Baator Hell Promotion

"I want you to help me find out how to get to Abrimok, the Hell Tribunal."

Chapter 17: City of Alka

"The night is still long, we will go down the river, down, down~"

The little devils hanging from the masts sang in unison, their voices sweet but shrill, sounding like a group of talking mice.

As the last line of the song merged into the noise of the dock, the ship shook slightly and docked.

A neatly arrayed line of barbed devils, longswords in hand, was already waiting on the basalt dock. The leading officer eagerly unfolded his list and sniffed the Soul Shells. After sniffing every passenger, his bearded lizard face wrinkled into a frown.

"What's going on? Why are there four more?" He looked at the boatman in confusion.

"We are messengers!" The little devils, still immersed in their own singing, answered his question like an aria. Except for Harp, the other two little devils loosened their claws and tails that had been grasping the mast and flew towards the city like two giant birds.

"He's a paying passenger, not Dingdong," Hap explained to the coughing wizard. Captain Barb nodded and shouted, telling his soldiers to shackle the wailing Soul Shell and drag it to the prison cart.

"He didn't even ask any questions?" The red-robed wizard asked curiously, stepping carefully onto the stone floor. A gust of wind blew past, and he wrapped his robes around him again.

"First of all, you did pay, and the boatman did not raise any objections. Bartor respects the contract." During the journey, the little devil knew that his temporary companion only had a vague concept of the entire Bartor Hell, so he explained patiently.

"Secondly, a piece of free advice: don't lump us in with those lunatics of the Endless Abyss. The Tanar'ri's minds are wired only for obedience to violence." The little devil had considered landing on the mage's shoulder, but ultimately gave up. Given the mage's physical strength, he was lucky to be able to walk a few steps on his own, so don't burden him. "You are now in Baator, the place in the entire multiverse that values ​​rules and order above all else. Perfect hierarchy and discipline will ultimately lead us to victory in this bloody battle. We submit to class and order."

"It sounds like," the mage's voice was filled with a hint of laughter, "that your level is much higher than the captain just now."

"You're right. Although I'm only slightly higher than it, in Bartor, being one level higher means authority." Harp nodded with mock reserve, accepting the compliment. "Ah, this is why I like mages. You're always sharp and intelligent enough. Hell, I never want to work with a warlock again. It's such a mess."

"Little devils like me, lacking any fighting power, are always looked down upon by you mortals." Harp floated up and down in the air, as light as a falling leaf, leading the way. "But, we often serve as spies or messengers for the great men. Naturally, the low-level devils crawling on the ground don't dare treat us like mortals."

"Then please, honorable Mr. Devil, could you tell me where we are?" The wizard stopped and looked up at the scenery in front of him. His cloak slipped down as he raised his head, revealing a head of gray hair that was completely inconsistent with his voice.

The most common landscape of Avernus is maroon, cracked wasteland and bare rocks, with a black sky that never sees the sun. But before the wizard lay a lush city, or more accurately, a forest dotted with buildings. Layers of honey locust trees stretched halfway up the terraced mountainside. At the city's edge stood two towering, crumbling towers. He and the little devil stood at the gates of this forest city.

"Arka, the dwelling of Aaron the Benefactor, the city of acacia wood and gold." The little devil also looked up at the circular gateway, now devoid of a gate. The city's former owner had carved lifelike, fluttering wings along the sixty-foot-high curved sides of the gateway. Now, between these two wings, towering to the lintel, lies only silent darkness. "Aaron and his prophetic brother believed in the so-called redemption and signed a pact with Lord Bayer. Nearly two hundred years ago, the entire city fell into Avernus."

"Amazing!" The red-robed wizard conjured a staff from thin air and slowly paced with it. "Did you bring me here to warn me, Mr. Guide?"

"Not exactly," the little devil said, leading him through the lightless corridor. As a devil, Harp could see effortlessly in the deepest darkness. And this seemingly frail mage, at least, didn't show any discomfort in the darkness. "Abrimok, the City of Judgment, is on the fourth floor of Baator. There are many ways to get down from Avernus, but the safest is to use the fixed portal."

"Lord Bayer ascended to the Abyss Devil by bringing the entire city of Arka into Avernus. He built the highest-level portal in Avernus right in the heart of the city, so that all the great men who visited Avernus would have the honor of viewing his masterpiece."

