Baator Hell Promotion

"Do you know of anyone who has held private meetings?"

Ann Iron Ring tensed up immediately at the question, looking helplessly at Flash. Hopper knew what she was thinking; after all, he and her mother had just attended a political meeting a few days earlier, which, strictly speaking, was considered a private gathering.

"No, no, sir." Jane reached out and protected Ann behind him, holding his head high, with a hint of defiance in his tone. "We are not your prisoners, and we have nothing to explain. Ann's father met with tragedy in the Old Lighthouse District. You should be looking for the murderers instead of making things difficult for us."

Igor smiled, his sharp white teeth and unshaven chin making him look like a wolf ready to pounce at any moment. The judge put his hands into his arms, frightening Ann so much that she hid even tighter, with only a pair of round eyes showing from behind her.

The Inquisitor took out from his bosom not a weapon but a bundle of herbs, and handed it to Jane, saying, "My apologies, unfortunate lady. This is my apology."

An bravely took the herbs. The gray-green plants exuded a fresh and cool aroma, the scent of mugwort and rosemary.

-

"Wormwood and rosemary," Hopper said. She was sitting in a tavern with Igor. "You're carrying that?"

"It's a professional habit. After all, there are quite a few shapeshifters among my enemies." Igor took a sip from the small glass of red wine in front of him and glanced at the dwarf curiously. "Ms. Hopper, I thought you had left Emerald Harbor."

"It's not over yet." Hopper also took a sip of the milk in the cup. "I have to say, your senses are so sharp. I've become a dwarf, and you can still see it."

Igor smiled again, and this time it looked less dangerous.

"It's not that I can see it. The keen senses given to us by Blood Father are not limited by the naked eye. If I had to say it, it's a mysterious feeling that transcends the five senses."

"Enough of the idle chatter, Inquisitor," Hopper said sternly, "what do you think of this 'envoy'?"

"Your experience at the Eagle's Nest is truly legendary. The tavern is buzzing with rumors that the Yangfan Theatre has put aside their current production of 'Avandor's Eternal Blade' in favor of 'Hymn of the Holy Sword,' and the angel who descended from the sky is the second female lead." Perhaps it had been a while since seeing someone familiar, the Inquisitor appeared relaxed. "If your letter hadn't described the events in such detail, I would have truly believed the Perfect Person had done something here."

"Female No. 2? Then who is the female No. 1?" Hopper raised an eyebrow. "It can't be what I think it is."

"Of course, it was the poet who prayed devoutly and volunteered to stay behind for the Paladin and the child, thus moving the perfect person." The Inquisitor had a sarcastic smile on his face. "It is said that Miss Judith personally participated in the writing of the script."

The two men at the table shared a similarly sarcastic smile. The Inquisitor set down his glass, signaling he was getting down to business. "What I just asked you about is related to this messenger. Combining the information you provided with what I've discovered, I'm certain a succubus is stirring up trouble in the city, spreading the message of a false god called the Marble King. Her primary targets are young nobles with shallow beliefs, and... dwarfs."

The Inquisitor's eyes gleamed brightly from beneath the shadow cast by her prominent brow. "You can probably guess why she chose her target."

"Is it because gnomes have always respected crafts and science more than religion, or is it because gnomes are naturally curious and want to try everything? I guess it's both."

"You've investigated so thoroughly. Has no one revealed the identity of that distinguished lady to you? The false god she's spreading is so similar in name to the Perfect Man, and yet there's been no reaction from the Old Lighthouse District?" Hopper asked curiously. She was genuinely concerned about this issue. The shackles of the Bloat Demon would likely have to be removed from the messenger.

The Inquisitor shrugged. "She's very cautious. The peacocks and cats in the Wave District all claim to have never seen this young lady in person, and only indirectly learned of her existence from the nobles. As for the Church of the Perfect, since you've become a dwarf, you should know that they've been busy expelling all non-humans lately. An impostor is just a minor infestation; there's no need to go to such great lengths to hunt her down."

