Baator Hell Promotion

As they walked, Echo said, "My Lord's vision lies in the balance of fate. Therefore, if you have any questions, please feel free to ask me."

"Please forgive my dullness, Ms. Echo, I still don't understand my place." Hopper asked the first question doubtfully, "Do I belong to Baator now, or do I belong to our goddess?"

"Both and neither," Echo said, walking ahead, leading her to the library they had just passed. "You haven't passed the trial yet, so you can't walk the world under the name Nemaed. But during the trial, you no longer belong to any of the Grand Dukes of Baator. However, I must remind you that you know as well as I do how dangerous it is for a homeless wanderer in Baator."

Hopper nodded and took the book from her hand. It was a large black leather volume with a few faded handwritten words on it - "The Wail of the Scornful".

"There are always many who overestimate their abilities and seek to challenge fate, believing themselves to be the one and only chosen. Ultimately, they all become stories in this book," Echo commented. "This book records many of the experiences of your predecessors. I suggest you study it carefully before the trial."

"Since I don't belong to any Grand Duke, do I still need to pay soul offerings?"

Echo turned around and smiled brilliantly, with an expression that said you know what she wanted to ask, as if he already knew what she wanted to ask.

Author's words: I feel like I lose a lot of hair when I write about this kind of speculative stuff.

Chapter 208 New Clothes

"Of course," Echo put the last black book into Hopper's arms, "No need."

"I don't know if your guide explained this to you clearly," Echo said, motioning her forward. "Since our Lord hasn't expelled you, you're already half a Nemaede. You don't need to answer to any Grand Duke. You only need to answer to our Lord."

"Have you studied the history of Enreyes at the Torchhold? Yes? Very good. It seems the former Order of the Thistle taught you well."

"Wait until you successfully pass the trial before asking what the Order of the Thistle is. I want to remind you that as a follower of our Lord, your most important duty is to hunt down those who betray their faith, despise the gifts of fate, and evade their destiny. Cast their souls into the endless flames of hell for punishment."

"Wait a minute," Hopper interrupted Echo in disbelief. She knew it was a bit rude, but this question was too important, almost completely contradicting her past life as a demon.

"So the goddess doesn't need these souls?" This inference goes too far against common sense. Whether it's the hypocrites in heaven or the brainless barbarians in the abyss, they are all like the busy creatures in the Nine Hells, coveting the mortal souls, without exception.

But now Echo's words imply that the goddess did not even allow these souls to enter her divine realm, but directly threw them away in hell.

Echo didn't get angry when she heard this, but smiled. Although she was also a demon, she had a calmness and serenity that even the demon-bringer Sassino lacked, a calmness rarely seen in other demons.

Just like this divine land.

"My fault," she explained. "I believe you know the name of my Lord. Nemesis is destiny, the inescapable punishment from heaven. My Lord only cares whether the punishment is carried out and whether the sinners who attempt to escape are sentenced to hell. As for the punishment of the soul and who will carry it out, it is the authority of the Lord of the Nine Hells. My Lord respects his expertise and authority and will not interfere."

Hopper felt his heart pounding. This was the best job a single devil could have. He didn't have to turn in his soul's income; it was all his.

Yet, she recalled that distant afternoon, under the gaze of the three stone statues, and the question in her mind: Why didn't she seek shelter with Lilith? Nemaïed might be good, but she would be toiling like a field mouse, collecting every grain of wheat and worrying about passing foxes and peregrine falcons.

In contrast, Lilith's generosity is as famous as her beauty, and her mortal followers are so numerous that even the dukes of the various levels would envy her. The grains that slip from her fingers are enough to fill a barn, and she only needs to be the happy mouse.

Is that true? The little devil in my heart asked myself. The barn is always guarded by the old cat, and the lifespan of a mouse depends only on whether it is hungry.

Thinking of this, Hopper's mind suddenly became clear. She liked the rules of hell and also liked hunting souls, but the little devil in her heart preferred that she was a unique existence, an existence that could fully control herself.

Perhaps, for a succubus who is not even a high-level devil, the pursuit of uniqueness is too unorthodox.

"Please remember, the greatest rule of the Nine Hells is that every rule can be violated. It all depends on whether you can afford the price."