"So what's the price?" The mage surveyed his surroundings. Arka was as quiet as a cemetery. The thick, interwoven black canopies of the soapberry trees seemed to have some kind of soundproofing magic, muffling even the whistling of fireballs across the sky. "The price I'm paying you isn't cheap, but it shouldn't be so high as to include the cost of transport."

"As long as no one important passes through the portal, it's open to everyone." Hap stopped in front of a tree that was five mages wide and motioned for the mage to follow him into the tree hole. "The reward you offer will allow me to take you to the portal. As for whether your reward is enough to impress the guard, you can ask yourself later."

As the wizard ducked into the hole, he discovered that Harp had already built a miniature woodpile of branches at the bottom of the tree hole. The little devil nodded, and the wizard, understanding, pinched a piece of dry wood, and purple flames suddenly emerged from the center of the woodpile. Harp stared at the flames, chanting and dancing, occasionally throwing some dried blood into them, until a mouth opened on the flame and roared:

"Tell me your problem!"

"Will I be able to safely pass through the portal and reach Abrimok today?"

"Yes." The flames suddenly shot up and almost touched the wizard's gray hair.

“Will I encounter obstacles that I cannot overcome?”

"No" the flames waned and clung to the pile of firewood.

"Can I successfully take Meryl away from Abrimok?" the wizard asked the last question.

This time the flame did not answer immediately. It smoldered for a long time, until the flames were almost gone. Finally, amid the crackling of the wood, a faint sound came.

"It depends on whether you are willing to invest your emotions."

The wizard looked thoughtfully at the smoking pyre and asked Hap:

"What does this answer mean?"

"I rarely encounter this kind of situation," the little devil said. "This spell asks directly to Baator Hell, and it almost never makes mistakes. Although I don't understand why it says this, I can tell you that emotions, like souls, can be traded in Baator. And the stronger and rarer the emotion, the more valuable it is."

Chapter 18: In front of the portal

"Then we part ways." The wizard bowed slightly to the imp and turned to look at the nearby square. In the center of the square stood a solitary arched doorframe, seemingly the remains of a fire. Within the doorway, wide enough for a carriage to pass, swirled vortices of diverse colors.

"It's a pleasure working with you, Mage," the little devil said in return. Occasionally, the little devil also liked to make simple deals without any intrigue, especially when the reward was good. "I can only take you here. The soldiers guarding the portal are definitely higher level than me. You'll have to figure it out on your own."

"I think I can still afford to go to the fourth floor," the mage said, pulling out a small bag as he walked. "Bator Hell should at least have a clear price."

"That's hard to say," Harp muttered. He knew the nature of his own kind all too well. But since the wizard was confident, there was no need for him to worry about it.

Before Arka fell, the square where the portal now stood would have been the foundation of a magnificent church. But with the passage of time and vandalism, only the smooth stone pavement and several broken carved stone pillars on the square's perimeter remain as remnants of its former glory.

The imp was perched on the pillar closest to the portal. From his vantage point, he could see a squad of steel demons guarding the center of the portal. True to their name, the steel demons were clad in pure black armor and carried huge swords nearly as long as their bodies. Their leader, a gaunt bone demon, stood at the top of the archway, scanning the surroundings warily.

Seeing the wizard approaching, the bone demon leaped up. He had no wings, but he jumped down with lightness and grace. The bone demon landed in front of the wizard almost silently. Harp noticed that he didn't even land, but hovered proudly half a foot above the ground, extending a claw to the wizard.

I'm afraid this is going to be bad. The little devil's heart skipped a beat, and he spread his wings and flew towards the wizard. This partner is not bad (especially his generosity), so I'd better not let him die in a meaningless place.

"Bala, tell me what you want." The bone demon was twice as tall as the wizard. He looked like a starving corpse with a scorpion tail. His dead white skin was stretched tightly against his skull, and dry cracks appeared as his mouth opened and closed.

The red-robed man took out a roll of human skin from his arms, unfolded it for the Bone Demon to see, and explained:

"My destination is Abrimok. I have been invited to attend the trial of the First Court as a defense attorney. This is a summons signed by the judge of the First Court."

"I don't understand the lowly language of mortals," the bone demon responded in Hellish. "Whatever you want, speak in a way that I can understand."

Hap was certain the wizard understood Hellish. Although he didn't move, his silent back revealed a cold rage. The little devil almost rolled his eyes. The wizard was still too inexperienced. He should have just handed over the gift and the summons together. It was too late now.