"Speaking of dwarfs, I need to ask you a favor, Miss Hopper," the Inquisitor said sternly. "I don't know if it's related to the messenger we're pursuing. But, I've recently noticed that quite a few dwarfs seem to be holding private gatherings. Could you use your current form to help me find out?"

Hopper nodded, looked at the sky, and jumped off the chair.

"No problem. Let's stop here for today, Mr. Inquisitor. I still have to take care of the child I left at the hotel."

Author's words: I need to go on a business trip today, so I will take a day off tomorrow. I hope all readers will understand.

Chapter 149: What I Saw at the Auction

"I thought Grand Duke Betty's special auction would be held in the Emerald Hall in the Sparkling Star District." An was pushed around by the crowd, and his hand was hurt by Jane's grip. He couldn't help but complain out loud.

"She didn't come in person. I've already made inquiries. It was only the captain who came." Jane pressed herself against the wall, making way for a particularly plump woman. "Don't complain. If she had come in person, we wouldn't have been able to enjoy the refreshments served by the waiters in the Emerald Hall."

After much difficulty, they finally found their seats, jostled by countless calves and boots. This seat was neither too far nor too close to the tightly covered stage, and they were surrounded by citizens who had come to join in the fun and see the strange sight just like them.

As for the real buyers and nobles, they were arranged into the boxes above their heads early on and would not sit with the little people.

There was an excited hum all around, like a flock of beetles in conversation, and Hopper's keen hearing caught the chugging of wheels behind the curtain.

Sure enough, not long after, a girl in a bright red smock walked to the center of the stage. Hopper squinted his eyes. The girl's skin was so white that it seemed to glow faintly under the dim light.

The girl raised her arms and waved them gracefully like a conductor. All the lights in the theater went out except for one, the last white light from an ever-burning torch focused on the center of the stage through an expensive mirror.

All the audience stopped talking and held their breath.

"Welcome everyone to the exhibition of Grand Duke Betty's private collection." The girl's voice was not loud, but it was loud enough for everyone present to hear clearly. "I am the Grand Duke's servant and your auctioneer - Esmiranda."

"Now, let us hold our breath, draw back the curtain, and reveal the true appearance of the treasure."

Esmiranda bowed and stepped aside amidst the waves of applause and cheers. The curtain slowly opened, and the flames moved up with it, illuminating a gown hanging on a wooden rack in the center of the stage.

"A robe of heavily woven silver threads, crafted entirely of emerald silk, the quintessence of elven craftsmanship. An immortal princess once wore it in pursuit of the stars, only to find it witness her demise."

There were gasps from the audience. Hopper frowned. She leaned over and whispered, "Didn't she tell her what the dress was for?"

"What's it for?" An asked curiously. "Of course it's for wearing. A dress made of elves, who wouldn't want to prepare a dowry like this for their daughter?"

"I mean, doesn't it have magical abilities? Even changing color or something?"

"Who cares?" An stared at the dress intently. People in the audience had already started to bid. "Nobles never wear magical clothes. They like this kind of unique, expensive and impractical things that they buy and can only use for worship."

"Also, based on my knowledge, this piece of clothing is most likely genuine elven-made, and not a fake drow or half-elf product. It's even more valuable as a collectible. Since the elves left this world, such fine items are rare."

Finally, an old man sitting in the front row bought the dress on the spot for 50 golden sails.

"It's the head chamberlain of the Westerling family," An whispered in Jane's ear. "Lady Westerling particularly likes elven things. I heard that Lord Westerling specially invited the fleet of Grand Duke Bettys to hold this auction in order to please her."

"I thought the nobles sat there."

"Of course, but their servants still have to observe the collection closely and report back to their masters."

The robe was carefully removed and handed to the old man. The audience's attention returned to the stage, where a silver vase large enough to hold the dwarf had been placed.

