Baator Hell Promotion

The harsh lady clapped her hands lightly, her voice behind the mask unchanged. "Very good, Miss Hopper, you did a great job, even exceeding my expectations."

The demon lowered his head and spoke humbly, "There were quite a few coincidences in this mission. I simply did my best to turn the whole thing in the direction that was most beneficial to you and the entire Torchhold. In the end, I did not let you down."

"So," said the Harsh Lady, rising to her feet, her skirt rustling, "is there anything else you would like to share with me?"

Hopper bit his lip, and after a moment, he pulled out a folded piece of parchment from his space bag and presented it to the headmistress with both hands.

The Harsh Lady took the parchment and unfolded it. After glancing at it twice, she looked at Hopper in surprise, a hint of laughter in her voice: "A letter of recommendation from the High Priest of the Condemned. How did you get this thing?"

"The unsigned letter said he recognized me the moment he saw me," Hopper shrugged, pretending to be relaxed. "But the presiding judge said he didn't mind a Nemesis maiden joining the trial. After receiving the letter, I visited the presiding judge as Zoe and made a request. Lord Gray was happy to oblige."

"I told you before you set off that I would recommend you to go to the Palace of Thistle." The harsh lady opened the drawer, took out a written letter, lifted the mask, and gently kissed the place where the sealing wax should be stamped, leaving a black lip mark.

Along with the two letters of recommendation came a badge—a black iron torch burning with blue flames. When Hopper took it, he felt a slight pain in his fingertips as a drop of blood was absorbed by it.

"Revenge is a double-edged sword," the principal warned. "The Black Iron Torch I gave you can temporarily borrow the power of the Goddess of Vengeance, and this badge will lead you directly to the Inescapable. I was once a Nemaed, but my experience can only be a distraction. You must explore everything on your own."

"Thank you for your gift," Hopper bowed respectfully, wondering whether she should ask directly. Having just managed to get over Youdi's fate, it would be risky to bring it up now.

But she finally said, "My dear lady, I have one concern. When I left Emberhold, the crisis remained unresolved. Do I need to worry about that proud prince now?"

The headmistress understood her concerns and patiently explained, "Her Royal Highness the bronze-skinned princess has been busy building the palace lately, and Uti is just a relatively precious doll to her. Now that she has a bigger and more noteworthy doll, she no longer cares whether the old one is broken or lost."

"But I suggest you go to the Thistle Palace as soon as possible. After all, once you leave the Torch Keep, you will no longer have an official identity. Her Highness the Princess's foundation is not yet stable. If you can join the Thistle Palace as soon as possible, she will not risk offending a true goddess."

Chapter 205 A Pile of Letters

There was no graduation ceremony at Torchhold, at least not for Hopper. She came out of the Stern Lady's room and only had time to go back to the dormitory to get her things before she saw the Silver-Eyed Lady waiting outside.

Before Hopper could even feel sentimental, she was led to the portal in the hall. The tall Professor Biguan was already waiting there. He extended his large, scaly paws to shake Hopper's hand, briefly congratulated her on her graduation, and then opened the portal.

Then, the succubus stood under a dead yew tree outside the city of Minaunos, feeling the sudden hail hitting his head.

By the time the beleaguered succubus found a dry place to stay, there was no trace of the Torchhold.

"I feel like a poor stepdaughter kicked out by her wicked stepmother," Hopper muttered, looking up at the still overcast sky, trying to dispel the last trace of what could barely be called melancholy.

The city of Minaunos was as busy as every day and every year in the past. Hopper stood under the huge rock on the street, watching the various travelers rushing to and fro and the anxious-looking devils (usually because they had too many things assigned to them by their superiors). He allowed himself a few minutes of rare leisure time and finally found a luxurious tavern on the street to sit down.

The tavern was filled with people of all kinds, but there were no devils - most devils had no time to rest, and even the lazy devils were rarely brave enough to openly spend time in the tavern.

However, at least the tavern provided Hopper with a table, which, even though covered with dark blood stains and knife marks, was generally flat and dry. This allowed her to plan her next move.

