Baator Hell Promotion

The image of the giant hand summoned by the red-robed wizard appeared in Hopper's mind, as if an invisible "Theogony" was flipping through his mind, and he had the answer in his heart.

"Many gods praise love, but only one insists that love should last until death. My answer is the immortal beauty who never fades."

Lati opened her mouth, her expression dull and her eyes blank, and she had no idea what she was talking about.

Hopper knew she had never taken a religion class, so he patiently explained, "She is the goddess of love and death, the goddess of love suicide, the goddess of eternal frozen beauty, and the goddess with an unfading and incorruptible glory. She believes that love should not be hindered by death or age. As long as the body survives, love will survive."

The wizard clapped his hands lightly, a look of approval in his eyes.

"Ms. Hopper, the knowledgeable one, let's be frank. I admire and need your wisdom. I have a mission, would you like to participate?" Seeing Lati, he added, "Of course, the brave Ms. Lati, who has so often taken care of Meryl, is also welcome to participate."

"It's my pleasure, Master Zetu'a," Hopper said. Of course, she probably didn't have much room to refuse, but there was a difference between accepting as a partner and accepting after being beaten down.

"However, before that, I have a question," the succubus asked, "Why don't you bring Lil back to the Prime Material Plane? Baator is not a place that advocates love."

"The reason is quite related to my plan," the wizard nodded, a piece of skin falling from the corner of his mouth. "I rescued Meryl with the blessing of my eternal lover, but her soul has been damaged beyond repair. I believe that you two should understand the art of torture and suffering of Baator more thoroughly than I do."

Lati nodded in agreement.

"I don't know if the Torchhold teaches soul science. Simply put, the souls of creatures on the Material Plane aren't bound to the body; the two can be separated. Consequently, the incomplete soul can't be mapped one-to-one with the body, resulting in a perfect fusion. Or rather, there's no conventional and effective way to achieve perfect fusion." Master Zetua's magelike nature was evident as he discussed his area of ​​expertise—he couldn't help but eloquently discuss the subject. "I had to settle for the next best thing and found a Cambion to sew Lil's soul into. The souls and flesh of creatures from other planes are inseparable, so her incomplete soul would be affected by the effects of her intact body, giving her soul a chance to heal and repair itself."

"Of course, this will take a long time. But compared to watching her disappear completely, time is nothing."

"Is there no way for the Immortal Beauty to repair Lil's soul?" Lati looked at Lil who was still sleeping soundly on the bed, and finally understood why she had such unique daily behavior.

"I think the Undead Beauty will have a solution," the wizard said slowly, combing Lil's hair with his fingers. "But I escaped from the cell through the Lady's divine descent ritual. Performing a second divine descent in such a short time is not only a matter of angering the goddess, but my body and mind can't withstand the divine power. Also, Meryl's condition doesn't allow me to rest."

"Thanks to the skilled craftsmanship of myself, the goddess's messenger, Ms. Sinoi, and a little bit of luck, I successfully rescued Meryl. This body and her soul have reunited quite well. Although she has lost all her memories, I couldn't ask for more. But there is another problem. Meryl is now a Cambion. Of course, I don't mind living with her in Baator, but I can't be by her side all the time to teach her the common sense of life and survival."

"It was my dear Miss Sinoi who gave me the advice. She wrote me a letter of recommendation for Torchhold, assuring me that Torchhold is the best place for a new Cambion. It's not only safe enough, but it can also help Meryl learn how to integrate into Bartor. Besides, you are here, Miss Hopper, to take care of her."

Hopper nodded, realizing that this was probably the reason why Lil took the initiative to approach her in the carriage. She probably told Lil about her blue skin feature. After all, she had only seen her as a white-skinned demon for a month.

Hopper discovered a problem with this matter, but speaking it out might seem like it would sow discord between Sino and the wizard, so she simply kept her mouth shut.

"Miss Sinoi probably didn't realize that Torchhold wasn't as safe as we thought. We were attacked even on the carriage..." Lati's voice trailed off as she spoke, a look of sudden realization on her face. Even though there were only three people in the cabin, she lowered her voice. "...So, that assassin in the carriage was actually going after Lil?"