"Um, this doesn't seem to be real." An bit Jane's ear a little awkwardly. "The pattern is too rough. I guess it was copied by someone else."

After the vase, Esmiranda introduced dozens of other items: clothing, furniture, jewelry, books, and even two saplings. Some were real, some were fake, and many, even An couldn't confirm, were genuine. However, without exception, all were bought by nobles or wealthy merchants, and no one ever questioned their authenticity.

"Ah, good times are always so stingy with us, and you gentlemen are so generous." Esmeralda bowed to the audience, especially those in the boxes. "Unknowingly, our auction is almost over. To prevent you from going home to dinner, the last two pieces of collection will be presented together."

As soon as she finished speaking, two sailors arrived, each carrying two large wooden boxes. When the boxes were opened, the reflected light made the audience squint. Hopper took a moment to adjust to the contents, and gasps and murmurs echoed around him.

There were two boxes of weapons. Or, more accurately, two boxes of weapon fragments. The smaller box was covered with blue velvet, upon which lay dozens of metal fragments, barely recognizable as a sword. The most intact piece was missing a section of the hilt.

"The sword of the Swordmaster Alicia Astamasha," Esmiranda announced loudly. "Of course, it's not her favorite. The generous Grand Duke heard that Emerald Harbor was rehearsing her play and specially presented one of his most precious collections!"

Hopper had no interest in finding out how the Grand Duchess obtained the legendary weapon. Her attention was drawn to a fragment in the larger box.

Dozens of irregular pieces of wood were placed on a blue lining, most of them gray, with only a few intact pieces showing their natural snow-white color. It was the largest piece of wood that caught Hopper's attention: a perfectly polished curved piece of wood, inlaid with silver wire to form an exquisite and intricate vine pattern.

"This looks like the 'Winter Moon' from Queen Shirley's treasury," Hopper wondered. "I remember it being left in the City of Thousand Rocks. Could the Grand Duchess have some connection to Hell?"

"It's the Oath of Vengeance Bow," An said casually when he noticed the dwarf beside him was paying attention to the box.

"What?" Hopper thought he had misheard.

"I mean, the wooden fragments in that box are the Bow of Vengeance," An explained patiently. "To be precise, only the gray part is. It's one of the most famous elven weapons. But no one has bothered to try to repair it because it's so completely broken."

"What about the white wood?"

"I don't know. I haven't seen it. But auctioneers often mix some sand into good things. Everyone is used to it." An shrugged and paid attention to other people bidding for the Sword Saint's sword.

The value of the Swordmaster's sword skyrocketed rapidly. In the few minutes Hopper had been observing another box, the weapon had been bid up to 1000 gold sails.

"Crazy rich guy," Ann muttered sourly, not trying to hide her desire for the weapon.

In the end, it was the Chamberlain of Westerling who bought the sword for 1900 golden sails.

The bidding for the bow was much less intense. Emerald Harbor's nobles, almost all of seafaring descent, had little interest in longbows, let alone repairing an elven bow. Ultimately, an unnamed human secured ownership of the bow for a 1000-gold sail.

The auction ended there. While Esmiranda was still on stage giving her thanks, the crowd had already begun to leave. But something had happened up ahead, and everyone was stuck in the corridor.

"What's wrong?" An stood on tiptoe in vain to see what was ahead, but all he saw was a jungle of calves.

"The Perfect Church will investigate smuggling, so everyone should go back to their seats."

A high-pitched voice explained everything, and even to Hopper, it sounded familiar.

Chapter 150 Search and Seizure

The crowd walked back in confusion. Jane quickly pulled An up and used her size advantage to step on the chair and ran back to her seat.

The auction took place in an old warehouse in the surf zone, probably once used to store lumber. The air still had a damp, decaying smell. Several years ago, it had been converted into a theater, and now it had been rented by the captain of Grand Duchess Bettys, who had renovated it and used it for the auction.

Jane believed that the auction organizers must have done their best, and its appearance was more than enough to entertain the nobles. However, the organizers had neither the motivation nor the time to renovate the seats in the commoner area.