Stepping into a completely unknown territory is the first price she needs to pay, and she is willing to pay this price.

Ms. Echo didn't interrupt her thoughts, but patiently waited for her to regain her composure before speaking. "Since you've studied the history of Enreyes, you should understand the significance of Baator. It has been a place of execution for sinners since ancient times. According to the glorious beings of Mount Heaven, the first Enreyes were too obsessed with punishment rather than saving fallen souls, and thus they themselves fell into unknowing depravity. However, I believe that it was the first Enreyes who voluntarily chose to leave the glorious sky and choose Hell, where it is more convenient to punish sinners."

"And my lord and her maidens are the best proof of this point of view."

Hopper lowered her head and bowed deeply to Ms. Ecko. She didn't know if Ms. Ecko would say this to every newcomer, but this sentence added a brick to the establishment of order in her mind.

Afterward, they didn't discuss these topics further, but instead strolled leisurely throughout the divine realm, listening to Lady Echo describe the rippleless Lake Anacrasis. It reflected not the sky, but the true faces of the petitioners and their past sins. Hopper had thought the two hills by the lake were identical when he entered, but Echo explained that one was named Pride and the other Justice. Like the two ends of a giant scale, they protected Lake Anacrasis and maintained the absolute balance of the divine realm.

Just opposite the temple was a small castle carved from onyx, slightly shorter than the temple. Hopper didn't hear the faint knocking until they walked into the door.

"The Sanctuary of Adicastron," Ms. Echo introduced. The sanctuary was windowless and pillarless, its floor a smooth, icy obsidian that reflected visitors' shadows with crystal clarity. "The Nemaeds occasionally rest here, but they are usually so busy carrying out our Lord's decrees that they rarely have time for leisure. If you pass the trial, there will be a room here for you, too."

As she spoke, she pushed open a wooden door. Hopper looked out and was greeted by a solemn atmosphere. Inside was a room full of armor and weapons.

"The sanctuary also serves as our arsenal. You haven't yet earned the qualifications to wield a sword in the goddess's name, so you'll have to use your own weapons during the trial."

"But I don't want you to take this risk unarmed." Ms. Echo opened a box and took out a set of shining armor. She held up the shoulder armor and unfolded it in front of Hopper. "Consider it a personal loan from me."

The woman held a beautiful yet eerie silver-gray armor. Its shoulder plates were carved into a weeping face, and long, intricately wavy hair gradually blended into the breastplate. Perhaps to reduce weight, the sides of the breastplate were hollowed out, leaving only the chest and back covered. Thin silver wire wrapped around the chest to form a spiked disc, the size of a fist, with a blank center. Clearly, this was intended to be engraved with a holy symbol or other emblem. Next came a strange skirt, or rather, it wasn't really a skirt, but a narrow, crocodile-like, draped robe extending from the breastplate. A long, jet-black skirt, slit at the front and back, was wrapped around the waist, providing both aesthetic appeal and mobility.

"She's so beautiful." Hopper took the armor and found it was as light as a thick piece of clothing. "Is this the armor you used to wear?"

"No, the goddess gave me all the Nemaeiid armor and weapons. I just did it for me." Ms. Echo helped her put on the armor. It seemed to have its own life and fit Hopper perfectly.

Ms. Echo took two steps back and looked at Hopper, then nodded with satisfaction and said, "It suits you very well. I look forward to the day when you receive the sword from my Lord."

"Oh, right," Echo clapped his hands, suddenly remembering something. "When you leave, don't forget to pick a thistle outside. Without the thistle, it will be difficult for you to come here next time."

Hopper bowed to Ms. Echo again, and after hesitating a few times, he finally asked the question that had been lingering in his mind:

"Excuse me, ma'am. But why do you and the goddess treat me so well, and why are you so sure that I will pass the trial?"

Ms. Echo's expression remained calm and gentle, and for a moment, Hopper thought her voice bore a faint resemblance to the goddess' voice in the inner sanctum.

"My Lord is the maintainer of the balance of fate. Since the torrent of the river of fate has brought you before my Lord, it means that your fate will eventually intersect with ours. You will achieve great things, young Enriyes. Please grasp the gift that fate has bestowed upon you."