"I'm afraid it wasn't just unexpected," the wizard said, stroking his smooth chin. "I only realized it after receiving Meryl's letter. Miss Xinoyi, as a delicate demon, can't stand sharing a partner with someone else, even a partner who has become a lich. I think Xinoyi's original intention was just to keep Meryl away from me, and she didn't want to hurt her. But if something unexpected happened, she wouldn't feel sad for Meryl from the bottom of her heart."

Hopper wasn't particularly surprised by his transformation into a lich. Since he'd boarded Lady Ye Yao's ship, becoming an undead was inevitable. For a mage, becoming a lich wasn't a particularly good choice, but it wasn't the worst either.

"Naturally, I quickly discussed this matter with Xinoyi. We both agreed that under the protection of Madam Strict, the likelihood of anything going wrong was slim. After Xinoyi reminded me of the practical classes, I immediately realized that if anyone wanted to take action, the practical classes would be the best opportunity. Therefore, I sent you the pendant as a thank you gift, and also as a gesture of protection for Lil."

Hopper muttered that he should have known better. There was no such thing as unprovoked generosity in Hell. He felt a bit ungrateful to expect a powerful magical item for the little favor he had provided on the carriage.

Chapter 71 Plan

"I'm more curious about how you knew we were in danger. This isn't the first time Lil has been in danger," Lati asked. "How did you know when to take action?"

The wizard pointed at Hopper and said, "It's just a small detection spell. When Miss Hopper or you activate the magic on the pendant, the pendant will automatically use a detection spell and feedback the results to me. When the energy reaction is too strong, I know it's time for a brave brother to appear."

Hopper took off his pendant. The spell that had just shattered the sphere had already consumed one of its pearls. He thought that if he used it twice more, all the pearls would be consumed, and it would become a mere ornament.

"Let's get back to the point," the wizard said solemnly, sitting up straight. "Whether it was intentional or a mistake, Miss Sinoi's plan has failed. I realized that Torchhold is no longer safe enough, and I need to strengthen the protection of Meryl. This is also the task I want to entrust to you two - I want you to protect Lil until she successfully returns to me. It would be even better if we can find the person behind this. Meryl didn't have any real enemies during her lifetime. So I think all the actions against Lil are actually directed at me."

"Your speculation is not without reason, Master," Hopper said calmly, playing with the pendant in his hand. "But you just defeated a dragon in an instant. What other danger can pose a threat to you?"

"It's true that Duskshadow Cincinnati's a powerful dragon, but she has been imprisoned here for many years. Apart from her breath and fangs, she has few spells left." The wizard raised his palm, slightly hooked his five fingers, and used gestures to represent the name he had just omitted. Quite a number of spellcasters believed that Tiamat, the mother of evil dragons, was the origin of warlocks. Not to mention calling her by her name, they even refused to use any pronouns and used gestures to refer to the greedy dragon queen to avoid disaster.

"A dragon without magic is nothing more than a fire-breathing sheep," the wizard said humorously. "Besides, Dusk is a vampire dragon. As a member of the undead gods, the abilities bestowed upon me by the Eternal Lover are perfectly suited to dealing with the undead."

"And now, lurking in the shadows is at least a high-level spellcaster capable of performing simulacrum. If we don't catch him, trouble is bound to come."

The term "high-level spellcaster" reminded Hopper. She suddenly remembered something she hadn't paid attention to, and quickly said, "Wait, I should tell you something else."

Hopper tells the Wizard and Lati in detail about his journey to the City of Thousand Rocks and the prophetic dream the Dragon Vein Lady had during the journey.

"I originally thought that dream was woven for her by the pact spirits she made a deal with," she said. "Now that I think about it, it's very likely that it has nothing to do with the pact spirits. A powerful wizard predicted our actions and wanted to use the adventurers visiting Thousand Rocks to kill Lil."

