Baator Hell Promotion

"Please allow me to do it for you," said the bald man as he opened his purse and took out a handful of money and handed it to Red Claw without even looking at it.

Hopper reached out to stop Lightning, raised his chin slightly, and said arrogantly: "Watch your behavior, outsider. Your goodwill does not have my consent."

"Of course, of course, beautiful Enriyes," the man bowed. "I do all this voluntarily. My team and I offer you this humble token of our gratitude, begging for your mercy."

"Tell me, what do you want?"

"I noticed you have two companions." The man pointed to Lightning and Ziz behind her. "I wonder if you can give us a Collapse Beast."

Just as he was speaking, the blond man who had just knocked the orc unconscious stood silently behind him, obviously they were together.

Hopper said nothing, but motioned Ziz to board the largest Collapse Beast with him, and let the larger Lightning board the other one.

Following the horn of the gray dwarf driver, the rock-like collapse beast rumbled into the dark corridor, leaving behind the strange man's voice of thanks.

"Why did you give it to them?" Zisi asked, clasping the bulge on the camel's body with one hand. "Is there anything special about them?"

"That man is a warlock, and a very powerful one at that."

Hopper replied gloomily. She judged it from the purple little devil. As a mid-level devil, the little devil was busy and picky, and would only serve powerful enough spellcasters.

Their journey had just begun, so there was no need to cause trouble on Gracia's territory.

Author's Note: I've been working a lot of overtime lately, so I can only update at night. So, the content might be a little watery. Please forgive me for that.

Chapter 214: Long Hair Forest

Traveling through the dark tunnels was no easy task. The constant falling rocks caused by the tremors and shaking of the mountain and the unrepaired road surface made it even more difficult.

However, the well-trained collapse beasts greatly offset these difficulties. Their paired chitinous claws landed precisely on every solid ground, maintaining high-speed movement while being as steady as the most stable horse.

Hopper tilted his head to look at Zis, who was clinging tightly to the gray dwarf's driver's hand. The muscles on his face were twisting as he turned at high speed. However, Professor Biguan had trained him well. Although he looked like a young man who had just reached adulthood, he was already capable of handling things on his own.

The tiefling seemed to sense her gaze and turned his head to meet the succubus's gaze, then immediately turned his head away, the skin behind his ear turning red.

Oh, I have to write a letter to Professor Bi Guan and remind him to pay attention to the emotional life of soldiers when training them.

However, Hopper actually liked shy soldiers, which satisfied her need for control, and it wasn't really a serious problem. She liked those unique creatures from the bottom of her heart, otherwise she wouldn't have established a relatively solid trusting relationship with Lightning.

Thinking of this, Hopper turned to look at Lightning, who was hunched over, his fur all standing on end, clawing at the back of the Collapse Beast. She rolled her eyes silently. She needed to take her words back. Being too unique wasn't a good thing—Lightning simply didn't have the quiet and steady qualities that a Hellcat should possess!

After crossing a bottomless canyon, Hopper keenly felt that the road began to slope upward. Although there were still occasional downhill roads, overall they were gradually approaching the ground.

Her premonition was correct. Soon, a pale star appeared in the distance. With the clattering footsteps of the Collapse Beast, the star transformed into a window, and the window into a cave entrance. Even the succubus with excellent eyesight could see the gloomy sky outside the cave.

"We are almost there. Distinguished guest," the taciturn Durzagon driver said the only words during the journey, then he put the horn to his lips and blew out a sound that only the camel beast could hear, causing the collapse beast to slow down.

The bright light after passing through the cave entrance made Hopper squint his eyes, and the scenery outside the cave made Ziss hiss slightly.

Hopper hopped off the camel with ease and landed on a stone wall. This wall completely blocked the entrance to the cave they had come from, leaving only a drawbridge for the drivers to pass through. Behind the wall were stone houses and fences similar to the ones they had started from, all built on a small platform in the mountain.

Gazing from the platform, one could only see the twisted, dense jungle stretching from the hollow valley floor to the foot of the mountain, and on the horizon, a hazy, distorted silhouette encircled by a red star. There lay the tower and castle transformed from the fingers and head of the former Hag Duke, Gracia's chambers and playground.

"Where are we going?" Hopper turned and asked the Hellcat who was also looking out. It nodded and motioned Zis to look at the map.

The young soldier held up the map and examined it for a long time, then pointed to the foot of the mountain. A path led down from the terrace and eventually disappeared into a forest even denser than the hedge.

"Through the Longhair Forest?" Hellcat narrowed his eyes and exchanged glances with Hopper. This forest, formed from the Countess's hair, had only been around for a short time and lay close to the core area of ​​Gracia's rule. Few demons could enter, and even fewer could safely exit.