Hopper sat at the table and began to open the letters he hadn't had time to read. The thinnest ones were from Lil and Lati. After recovering from her injuries, Lati's grandmother had sent her to join Grand Duke Bayer's army. Judging by the contents of her letters, she likely wasn't on the front lines, but rather patrolled the Bronze Castle. She had written numerous letters, thanking Hopper repeatedly for saving her and inviting him to Avernus for a get-together.

Hopper pursed his lips and said, "Forget it." Lati's grandmother, Lady Maiaree, was not a lady with a good temper.

Lil's letter still maintained her usual childish tone, which at least showed that her brother took good care of her. She was very happy in the letter that the archmage had arranged for her to be an apprentice in the choir of the Marquis of Aishes.

Hopper's fingertips drummed unconsciously on the table. Marquis Ashes was a unique figure within the entire hierarchy of Hell's nobility. For no other reason than her title came from the Lord of the Nine Hells himself. Not to mention, she also had a renowned sister—Lilith. Ashes and her sisters were once brides of the Devil King. Now, she led her choir of delighted demons in the Hall of Weeping, listening to the wails of sinners and composing them into magnificent hymns for the Grand Dukes.

Archmage Zetua had found a good place for his sister. While Lil certainly wouldn't be able to join the choir as she wasn't a euphoric demon, other positions were needed. Lil's talent was more than enough to cross that threshold, yet not so strong as to incur the envy of other demons. Hopper suspected that Lady Sinoi had put a lot of effort into Lil's service under Marquis Aishes.

The succubus put Lil's letter aside and politely declined her invitation to Nessus. Anyone with the time to spare went to the ninth floor; the stones there were full of ulterior motives.

The third set of letters was less cheerful. This one was made of the smooth, smooth skin of an unborn child, tied with a beautiful black cord mixed with gold. The knot was sealed with black wax of the same color, and stamped with a gold-dusted emblem: a venomous snake emerging from an apple.

"The Evil Emblem of Lady Lilith" The succubus sighed resignedly. Being in debt was what the devil hated the most, especially when the debt could not be evaded.

But contrary to expectations, it was just a formal congratulatory letter. She scrolled to the bottom and saw that it was signed by Emilia.

Hopper thought for a moment before remembering that it was Emilia who had transformed him into a succubus. But did she really need to write a congratulatory letter to a nobody like him?

She read the content of the congratulatory letter carefully again and discovered the hidden meaning.

".....The lady heard that a Basilena had disappeared in Emberhold without explanation. She is deeply disturbed and concerned for your safety. If you feel the pressure is too much, we would be happy to invite you to stay for a while. I believe the adults of the Sisterhood of Night will be very happy to see you come."

"As expected, the succubus never tells the truth. Lady Harsh said she would do her best to erase my presence in the incident with Yuti and the hag." Hopper rolled his eyes and quickly checked the letter. It arrived shortly after she left Torchhold. "It seems Lady Harsh's job of keeping secrets isn't very good either."

However, Hopper had no intention of further contact with Lilith. He was already tagged with her, and if he accepted any more "good intentions," it would be too late to get off the ship.

Next came a pile of rough-papered letters, all covered in feline paw prints, some even covered in cat hair. It was obvious that Hellcat Lightning had done this.

This was also an unusual behavior, as Hellcat had never written much because he was not physically suited to holding a pen. This question was answered when Hopper unfolded the first letter.

"...The slave you sent here can barely do some clerical work, so I won't eat him for now." Hopper felt his fist itch when he thought of the smug expression on the white lion's face. "Don't forget the debt relationship between us. Contact me immediately after you graduate."

The contents of the remaining pile of letters were basically the same, all of which were Hellcat's endless nagging and debt collection.

The demon rolled his eyes again and tossed the parchment aside. Since Lightning hadn't run up to him and meowed, it wasn't urgent.

She childishly pushed the letters aside, biting the tip of her tongue between her teeth, dipped it in ink, and wrote the names of the devils in order on the back of the letter paper. The devil thought about it and wrote Lil at the bottom, then thought again and put Emilia first.

First, I needed to reply to Emilia's letter. Staying away from Lilith was one thing, but disobeying the rules of Barto and basic courtesy would lead to a far more awful death.

Secondly, she warned Lightnin not to write any more letters, as she had already left Torchhold. Ziz was her squire, not a free scribe. She would find time to go to Avernus and discuss the next steps with him.