The succubus felt a cold sweat break out. If he hadn't controlled the entire adventure team, if he hadn't recognized Frodis's identity, with the spirit bond master's strange and changeable methods, he really wouldn't have been able to successfully protect Lil without knowing her malicious intentions.

"In that case, how the construct sphere woke up is questionable." Lati also noticed something suspicious. "We found traces of Vera and the others before entering the castle, but after entering, we didn't see any signs of battle. The construct is even immune to some of Banupus's abilities. Now that I think about it, what if it was specifically designed to target us?"

"And, think about it," Hopper said, feeling his thoughts becoming more and more open, "a vampire dragon, perfectly restraining Lil and my mental spells, and its dragon hide is strong enough to block long swords or bows and arrows. Is it really such a coincidence? The powerful enemies we encounter just happen to make us almost unable to fight back?"

The wizard extended his hand to signal Hopper to stop. He frowned, thought for a moment, and shook his head. "No, there's one thing that doesn't make sense. Even if a powerful prophet could predict your route, such predictions have their limits. At most, they can only know your destination a few days in advance. Unless they are the son of the God of Destiny, no spellcaster can predict every detail, let alone completely restrain your enemy in such a short time."

"unless..."

Hopper and Lati looked at each other and knew that they had come up with the same reasonable explanation.

"Unless she set the trap long in advance and was sure we would fall into it."

"Someone who can send us dreams, possesses powerful magic, and can ensure we act according to her wishes," Hopper said, counting on his fingers. "What a coincidence! We have a professor who is a hag and a powerful wizard. The last part of our practical class is to find a portal to Torchhold, and as the professor of arcane magic, it's natural for her to participate in setting up the portal."

“She also tried to break into the Harsh Lady’s treasure room,” Lati added.

"She guessed that I would follow her advice and go to the Hell Front to find materials to ignite the torch, so that we would act separately from the entire group." Hopper also thought of a new argument.

"I think we can confirm that Professor Millennium Intestine is the mastermind behind targeting Lil." Finally, Lati made the final decision.

The wizard took the pendant from Hopper and played with it, thinking. Finally, he said, "That makes sense. A hag, and one obsessed with the arcane. Of course, she would be interested in wizards who come to Hell. I guess after she saw Meryl, she must have understood the magic in her. That's why she wanted to target her and learn magic from her. What a meticulous plan, she almost succeeded."

Hopper breathed a sigh of relief. The enemy hiding in the dark was the most terrifying. Now that he had identified the target, everything was still in time.

"Now that you know the target, can you get rid of her?" Lati jumped up and asked excitedly.

However, Hopper wasn't so optimistic. She stared at the fireplace worriedly and said, "Latti, I don't think Master Zetu'a can just kill his way from the entrance of Torch Keep to Millennium Gut's office. The reason is simple, haven't you noticed? Even though what we said and what we experienced can corroborate each other, we don't have any of the most crucial evidence."

Lati opened her mouth, stumbling for a long time, unable to come up with any evidence that could directly incriminate Professor Millennium Gut. The witch's advice to Hopper was too vague, and it couldn't point to the City of Thousand Rocks. And according to the rules of Hell, the location of her portal must have been a collective decision after discussion, so she couldn't be held responsible. As for witnesses, not to mention that Frodis was dead, according to Hopper, when the spirit bond master was still alive, she insisted that it was Lady Yongjin who appeared in her dreams.

"Don't worry so much." The wizard smiled confidently after seeing the succubus's gloomy face, and comforted him, "Although I can't just kill him directly, you can go back with my blessing. Although I didn't know at first that it was the witch who was targeting Meryl, it doesn't matter. I didn't even include you when I made the plan, let alone targeting a specific target."

"The plan is simple. I've given Meryl ample protection. As soon as that hag strikes, we'll activate the counterattack." The wizard waved his finger, leaving a shimmering trail in the air. The trail illuminated the faint silver runes on the blue skin of the sleeping Lil. "I was originally worried that Meryl wouldn't be able to react quickly enough. Now, with you as a double insurance, that's no problem."