Therefore, even the wandering demon hunter Lightning knew very little about this forest. The Hellcat only knew that it was filled with various giant insects, but he had no idea about their specific types, sizes, or distribution.

"We can only take it one step at a time," Hopper frowned. As a devil who advocates careful planning, she really disliked this kind of adventure without a plan.

At the foot of the mountain was a mining settlement of infernal gray dwarves. They stopped there only briefly to buy some necessities before heading back into the forest (mostly for Ziz, as neither devil needed food or sleep).

Hopper didn't know who coined the name, but the Long Hair Forest lived up to its name. Not only were the trees literally as dense as a woman's long hair, but a closer look revealed that each twisted plant was covered in scaly bark and rooted in white, flaky soil.

The so-called path was only occasionally visible among the tree roots and shrubs. After they left the path, everything became ten times worse.

"How's it going?" Hopper straightened up and asked the Hellcat who had just explored the way forward, "Did you find the target?"

Just as Lightning was about to speak, he quickly raised his paws, shrugged his nose, turned around suddenly, and let out a loud lion roar.

The leaves shook, and two wolf-like monsters jumped out from the dark treetops, and two more were waiting on the branches to make a move.

Hopper frowned at the "Purgatory Wolf Cockroach." These pests, almost the size of a galloping horse, resembled gray wolves covered in chitinous carapaces. Even more troublesome, like wolves, they excelled at fighting in groups.

The wolf cockroaches didn't give her a chance to think. Almost at the same time, four wolf cockroaches pounced on Hopper from different angles.

The lust demon turned around and dodged behind a tree. He slapped his quiver with his hand and drew out his sword. He was secretly thankful that he was in a dense forest. If he were in the plains, it would be really troublesome if four wolf cockroaches pounced on him.

Ziss's training was evident at this moment. The moment the wolf-cockroach leaped, he crouched down and raised his shield, blocking one of the wolf-cockroaches' attack path. The wolf-cockroach desperately twisted in mid-air, but was still struck on the side of the head by his shield, falling to the ground with a wail.

At the same moment, a white shadow suddenly soared into the air. The Hellcat was a size larger than the Wolf Cockroach. Lightning leaped from the ground, still knocking his opponent back. The two tumbled into the thorny bushes, writhing in a ball accompanied by animal roars and the sound of shattering shells.

"How did you become a demon hunter?" Hopper roared at the bushes, swinging his sword to block the attack from the right, and then used his left gauntlet to smash into the wolf cockroach's mouth on the left. "The enemies are following you!"

She kicked the attacking wolf-cock away and ripped its tongue with her backhand. Blood splattered, and a surge of excitement and violence surged through her mind. But the trouble on her right side wasn't over yet: the wolf-cock had its longsword firmly gripped, its six claws and a scorpion tail poised for attack.

Lightning roared like a lion and pounced, knocking the wolf cockroach off Hopper's body. Before the wolf cockroach even hit the ground, his hind claws had already cut a bloody wound on its flank, and after it landed, only the wolf cockroach's shrill screams remained.

The succubus stood up, clutching her left rib, the bloody hole from the scorpion's tail clearly visible. She endured the pain and slashed off the wolf-cockroach's head with a single blow, as it howled in agony from its severed tongue.

"We're in trouble!" Ziz dispatched his enemy and approached, shield raised. In the distance, the bushes trembled, and dozens of curled scorpion tails, like shark fins in the sea, announced the arrival of the wolf-cockroach swarm.

Hopper glanced at the treetops, which were too narrow. He could only climb to the top to spread his wings. But it was too late.

"Mu-Rus-Glaxio"

Suddenly, a spell was chanted from the direction they had come from. Then, accompanied by a chill and a creaking sound of freezing, a translucent wall of ice rose, blocking the wolf-cockroaches' path. Several wolf-cockroaches, unable to react in time, crashed headfirst into the ice, howling as they froze.

"Follow me, the ice wall won't hold them back for long!"

The spellcaster was the warlock in ostentatious attire. After he finished speaking, he turned around and ran without even checking whether Hopper and his group were following him.

Chapter 215: Feather Falling Technique

"Warlock, do something!"

Hopper roared at the breathless warlock in front of him. The magical ice wall not only physically blocked the enemy's retreat, but also emitted a cold energy that could freeze the enemy's blood.

But wolf cockroaches are not stupid beasts. They have strong shells that can withstand some of the cold. Before they ran far, Hopper could see the bushes not far away shaking again.

"Vision, mirage, or some other mind-affecting spell!"

"I won't!"

The Devil stopped abruptly, drew his longbow, and with a twang of the string, the emerald green arrowhead accurately struck a distant tree, exploding into a yellow-green cloud. The Stink Cloud Arrowhead had been brought back from the Qianyan City treasury, and he hadn't expected it to come in handy here.

