Goblin Heavy Dependence

Chapter 310 After control comes the harvest.
Saloyan has experienced countless situations far worse than the current one.

Hailing from the second level of Barto's Ninth Hell, "Dis," this devilish baron of noble blood is far less bloodthirsty and radical than those madmen who have advanced through the "Blood War," and his actual combat ability is also slightly inferior.

However, the long lifespan bestowed upon him by his race and his innate pursuit of the soul have allowed him to accumulate an astonishing amount of experience over countless years.

Bewitching people, memorizing spells, and even the customs and traditions of various regions in the material world...

Even the most knowledgeable scholars and professors among mortals would feel ashamed and bow their heads in his presence because of their lack of knowledge.

It's impossible for someone to panic and become as flustered as the novice adventurer they're currently inhabiting just because of some unexpected emergency.

In fact, he had already been planning a backup plan when he first met Xia Nan, before the adventurer team appeared.

This is merely a further step, prompting him to use more radical methods to solve the problems he is facing.

By clarifying the objectives of the three parties on the field and considering one's own situation, one can clearly identify the key issues and find solutions.

For Saloyan himself, his goal was very simple: to remotely send Abby to the giant goblin lair that had been cleared out according to intelligence, and to search for traces of strange technological creations within.

The plan itself is already 90% complete and has reached its destination. All that's needed is a relatively stable environment and a period of time without interference so that he can use his mental energy to examine it carefully.

And that's where the problem lies.

Although it is unknown where the trail was leaked, it is clear that the River Valley Adventurers' Guild has become aware of its presence and has dispatched an adventurer team to investigate.

Now they've caught up from behind.

With their persistent harassment, he would never have the time or environment to conduct a thorough search as planned.

Therefore, the most urgent task is to get rid of these annoying adventurers and prevent them from getting in the way.

As for Xia Nan...

Based solely on his performance just now, Saloyan could roughly determine that the other party was not sent by other forces to stop him, but rather it was just a chance encounter.

He had the patience to wait until the adventurer party had finished dealing with their loot and left before taking action.

But now, although he felt repulsed by the mixed aura emanating from its soul, once the battle began... he obviously couldn't care less about that.

At worst, you can kill the other person and leave their soul alone. Whether it ascends to some divine realm or is taken away by something else, it's none of your business.

Even if some powerful figure wants revenge, they can't possibly actually break into Purgatory to find their true form. The esteemed "Grand Duke of Steel," Mr. Dispat, will not allow such a being to act so arrogantly before the Iron Throne.

After a moment's thought, considering all the above factors—

Saloyan decided to clear the area.

However, at present, he is only a projection of consciousness, and he has even been somewhat exhausted in the battle with the armored monster. His own strength is no longer sufficient to crush these adventurers.

He needs more.

More power must be drawn from the main body located in Purgatory.

This requires a channel.

Coming from outside the material world, Saroyan could not and dared not simply transfer his fel energy into the material world out of thin air.

It's like trying to send fresh water from a lake to the ocean thousands of kilometers away.

He doesn't need to painstakingly dig waterways and reshape the terrain in between.

For the few adventurers on the field, simply scooping a bucketful from the lake and manually transporting it to the distant ocean would be enough.

And Abby... was the best candidate to be in charge of "carrying water".

Saloyan needs the bodies and souls of the material world's natives as vessels for his power.

The premise for such an operation is that he has the right to control the other party's body and soul according to the rules of the world.

A contract needs to be signed.

This is by no means a problem for demons from the depths of purgatory.

The time was ripe, and the foolish young man, who had been bewitched for days and had come to regard it as a spiritual belief, took the final step that would plunge him into the abyss with just a little emotional provocation.

"Lord Saloyan, it seems they're after me."

"What should I do... what should I do?"

The gazes from seasoned professionals, so tangible and focused on her, left Abby feeling utterly helpless.

They didn't even hear Xia Nan's inquiry from the other side.

He turned pale and desperately sought help from the "angel saint" who had become his sole support in the past few days.

"Don't be afraid, I'm here."

An unprecedented sense of security and reliability filled his mind as a husky, magnetic male voice quietly resonated within him.

