This Lich Requests More Remuneration
Chapter 737 - 614 Zariel Exposed_2

Chapter 737: Chapter 614 Zariel Exposed_2

Becoming a lesser Lord in Hell meant one could live carefree for centuries, transferring one’s torments to the demons below, living off the exploitation of others, without ever worrying about food, drink, or entertainment.

Over time, these Lords grew increasingly powerful and, by carefully avoiding conflict with demons of the same rank, a rigid hierarchy emerged, resulting in the same group of devil lords from hundreds of years ago still in power hundreds of years later.

The main reason was that it was simply too difficult for newcomers to compete. Most demons were immortal, time allowed them to amass power and wealth, which newcomers simply couldn’t match.

So, these evildoers weren’t suffering in Hell at all; they were clearly enjoying themselves.

And after the Hell Bank was promoted, these Hell Lords were forced into an arms race, then forced to fight, forced to kill each other.

The result was a large number of old Lords met their end, either dying in battle or going bankrupt, and their positions and possessions naturally fell to newcomers. Those who went bankrupt were devoured by the Hell Bank, stripped of all valuable things, even enslaving themselves.

And where were slaves needed?

Naturally, at the Blood River Battlefield.

Every layer of Hell was obliged to provide equipment and troops to the Blood River Battlefield; it was a Hell Law, inviolable.

The bankrupt losers were, of course, sent to the battlefield. New Hell Lords needed to ascend, unwilling to tolerate the old folks’ continued existence. The losers were a destabilizing factor in their original place, so they had to be sent away as quickly as possible.

Therefore, the Blood River Fortress was about to experience a significant boost in combat power. Each of these long-lived Hell Lords had considerable skills, and traditional troop deployments simply wouldn’t work—it was too easy for these old-timers to earn honors.

No matter how stingy the Blood River Fortress was, it struggled to prevent the powerful demons from bullying the lesser ones, shifting the entire economic pressure onto the fortress.

So, a counter-attack against The Abyss was a viable option, a way to maintain stability.

Unwittingly, Bayer had gone off-topic, beginning to ponder how to arrange the counter-attack. He needed to consume the sudden surge in combat power without suffering too many losses that could collapse the battle line—a truly headache-inducing task.

With a cold snort, Zariel was about to disconnect the communication when Hircine quickly signaled Bayer.

The Skull Coin in Bayer’s palm vibrated, snapping him out of his reverie; now wasn’t the time for that discussion. Bayer quickly said, "Then you need to grant me the authority to modify the spatial barriers at the Blood River Battlefield."

As a Commander, Bayer could control only the troops of the Blood River Fortress. He had no access to powers related to the space and time laws, which required Zariel’s authorization every time.

According to Zariel, it was time to make adjustments, but Zariel hesitated and said, "What’s the rush? We’ll discuss it once Mammon has sent the people over."

This time, the coin in Bayer’s hand began to heat up, indicating Zariel was hiding something.

Bayer felt a growing curiosity—could Hircine’s words be true? Had Zariel encountered some problems?

Bayer pressed on, "How long do I have to wait? I must have the list now, adjust according to it, and once those prisoners arrive, I can immediately adjust the battle line to start the counter-attack. Give me the Hell authority now!"

Zariel was immediately angered, "Bayer, do you realize who you’re speaking to?"

The Skull Badge in Bayer’s palm grew hotter, proving that Zariel’s concealed matters were increasingly apparent.

"I am speaking to the master of the first layer of hell," Bayer said gravely. "But now it seems you, fallen angel, have encountered a problem. Zariel, don’t tell me you’ve lost the Hell Law power of the first layer! "

Zariel glanced at Bayer and didn’t answer the question, simply saying calmly, "Then you might as well try and seize the Bronze Fortress back again."

With that, Zariel completely disconnected the communication without any explanation.

Bayer tossed the burning hot Skull Badge aside and said to Hircine, "You were right, Zariel is in trouble, definitely must have encountered some serious issues."

Hircine laughed, "So, are you preparing to make your move now?"

Being witness to a fierce battle between two Archdukes of the Devils made this journey worthwhile.

However, Bayer shook his head and said, "It’s not that simple. I can only confirm that something is wrong with Zariel, but I have no idea how weak She is, or why She is weakened. What if this is a trap?"