The wizard took a deep breath and repeated his purpose in Hellish. The Bone Demon still didn't look at the roll of human skin, but turned to the guards who had gathered around him and said:

"Ha, I've never heard that kind of accent before. Is there anyone who has a lot of experience with barbarians who can come over and tell me about it?"

After saying this, the Steel Demons burst into mocking laughter. They came over and pushed the wizard roughly, trying to drag him away.

"Everyone, he's going to attend the trial presided over by Lord Sagreta," the little devil said quickly, observing the faint light in the wizard's hand. He knew that if anything went wrong, even as a guide, he would be in big trouble. "Lord Sagreta doesn't like any delays."

"Where did you come from, little devil? Who are your superiors?" The Bone Demon stopped laughing. He couldn't pretend he didn't hear the devil anymore, which made him very unhappy. "Are you in cahoots with him? Or are you his accomplice, hired to destroy Lord Bayer's precious property?"

Harp felt as nauseous as if he had drunk holy water. He practically made it clear that the Bone Demon couldn't fail to notice, but he clearly wasn't willing to accept the advice of a little devil. However, since he had gotten involved, he couldn't remain unscathed.

"I'm just an insignificant little devil passing through, sir," Hap said sweetly, changing his voice to his flattering one. "The portal is so busy here, and he's already delayed you for a long time. I suggest you fine him."

The mage understood the hint, and he rolled up the summons and put it in the hand of the bone demon along with another bag. The bone demon pretended to withdraw his hand, unfolded the summons and began to read it, and when he returned it, the bag disappeared without a trace.

"Triple the fine as punishment for the offense against me, my subordinates, and the great Lord Bayer," he announced, raising his paw.

"I've already paid." The mage finally couldn't help himself and reached for the material bag at his waist.

The Bone Demon noticed, flew higher, and shouted, "Catch the thief who tried to destroy the portal!"

The little devil wailed in his heart and flapped his wings to quickly move away. He had done what he could and now could only pray for the wizard.

At that moment, a sudden thunderous rumble echoed from the sky, drawing the attention of all parties. A flaming carriage, pulled by two nightmare horses, descended from the sky at top speed, crashing directly between the two groups. The wizards and bone demons quickly jumped back to avoid being struck by the nightmares, whose nostrils spewed flames. Then, with a series of loud bangs, bronze hooves dug large pits into the ground. The nightmares, like black horses, impatiently flicked their flaming manes, and the carriage came to a halt.

The black carriage was incredibly large, each side covered in a single bolt of flame-colored embroidered silk, which exuded a rich scent of roses and grass. The bone demon ignored the wizard and quickly landed on the ground, kneeling on one knee. Clearly, a certain devil noble was aboard the carriage.

Four slender hands parted the front curtain, and from the carriage, three feet tall, emerged two female tieflings, dressed in black and white dresses and white headscarves. Their faces were pretty but serious. They stood on either side, pulling back the curtains. Four more tieflings, similarly dressed, stepped out of the carriage, forming a circle, each holding a lantern, an incense burner, a feather fan, a harp, and other items. Finally, an elderly succubus wearing a black headscarf appeared. She stood by the door, wings folded, her waist bent low, and she extended a hand toward the door.

"Sister Talissa, I told you not to be so formal." A crisp laughter came from the carriage, and a flower-like shadow with fragrance passed over the hunched demon and appeared in front of everyone.

Succubi were not uncommon in Baator; they were one of the few creatures in Hell that could make anyone feel happy just by looking at them. But this Succubi was the best Succubi Harp had ever seen.

She was slightly shorter than her maids, but dressed differently: a strapless gown that resembled a pile of violet petals. Her heel-length blonde hair contrasted beautifully with the faint golden runes on her skin. This succubus didn't look mature and charming like other succubi, but more like a young girl in her prime. She smiled at the people around the carriage with her bright violet eyes.

"Hail to Lady Sino, protector of lovers, patron saint of love, lady-in-waiting of the court of Maradomini, Countess of the Seventh Hell," the old succubus known as Sister Talissa straightened up, looked up at the sky, and shouted loudly.

Chapter 19 Ms. Sinoi

Hap lay on the ground, sheltered by his wings, and took a deep breath in shock.

Sinoi, her name might be unknown among mortals. But the master she serves is a resounding name throughout the multiverse—Lilith, the Daughter of Night, arguably the most beautiful and dangerous demonic noble in all of Baator. Sinoi and her two sisters serve as a testament to Lilith's danger—they were once pure and innocent angels intent on persuading Lilith to do good, only to be captured and preyed upon by her.