Finally, say hello to Lati, Lil, Lati's grandmother, and Lil's brother. You need to show your friendliness and maintain good relationships.

Hopper scratched his chin with his quill and decided to leave it at that for now. There was no need to mention his impending departure for the Thistle Palace in the letter. To survive in Bartor, it was crucial to minimize revealing information that no one else knew, especially information that concerned oneself.

After calling a messenger devil to deliver the letter, Hopper put on the fur cloak he bought at a discount from the tavern owner and walked into the rain.

Chapter 206: From the Palace of Thistle

"Dear Ms. Enreyes, you haven't paid yet," the boatman with the long pole whispered to Hopper who was squatting on the river bank.

The boatman was wrapped in a dirty gray-yellow cloak, with his long, tangled hair sticking out from his hood, covering most of his face, which was so thin that it was almost a skeleton. Only his eyes, which were as thin as needles and emitting red light, could be seen.

The lust demon calmed his churning stomach and placed a golden sail in the boatman's hand.

"Oh, a coin from the planet Menelaos. Wow, it's quite rare." The boatman's eyes flashed red with excitement. He no longer paid attention to the succubus, but just kept looking at the money he brought back from Emerald Harbor over and over again.

There were many shipping services on the Styx, but the ships that carried the Ross demons were the safest and fastest, and their prices were also the highest. Fortunately, they all had a hobby of collecting coins, and a rare coin was enough to pay for the ship's fare.

Hopper straightened up and looked into the distance. All he could see were volcanoes distorted by heat and dark red clouds.

The fourth layer of Hell, Phlegethos, is a world of fire, also known to uninformed barbarians as "The Hell of Fire." Amidst erupting volcanoes and overflowing lava, the only water is the River Styx, pouring down from the upper layer. Carrying the endless sorrow and resentment of Minaunos, the gray-black waters crash into the scorched earth of Phlegethos like a massive waterfall, then, driven by the raging flames, rapidly become a stream that threatens to dry up, yet still winds its way with difficulty.

This is also the reason why Hopper chose to extradite Ross. In such a dangerous waterway, there is no safer way to travel than on their ship.

Of course, you must not be too concerned about ride comfort.

After the boatman disappeared in the twisted steam, Hopper took out a crystal bottle from her bag. She held the bottle up to her eyes, and inside was a light red transparent liquid - the blood and tears of the innocent victims.

As soon as the bottle cap was opened, faint cries and roars floated out from inside. Hopper ignored the sound and immersed the bottle in the Styx. When she filled the bottle, the liquid had turned gray and kept floating out of the bottle.

Hopper hurried to catch up, and the mist coming out of the bottle was like a gray hand leading her forward along the River Styx.

The mist didn't stop until the bottle was empty. Or rather, the mist at the mouth of the bottle merged into a larger mass of its kind.

A rolling gray fog gate stood before Hopper. She looked up and couldn't even see where the fog ended.

Hopper calmed herself down and took a deep breath. The cold, damp fog rushed towards her, as if an invisible hand was pushing her out.

"I swear to the goddess of thorns and thistles, may the inescapable tolerate my offense."

Thick fog enveloped her body and consciousness. For a moment, her vision and consciousness were filled with only a thick gray mist. With the gentle sound of flint colliding, the space bag hanging around her neck shone with a turquoise light. The badge given to her by the principal emerged from the bag like a volumeless shadow.

The thing floating above his head quickly burned up, and the thick fog dissipated without him noticing.

A vast autumn wasteland stretched before her. In the center of the plain lay an immense, perfectly circular lake. Its waters were not transparent, but rather like molten silver, its surface smooth as the finest bronze mirror, never a ripple. On either side of the lake, two low hills stood in perfect symmetry, almost identical in shape, height, and vegetation. A winding, dry dirt road stretched from Hopper's feet toward the lake. Directly behind the lake, against a cliff, stood a majestic temple, surrounded by numerous towering, massive marble columns.

As its name suggests, the wasteland is covered with thistles, and the purple thorny balls of flowers bloom from the dark green leaves. Hopper had never imagined that the goddess who lived in the fiery hell in the name of revenge would have such a peaceful and beautiful realm.