"We'll act accordingly. I trust your judgment." The wizard held out his hands and handed back the pendant, which was now coated in silver. He then took Lati's pendant and repeated the same trick. "I've modified the magic. Any two of you, including Meryl, can activate it by calling out my name at the same time."

"Of course, I hope you can all graduate safely from Torchhold. This is just a safety measure."

Chapter 72: Return

Lyle stirred in her deep sleep, slowly waking up. If you ignored her blue skin and the wings on her back, she would be no different from an ignorant human girl.

"Did you sleep well, Lil?"

The mage smiled and patted her head, and Hopper noticed that he had changed the address back.

Lil rubbed her eyes, twisted her body a few times, flapped her wings and yawned: "Why is my brother here? Where is Lil? Where is that monster?"

"You should get up, little bat. Your brother has beaten the monster away. You should go to school with your friends."

Lil climbed down from the bed obediently, without even putting on her shoes, ran over and hugged the wizard's neck, kissing him on both cheeks.

"This is a thank you to my brother," she giggled. Seeing Hopper and Leti looking at her, she felt embarrassed and quickly jumped onto the bed to put on her coat.

"Mr. Zetua," Hopper turned to the mage and gave him a smile. "We just talked about the content, not the compensation."

The mage smiled as well. He glanced at the succubus and nodded appreciatively. "I like your directness, Ms. Succubus. The basis of cooperation is mutual benefit. Your question is very important. Of course, I won't forget Ms. Lati's contribution either."

"I've never used a sword, let alone a longbow, so I probably can't offer any gifts worth mentioning right now. But I'm sure you all know that I'm a pretty good magic craftsman. Sometimes I even think my talent for crafting might be even greater than my talent for spiritual studies. You can think carefully about what you need and write me a letter. I'm willing to do my best to help."

Hopper's face was filled with delight. A magical item personally crafted by a great wizard was definitely much more useful than the casual reward Zetua offered. However, she decided to try again. After all, since she was already a succubus, exercising the privileges of a beauty shouldn't be a problem.

"That's very generous," the demon said pretentiously, "but we have to face a terrifying old hag professor with profound magical powers. I don't know if I can survive until then~"

After saying this, she lifted a corner of her veil and wiped her eyes in a hypocritical manner. Lati looked at her, as if she wanted to imitate her, but she was too embarrassed to speak.

"I don't think you're in any great danger," the wizard said, amused by Hopper. "No matter how ingenious a conspiracy is, it has one common flaw—it's only used when you're not strong enough. The thicker the fog she weaves for herself, the more she's worried. Her actions reveal two things. First, her spellcasting skills must be much lower than mine, otherwise, given how much a hag craves spiritual knowledge, she wouldn't be so secretive. Second, she must have some concerns, which is why she tried every possible means to get you out of the castle and waited some time before taking action."

"But you're right," he nodded, pulling a small bag from his pocket. He opened it and distributed three pairs of pearl earrings of different colors among the three people. "This should provide some protection. Take it, consider it my deposit."

Hopper casually picked up a pair of black earrings, a cool chill running through his fingertips and into his brain. The succubus gnashed his teeth at the smirking mage. What mage would carry three pairs of earrings? He'd clearly prepared them long ago, waiting to bargain with him. If he hadn't brought it up today, he'd probably just ignore it.

"What are my brother and Hopper talking about?" Lil, who was sitting on the bed, didn't understand at all and asked curiously with her head tilted.

"Nothing, I just want you two ladies to keep an eye on my lovely sister at school." The wizard handed her the earrings and said evasively, "Lil, you must get along well with these two ladies. They will report your every move to me."

"Lil don't believe it, Lati and Hopper will not betray Lil." Lil smiled and stuffed the jewelry into her pocket, then jumped to the ground and put on her boots.

The other two ladies also stood up. Since the cooperation intention had been basically reached, it was time to set off and go back.

It was only then that Hopper realized that she hadn't found the portal back yet. She hurriedly asked Lati and Lil, and the answer she got was that they were still looking for the portal before they were involved in the battle.

