I will grant you freedom, in the name of the Imperial Prime Minister.”

Instantly, the devils locked up here burst into an uproar, eagerly competing to respond and even starting to ingratiate themselves with the ogre.

“Tempting mortals to walk the path of evil corruption?”

“Attempting to swindle the souls of mortals?”

“Ogre lord…”

However, Ramp shook his head, once again tamping the ground with the scepter, and spoke sharply, “Your greatest mistake is offending His Majesty Cassius, the supreme!

Entering the territory of the Ashen Empire without permission, disrupting the social order, conducting these illegal trades!”

Suddenly, one devil realized the loophole in Ramp’s words and cautiously inquired, “So does that mean… soul trading and Hell Contracts are permitted within the empire?”

The ogre’s face relaxed a bit as he nodded meaningfully, replying:

“We are a nation under the rule of Great Red Dragons, with dozens of races, not like those old-fashioned human countries, and within the empire, what is not forbidden by law is permissible.

As long as you pay taxes to the empire, comply with all laws, and obey the unified arrangements of the empire officials, there is nothing that cannot be sold, not even–”

Ramp paused slightly in tone, then continued line by line: souls and lives.”

Indeed, the Ashen Empire is so the prosperous society is built on the countless skeletons of the people from the South.

In the cities, steel behemoths constantly spew thick smoke, continuously producing weapons, selling them around the world. There are even imperial arms merchants who stir up conflicts in the South, triggering wars to boost their product sales.

The empire’s light industrial goods are no less competitive, with cheap textiles and handicrafts flooding the market like a tide, squeezing many small merchants and workshops to bankruptcy.

And underneath the surface glitz, under the immense shadow of dragon wings, countless imperial workers have become mere cogs in the vast machinery of the empire.

They live in cramped pigeonholes, eat tasteless organic sauce, endure harsh environments, and endure work hours up to over ten hours, toiling day and night…

Ramp has confided such thoughts to his close subordinates in private: “Only by exploiting the entire world, including the imperial people themselves, can the empire continue to prosper.”

In Ramp’s eyes, everything is fuel for the empire to achieve its grand blueprint.

Even devils, seen by mortals as utterly reprehensible, in the eyes of Imperial Prime Minister Ramp, they are merely exploitable evil hounds.

Soon, the devils imprisoned in their cages extended their hands, revealing sycophantic expressions, and began showing loyalty to Ramp.

After all, for these Lawful Evil devils, so-called face and dignity are easily discardable, and the order of the empire doesn’t seem to pose much harm to them.

“Lord Ramp, we are willing to submit to the empire’s management!”

“We will even pay taxes…”

“Yes, you are knowledgeable and should know that we devils have always been a refined race that upholds order; we accept the empire’s unified arrangements!”

“Very good.”

Ramp looked around, nodding slightly, a satisfied smile appearing on that ugly face.

And so, even the devils of Hell were incorporated into the system of the Ashen Empire, becoming part of this colossal entity.