But this beauty was not harmless. The power of the divine realm filled every breath of air Hopper breathed. The succubus even found it difficult to take a step, let alone spread his wings.

Fortunately, Hopper was not the only traveler on this road. Hundreds of transparent souls, some tall and some short, walked silently on this narrow road.

From the succubus's perspective, the souls were identical except for their height, all possessing slightly glowing pupils and shawls covering their heads. Beyond that, they possessed no other features: no hands, no feet, no facial features, and no ability to make sounds or expressions. They simply walked silently and persistently toward the distant temple.

Hopper followed them around the lake, and there was not even a guard outside the temple. The bronze door was open, and in the dark and deep hall sat a woman with a serious and calm face. Her silver hair was braided into a whip and tied on her head. She was wearing a silver-gray robe and had folded black wings on her back.

All the souls stopped in front of the woman's table. The woman was writing continuously with a reed pen in her hand. The plain low table was already piled with parchment scrolls.

But when Hopper walked up to her, she stopped writing, looked up, and the slight anger on her face turned into incredible surprise.

The woman stood up so quickly that she almost knocked over the clay pot with thistles on the table.

"Goddess of the Black Wings, who are you? How did you get here?"

After listening to Hopper's explanation, the silver-haired woman's serious face even showed a relieved smile. She whispered softly, "Hello, I am Echo, a maid of this palace. An Enreyes who follows the ancient ways. I haven't seen you since the Thistle Palace for many years."

Her words puzzled Hopper. From the outside, Ms. Echo seemed to be a succubus, but her words implied that she was no longer of the same race as him.

As if she could see through her confusion, Ms. Echo took the initiative to introduce, "When an Enreyes successfully passes the trial, the goddess will promote her to a glorious Nemaed. You will soon receive this honor as well."

"Well, we'll have many opportunities to meet in the future. Please keep going, and don't keep the Inescapable waiting for too long."

After saying goodbye to Ms. Echo, Hopper continued walking along the magnificent yet cold main hall, passing through a corridor lined with mirrors and a hall full of books, and finally arrived at the huge obsidian door at the end of the hall.

As expected, the door carved with mythological figures slowly opened, and at the end of the field of vision was a huge throne made of pure silver and black iron.

Nemesis, with her majestic grey eyes, sat on the throne, her gaze fixed on a tapestry of light weaving endlessly in the sky. A gigantic bronze-feathered griffin crouched at her feet, its azure eyes fixed on Hopper at the doorway.

"Come in." The goddess' lips did not move, but the voice penetrated into her heart.

Hopper felt like she was in a dream. She had never imagined what it would be like to meet a god, but in her heart, it would at least be much more magnificent than it was now.

"Harold Tim? You wish to serve me?"

Hopper was shocked when he suddenly heard his real name. He quickly bowed and said, "I am willing to offer you my service and loyalty."

Nemesis remained silent for a long time. As time passed, Hopper's fear and suspicion grew stronger, and she began to regret her own criticism of the meeting's lack of grandeur. Without even using her divine power, the goddess chilled Hopper to the point of wanting to kneel and beg for mercy.

"You do not believe in the Inescapable," the bronze-feathered griffin opened its beak and said in a voice like a sweet bird song, "How do you offer your loyalty?"

Chapter 207: One Answer and Three Trials

Cold sweat immediately soaked Hopper's back. Thousands of words swirled in her throat, but her usually nimble tongue felt as if it were being held down by the very emotion of fear.

The closest Hopper had ever felt to this moment was the majesty she'd felt when she faced the dragon known as Dusk. But dragon majesty couldn't compare to the majesty of a god. In Lady Dusk's presence, Hopper felt as if she were frozen, every muscle screaming for escape.

However, in the presence of a true god, she couldn't even think of running away.

"The cold-blooded Osus shows no partiality, he provides justice to the crying innocent; the righteous and heroic Marion listens to your oath, he casts thunderbolts on the sins that escape punishment; and Nemesis of retribution and divine punishment, her punishment is unpredictable, her punishment cannot be avoided, and her grace does not require prayer." Hopper tried to straighten his back, looked into the eyes of the griffin, and recited the prayer in the "Theogony".