Sino has been transformed into a demon, a high-level demon that controls others with twisted love. The brew she and her demon minions brew with the tears of lovers, forced vows, and the irreversible passion of young people is the most high-end drink in Baator.

"What happened here?" Xinoyi's voice was as gurgling as a mountain spring, but the Bone Demon trembled. "Don't they have a pass? Why are they stuck here?"

"Of course not, my lady," the Bone Demon replied hastily. "We suspect this red-robed man intends to attack the portal and destroy Lord Bayer's property."

"I believe this must be a misunderstanding," the little devil quickly interrupted. "This mage's Infernal language is not very good, and our guard may have misunderstood. Mage, please apologize to Ms. Sinoi."

"I want to hear your own explanation, Traveler." Xino landed with his black and gold wings flapping, sat on Nightmare's back, crossed his legs elegantly, and looked at the red-robed wizard with a beautiful smile.

The mage might not be tactful, but he was by no means foolish. He stepped forward, took the demon's outstretched left hand, and gently kissed it before answering:

"As my guide said, this must be a misunderstanding. My poor Hellish caused a traffic jam. I hope I didn't disturb the distinguished lady."

Sino chuckled. Few living beings appeared in Hell, and even fewer young spellcasters. Hap could see she was very interested in the mage. It suddenly understood the meaning of the divination. In Hell, emotions were a precious commodity, and the delicate demons were the biggest buyers. She had come for the mage, and perhaps the bone demons were acting on her orders.

"Of course not. In fact, we stopped to rest because we were bored on the road." Sinoyi didn't withdraw her hand, letting the mage hold it. Her maids rushed over to her, chirping about how hot Avernus was, how bumpy the carriage was, and how they had run out of the flower water they brought, agreeing with their hostess.

"I haven't traveled far enough, and my singing voice is terrible, but I can at least say, without any modesty, that I possess considerable knowledge." The wizard, evidently thinking of divination, smoothly continued the conversation. "Would you ladies be so kind as to hear a rather dull story from a wizard?"

After hearing his words, the maids burst into laughter and pushed each other.

"That's very thoughtful of you, but we don't have the right to agree to it." One of the pink-skinned one-horned tieflings said to him, then winked at Sister Talissa, the only one who didn't smile.

The mage turned to the old succubus, somewhat bewildered. Hap could see he had done his best; flirting with Sino was already his limit. Expecting a mage to deal with so many different female demons might be a bit too much for him.

"Sister Talisa, didn't Miss Sinoi go out without a jester?" The little devil spoke before the wizard could, his voice sweet and flattering. "This traveler is quite a magician. Let him perform for you."

"Aunt Talissa, please," Xinoyi pouted as she sat on Nightmare's back, "Can we just give him a short ride?"

Sister Talissa looked at the mage expressionlessly, her lips twitching as she said coldly, "As you wish, ma'am, but I suggest you let him go before you reach the Sixth Hell."

Sinol cheered, nimbly leaping over to Sister Talisa and kissing her vigorously on both cheeks. The maids cheered as well, surrounding the mage as they walked toward the carriage. The mage, somewhat panicked, turned back to look at his guide. Harp quickly waved his hand, showing no intention of following.

"Let's go, let's go." He thought, "I don't want to play tricks on you in a carriage with a thousand-year-old devil noble."

"I believe we will get along very happily. You must tell us your story." Xino turned around and extended his hand to the wizard again, not caring at all whether the Bone Demon and his men on the ground had any objections.

The wizard gently grasped her fingertips, and a cloud of white mist appeared under his feet, lifting him up to the same level as the demon, so that he and Xinoyi could walk into the carriage together.

"Oh, and you, too. Thank you, my lovely little guide, for bringing our dear wizard to us." Xinoyi suddenly thought of something and leaned out of the carriage again, winking at the little devil and blowing him a kiss. "Here's a small gift for you, so you don't have to worry about anyone bothering you after I leave."

Hap felt a chill on his forehead, followed by a lingering burning pain. This was a unique ability of the djinn. Their unholy blessings could mark others, asserting their ownership. However, the little devil wasn't too worried. The mark wasn't permanent and would fade after a while. Its main purpose, as the djinn had said, was to allow him to safely leave the portal square.