Under the influence of this voice, Abby's initial panic and fear were gradually soothed, and even his body stopped trembling.

“Lord Saloyan, I am alone and have not even obtained a class rank. I am definitely no match for these people.”

"Can you...can you help me escape?"

With the man's reassuring voice, Abby regained some of his ability to think and wanted to leave this place that made him feel dangerous and uneasy as soon as possible.

But as soon as he finished speaking, the male voice seemed to have already sensed his thoughts, and with a significantly louder volume, it resounded in his skull, compelling him to concentrate all his attention and listen carefully:

"Escape?"

"Now that things have come to this, Abby... do you still want to run away?"

"I am disappointed."

Lord Saloyan, who always encouraged and comforted her, suddenly spoke in such a tone, which startled Abi, who hurriedly explained:

"I do not have……"

"That's not how it is, Lord Saloyan."

"I just think……"

Before he could finish speaking, he was interrupted by the other party.

"Escape? Abby, where exactly do you think you're going?"

"Feeling hopeless about life in the village and tired of working hard in the fields with my parents every day, I escaped to River Valley Town, fantasizing that becoming a so-called 'adventurer' would change my life."

"I was lucky enough to meet a good captain, but I felt that killing goblins all day didn't earn me enough money and I was restricted too much, so I ran away from the team and wanted to find work on my own and make big money."

"Without the protection of a mentor, and with only average abilities, I earned less and worked harder than before. In the end, I could only kill goblins... So I ran away, fleeing to bars and casinos, wasting my precious time and energy on those pointless things."

“Abby, you deserve a brighter and better future.”

"But whenever difficulties are accompanied by opportunities, you always choose to run away, so you miss them time and time again."

"Now that things have come to this, are you still going to run away?"

After several days of manipulation, they had already figured out the young man's past.

Without any mercy, Saroyan tore away the last veil of pretense in the other's heart, laying bare Abi's regrets and resentment that he had never revealed to anyone before.

Touched on a sore spot, the young adventurer, whose face was still green with youth, froze on the spot, his expression a complex mix of regret, anger, hatred, and other emotions.

"No..." The dry voice seemed to be squeezed out from the depths of his throat, his hand gripping the sword hilt so tightly that it turned white, and his arm trembled uncontrollably. "I won't run away, Mr. Saloyan, I won't run away."

"Very good." The initially disappointed tone turned into a deliberately expressed sense of relief, and the man's voice became soft and warm once again. "Abby, I knew I hadn't misjudged you."

"Look at them."

Abi's gaze, guided by Saloyan, turned toward the direction of the Blackwood Squad ahead.

"Tsk tsk, professionals...so glamorous. If you bump into them on the street, you'd probably have to give way to them."

"They're all ordinary people. Why can they earn more gold coins in a single mission than you can earn in a year? Why can they sit in a tavern without caring about anyone else, laughing and ordering a whole table of dishes that you can only enjoy during holidays?"

"Why...why can't they be the ones to make way for you?"

"Are they truly more talented and work harder? Or is it simply because they're willing to engage in dirty deals, willing to wear the cloak of so-called 'justice' while secretly carrying out the darkest deeds?"

“Abby, let me put it bluntly.”

"If you die now, no one will remember you."

"Your corpse will become a breeding ground for maggots, your name will be unknown, and your existence will ultimately be worthless."

Every word was like a poisoned blade, precisely piercing Abby's deepest pain. What flashed before his eyes was his poor and insignificant life: the disappointed looks of his parents, the bartender's driving him away, the disdain of his fellow adventurers, the curses and contempt of powerful figures...

He's had enough!

"Want power?"

At this most opportune and appropriate moment, an incredibly gentle yet fatally attractive male voice quietly resounded in his mind.

"Not the kind that requires scheming and taking advantage of others, but the kind that can turn your fate around and make all those who looked down on you and hurt you pay the price, the real... power."

"Right now, right here."

In that instant, the survival instinct under immense pressure, the humiliation accumulated as a lowly adventurer, and even the resentment towards all past injustices, under the devil's influence, transformed into a torrent of emotions that overwhelmed the last line of defense in this young man's heart.

"I accept!"

