Baator Hell Promotion

To be exact, Hopper hadn't formally introduced himself to Nora before today, but she acted like a friend of ten years. The potted lady came over with a whiff of sweet air, shook Hopper's hand affectionately, and kissed her on both cheeks several times.

"I really like your dress. It's simple, elegant, and unique." She was a little shorter than Hopper, and her eyes were shining as she admired her dress and praised it generously. Then she leaned closer and said in a low voice, "Dear Vera insisted that Danya accompany her to wear a knee-length gown. Fortunately, you wore a skirt. I don't want to be the only one in the audience wearing a long dress. That would be so silly."

Hopper opened her mouth but swallowed the words to explain that Danya had lent her the skirt.

"I thought you wouldn't come." Nora took her arm in a familiar manner, leaning her plump body against her, and led her forward. "I told Danya that we must invite Miss Hopper. You are a rare promoted succubus. I bet you will be the focus of the party."

Hopper suddenly felt a little irritated. He turned around and looked around the classroom, which had been decorated like a small dance floor surrounded by tables, chairs, and greenery. Perhaps it was Nora's design, but each small table was partially obscured by flowers, screens, or other decorations.

Perhaps it was because it was still early, but Hopper noticed that there were few succubi in the classroom. Instead, there were quite a few Cambions dancing in pairs on the dance floor. Just as she was racking her brains to figure out how to politely leave Nora, she took the initiative to loosen her arms.

"I think there are other guests coming. You won't blame me for leaving you here alone, will you?"

Hopper pretended to be reserved for a moment, then very generously asked her to go about her own business and that he would go find Vera and the others.

After watching Nora walk away, Hopper looked around, found a chair to sit down, and began to regret that he should have refused to participate decisively.

Until she saw two beautiful women in men's clothing sitting across the dance floor, waving at her to come over.

"I thought you hadn't seen us," Danya said as Hopper sat down. As Nora had said, Vera and Danya were both wearing knee-length two-piece robes and lace-up shoes. Danya's slender figure and Vera's short hair complemented the outfit perfectly, making them look like two young, naive shepherds.

"Why don't I see Lacy? Wasn't she eager to come?" Hopper sniffed the drink; it had a strong bitter and rusty smell. "What is this?"

"15-year-old razorvine wine," Vera replied. She took a careful sip and shuddered, her face flushing instantly. "It's a Class III contraband, almost impossible to buy on the market."

"Poor little Lexi, she was caught by Professor Millennium Gut for not finishing her meditation homework. It will probably take a while." Danya also took a cup of razorvine brew and opened the salt shaker on the table. Inside was a shiny metal powder. "Want some silver powder, Hopper?"

"No, thank you." Hopper felt a phantom pain in his stomach as he looked at the jar of silver powder and quickly declined. "Speaking of Cambion, I thought Nora would only invite succubi."

"You're mistaken." Perhaps it was the effect of the Razorvine Brew, but Vera was much kinder than her usual condescending demeanor. "Any newborn succubus can come to Emberhold. But for a Cambion to come here, his parents must be at least high-ranking devils. Nara's selection standards are very high."

Hopper was silent. She didn't see Lati and Lil. She guessed that she was invited only because of Lilith's name.

"But are you going to wear a veil today too?" Vera asked casually. "A lot of the people you're dealing with are aristocrats, so using this to maintain a sense of mystery isn't exactly new."

"Not really, I'm just used to it," Hopper said, touching his tiara. "And this tiara also goes well with the dress you lent me."

"Come to think of it, we haven't seen your face properly yet." Vera suddenly became interested. She poked Danya. "Right, Danya? Show us."

Danya seemed to be quite interested in this matter as well. The two lust demons leaned forward, as if they were going to do it themselves if Hopper refused.

"Alright, alright," Hopper said, unable to resist the two of them. Thinking that they would have to spend a lot of time together in the future anyway, and would have to see each other sooner or later, he nodded and took off the crown.

"Wow," Danya exclaimed softly, "No wonder you wanted to cover it up, it really is a face that could cause trouble."