Therefore, there is actually only one exit on the entire first floor, and once it is blocked by the knights of the perfect people, everyone has to obey.

Esmiranda jumped off the stage, holding the hem of her skirt, and rushed to the exit with two sailors. Before she was halfway there, she was stopped by a knight in golden armor.

Gilded Knights. Hopper had been in Emerald Harbor for quite some time, and had only seen them a few times. Generally speaking, these personal soldiers of the Archbishop rarely left the Old Lighthouse District, their purpose being to protect the priesthood of the Perfect One and the personal safety of the faithful. When had they ever caught smugglers again?

"Who are you?" Esmiranda's calm words concealed an unconcealable anger. "I have Lord Westerling's permission. What gives you the right to accuse us of smuggling?"

The armored knights silently stepped aside, and a much slimmer figure came forward. As she passed the reignited torches, Hopper recognized her—it was Judith.

But she looked completely different now. Even after drinking the potion, Judith's face had only returned to normal, far from beautiful. But now, her hair had turned a striking silver-gray, sleekly piled atop her head like a silk cap. The poetess, her chin held high and her face stern, wore a pure white gown trimmed only with silver thread.

Hopper looked at her face and felt a strange sense of familiarity. After thinking for a long time, he finally realized that Judith was unconsciously imitating him.

This discovery almost made her laugh out loud, but fortunately there were so many people around that no one noticed a little dwarf at all.

"I am the Perfect Man's agent in Hyperborea, the living miracle, the master of the Golden Dome, and the herald of Archbishop Eichmann. You shall address me as Frau Judith."

Her words caused a flurry of discussion, and most people, like Ann, were surprised by her identity. However, Hopper noticed that many people, especially the nobles' chamberlains, showed undisguised disdain.

Esmiranda was stunned for a moment, then forced a smile. "Ms. Judith, I don't mean to question your authority. Perhaps the Perfect Ones are too partial to the rich and beautiful northern continent and have never spread the gospel to my distant homeland. I have indeed never heard of it interfering in trade."

"You come from far away, and I don't want to blame you," Judith said, trying her best to maintain her dignity and domineering attitude. "But the Perfect Man is the protector of mankind, a beacon in the darkness. He must intervene in all matters related to mankind."

Undisguised snickers rang out all around, especially from the nobles' chamberlains, who laughed the loudest. Judith hadn't even realized that Esmiranda was implying that the Perfect Person was an unknown hairy god; she had even deliberately mispronounced the holy name.

Esmiranda herself dropped her smile. She already knew her opponent's character and spoke slowly, "Oh, respected Herald. I am no theologian, and I have no intention of arguing with you on matters of faith. However, today's gathering here has the approval of Lord Westerling, and the guests are all distinguished guests from the city. Are you accusing all the nobles in this city of colluding with me in smuggling?"

"Distinguished guests? I don't think so." Judith was undeterred by the auctioneer's accusation. Her gaze swept from the two tall orcs in the back row to the dwarfs. "Furthermore, you openly sell things that don't exist and promote the inferiority of mankind. A perfect person would never tolerate such evil behavior."

Esmiranda was stunned. This time, she didn't understand. "Excuse me, Madam Herald. It's only dinner time now. You shouldn't be out on duty after drinking so much."

Judith maintained her haughty expression. "The Perfect One taught us that elves were merely fabricated by unscrupulous merchants to inflate the prices of their goods. As we all know, every race is a poor imitation of humanity, and no race is superior to humans. You actually openly display and sell the creations of these imaginary races. Do you think the Perfect One's teachings are wrong?!"

The red-clad auctioneer's face darkened. She abandoned her politeness. "If that's your opinion, Herald, I'll do as you please. But if you attempt to stop my client again, I don't mind letting the local law enforcement officers determine right and wrong."

Her decisive attitude caused cheers from those around her. Apparently, the eunuchs were tired of debating with religious fanatics about whether humans were perfect.