These three gods represent the three facets of revenge. Osius is the god of condemnation, representing order and just punishment. He and his followers provide victims and their families with open legal and judicial avenging channels. Marion is the god of tooth for tooth, the god of blood vengeance. When an enemy cannot be brought to justice or has cleverly escaped the shackles of the law, Marion empowers those who pray to him, allowing them to slay their foes.

As for Nemesis.

"Nemesis, your scales never tilt for faith, nor do your punishments for the arrogant lessen for loyalty. Even though I offered no thistles to your temple, I still fought in your name and brought down divine wrath upon the orcs. You do not need my loyalty, but my actions. My blade and bow are extensions of your power. If I shirk my duty, your wheels will crush my spine. And loyalty? That is but the feeble flattery of a mortal to a god."

"So, this is my answer - I don't need to offer you my faith, because you don't need my loyalty, all you need is my sharp arrows that fall on the heads of sinners with your will."

Such a straightforward statement was not in line with Hopper's habit; demons always liked to beat around the bush. She was essentially saying, "You don't need to care about my loyalty, you only need to care about whether I'm useful."

If the person sitting on the throne now was a Grand Duke of the Nine Hells, Hopper would not dare to say it so bluntly. The only consequence of doing so would be to use his shattered corpse to provide some fresh food for the hellhounds.

But God is different. Hopper's mind echoed with the voice of an old, nearly dying professor of religion: "The gods are not your masters; they are the beings who have gone furthest along the path you have chosen. Whatever path you choose, whatever concepts you manifest, you will receive a corresponding response from the gods."

Now, please tell me you're not wrong, Professor Beth.

"An interesting answer," the Griffin's voice remained unchanged, but Hopper felt his fear ease. "Direct, but not pious enough."

"Lift your head." The long-silent goddess' voice echoed in Hopper's heart again. "Your response may not be perfect, but it is sufficient."

Hopper breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that he had passed the test for the time being.

"You seem to have something to present to the Inescapable," the Griffin reminded him. Hopper was confused for a moment, then quickly took out his torch and letter of introduction from his bag and held them high in the air.

"Interesting." The letter automatically unfolded in front of the griffin. He read it carefully and looked up at the goddess. "My Lord, the candidate has already received the approval of the Condemner before undergoing the trial."

"I am the thunderbolt that punishes the arrogant, the one who reverses unbalanced fate, and the last hope for those who have suffered injustice." The goddess's gaze remained fixed on the tapestry in the air. "You have spoken of the Condemner and the Punisher, and boasted about the divisions between the three. Although you seek the position of maiden in the palace of Ji, you must understand that you serve not one god, but three. Therefore, you must pass three trials before you can be accepted by us."

"The Condemned One's servant has recognized you," the griffin continued, continuing the goddess' words. "Therefore, you still need to pass two trials before becoming my lord's servant."

"Thank you for your introduction," the Devil lowered his head obediently, knowing that he had received initial recognition. "I wonder what kind of trial I need to undergo?"

"The tapestry of fate is woven with a thousand threads, and these threads come from sources you never anticipated." The goddess looked at Hopper for the first time, reached out and gently tapped him. Then, a letter rolled out of Hopper's bag, its wax seal with a claw mark on it landing right at Hopper's feet.

"As my Lord has stated," the griffin's gaze fell on Lightning's letter. "Impossible fate has already given the answer. Follow its guidance, and let thunderbolt and fire descend upon those who attempt to escape fate. This is your first trial."

"Obey the oracle."

Hopper bowed and exited the inner room, only to find she was soaked through, even the parchment in her hand was soaked. She didn't know how long she had been there. The sky of Nemesis's realm contained neither celestial bodies nor clouds, only a uniform pearly gray. Even the intensity of the light was constant.

As she walked back to the front hall, Ms. Echo looked up from the heavy paperwork, and a smile of approval appeared on her serious and beautiful face.

"You have indeed earned the Lord's approval, young Enreyes." She stood up, motioned the petitioners queuing to pause, and warmly shook Hopper's hand. "Please pass the trial as soon as possible. There are so many souls calling for justice and revenge, and our work can never stop."

She beckoned a shaved monk to listen to the petitioners' requests, and then took Hopper on a tour of the hall.