Thinking of this, the little devil waved more sincerely to the carriage that had already entered the portal.

While the guards were still watching the carriage, the little devil soared high into the sky. Of course, Arka wasn't the only portal to the Fourth Hell in the entire Avernus, and even this wasn't the closest one at the time. Leading the mage was just a minor, unplanned task. Now, Harp needed to attend to something far more important to the devil.

The little devil returned to the port area. Arka was originally a mountain city, but after it crashed into Avernus, it was placed by the First Lord Bayer on the banks of the River Styx. Therefore, its port area was completely built by the devils after the crash for their own convenience.

In fact, Arka was so quiet because the vast majority of devils were concentrated in the port area. Shiploads of wailing soul shells, prisoners, and captives were transported from the Styx to the unloading area, where they were quickly sorted and shipped back to their different masters via the Styx or overland.

The entire port area is like a crab claw extending into the River Styx. At the bottom of the crab claw, which is also the most orderly part of the entire port area, stands an extremely slender tower - the Cheer Tower.

Every large port on the River Styx has such a tower, mainly for the convenience of recording the number of fallen souls and confirming which devil or devils should be attributed to the fall, and making timely reports for the big devils to evaluate their subordinates.

The gray tower of the Cheerful Tower stood a full 100 feet tall. Unlike the window-filled upper section, the lower section was completely smooth, lacking even a door. Flying devils of all sizes swarmed in and out of the windows like bees in a hive. Harp, following a swarm of noisy tiger bees, entered this tower, which was used for delivering messages and calculating taxes.

Author's words: It's a self-created devil

Chapter 20: Cheer Tower (Part 1)

The interior of the Cheer Tower resembled a giant beehive, with hundreds of identical openings arranged along the central light-filled atrium. All devils entering the Cheer Tower followed the widest corridor to the center of the atrium, where they lined up in six groups to receive passes from the receptionist behind the desk.

"Grand Duke, level, superior, purpose," the green-skinned tiefling receptionist behind the desk asked without looking up, still scribbling on parchment. The pile of paperwork on the desk was already teetering on the edge of its seat. A little devil, at least three times fatter than Harp, crouched on a skeleton, scowling, holding a burning black candle like a comical candelabra.

"A learned man from the second floor, Falagon Charlotte, tasked with completing a mission and seeking promotion consultation," Hap replied quickly. The tiefling still didn't look up, not even stopping writing. She simply tugged at the fat little devil's tail with her free left hand.

The little devil roared and flew up, waving the candle in his hand, and used black wax to pour a strange symbol on the skull. The skull's jaw kept stuttering, and a scroll of parchment covered with words was spat out like a tongue, then flew in front of the tiefling.

This time she finally raised her head and examined the entire document with a scrutinizing eye. Then she rerolled it, dipped a little wax on the ring in her hand, put it on the document and handed it to Hap.

"Go to No. 158. Lord Tumnu should be available. You can contact him for mission handovers and promotion inquiries."

Harp quickly reached for the scroll, and as she did so, she slipped a gold coin into her palm. The tiefling withdrew his hand, seemingly unfazed, and then buried himself in the mountain of books again. "Next."

Passage 158 was nearby, a perfect circle, and looking down, it was pitch black. Hap spread his wings and glided downward for a long time, guessing he was nearing the bottom of the cheering tower when he saw an iron fence appear on the corridor, with a line of words spelled out in gleaming bone.

"Tumnu, a senior promotion consulting expert, provides one-on-one answers to questions encountered during promotion."

When Hap flew to the iron bars, the letters moved to form a hole large enough for him to pass through.

Behind the fence lay a small reception room, each wall filled with ceiling-high bookshelves, all covered in human-skin books of varying thickness. The reception room was filled with over half a dozen small tables, each with ten times as many cushions. Almost every table was laden with wine bottles and food. If Harp hadn't known better, he would have thought he'd stumbled upon a succubus's tea party.

"Lord Tumnu, are you there?" the little devil asked tentatively.

"Here it is." A short, fat hand reached out from behind the highest pile of cushions and shook it, and then a huge, elongated pig's head emerged. Hap recognized Tumnu as an Anzu demon, whose clan often served as tax collectors or recruiters in Hell.

Harp landed and bowed. Lord Tumnu straightened himself and waved his three-ringed hand toward the imp. The parchment flew over and unfolded before him. He read silently, a hissing sound escaping his wide, toothy mouth.