"Then run faster!"

The warlock's stamina couldn't even compare to that of a demon, let alone a regular Ziz. Even after just this short distance, his face was flushed, sweat dripped down his back, and he was on the verge of collapse. His flamboyant cherry-red robes made the thorny bushes even more difficult for him. Now, he relied entirely on his sturdy blond companion, who half-dragged, half-carried him along.

The grass ahead rustled. Hopper drew his bow as he moved forward, but only saw thorns fall. Lightning's voice came from what seemed like nowhere.

"There's a big chasm ahead," Hellcat said, following Hopper's lead. She could only discern the location of her invisible companions from the broken branches. "The kind I can jump over."

Hopper understood Lightning's hint. The Hellcat had amazing leaping abilities, and he could fly, so he could easily carry Ziz across the chasm. As for those two humans, you couldn't expect the devil to be grateful, could you?

"I have a way, I have a way!" The blond man had simply carried the warlock on his back, which allowed him to take a good breath. He shouted as soon as he heard the news from Lightning.

Bang! Zis seized the opportunity, twisted his waist, and the scales on his body glowed faintly. He slammed the large shield in his hand onto the head of the fastest wolf cockroach with great force, knocking the hairless beast to the ground, shaking and wailing.

Before he could finish him off, a steel arrow passed over his arrowhead and pierced into the seam between the wolf cockroach's head and neck shell, killing it instantly.

"Don't waste time!"

Hopper didn't even look back, jumping from one branch to another like a monkey. The trees were becoming sparser, and although he still couldn't spread his wings and fly, using them to jump was enough to soar into the air.

Suddenly, they passed through the last wall of thorns that had blocked their path, and the canyon appeared before them. Hopper estimated that it was at least thirty feet wide. No wonder Lightning said it could stop the wolf cockroach.

Before they could ask the warlock what his plan was, an exceptionally large wolf cockroach leaped from the treetops directly at the blond man. The blond man carried the warlock on his back, but it didn't affect his mobility at all.

He dodged the attack, his right hand covered in deep purple flames, and he clawed at the passing beast. His flaming claws sliced ​​through the wolf-cockroach's flank like a hot knife through butter, opening a massive wound. The beast screamed and fell to the ground, rolling over, blood gushing out like a fountain.

Before anyone could breathe a sigh of relief, more beasts leaped out from the brambles, dozens of wolves and cockroaches at most. They had already seen that this group of adventurers was not easy to deal with, so they formed a semicircle and pushed everyone toward the cliff, trying to reduce their escape space.

"Warlock, you'd better tell me your plan right away, otherwise you'll have to tell your god!" Hopper said this, but he slapped the activation rope around his waist, letting it wrap around Zis's waist, ready to fly away at any time.

"Okay, okay," the bald warlock muttered, grabbing a handful of feathers from the bag on his waist. "My plan is to jump!"

The bald man jumped without hesitation. Hopper gritted his teeth, pulled Ziss with him, and gave a strong kick, jumping down as well. The sound of the wind nearby indicated that Lightning had done the same thing.

"No-Feiti!"

Everyone felt their bodies lighten, as if a warm mattress was supporting them, and the speed of falling was greatly slowed down.

The "Feather Fall" sorcerer said proudly, then his face changed color and he pointed to the top of his head, "They are about to jump down!"

He was right. The wolf cockroaches above them hesitated for a moment, and several of them jumped down towards them, as if they would not stop until they had bitten them to death.

But obviously beasts are beasts. They did not estimate the power of magic. They just moved slightly in the air to avoid the wolf cockroaches that were falling straight down.

With a bang, another stink cloud arrow exploded on the edge of the cliff. The yellow-green dark cloud not only interfered with the wolf cockroaches' sensitive sense of smell with its stench, but also blocked their vision.

"Well done, my dear lady," the warlock praised enthusiastically.

The chasm was much deeper than Hopper had expected. They drifted down slowly for a long time, and the warlock even cast a feather fall spell midway. Only when the light around them dimmed did they finally land on the ground.

"Formally, I am Dan Brown, a relative of the 'Never-Ceasing Change' Master Tetu."

After landing, the bald sorcerer simply straightened his tattered robes and saluted Hopper as respectfully as possible. He then pointed to his blond companion and introduced him, "This is Oha from Savannah. As you can see, he's a warlock. Of course, these are all aliases, so I'm sure you'll understand."

"Hopper, Lightning, and Ziz," the succubus simply stated, showing no interest in the sorcerer's introduction. Hopper glanced at Oha's right hand, where the flaming claw had just emerged. Warlocks have a wide variety of abilities, and many enjoy the thrill of close combat. But using claws directly is truly rare.

"I say, before you engage in social activities, shouldn't you make sure that the surrounding area is safe?"