Vera looked at her with interest for a long moment, then said, "I'm sure I haven't seen a face like her in Malborge's court. I didn't quite believe the story of your advancement before, but now I see that you're not related to any of the succubi I know."

Hopper felt her face getting hot, but she was still very happy.

"You walk in light and beauty, like the bright moon walking among clouds and stars." Another voice came from the side. Hopper turned his head and saw a black-haired, red-skinned male Cambion with shiny hair. He bowed to them in a pretentious manner.

"A poem dedicated to Lady Nama," Danya pointed out, smiling at him. It was obvious that she was quite interested in this Kambion. "You are very knowledgeable. Not many people have heard of this poem."

"Are you planning to dedicate this poem to our dear little sister?" The succubus was always excited about flirting. Vera naturally took over Danya's conversation and forcefully turned Hopper's head back.

"Three ladies, one poem, and this gentleman doesn't seem to be very sincere," Hopper responded quickly, regretting removing her veil too late. Socializing is a required course for a succubus, so why not start now?

It's just another battle of wits. You've been competing with other devils in intelligence since you were a little devil. There's nothing to be afraid of. Just don't let the fools catch you. Hopper comforted himself.

"It's my fault," Cambion replied docilely, and with a flip of his hand, he conjured a flower and handed it to Vera. "Poems are dedicated to the melancholy blue, and lilies are dedicated to the noble silver."

"Looks like I'm just boring black," Danya said, crossing her arms and pretending to be angry. Vera laughed loudly.

"Why not let this gentleman give his first dance to our dark-haired lady?" Hopper blurted out with a sudden inspiration.

Danya looked at her strangely. She knew, of course, that Cambion came for Hopper, but now that things had come to this, Cambion couldn't be so rude as to say that he didn't want to invite her.

Sure enough, Kambion froze for a second, then quickly bent down and extended his hand to Danya.

"I'm going to go out for some fresh air," Hopper whispered to Vera as he watched Danya and the newcomer slide onto the dance floor.

Vera turned around only to see Hopper running away with her skirt in her hand.

Chapter 43: Men

The Torchhold is roughly like a slowly rotating crown on the top of a mountain, with five towers protruding from the crown dividing it into five equal parts, and the party is held in the middle of one of the towers.

The silver moonlight outlined a bright outline and a deep black shadow for the crown. Between the moonlight and the shadow, the sound of the wind from the mountains was whistling in the corridor.

Hopper walked along the silent corridor, the mountain breeze blowing her long skirt behind her like a swan with its wings spread.

This place is not far from the conference venue. Looking back, the warm candlelight shines through the window of the classroom surrounded by flowers, making the whole venue look like a dream in a girl's heart with fragrant flowers, fine wine and intimate whispers.

The young succubus found a bench and sat down. She just realized that she couldn't accept the life of a succubus so quickly. It was completely different from what she had imagined.

Hopper certainly enjoys hunting souls and rising higher, and sacrificing his body for it is as worthwhile as sacrificing his money.

She thought she would soon head to the Prime Material Plane to hunt. But Torchhold taught her a lesson: to ascend in Baator, you must adapt to its rules. The rules are your ladder, your weapon, the blade beneath your feet, and the shackles upon your body. And once you reach a certain height, you must obey them until you gain the ability to say no to them.

"Okay, stop imagining this," she said to herself sternly. "You can't always meet smart people. You just missed one stupid suitor who could be exploited, and you shouldn't miss the rest."

The Devil slapped his face, stood up and walked towards the venue.

Then she was lost.

Torchhold wasn't static; it operated according to its own rules, with stairways and corridors often leading to different places at different times. The meeting place, visible just now, was hidden behind high walls the moment Hopper turned around.

This put Hopper in a dilemma. In theory, the best solution would be to fly in from the outside. But her hunch told her that flying outside the Torch Keep late at night might not be a safe option.

It wasn't far anyway, Hopper thought, and he thought he could probably get there by walking down the stairs behind him to the next floor and then going up again.

However, after passing the same statue of Grand Duke Mammon for the third time, Hopper's decision was proven to be quite wrong.

