Detective Agency of the Bizarre
Chapter 582 - 582 One hundred and one

582: One hundred and one.

Soul Contract 582: One hundred and one.

Soul Contract Among the prices quoted by the Advanced Demons, the cheapest was the sandworm for one hundred complete souls.

Ruth turned her face to look at the wind chimes hanging on the tavern door, keeping silent the whole time.

“How long will it take to reach the other side of the mountain?” Lu Li asked the owner of the sandworm, a Four-Armed Demon covered in purple spikes.

“130 hours.”

The Four-Armed Demon gave an extremely lengthy time.

“Why so long?” Lu Li frowned and asked.

The diameter of the Black Calamity Volcano was only around 400-500 li, and even with obstacles along the way, one could reach the other end on foot within 130 hours.

“Kid, do you intend to pass through the Wind of Death and the Great Rift Valley?” The voice of the Four-Armed Demon was as sharp as the spikes on its body.

“To reach the other side of the Black Calamity Volcano, you can only go around.”

“What are the Wind of Death and the Great Rift Valley?” Lu Li inquired.

This information wasn’t valuable; any Hell Creature that had lingered near the Black Calamity Volcano for a while would know about them.

The kind-hearted Humanoid Demon spoke up, “The Wind of Death is the destructive breath that shrouds the middle part of the Black Calamity Volcano.

Souls exposed to the Wind of Death will be completely obliterated by the destructive breath, leaving nothing behind.

However, it’s hard to harm powerful souls and demons.”

“The most dangerous is the Great Rift Valley, which traverses the other side of the volcano, almost severing the connection between the Black Volcano and the mainland.

It wasn’t so perilous originally, and bridges were even built over the Great Rift Valley.

But a few hundred years ago, an abyss-like obscure breath began to fill the area.”

“Power, space, everything becomes twisted there, meaningless.

Even the topmost devils and demons in Hell cannot cross that abyss-like Great Rift Valley.”

“How long would it take to go around the Great Rift Valley?” Lu Li asked.

“The Demon Eagle and the Rift Demon with the wings.” The Humanoid Demon looked at the owners of the Demon Eagle and the winged demon.

“They could take you to the other side of the Black Calamity Volcano and the Great Rift Valley in 70 hours.”

Clearly, Lu Li did not have 70 hours.

He might not even have 7 hours.

The offspring whom the devils had pinned their hopes on would not give Lu Li another 7 hours.

“What if one were to go straight through the Great Rift Valley?”

“No demon would make such a bargain, unless you were to buy a mount.

But I think you’d struggle to afford the steep price.”

“So, how long would it take?”

The Humanoid Demon’s black eyes met Lu Li’s indifferently for a moment: “3 hours, maybe less.”

Lu Li nodded, then proclaimed in a voice loud enough for all of Hell to hear, “I need a mount that can help me pass through the Wind of Death and the Great Rift Valley to reach the other side of the volcano.”

There was no response, only some demons sizing up Lu Li.

“Even getting to the front of the Great Rift Valley would suffice.”

With interest, the Humanoid Demon watched the scene.

After about a dozen seconds, the Rock Demon opposite Ruth buzzed, “What can you offer for this?”

Its mount was a Skeleton Horse, and before entering the tavern, Lu Li had a particularly vivid memory of this horse made of bones.

Not looking at Ruth – she had done enough already – after a moment, Lu Li calmly stated, “I am a Psychic.”

The eyes of the numerous Hell Creatures in the tavern refocused on him, and Lu Li distinctly felt many covetous glances, unhidden and direct.

They were either coveting what Lu Li could do or coveting him himself…

“Only a living person could possess such pure soul power,” said the Humanoid Demon, smiling as though it had known all along.

Lu Li continued, “If you have something I can do, please tell me.”

“Including your soul!” a hoarse, fluctuating shout echoed.

The Humanoid Demon informed Lu Li, who was searching for the source, “It’s the Formless Demon; it’s always like this, with no ill intention.”

Lu Li withdrew his gaze, shook his head, and replied, “That’s meaningless.”

“It means your soul after death,” the Humanoid Demon added.

After a moment of thought, Lu Li still chose to refuse.

After all, trading one’s soul was too great a price to pay.

“Summon me to the human world after you return,” the Rock Demon suddenly stood up, its head nearly touching the tavern’s ceiling.

“If you can do that, my Skeleton Horse will carry you to the edge of the Great Rift Valley and protect your soul from the Wind of Death.”

“You aren’t a demon that craves souls, what do you want in the human world!” a demon mocked it.

The flames in the Rock Demon’s crevices surged instantly, bursting out of its skin before swiftly receding, as it grunted dully, “Is there a problem with wanting to see some new sights?”

This eased some of the apprehensions in Lu Li’s mind.

After waiting another moment, with no other demons joining the trade, Lu Li said to the Rock Demon, “How shall we trade?”

“A contract,” the Humanoid Demon said, snapping its fingers lightly.

A swirl of black mist appeared above the counter, dissipating to reveal a piece of parchment.

“The trading parties agree on the terms and write down the contract.

The violator’s soul will be taken, even demons can’t bear the cost of breaking a contract.”

The Rock Demon left its table and walked up to Lu Li.

Although the Rock Demon was trying to contain its fire and aura as much as possible, Lu Li still felt the scorching emanating from the Rock Demon next to him.

Lu Li and the Rock Demon defined the terms of their trade.

The Rock Demon would lend Lu Li the Skeleton Horse to help him successfully reach the edge of the bridge at the Great Rift Valley.

The Rock Demon told Lu Li its true name, and Lu Li was to find a way to summon the Rock Demon to the human world upon his return.

The Rock Demon’s demands were unexpectedly lenient; it didn’t even restrict Lu Li to ensure the deed was done, leaving Lu Li with much leeway.

But it seemed reasonable, as all Hell Creatures appeared accustomed to this—after all, it was a Rock Demon.

Lu Li and the Rock Demon each placed a drop of blood on the Soul Contract, and the black mist engulfed the parchment once again, signifying the successful establishment of the contract.

“There might be some trouble on the surface, I can’t guarantee I’ll be able to do it,” Lu Li said to the Rock Demon.

“My treasure already knows.

Once you leave, you can go straight to it,” the latter waved carelessly and returned to its seat.

Then, the Rock Demon bragged to a companion, somewhat excitedly, about signing a Soul Contract with a Psychic.

Perhaps the Rock Demon didn’t care whether Lu Li could really take it to the human world; it was just looking for a story to tell for the next few centuries—

“I don’t know why you’re in such a hurry, is it worth it?” the Humanoid Demon asked Lu Li, somewhat perplexed, after the trade concluded.

“It’s of utmost importance,” Lu Li answered.

The Humanoid Demon summoned another piece of parchment and took out a yellowed handkerchief with one corner burned off from under the counter.

“If you make it back up there, give this handkerchief to someone from the Pas Yosef family,” the Heart Demon’s pitch-black eyes seemed to carry a tinge of nostalgia for the past.

“And in return, I’ll take care of some loose ends for you.”

Its gaze inadvertently swept over some demons that had previously looked at Lu Li with covetous eyes.

“Thank you,” Lu Li said.

Two drops of blood later, the second Soul Contract was complete.

“You should say, ‘Pleasure doing business.’