"Lil, my smartest and most capable brother, please help Lil." Lil grabbed Zetua's sleeve and shook it, staring at him with sparkling eyes.

"Although, in theory, I shouldn't interfere with your exams; they're part of school, after all," the mage said with mock seriousness, his fingers dancing and weaving a small bird of silver light in the air. "But since my dearest Lil has spoken, I'll help you."

The silver bird escaped the wizard's control and circled the room like a real bird, chirping crisply. The wizard then stood up and led the way outside. With each step, the hut faded a little. By the time the wizard reached the door, all that remained was a single wooden door, standing alone on the ground.

Lati hurried over, helped him open the door, and stood straight again. A bird took the lead, flying across the doorframe, scattering silver dust, outlining a galaxy in the darkness. The mage led them to follow the bird onto the balcony. It was only then that Hopper saw the magnificent hall of the Thousand Rocks for the first time. At its base, the lonely, empty bone gate stood.

The wizard soared into the air, followed by the fluttering demons. Hopper realized the incredible size of the portal only after he flew closer. He wondered how many sacrifices Queen Shirley had used to open the way to the ash field.

When she landed, the mage had already begun chanting a spell, and color began to gradually appear in the empty doorframe, like a dot of colored ink gradually spreading in the empty air. As the spell was chanted, the scene in the doorframe changed from a halo to a block of color, from a block of color to an oil painting, and finally the oil painting became a vivid landscape - the hall of Ember Keep was within reach.

"Go now," the wizard stepped aside and waved at them. "I have to release our dear Lady Dusk later. She was so polite that she left the room so as not to interrupt our conversation. If I keep taking up her time, that thoughtful goddess will be unhappy."

Lil was amused by his words. She jumped onto the pedestal, turned around, blew a kiss to the wizard, and then happily walked through the door. Lati bowed respectfully to the wizard and followed suit.

"Can I ask one last question?" Hopper turned around and asked after stepping onto the pedestal. The wizard was slightly surprised, but nodded in agreement.

"Please speak freely, Miss Hopper."

"How did you know for sure that I would help Lil and not harm him? Gambling on the devil's conscience isn't something a great wizard usually does."

The Necromancer's expression was a little surprised at first, then he showed a sincere smile, his eyes shining under the red hood, and the flames in his pupils seemed to flicker with the last light of humanity.

"There was a little devil standing in front of the Arka City portal who could have walked away, but it was willing to stand up for a troublesome person it had just met. That's when I knew, Mr. Hap, you would achieve great things."

Chapter 73 Professor

The first difference Hopper noticed was temperature. The air in Avernus was always scorching hot and dry, while the air in the City of Thousand Rocks was icy cold and dusty.

But when she passed through the portal, the first thing she smelled was a fresh and warm breeze, mixed with the smell of burning beeswax and a hint of sweet bread, which quickly dispelled the last bit of dizziness brought by the teleportation spell.

She opened her eyes and found herself in a familiar place—the Great Hall of the Torch Keep. Hopper turned around, and behind her was only a hissing, shrinking, colorful vortex.

Lati and Lil, who had come earlier, stood straight less than five steps away from her. Following their gaze, Hopper looked up and saw Professor Biguan, standing on the balcony high above the auditorium, looking emerald and silent.

"Welcome back, Miss Hopper," Professor Half-Dragon's voice boomed, echoing throughout the hall. "You, Miss Lati, and Miss Lil arrived very close to each other. I'm glad to see that you didn't lose your limbs or even your lives during the practical activities."

"Your practical course has concluded. The three of you arrived very close to each other, so I will count you all as third place. This ranking will be combined with your scores on the front lines from the other two combat professors to form the final ranking. This will be the most important and final score you will receive in the combat course. Now, you can go and rest."

Hopper lifted her torn skirt and saluted him, then left the hall with Lati and Lil. As she left, she took a quick look and saw only Professor Biguan standing on the balcony.