Chapter 209: The Furry Creditor

When many mortals think of Baator, they imagine raining fire, mountains of blood, and wailing souls hanging from trees. This view is not wrong, but it far fails to capture Baator's most important characteristics.

If Hopper were to describe it, she would simply say that the most striking feature of Barto is its rigid class structure, and around this class comes corresponding privileges.

Just like now, she was in Avernus, one of the most intense battlefields of the bloody battles and the most chaotic place in the Nine Hells. However, a few glittering gold coins were enough for her to get a quiet room filled with incense and soft cushions in a tavern open only to mid-level devils and above.

The room's only window faced the tavern's courtyard, and the view beyond was not the parched, cracked red earth common in Avernus. Constructed from a brass frame and turquoise glass shipped from Kania, the dome blocked the occasional fireballs falling from the sky while filtering the Avernus's characteristic red skylight into a soft yellow like sunset, illuminating the gurgling fountain and lush dancing ferns in the center of the courtyard.

After the second dilution of the window, the light inside the room had become as dim as the last rays of the setting sun. This not only satisfied the inhabitants of Hell's natural preference for darkness, but also retained enough light for them to clearly see the details on the documents.

Hopper was writing a letter in the dim light, a pile of crumpled manuscripts lying on the table in front of him. Hopper didn't know if Emilia, or even Sassinovich and Lilith behind her, would consider his joining the Thistle Palace an offense, but it was better to tell them first than to wait for them to write to him and accuse him.

But this letter was not easy to write. He had to express his longing for the Thistle Palace in the letter, which was why he politely declined Sassino's invitation, but he couldn't let them feel betrayed, and he couldn't let them think that Hopper was taking advantage of the situation to provoke him.

"The new clothes are very nice," a soft and hoarse voice echoed in the room. Then, the dragon milk on the table began to ripple and the sound of water splashing could be heard.

"Its name is Niobe's Weep." Hopper stood up and showed off the armor lent to him by Ms. Echo. He snapped his fingers and the reed curtains were automatically pulled up.

As the room fell into darkness, the invisible beast that had been licking dragon milk appeared. The white fur of the Hellcat Lightning glowed dimly in the darkness, outlining the shape of a giant lion.

But this lion is now sitting on all fours, concentrating on drinking the liquid in the plate.

"I thought you were going to default on my debt," Lightning licked his paw after finishing his milk. "What a pity! If your letter had arrived a little later, I could have eaten your collateral."

"Eating a beautiful dragonborn tiefling who can write?" Hopper scoffed. "I never thought I'd have to question your intelligence one day, my dear Lightning."

"Shut up, you horny demon with bigger breasts than brains. Be respectful to your creditors." A warning purr came from Hellcat's throat.

"Okay, okay, let's get back to business." Hopper sat down again, sipping the hot tongue from the ceramic cup. "What exactly do you want to do?"

Hellcat snorted, stood up, and began circling the room, finding a corner covered in feather cushions to lie down in before speaking, "I almost couldn't get into this tavern."

The succubus hadn't considered this. Hellcats held a very special status throughout Baator. They weren't ranked in Hell's hierarchy, and most high-ranking devils simply considered them intelligent beasts like hellhounds. But in reality, they not only had the clan name Bazegias, but also their own unique devil nobility. Even the Grand Dukes could demote a baatezu to a hellcat (usually the most severe demotion; hellcats weren't ranked, and being demoted to a hellcat meant they couldn't advance any further).

"And the only reason I can't get in is because Bazegias doesn't participate in the ranking," the white lion said bitterly, his ghostly pupils burning with resentment.

"So, do you need me to write a letter of recommendation to the Seventh Heaven or the Unrestrained Wilds, asking you to join their army to overthrow the corrupt Baator system?"

"can you do it?"

Hopper gave him a perfect smirk.

"Aren't succubi supposed to be good at communication?" Lightning wrinkled his nose and said with disdain, "Why are you even more mean than when you were a little devil?"

"I'm very good at communicating with souls I can harvest," the demon bared its white teeth at it, "but when it comes to creditors, I don't think that's necessary. Stop beating around the bush and just tell me what you want to do."