Hircine, on the other hand, shook Her head, "It won’t be a trap; I’m certain."

Lies, verbal traps, double traps... No matter which kind it was, Hircine could sense it. This was Her Power, and apart from Herself, no one could deceive Her. Even if the thought just arose, Hircine would be aware of it.

This was also why Hircine was especially confident in Her undertakings. As long as She didn’t lose Her mind, She was more than capable of handling anything.

But Bayer insisted, "Even if it’s not a trap, we still don’t know what exactly happened to Zariel. Let me tell you the truth, even without the aid of Hell Law, Zariel’s own Power is stronger than mine."

Zariel was formerly a brave and fearless Angel.

It was when Heaven Mountain discovered that the Hell Demons were negligent in their duties, causing the Devils of the Heavenly Plane to run amok and the Blood River Battlefield to repeatedly fall back to a very dangerous point, that they sent Zariel to supervise the battle.

Zariel was angered by the cowardice of the Devils and the excessive caution from Heaven Mountain’s side, and so She made the rash decision to personally punish those cowards. Thus, She invaded Hell herself to hunt down those Devils, breaking the tacit understanding between Heaven Mountain and Hell. As a result, Zariel was captured by the Devils of Hell and was cruelly tutored into becoming a Fallen Angel.

Fallen She might be, but if Zariel hadn’t had any abilities, She would not have been sent to supervise the Blood River.

Bayer had experienced Zariel’s impressiveness firsthand, and even without using Hell Law, he knew he was no match for Her.

As such, Bayer felt he should first understand what had happened to Zariel, but Hircine felt too impatient to waste time on such matters.

"Very well, investigate at your leisure, but first, give me what I want."

Bayer coldly stated, "The contract stipulates you are to aid me against Zariel. Don’t think of reneging!"

Hircine said, "Come to me when you’ve made your decision. I won’t possibly wait for you to investigate for decades. The Soul I intend to save can’t wait that long."

Dealing with Zariel was not an issue for Hircine, who already had a plethora of enemies. One more Fallen Angel mattered little, especially since She could just send a fraction of Herself—any mishap would be inconsequential.

Thus, Hircine had no intention of defaulting on the deal.

It’s just that Harvey needed to be saved now, otherwise a second suitable candidate would truly be unfindable.

Clearly, Bayer understood this too. He could only lend the Melter that could repair Souls, also providing Hircine with a small amount of Soul Currency.

Bayer warned, "Just to be clear, this device can indeed repair spiritual damage, but that doesn’t mean it’s without side effects. So, if there are any mishaps, I will not be held responsible."

Hell’s technology was notoriously crude and brutal with massive side effects, as it was used on Devils. There was no need for pity towards sinners; the Hell Engine was even designed to anatomize living bodies and jam them inside.

The Melter intended for Soul repair was no different. It converted Soul Currency directly into Soul Essence to patch up the Soul, like plastering a wall, but precision definitely couldn’t be deemed high quality. Memory loss, dizziness, headaches, and other side effects were quite possible. It was crucial for Bayer to clarify this to Hircine so as not to be troubled later on.

Hircine, however, disregarded these minor issues. She only needed Harvey to serve as a sacrifice. Whether or not it affected the Soul was irrelevant, as long as Harvey remembered his inner evil thoughts to complete the ritual.

Nonetheless, to be on the safe side, Hircine didn’t bring the items back, opting to repair Harvey right there at the Blood River Fortress.

Poor Harvey. Not yet dead, and already he had taken a trip to Hell.

Harvey was crudely stuffed into a machine that resembled an incinerator. Then the burning of Soul Currency commenced to replenish Harvey. The machine could automatically detect flaws within the Soul and repair them, somewhat more professionally than Hircine’s own handiwork.

The machine rumbled as the Soul Currency began to deplete rapidly.

The massive progress of the repair displayed on the machine.

"Current Soul repair progress is 1%... Insufficient fuel, please replenish..."

Hircine and Bayer watched, dumbfounded, as the thousands of Soul Currency they had just poured in were used up. What was wrong with this boy? To repair his Soul would require at least a hundred thousand Soul Currency?!