Almost screaming, Abby shouted with all his might.

"You can have anything... power, give me power!"

"..."

"make a deal."

Then, dark red, surging fel flames erupted.

The surging negative energy from purgatory transformed into invisible waves carrying the stench of sulfur, which suddenly exploded in the open space.

Buzz-boom——

A blood-red mist, exuding an ominous and evil aura, spread across the ground like blood, reflecting the surrounding flames, flowing and weaving into an intricate and subconsciously unsettling crimson magic circle.

The magical glow was fleeting, and the air twisted in an instant.

The next second, a piece of "flesh and blood" landed in the center of the magic circle.

It should be a humanoid creature, but there are no traces of its race on its body surface. Its hair and skin have been stripped away, leaving only scarlet and hideous flesh. Its eyes and mouth have been sewn on, and its limbs, bound by chains, are twisted and deformed.

A pitiful person who broke the contract has now become the contract itself.

He was almost kneeling on the ground, revealing the densely packed contract terms on his back, etched in Hellish language and made of blood and flesh.

"Stop him! They want to sign a contract!"

The dark red flames were reflected in Margaret's bright eyes, causing her pupils to shrink.

Ignoring the shield-wielding dwarf at the forefront of the formation, she gripped her sword with both hands and charged forward, her roar and footsteps rang out almost simultaneously.

Margaret had no idea what this devil was up to.

However, it is clear that under the current circumstances, getting the other party to complete the signing of the contract is definitely not a good thing for us.

Unfortunately, no matter how fast she reacted, she made a response the moment the dark flames swirled and the magic array was drawn.

Ultimately, it was too late.

How could Saloyan, who comes from hell and has more experience than everyone else on the field combined, possibly reveal such a flaw?

"Om..."

Magical particles surged wildly, and invisible waves spread outwards from Abby's body in an instant.

3rd Ring - Illusionist - Fear.

— Projects the most feared fantasy image into the mind of the subject (Perception Waiver). If the check fails, the subject enters a state of fear.

The first to be affected was Xia Nan, who reacted the fastest and was closest to the location.

He felt a cold, slippery breeze brush past his cheeks and seep into the back of his head, causing his dark eyes to glaze over.

In my mind, a blurry image begins to take shape.

In a bustling tavern, I was sitting in a corner of the hall when a waiter approached quickly with a bowl of thick soup in the distance, and I could faintly smell the sweet aroma wafting from it.

Suddenly, he slipped, lost his balance, and dropped the bowl.

Mixed with mushroom bits, the thick, white cream soup splashed out and, under the influence of gravity, fell towards the ground.

Just as the thick soup was about to come into contact with the dirty floor.

Xia Nan suddenly lost his focus and passed the perception check.

His perception ability of 11 points, along with the resistance bonus to "Looking into the Abyss," gives him a very high chance of saving throws even when facing a third-circle spell cast by a projection of demonic consciousness.

At the same time, the counterspell effect of [Looking into the Abyss] is triggered, affecting the demon Saroyan who cast the spell.

The same exemption applies.

Sensing the countering mental energy emanating from his side, the demon baron possessing Abi glanced at Xia Nan with some surprise, but did not pay too much attention, instead focusing on maintaining the operation of the magic circle.

In contrast, the members of the Oath-Keeping Blackwood Squad were not having such an easy time.

Under the effect of the Fear spell, three of them failed their checks and were instantly plunged into boundless fear.

Joshua, the mage most affected, threw down his staff, screamed, and turned around, seemingly trying to escape.

Margaret, as the captain, managed to resist and maintain her sanity through sheer willpower.

The decision to clear the area has already been made, and enough time needs to be spent to allow Abi to sign a contract.

Saroyan couldn't possibly just simply cast Fear and be done with it.

After “control” comes the natural next step of “harvesting”.

Shila-

The extremely dense, yellowish-green smoke, carrying the distinctive sulfurous stench of hell, rapidly drifted towards Xia Nan, Margaret, and the three adventurers who had failed to resist and were now gripped by fear, amidst a corrosive sound that sent chills down their spines and made their teeth ache.

——3rd Ring · Spellcasting · Stink Cloud Technique.

(End of this chapter)