"Patience, my debtor, patience," Hellcat said pretentiously, "in order to make you serve me with peace of mind, I must explain the whole story in detail."

"You know, we always want to get back into the sequence."

Hopper nodded. It was no secret that the Hellcats had been seeking to return to the Order for centuries. But the crucial issue was their leader, Lady Biste, who had been expelled from the palace by the King of the Nine Hells himself. Without the King's decree, the entire Hellcat clan could not return to the Order of Hell.

"We've made little progress. We've tried bribery, pleading, prayer, and even joining bloody battles." The white lion climbed up from the cushions, its furry tail swishing. "Nothing worked. The Grand Dukes only see us as useful tools. No Grand Duke is willing to risk offending the King of the Nine Hells."

"But your advancement gave me an idea." It stopped in front of Hopper, a pair of huge eyes on its furry lion head flashing red. "Since a little devil can advance to become a lust demon, why can't I?"

"You also want to advance to become a Lust Demon?" Hopper looked at Lightning suspiciously, wondering if it had taken the wrong medicine recently. "I can write a letter to recommend you to Sassino. But are you sure she hasn't tasted the Hellcat's spear?"

Lightning slapped Hopper with her paw, but she caught it mid-air. She smiled and said, "Okay, okay, I won't laugh at you anymore. Go on."

The Hellcat snorted, sitting back down, flicking its tail to the right before speaking. "You know, the Devil has its own system. I thought this was a special favor for Enriyes. But you may not have heard that the Lady of Five Colors recently reached an agreement with Grand Duke Bayer. She allowed the Abisa Dragon Demon to join the Nine Hells' army as mercenaries."

"Thanks to your little pet, I learned a lot of information about the Abisa Dragon Demon from him."

"Zis?" Hopper realized. Professor Biguan was definitely related to Tiamat. As a former guard, and possibly even a bastard, it made sense for Zisi to know relevant information. "What did he help you determine?"

"Abisa Dragon Demon has its own promotion system." Hellcat's voice contained an excitement that could not be ignored. "A system that belongs entirely to the Lady of Five Colors, and promotions can only be approved by her."

"Since she can do it, then Lady Biste, who is also a noble of Avernus, can also have such a system!"

Chapter 210: "Friendship" in Hell

"Are you serious?" Hopper raised an eyebrow, once again suspecting that Lightning had eaten something wrong. "Need I remind you of the disparity between these two ladies? Not all nobles are equal."

"I'm well aware of the differences between them, and I didn't say Lady Bisté wanted to become a god." Lightning lashed his tail impatiently, clacking the floor. "I simply saw the similarities between the two."

Hopper pushed his cat face away, took his drink and walked to the other side to resume writing: "I'd better write a letter for you to Sassino. Maybe she really hasn't tried the Hellcat's rifle."

"I hate to say this, but you should understand," Hopper sighed, threw away his pen, and spoke matter-of-factly. "Your idea is not only an offense to the Grand Dukes, but even to the King of the Nine Hells himself. If Lady Bistel has no plans to become a god, you'd better abandon this plan. There may be exceptions to the Ladder of Ascension, but this exception is definitely not something an ordinary noble can get involved in, let alone gain recognition from the entire Bartor."

"Tsk," the white lion said, growing increasingly impatient. "Have you heard of Haraknin? I recently ate two."

The succubus searched her mind for a moment before finally remembering what creature the Hellcat was talking about. Curiously, she asked, "Demon hounds? You mean those hellhounds that evolved into humanoid forms? How does that relate to what you're talking about?"

"You know as well as I do that Hell values ​​value and efficiency," Lightning nodded. "Transforming ordinary Hellhounds into Harakins consumes the nobles' precious energy. Since even canine creatures that can only bark and lick charred corpses can be appreciated by the nobles, if I can improve Bazegias's strength, even just the possibility of such a thing, there will naturally be a Grand Duke willing to invest in it."

The succubus narrowed her eyes and stroked her chin, a subconscious gesture she had learned from her time with the knights in Emerald Harbor, but since she didn't have a full beard, it made the gesture look like seduction.

"Your wish doesn't sound that outrageous," she mused, "but compared to the last one, it's just like trying to fish the moon out of the water instead of picking it up from the sky."