Judith was stunned for a moment, then her face quickly flushed, her entire body swelling with anger. She waved her hand curtly: "No matter how you try to argue today, I will confiscate these blasphemous items. Knights, execute my order!"

"Please, Herald." Esmiranda's anger faded after hearing this. "But I have a kind suggestion for you. Tonight's auction is over, and all the collections have returned to their respective owners. All you can get from me are empty boxes. If you want a box, just ask me. There's no need to go to such lengths. Grand Duchess Betty is quite generous."

The nobles' eunuchs and butlers were now on edge. If the messenger really took away the things they had bought today, there was no telling whether their masters would trouble the messenger, but they would definitely be blamed for their incompetence.

"Miss Judith," the head chamberlain of the Westerling family, the largest buyer at the auction, stepped forward first. "My name is Diotor, from the Westerling family. Both you and the Gilded Knight require Lord Eichmann's order to enforce the law outside the Old Lighthouse District. Would you be willing to produce Lord Eichmann's order?"

After the first one, there was a second one, and another serious-looking woman also stood up. Hopper remembered that she must have taken a photo of a box of books.

"Miss Judith, my name is Milady, and I am the head maid of the Mendes family. I will report your offensive behavior today to Mrs. Mendes. As for whether to file a formal complaint with Archbishop Eichmann and your superior, Knight Edim, it will be decided by my mistress."

Judith's face turned from red to blue. She was still hesitating. The Gilded Knight would not disobey her orders, but she also needed to take responsibility for her orders.

Before more noble agents could stand up, the door was kicked open, and a group of dwarfs, only half the height of humans, walked in in an orderly formation. Each dwarf held a crystal gun in his hand, and the muzzle was pointed at the gilded knights.

The dwarf standing in the middle of the line was none other than the dwarf captain, whom Hopper had met once before. She no longer had the same ease she had on the day she rescued Master Conn. Instead, she stared up at Judith with a stern face.

When "Ms. Green Harbor" Judith heard the name, the flesh on her face twitched as if it were being pricked.

"Ms. Greenhaven, I remember that Ms. Hearthheart has warned you not to perform official duties in the Wave Zone." She said in a serious tone, completely lacking the dwarf's usual cheerfulness. "I don't want this to affect our relationship. What do you think?"

Judith was about to say something when a knight hurried through the crowd and whispered something in her ear. Her face was a mixture of humiliation, embarrassment, hatred and anger.

In the end, she said nothing, but waved her hand and left with the knights.

Chapter 151 I Praise Myself

Even after they left the surf zone, An hadn't recovered from the conflict. She kept talking about how majestic the dwarf captain was and how embarrassed the herald was.

Hopper, however, was in doubt.

Judith is not smart enough, but she is not a complete fool either. Why did she do this? Was she completely unaware of it or was there someone behind her? If there was someone behind it, who could it be?

Hopper had already learned from the information just received that Edimu was now her superior. He expected her to become a herald in the Church of the Perfect, and this knight had played a significant role in that process. Without the knight's and the church's endorsement, no matter how many heroic acts she performed, no one would dare to violate Lord Westerling's decree and release her.

"Isn't it possible that Edim asked the pastor of the Church of the Perfect Man to brainwash Judith in order to win the bet?"

Hopper chuckled and put this ridiculous idea behind her. She didn't need to worry about this possibility at all. If he really did it, his soul would degenerate faster than Judith's expression just now.

However, the succubus was indeed worried about changes. Now that she was in the city, she had better find a way to get some information.

"Jane, dear, are you listening to me?" Ann shook her arm, interrupting her thoughts. "I was just saying, it's getting late today, we'd better find a hotel quickly."

Niya Iron Ring's financial resources were naturally not comparable to those of the nobles of Emerald Harbor, but she was not a stingy person either. Therefore, the two little dwarfs only needed to find an inn willing to take them in.

But things are not as simple as they think.