"Please stay, ladies." A thin, staff-like woman with silver eyes stood upright by the door. Several tieflings, carrying clothes, followed behind her with their heads lowered. The housekeeper glanced at Hopper subtly, without commenting, but her expression said it all. "Here are new sets of clothes. You've been through very arduous classes. A hot bath will wash away all your fatigue."

Hopper said nothing and hurried up to get his clothes. He hadn't noticed it before the housekeeper said anything, but after the silver-eyed lady reminded him, Hopper could already smell the sour odor on his body. After all, she hadn't showered since leaving the barracks.

"Let's go!" Lati quickly took the clothes, pulled Lil, and prepared to walk away to avoid the aggressive and burning gaze of the silver-eyed lady.

"Ms. Lati, please wait a moment!" the housekeeper's voice called from behind, startling the Avernus warrior so much that he stumbled and nearly fell. Lati quickly turned to see the silver-eyed lady take a tray from the tiefling and hold it before her. On the tray lay three tightly rolled scrolls, each sealed with the same sickly red wax seal. For some reason, Hopper felt a nausea in his stomach at the mere sight of the wax seals, as if he had suddenly fallen ill.

After thanking her, Lati took the scroll and walked away dejectedly with Hopper and Lil. She didn't breathe a sigh of relief until the three of them turned the corner and no longer felt the silver-eyed lady's sharp hawk-like gaze.

"I was so scared! I've never been this nervous even when facing the demons of Avernus." Lati patted her chest with lingering fear, then sniffed her arm nervously. "It doesn't seem to be particularly dirty."

"Let's not talk about that. Have you noticed," Hopper pondered as he walked, "that the only person waiting for us is Professor Bi Guan, which means that Ms. Strict hasn't returned yet. Does her report take so long?"

"And the other teachers are not here either. I wonder what they are doing?" Lil also noticed something wrong.

"Our course is coming to an end, and the results of the practical class are also very good. The courses of other teachers are not so important." Lati said carelessly and turned another corner.

Professor Yuti, the social relations and etiquette teacher, was standing in the corridor, her face as dark as her black hair wrapped in a silver hairnet. Next to her stood Professor Millennium Gut, with her back hunched. The hag was giving them a malicious smile.

"Perhaps my courses are not as important as combat courses," Professor Yuti's voice revealed a strong sense of danger. "They are not worthy of being studied by a noble lady from Avernus."

Lati quickly lowered her head and apologized to the professor.

"But please remember, Miss Lati," Professor Yuti ignored her, straightening his back as he walked past the three of them. "Since the Ember Castle has listed my course as a required course, then you must learn it."

A sense of foreboding flashed through Hopper's mind. She hadn't yet recovered from the battlefield, and for a moment, it hadn't occurred to her that she hadn't even graduated. The acting principal had just mentioned that practical classes affected the final grade of the combat course. By that logic, other courses must have similar grading sessions.

"Welcome home, my lovely little pigeons!" Professor Millennium Intestine didn't follow Professor Uti, who had left angrily. She still had that malicious smile on her face. She glanced from the three people's new earrings to Hopper's quiver. "Go change your clothes quickly. I heard you did well, and I can see you've gained a lot. But if you carry these dirty things around, Professor Uti will be even more unhappy."

The old hag left with a cruel smile, as if she had come just to mock them, without even looking at Lil.

Only when the two professors' footsteps could no longer be heard did Lati breathe a sigh of relief, her hair soaked with sweat. Cambion looked at herself and said with a wry smile, "Now I really need to take a shower."

Hopper said goodbye to his two companions and walked back to the dormitory, where he was not so surprised to find Vera and Lacy already there.

Vera was bathing in her dorm room. She had placed a large tub in the window, shaped like two giant snakes coiling around a large egg. Hopper felt like a drenched crow, oblivious to the fact that she was about to be devoured by the snakes. Lacy, wrapped in a translucent gauze dress, sat by the tub, talking to Vera, her flaming red hair dripping with water. Seeing Hopper enter, Vera leaned over the edge of the tub and, for once, greeted him, "Did your last transmission go well, Hopper?"