Hopper had some impression of this statue of Grand Duke Mammon giving alms to the Seven Kings. It should be only two floors away from the Cambions' residence.

If I still can't find the way, I can actually go chat with Lati and the others, and I don't have to go back to attend the party.

Just as Hopper was thinking this, she heard a strange, soft sound coming from the corner, like someone walking in soft-soled shoes.

The lust demon somehow managed to hide behind the king, who was gazing at the gold in Grand Duke Mammon's hand with a dazed look. Fortunately, lust demons are relatively small, and the statue was more than enough to cover Hopper's folded wings.

Who else would be like her at this time and not go to the party or sleep, but hang out late at night?

The sound of footsteps quickly brought an answer, or perhaps confusion. It was an ordinary-looking man, but Hopper had never seen his face before, and there was no way a living human could come from the Torchhold.

Hopper took off her shoes, tucked her long skirt into her belt, and walked barefoot behind the man, holding her shoes.

The man didn't seem to be very good at stealth or anti-stealth. Although he tried to walk in places where the moonlight could not reach, he did not look back to see if there was any follower behind him.

They kept going down, and Hopper estimated that they were almost at the bottom of the castle. Hopper had never been to the bottom floor before, and this was probably the private territory of the teachers.

Finally, the man turned into a rather long corridor. Hopper glanced down and saw that there were no obstructions or windows in the middle of the corridor except for two corridors that led to other places.

In order to avoid being discovered, the succubus had to stop and watch the man walk to the bottom of the corridor, where there was an inconspicuous small door only one person tall.

The man stopped in front of the little door and looked around, and Hopper quickly drew his head back.

When she looked out again, the corridor was empty. Hopper looked carefully, but the door hadn't changed at all. The man had vanished into thin air.

The Lust Demon did not leave immediately. There was silence all around, and only the howling sound of the mountain wind could be heard in the distance.

Hopper waited for a long time and still didn't hear any unusual movement. She quietly walked out of the corner and walked towards the door.

She walked slowly, ready to retreat at any moment, but nothing happened until she reached the side corridor.

A dark weapon shot out like a venomous snake, biting her slender neck. Hopper decisively turned his head, pressed the blade against the wall with his left hand, and rushed towards the opponent's face with his right fist.

She stopped abruptly.

"It's you?" Hopper and Lati exclaimed at the same time.

"Why are you ambushing me here?" Hopper asked first, looking suspiciously at Lati, who was only wearing a dressing gown and holding a sword.

"I had just finished showering and changed my clothes when I saw someone acting suspiciously. So I took a shortcut to come and block her." Lati sheathed her sword. "Why are you here?"

"I was at a party and got lost," Hopper said honestly. "I passed by the statue of Archduke Maman and saw a man I had never seen before."

"Did you see her?" Leti asked, and Hopper shook his head.

"He followed me here and then disappeared. Did you see it?"

"I was afraid of being discovered, so I hid in this corridor and didn't notice her retreating."

The two stared at each other, neither of them believing what the other said 100%.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" A loud and accusing voice came from the other end of the corridor.

A succubus with his hair tied close to his scalp and sharp eyes was rushing over.

"Don't you know this is a teachers' area and students aren't allowed here?"

"Then why are you here? Who are you?" Lati asked unconvinced.

The demon glared at her coldly, and through his pointed nose he blew two harsh breaths. "I'm Professor Youdi, the teacher of Social Relations and Etiquette. Now answer my question!"

"I'm Hopper, and this is Lati. We're lost, Professor." Hopper pulled Lati and stepped forward, saying, "I lost my way on the way to the party."

"Really?" Professor Yuti asked suspiciously, glancing at Hopper's gathered skirt and the sword in Lati's hand. "Then I'll take you away. I don't care what tricks you're playing, but remember not to go to unfamiliar places. There are many areas in the castle that are off-limits to students. If you don't want to die inexplicably, don't touch any door that has never been opened."

Then she led the way to the corridor where Lati had come from. Hopper quickly helped Lati put on her shoes and followed closely.