Bazegias, or Hellcats, are natural assassins. As cat-shaped creatures of Hell, they are practically covered in weapons. Their sharp claws can penetrate magical armor, allowing them to move between cliffs and sheer cliffs. Their fur is also strong enough to resist simple spells, and their ability to become invisible in light makes them a perfect ambush for their enemies.

Whatever Archduke created the Hellcat, his design was undoubtedly exceptional. Aside from its inability to fly and cast spells, the Hellcat is practically perfect, but these two shortcomings are minor, as Baator doesn't position it as a spellcaster or an aerial unit.

This posed a problem: a perfect work often meant there was no room for further improvement. At least Hopper couldn't imagine that the only assassins in Baator Hell who were more powerful than the Hellcats were the assassins known as "Doga," but their number was as small as the trees in Avernus.

After hearing Hopper's question, Lightning calmed down. It blinked slowly and said, "My form is not suitable for unfolding the scroll. Let your collateral explain it to you."

It flicked its tail and used the nimble tip to remove the bolt. The wooden door opened by itself, and standing outside was none other than the follower that Professor Biguan had given Hopper, the Dragonborn Tiflinzis.

She hadn't seen Ziss for a long time. The light brown tiefling seemed to have not changed at all. He was only wearing a legionary-style leather skirt and matching thin-soled sandals. His hair was shaved like a mercenary, almost revealing his skin. The scales on his body seemed larger and fuller than before.

When the tiefling walked into the room, he saw the succubus reclining on the recliner at first sight. He quickly took two steps to her and knelt on one knee to salute her.

"Ah~ my dear Ziz." Hopper held out his hand and let him kiss the back of it. "It seems that Lightning didn't deprive you of food. You still have a skin that can be sold at a good price."

"Shut up, succubus." Lightning stood up, closed the door with his hind legs, and then gestured to Zis to speak. "Tiefling, show her that thing."

Ziz didn't listen to it, instead he looked at Hopper. The demon laughed happily.

"Very good, it seems that you still remember that I am the devil who possesses you."

"Yes," the young tiefling looked at the succubus with almost obsession, "I belong to you, my lady."

Hopper frowned, sensing something unusual. She pried open the tiefling's jaw and examined it carefully. Between the white teeth, the tongue, which should have been red, had turned purple.

"Loyalty Potion?" She touched the tiefling's tongue, then put her finger to the tip of her nose and smelled a slight scent of mandrake. "You actually gave him this?"

The tiefling knelt on one knee, mouth open, letting Hopper manipulate him without any unnecessary movements or a hint of dissatisfaction.

"That's not important," White Lion said, pacing in place. "You can see that the potion can't cover your contract. I just want to make better use of your collateral."

The succubus's face darkened. She patted Zis's face to signal him to move aside. Her wings slowly spread open and her eyes lit up with burning blue fire.

"I apologize, I apologize!" Lightning shrank into the corner and howled without any dignity. "I will heal him and compensate you!!"

Hopper didn't comment, but he still folded his wings, stepped on the white lion's tail, and warned: "There won't be a next time!"

Lightning wailed, this was the friendship of hell, fragile and full of exploitation.

"Speak, Ziz."

"While the demon hunter was chasing a stray Nightmare Rider in Malboji, he encountered a Yugoloth antique dealer. He heard some things from him and obtained this."

Zis took out a piece of brittle human skin from the bag on his waist and carefully spread it out on the table.

Hopper leaned over. It was clearly a map, covered in all sorts of signs and symbols she didn't recognize. She ran her fingers over the rough lines, finally pointing to a word and hesitantly saying, "This appears to be a word from Mabrehnin—Higher Infernal Language, but I don't recognize it. I'm not qualified to learn this yet."

"I don't know it either," Lightnin came over. "But the yugoloth said it must be Malboji's map. It's just that he couldn't decipher the Higher Infernal Language, and it didn't look like a treasure map. So he sold it to me cheaply."

"Taking advantage of a yugoloth? I'd rather you told me this map was given to you by the Immortal Sun." The succubus sneered. The yugoloths were the most stingy and mean-spirited beings in the multiverse, which greatly reduced the reliability of the map. "What does this have to do with your plan?"