As the light dimmed, Lightning's figure became more distinct. He walked over gracefully and sat down with all four legs huddled together.

The bottom of the chasm was anything but ordinary. As far as the eye could see, Hopper could only see gray gravel and fallen branches from above. Further away lay a few wolf-cockroaches, even more eager to meet the earth than she was.

"where is this place?"

Hopper turned to Ziz, whose sense of direction was surprisingly poor, but this time the Dragonborn just shook her head.

"We're in the former Grand Duke's belly," Dan Brown replied. The warlock rubbed his sore legs and sat down, saying, "Maybe it's Malagard's trachea? Or lungs or something like that."

"You seem familiar with this place?"

The bald warlock forced a smile, making the bright red tattoo at the corner of his eye look even uglier. He pointed at the little devil hanging from his shoulder, which had been useless all the way, and said, "I'm not familiar with it, but it's more familiar."

Hopper narrowed his eyes and looked at the little devil who looked like he hadn't woken up yet. Its bony chest, half-open eyes covered with mucus, and weak-looking tail all reminded the devil of a name.

"How bizarre, a euphoric little devil would actually want to travel with you?"

Chapter 216: Fog in the Cave

In Baator, there is no room for waste. Even a little devil without fighting power must fulfill his responsibilities.

When Hopper was still Harp, he was a common little devil, dreaming of amassing a few hundred souls to become a reaper. Although he was ridiculed and exploited by Charlotte, he still got to visit the Material Plane occasionally, where the bulk of his work involved interacting with mortals.

However, such leisurely and lucrative jobs are becoming increasingly rare as the bloody battles become increasingly fierce.

The devils were forced to take on various tasks besides direct combat. Considering that most devils were created for war, defense, or torture, this "various tasks" is basically equivalent to "all tasks."

It is in this context that the Euphoric Little Devil was created.

As we have emphasized many times before, under the strict rules of Barto, sex, alcohol, tobacco and all addictive substances are strictly controlled and can only be enjoyed with the permission of high-level devils.

Of these, sex is the most strictly controlled. Succubi serve almost exclusively the most powerful devils. Unless instructed by higher-ups, even the most common Enreyes wouldn't even glance at any devil of lower rank. While alcohol and tobacco aren't as strictly controlled, most baatezu are immune to toxins, and only the smallest amount of something instantly fatal to a mortal can give them a heady high.

These designs were all designed to serve the great order, as the lords were not happy to see their soldiers and subjects indulge in easy pleasures. However, as the bloody battles progressed, the lords soon discovered an embarrassing fact: they did not have enough diverse supplies to reward and appease the soldiers who had achieved military merit.

Mortal officers would reward victorious soldiers with promotions, money, feasts, or even a drunken feast, but these methods were usually useless in Hell, not for any other reason, but mainly because the Grand Dukes were unwilling to spend so much money.

Under these circumstances, the Euphoric Imps were born (Hopper suspected it was the idea of ​​the stingy Grand Duke Mammon). These transformed Imps' combat effectiveness was further reduced, and instead, their skin and tail stings secreted a slime that gave both mortals and demons a decadent pleasure.

Upon its release, the Euphoric Imp was welcomed by all the major lords, especially the officers on the front lines of Avernus. They purchased large quantities of Imps (yes, Imps could be considered merchandise) and transformed them, allowing the lower-class soldiers, who had never enjoyed anything, to gain simple happiness outside of bloody battles and become addicted to it, thus redoubled their efforts in the bloody battle.

However, Hopper remembered that there had been a case where military discipline was lax due to licking the little devil. After that, the production and exclusive sales rights of the Euphoric Little Devil should have been taken over by Balzefen, one of the Eight Demon Generals. She was not only responsible for managing the Dark Warrior Legion of Stygia, but also the chief supply officer of the entire Hell Legion.

The Eight Demon Generals and the legions they command are all stationed in Avernus. Therefore, Euphoric Imps are quite rare in other planes, and Hopper did not expect to see one next to a mortal spellcaster.

The succubus glanced at the warlock walking in front of him without leaving a trace. With his carefree attire, strange teammates, a rare magical pet, and the special image of the "never-stop transformer" he introduced himself as, this warlock's background was not simple.

"Do you think they will be the team of adventurers walking ahead of us?" A low voice suddenly sounded in Hopper's mind, coming from the Hellcat who was exploring the way ahead.

"You also noticed something was wrong?" This is the advantage of being a devil. You can communicate directly through the mind without making any sound.

"Tsk, I'd rather believe they were attracted by your beauty than that it was just a chance encounter."

"I don't think so," Hopper responded while looking around. The crack in the ceiling was rapidly narrowing. They had now entered a semi-enclosed cave. "According to the Weaver, the team had left at least a day earlier. Why would they be waiting for us there specifically?"