Professor Youti led them around a few corners and up a long flight of stairs. When they came out, Hopper could just see the flowers outside the venue.

"Go," the professor said coldly, then walked down the stairs and disappeared.

"I'm going back to sleep. Let's talk about what happened tonight in detail tomorrow," Lati said to Hopper in a low voice when she saw Nora walking towards her quickly.

"See you tomorrow," Hopper only had time to say before he had to deal with the frightened Nora.

While answering her question about why he came from down there, the succubus took her hand and walked back to the venue.

Chapter 44 Rope

During the morning class the next day, all the demons except Hopper seemed to be in high spirits, still enjoying the dance last night.

"Hopper, why were you so late yesterday? I arrived very late, and you were even later than me." Lacy leaned over, twirling a string of skull beads in her hand. "Dan Yaco and Salil danced for a long time."

"Salil?"

"That's Cambion who recites poems. Can you guess his identity?" Lacy looked over expectantly.

"The son of a certain Grand Duke?"

"You're so boring!" Lexi said, as if she had discovered that her gift had been opened in advance. "It's the great-grandson of Grand Duke Levistus."

"It's not like the Fifth Duke came out of the ice and gave birth to another child. He must have hundreds of great-grandchildren," Hopper shrugged indifferently.

"I arrived quite early last night, but I got lost on the way out to get some fresh air. Did I miss anything interesting?" Hopper asked casually.

"Vera officially announced her new lover, and Nara brought a Lightman to perform a squat dance for us," Lexi said, snapping her white fingers. "You really should see it. Although he looks like a clean-shaven dwarf, it's really spectacular."

"Ah? Is there anything else?"

Lei Xi thought about it, then suddenly realized, "There's another piece of news that might interest you. Remember that divine descent we talked about last week?"

Hopper nodded. After all, it wasn't often that Barto encountered such daring outsiders breaking into the prison.

"I heard from Vera's new lover," the red-haired succubus leaned over and lowered his voice mysteriously, "the preliminary results of the four archdukes' investigation are in. Although they can't confirm the specific culprit, they have sensed through magical communication that a lich is involved."

"Lich?" Hopper asked in surprise. "How can a lich be related to love?"

"It's not like it was the lich's lover. It's said that the Grand Dukes tend to believe that it was that goat-headed Orcus and the wanton bitch of the abyss who were involved. Anyway, those mindless gods who preach the supremacy of love hate the orderly Baator."

How did the Grand Dukes' opinions spread?

"It was Vera's new lover who said that," Lexi lowered her voice. "His mother works as a recorder in the Tribunal of Demons. Besides, this information isn't that confidential. It's probably a mixture of truth and falsehood."

Hopper nodded thoughtfully. The position of the succubi has always been rather special. Because their paths to advancement are independent of those of the other demons of Bartor, the succubi usually stick together when they have the choice, exchanging non-critical information.

"By the way, you didn't seem to mention the name of Vera's new lover."

"Who cares what his name is?" Lexi rolled her eyes. "Anyway, Vera will announce her next love before the next break."

After dinner, they had their first social relations and etiquette class. This class was for everyone, and when she saw Hopper, Lati quickly pulled Lil over and sat with her at a table.

After they separated last night, Hopper hadn't found a chance to communicate with Lati alone. While she was still hesitating whether to talk in front of Lil, Professor Youti walked in.

"All freshmen, straighten your backs, sit on the edge of your chairs, put your hands on the table, and don't speak without my permission." Professor Youdi walked quickly to the podium, still wearing the same bun that she had worn last night, her lips pursed into a thin line.

"I know what some, maybe even most, of you think." She looked around the silent classroom like a night owl searching for its target. "You think that as long as you get good grades from Professor Biguan or Professor Qianniangu, that will be enough for you to rise through the ranks in Bartor."

"I'm telling you right now, brute force and rote learning will only make you cannon fodder on the front lines of a bloody battle. I'm only giving you this advice once."

"Today, we have our first lesson. Which Enriyes can tell me what your hair is used for?"